tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-299489962024-03-13T13:19:20.188-05:00Adventures of Hank, Jo Jo & Boo"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.comBlogger602125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-21535259053697037982016-02-14T05:35:00.001-06:002016-02-14T05:35:32.171-06:00Henry's BaptismEarlier this year, Henry announced that he was ready to get baptized. It's something we've talked with him about for years, and while he had given his life to the Lord, he just was never ready to 'take the plunge'.<br />
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We talked to the church and got him signed up. The week before he was scheduled to be baptized, Sam and I (along with Henry) met with the youth pastor and talked through everything. Henry had all the right answers but still seemed to be missing something. A few days later we were talking through what Henry would say in front of the church. We had the best conversation! Henry was a little caught up in trying to do all the right things, thinking that he somehow had to earn his salvation. Sam and I encouraged him, shared Bible passages with him and prayed with him. He left that conversation 100% secure in his salvation, and confident of what he wanted to say. <br />
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The morning of the baptism, Henry was NERVOUS. He doesn't like to speak in front of big groups and was dreading that part. When we got to the church, we met with the pastor who talked Henry and the others through the morning's activities. We learned that Henry would be the second baptism, followed by our friend's daughter Skylar. It was a relief to us all that we wouldn't have wait very long! <br />
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We found seats up front (the VERY front row, in fact!), and Dave and Mary Beth came to share in the celebration with us. There were a few worship songs, and then the first girl was baptized. Henry held my hand (something he just doesn't do all that often anymore) as he was getting more nervous by the minute. <br />
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Next, Henry was called up to the stage. He froze a little as he started to get up, then he put his head up, stood up, and walked boldly up there. Sam followed and stood behind him. Pastor Lewis introduced Henry and gave him the microphone. Henry introduced himself, gave his age (12), and launched into a beautiful speech. He glanced once at his notes as he got started, but then didn't need to look at them again. He shared Romans 10:9, which states that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. He said, "it's as simple as that!" and encouraged others to make the same choice he had. Then Sam took the microphone, said how proud he was of Henry, commented on the fact that salvation is truly that simple, but walking it out can be the difficult part, and then he baptized Henry.<br />
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They left to get changed into dry clothes. When Henry came back, he told me with shining eyes that he wasn't even nervous up there! He said as soon as they called his name he felt at peace and ready to go. I am so proud of him! Pastor Lewis was impressed as well. After all the baptisms, he started his sermon by saying, "Well, I guess I don't really have to say anything after Henry Hasz's sermon this morning."<br />
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After church we went to lunch at Olive Garden to celebrate. Dave and Mary Beth went with us before heading back to Willis. What an amazing weekend! Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-24874280136435800252014-10-10T18:22:00.000-05:002014-10-10T18:22:01.786-05:00Friday Funnies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent today packing up for our Florida vacation. We leave tomorrow (YAY!), so we had to pack clothes, clean up the van and house, stop by the library, get the buckets and shovels out of storage, and all that sort of thing. We were BUSY all day long, crossing things off our list one by one.</div>
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Throughout the day, the kids were bouncing off the walls and I had a hard time keeping them on task. They are super excited about the trip! Each one made me laugh out loud at one time or another. I thought it would be fun to post some of their one-liners from today:</div>
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Henry</div>
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"Be careful. Or be roadkill." Over and over and over again, in the way that only an 11 year old could repeat himself. </div>
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Jonah</div>
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"Dad ought to Jim Hogg the front pasture so the goats can see over the top of the grass!" Funny to be because the actual term is "brush-hog" but we have a local street named Jim Hogg. :)</div>
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Bridget </div>
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While scratching an ant bite on her thigh, "I hate having bites up that alley!" </div>
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<br />I'm so thankful for my kids and their enthusiasm for life. They see most things as an adventure, and I'm inspired by them every day. I've heard the quote about how you should try to be the person your dog already thinks you are....and I really aspire to be the person that my children already think I am. </div>
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(Thanks Katie, for the encouragement and challenge to blog again. It's nice to slow down and reflect on the moments that make up this beautiful life. :) ) </div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-49351775771460082132013-09-04T09:27:00.001-05:002013-09-04T09:27:37.236-05:00Bridget's storyThe Bear’s Journey (from the pages of Bridget's journal)<br />
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Chapter 1 (A Bear Who Wanted to be Scary)<br />
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A bear was scared of everything that he saw. All but himself. But he wanted to have the courage. He had not been married. The bear went looking for a girl bear. He found a girl bear that was very nice.<br />
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Chapter 2 (The Bear and the Wife)<br />
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The girl had cubs. The wife decided to take the children and go to the science center. <br />
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Chapter 3 <br />
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The kids had a great time at the science center. The science center was fun. The cubs wanted to go home. The cubs had a nap.<br />
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Chapter 4<br />
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The cubs got out of bed at good timing. It was time for lunchtime. The cubs wanted to eat outside. The mom and dad said yes. The cubs ran outside. Louie and Ann are the cub’s names.<br />
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The end. <br />
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-80180672141430352582013-08-25T04:26:00.000-05:002013-09-04T09:25:25.186-05:00Mom's 35th Birthday<div style="text-align: center;">
My family is the best. Seriously. Henry, Jonah and Bridget take birthdays very seriously, and they were determined that this would be my best birthday ever. They wanted it to be special. :)<br />
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The day started out with getting Sam and the boys ready to head out to their hunting lease. After we got them out the door, Bridget and I got ready to go to IHOP for breakfast. What a treat to eat out with my girl! We did our best to match (Bridget picked a black/white dress for her self and a black/white skirt for me), and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together. </div>
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After breakfast we had to head back home to get my birthday cake made. (Raspberry filled vanilla cake...yum!) We worked on that, and then got the house cleaned up so that we would be ready to party when the guys got home. We also found time for a quick run to the end of the street and Bridget gave me a piano lesson...so sweet. </div>
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I'm not sure I've ever had the birthday song sung to me so many times in one day. Jonah woke me up singing at 6:30, each of the kids sang individually and together, Brian texted me a song, Sam sang along to an interpretive dance on the fire place (eek!). One of my favorites was the video my mom sent of her dogs 'singing' to me. It cracked me up!</div>
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Sam and the kids decided to take me to Jason's Deli for dinner because it is my favorite place to eat. We had a fun birthday dinner, including ice cream, of course! Then we stopped by Barnes and Noble so Jonah could spend the gift card he won from the library's summer reading program. He found a really fun balloon-animal book and will be learning how to make fun animals soon!</div>
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My favorite moment from dinner was when Henry almost slipped and told me what he got me for my birthday. He said, "I can't wait for you to see your cho....whoa! I almost told you what I got you!" Totally teasing, I said, "It's okay, Henry. You can say it. I already know what it is. Everyone at the table knows what it is." Looking relieved, Henry blurted out, "Chocolate. I'm really excited for you to see it!" Sam said, "Henry! You just told Mom what you got her!". Henry sheepishly grinned and said, "You got me, mom." Oops. Well, at least I didn't know what kind he bought me. :)</div>
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After that we went home for presents and cake. The kids all picked out the sweetest things for me. Sam bought me a new set of pots and pans, and he had it hidden in the garage. I had to read the card in code and figure out where to go to find my gift, so that was fun! I was really surprised by that. What a thoughtful gift.</div>
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Overall, it was a pretty great way to celebrate my birthday! I have the best family ever.</div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-28841035411725992972013-08-05T05:54:00.000-05:002013-08-25T05:54:39.893-05:00Bridget's 6th Birthday! (part 2)<div style="text-align: center;">
Bridget mentioned her birthday wishes to Mr. Tuttle one day (during the planning/counting down days leading up to her birthday), and he offered to throw her a party at his ranch. </div>
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Bridget invited Ella and McKellee and their siblings, and we all headed out there on a Sunday afternoon. (We had to wait for the weekend after Bridget's birthday and the end of The Wizard of Oz). Mr. Tuttle had everything set up when we got there. We sat down to eat right away...he had grilled hotdogs for us all!</div>
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After dinner we all dug into the cupcakes that we brought and the cookies that Mr. Tuttle brought. I think he might have brought 12 different kinds of cookies!</div>
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Bridget hanging with her good buddy, Mr. Tuttle.</div>
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After everyone had a bite to eat, it was time to head out for the scavenger hunt. Mr. Tuttle had hidden two big coolers full of candy for the kids to find. He split the kids up into two teams, and he and Mrs. Tuttle helped the them all follow some clues to find the candy. </div>
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The kids were all pretty excited about the candy...that is, until they found the bottle with a note in it! There was actual, real treasure hidden out on Mr. Tuttle's ranch!!!</div>
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The kids couldn't believe their luck! They gathered up the adults (who hadn't gone along on the scavenger hunt) and followed the directions on the note. They ended up in this abandoned area of the ranch. Luckily, Mr. Tuttle had loaded them up with rakes and shovels so they were able to search out the treasure. It had been buried there a long time!</div>
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The boys did the heavy labor of digging. </div>
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Bridget helped to unearth the treasure box.</div>
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We couldn't find the keys to open up the treasure box, so Mr. Tuttle pulled his gun out to shoot off the lock! At the last minute, we decided to take it back to his workshop and use a screwdriver to take apart the hinges. The kids were all so anxious to see what might be in the box.</div>
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Turns out there was a LOT of treasure in that box!</div>
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Jewels, money, coins, knives...all sorts of fun treasures to sort through!</div>
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The kids couldn't believe their luck! They had so much fun digging through the box and picking out their treasures. Mr. Tuttle suggested setting the treasure aside to split up another day and heading over to his lake for a swim. </div>
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We all loaded up and headed down to the lake for a refreshing evening of swimming. </div>
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The kids had a blast jumping and diving off of the platform that Mr. Tuttle has set up at his lake. He followed the swimming up with popsicles and even rewarded the kids for their crazy dives.</div>
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The next day, all the kids came over so we could split up the treasure. There was so much candy, we didn't even know what to do with it all! </div>
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The kids had fun sorting it out and they even made a chart so they could see how many of each candy there was.</div>
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All the kids ended up with money (somewhere upwards of $20 each!) and lots of treasures from the box. I think they all left with something fun. </div>
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It was a pretty special birthday for a very special little girl!</div>
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Happy Birthday Bridget Boo! We love you so very much!</div>
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<br />Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-75049588741885886982013-08-02T04:26:00.000-05:002013-08-25T05:22:33.705-05:00Bridget's 6th Birthday! (part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There was a lot of build-up to Bridget's birthday. Six is a pretty big number around here. Bridget was counting down the days for a LONG time leading up to her birthday. And she had big plans too. She wanted a party, of course. But she also wanted to go to Six Flags. And she REALLY wanted her Grandma to come to hang out for her birthday too. You know, if that wasn't all too much to ask. </div>
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Luckily, we had free tickets to Six Flags again this summer (thank you reading program!!!) so that part wasn't a problem. Bridget really wanted to go to Six Flags on her actual birthday. That worked out well too as her birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, which is Sam's day off during the summer. So we agreed to go to Six Flags, but we told Bridget that getting Grandma here just wasn't going to work out. She tried but couldn't get out of work. :/</div>
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The day before her birthday, Bridget helped me make her cake. She had big plans for her cake too. Maybe a castle cake. With windows and a door and a flag on top? And it should be pink. Or purple. Maybe both? :) Since we've done the castle cake before, this year we opted for a fun giant-Oreo cake. Bridget is a great helper in the kitchen and she did all the baking. I just assembled the cake. </div>
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The night before her birthday, we got Bridget and the kids all ready to go to Six Flags in the morning (clothes laid out, water bottles ready to go, snacks and lunch packed) and sent them off to bed. They knew I hadn't made it to the grocery store that day like I planned, so after telling everyone goodnight, I headed out to go to Walmart. I did go to Walmart, but I also ran by the airport to pick up my mom! She flew in at 10:00 that evening. We came home, where Sam had the tv on REALLY loud to mask any sounds we might make, and we visited a while before heading to bed.</div>
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The next morning, the birthday girl made her way downstairs. After snuggling a few minutes on the couch, she wondered if she could maybe start opening her birthday presents. I said no, but that I had left one more gift up in the guest room and asked if she would want to run upstairs and get it. Of course she said yes! So Bridget quickly ran upstairs and into the guest room....only to find Grandma sleeping in the bed! She was so surprised! Jonah was sitting downstairs on the couch with me. When he heard Grandma say something, he looked at me and said, "Is that GRANDMA????" and then went running up to see her. </div>
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It was such a fun surprise! We were all so glad that she could come, even if it was a really short trip. It was seriously a dream come true for Bridget. </div>
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We had a fun breakfast and got ready to head out to Six Flags. It's possible that Bridget's smile didn't leave her face all day. </div>
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The boys at Six Flags! </div>
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Grandma and Bridget were roller coaster buddies. They like the same kind of rides...nothing scary or upside down. Henry and Sam were paired up (one or two upside down rides, but mostly not) and Jonah and I were buddies for all the crazy rides that he is tall enough to ride. </div>
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One of the best things about Six Flags in the summer is they have lots of opportunities to cool off. Besides the 'wet' rides, they have misting stations scattered throughout the park. The park employees are all happy to fill our water bottles with ice and water any time we ask. It was 100 degrees that day, but I don't think it bothered any of us at all. </div>
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We took a nice long lunch break in the picnic area just outside the park. It's nice to get away from the noise of everything for a little bit, and sitting down in the shade a while was relaxing too. :) </div>
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Bridget is a great driver! This is always one of everyone's favorite rides. </div>
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We finally made it home, exhausted after a long day in the sun. Everyone freshened up with a quick shower, and then we got to sing to Bridget and have a piece of cake. </div>
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Bridget enjoyed her presents, but I think Sam might have been a little tired by this point. Ha!</div>
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It takes a lot to recover from a full day of Six Flags, the surprise of having your grandma surprise everyone and show up to spend the day with you, turning SIX, having cake and opening presents! We took it easy the next day.</div>
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Jonah was thrilled to show Grandma how much he has learned on the piano and was excited to give her a little lesson. </div>
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Grandma had a fabulous manicure and pedicure, thanks to Bridget's new nail polish set. Bridget did my nails too, but I forgot to get a picture of it. They looked awesome. </div>
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All too soon, it was time to take Grandma back to the airport. She was only able to stay until that afternoon, but we were so very grateful to have her come and visit!</div>
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Just the girls. We do have some fun together!</div>
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We had such a great visit with Grandma. We were so grateful that she would come all the way from Arizona to spend Bridget's birthday with us. What a treat! Bridget felt so special and loved. She will always remember her sixth birthday, full of surprises! :) </div>
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<br />Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-33600901481662968042013-02-27T11:58:00.002-06:002013-08-25T04:26:33.440-05:00Writing Stories<div style="text-align: center;">
Bridget has taken to writing stories for me. Many of them revolve around a naughty little dog. I am loving these and just wanted to share one of them here to bring everyone else a smile too. :)</div>
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A dog did not get his way. So he got in his car. Then he got in big trouble.</div>
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Bridget wrote this one this morning and told me, "I like this story so much that I think I'll even save it for my kids!" I love that she is always looking ahead and wants so much to be a mommy one day.</div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-3552470225948385722013-02-12T20:43:00.001-06:002013-02-12T20:43:35.255-06:00Bridget Mary-EMT<div style="text-align: center;">
After watching an ambulance zoom past us today, Bridget announced her intention to be one of those people who drive around in the ambulance helping people. She followed that up with, "What do you call those people, anyway?" :) </div>
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I explained that if she were an EMT or a paramedic she would be able to ride around in an ambulance and help people in emergency situations. </div>
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<br />She thought about it a few minutes before coming to a decision..."Okay, that is what I will do. But would I still be able to be a surgeon too? Because I think I'd be <i>really</i> good at that." </div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-19856561572755411182013-01-30T12:38:00.001-06:002013-02-12T20:43:53.529-06:00The Perot Museum<div style="text-align: center;">
Our first big field trip of the new year was to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, an incredible and brand new museum right in the heart of downtown Dallas. There is so much to see at this museum! I don't think you can do it all justice with just a one-day visit. The museum itself is an architectural wonder...one of the highlights for some of the kids was the escalators that go up the side of the building:</div>
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We had a group of about 35 that met us there, and we also had scheduled a Lego: Simple Machines class for while we were there. Our teacher was an adult who never wanted to grow up...and now he gets to play with Legos all day long. He was perfect for the group! </div>
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The kids enjoyed talking about what a simple machine is, what it does,
and where they might be found. Then they were set free with a set of
Legos and a set of plans to build their own machines.</div>
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They started with a lever, moved onto a wedge, and finished with a gear assembly. </div>
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Then they were allowed to make up their own creations or pick from more elaborate plans. The kids LOVED their time in the Lego room. </div>
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We had a picnic lunch outside (thankfully the weather was PERFECT!). There were so many of us, and so many public school groups there too, that we ended up splitting up a little during lunch. The kids enjoyed the outside area of a stream, pond, frogs and huge musical instruments while they ran around during our lunch break. </div>
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My favorite exhibit inside the museum was the human body hall. They have slices of human bodies, head to foot...one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. </div>
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All of the kids really enjoyed the engineering hall, where they could program robots, play computers that controlled musical instruments, build roads and create a light show. It was hard to leave that area!</div>
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Other fun highlights were the dinosaur area and the bonus bird level. The kids loved being able to 'build their own bird' as they worked their way through the kiosks. </div>
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In the weather area, the boys enjoyed being weather forecasters, reading off of a tele-prompter and seeing themselves on screen.</div>
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The sports hall might have been our favorite, even though our time there was cut short as we had to step outside to give a friend with a dead battery a jump-start. They have a motion room where they film you while you attempt a sports move, then they send your video to a computer where you can watch it in slow motion. You can also play a video side-by-side of a professional athlete doing the same move, to compare. So fun! The kids enjoyed the race track, where you can be timed while you race against your friend as well as a cheetah, a dinosaur, or a professional athlete on screen. Seriously fun to watch!</div>
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We left without exploring all of the exhibits, but we hope to have the chance to go again soon! Maybe we won't have such a big group next time, however. ;)</div>
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We had some friends riding along with us (Sarah, Haven and Kate). On the way home, the six children in our car were getting a little restless and wild, so we stopped at a nice rest area to run around. That helped, and we were able to end the day on a really fun note! </div>
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Field trips are so fun, and exploring the world with friends is the best! </div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-92161884457464010362013-01-13T09:42:00.000-06:002014-02-26T08:21:29.105-06:00Bridget's Broken Arm<div style="text-align: center;">
November 12, 2012 was a memorable day in our family. Dad was working in the yard, cutting down trees. The boys were running around helping him. Bridget and I were hanging out in the kitchen working on dinner. At one point, Bridget pointed out how hard Henry was working and said, "I'm going to give him a dollar for working so hard!" She grabbed a dollar bill and ran outside. I think this was around 6:30 p.m.</div>
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(We didn't get details on what happened next for a while, and then we had to recount them over and over for every doctor and nurse that we saw over the next hours and days! Bridget had decided to slip on the first pair of shoes she found-<i>a pair of water shoes that were two sizes too big</i>-and went running out to the back pasture to find Henry. She delivered the dollar to him and turned around to run back inside. Along the way, she tripped on a stick-<i>likely because of those silly shoes</i>-and landed funny on her arm. That was all it took!) </div>
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The next thing I know, Jonah is standing in doorway saying, "Mom? I think Bridget needs you. Right away. She fell and she said she wants you."</div>
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I went outside and found Bridget half sitting/half lying on the ground outside the gate to the goat pasture. On the way to her, I asked if she could get up and she said no. So I went to her and asked what hurt. She was whimpering a little but not really crying, and she pointed to her left arm.</div>
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I scooped her up into a hug and then helped her stand up. She was able to stand, but I could immediately see that there was something not-quite-right about the way her arm hung down. It made my stomach hurt and I didn't want to believe what I saw. I picked her up very gently and told the boys to get Dad immediately. We walked over to the back yard where Dad met us and said, "What's up?" I said, "Well, Bridget fell down and hurt her arm. What do you think?" I let him have a look and he very calmly said, "Ok! Let's all load up in the van. Looks like we're headed to see the doctor!" </div>
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So our journey began! We headed first to the local clinic (a direct-care in our town). We were in a room by 7:15 p.m. and saw Dr. Van Andel, the on-call doctor. He took one look at her and ordered x-rays immediately. Sam sat beside Bridget while they tried to get good pictures, and I stood back with the x-ray technician so I could see what they were seeing. The very kind technician pointed out where Bridget's bone should have been, and then pointed to where her bone actually was. It had broken completely in two, right above her elbow, but it was resting below her elbow. (Which explains the abnormal hang of her arm!)</div>
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We went back to the room to see the doctor, where he explained that she required surgery and that neither our small town, nor the larger city nearby have a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Major bummer. He wanted to send us straight to Children's Hospital in Dallas...and tried to convince us to take her by ambulance. Bridget had been doing okay up to this point, but at the mention of going to Dallas, and by ambulance, no less...she melted down. We got her calmed back down and explained to the doctor that we felt it would be better to drive her to Dallas ourselves. He suggested we get going right away and said he would call us in there so we could avoid the ER waiting area. </div>
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We had called Sam's parents to let them know what was going on. They met us back at our house so they could take the boys to spend the night at their house. We gathered up what we thought we would need (Rufus being the primary goal!), grabbed a snack for everyone, since we hadn't eaten dinner, and then we headed to Dallas. It wasn't until much later that I would consider maybe grabbing a pair of shoes for Bridget might have been a good idea, since she was barefoot! :)</div>
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When we got to Children's, it was a lot of 'hurry up and wait'. We checked in and were moved from waiting room to room to ER to I don't even know where. We ended up in a lot of different areas. They wanted new x-rays, we had to meet with the on-call pediatric surgeon, they set her up with an IV lock so she would be ready for IV during surgery. </div>
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After hours of waiting, they finally decided it wouldn't be worth the trouble to call in an entire surgical team in the middle of the night, so they admitted Bridget to a room and said she was scheduled for the first surgery slot in the morning. If we had known that, I think we would have just spent the night at home and driven in in the morning! They checked on Bridget periodically during the night, so she got very little sleep...and Sam and I got even less! It was a rough night. </div>
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In the morning, it was even more 'hurry up and wait' for us. Bridget was wheeled through the hospital in a rolling bed and a huge wheelchair...which she thought was pretty cool. </div>
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Bridget had a pretty good attitude throughout the morning. Sam and I struggled a little as we weren't getting much communication. When she was finally put into the pre-surgery area, we waited a looooong time. The benefit of that long wait, however, was that the hospital clowns came to visit Bridget. They gave her her very own bright red clown nose, some stickers and trading cards. They were a really fun distraction, and after they left it was time to send Bridget off to surgery. </div>
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That was the most heart-breaking part of it all...sending her down the hallway without us. Sam leaned down over Bridget to pray with her, and at one point Bridget asked, "Dad, did you just LICK me?" We laughed, but it was so sad...she was feeling his tears as they fell on her face. :( </div>
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It seemed like forever (but was probably only two hours) until they called us to say Bridget was in the recovery room and we could go see her. She was waking up and still a little groggy. Bridget's nurse offered her a rainbow striped popsicle, which she enjoyed for a little while before handing it over to me and saying she was done with it. Rufus had gone to surgery with her and was still lying right beside her. Also during surgery, a stuffed cat, a stuffed butterfly, and a Christmas quilt all appeared on Bridget's bed! They were all items that are donated to the hospital to help make children's time there a more pleasant experience. The surgeon met with us to explain that he had re-set her bone in place and secured it with three pins that would have to be removed in about 4 weeks.</div>
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We were moved back to Bridget's overnight room and told to order breakfast. They would release her as soon as they saw her eat something substantial. She was not hungry, but ordered an apple, jello and some juice. Once she had a few bites in, the nurse finally ok'd her to head on home. Bridget had a white soft cast, with instructions to come back in a week for her permanent cast. </div>
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The boys were so glad to have their sister home! Henry and Jonah took such good care of Bridget, listened to all of her stories (I'm sure they wished they could have been at the hospital with us), helped her get things done and read stories to her. </div>
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Nothing slows this girl down! Bridget had to miss her last soccer game of the season, but she cheerfully sat on the bench and encouraged her friends. </div>
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She even helped Jonah build a nest in the pine straw during Henry's game! </div>
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And ballet? Of course a little broken arm wouldn't get in the way. </div>
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A week later we were back at children's hospital to get the permanent
cast put on. Bridget was very nervous, but it was painless and didn't
take long at all.</div>
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She chose bright pink, and let Jonah sign it first. </div>
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Another week after that, we all ran in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Bridget was a trooper and walked the entire way, lugging the extra weight of her cast along with her. Grammy was sweet enough to walk the whole way with her. </div>
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The time with the cast passed pretty quickly. We got used to which clothes Bridget could get on and off over the cast. We found her a pair of leggings that she could use to cover up her other arm when it was cold and she had to wear short sleeved shirts. Finally we were able to head back to Dallas to have the cast removed and decide if the pins could come out. </div>
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Bridget tried very hard to be brave, but it was pretty scary! They cut the cast off and tried to cover up the pins before Bridget could see them, but she saw them anyway. It isn't pleasant to see big metal pins sticking out of your elbow! Then they had to determine if they would be able to remove them or if she would need to be re-casted for another couple of weeks. The waiting was pure torture! They finally let us know they would pull the pins...they just pull them right out, and that part was a little painful. The whole thing didn't take very long, and the hospital staff was really good about trying to explain ahead of time everything they were going to do. They even had videos on an ipad that they had her watch to prepare for the noises and all that she would be experiencing. </div>
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After they were finished with the pins and everything, the surgeon came in to say goodbye. He enjoyed visiting with Bridget. Then the nurse came in and told Bridget that because she had been very brave, she would be able to pick a very fun prize. She asked Bridget if she was most interested in dolls, barbies, puzzles, or what she liked best? Bridget answered her, "Well, if you could just bring everything out so I could see it, that would make it easiest!" We decided that she would like a doll best, so the nurse went to get one for her. What a fun treat!</div>
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On our way out of the hospital, we noticed a party of sorts in one of the lobbies. We went to see what it was all about and found that it was just a party for the kids who were currently admitted to the hospital. They asked why we were there, and they determined that even though Bridget wasn't a patient at the hospital, they could still give her a pillow pet. She was pretty thrilled to leave the hospital for the last time with that...and no more cast! </div>
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We were so sad that Bridget broke her arm, but she had such wonderful care from everyone involved through the whole process. We were very impressed with the staff at Children's Hospital and were treated so well every time we were there. That being said though, we were very glad to walk out of there for the last time! :)</div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-62496087509989316172012-07-25T07:54:00.000-05:002013-01-30T07:55:20.023-06:00Jonah for President!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent">Jonah realized this year that ANYONE could become
president, that they don't have to be born into a certain family or live in a specific area. His logical
conclusion was, of course, that HE could be president one day. Here's
his platform: "I don't believe in ghosts or monsters. I believe in
people. I believe in God. I do believe in satan but I don't believe
anything he says."</span></div>
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<span class="userContent">He's got my vote. :) </span></div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-5294348644438397762012-07-19T07:10:00.003-05:002013-01-30T10:34:38.769-06:00Splash Kingdom-Shreveport<div style="text-align: center;">
Sam (along with his dad and brothers) spent the first week of July fishing in Canada. Yes, that means they spent America's Independance Day by leaving the country. Ha!</div>
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They had a phenomenal trip. First they flew to Mineappolis, MN, where they grabbed dinner and a hotel room for the night. The next morning they drove their rental car 11 hours North into the province of Ontario, where they were picked up by a little pilot in a float plane. The float plane delivered them to a little cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere. Don't worry, though. The pilot brought in all the groceries they had bought on the way. And he left them a sattelite phone so they could call if the had any emergencies while they were there. (They didn't know at the time, but the sat-phone was password-protected and they couldn't actually use it!)</div>
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I don't have any pictures from their trip, but they caught hundreds of fish (Northern Pike), had beautiful (if a little hot) weather, and enjoyed the time away. It's not exactly my idea of paradise, but Sam can't imagine anything more fun than a week "off the grid". He had a blast. </div>
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The night that the guys left, the kids and I headed an hour and half east to Shreveport, Louisiana to visit a water park. Our radio station had been giving away tickets to a closer water park, and at the end of the giveaway they still had tickets left for the farther-away park....so we got some of those!</div>
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The kids were so excited to try out a new water park. Along the way, we stopped at Arby's for a quick dinner. While we were there a semi-truck drove into the parking lot pulling a tank. The kids were pretty impressed with this and we talked to the driver for a while (who told us that the tank weighs 60,000 pounds!). </div>
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When we got to Splash Kingdom, everyone was gathered outside and they hadn't opened the gates yet. There were less than 100 people there, and the radio station people soon announced that this was EVERYONE who would be at the park that evening...no lines, no waiting, SO FUN!</div>
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They had some fun new slides...here are Henry and Jonah dropping off of these really fun short slides:<br />
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And Bridget loved every bit of it. She was (finally) tall enough to go down some of the big slides, and her favorite one was a face-first, superman-type slide that made me scream every time I went down it. She is such a daring little girl!</div>
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We had so much fun and we are so grateful to our local Christian radio station for the free tickets and the adventure. :)</div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-64410502000773568992012-07-19T06:11:00.001-05:002013-01-30T10:34:14.916-06:00Policeman Jonah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night Jonah announced to me his intention to become a policeman when he grows up. </div>
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He just had a few questions.</div>
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#1 Do I have to go to college? (No, but you should. You'll be more prepared and make more money as a college graduate than you would otherwise.)</div>
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#2 How will I know who the bad guys are? Like, when do I pull out my gun? (You'll go to the police academy, have lots of training, and you'll most likely know who the bad guys are.)</div>
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#3 But really, how do I know when to pull out my gun? I don't want to shoot the wrong person. (Yes, that would be bad. You'll only use your gun if someone's life is being threatened.)</div>
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"I see," he said, "So when I see someone pull their sword out and try to stab a girl, then I know I should pull out my gun and stop them."</div>
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Um...yes, I think you've got it! Lol!</div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-44285550311804993692012-05-30T11:02:00.000-05:002013-01-30T11:02:33.096-06:00Henry turns 9<div style="text-align: center;">
Henry's birthday always falls near the memorial day weekend...which has positives and negatives that go along with it. The weather is usually gorgeous, but lots of people are busy, busy, busy as they are kicking off festivities and welcoming in summer. The rodeo is usually in town the weekend before that, and Sky Ranch starts summer camp that weekend as well. </div>
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This year, Henry invited his cousin Cole over to go to the rodeo with us and spend the night at our house. They had a blast at the rodeo, and we happened to have a field trip scheduled for the next day at the Sabine River Authority, so Cole got to join us for that as well. </div>
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It was a great way to get started celebrating his birthday. :)</div>
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The following weekend (on the day before Henry's actual birthday) we had a small family party for Henry at the house. Henry requested white cake with blue icing, and ice cream cones with frosting a sprinkles on the side. </div>
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The next day, on his birthday, the kids and I headed to Dallas. Grandma Austin had sent Henry the one thing that he wanted more than anything else...skeletoes shoes (or 'toe-shoes' as Henry calls them). The only problem was that they were not a comfortable fit. So we went to Dallas to find the store where she bought them and were able to exchange them for the perfect pair. He couldn't have been happier! Jonah and Bridget even scored new sandals while we were there. :)</div>
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We made a stop at Henry's favorite place (that we don't have in our area), In-N-Out burger. It was super windy and kept blowing our napkins and french fries all over the place, but we had a great time anyway. </div>
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I just love of my big 9 year old! Henry is so responsible that I sometimes forget that he is (only) nine years old. He continues to amaze me with his willingness to work hard, help others and watch out for his younger siblings. He has a natural ability to care for animals and he is athletically gifted and good at any sport that he tries. Henry reads his Bible every morning and diligently works on his schoolwork without complaint. He is friends with everyone he meets. Henry, I love you so much and am so very proud of you!!!</div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-7121296571860399662012-05-16T11:47:00.000-05:002013-01-30T11:48:17.649-06:00Cub Scouts<div style="text-align: center;">
Sam and I ended up being Cub Scout leaders for the 2011/2012 school year. We were in charge of the Tiger Cubs (Jonah's troop). Henry was a Bear Cub in another troop. I'm not exactly sure how we got signed up to be the troop leaders, but we did enjoy the experience-especially the super cool shirts. </div>
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Jonah was the reason we got involved with cub scouts in the first place. </div>
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He had heard about it and thought that it would be the very best activity for him. Since Henry was involved in other sports at the time, we initially told him that he couldn't be in cub scouts, but it turned out that he could go on the same nights that we were there with Jonah. So it actually worked out wonderfully for everyone! Bridget came along with us to Jonah's class and was able to participate in the crafts and snacks and games.</div>
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The meetings were fairly structured but required a lot of parent participation-and our group's parents weren't very interested in participating. So we just tried to keep it fun and get the requirements done as best as we could. :) We set up a snack rotation, planned games and crafts, and made sure the kids were earning their patches and beads as we went along. We were also required to set up one field trip a month. We went fun places like the fire station, and the local Christian radio station:</div>
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The cub scouts also had a chance to be in a parade! When we got to the meet-up place the morning of the parade, it was raining and kind of cold. Both my boys decided they wouldn't prefer to be in the parade after all, so we opted to watch from the sidelines. </div>
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Some of the meeting were super fun, like the one where they brought in "The Creature Teacher", who let everyone touch a tarantula. Yuck!</div>
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Before the big cub scout camp out, we had a tent-building meeting. The kids really enjoyed learning to put up a tent, and we packed them each a s'mores snack in a ziploc to enjoy while they played.</div>
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Near the end of the school year, we had one final meeting and had everyone come to our house for a bonfire. The kids roasted marshmallows, met our goats, and ran around outside for a while. We had mostly city kids in our group, and they all really enjoyed coming out to our place and having some freedom to enjoy nature a bit. They all had so much fun! </div>
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It was fun to be a cub scout leader for a season, but at the end of the year Sam and I passed the torch to another parent to take over the leadership. We decided that since we have so many other activities throughout the year that cub scouts wasn't the best one for our family. We also spend lots of time outdoors and enjoy the experiences they were focusing on as a family. We are thankful for the year that we had with such a fun group! </div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-49166576618813933912012-04-21T12:38:00.000-05:002012-04-21T12:39:13.390-05:00Bridget the Bookworm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One thing I learned quickly when I first met my husband (and his family!) was that I had better use proper grammar or I should expect to be corrected. (This is all in good humor, of course, and I have to admit that it's a trait I rather like. I've always been kind of particular about getting words right.) One of their pet peeves is improper use of adverbs (think "I feel bad about.." vs. "I feel badly about..."). </div>
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So it should be no surprise that my children have always spoken well and used correct grammar (for the most part) since they were toddlers. Bridget cracked me up with this one today...</div>
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She has a book reader that reads the words aloud to her when she flips the pages. I was in the kitchen working and I could hear her play the same page over and over, about five times. Finally, she said, "Mom, come listen. There's a problem!"</div>
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I assumed the problem was a low battery and that it wasn't moving on to the next page properly. I couldn't have been more wrong. She wanted me to listen because they used the word "townsfolk" and she thought that sounded downright wrong. "Mom, can you believe they messed up like that? It should be 'folks' not 'folk'. So silly!"</div>
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She didn't exactly spot an error this time, but I imagine in no time she'll be following in her father's footsteps and correcting my mistakes! :)</div>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-5201484098513403492012-04-02T10:13:00.000-05:002013-01-30T10:35:12.285-06:00Jonah and Bridget-best of friends!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent">Am I the only one who got to see a parade
today? </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">This morning Jonah and Bridget came downstairs to the living room, marching and playing drums.
They circled Henry and me once, then grabbed walmart sacks full of candy
and started launching the candy at us. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">They followed it up with one
final circle and then left with no explanation.</span></div>
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<span class="userContent"> Life with these two around is never dull. They are such good friends and whenever they have free time, they are usually together. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">Jonah and Bridget...you crack me up! Thanks for making life more fun and always reminding me to seize the day. :)</span></div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-85317597605968389632012-03-28T20:26:00.001-05:002012-03-29T09:23:17.437-05:00Spring pictures 2012<div style="text-align: center;">I love Springtime...new life, everything is green and blooming, the sun is shining, we can be outside all the time because the weather is perfect...thank you Lord!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MG9nakh4KzqfMjeJQARsK9jtt3mGmLyhhFXFKpQxi5HRcfXbuzB8phJveiK_BXvaeb88g5pi97shc1UbqXhddHxgAlWrsDU1xl6SnBlNk6de0JpPu5LLDFf396-GyRTVrlht/s1600/IMG_2233_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MG9nakh4KzqfMjeJQARsK9jtt3mGmLyhhFXFKpQxi5HRcfXbuzB8phJveiK_BXvaeb88g5pi97shc1UbqXhddHxgAlWrsDU1xl6SnBlNk6de0JpPu5LLDFf396-GyRTVrlht/s320/IMG_2233_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725125241182376178" border="0" /></a>Bridget Mary, age 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMO3daPr68qc666yeVXhrVzJWjVtpuvO4Reu2yVVJmoPXvRqSW1HX5HS54-445QhYUoUjrwGBH1JgsVGT_1-HPDAcMRKoh4YZhUk9OVBCAOr3KqV24SXWU2SqiB8Bkj_xAV8m/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMO3daPr68qc666yeVXhrVzJWjVtpuvO4Reu2yVVJmoPXvRqSW1HX5HS54-445QhYUoUjrwGBH1JgsVGT_1-HPDAcMRKoh4YZhUk9OVBCAOr3KqV24SXWU2SqiB8Bkj_xAV8m/s320/IMG_2223.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725125263570052482" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Samuel Jonah, age 7<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKglxqvEBkZv2aZSMo6T8eRTpE4tgb0frS8IyiJ4i07HX5tvpc-aJlMpQrXPJpxFi57qelbda6S7hPhZbS2Z7Djckc_iqGjnbVt3_H0kh_Ekdt8EXfQgfq9O9OzYWTq8OJdVJU/s1600/IMG_2214.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKglxqvEBkZv2aZSMo6T8eRTpE4tgb0frS8IyiJ4i07HX5tvpc-aJlMpQrXPJpxFi57qelbda6S7hPhZbS2Z7Djckc_iqGjnbVt3_H0kh_Ekdt8EXfQgfq9O9OzYWTq8OJdVJU/s320/IMG_2214.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725125257905807314" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Henry David, age 8 (almost 9!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMz9Ny9hwL5M9zDieVkXLMgCjWrrLcQPGqqiQi91-H3Dd4guCN17zswj0IuEbmthlLfSxNnakRjk-7olq9_EuaS2lRyYybviEJxo3C-qoAuFVokl2SQL-ORgX01PKKu1rzWj1/s1600/IMG_2210.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMz9Ny9hwL5M9zDieVkXLMgCjWrrLcQPGqqiQi91-H3Dd4guCN17zswj0IuEbmthlLfSxNnakRjk-7olq9_EuaS2lRyYybviEJxo3C-qoAuFVokl2SQL-ORgX01PKKu1rzWj1/s320/IMG_2210.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725125247568545442" border="0" /></a>I'm so grateful for my three wonderful blessings.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07sX2vkkaQWRuCnYU46HFugdiIw7PYj-He-cmsTMQY_dfxqGoDePzZQPcVeKqN3AnV6NiOupFX7iH3mq-P3zOismHt_I8hf72agP2PYRyx2TR8UKv2bWekrkFKVFT_URYfHMz/s1600/IMG_2195.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07sX2vkkaQWRuCnYU46HFugdiIw7PYj-He-cmsTMQY_dfxqGoDePzZQPcVeKqN3AnV6NiOupFX7iH3mq-P3zOismHt_I8hf72agP2PYRyx2TR8UKv2bWekrkFKVFT_URYfHMz/s320/IMG_2195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725125237125088226" border="0" /></a>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-11178625823251234642012-03-23T17:47:00.002-05:002012-03-23T17:54:46.204-05:00Jonah in the Kitchen<div style="text-align: center;">(Jonah in the apron that his Grammy made him for his birthday this year.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxc0hb-ukr_iLfUpqjRBZs2QZckpfAPmbSAp7mFZFVOAXtxzUfX9V8XN8rm9LOVMv59j7JHSVOlrmQvKIqqJo73Igs-_Hpew0OoXhcSufDtJPpm2I5IZuPty_9p3ATTHxSMkr/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxc0hb-ukr_iLfUpqjRBZs2QZckpfAPmbSAp7mFZFVOAXtxzUfX9V8XN8rm9LOVMv59j7JHSVOlrmQvKIqqJo73Igs-_Hpew0OoXhcSufDtJPpm2I5IZuPty_9p3ATTHxSMkr/s320/IMG_1778.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723228539871304930" border="0" /></a>One of Jonah's favorite places to be is in the kitchen, helping with whatever I happen to be working on at the time. I love this of course, because it's also one of my favorite places to be. :)<br /><br />This afternoon, Jonah was mixing up pizza crust in the kitchen while I supervised and cleaned out some cupboards. <br /><br />I pulled out a punch bowl that hasn't seen the light of day in about four years and set it on the counter. Jonah asked why and I told him I was putting it into our upcoming garage sale.<br /><br />"Say what?" Jonah was incredulous. "Why in the world would you get rid of THAT? It's so pretty!"<br /><br />I explained that it was something I previously found useful but don't use much anymore and now it just takes up space.<br /><br />Jonah's reply? "Well I would think you could just keep it and give it to my wife when I get married. I think she would like it."<br /></div>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-41359603193259357282012-03-21T13:29:00.002-05:002012-03-21T13:33:05.626-05:00Goofy Girl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdIA7vzQP2nZtlqfWhoc8jHxAVesZt10qE189vjK9fwb1r6pHa-ZDanVEuCk7m2wOtywSya7Au4xyLKyue4mkOeOEGYjOhkah0mBaKmIOFLcM9pE-w-cSbPxmqtk6R9Rdwh2E/s1600/IMG_1888.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdIA7vzQP2nZtlqfWhoc8jHxAVesZt10qE189vjK9fwb1r6pHa-ZDanVEuCk7m2wOtywSya7Au4xyLKyue4mkOeOEGYjOhkah0mBaKmIOFLcM9pE-w-cSbPxmqtk6R9Rdwh2E/s320/IMG_1888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722419645666032738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">After lunch today, Bridget and I were talking. Out of the blue she asked me this very important question: "Hey Mom, is Dad at work, or in Colorado, or at a friend's house?" <br /><br />I stifled a giggle but told her that he is at work. <br /><br />"Okay," she said, "I just needed to know."<br /></div>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-36545421542476320682012-03-19T09:27:00.000-05:002013-01-30T10:31:41.241-06:00More goat babies!<div style="text-align: center;">
After the surprise of Nancy's babies, we were constantly on the lookout for more (since we had 3 other female goats). A few weeks after Nancy, Mama had her babies. We named them Strawberry the Shortcake (Bridget's choice), and Louie (Sam's choice). They were both as sweet as their mama and turned out to be super friendly as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgJR9RoePDEVSmlltrNxhVm944BctsQ_L1eC4lH3T3MM3q-fAA_iQut0k6gSNMJHnxwrZ09CODv0yk7QnzsunD-QyFFed1WXF-jAE9AfZHJHATDxGHFqo2kNAryWaxD0bQDS3/s1600/IMG_1992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgJR9RoePDEVSmlltrNxhVm944BctsQ_L1eC4lH3T3MM3q-fAA_iQut0k6gSNMJHnxwrZ09CODv0yk7QnzsunD-QyFFed1WXF-jAE9AfZHJHATDxGHFqo2kNAryWaxD0bQDS3/s320/IMG_1992.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After Mama, it was Goldie's turn. Goldie has always been a little skittish and hasn't appreciated human interaction, but she required a little help during the birth of one of her kids. That is something I never thought I would do!!! She was in great distress and starting to give up, so I helped pull one out. Her babies were named Rocky and Dixie, and we really didn't ever get them to be anymore people-friendly than their mama ever was. They looked just like their mama with the dangling "goat jewelry" hanging from their necks...so cute. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrJpjCCFnmZM4pc95enZsLij2h_36OTFkiI231h8dMuadq8j9J__Eh3tdxvxNsRrSxQI83pJtT60R1R2d5Vv2hz5LEFQaiE2h7PRTl5AfuwU4AuA2f0UybQYC5GOV5mMGVIDb/s1600/IMG_1983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrJpjCCFnmZM4pc95enZsLij2h_36OTFkiI231h8dMuadq8j9J__Eh3tdxvxNsRrSxQI83pJtT60R1R2d5Vv2hz5LEFQaiE2h7PRTl5AfuwU4AuA2f0UybQYC5GOV5mMGVIDb/s320/IMG_1983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The father of all these goats was a young billy named Buck. We didn't keep him long after the mamas had their kids as he was waaaaay too aggressive with our own kids. </div>
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A full two months after the first kids, our last goat Ashley finally had hers. She had two, a boy that we can't remember what we named, and a girl that Bridget named Spongebob. Ashley and her babies were even more skittish than Goldie and hers, so we really never got to spend any time handling them or playing with them. </div>
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Such a fun experience to be a part of kidding season! </div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-15113590396838586522012-02-10T08:35:00.007-06:002012-03-24T12:09:23.708-05:00Jonah is 7 years old!!!<div style="text-align: center;">Jonah's 7th birthday was on February 7th...making this his GOLDEN birthday! :)<br /><br />We knew it had to be special. We've been hearing that this one was coming up for a looooong time. Jonah woke up to a smiley face of fruit on his special birthday plate...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDog4vMFWOdjx2mlcHVGPfKmvzq-2xdhFOVb3-gP_cdsT8BxIRThX8BpJQyjPFkQoIRTy0SVr_ypORWWmITHkLCBImA2kmVUb5Nv76SpGwwjsAatDp4H4ZKWSr_MPLrBz8r9sU/s1600/IMG_0193.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDog4vMFWOdjx2mlcHVGPfKmvzq-2xdhFOVb3-gP_cdsT8BxIRThX8BpJQyjPFkQoIRTy0SVr_ypORWWmITHkLCBImA2kmVUb5Nv76SpGwwjsAatDp4H4ZKWSr_MPLrBz8r9sU/s320/IMG_0193.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723465589094360402" border="0" /></a>...followed by chocolate chip pancakes that he helped make. So fun!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqgQfWJyFtvr3j4RmbUvoixo5YhPn-67C0eypOduFSypI-Yp8jGK_yPha2ZuYa_D5XQpIOdnXndVWMCLg9kChl4-Tq-0E4NR-zbwRHI3jfLw4Qz9ZAAff8bX2xLeIKRbQWHzl/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqgQfWJyFtvr3j4RmbUvoixo5YhPn-67C0eypOduFSypI-Yp8jGK_yPha2ZuYa_D5XQpIOdnXndVWMCLg9kChl4-Tq-0E4NR-zbwRHI3jfLw4Qz9ZAAff8bX2xLeIKRbQWHzl/s320/IMG_0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723465594250821394" border="0" /></a>We had a great morning. A little while after breakfast, Kelly and Jordan and Matthew came over, we all piled into the van, and we headed to Dallas. The first stop was for lunch at a mall. The kids picked McDonald's and Kelly and I ate from Chick-fil-A. I loved having a food court and options...the kids loved having a 3-story mall!<br /><br />Our next stop was this place:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTl3TIr-ttMd6j4qW34knkiCC7CFG1xntTjKAwWjwCX9aITTt1ZQK6LRH7Ob74BT1qjgZagngXL9e8uZbhwnoioIEPKZItsqOntnM8E_aZPQ5nVj_2k3MDEDLj9sDwWxeZTH2/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTl3TIr-ttMd6j4qW34knkiCC7CFG1xntTjKAwWjwCX9aITTt1ZQK6LRH7Ob74BT1qjgZagngXL9e8uZbhwnoioIEPKZItsqOntnM8E_aZPQ5nVj_2k3MDEDLj9sDwWxeZTH2/s320/IMG_0250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723460863754609922" border="0" /></a>Great Wolf Lodge (a really fun wolf-themed hotel with an indoor waterpark)! Jonah had asked if we could go there for a night for his birthday, and since it was his golden birthday and all...of course we said yes.<br />The first thing we did was toss our stuff into our rooms, slip on swimsuits and head to the water park!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbTRl91nj9obbIag3499MRdc0Z1vEkGJktAqXyoj_Bh8Itr-RdPrPW5pCuUVDryUmgnFe6bv1QCj4aEMNJyv-fC2Mk4Jw-NXj1sEWZMF_AMTbovPac2JBD3Gw8SrABrA1YCKZ/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbTRl91nj9obbIag3499MRdc0Z1vEkGJktAqXyoj_Bh8Itr-RdPrPW5pCuUVDryUmgnFe6bv1QCj4aEMNJyv-fC2Mk4Jw-NXj1sEWZMF_AMTbovPac2JBD3Gw8SrABrA1YCKZ/s320/IMG_0199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723465602515913506" border="0" /></a>After a couple hours of fun swimming, slides, and playing in the water, we were ready to dry off for a little bit. Grandma Austin and Jim had bought Jonah a magic wand and a magiquest game (which is an interactive game played throughout the entire hotel). We played for a while and finished a number of quests before realizing it was time to start thinking about dinner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TUF84qT3nfk_UPzU1JWRPmPJaMVu_FoqEAB1fnYA2cnPfCd_tlY3mwjxeLnJqOqL2EhaVdrHv76A7i_0rfHvGJECW3kO7u51nAp-JLvlRLVEpWc1e9DP6mPn6NZgI9Hnh4hx/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TUF84qT3nfk_UPzU1JWRPmPJaMVu_FoqEAB1fnYA2cnPfCd_tlY3mwjxeLnJqOqL2EhaVdrHv76A7i_0rfHvGJECW3kO7u51nAp-JLvlRLVEpWc1e9DP6mPn6NZgI9Hnh4hx/s320/IMG_0235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723509548737058514" border="0" /></a>So Kelly, the kids and I headed down the road to a Steak and Shake for dinner. It was a fun place to eat, with paper hats and cardboard cars to entertain the kids while we waited on our food. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYJGkvqEin-KjPLuuRt4s_Ntb4MJvW1Ul2uBjgEUp3onywFKJn8-olHSi_q5j3ylpLwmsOF-4gPcdSbLWM5WZxyHLYsmcZdXCKhe2HhfEbl3Rvqv3jfWFQdxxlV63ztYg-FqH/s1600/IMG_0204.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYJGkvqEin-KjPLuuRt4s_Ntb4MJvW1Ul2uBjgEUp3onywFKJn8-olHSi_q5j3ylpLwmsOF-4gPcdSbLWM5WZxyHLYsmcZdXCKhe2HhfEbl3Rvqv3jfWFQdxxlV63ztYg-FqH/s320/IMG_0204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723465612812534786" border="0" /></a> The kids were a little disappointed that we wouldn't order them the huge, fancy, signature milkshakes, but we had a special surprise waiting for them back at the hotel.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin829XrvSmGkOc5IRAkrvPtTb9e3VrNxABvGqaNGeZ5i0osavZOBdRCq5LJN35VRRvv6N1ywCjSlWK4YNnSnbaT-whZ2aXa5O3MrIjwqlN7gG5LqQP93TcyjNS03QGfGIQSLFb/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin829XrvSmGkOc5IRAkrvPtTb9e3VrNxABvGqaNGeZ5i0osavZOBdRCq5LJN35VRRvv6N1ywCjSlWK4YNnSnbaT-whZ2aXa5O3MrIjwqlN7gG5LqQP93TcyjNS03QGfGIQSLFb/s320/IMG_0207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723509555515848946" border="0" /></a>Sam and Jon had worked that morning, met up and drove together to meet us at the hotel! They had stopped at Costco on the way and grabbed an ENORMOUS (no joke, it weighed 10 pounds!) chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. YUMMY! Jonah was super excited.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-yMOmGSM63p8oB95-s3ACnArQLjhkTPPrvZfjcjAcBFXsveA4M4ntsiWMXMz_mt-ll7zyuTvFFyHb67MALSEnV-2xBS3Ikhi77rm9KrB8vkWZ9tLrpVJ6gUWPTzKExjDCcKD/s1600/IMG_0208.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-yMOmGSM63p8oB95-s3ACnArQLjhkTPPrvZfjcjAcBFXsveA4M4ntsiWMXMz_mt-ll7zyuTvFFyHb67MALSEnV-2xBS3Ikhi77rm9KrB8vkWZ9tLrpVJ6gUWPTzKExjDCcKD/s320/IMG_0208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723463027797224658" border="0" /></a>We sang to him, tried our best to finish off big pieces of the yummy cake and ice cream, and then opened presents. It was SUCH a fun time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyaf0aLecwT5_vFJ_owY4eXWHziVtY4Yp8TX6ZjKiyZO3hxn4acox66IOXvo_fjvgr1ijSuOI_VaRt-yn8UEeScUmXKRYNSj8vXYJMBSnfiToly8k0QbdfKd-iqoYvAcHvkYN/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyaf0aLecwT5_vFJ_owY4eXWHziVtY4Yp8TX6ZjKiyZO3hxn4acox66IOXvo_fjvgr1ijSuOI_VaRt-yn8UEeScUmXKRYNSj8vXYJMBSnfiToly8k0QbdfKd-iqoYvAcHvkYN/s320/IMG_0210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723465619217987970" border="0" /></a>By the time we were done it was really too late for more swimming, so we played a little more magiquest and then headed down to the lobby for storytime. The hotel puts on a great show with singing and moving trees, then the story teller tells a fun adventure story--although these guys might put on a slightly better show...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeiidIUZ9EIu8mxfKDrSz_WnOFyqJOmV-rX8CMgAdH51iRju7nPmOs7JQSTz43hE51f3sXXvgZbJuyAL1vTYB-KLmMPDGlv9UvzHPWmcWkiek1vrMC1gUBwd_J5m0DEyDNZni/s1600/IMG_0227.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeiidIUZ9EIu8mxfKDrSz_WnOFyqJOmV-rX8CMgAdH51iRju7nPmOs7JQSTz43hE51f3sXXvgZbJuyAL1vTYB-KLmMPDGlv9UvzHPWmcWkiek1vrMC1gUBwd_J5m0DEyDNZni/s320/IMG_0227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723463037758193234" border="0" /></a>After the story hour, one of the wolves came out to take pictures with the kids. Of course, ALL of the kids wanted to have their picture with her:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4tUTJ4gYM_EMrJpUuR02JaiLqqBs-TnOoY6DztpOUri1_JLT12UAoUpzXIqWQiAPODevjMjo9pgbPF9s67elx7YgLrh5HtLyzkPkOVxsrwvoXOS7AiKb716qjq5xBkOqcSZY/s1600/IMG_0224.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4tUTJ4gYM_EMrJpUuR02JaiLqqBs-TnOoY6DztpOUri1_JLT12UAoUpzXIqWQiAPODevjMjo9pgbPF9s67elx7YgLrh5HtLyzkPkOVxsrwvoXOS7AiKb716qjq5xBkOqcSZY/s320/IMG_0224.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723463029721463906" border="0" /></a>Henry and Jonah were a little concerned that they might not be able to handle sharing a bed, since they usually don't sleep together. Turns out they didn't have a problem with it at all!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWY64KeW0RCkei-oUl36O1spd2bv-bCVlJNCFRCB1E21f_naW2LohWmiPo-NsGOyQFY9Bd6PM2qyv-CDeij86ny5cIUBLmLTdC8fb09A3A1UaMQJtP2iR2TiLx6eTFN7Gts_8/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWY64KeW0RCkei-oUl36O1spd2bv-bCVlJNCFRCB1E21f_naW2LohWmiPo-NsGOyQFY9Bd6PM2qyv-CDeij86ny5cIUBLmLTdC8fb09A3A1UaMQJtP2iR2TiLx6eTFN7Gts_8/s320/IMG_0230.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723463047527024050" border="0" /></a>The next morning we had bananas and instant oatmeal, and watched cartoons during breakfast! It was Jonah's ideal morning.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHZF-H4vdDJJG73XW9ugqwGFAyq1yJKqCronOgkK4OHyuCd6hETdfxu2YU6OD3A_SRUOMj7uEQBjKyPMudeeNIbnlqa0vSkwTYZwRFxAHGbVJwCfukg7nuj58pWoFb__YZKvW/s1600/IMG_0231.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHZF-H4vdDJJG73XW9ugqwGFAyq1yJKqCronOgkK4OHyuCd6hETdfxu2YU6OD3A_SRUOMj7uEQBjKyPMudeeNIbnlqa0vSkwTYZwRFxAHGbVJwCfukg7nuj58pWoFb__YZKvW/s320/IMG_0231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723463051970032818" border="0" /></a>We had lots more fun swimming, sliding, tubing, playing, and exploring the waterpark. We also took time to finish the magiquest game and thought it was one of the most fun parts of the visit. <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKPf6GcEyoHc5aGJIvRdPMkvrp9Gj9ofsv2l3lEhyphenhyphenZiqebB_lBeeOYVYlPmqDOwMUauaMPvokP6fr7iIc7_6Mwml9NwuBK7MxDzxF1LyvFueT0eCUn70CyJDVt_ipQsEkBBaZ/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKPf6GcEyoHc5aGJIvRdPMkvrp9Gj9ofsv2l3lEhyphenhyphenZiqebB_lBeeOYVYlPmqDOwMUauaMPvokP6fr7iIc7_6Mwml9NwuBK7MxDzxF1LyvFueT0eCUn70CyJDVt_ipQsEkBBaZ/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723460850145248866" border="0" /></a>One of the best things Jonah got for his birthday was a shaving kit...which altered Jonah's mornings dramatically. Now every morning, the first thing Jonah does is head into Sam's bathroom so he can shave with his Dad. (This might be my favorite thing!)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlpFLHwIvKRrv6cums5UB3JDOEVLpfMK-3wyVAiFKB8Qt1aCbeIQsLM_TXBc-gO2EYZ1kAmMRhz8OklyHMmzadRufBsN_Ugncn9XyRIK1oqWlbo25AaENgew4ff2MIplhPmTh/s1600/IMG_1787.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlpFLHwIvKRrv6cums5UB3JDOEVLpfMK-3wyVAiFKB8Qt1aCbeIQsLM_TXBc-gO2EYZ1kAmMRhz8OklyHMmzadRufBsN_Ugncn9XyRIK1oqWlbo25AaENgew4ff2MIplhPmTh/s320/IMG_1787.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723460875020248754" border="0" /></a>We got to celebrate with Grammy and Grandpop a few days later too. Grammy knew how much Jonah loves to help in the kitchen and had made him his very own apron! She also made him a photo book from his time at Grandkid's Camp last summer...both gifts were so special and are treasured by our little Bear. <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbNIkaswKO20sTURMnSUCWC3WQm_vv4k_kgdISDnXllIORbRSJsLswAEyXigUy6qL-ITnxgXTZv-Gga4DBnf1cMmMBDMqO_JFQsgDzXoaP-sYQUO-_C-NWSkpoQBuTwG5q_q8/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbNIkaswKO20sTURMnSUCWC3WQm_vv4k_kgdISDnXllIORbRSJsLswAEyXigUy6qL-ITnxgXTZv-Gga4DBnf1cMmMBDMqO_JFQsgDzXoaP-sYQUO-_C-NWSkpoQBuTwG5q_q8/s320/IMG_1776.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723460884684642594" border="0" /></a>Happy Birthday Jonah! We are so thankful that God gave us you. You are a special boy with loads of creativity, gentleness, compassion and friendliness. It is so fun to have you in our lives. :) Love you! :)<br /></div>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-63018896404350838822012-02-06T09:15:00.000-06:002013-01-30T10:32:36.295-06:00Kids (the baby goat kind)<div style="text-align: center;">
2012 started out with some exciting news at home...our goats all had
kids! We suspected they were pregnant but we weren't quite sure when
they would give birth. So imagine our surprise when the kids and I came
home one afternoon to find this in our front pasture:</div>
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We were so excited! The mama (named Nancy) was standing kind of nearby, making lots of grunting noises and half-heartedly licking her new babe clean. I wasn't sure what to make of that. </div>
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I immediately texted Sam to tell him what was going on, and then I called my friend Robin. (She lives nearby and I knew she and her kids would enjoy the miracle we were witnessing.) Sam suggested I grab some towels and try to clean the kid, and Robin said she would be right over.</div>
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Well, I thought that Nancy was ignoring her new baby, so we got him all cleaned up. We were all just amazed by this new little critter, helplessly trying to stand up. Meanwhile, Nancy was giving birth to a second kid! Just moments before Robin showed up, the second one was born, looking a lot like his brother but with spotted ears. </div>
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Nancy took turns cleaning up her kids and was quite protective of them. She actually turned out to be the best of our mamas, and her babies were the sweetest of the bunch! We named the first one "Don" and the second one "Diego."</div>
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It was such an incredible day! When we got up that morning we had not idea we would get to see the miracle of birth...in our own front yard! What a special surprise.</div>
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Our kids and the goat kids had so much fun together...the goats liked to suck on Bridget's hair (I think they thought they could nurse that way!) and they loved to climb up on the kids backs. Having goat kids was one of the best experiences we've ever been a part of. :)</div>
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Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-81795433204936007182012-01-20T10:12:00.000-06:002013-01-30T10:33:01.241-06:00Upwards Basketball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Henry played on his first ever basketball team with a local Upwards group this year. It was so fun! He had a great team and a nice coach. He already knew some of the kids and made friends with the others...they had a great time together. </div>
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Upwards is a great league for those that want to focus on learning the game as well as sportsmanship, teamwork and godly principles. </div>
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Sam spends lots of time shooting hoops with Henry out in the yard. It is so fun to have boys take after their daddy! </div>
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Henry scored quite a few goals and really improved on offense this year...way to go, Henry! </div>
Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29948996.post-7185939475339546002011-12-27T11:10:00.000-06:002012-02-29T09:23:12.356-06:00Christmas 2011<div style="text-align: center;">Last year Henry expressed his great desire to have "Santa clothes". When asked to explain that, he said, "you know, the clothes that Santa wears!" It was so sweet. Not being any sort of seamstress myself, I found a cute pair of red plaid pajamas and sewed white fur around the arms and leg cuffs. He thought they were great but couldn't quite get past that they were actually pajamas.<br />For Henry's birthday last year, my wonderful sister-in-law (who happens to be a really great seamstress!) made Henry real, true, Santa clothes. She completed the package with a hat and Santa bag to carry around his goodies. Henry was so thrilled! By that time of year, though he had really gotten over wanting to dress like Santa every day. So they were pulled out a few times to dress up, but mostly stored away. However, at Christmas time they came back out! Henry was so happy to have the outfit and wore it throughout the season. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself, so it made him a little self-conscious when he was out of the house dressed like Santa...but he sure brought smiles to the people we met!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSidrKgJiQGImdul3mK3mD9qoqw1pECzbWTERHXAlbAfbkHO_0S-uIqXb-GAG0rYb6OGozPuNn0lfyLTxKo1d2FMEi47O6jXVQMenCscNEocN7hEPhJ5QCTHKFuffHduRsQxv/s1600/IMG_4899.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSidrKgJiQGImdul3mK3mD9qoqw1pECzbWTERHXAlbAfbkHO_0S-uIqXb-GAG0rYb6OGozPuNn0lfyLTxKo1d2FMEi47O6jXVQMenCscNEocN7hEPhJ5QCTHKFuffHduRsQxv/s320/IMG_4899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713855058016425714" border="0" /></a>Last year we started a tradition of seeing a movie at Christmas time. It's kind of a dangerous tradition to start because you never know if a good, family-friendly movie will be out at the right time! Luckily, "Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipwrecked" was still playing in our theater. Kelly and I took all the kids to see it on Christmas eve. Santa was at the theater too, so we got to have pictures taken with him and he gave each of the kids a free bag of popcorn! :)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1r55RW8KOT8ogO7WO2RSKortCCFgCAfQkHgw8bfJfcakIlgyWTLqshxr_0N0mCgTFIPkqi1fnc_-GrUhkikr-t9XqcHSxlaFlPQGJplFe10Mb5y_VdqxDnUSZIikscyfxCso/s1600/IMG_4903.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1r55RW8KOT8ogO7WO2RSKortCCFgCAfQkHgw8bfJfcakIlgyWTLqshxr_0N0mCgTFIPkqi1fnc_-GrUhkikr-t9XqcHSxlaFlPQGJplFe10Mb5y_VdqxDnUSZIikscyfxCso/s320/IMG_4903.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713855049854971842" border="0" /></a>Christmas eve, another of our traditions: We always open one gift, usually something small and fun. This year all the kids got new pajamas!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHp-STfSP68g5kcBBPpI-S4fBXqFZAIXACPyqjN-NabK_4EAeQErgTaq2S0QgtDGNTvqFPL-8noumq-Bqnz4XYhzy-ZJvcsoqDBdK2wUJqH_mF1N-F1DTi56foW8GyGN7vElP/s1600/IMG_4915.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHp-STfSP68g5kcBBPpI-S4fBXqFZAIXACPyqjN-NabK_4EAeQErgTaq2S0QgtDGNTvqFPL-8noumq-Bqnz4XYhzy-ZJvcsoqDBdK2wUJqH_mF1N-F1DTi56foW8GyGN7vElP/s320/IMG_4915.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713855042278005042" border="0" /></a>The kids put out plates of cookies and milk, along with last-minute notes for Santa.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChL13qyJis0Now5b7pDxJAVgMHduCtmlWPlETd10hiTi9BLtTPfunWLgLT8FVH5pUMPPU2oPgNVKiMiudFX9UITV02N77g1raPoj0gpQvnuR7xznUdfWa_dg9_4cTyKVt4W_q/s1600/IMG_4920.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChL13qyJis0Now5b7pDxJAVgMHduCtmlWPlETd10hiTi9BLtTPfunWLgLT8FVH5pUMPPU2oPgNVKiMiudFX9UITV02N77g1raPoj0gpQvnuR7xznUdfWa_dg9_4cTyKVt4W_q/s320/IMG_4920.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713855034568783778" border="0" /></a>I stayed up late and sneaked a picture of Santa at the tree delivering goodies!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADPiE2oKu_V7lexbUj2P59XrXFS1vrQ9IFZACvhk-xaBsrZ7ViRgF-4w3rxpIRJGIURMjsRvV9z2SRFqtT7C54JD0mAcglm1zLnSgLAt1oXoJ_fHNLseFTXuWMHp-fKILFnnq/s1600/IMG_4917.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADPiE2oKu_V7lexbUj2P59XrXFS1vrQ9IFZACvhk-xaBsrZ7ViRgF-4w3rxpIRJGIURMjsRvV9z2SRFqtT7C54JD0mAcglm1zLnSgLAt1oXoJ_fHNLseFTXuWMHp-fKILFnnq/s320/IMG_4917.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713855040973937410" border="0" /></a>Christmas morning the kids awoke to find that the Twinkie Tree had mysteriously changed this year...probably due to the severe drought we experienced this past summer. Instead of producing the twinkies and cupcakes that it has been known for, it bloomed chocolate candy bars and bubble gum this year! Craziest thing.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX07qvxgTZJFrC2jlGrr75fkXvrUTCWYlX6Sg7Cwhxsny45eICKRbiRVziQdhbko0gwyTM_Ta9aE2JHk_qITJQ1J_w91tKBTePTlwFgKs-MNsNrPlaWrOaYjxARW5_VwwOGQeV/s1600/IMG_4952.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX07qvxgTZJFrC2jlGrr75fkXvrUTCWYlX6Sg7Cwhxsny45eICKRbiRVziQdhbko0gwyTM_Ta9aE2JHk_qITJQ1J_w91tKBTePTlwFgKs-MNsNrPlaWrOaYjxARW5_VwwOGQeV/s320/IMG_4952.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713852414058514034" border="0" /></a>Later in the morning, Dave and Mary Beth came over to spend some time with our family. We enjoyed a break from all of the gift opening chaos and had a cup of coffee with them. We always look forward to Grammy and Grandpop coming over and we got to exchange gifts with them outside of the big, entire-family gathering that was to come later.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qWqUhi3yEpsmyh4fuc3hdJ0CPXoNNpv-6PmIThQZn5XtyxvvL9xEb3XqKfki7IHY0SZAl6M9GF2Dv3H_D9OnRZSnLTK-bIaD-IH1xqhTtk9RBLxR_T7GVxZRqvWlxqHRe3eo/s1600/IMG_4964.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qWqUhi3yEpsmyh4fuc3hdJ0CPXoNNpv-6PmIThQZn5XtyxvvL9xEb3XqKfki7IHY0SZAl6M9GF2Dv3H_D9OnRZSnLTK-bIaD-IH1xqhTtk9RBLxR_T7GVxZRqvWlxqHRe3eo/s320/IMG_4964.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713852405645625330" border="0" /></a>Henry's greatest treasure...his brand new Bible! He also got a brand new hunting knife (Bear Grylls brand!) that he is super excited to have.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjShHZ6551PjHomO6BStwFtRSxTyO5B37hcJVTwIeJ_rs2ELCWAGxClFkOKO3INFfKHgS3qgZT9hMDBNFXMcCMzXABhCD_CzS9K9nCDgmmG5x07lwmgJ2QJDTPcEDfY89JKug/s1600/IMG_4947.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjShHZ6551PjHomO6BStwFtRSxTyO5B37hcJVTwIeJ_rs2ELCWAGxClFkOKO3INFfKHgS3qgZT9hMDBNFXMcCMzXABhCD_CzS9K9nCDgmmG5x07lwmgJ2QJDTPcEDfY89JKug/s320/IMG_4947.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713852403958099330" border="0" /></a>Jonah loved everything, especially his new scooter and the knife/flashlight combo that he got from Henry.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Mi6FMPMZF74-cuOI7CoB-O4_412H87_-tpQ7Yh6a72oJzI3v2zs1ZsJHtUShDx8JyXHgCFM9xzFKYn8VxkLz6zRLeOGYq-tQ3QBA3pKRUUYAzp9fYEBFeSt4e7dv6HFS5Ly9/s1600/IMG_4927.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Mi6FMPMZF74-cuOI7CoB-O4_412H87_-tpQ7Yh6a72oJzI3v2zs1ZsJHtUShDx8JyXHgCFM9xzFKYn8VxkLz6zRLeOGYq-tQ3QBA3pKRUUYAzp9fYEBFeSt4e7dv6HFS5Ly9/s320/IMG_4927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713852397285624850" border="0" /></a>Bridget's treasured items were her new baby doll stroller and the battery operated toothbrush that Jonah got for her.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CMfx3CQh2F1jf7s0js1c-X2BXTbC2d5Ak6zuefJ7S6JFsy9EEoynYSLwMLe2uhfaDSPhmjrWTpQ-4FQ-cqZ83AW3AvvnTdpuCuYOxml90QOgtkkyM2vXLBqgqEFsxc6hX17S/s1600/IMG_4944.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CMfx3CQh2F1jf7s0js1c-X2BXTbC2d5Ak6zuefJ7S6JFsy9EEoynYSLwMLe2uhfaDSPhmjrWTpQ-4FQ-cqZ83AW3AvvnTdpuCuYOxml90QOgtkkyM2vXLBqgqEFsxc6hX17S/s320/IMG_4944.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714576855348018178" border="0" /></a>Sam was completely spoiled, as usual. Christmases are best when Sam gets more presents than anyone else. ;)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MAIJJJGrkB59ZI8D_DbwafvH6kwT_37BbqJv8-_NI3ZcuJmbBiJnOVD2I96UfIUGpmL5anKreNZ_MOPg5GkxzsxWyxtzbEbLvAnQIkWnVdIb4sxSb3pvHknyF26eL6n4sXZj/s1600/IMG_4969.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MAIJJJGrkB59ZI8D_DbwafvH6kwT_37BbqJv8-_NI3ZcuJmbBiJnOVD2I96UfIUGpmL5anKreNZ_MOPg5GkxzsxWyxtzbEbLvAnQIkWnVdIb4sxSb3pvHknyF26eL6n4sXZj/s320/IMG_4969.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713852394248390482" border="0" /></a>We had a wonderful Christmas and were able to slow down from the busyness of the season and focus on Christ and His sacrifice for us. We spent really fun time together as a family and enjoyed baking cut-out cookies many times throughout the season...more than we have ever made in the past. I'm so thankful for my sweet family!!!<br /></div>Lisa Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380727868222192526noreply@blogger.com0