tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177651622024-03-18T23:26:55.570-04:00lauren's homeLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.comBlogger739125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-51318897432420561732015-09-15T13:05:00.003-04:002015-09-15T13:05:34.493-04:00a letter to bethany on her first birthdayMy sweet, dear Bethany--<br />
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You'll have to forgive me--I feel like I'm out of habit with this. When your brother first came around, I blogged regularly and had plenty of time to compose a birthday letter to him (<a href="http://www.laurenm83.blogspot.com/2011/10/on-your-first-birthday.html">http://www.laurenm83.blogspot.com/2011/10/on-your-first-birthday.html</a>) but here we are, my second child. Coming in under the wire and piecing together bits of time to work on this. I promise I'll get it done before the week is over!<br />
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You started out as a dream to us, imagining this fourth little person that would complete our family. As everyone asked, "So when are you going to have another?" we were trying to plan and find the perfect spacing that would allow us the one on one time with your brother while also insuring that you two could be playmates. And so it was a couple of weeks after Christmas during a visit downeast to see your great grandparents that I noticed my smell was off. I could clearly smell something vinegary, but your daddy couldn't. And I couldn't wait for us to get back home and take a test, just to see. Sure enough, a faint little line showed up. I tested once more in the morning, just for good measure--and it was clear. A second little one was on the way.<br />
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We included Davis in the announcement, ordering a fun shirt from Etsy and telling our family members over the next couple of weeks. He was ecstatic to be the messenger--"I'm going to be a big brother! There's a baby in Mommy's belly!" We announced it to the world on my 31st birthday, and you took us on a ride over the next few weeks that I will never forget.<br />
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Davis's pregnancy was so easy, but you, little girl--we knew you were going to be a different. Nausea and food aversions had me subsisting entirely on peanut butter and jelly or cereal. Smells would send me to the bathroom, and I had to turn away meals at restaurants that sounded enticing when I ordered, but were the last thing I wanted to see when it was actually brought to the table. You were rough on me, hon.<br />
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But it was worth it, and it gave us a clue that you might be a girl. All of my friends with bad morning sickness had had girls, and even though it would have been so convenient to have another little boy (you, James and Davis would have lined right up with clothes) I knew it would be fun to have a little girl as well. So the day of the big ultrasound, we ordered pink and blue cupcakes to share with your brother's class and went on in for the big reveal. And there it was--or rather, wasn't. You were a girl, and we were headed into a whole new world of pink :)<br />
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The next few months flew by, and being second-time parents, we weren't as concerned about getting the nursery set up. We knew you'd sleep in our room the first few weeks anyway--realistically, we had everything we needed. Life kept on going, and I was determined not to let things slow me down. Your brother needed his routine and those last few trips as an only child to go on the Disney Cruise, to see Thomas at Tweetsie Railroad, to go to the beach--and we did it all, even traveling up to 38 weeks beforehand for your cousin James' first birthday.<br />
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I suppose the biggest surprise during that time was your VSD diagnosis. A routine 3-D ultrasound that led us down a path of cardiologist specialists and high risk birth plans. We were told that the NICU team would have to be there when you were born, just in case, and it brought a stark reality to us that your entry into the world may not be as "normal" as we'd hoped. Our friends and family came together to support us, and we saw glimpses of God working through the whole experience, reassuring us that everything would be okay.<br />
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Then you teased us, with Braxton-Hicks contractions over the last few days. We assumed you'd come early, like your brother. But no, you came just a couple days shy of your due date, ready as ever. Just an hour or so after they broke my water and a couple of hours after we actually checked in, you were out in two pushes (and no time for pain meds!) born at 1:40 pm, and no issues with the VSD. My family had gone to get lunch, thinking it would be hours til you were born, and then were surprised to get a text as they were finishing up that you were here! This whole birthing in the afternoon thing was new to us, too, and we had a stream of visitors that day. It was actually kind of fun, being alert and content, feeling like regulars on the maternity floor. I knew the routine and what to expect, falling easily into nursing again, trying to catch sleep while I could and enjoying the last few moments of peace before we returned home. There was even a point in that first evening where everyone left us for a couple of hours (they all assumed the others were in there) and it was just you and me in that tiny little hospital room, with you snuggled up sleeping next to me. Justin came back and the three of us laid in bed together, relishing in the moment. The nurses even asked us, "So are you going to have any more? You seem so calm and handling things so well!" "No," we said, "this is it. She's the last one...but she's special." I was determined to only stay one night in the hospital, and true to my word, we were able to be discharged the next afternoon.<br />
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We had one week with help at home (thank goodness for help!) and then it was into our routine. My dear second child, you were thrown into the "make it work" mantra at an early age. At two weeks old, you were accompanying me to preschool drop offs, field trips, Homecoming parades and grocery store runs.<br />
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We settled into a nice little schedule and I soaked up every bit of those three months, knowing they would be my last extended break from work for...well, pretty much ever.<br />
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You blossomed, showing us how chill, laidback and easy going you could be while also having very specific ideas of how certain things should go (must be held by Mama almost all the time.) We were big fans of baby-wearing and sleeping in the room with us, while not so fond of long car rides or gas bubbles (but who is?)<br />
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I think the biggest thing this time around is that I knew to a certain point what to expect--and that everything is a stage. You weren't going to act a particular way forever, and I could go forward with confidence, knowing that we could ride out any difficult time.<br />
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You definitely benefited from second-time parenting in many ways, though it also made us less attentive to other things. You don't have a video of all your milestones like Davis did, and if it weren't for Timehop or Facebook, I'm not sure we'd have any semblance of a baby book.<br />
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If I had to choose a word or two to categorize our experience of this first year, one would be "complex." Nothing was as straightforward as it was with Davis, and you came into the world at a complicated time in our lives.<br />
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This past year, our collective families have seen numerous challenges with medical issues, hospital stays, construction site visits, outreach presentations, and who can forget the flu epidemic before Christmas?<br />
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Even our childcare was more complex than with Davis--we had primary and back up and crazy weeks with five different care givers on five different days. You rolled with it all, though, and for that we are grateful.<br />
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You also proved to us how different siblings could be...by this time in his life, Davis was significantly attached to his Wubbanub and we knew we'd have a tough time weaning him off of it. You? The paci was hit or miss, and eventually just a miss. Go figure. One less battle to fight in the future.<br />
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We had stricter ideas of how we wanted to sleep train Davis, when to start purees, and then solids--and with you, it was a much more fluid process. "Do what works until it doesn't" became my motto, and I was comfortable with those gray areas of parenting.<br />
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So I don't remember specific turning points or major accomplishments, but I remember little moments of catching naps on the run, watching big brother play teeball or go swimming, and keeping each other company as life moved on at a rapid pace.<br />
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You were my companion through it all, and we learned to make it work.<br />
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I'm an older sibling, and so is your daddy. I can only try to imagine what your experiences as a second child will be like going forward, but I promise to try to understand and find a good balance (without the mom guilt.)<br />
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I want to keep having the one on one time with you, developing a mother/daughter bond that will carry us through difficult times.<br />
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We see so much of your daddy in Davis, and I hope (really really hope) that you and I are cut from the same cloth, too.<br />
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This perfect balance of personalities and interests in our family, the emotional with the rational, the thinker with the doer, the analytical with the heart.<br />
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I can't guarantee that it will always be easy. Davis was our "guinea pig," and you are dealing with the consequences of what we learned from the first-go-round.<br />
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There will be days that enforcing the rules doesn't work, or you get dragged to one more soccer game or swim meet or Cub Scout event or whatever we have going on--and you don't want to be there. The future me apologizes to the future you.<br />
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It'll get better, I promise.<br />
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More than anything, I want to find your same passions and interests and help cultivate them. Already, you're carrying around crayons and have shown more interest in coloring over the past two days than your brother has his entire nearly five years of life. </div>
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You watch--everything--and you learn from it. It's like each day we see you pick up on one more details or notice one more piece of your environment. </div>
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We hope to instill in you a love for traveling--seriously, girl, you've gotta get on that bus. We are a traveling family, and without the ability to travel, we lose connection with some of those that we love dearly. So we hope this next year will prove to be the year that traveling clicks for you, because we have BIG plans!<br />
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I hope your relationship with your brother continues to grow. We walk a fine line, giving you both your space and then trying to get you to "work things out." You've just started to realize what the baby gate means in front of his door, and you desperately want to be on the other side.<br />
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I pray that you develop into an unstoppable team, a force to be reckoned with that is protective, loving and kind--and that you don't use those powers against poor Mom and Dad ;)<br />
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Above all, I hope that your heart continues to shine through those bright, beautiful eyes. That you allow us to see you, hear you, support you as you walk through life--the good and the bad.<br />
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You've come a long way, baby doll, and I can't wait to see where the path goes from here.<br />
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Happy birthday, sweet girl!<br />
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we love you so much--<br />
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mama and dada<br />
xoxo<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-69342577916562962972012-06-20T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-20T10:06:05.334-04:00busy monday afternoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
there was a monday afternoon a few weeks ago where davis's regular sitter had an appointment and i picked him up early. since he would already have had his nap and i wasn't getting him for a doctor's appointment (the usual reason i pick him up early) i decided we should have some fun. our first stop was at my friend robin's house, who also watches davis a couple times a month. she used to cut hair (and cut mine for a while a couple of years ago) and she had offered to trim up davis's hair for us. he was needing it, especially as it got warmer during the summer months and his longer hair would get hot and sweaty under his hats. here's a before picture...</div>
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and about 10 minutes later, with a cookie and an episode of the wonder pets on my phone...here's the after!</div>
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the back was the most dramatic difference. as much as i loved seeing the ends of his hair flip out and curl, it was cleaned up and he had an actual hairline in the back :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVhrKyRburhm7F_cL0aZq6QNCqWHxC7OKK9dXPLUncIuDNKh2Ds6dJGQ78L2OlotcM5sveKI7HZV-ZIbzEFgEnvrakbY1QgLyVA1SKLW4A6pwie9ikqqdtrOrwUR5PI_VpzXsPw/s1600/389617_10100635416472313_1072727461_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVhrKyRburhm7F_cL0aZq6QNCqWHxC7OKK9dXPLUncIuDNKh2Ds6dJGQ78L2OlotcM5sveKI7HZV-ZIbzEFgEnvrakbY1QgLyVA1SKLW4A6pwie9ikqqdtrOrwUR5PI_VpzXsPw/s400/389617_10100635416472313_1072727461_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
we saved a few of the longer locks in an envelope and got him to take a picture with robin. of course, he thought at this point that i was leaving and got upset--no fear, buddy! we had big plans for the rest of the afternoon.<br />
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i had read about and seen friends pictures of a splash pad in the nearby town of kinston, about 30 minutes away from us. since this was before school got out and davis was already rested, i thought it would be fun to check it out. the sky was overcast and was threatening showers when we got there, but they held off. however, it meant that it wasn't as warm with the sun hidden behind the clouds, so he got a little chilly once he got wet!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNitr6mLp__8jLbEHKWMdfk-b8W19LlBOaeZbCKnqs8ZW13JcadLjb4GI-QKPghuQwA20c6k7xit4EL5mGZaxxd1hvxvdAhYocD2Kpo5VmlR4qOurbjtRVvE_duVNMB3KphTR-Pg/s1600/165845_10100634988440093_865919900_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNitr6mLp__8jLbEHKWMdfk-b8W19LlBOaeZbCKnqs8ZW13JcadLjb4GI-QKPghuQwA20c6k7xit4EL5mGZaxxd1hvxvdAhYocD2Kpo5VmlR4qOurbjtRVvE_duVNMB3KphTR-Pg/s320/165845_10100634988440093_865919900_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
there were only a couple of other kids there, which was nice because i didn't have to worry about him getting in the way. but they were also older than him so he didn't really have anyone to play with. i ended up playing with him and showing him how to play with the different water features so he was entertained.<br />
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we stayed for about an hour before he got too cold and needed to dry off. we got home just in time for some backyard play with justin :) here's one more picture i snapped that evening with his new haircut and super cool sunglasses! how grown does he look? </div>
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-3993894515643440692012-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-19T08:00:03.989-04:00a wild west adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
a couple of weeks ago, i was texting my friend lynn and said, "we should hang out this weekend with our boys." and she agreed and we ended up planning a little trip on a saturday afternoon to deadwood, a mini-theme park about 45 minutes away. it has minature golf, a train ride, a huge playground and other smaller rides in a western theme. it also has one of the best restaurants in the area, so we decided to go late afternoon to play and eat dinner.</div>
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we packed up the lynn and david's car, that has 3rd row seating. however...when you put two car seats in there, it makes the 3rd row seating almost impossible to get to. our husbands threatened to record us trying to climb in and out of that back seat, but thankfully they did not. needless to say, it was not graceful, but it was fun :)</div>
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once we got there, we had fun exploring the park and checking everything out. it was my family's first trip to deadwood, but lynn, davis and josh are regulars :) lynn even worked there for a little while when they were living in williamston.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1KzT0lIICxjUZTpp3ZoWbfoOBMG7zN1kQCxSWy2ac_-fUt6I5qIwdSVhWhLdrl4oYZvZlXiJ903RaTntMtgnxg9RFKbLBFZaHANQM_yMULMNhyphenhyphenACHjZP2Bas2EhQFX5KPZd9hA/s1600/282370_10100635415399463_1622187861_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1KzT0lIICxjUZTpp3ZoWbfoOBMG7zN1kQCxSWy2ac_-fUt6I5qIwdSVhWhLdrl4oYZvZlXiJ903RaTntMtgnxg9RFKbLBFZaHANQM_yMULMNhyphenhyphenACHjZP2Bas2EhQFX5KPZd9hA/s400/282370_10100635415399463_1622187861_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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we went on the train ride right away, and i was excited to see davis's expression! he is all about trains right now and he was thrilled to get to ride one :)</div>
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his little eyes taking it all in...<br />
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the train driving away...<br />
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and a few minute later, pulling back in </div>
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he was a happy boy!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJwzIrdgbw9ARQSkGmbNWKDceinyUzCpCMtIoJTQ26u_ZCRhNF1SKSX0cJKzenx3wDuKB4jcdp-ltYzE54ew9ARZO_te0WnyySU1qFpU2BVMsM73TyuEid3p6q5LIJeyDG192Ig/s1600/208988_10100635412804663_342794261_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJwzIrdgbw9ARQSkGmbNWKDceinyUzCpCMtIoJTQ26u_ZCRhNF1SKSX0cJKzenx3wDuKB4jcdp-ltYzE54ew9ARZO_te0WnyySU1qFpU2BVMsM73TyuEid3p6q5LIJeyDG192Ig/s400/208988_10100635412804663_342794261_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
next, we fed the fish in a ridiculously blue-tinted pond. no water is that color, but surprisingly, the fish seem to be fine in there...<br />
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and then we got the boys ready to ride the carousel...which is pretty small and a good way to introduce davis to rides, i guess.</div>
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josh had a blast! </div>
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davis was a little more uncertain. we think he was slipping a little bit, and i ended up jumping on and holding him on the horse so he didn't slide. </div>
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the rest of the time was spent playing on the awesome playground they have there. it was a big hit with all of the kids.<br />
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even some of the "adult-sized" kids :)</div>
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after working up an appetite...</div>
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and trying to make a run for it<br />
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we went on in to the restaurant, which was very busy. it has a kind-of hunting lodge feel to it, and they specialize in steaks and "smoke house" food. it was delicious!</div>
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can't wait to go back again--we had a great time and loved spending time with our friends!<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-47210203941650604762012-06-18T12:00:00.000-04:002012-06-18T12:00:09.020-04:00sun gear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
i'm getting caught up this week on some adventures we've taken over the past few weekends. but before i get into all that, i wanted to do a quick review about a couple of items we ordered recently and have enjoyed. </div>
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if you know me, you know i don't take sun burn or skin care lightly. every summer, particularly at the beach, it's an issue of "me against the sun." i try to keep hats on, high sunscreen, and in the last few years, swim shirts from the local surf stores or lands end. it makes it so much easier to get ready to go on the beach, because i don't have to worry about getting sunscreen on my shoulders, back or chest. </div>
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this year, i checked out the company that patrice had linked to, <a href="http://www.uvskinz.com/">uv skinz</a>, just to see what they offered. i liked the different styles for the swim shirts, where over at lands end, they have <a href="http://www.landsend.com/pp/womens-aquaterra-short-sleeve-rash-guard~231646_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::WHI&CM_MERCH=IDX_swimwear-_-women-_-shop-by-collection-_-aquaterra&origin=index">very basic designs</a>. not that there's anything wrong with that! i love my lands end swim shirt--but i really was digging the look of <a href="http://www.uvskinz.com/detail.aspx?id=255&c=5">this wrap shirt</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ_EIZXJPYOg1VnXCGjlMWZkWn_N6KHXp6VhO4ia-jaEbRuHPO31KfjPnisp4tfbLkMb2bZTGt2Mr_gYokeSOkUccdg-1NChOzV6d30xiU_K3XW2m0sAFlkadAUOPYLugl56oPw/s1600/P00255_1R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ_EIZXJPYOg1VnXCGjlMWZkWn_N6KHXp6VhO4ia-jaEbRuHPO31KfjPnisp4tfbLkMb2bZTGt2Mr_gYokeSOkUccdg-1NChOzV6d30xiU_K3XW2m0sAFlkadAUOPYLugl56oPw/s1600/P00255_1R.jpg" /></a></div>
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AND it was on sale! so it came last week and i got to try it out this past sunday when we went to the beach.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEL4QXpGPCS90kyBwKrua7A3Yu1WJ430T3KnLDdGpeAm9EyrGtIDHLs64gZdNpeRHMkGNxd_29P-10fI2cSmq8jmxCLtjxTenvP9DfyHT4H_FqVcSqp0lJ7VthMkinU6pRnpkfA/s1600/197640_10100650072341833_1748971859_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEL4QXpGPCS90kyBwKrua7A3Yu1WJ430T3KnLDdGpeAm9EyrGtIDHLs64gZdNpeRHMkGNxd_29P-10fI2cSmq8jmxCLtjxTenvP9DfyHT4H_FqVcSqp0lJ7VthMkinU6pRnpkfA/s400/197640_10100650072341833_1748971859_n.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
the fabric is light and the wrap design is flattering but not skin tight, which is really nice. i do like that i can show a little bit of my swim suit, and it's really easy to get on and off, even wet. i'm also a pretty modest person, so i like that it has nice coverage and camouflages the post-baby belly. it will be great for the rest of this summer! my hat is from target--really liked this one compared to some of the other straw hats i've gotten from there. it stays on my head even in strong winds and is comfortable (and packs easily--no worries scrunching it up.) it is very floppy though and with the wind blowing, would sometimes get in my eyes. oh well!<br />
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i was looking for davis, too, and found <a href="http://www.uvskinz.com/detail.aspx?id=387&c=132">these wide brimmed hats</a> that had a lot more coverage than the bucket hats i was finding at other stores. the plus on this one, too--it has a drawstring, which means we can adjust it to fit his head. (most toddler hat straps don't fit his big head, so he can easily pull it off.)<br />
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we tested it out on sunday, too, and i thought it worked so well! (and was super cute on him...love my beach baby!)</div>
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sun exposure and skin cancer is no joke, so please make sure you cover up this summer :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(uv skins didn't send these to me and doesn't know who i am--just providing a helpful review for a good product)</i></span><br />
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<br /></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-6426724886392648452012-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-15T08:00:12.605-04:00wrapping things up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">it's our last west virginia trip post, and this one is all about the day i dreaded...the full attempt at a drive home. on a good day with me and justin, this drive could take about 9 or so hours. on bad days (and we've had some very bad days with traffic, weather, etc.) it's taken anywhere from 12 to 14 hours. we've never attempted it all day with a toddler, and we've never asked davis to do more than 4-5 hours in a car per day. it was a big test for all of us...and surprisingly (thankfully) it ended up being okay.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">the night before, we did everything we could to get packed up and the car loaded so we would have little to do in the morning. davis got one last bedtime routine with his "pappy and grammy" before he headed to sleep.</span></div>
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justin's dad would be leaving for work early the next day, so we said our goodbyes that night and rested up for the long drive. we got on the road just around 9 or so (that way davis had some time to play in the morning) and we got him all set up in his car seat. thank goodness for the iPad! we had loaded it up with several shows and games to keep him occupied, and towards the end of the drive, i'm not sure we could've done it without it. </div>
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i had mapped out a couple of possible places to stop along our route, taking into account that davis would nap at some point, so we might not stop if he was sleeping. before he took his nap, we stopped at this gorgeous view at one of the rest stops about an hour or two into our trip. </div>
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he slept through the first possible stop at berkeley springs (we figured if it worked so well the first time, it would work this time) so the next option was a community park in winchester, va. we hit it just at lunch time, so we picked up some lunch and took it to the park, where they had a great shelter with picnic tables right by the park. davis was able to eat and then burn off some energy on the playground...</div>
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and i explored a little bit, finding this creek across the parking lot and a family of ducks taking a nap in the grass. (they're brown ducks, just by the brush at that point of dirt on the ground.)<br />
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you can see them a little bit better here...</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPglsk7S4R6RY2nMx6KdnEKImyRguPiYvtmSo0n0wOmGFE2lvSLLZJCdj7ewKQkcaiiplrMPrZhU7neqX6Z-UutMNyRivu0sKk6MZobAkNj9sydd-MBeZNOWZj6Gk3qPY8W14AA/s1600/477469_10150875005653752_1499252234_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPglsk7S4R6RY2nMx6KdnEKImyRguPiYvtmSo0n0wOmGFE2lvSLLZJCdj7ewKQkcaiiplrMPrZhU7neqX6Z-UutMNyRivu0sKk6MZobAkNj9sydd-MBeZNOWZj6Gk3qPY8W14AA/s400/477469_10150875005653752_1499252234_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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i took over driving at this point (we were safely out of the serious mountains--justin's our mountain driver and i do the highways) and we kept davis entertained with books, stickers, snacks and the iPad. our next option for a stop was just outside of richmond. i had read online that short pump shopping center was great for kids, and that they even had a train you could ride during certain hours. i was so hopeful that davis would get to ride it, but alas--it wasn't running that day. luckily he didn't know what he was missing and instead loved running around the little depot area they have for the kids, complete with general store and train station.</div>
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he was completely happy with all the miniature store props :)<br />
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and thought it was pretty funny that i insisted on taking photos through the window.<br />
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oh lovely, child. please smear your nose on the glass and join who knows how many other germs from other children who did the same...<br />
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the train station was cute, too, and we actually had a couple of other children join davis to play while their families stopped in.<br />
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we grabbed dinner here, picking up tacos from the chipotle that was nearby. SO GOOD. we've only had chipotle a couple of times, so this was a treat. then we started our way back through richmond traffic at rush hour, and i was never so glad to get back on i 95 and continue on home. </div>
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we knew we were getting closer to having a davis melt-down, so i called the last few hours of our trip "just keep davis happy." he got his pacifier, he got iPad, he got snacks, he got whatever it took to keep him content. we made one more stop to get some gas at--ironically--the "davis" travel stop close to the nc/va border!</div>
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from there we had about 2 1/2 hours more to get home, and we really didn't want to stop anymore. however, we had run out of milk and as we got close to bedtime hour, davis began requesting milk. then he would get distracted with something and seem okay, so we'd keep going. then he'd demand milk...but then get okay. so we were about 30 minutes from our house when the demands became pretty urgent. he needed milk and he had no clue why we weren't supplying him with it. there weren't any great stops that wouldn't require going a couple of miles off the highway...so we kept going and just dealt with it. we finally pulled into the driveway at 8:30 pm, let him see pepper and get super excited about being reunited with her, then change him into his pj's and (finally) supply him with some milk. and then he was out.<br />
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shew.<br />
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all things considered, he did so well. i am so glad we knew places to stop and highly recommend that for anyone traveling long distances with a toddler. a regular gas station/rest stop just wouldn't cut it for him, and having safe play equipment and spaces specifically designed for his interests was so important. it broke the trip up for us really well so that it didn't feel quite so overwhelming. is it something i'd like to do regularly? no--but i can do it once or twice a year, which is all we're really asking him to do. i am glad we broke the drive up into two days so that it wasn't two full day drives. i have a feeling that might have really pushed him to the limit....but he's a resilient kid. who knows.<br />
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and next time, we'll have plenty of milk.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-88370304819533311662012-06-14T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-14T08:00:00.978-04:00family visits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
on our last couple of days in west virginia, we made our way around to visit various family members. justin's grandmother has been in a nursing home for a couple of years now with advanced alzheimer's disease. we took davis to see her, hoping that seeing a little toddler could wake her up a bit. </div>
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it was lunchtime, and eating did seem to help her stay awake more and bring back some of her energy. her sister also stopped by and was helping us give her lunch. </div>
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we were working against davis's schedule, though, as it was naptime and he was interested in eating, too. he did incredibly well and i think the other nurses and some of the other residents were happy to see him.</div>
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and we got a picture of four generations of family together. in the end, i think that was the most important thing.</div>
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we also stopped by his uncle steven's house and visited for a bit. davis LOVED the "tractors" and getting to sit up in the seats.</div>
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every little boy's dream!</div>
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we drove out to see the cabin, which is a work in progress. davis enjoyed the long grasses and climbing up and down the porch stairs.<br />
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the west virginia fields agreed with him!</div>
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he was pretty content in the grass--we were just warned to check him for ticks later that night (no worries, he was tick-free)</div>
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here's justin, davis, his cousin scott and his uncle steven--so great to spend time with them!</div>
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you could tell it was getting late...we just had one more stop to make.<br />
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the cabin sits back on a hill with a gorgeous view and a great breeze that comes across the valley.<br />
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they plan on using the cabin for hunting trips and family gatherings--such a beautiful area.</div>
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at the bottom of the hill is a new family graveyard, with justin's grandfather buried there. they had just put out flags for memorial day. (justin's grandfather was in the army in WWII.)</div>
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the stone they used for the grave marker was one of the foundation stones used in the family farmhouse built many years ago. it was a wonderful way to incorporate the history of the land and the family together. (i loved this photo and sent justin's dad a copy.)<br />
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finally, we got to have a cook out on memorial day with justin's stepsister, her son and boyfriend. this was when some of the water sliding took place :) davis also got his first taste of a popsicle!<br />
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it was really funny as he tried to figure out how to eat it. he was taking these small little licks and making the funniest sounds!<br />
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we're so thankful we got to see all of the extended family during our trip!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-3346956461262750742012-06-13T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-13T08:00:19.684-04:00water fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
while we were in west virginia, it was pretty warm and we had lots of opportunities for davis to cool off with some water activities. in my opinion, there is nothing cuter than a little boy in a rash guard and board shorts :)</div>
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justin's dad and stepmom had purchased an inflatable water slide <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2009/07/wild-and-wonderful.html">a few years ago</a>. it was brought back out for davis's inspection....</div>
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and he gave it a shot! going down first with me (no pictures, sorry) and then again with justin, just to make sure. </div>
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yes, he kept tight hold onto his tupperware.</div>
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in the end, the water from the hose was too cold for him and he just wasn't enjoying the slide. so we set him up on the deck with a bucket of water and endless containers to use for moving the water back and forth.<br />
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justin decided to enjoy the slide himself... you'd think he would've learned from the last time!<br />
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luckily he was able to stop himself before going over the edge again<br />
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so we went out shopping and decided to get davis a baby pool instead, letting the water warm up during his naptime the next day.</div>
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he was okay with it, but still not a big fan. so we let him back at his bucket of water...<br />
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and watching cousin river slide down instead.<br />
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much better for him!<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-25290929118391156772012-06-12T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-12T08:00:03.585-04:00day trip to pittsburgh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
on saturday, after we had gotten to justin's dad's house the night before, we got up and got ready for a drive into pittsburgh (a little less than two hours from their house.) his stepmom was flying in from visiting one of her daughters and grandchildren the week before, so we were along for the ride! </div>
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davis did well on the drive there and napped for a while--i was worried the short nap would throw him off for the rest of the day, but he handled it in stride. we got to the airport and parked in the short term parking. i had done my research and was hopeful that they might have an observation park <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2012/06/weekend-away.html">like RDU</a> to watch the planes take off and land...but no such luck. however, davis found the baggage claim area entertaining on its own.<br />
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he was fascinated by the baggage carousel and the mysterious chute that was dropping luggage out of the ceiling...</div>
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and when all the bags got picked up, there were buses and cars to watch through the windows. justin took him over to the pick up/drop off area, and he said he had women waving and smiling at him from the cars as they picked up their passengers. our little guy can charm anyone!<br />
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after we picked up justin's stepmom, it was lunch time! i only had one request for our trip to pittsburgh...</div>
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a trip to primanti brothers! i had seen so many travel channel and food network shows about their sandwiches that i had to try one for myself. these were massive sandwiches...and so so good. </div>
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we did some quick searching on our phones and found a park nearby to let davis run off some energy. it was really warm that day but he was still up for some playground time.</div>
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he thought this sand digger contraption was pretty interesting, though he couldn't quite figure it out himself.<br />
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and we finished off our trip with some swinging with pappy--a nice way to cool off from the humid afternoon!<br />
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it was a quiet trip home--i don't think he fell back asleep, even though we covered his windows and tried to get him to relax and rest. when we got back, we headed outside to the deck where he immediately busied himself with some bowls of water and dirt. this child can entertain himself for hours moving water back and forth between various containers.<br />
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dinner al fresco and time for bed! </div>
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more west virginia fun to come tomorrow...Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-21360877390784833792012-06-11T12:00:00.000-04:002012-06-11T13:20:05.348-04:00for the localsbefore i jump back into another post about our west virginia trip (we have about three or four more posts to go--it's the only way i can get everything in!) i wanted to share something for those of you located in the greenville/winterville area.<br />
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one of our friends from church, jennifer, has started up a new business that we have LOVED and have taken advantage of over the past few weeks. it's called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/whatsfordinner123">"what's for dinner?"</a> and every monday, she posts three meals that she will be making for the following week. you can comment or message her which meals you would like by thursday, and on the following sunday (or another time determined by you and jennifer) she will deliver the meals to your home. each description on the facebook page includes the price and servings, and when the meal is delivered, it is prepared in a foil or plastic container that can be refrigerated up to a week with directions for heating and an ingredients list. you can also put it in the freezer and stock up for the future!<br />
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just an idea of the meals that she's offered over the past few weeks that we had the pleasure of trying...<br />
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some awesome chicken enchiladas with rice<br />
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a chicken tamale pie that had a great cornbread dressing type base<br />
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and baked cheesy chicken pasta--davis even enjoyed this one!<br />
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we have a broccoli, chicken and cheese casserole and cheesy chicken spaghetti waiting for us for this week--i'm excited to compare the chicken spaghetti to pioneer woman's chicken spaghetti (jennifer says she likes the recipe she used for this one better!)<br />
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the prices are very reasonable, particularly when you consider ingredients, packaging and delivery, and i usually add a green vegetable or salad to the dish while it's warming up. with our small family, we usually have enough leftovers to take for lunch or eat off of another night that week (we do leftover thursday at our house, where we try to clean out the refrigerator before the weekend and i don't cook :) ) i feel like it has cut back on some of our grocery costs and certainly has made it easier for me to spend more time with davis once i get home in the evening without having to use so much time preparing dinners those nights.<br />
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i still cook one or two nights a week, and i've found that it takes pressure off of me rotating our typical recipes. i also love that jennifer's meals include the little extras that i may not go to the effort of doing, like adding fresh parsley or cilantro to the recipes.<br />
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she didn't ask me to do this, but i told her i would because i think it's an awesome service and i want her to be able to continue doing it! so check it out if you're in our area and spend a little less time in the kitchen--and a little more time with your family. it makes everyone happy!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-17764965754873435762012-06-08T12:00:00.000-04:002012-06-08T12:00:04.097-04:00morgantown visitafter our stop in berkeley springs ,we kept driving until we made it to morgantown to visit with justin's grandmother. she lives in a townhouse near the WVU campus area and was so excited to have us come and visit. we brought in all of davis's toys, but he was more excited to pull the old cassette tapes and cds off of the shelves in the living room :)<br />
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after an early dinner, we took davis for a walk in his stroller. i captured this view as we made our way down one of the hills in the neighborhood. we simply just don't have hills like this in eastern nc!<br />
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davis was happy to read books and play some iPad games before bed with his great-grandma.</div>
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so cute!<br />
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after we got him down for bed, justin and i ran out to the grocery store to pick up some more milk for davis and a bag of pepperoni rolls. necessities for our stay up there! the sun was just setting as we made our way towards the shopping center...</div>
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we all slept well that night and enjoyed a relaxing morning around the house. before it got too hot, we decided to go over to one of the local parks.<br />
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davis enjoyed playing on the playground and watching some of the other children there.</div>
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so cute!<br />
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after lunch and his nap, we started to pack things up again. we were going to head out of the city to a cookout at a family friend's house. we have been there before and they have gorgeous yard with lots of room to run and play. davis immediately found the rock water feature and thought that was the coolest thing ever. we let him play with it (knowing he would be changing into his pajamas shortly anyway.)</div>
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the lighting out there was awesome for photos--i had a great time with the camera. </div>
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we gave him a spoon and measuring cup to play in the dirt, and he was content. it's the simple things, right?</div>
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their yard has a large hill that slopes down the bottom, and this was the first time davis had to walk on such an incline. he face planted the first time (and staggered around pretty pathetically trying to figure out how to run/walk on the steep hill) but after a couple of attempts, he finally got it down pat. </div>
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he got smart towards the end and would make it halfway up the hill, then stop and turn to one of us to carry him up the rest of the way.<br />
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we changed him into clean clothes before dinner--yes, the same romper from the day before. i was able to do laundry all through out this trip, which was wonderful because we didn't have a huge bag of dirty clothes to deal with once we got home.<br />
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and he eventually started wearing down...</div>
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before we headed up to justin's dad's house for the night, we gave him a bath in the kitchen sink and put him in his pj's so he'd be ready to go to bed once we got there. he didn't seem to mind the sink bath too much!</div>
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and with that taken care of, we headed on to our next stop along the winding mountain roads.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-89156522679628084162012-06-07T12:00:00.000-04:002012-06-07T12:00:05.199-04:00west virginia trip: first leg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
it's been over two years since we last made <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2010/03/country-roads-take-me-home.html">the trip up to west virginia</a> to visit justin's family. in fact, the last visit was when we told them that we were pregnant! as i got further along in my pregnancy and then having a infant who didn't do well with long car rides, we hadn't attempted the typically 9-10 hour long drive. we've been building up to it, though, with our recent trips to asheville and winston-salem this spring. we finally planned to drive up a couple of weeks ago, taking a few days off around memorial day weekend to see friends and family up there. we chose to break it up into two days on the way up, hoping davis would fall asleep in the car as we made our way to warrenton, va, where we stayed the first night. we were due to arrive around 10:30 pm...</div>
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and he finally fell asleep at 10:15 pm. (this is a photo of him hanging out in his pj's at the rest stop in virginia)</div>
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so traveling during daylights saving time presents its own set of challenges. davis was way more interested in the cars and billboards and everything else on the highway than going to sleep, so that plan kinda backfired on us. thankfully, he stayed asleep and transferred well once we got to the hotel. we all crashed that night and took it easy getting up in the morning with no real schedule to follow.<br />
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i had done some research about places to stop on the way up, and one little town that we've always driven through and talked about stopping (but never have) was berkeley springs. it boasts natural mineral springs with a park downtown that you could walk around and play in. since davis was still awake when we got there and it was a nice halfway point for our drive that day, we decided to stop and let him stretch his legs.<br />
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we explored the area, checking out the gazebo and some of the water at the front part of the park close to the highway. you could see small schools of minnows swimming around.</div>
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loved this picture of my two boys :)</div>
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i walked around to the back of the park and found more shallow accessible streams of water that i knew davis would enjoy. the water is naturally about 72-74 degrees, so chilly but not unbearable. we decided we would let him get a little wet (since it would be impossible to keep him from it otherwise--and honestly, i wanted to put my feet in, too!)</div>
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they had a couple of the natural pools protected, and there was a preschool aged boy playing in one of the deeper ones (maybe 2-3 feet deep?) we chose to let him go into the smaller one that had just a couple of inches of water on the rocks, but two deeper pools that were about 3 feet deep. i kept both hands on him at all times to make sure he didn't slip as he was walking around...<br />
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and he loved it! splashing, touching all of the rocks and plants, checking it all out. </div>
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obviously we were traveling with a ton of clothes for him (and us) so i didn't mind him getting wet. i helped him sit down on one of the small ledges near the edge of a pool and turned to put my sunglasses down by my shoes. justin had walked up to get some pictures from further back, and he captured davis standing up and leaning forward...to take a dive in one of the deeper pools.<br />
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he did not (thankfully) hit anything on his way in and was underwater for just a second before i pulled him out. he coughed and sputtered for a minute and was startled, but not traumatized--i think i was more emotional than him! i felt awful, but was so glad that i was right there and again, that he didn't hit his head on anything in the pool. i know it could've been so much worse, but after a few minutes, he was ready to go again. and at that point, i was wet, too, so i just sat with him in the water and we relaxed and splashed until his lips turned blue :)</div>
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my little dare devil!<br />
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after we got out, dried off and changed, we sat in the shade on the grass and let him eat a picnic lunch before we got back on the road.<br />
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he was out within minutes of us driving away...i guess the morning had been exhausting for both of us!<br />
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later that night, after i put the pictures up on facebook, my mom commented on one and said the story reminded her of my brother, who, at two years old, went running into the deep end of a swimming pool with my mom jumping in right behind him to grab him. as she stated, "that was just the beginning!" i know we are going to have our hands full with davis, and there will probably be many more moments where he scares me like that...but i'm just so grateful this one has a happy ending and fun memories (and photos) with it :)Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-20495110557851683332012-06-06T12:00:00.000-04:002012-06-06T12:00:02.727-04:00an evening of painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
when i heard that our town was getting a "wine and design" place, i was so excited! i had seen some of my friends who lived in charlotte or the raleigh/durham area post their pictures after they had been painting, and i am always looking for fun, crafty ways to spend time with my friends :) a couple of my friends from work and i were able to get together to paint last week, and it has definitely sparked some creative energy for me!</div>
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we chose a night that worked for all of us when they were featuring a painting that we felt we would want--although we have learned that if you can get enough people together, you can do a private party and choose the painting. as we were waiting for the class to start, we were checking out the other paintings on display and talking about which ones we'd like to do in the future. they also feature a promotional card where you can do 6 paintings and get the 7th one free--love stuff like that!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2IIeapzgoXHEGpprls0GJlnBoXAQcU29CQD1Je44mA9alC1KkevLgRsp8gq0QIjg-hezv1l05pfqtv_ErmU3GZddKqz4QM-dw5eaGZUONFEuV_wavJJjczMVxinSRXeVeXOIDQ/s1600/IMG_1262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2IIeapzgoXHEGpprls0GJlnBoXAQcU29CQD1Je44mA9alC1KkevLgRsp8gq0QIjg-hezv1l05pfqtv_ErmU3GZddKqz4QM-dw5eaGZUONFEuV_wavJJjczMVxinSRXeVeXOIDQ/s320/IMG_1262.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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we started out with a 16x20 canvas and a paper plate palette of the colors we'd be using that night, along with three different sized brushes. our teacher (who worked as a elementary school art teacher by day) worked with us to build the colors in our background.</div>
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then we added the outline of the tree. i've done trees before, so i felt pretty comfortable here and they let us do this on our own. however, we did learn that for some of the more difficult paintings, they will sketch an outline for you to help with the process.<br />
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here's our row of trees, along with the completed painting and our teacher's work in progress up front. (see that boat in the upper corner? i want to do that one--love the colors and reflection in the water!)<br />
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my friends hard at work--brittany, hillary and lorena :)<br />
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listening carefully to the instructions from our teacher, melissa. they had some great music playing the background and we both knew all the words and enjoyed singing along :)<br />
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the owner, marlyn, was painting with us that night and stopped to take pictures of the class in progress. it is a simple set-up in the studio, but so much fun! you can bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the class. (see the painting in the middle of that back wall, the tree in front of the sunset? we want to do that one, too!)</div>
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back to the painting--we added some more details and little tufts of grass...<br />
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lorena and i were in our element--we both love to paint and are creative (we're also pretty short and stood up most of the time with our left hands on our hips--so funny!)</div>
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and the finished product, after going back in and adding leaves, circles and dots, and some light "swirls" for fun<br />
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here's lorena's almost finished painting--her circles were smaller and more detailed with lots of layers--very kadinsky-esque.<br />
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hillary added some colorful swirls to her picture.<br />
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and brittany had a larger, more open tree--i love how we each had our own style with the same painting!<br />
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here are our completed projects--we are definitely going to try and make this a regular outing :)</div>
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for those of you in the area (and most anywhere in NC, SC, etc.), check out <a href="http://www.wineanddesignus.com/Home.html">their website</a> and facebook pages for more information about how to plan your own painting experience!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-87102927860351890792012-06-04T13:00:00.000-04:002012-06-04T13:00:02.382-04:00campus fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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living in a college town (and being an alumni and now an employee) i love spending time on campus. a couple of weeks ago, we met up with my 2nd cousins and their little boys (who are 3rd cousins with davis? right?) to take some photos of them as a first birthday present. i'm still finishing up those edits, but they were adorable and we got some awesome pictures. we got a picture of all of us together for the grandparents and great-grandparents :)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMqKY3mNBssmKHgBU6ILbjqT916eyOAUzomuydFNsBzxrclWrCKST0KO4st_qBo0iJURs3Sosn-1CHF2Djqq6ET3AkTaqw6tEY0CDjd5sOgz4l8tzBmqZplyQZEGxzstRMQQjKw/s1600/560683_10100613653490503_22201350_49094377_406752680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMqKY3mNBssmKHgBU6ILbjqT916eyOAUzomuydFNsBzxrclWrCKST0KO4st_qBo0iJURs3Sosn-1CHF2Djqq6ET3AkTaqw6tEY0CDjd5sOgz4l8tzBmqZplyQZEGxzstRMQQjKw/s400/560683_10100613653490503_22201350_49094377_406752680_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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after that, we let davis explore some on campus. he was thrilled to find a BIKE! right outside of the library.</div>
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but his favorite spot was the "ground cloud"--a special fog feature that is part of the library, too. on the humid afternoon, it felt so good to run through the cool mist and the fog was sticking around enough that we crouch down and "hide" in it.</div>
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i will say, from a photographer's perspective, it created some challenges for focusing. the camera wasn't quite sure what to focus on, so i took the rest of these on manual focus.</div>
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(we keep a foam sword in the car for entertainment. it just happened to travel with us that day!)<br />
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now i know where to take him when we need to cool off and let him run around some...<br />
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and as much fun as we had, there's also a very sentimental side of me that is so happy my son will grow up with daily memories of being on campus at my alma mater. he will be photographed in purple and gold next to the campus landmarks at all ages, and we will take advantage of all that our university has to offer to our growing family as far as programs, events and entertainment goes. this is just the beginning :)<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-55874936993309297422012-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-02T08:00:03.028-04:00saturday randoms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
the collection of random photos that don't quite fit into a post on their own, but make a nice mixture for your saturday morning reading pleasure...</div>
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davis is a fan of this sprinkler. though he's since taken all the little foam ends off of the wavy parts so most of the "arms" don't wave anymore--they just spray straight out. </div>
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he's also rediscovered this little dog toy and has really gotten into pulling it around the house.<br />
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he also gets incredibly frustrated and whiny if it falls over in the process. which is funny for about the first 4-5 times, then gets annoying because there's not much you can do to help him. (this is why we duct-taped his 18 wheeler truck together when he couldn't stand the cab and the truck bed coming apart.)</div>
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my mother's day instagram post. it was just fitting. (the card started out saying "I <3 MOM" when we left church, but the ride home produced this.)<br />
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after davis's 18 month appointment a couple of weeks ago, we both got frozen yogurt as a treat. you can see the tongue depressor on the table that was our parting gift from the doctor.<br />
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oh, the saga of our bluebirds.<br />
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we bought a bird house. we didn't put it up. a bluebird family moved in anyway. the eggs hatched. i became attached to the birds.<br />
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the house fell down one day. the birds were okay. i tied the house to the post with twine.<br />
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the neighborhood cat found our house. he became a regular visitor. i put up cardboard to keep him from being able to get right next to the birdhouse.<br />
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(our neighbors probably think we're odd.)</div>
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we're not sure what happened to two of the chicks (hopefully they're okay.) the last one was in our yard one night and his parents were trying to teach him to fly. it started raining and the poor guy still wasn't moving from his spot. i picked him up (with a towel) and put him back in the house. we think he tried again the next evening and now i believe i've seen three bluebirds flying around our yard. </div>
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the end.</div>
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the nasty cold that we all got stuck around for a while. davis learned you should not put your snotty nose in the sandbox.</div>
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it was gross.<br />
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but we still took pictures for your enjoyment :)</div>
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this tub picture is one of my favorites of all time. you can just see the joy of bathtime!<br />
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he's still loving this car--one of his favorite things to do in the evening is to be pushed up and down our street for a quick walk.<br />
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he also loved this new car ride at sonic near the playground. seriously, that smile.</div>
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sprinkler puddle aftermath.<br />
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just like daddy. if only that thing worked and he could actually help with the lawn!<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-50144814133794634232012-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-01T08:00:17.357-04:00weekend away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
for the past few months, we'd been toying with the idea of doing a quick trip up to the western part of the state. my dear friend <a href="http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/">patrice</a> was organizing a 5K to benefit the eb research foundation <a href="http://www.debra.org/">dEBra</a> and i wasn't sure if we were going to be able to make it up there. </div>
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but as we got closer to the date and patrice got <a href="http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/2012/04/mad.html">"fired up"</a> about the event following the deaths of two more eb sweeties...i sent justin a link to one of her posts and wrote, "i think we need to be there." so we pulled it all together and made our travel plans and off we went. we drove up on thursday night to the river house that my great-uncle and aunt have by the watauga river near todd, nc. we've stayed here several times and love it--so so grateful that they let us stay there. we took it easy on friday, as davis and i were both coming down with a nasty cold. we enjoyed exploring the house...</div>
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playing in the yard (where davis LOVED flopping over into the long grasses and having me worried about snakes and spiders)</div>
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and eventually meeting up with pete and mary at a restaurant for lunch. it was graduation day at appalachian, so we had plenty of people-watching to do with students moving out of the dorms and lots of families in town for graduation.</div>
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after lunch, we headed to the park in downtown blowing rock, where davis played on the playground and kept himself entertained.</div>
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like pushing the stroller around on the basketball court...</div>
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and playing a little b-ball himself (he's a natural, right?)</div>
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we ended the afternoon with a trip across the street to the ice cream parlor, where we got some of the best ice cream i've had in a long time (davis and justin had peach frozen yogurt--also very good.)</div>
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we made it back to the house in time to get davis fed, bathed and in bed while mary cooked dinner for us in the kitchen. davis even let pete read one of his stories to him before we put him down.</div>
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i'd like to say we all slept soundly, but while we were eating dinner, the smoke alarms went off in the house! the downstairs neighbors were cooking and set them off, and i rushed in to comfort davis in case he was scared. we put him back down easily before they went off again--and he was really upset that time. so he got to stay up for a little while until we were sure the smoke alarms were done. </div>
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the next morning, we got up early and headed towards winston-salem. my cold had hit in full force at that point, and i made the decision to forgo running the 5k and opted instead to do the 1 mile fun run. i knew i wouldn't be in the best condition to run (i hadn't done a great job training after my first race almost a month earlier) and the fun run was starting 30 minutes after the 5k...which gave us more time to get there. since we were packing up and needed that extra time to get our stuff in the car and still drive over an hour to winston-salem, the 9 am fun run sounded better than the 8:30 5k. </div>
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we got there without any trouble and pulled into the parking lot just as the 5k was starting. i love tanglewood and have been there for a couple of events--doing patrice's maternity photos with gabe, and for my friend maggie's wedding five years ago. we got our t-shirts and said hello to friends and family that we recognized :)</div>
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then it was time for the fun run, and there wasn't really a plan to run at all...which was fine with us. we were still waking up!</div>
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it was just awesome to be there after seeing all of the hardwork that patrice put into planning this event and her wonderful team of supporters that came out.<br />
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after we looked at the horses along the fun run trail</div>
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and rode the firetruck around the parking lot</div>
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and played in the bounce house (thank goodness for bounce houses)</div>
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it was time for the raffle drawing and race prizes. davis entertained himself by pushing around empty rubbermaid containers that originally held race bags and t-shirts. whatever it takes...<br />
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by the time it was all over, the kids that were hanging out congregated by the music, and i looked down to see davis with jonah and rory and quinn (our friends nathan and katie's girls) and thought just how awesome it was to have them all together--and how far we had come from our college campus ministry group :)<br />
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it was an amazing experience, and i can't wait for the race next year!</div>
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by the time we finished up, davis was wearing down and was desperately in need of a nap. so we loaded him into the car and started driving home. he slept for a while, but woke up around burlington...and we knew he wouldn't make it all the way back home without a stop. rather than hitting up streets at southpoint on a saturday, we decided to try and find the airport observation park that i had read about before at RDU. it wasn't too far off our route, and i figured he would enjoy the airplanes and getting to run around a bit.<br />
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well, we drove around the airport three times before we found out. there are no signs on the main roadways directing you to the park, and it took asking a parking attending as we went through one of the park and ride lots to get directions to the park (it's on the cargo road between the two terminals, in case you're wondering, and there is a sign directing you to it as soon as you turn onto the cargo road.)<br />
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there were several other families there when we arrived and we could tell it was a pretty popular spot with airplane enthusiasts as well. they had a nice playset and green grassy area with pretend "runways," but the coolest place was the observation deck that featured the radio contact between the airplanes and the control tower broadcast over the speakers. we pointed out the planes to davis as they were taking off and landing (with one coming or going probably every 3-4 minutes, it seemed like) and he was hooked. he didn't have the vocabulary for it and would only say "see! see!," pointing to the planes as they landed or flew off into the sky. i think we could have stayed there for hours and he would have been content!<br />
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eventually we got back into the car and headed home, so happy to have made the trip and seen our dear friends and family. we'd love to go back up this summer and escape the heat!<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-23676745063180298482012-05-31T12:00:00.000-04:002012-05-31T12:00:08.603-04:00fun weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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a couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of attending one of the last ECU baseball games of the season. it was graduation friday, and i knew that there was the potential for traffic to be crazy around the campus area. however, we were able to get there in record time, with davis eating in the car and justin and me picking up dinner at the ball park :)</div>
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davis did really well at the game and seemed to enjoy it. he had been to a high school baseball game before, and we think that he might have enjoyed that more because he was closer to the action. we ended up walking around the park after an inning or so, and a nice little boy who ran out to get a foul ball from the parking lot ended up giving it to him :) </div>
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a family picture before we left. he made it until about 7:15 or so, which is pretty good for a 6 pm game. he was obsessed with the straw and cup and carried it all the way out of the stadium, sipping on it to get some watered-down sprite. </div>
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the next day we went to josh's superhero themed birthday party. i told justin he should wear his batman shirt to it, and lynn had asked us earlier for our two favorite colors for the superhero masks. we told her black and gold, thinking of the steelers colors--but justin ended up coordinating and making a pretty good batman! (i got him to pose like that--he wasn't sure what i meant when i said "superhero stance")</div>
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they had a fun bounce house that davis was able to enjoy outside. it was hot, but that didn't stop him from doing his typical "run and fall over" routine in there!</div>
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-31767834115800172392012-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:002012-05-28T08:00:08.809-04:00our anniversary trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
each year since we got married, we have taken a trip to celebrate our anniversary. before davis, we would do long weekend trips to some of our favorite southern towns....<a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2008/04/busy-time-of-year.html">ocracoke</a>, <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2009/05/just-few-shots.html">charleston</a> (two posts you could check out on charleston), and <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2010/04/day-1-in-savannah.html">savannah</a> (there are several savannah posts). last year, with davis only being a few months old, we did a <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2011/05/anniversary-surprise.html">surprise trip</a> to the local zipline course in my hometown. we have done one night away from davis (<a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2012/01/night-away.html">back during the Christmas holidays</a>) and were hoping to celebrate our 5th anniversary with another trip. </div>
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our plans actually went through quite a progression--we started out thinking we might do a tropical vacation, like to the florida keys or a short cruise. but money-wise and getting help with watching davis for that long...it became obvious that wouldn't work. then we started doing planning for a weekend--maybe back to ocracoke? or atlanta--i actually had a whole itinerary written up for a driving trip to atlanta that included stops along the way and a couple of visits to "top chef" restaurants (kevin and richard blais's places) and the georgia aquarium. but again...a trip that long just wasn't panning out. so we ended up deciding to do a quick trip up to....</div>
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busch gardens! i hadn't ridden a roller coaster in over two years, and i knew we wouldn't want to take davis yet (though we saw lots of stuff he would have enjoyed.) i've always been one of those people who saw the family toting around a miserable toddler or baby and would turn to justin and say "that will never be us." we had no clue if davis would even enjoy any of the rides, so this was a good opportunity to do busch gardens "our way" and then we'll revisit in the next couple of years with him.</div>
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my mom and grandma came up the night before so we could leave first thing in the morning. davis fussed when we left but had recovered by the time we got out of town (my mom was sending me photos of him smiling and playing as evidence of this.) we got to the park by 11 am and went on in. i had purchased tickets beforehand at a discounted price from our local <a href="https://www.ncsecu.org/PDF/Highlights/ThemeParkTickets.pdf">state employee's credit union</a> which made this pretty affordable (saved us at least $30.) we started at apollo's chariot and made our way around to most of the big rides like the griffin, hitting lochness and alpengheist after lunch. the newest coaster, verbolten, wasn't open yet--maybe next time?</div>
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we also enjoyed several shows and rode the train, sending a video to my mom for davis to watch of the train coming into the station. he was (and still is) in a big train phase right now!</div>
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it's easy to see why busch gardens is consistently voted the most beautiful theme park--it is so lush and green and makes it enjoyable just walking from one country to another. we stayed well into the evening, going back on some rides after the big groups had cleared out.</div>
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i even climbed on the mach tower right before we left (after justin bailed on me--he just wasn't into that particular ride) and got to see the whole park from 240 ft in the sky at night. it was worth it :)<br />
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people-watching is always entertaining at the parks, and they were holding a band and choral competition there that day, so we had plenty of high school groups around us. since most of my first theme park experiences were from band trips, it took me back!<br />
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we left the park around 9:30 or so, feeling like we got all of our rides in for the day. we had reservations at a hotel just down the rode and crashed for the night. i still don't sleep entirely well when i'm away from davis--maybe it gets easier after the first night? or maybe it's just the strange sounds of a hotel room--the air conditioner shutting on and off and feeling like the pillows aren't quite right...<br />
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the next morning we got breakfast and headed home. davis was down for a nap when we got there, so we got to get him from his crib when he woke up and surprised him. he had done really well for my mom and grandma, so maybe we can do another trip soon...? we had bought him some presents from the sesame street area in the park, picking out a pair of sunglasses, an elmo doll and cup that actually had his name on it! (very rare that we find one with his name, which is fine with us--we like that it's unique.)<br />
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it was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary together. maybe not the exotic carribean trip we had hoped for, but still one that fits where we are now :)<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-79261704479117571392012-05-25T17:00:00.000-04:002012-05-25T17:00:00.757-04:00strawberries on 903<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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every year, one of our favorite spring/summer rituals is a visit out to strawberries on 903. now davis is old enough to really appreciate the farm setting, with all the animals and farm equipment and everything. he has also been a pretty frequent visitor! but i got the opportunity to take him one sunday afternoon after justin needed to treat our backyard for weeds.<br />
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he is a big fan of the bunnies!</div>
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and we were excited to ride on the horse-drawn wagon around the farm....</div>
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he definitely looks at home here, doesn't he? i'd say the overalls and fresh air suit him well!</div>
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oh davis, you melt my heart!<br />
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some more exploring...</div>
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and toddling around. he was happy to be able to wander and check everything out!</div>
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then we stopped up by the produce stand and posed with the flowers.</div>
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he was very into touching them (gently, gently, hon)</div>
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and then crawling around underneath the counters--also lots of fun for a toddler boy!<br />
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he looks so much like my brother here--it's uncanny. we may have to find a picture to compare...<br />
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all in all, a wonderful visit on a gorgeous afternoon...</div>
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and the perfect opportunity... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfuvdtc7q8jkXJ7qWGu8IxAJ_FLblZYA1ARnKL3lhyIMiS7CnrV3N4WvTWxxuEgAnLb4O_z7scOfcyr0X7XKjM2JtNe-bALWeLZGWdIeqV33PQF-1itq2sLs5TI1JWGnuTCV9Wg/s1600/538820_10100570430325073_1417452241_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfuvdtc7q8jkXJ7qWGu8IxAJ_FLblZYA1ARnKL3lhyIMiS7CnrV3N4WvTWxxuEgAnLb4O_z7scOfcyr0X7XKjM2JtNe-bALWeLZGWdIeqV33PQF-1itq2sLs5TI1JWGnuTCV9Wg/s400/538820_10100570430325073_1417452241_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">to spend some time with my boy :)</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg8nN6uj7hhT92b7RaOUXpb9U5DnLEzjmXcwlmqHL91s34zsyuV8pdZ2OvfgHHrGi-Pj1iFLHFLZi8Yr9sK1RL962DVSLS95MPh5kvfDOtB9C0HuKC6KOSXU1hgQIXwMgsNfDlw/s1600/551875_10100570428174383_22201350_48913030_1414718961_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg8nN6uj7hhT92b7RaOUXpb9U5DnLEzjmXcwlmqHL91s34zsyuV8pdZ2OvfgHHrGi-Pj1iFLHFLZi8Yr9sK1RL962DVSLS95MPh5kvfDOtB9C0HuKC6KOSXU1hgQIXwMgsNfDlw/s400/551875_10100570428174383_22201350_48913030_1414718961_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-15697801807991276682012-05-24T17:00:00.000-04:002012-05-24T17:00:02.400-04:00piratefest and my first 5k<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
as most of y'all know, i started training at the beginning of the year to run a 5k. i was using a "couch to 5k" interval program that designed for a 9 week training period. by the time my first run came around, i had made it about 7 1/2 weeks, which was fine with me. i was realistic that i wouldn't probably run the whole thing, but i knew i would run most of it :)</div>
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i was able to pick up my packet on friday during my lunch break and checked out all of the information. this was obviously my first time doing a chipped race, too, so it was a little intimidating!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWDZyRM37CwSB4Dk2Vd1uHeJny4Geg2B6mlrZDa6pjtV6Fd2Wle9bs-AU3xqSPDPhgY4ZC6Q6kApyzShDMdEITsAPA8XzAdF5XquIiGUQ4pQ39kL7s2wdxRxVtpJcFbGHB8jiA/s1600/IMG_7854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWDZyRM37CwSB4Dk2Vd1uHeJny4Geg2B6mlrZDa6pjtV6Fd2Wle9bs-AU3xqSPDPhgY4ZC6Q6kApyzShDMdEITsAPA8XzAdF5XquIiGUQ4pQ39kL7s2wdxRxVtpJcFbGHB8jiA/s320/IMG_7854.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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there was A LOT going on that weekend in town--the 5k (which was associated with our alumni group), open house on campus, which meant tons of visiting students and parents (and some responsibilities for my department), the pigskin pig-out--which is an annual BBQ competition and the spring football scrimmage game, AND piratefest, a two-day festival downtown featuring craft and food vendors, lots of pirate-themed activities and the "international festival" that used to be separate event, but has now coincided with piratefest for the past few years. </div>
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shew.</div>
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it's the kind of weekend, though, that makes me incredibly giddy because i LOVE that kind of stuff. we headed out to the pigskin pigout friday night and let davis bounce away in one of the inflatables they had there (he's getting the hang of these, though he still doesn't do much more than run down the middle and flop on the ground, laughing and squealing. it's adorable, of course.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZfcu3EjS88Kr50tF6dBugzFThmVWVPtTBD9mOghcuW6cbm5iuRu3BaJ2Dse8L0ZPn1cO5YPuF6KRJp4BkmzJFynUevPmTSwW3LBlSWF9kgRtbzV1og1DlsVkrhbE8W5skQRk2A/s1600/IMG_6267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZfcu3EjS88Kr50tF6dBugzFThmVWVPtTBD9mOghcuW6cbm5iuRu3BaJ2Dse8L0ZPn1cO5YPuF6KRJp4BkmzJFynUevPmTSwW3LBlSWF9kgRtbzV1og1DlsVkrhbE8W5skQRk2A/s320/IMG_6267.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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the next morning i got up and ready for the 9 am race start. there were a couple hundred racers, all decked out in pirate gear. the race proceeds were going toward scholarships given by the alumni association, and i pulled out my old "EC scholars" t-shirt that i got when i was a freshman and wore it for fun :)</div>
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the next couple of photos were taken during the race by the race photographers. i knew davis and justin were coming to meet me at the finish line, but they had until at least 9:30 or so to get there! the group running evened out pretty quickly, and i felt like i was keeping a good pace for the first mile or so. i would allow myself to walk for about 30 seconds or so after the water table to drink and catch my breath, but tried to keep going.<br />
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i knew the timing of the race would be a challenge--i had been running at night, usually around 7:30 or so in the evening, after a full day of drinking water and with the cool night air to keep me comfortable. a 9 am race with the sun coming up and warming things up really quickly made it challenging. i walked after the 2nd mile for a while, setting short goals for myself to run at a certain spot on the course. as i was making my way back to the main part of campus, i heard the marching pirates playing at the scheduled pep rally for the open house. strains of "hey baby" made it out to the road, and it was enough encouragement to get me back to running down the hill and to the finish line. </div>
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as i approached the timer, i picked up speed once more, wanting to make it under 38 minutes. i hadn't really set a time for myself (just finishing without walking most of the way was my main goal) but at the moment, 38 minutes sounded good :)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLdPg94cuZHCqnTiB-uB_qCOlbRHvBC3irX1tFEwKQLQBDYXUUx2ywSsKYvTNWTU2KKr5x_1Lv-iJO6lzwzxOX6dNTDnKLHIpByUUvrY7negbu-nXUd2FBymJw8cBuWYq459fGg/s1600/554272_10100540433633683_22201350_48798155_852730835_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLdPg94cuZHCqnTiB-uB_qCOlbRHvBC3irX1tFEwKQLQBDYXUUx2ywSsKYvTNWTU2KKr5x_1Lv-iJO6lzwzxOX6dNTDnKLHIpByUUvrY7negbu-nXUd2FBymJw8cBuWYq459fGg/s320/554272_10100540433633683_22201350_48798155_852730835_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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justin and davis were waiting for me just before the finish line and hung out while i grabbed some snacks and cooled down. as you can see, i was VERY pink!</div>
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from there, we decided to go on and visit the piratefest. it had just started and wasn't crowded at all. we strolled down past the craft and food vendors, stopping only to get a bag of kettlecorn (one of our favorite snacks!)<br />
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we made it down to the town commons by the river and let davis make a pirate hat. okay, so i made the pirate hat. but he actually kept it on! he was happy to wander around, people-watching and checking out the boats in the river.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamlodXMzNw7zEZX1A3SxPdA03NLQ2q9M78PMWcdlZNIJBiYePIklRcTVE9bc8Bf9exYFZs8qXvQmBrG673bFF2y6wBn12E7U_Mjxi9MkE1BIAiVFRboIb1-Dcmn_NwGLANhGhtQ/s1600/548265_10100535311932613_22201350_48764524_110580150_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamlodXMzNw7zEZX1A3SxPdA03NLQ2q9M78PMWcdlZNIJBiYePIklRcTVE9bc8Bf9exYFZs8qXvQmBrG673bFF2y6wBn12E7U_Mjxi9MkE1BIAiVFRboIb1-Dcmn_NwGLANhGhtQ/s320/548265_10100535311932613_22201350_48764524_110580150_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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then we saw the jolly trolly driving around and i remembered reading that they would be offering rides around the downtown area. it was completely empty, and my bus-obsessed boy was THRILLED to take a ride! he wasn't real happy to get off, once we had done a full loop, but it was so much fun to see him looking out the window and grinning ear to ear about finally being on (in his mind) a "bus."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8q1_D8xsPCyCqnaJy-GepZqcKG51m4ZMxtAJ7senyi9ShhOlcMHKXSn8D7wbFtvqs81TeFQnRZmGZ8No8IUwwppCtqkFxX5DR3b4YZzfHznFGSXxPtWT3B78JTZqC33opEFIgQ/s1600/564360_10100535314392683_22201350_48764530_264541292_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8q1_D8xsPCyCqnaJy-GepZqcKG51m4ZMxtAJ7senyi9ShhOlcMHKXSn8D7wbFtvqs81TeFQnRZmGZ8No8IUwwppCtqkFxX5DR3b4YZzfHznFGSXxPtWT3B78JTZqC33opEFIgQ/s320/564360_10100535314392683_22201350_48764530_264541292_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
eventually, it became painfully obvious it was naptime. justin drove davis home while i picked up some BBQ plates from the pigskin pigout for lunch. justin told me once i got home that davis was asleep in the car seat within minutes! i was pretty exhausted, too :) but so glad that i got to accomplish my goal and do it in pirate-style!<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-85495089670846836362012-05-23T17:00:00.000-04:002012-05-23T17:00:00.610-04:00a quick look back...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
on our easter weekend. i know it's been a while, but just wanted to include some of my favorites. </div>
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davis had a good time catching up with his great-aunt nancy....</div>
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and we made a couple of trips to school playground that were gloriously empty :)</div>
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one of which housed several buses that davis got all worked up about! seeing the buses up close and personal just made his day :)</div>
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we put him a cute spring outfit that was a wonderful hand-me-down...</div>
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and tried to get some early morning pictures, but he wasn't feeling smiley.<br />
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so we took what we could get!<br />
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he got to help put some flower on the cross with his gran</div>
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and we got to church early enough to do pictures before the service, which was wonderful. i knew we would be pushing it to keep him in a good mood that late after the easter service was over.<br />
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i LOVE this picture with my brother and sister in law. it's been my cover photo on facebook for a while.<br />
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davis ended up doing really well in the nursery and going down for a nap right after lunch so we could have our easter lunch as a family.<br />
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over a month late, but better late than never!<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-84015832215702419382012-05-22T17:00:00.000-04:002012-05-22T17:00:02.596-04:00a "courageous" resolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
about a month or two ago, justin and a group of other young fathers concluded a study they'd been doing since the beginning of the year. they chose the study based on the recent movie, "courageous," and each week they completed lessons and discussion based on the characteristics of godly husbands and fathers. when it came time for their final dinner and completing the "resolution" with our pastor and all of the families, justin's dad and stepmom were here visiting. it was great to include them in the event, too!</div>
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we met for dinner and to watch the movie all together. some hadn't seen it yet, but justin and i had watched it a few weeks earlier after he started the study. it is a great movie, and very well-done. bring your kleenex!<br />
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afterward, we (quickly) moved to the resolution portion. it was getting late and most of our kids were ready for bed! this group is so dear to my heart--many of them are also volunteers with the youth group or were part of the young adults small group we attended right after college. we have quite literally shared our lives together over the past five years, and i was so grateful that our husbands were able to do this together.<br />
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the youngest of the group--sweet gabe!<br />
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you can see peyton in the background, a very pregnant regan, and of course, lynn and josh playing with gabe and kelsey here up front. in the two months since this event, regan and matt had their baby (staten) and kelsey and josh have announced another pregnancy!<br />
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here is our pastor tim explaining the process to the guys...</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ8AcUbv_4yKjr3vt7sS8NyL99YT6hyphenhyphenXTwuHMbAglZr0lEh5Iw_KjrumbpsCUSptTz2J7jH9GDc25aOR2DSBQL0C5BPNx4XRKTgg_qYA-fsbUmCwDYTbQHy74rkxXjGCvwTqqPQ/s1600/456458_10100516290980753_22201350_48654025_334857527_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ8AcUbv_4yKjr3vt7sS8NyL99YT6hyphenhyphenXTwuHMbAglZr0lEh5Iw_KjrumbpsCUSptTz2J7jH9GDc25aOR2DSBQL0C5BPNx4XRKTgg_qYA-fsbUmCwDYTbQHy74rkxXjGCvwTqqPQ/s400/456458_10100516290980753_22201350_48654025_334857527_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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and all of the guys together</div>
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they went through one by one having the guys repeat the resolution to their families. here are our friends, brent and emelie and their son jake and daughter peyton</div>
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david, lynn and josh :)</div>
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and jeremy, lindsay and collen</div>
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we didn't get a picture of us :( i'm not sure how well it would've turned out, anyway. it was way past davis's bedtime and he was barely hanging on with the iphone videos and apps keeping him entertained.</div>
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after each family finished, we laid out the copies of the resolutions so each guy could sign the others' as witnesses.</div>
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it was quite a flurry of papers and pens as each one got passed down the line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjturIQoE0VmDdsfFVN70RHe6ZHgEDxDAk2__vAn-zh-iIuEkv4d3nJ9Cy6UpFXAExI5w7JVMOu_6DIPnb2YgZC3Zq4PdaxYt_t5bPQcJkuP9gLl-chn7AWciMMzX5eAe5mPhUTrw/s1600/460576_10100516287797133_22201350_48653984_264518504_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjturIQoE0VmDdsfFVN70RHe6ZHgEDxDAk2__vAn-zh-iIuEkv4d3nJ9Cy6UpFXAExI5w7JVMOu_6DIPnb2YgZC3Zq4PdaxYt_t5bPQcJkuP9gLl-chn7AWciMMzX5eAe5mPhUTrw/s400/460576_10100516287797133_22201350_48653984_264518504_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
all the guys lined up and signing...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCe3S7sdIYVWlGfvfSYqbi_YUEsm-qSALqPuSgkYJ3buYYrgf7IvIstEiiMazixyX-SLhbCx4otH8HNBCru4S9F1-0XuMnXXtl0IdBgMF2ZQpr8iA1653cNOMWNGFWW6a60naOHg/s1600/461126_10100516288790143_22201350_48653999_1413512235_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCe3S7sdIYVWlGfvfSYqbi_YUEsm-qSALqPuSgkYJ3buYYrgf7IvIstEiiMazixyX-SLhbCx4otH8HNBCru4S9F1-0XuMnXXtl0IdBgMF2ZQpr8iA1653cNOMWNGFWW6a60naOHg/s400/461126_10100516288790143_22201350_48653999_1413512235_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
and one more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JAHOBQ5XTUpVSctsulApP3oumU-i_5jhpsibWIdQ29k5eBX_PbnzsFKew4j9ymfT2mvMX3TYfOo8h8NVsM2RrXTHQCfGOaxhxK2KcseP8F_PSux8iTJAWq0mxrE17BnPTvZN9A/s1600/478961_10100516288445833_22201350_48653994_1282433946_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JAHOBQ5XTUpVSctsulApP3oumU-i_5jhpsibWIdQ29k5eBX_PbnzsFKew4j9ymfT2mvMX3TYfOo8h8NVsM2RrXTHQCfGOaxhxK2KcseP8F_PSux8iTJAWq0mxrE17BnPTvZN9A/s400/478961_10100516288445833_22201350_48653994_1282433946_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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we are planning to find a frame for justin's copy to have it displayed at home</div>
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and it makes it even more special to have it signed by all of our dear friends and tim.<br />
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we headed home to get davis to bed. he was already lounging in his train chair that grammy and pappy bought him (it's become his favorite seat in the house.)</div>
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and pappy helped with story time before he went to bed. i was happy to capture this photo of the three of them :)<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-43853778469398678042012-04-09T06:00:00.000-04:002012-04-09T13:20:21.160-04:00hey, dad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
it's been a year today since you went on to heaven. so hard to believe that that much time has passed, but it's easier to comprehend when i look at some of the last pictures we have with you and davis together. back last january at his christening....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fZgVD2M-eFVlqb7FkiLrNdJSq7b40Gh7d6xuqpdN2WEJfTZ6thLTpstEMhmLSwQBPoi5Z9ix1DF8zqjFPxujup4Gvf3auFlhRhcqnSXxUeVqPUf0F23EoYhwCe3PjWU4Y_BOuA/s1600/163630_853421559413_22201350_44833967_4364727_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fZgVD2M-eFVlqb7FkiLrNdJSq7b40Gh7d6xuqpdN2WEJfTZ6thLTpstEMhmLSwQBPoi5Z9ix1DF8zqjFPxujup4Gvf3auFlhRhcqnSXxUeVqPUf0F23EoYhwCe3PjWU4Y_BOuA/s400/163630_853421559413_22201350_44833967_4364727_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
and then at the last family lunch that we had all together, two weeks before you passed away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82XCi7REU_oOrnX4RY0RGmQbZLW5N388t8YNtwxMVw9vm3HX58mHq6IPnXbf7W29wUwSGij6MD9T6tKa368SEEbPAq6KU2mxnf-Jpvfbf1JfVsjVuw6hmyY_dA6olSbGvYOh3MQ/s1600/195139_883547756273_22201350_45310916_6641443_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82XCi7REU_oOrnX4RY0RGmQbZLW5N388t8YNtwxMVw9vm3HX58mHq6IPnXbf7W29wUwSGij6MD9T6tKa368SEEbPAq6KU2mxnf-Jpvfbf1JfVsjVuw6hmyY_dA6olSbGvYOh3MQ/s400/195139_883547756273_22201350_45310916_6641443_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
we knew you were sick, and i guess we had always hoped you would be able to squeak by again--doctors scratching their heads, not quite sure what happened but discharging you home to us nonetheless. how grateful i am to know that you are whole, healthy, in your heavenly form not experiencing pain or suffering. looking back on some of the pictures that we displayed at your service last year, it's easy to think of you that....young, vibrant, energetic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-E-CZzQJKWWH6GRO7Q0g54CsmPyf6ZosNYXAr-AEkVjgdkjQjoHIv3DTN7UVyLfmq3BBvTEmYhDsxmLzHERU10dNTPkWzOvKmAJgnwb-J8KobL7PbkrsrywzHZ6vyY0EjpjRxhw/s1600/6900457824_331c032938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-E-CZzQJKWWH6GRO7Q0g54CsmPyf6ZosNYXAr-AEkVjgdkjQjoHIv3DTN7UVyLfmq3BBvTEmYhDsxmLzHERU10dNTPkWzOvKmAJgnwb-J8KobL7PbkrsrywzHZ6vyY0EjpjRxhw/s400/6900457824_331c032938.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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i've done a lot of reading about heaven and learning what it could be like for you up there. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Real-Little-Astounding-Edition/dp/0849948363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333929815&sr=8-1">heaven is for real</a> was a huge source of comfort for me, and that's why it's easy to imagine you in you like that. i see parts of me in you, parts of alan... and what's been fun lately is to look for pieces of davis in your baby photos as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDgKQFvByg5i8-P6rlGd3hnlDMVvwHLMFRr9qJ4Obwy8d8scCN2V_xkS_dVpnwqJOHKQJAC-1eOIqteNh9rBZIiUzbyQ5wqfYq6uCrVqaPUlwhhAE4VqroukjtsKl0hP_fr7GIw/s1600/6900451412_efed6a50ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDgKQFvByg5i8-P6rlGd3hnlDMVvwHLMFRr9qJ4Obwy8d8scCN2V_xkS_dVpnwqJOHKQJAC-1eOIqteNh9rBZIiUzbyQ5wqfYq6uCrVqaPUlwhhAE4VqroukjtsKl0hP_fr7GIw/s400/6900451412_efed6a50ee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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hasn't he been fun to watch growing up? oh, he's so smart, dad. i like to imagine that you get to see snippets of our days--little video clips of words he's learned, funny moments we've had and those big milestones he's hit over the last 12 months. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1JMXbti0r1Erni5reIyE15p-RPDMGSEkBX7QWVabLb8sJ9f6KwZbIxWNFNtd9DzPMyJrSJX4PqA2kHQwiGyDjGP24ztgFmbQlQjTo7PG2nABQtPZ7CYomcfVFUKY5B3pPb95fg/s1600/6900451216_847227dc5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1JMXbti0r1Erni5reIyE15p-RPDMGSEkBX7QWVabLb8sJ9f6KwZbIxWNFNtd9DzPMyJrSJX4PqA2kHQwiGyDjGP24ztgFmbQlQjTo7PG2nABQtPZ7CYomcfVFUKY5B3pPb95fg/s400/6900451216_847227dc5a.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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and it's fun to imagine what he'll get into as he grows older. looking at the pictures of you as a teenager, we get an idea. i got to hear a lot of great memories from the friends and family that came to your memorial service. i even got to meet the young woman from this photo--</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mwSELyKi8544-L5ntjPuibyZfpymuLtinrTBJJ8NKi6NSeGpOq4xH0cMicUF67BTTYi5WzsqNb0BgZOjZ3DVFSXHxVrC3GFfOlaieOiFoRoyAX4EHtp-frcY1mSFfqemvCb2Ig/s1600/7046552289_e4a069e152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mwSELyKi8544-L5ntjPuibyZfpymuLtinrTBJJ8NKi6NSeGpOq4xH0cMicUF67BTTYi5WzsqNb0BgZOjZ3DVFSXHxVrC3GFfOlaieOiFoRoyAX4EHtp-frcY1mSFfqemvCb2Ig/s320/7046552289_e4a069e152.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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and she shared stories about your families traveling together and going to your middle school formal together. those memorial services were full of mixed emotions--missing you, trying to figure out the logistics of everything--but also how we would move forward over the next few weeks and months.</div>
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and then there were lighthearted moments--laughing at some of your antics as a high school or college student and meeting friends who could talk about those days with a smile. enjoying time together with everyone, in combinations that we hadn't seen since my and alan's weddings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8S2i7rQFRLOkpE6DjzgjSSYPUWEH5_ZDYUDvvAVV2w_VSNefAGtwP2WY_wXBh_BJqAAA_l4fk8KD5wYIi-8UISAZ8Q5PbwjrtMQ6-BVLE6O_8i4B-RKd5h8kQ5prN3Q7hJfBmg/s1600/6900459166_88a47930e0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8S2i7rQFRLOkpE6DjzgjSSYPUWEH5_ZDYUDvvAVV2w_VSNefAGtwP2WY_wXBh_BJqAAA_l4fk8KD5wYIi-8UISAZ8Q5PbwjrtMQ6-BVLE6O_8i4B-RKd5h8kQ5prN3Q7hJfBmg/s400/6900459166_88a47930e0.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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but then we returned to the "real world." and some days were harder than others, but for the most part...we managed. thank goodness for davis, who kept us on his schedule. thank goodness for our friends and family who were there to care for us and check in on us. and thank goodness for the routine of our lives pulling us back into what we needed the most--structure. support. normalcy. except for that missing role that you played.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWB4D8SaDQdjMRAsTl3YWpsnmQ02Gy6eI-4SytKVbXTHvQ53js_RXuBRYfmJow50d-7jUILZnuaq4GjrKR1we9L5_QEXvzD8FzEafRasBtIdvV7Uqxz-WZvo51mmsuBn48m_aVg/s1600/7046553225_0ff52761a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWB4D8SaDQdjMRAsTl3YWpsnmQ02Gy6eI-4SytKVbXTHvQ53js_RXuBRYfmJow50d-7jUILZnuaq4GjrKR1we9L5_QEXvzD8FzEafRasBtIdvV7Uqxz-WZvo51mmsuBn48m_aVg/s320/7046553225_0ff52761a3.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
i do miss our conversations, particularly as we've gone through the first year of parenting. i would love to hear your perspective, and your memories of what it was like as a first-time father yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje_UmBv_heGQ6SK0hWg9HX7y04VPlo55VYsfL8xALP8r6C1ODoAnTP5Mc6HbRkjzo08Az0oafC1LD_LBoO0awI8jF0z2fHSiXwhLgfoYO1wb1Yh61uLb6c3DkmNWpThb6KM05CQ/s1600/6900453988_98974d568e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje_UmBv_heGQ6SK0hWg9HX7y04VPlo55VYsfL8xALP8r6C1ODoAnTP5Mc6HbRkjzo08Az0oafC1LD_LBoO0awI8jF0z2fHSiXwhLgfoYO1wb1Yh61uLb6c3DkmNWpThb6KM05CQ/s400/6900453988_98974d568e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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i know you would love to hear about my new job and the students i get to work with. it's amazing the young people i've gotten to meet. there are several i work with that have experienced recent deaths of a parent, too, and i feel like they walk into my office specifically for a purpose. we share the knowing glances, the exchanged apologies and sympathetic nods, but with every session focused on someone else's grief and loss...i work through my own a little bit more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPg40Nqt8LWHV6ZON9DUO98iVpN3jQDnYpOksYZZdfRjXtJzS1D3DFtWsEkPi9F1NTN2U2j6UJNtdU5tbnchA3tkoPzPDS-x1ROMYajjYh2S7s_XBlsp1BXpaRoY1TQNX85PQOA/s1600/7046551689_e70d7676eb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPg40Nqt8LWHV6ZON9DUO98iVpN3jQDnYpOksYZZdfRjXtJzS1D3DFtWsEkPi9F1NTN2U2j6UJNtdU5tbnchA3tkoPzPDS-x1ROMYajjYh2S7s_XBlsp1BXpaRoY1TQNX85PQOA/s400/7046551689_e70d7676eb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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we don't have any big plans for commemorating today. a lot of my (new) friends don't know, and i imagine a great number won't remember the date. honestly, i had to go back and look it up (forgive me--i knew it was 6 or 9, but just couldn't remember which one.) and then, knowing it would be sometime around Easter, i kinda hoped for a symbolic date. good friday--a day of mourning and remembering, or maybe Easter sunday--a day of celebration and hope.<br />
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but here we are, the monday after Easter. a regular work day. a reminder that life goes on, and it has gone on for the past year. there are days that have hurt, days where i wish i could have called you and heard your voice. deleting your contact out of my phone. seeing your e-mail address pop up as a remembered entry as i'm typing something else in. reading the wonderful messages that others have written on your facebook wall that's still there--but knowing you're reading those sentiments from far above.<br />
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no, it hasn't been easy. but it's made me stronger and taught me so much. patience for others. empathy for those going through loss (and oh, dad, there are such dear friends who have gone through some difficult times.)<br />
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most importantly, the need for family. knowing that every moment is precious and should be treasured...and in the end, family is all that matters.<br />
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we've tried hard to keep up those family lunches, but we need to try harder. we've gone down east, back to the place where you grew up, where our family tree is rooted, where we can smell the salt air and feel the tidal pull that keeps drawing us back--but we need to go back more often. davis has been photographed in front of his namesake town sign, and we're going to make sure he knows the history of davis corner when he's old enough to appreciate it :)<br />
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his other grandfathers are doing an awesome job looking after him, and he is definitely all boy. he's going to need all the male supervision he can get! i know his uncle and great uncle and cousins will be there for him, too, showing him the family traditions.</div>
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keep watching over us. we know that as the years pass, the love won't fade. i sometimes get sad that i might forget the sound of your voice, or the feeling of your goatee scratching against my face when you hugged me tight. but i know that the love you have for family, the love i have for you as my dad...that won't go away.<br />
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we love you---always. we miss you. but we know you're looking out for us and waiting for us to join you one day. thank goodness for that hope, and until then--we keep moving forward one day at a time. like today. an ordinary day, but one day closer to home. </div>
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love, </div>
your baby doll<br />
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*edited to add: <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2011/05/little-bit-of-enlightenment.html">my post from last year </a>about my dad's health history* </div>
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-81438763446739739822012-04-08T12:20:00.001-04:002012-04-08T15:15:58.149-04:00He is risen, indeed!the tomb is empty...<br />
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and the Church is celebrating as heaven rejoices!<br />
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from our family to yours--<br />
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happy Easter!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-68532042646016366282012-04-07T09:00:00.000-04:002012-04-07T09:00:03.375-04:00a hodge podge of photosi managed to get some fun photos of davis in his room the other day all dressed up for church...<br />
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this is his "bus"--he's a big fan.</div>
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he was also happy to sit in the chair and play peekaboo with me..</div>
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"where's davis?"<br />
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sweetie pie...<br />
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so glad he tolerates our photo session like this :)<br />
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and the rest are some of our recent instragram photos. we spent a nice friday night exploring lowes...</div>
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he looooooved the "tractors"<br />
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davis playing with his tub crayons--he enjoyed these even though he hasn't gotten into coloring a whole lot yet<br />
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when i get home at the end of the day, we usually spend the first hour or so outside. and when davis sees my phone, he will get up in my lap and we'll take a picture together :)<br />
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it's kinda become a habit<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm73QAssP_ikXSLUWNJnhjQ98a_Fw5IUiOZbMpjiRcj11iB1iPB3ucErsVxXUwMkV61eCp7vody6w9cdPshg4ZvvsfMdHBylp1mMYdLLKuaoqe1chHtVUsLszqAn-gLXnWFAgq8Q/s1600/428834_10100496724991153_22201350_48560986_2038932623_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm73QAssP_ikXSLUWNJnhjQ98a_Fw5IUiOZbMpjiRcj11iB1iPB3ucErsVxXUwMkV61eCp7vody6w9cdPshg4ZvvsfMdHBylp1mMYdLLKuaoqe1chHtVUsLszqAn-gLXnWFAgq8Q/s320/428834_10100496724991153_22201350_48560986_2038932623_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
but i LOVE it<br />
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he has a really cool backyard now--tons of toys and fun stuff<br />
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i'm digging this look of his<br />
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he was also super helpful when daddy was building our glass table for the back deck (remember when ours broke <a href="http://laurenm83.blogspot.com/2011/06/fathers-day.html">last father's day</a>?)<br />
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i have been working for the past couple of weeks on the custom letter sets for jonah's auction that i donate each year...two boy sets this year, which has been fun.</div>
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i get VERY messy when i paint--it's just a part of my process.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI75NWZOt89dcuzs5s2nAcq34TLo5685OoUiN9-IRZHRXj8MSrMsm0vCAzVTl6NA6e6cs4HoRBD9FtNuUy7rvQXVfm7aLuI9rfLMd1oAzHEQGVZYgjDJ-WTIXIw0ctewe5GRqHYQ/s1600/523515_10100500098136343_22201350_48575987_211858754_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI75NWZOt89dcuzs5s2nAcq34TLo5685OoUiN9-IRZHRXj8MSrMsm0vCAzVTl6NA6e6cs4HoRBD9FtNuUy7rvQXVfm7aLuI9rfLMd1oAzHEQGVZYgjDJ-WTIXIw0ctewe5GRqHYQ/s320/523515_10100500098136343_22201350_48575987_211858754_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
but i'm all done and am really happy with the results<br />
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speaking of buses, here's a bus shirt that my mom found for davis. he's slightly obsessed (and i guess we're contributing to that)<br />
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such an awesome look. he has some very expressive eyebrows...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIsiXSbnMMiuU0Foa0c5WQZlHxc4eN6EwDtO9pujFngv4UxRsjkj9-_QHYLJ2sgpIBuGRxwhBklY45QtoTHCrRokFQhxCS9nlKGHZapaKqS8A_2Oo1N6m-OEape8fnmA6EcWvxA/s1600/564560_10100511552910883_22201350_48629272_265460941_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIsiXSbnMMiuU0Foa0c5WQZlHxc4eN6EwDtO9pujFngv4UxRsjkj9-_QHYLJ2sgpIBuGRxwhBklY45QtoTHCrRokFQhxCS9nlKGHZapaKqS8A_2Oo1N6m-OEape8fnmA6EcWvxA/s320/564560_10100511552910883_22201350_48629272_265460941_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and to end it--me and my silly boy. he tends to stick out his tongue, but i think it's adorable :)</div>
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17765162.post-67754703254779233882012-04-06T08:00:00.000-04:002012-04-06T08:00:01.375-04:00some hands-on fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
last saturday, after davis got his nap and was all rested up, we decided to check out the youth arts festival at ecu that is held by the art school every year, along with a lot of local artists and businesses. again, the weather had the event being held indoors instead of outside on campus, but there was a ton to do. davis and i headed out on our own first and had justin and his dad and stepmom meet us there. i'll admit--it was challenging being there by myself with him. i had brought his stroller and diaper bag and between pushing those in and out of the rooms and carrying him, it was hard! we still had a good time while we waited for everyone else to show up, and one of the first rooms we hit was the "cardboard building" room, where they had turned huge cardboard boxes into towers and little playhouses that the kids were painting. davis headed right in...and was immediately covered with paint. i did my best to clean him, but then picking him up got paint on me and so our outfits were both done for the day (see what i mean about avoiding egg dyeing earlier in the day?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x4Ot_pzwCtXdRcpqptqGfJ_KxMzrPrlh7L4MgLTyE6pDSPodkMSVRSU8eJnsLGDiap73B55qjwuaiJRxDbQYRlUIYYNYBxVqz0bih7763HrqcVgx1_-3Z84RwVx1QGPPRg3FOA/s1600/533147_10100514795582543_22201350_48643468_262516241_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x4Ot_pzwCtXdRcpqptqGfJ_KxMzrPrlh7L4MgLTyE6pDSPodkMSVRSU8eJnsLGDiap73B55qjwuaiJRxDbQYRlUIYYNYBxVqz0bih7763HrqcVgx1_-3Z84RwVx1QGPPRg3FOA/s1600/533147_10100514795582543_22201350_48643468_262516241_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT9bjJdZzkdVgoXv3Kssir42NpLMIL5RHaUEtG-nGszkxnSei5uLOtTZXG9Vzj9h1ZLJthMhomqLt5dOApeXliwI-XUqzUlCxP2cEm-Yrq-WTCrgAmIITYiU5SWmzgXuCjA5aoQ/s1600/464088_10100514795517673_22201350_48643465_421438238_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT9bjJdZzkdVgoXv3Kssir42NpLMIL5RHaUEtG-nGszkxnSei5uLOtTZXG9Vzj9h1ZLJthMhomqLt5dOApeXliwI-XUqzUlCxP2cEm-Yrq-WTCrgAmIITYiU5SWmzgXuCjA5aoQ/s320/464088_10100514795517673_22201350_48643465_421438238_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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we did so many other cool things, like playing with stamps and inkpads, making a hammered bottle cap necklace, a pinecone bird feeder, listening to african drums and the instrument petting zoo (it took all my willpower not to ask to try the clarinet, but i knew the germs at those petting zoos are killer!) but with my hands full with him and so many people there, i honestly only took a few pictures. once justin and his family got there, it was a little bit easier, but was still overwhelming at times. maybe next year when he's a little older (and hopefully it's outside and easier to navigate.)</div>
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where did we end back up at? the cardboard box room. where he proceeded to pick up a paint brush and go at it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x4Ot_pzwCtXdRcpqptqGfJ_KxMzrPrlh7L4MgLTyE6pDSPodkMSVRSU8eJnsLGDiap73B55qjwuaiJRxDbQYRlUIYYNYBxVqz0bih7763HrqcVgx1_-3Z84RwVx1QGPPRg3FOA/s1600/533147_10100514795582543_22201350_48643468_262516241_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x4Ot_pzwCtXdRcpqptqGfJ_KxMzrPrlh7L4MgLTyE6pDSPodkMSVRSU8eJnsLGDiap73B55qjwuaiJRxDbQYRlUIYYNYBxVqz0bih7763HrqcVgx1_-3Z84RwVx1QGPPRg3FOA/s320/533147_10100514795582543_22201350_48643468_262516241_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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this kid was so happy painting. and at that point, i just said, "there goes the outfit. let's have fun!" so we did. and got plenty of cute comments from the fellow parents who loved watching him get into it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO89OIvovXFKnzvIXDVpULs-wINaMYFmwjIPOkz3EC5vsv2e-m2sDAri7JDrroaZQ8ppVZCFPbsNMmUKaRJWarC2vmpGakMp1KBLbh4up7a793LNrMLPQ7rCZuHtkvvv2vFIILw/s1600/540829_10100514356921623_22201350_48641403_2034781656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO89OIvovXFKnzvIXDVpULs-wINaMYFmwjIPOkz3EC5vsv2e-m2sDAri7JDrroaZQ8ppVZCFPbsNMmUKaRJWarC2vmpGakMp1KBLbh4up7a793LNrMLPQ7rCZuHtkvvv2vFIILw/s320/540829_10100514356921623_22201350_48641403_2034781656_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
we had to drag him away kicking and screaming (literally) once he took over one of the boxes and one of the other little boys wanted to go in but not while he was there because he was afraid davis was going to paint him (fair enough.) we walked back to the car and saw the shady green grass outside of my freshman year dorm and decided to soak up one more moment on campus. you can see the paint on the back of my arms and shoulders at that point...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLGAuJgLojozzu6CV5mQ1QhSxpR7vi3SakARbTR5KVx5-ES8YGd-OfK7yp_7ZIGPa-5jcYnIlbfl30Myf-Uaa_DU302JMiPdbVU9Q57RYOxokisnmowujiKehWLV_NlqmRxVzIQ/s1600/464088_10100514795512683_22201350_48643464_1975900682_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLGAuJgLojozzu6CV5mQ1QhSxpR7vi3SakARbTR5KVx5-ES8YGd-OfK7yp_7ZIGPa-5jcYnIlbfl30Myf-Uaa_DU302JMiPdbVU9Q57RYOxokisnmowujiKehWLV_NlqmRxVzIQ/s320/464088_10100514795512683_22201350_48643464_1975900682_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifoUjSnefXbeBGXMeoArhVziTLg9k5kVuAFr_2u8lYPjeCWpes_vKkpB3iVxNMGHAFpDQRjFcvDad5nFdYDOfmEVyig5O6L3JwbkU4dyEGYoryfB7j7TV6JuRLsMYtW_X7xsNZQ/s1600/464088_10100514795522663_22201350_48643466_1349448232_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifoUjSnefXbeBGXMeoArhVziTLg9k5kVuAFr_2u8lYPjeCWpes_vKkpB3iVxNMGHAFpDQRjFcvDad5nFdYDOfmEVyig5O6L3JwbkU4dyEGYoryfB7j7TV6JuRLsMYtW_X7xsNZQ/s320/464088_10100514795522663_22201350_48643466_1349448232_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and davis's resulting face and hair...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG9TM1Ac-MtKfIPqsBVyH-mgTMvsH2XoHg53qVlI3N1GqBqBLoxIPGt4NMZRKpzcYSQfxagf2xE6dgkKvCpELsimNaZPvls3hyPLzEqGZRI6L4_qZ51GbW13jFLfWA5j1jYLCnQ/s1600/458433_10100514788611513_22201350_48643432_116061439_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG9TM1Ac-MtKfIPqsBVyH-mgTMvsH2XoHg53qVlI3N1GqBqBLoxIPGt4NMZRKpzcYSQfxagf2xE6dgkKvCpELsimNaZPvls3hyPLzEqGZRI6L4_qZ51GbW13jFLfWA5j1jYLCnQ/s320/458433_10100514788611513_22201350_48643432_116061439_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
for whatever reason, he wanted to roll around on the mulch and dirt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxSaxT5IybGKPApk3dxkg2c9Jeft30HhEUIZVqqP3-VIKtyOPCSAVtX8q5zeLKYeWAAoMf5jlYoE0XX3fuGsHFrNaEw9WjB1epZPf-qKN5BwHFD-q2oFLBW4Kwlv0zh_7kEg5mQ/s1600/467226_10100514787972793_22201350_48643427_682565008_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxSaxT5IybGKPApk3dxkg2c9Jeft30HhEUIZVqqP3-VIKtyOPCSAVtX8q5zeLKYeWAAoMf5jlYoE0XX3fuGsHFrNaEw9WjB1epZPf-qKN5BwHFD-q2oFLBW4Kwlv0zh_7kEg5mQ/s320/467226_10100514787972793_22201350_48643427_682565008_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
okay, kid. sure thing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAH-VBRzB7HLZxZbfAaVmfWImgv5oPZgJMfddErR-H36bWCIGvrw66y9bEMwfa4-eBIB7-vi90himbDXb5hhQ0JYgfSjHFHV8HLgoQRtWD0LP4rOISqYr3TUlLXEzWR3w8yBJUQ/s1600/475471_10100514787758223_22201350_48643425_988051100_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAH-VBRzB7HLZxZbfAaVmfWImgv5oPZgJMfddErR-H36bWCIGvrw66y9bEMwfa4-eBIB7-vi90himbDXb5hhQ0JYgfSjHFHV8HLgoQRtWD0LP4rOISqYr3TUlLXEzWR3w8yBJUQ/s320/475471_10100514787758223_22201350_48643425_988051100_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and the full view of our afternoon....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ogh5W5mkWeylc7k1aPVl1mPfRtSqQ-GtzzAR1w8lFvL0bqDjh-FVOSncnXw97jgvL33CW9u4POpBd96SR-QowQ1SfukBDahZC7t5XYXvb7_YnG5zr-_-PUpjLU-HRkL3QqVCKw/s1600/543482_10100514788177383_22201350_48643430_5962418_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ogh5W5mkWeylc7k1aPVl1mPfRtSqQ-GtzzAR1w8lFvL0bqDjh-FVOSncnXw97jgvL33CW9u4POpBd96SR-QowQ1SfukBDahZC7t5XYXvb7_YnG5zr-_-PUpjLU-HRkL3QqVCKw/s320/543482_10100514788177383_22201350_48643430_5962418_n.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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my friend lynn said, "you can always tell how much fun you had by how messy you are."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF19tQ3tzno25HwXGJB03rjgoScIMrp3bL0ypLMb36OshSFM-IQIMcsWigKPfjxGaPzsbsndcfyLAl-SV7jVZj0mN5ZQOGoe1bpCKzNSfGOj1G9oancl48XfV0_7dBxVrw9qbwg/s1600/523895_10100514370224963_22201350_48641486_1652950579_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF19tQ3tzno25HwXGJB03rjgoScIMrp3bL0ypLMb36OshSFM-IQIMcsWigKPfjxGaPzsbsndcfyLAl-SV7jVZj0mN5ZQOGoe1bpCKzNSfGOj1G9oancl48XfV0_7dBxVrw9qbwg/s320/523895_10100514370224963_22201350_48641486_1652950579_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
then we had an AWESOME time!<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06326031737688016062noreply@blogger.com0