tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60374965290176358352024-03-18T22:08:33.209-07:00All Things SquishyBekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-28993024738321999272014-02-03T13:59:00.002-08:002014-02-03T14:03:50.363-08:00Hello Blog, Is It me You're Looking For?Oh, poor neglected blog. Poor, poor neglected blog. It's been far too long since I've visited, or even given thought to your existence. I'll do better. I promise.<br />
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The last post I wrote was in May of 2013. What?! To put it into perspective, the last thing I wrote about was the exciting discovery that a baby boy would be joining our family to balance out the scales. Well, said little baby boy is now four months old! Yeah, so that happened. We had a baby. Taft Jacob was born September 24, 2013 weight 8 lbs, 10 oz and 21 inches. He had quite a bit of hair and enormous hands and feet! We're talking huge. Like, Bigfoot sighting huge.<br />
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Now, Taft isn't just any baby, mind you. He's our LAST baby. And boy, is he a good one to end on. He's sweet and cuddly, smiley and giggly, a great sleeper and he deals with being manhandled by his three older siblings quite well. He's also HUGE! Right now, at four months, he's about 19 lbs. We just make 'em big. And we make them awesome. To be honest, I don't know that it's fair that all of my babies have started sleeping through the night (7-7) at somewhere around 6-9 weeks. They've all been sweet, happy babies and only cry when they want to eat or an older sibling loves them just a little too much.<br />
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1 Month</div>
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2 Months</div>
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3 Months</div>
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A month before the arrival of our newest little bundle, Ava and Jax started school. Ava is a big 2nd grader and Jax is in kindergarten. Both love school and love to read! Of course, I fully support their reading addiction, but when it's 8 am and we need to leave for school in 10 minutes and they're just sitting on the floor in front of the heater in their underwear, reading a book, it can be a little problematic. Or, when at 10:30 I go into Ava's room and she's hiding under the blanket with a flashlight reading (newsflash, the ligth isn't invisible), it can be a problem (although, even though my mouth is saying, "Put the book away and go to bed," my heart is giving a little fist pump).<br />
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Eden is, how do you say? -- a horse of a different color. That kid has her own plans, and ain't nobody gonna get in the way -- regardless of size, age or authoritative level. She is stubborn, determined and not at all limited by her size or age. When you tell her "no," she receives that as a challenge to do the opposite. She's got quite the imagination and loves to perform. Currently, we are on day 11 of calling her "Hedwig." She refuses to respond to anything else. If I make the horrid mistake of calling her by her given name, she is quick to correct me in the sassiest of ways. She refers to Andy only as "Dumbledore," actually she says "Dummely Door" and Ava as "Hermione" (are you seeing a theme, here?). For a time, Jax was Harry Potter, but he refused to play along with that, and after much arguing she gave in, instead dubbing him "Fart." Being the boy he is, Jax gladly accepted the new name. For all her sassiness, Eden is also equally sweet. She is always the first to thank me for making dinner, the first to help me with the dishes and the first to offer to wipe he baby brother's poopy bottom. She strokes her baby brother's face and calls him "sweetheart" and looooves her Grandma Cherryl. She runs to Andy and cuddles him as soon as he walks in the door from work, which is why she's his favorite. Shhh, don't tell the other kids ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">She stuffs food in her mouth (this is an Oreo bon bon) for fear her big brother will steal it if she doesn't. </span><br />
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Speaking of Andy, he is officially a full-time structural engineer. For two years, he's been working full-time as a teacher and part time as an engineer, which made for long, exhausting days. But, he left his teaching position after Christmas break and is now down to just one job, which he loves. Right now, he's certified as an "engineer in training" and is studying to take his PE (Professional Engineer) exam in the spring. He's awesome.<br />
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I am loving our complete little family. Although, I do get a little leaky at the eyes each time I have to box up outgrown clothes. I'm in the process of getting rid of/selling all the girls' baby clothes and have shed a few tears in the process. They're just clothes, but I remember my girls wearing each and every outfit. Silly, I know. They boys' clothes are next, I may as well stock up on tissues now. I'm staying involved and busy at the kids' school, serving on the PTA presidency, volunteering in classrooms, helping organize school funding meetings/town halls and teaching Character Counts!. I've also recently re-opened my vinyl business (on a small scale) and am freelance writing for small magazine.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you want awesome family pictures and are in our neck of the woods, <a href="http://www.cathiefrostphotography.com/">Cathie Frost Photography</a> is amazing!!</span><br />
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So, there's a little re-cap, blog. You're in the know now. I'll do my best to keep you apprised of our family's going-ons.<br />
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<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-83111719990611349722013-05-06T17:32:00.001-07:002013-05-06T17:33:10.255-07:00The Big Reveal<img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AEcboMM3e4kqrSo4u8sDFh5Wwoub4BWGzylTxS_4PIXcmS8SvAkqoA6HKNRqVxVbKr5RDZwdUBljbYPM1pZHYVnui6ti7Kytw4Sa72z2bjRvmDZynILbAOtP9I_vjfCcOanAkx0WRA/s320/it%2527s+a+boy.jpg" width="320" /><br />
Something great happened during this gender reveal: I was right for the 4th time (4/4, baby!) and Andy was right for the 1st time! Way to go, love ;)<br />
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So there you have it, come September we'll be all evened out gender-wise. I don't know that four kids to two parents is very even, but we'll work it out :)Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-81219723618417560752013-04-21T21:39:00.005-07:002013-04-21T21:39:59.821-07:00QuatroFor the last time in my life, I can say I'm pregnant. Baby #4, who we're lovingly referring to as Mac (because Jax said it looks like a macaroni noodle) will join our family in mid-late September. Thus far, as with all my pregnancies, it's been easy going. I'm a little more tired than normal, but I think having three other kids has something to do with that :) Ava and Jax are thrilled to have another sibling on the way. Ava desperately wants another sister and Jax says he'll be happy either way. Eden has no idea what's going on, she just giggles when I tell her there's a baby in Mommy's belly. Andy is hoping for a boy, about as hard as Ava is wishing for a girl, although I know he'll be happy either way. I really don't have strong opinions. On one hand, thus far, we're the only ones to produce girls and I just love and adore my girls. But, if there's any chance I could have another little boy as awesome as Jax, I'll take it. Not to mention, I'd love for him to have a brother. It's a win-win. To be honest, I'm feeling pretty strongly it's a boy, and I've never been wrong about one of my kids' gender. <br />
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Either way, our family is so excited to welcome a new little bundle of awesomeness into the world!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 15 weeks (about two weeks ago)</span></div>
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Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-22463209489726012652013-04-17T12:59:00.001-07:002013-04-17T12:59:14.560-07:00Birthday Number 7Our Ava Grace is a big seven year old! She's growing like a weed and getting more beautiful each day. She's bright and excited about learning and constantly has her nose in a book. She loves gymnastics, putting on shows with her brother (she is always the star AND director), piano and sings all the live-long day. She is thoughtful of others and seeks out opportunities to serve at school and in the community. She's quite the chatterbox, a wonderful artist and can do amazing things with the simplest of tools/resources. She still tells me I'm her best friend (I'll ride that as long as I can), although she has two BFFs at school (Marah and Ava N.). She still prefers dresses to pants, although a tunic and leggings will suffice. She loves to do her own hair, wearing headbands and accessorizing. She's lost seven teeth, is 4' tall and wears a size 13 shoes (same as her little brother). Her favorite color is still pink, she still likes Barbie and her favorite song is "Call Me Maybe." Her favorite subject at school is art, she's the monkey-bar queen (forward, backward, sideways, skipping), she's hoping to get the part of the Morpho Butterfly in the 1st grade "Rainforest" play and she likes to get to school early each morning to check a new chapter book out from the library.<br />
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As always, Ava's birthday celebration lasted an entire week. Birthday morning she was up early and immediately wanted to open presents (which, for Daddy meant waking up at 6:15 on a Sunday morning). At church that day, all the Primary kids sang to Ava and later that day Grandma, Grandpa, G-Ma and G-Pa joined us for a celebration, where we enjoyed homemade tostadas (Ava's choice) and a pink/chocolate zebra-striped birthday cake (although I forgot to take a pic of the inside).<br />
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The following weekend we were overrun with first-grade girls for Ava's mermaid-themed party. I had lots of activities and games planned, but when you turn seven, playing on the trampoline and singing on the karaoke machine is all a birthday party needs. Ava had a blast and was so happy to spend the day with some of her favorite girlies. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> The two Avas</span></div>
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We love our girl more and more each day and can't believe she's growing as fast as she is. I with I could bottle up moments and put them in my pocket because these days with Ava are so precious. She's an amazing girl and I feel so blessed to be her mom and watch her develop talents and figure out who she is and wants to be. But right now, I'm happy with her just being my sweet girl. <br />
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<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-68529247656917538432013-04-17T12:40:00.000-07:002013-04-17T12:40:28.549-07:00Real FarmersI was born and raised a city girl. I didn't like camping or working or getting dirty and the idea of gardening or raising animals did not appeal to me. How in the world I ever snagged my husband with that kind of attitude is beyond me. But, over 10 years I've grown up a bit. I love my garden. I work hard in all aspects of my life. I love living out in the "boonies" with our dirt and trees and now, our critters.<br />
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We are now the proud owners of 13 chickens. We got them as chicks (the first batch was just a day old, the second batch was a week old) and have had fun taking care of them, raising them and now moving them out to their permanent home in the chicken coop. The kids have especially loved the idea of having our own hens and can't wait to collect eggs in the fall. They definitely enjoyed the chicks more when they were new and little, now that they're getting bigger and more "chicken-y" they're not as fun to play with, although Jax does enjoy chasing them around the chicken run. And, above all, he loves that now we're "real farmers."<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Eden put on ear muffs because the "chickies too loud"</span></div>
Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-9057822069072210222013-01-24T16:06:00.001-08:002013-01-24T16:07:52.056-08:00StuckJax has a uniform. Every day he wears a monster truck shirt (he has about 30) although he'll sometimes throw in a Spiderman or snake shirt, and soft pants. Soft pants are any pants with an elastic waistband. On occasion I can convince him to wear a pair of blue jeans (not just jeans, BLUE jeans, he's sure to tell me) but not often. On Sundays, he's been known to wear his uniform until five minutes before we leave for church at which time he'll quick change into his church clothes, he then brings his uniform along in the car and changes in the church parking lot after church.<br />
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Jax has this one pair of uniform pants that I would prefer he reserved just for sleeping, but alas, there's no point in trying to convince a four-year-old that some part of his uniform isn't really "day attire" because it makes it that much more appealing. Anyway, this one pair of pants is a bit long on him, the bottom isn't hemmed. They're gray and dirty looking and just plain blah. But Jax loves them. They're comfy, which makes them the perfect outdoor play pants. However, they are NOT good bike riding pants. As I was inside making dinner one night Jax was out in the carport riding his bike, suddenly I hear him yelling, "Mom! Help me! Mom! I need you!" I quickly ran outside and found this:<br />
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Those darn too-long, unhemmed uniform pants got stuck in the bike chain and came right off my little man exposing his adorable little hind parts to the quite-cold carport concrete.<br />
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But, judging by the look on his face, he doesn't seem to mind. Other than the great photo, the great thing that emerged from the incident is a tear in the bottom of the pants... so now Jax will only wear them to bed. Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-4958141832122225432013-01-23T12:04:00.004-08:002013-01-23T12:04:53.457-08:00Ava's Accomplishments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been quite the school year for our Ava, and we're only halfway
through it. Already, she has won an essay contest, an art contest (and
will next compete at the state level), she tested into the gifted
program at her school (99th percentile across the board), she's testing
at a sixth grade reading level, she's played soccer, had two piano
recitals, a first grade performance and organized a bake sale that
raised $713 for the Newtown Memorial Fund. We're so proud of our girl,
her accomplishments, her kind heart, her talents and how hard she works
at achieving her goals! </div>
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Fall piano recital</div>
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Christmas piano recital at the mall</div>
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1st grade performance of "Stone Soup"</div>
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Showing us her classroom after the performance</div>
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I thought this was too sweet to not share</div>
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Family photo by Ava</div>
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Actual family photo</div>
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Check out that loaded table at the bake sale</div>
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It was freezing outside, but Ava and her friend Lindsay toughed it out and held signs for the bake sale</div>
Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-35140312694314156932012-11-28T22:56:00.004-08:002012-11-28T23:04:07.227-08:00We Went to San Diego...Back in October we took a little family vacay to California. Andy's sweet cousin Dawn was getting hitched, we originally considered leaving the kids with grandparents while Andy and I got away for a weekend (which, in our nearly seven years of being parents we have never done) but then decided to tack a few days on to the trip and bring the kids along.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pretending to be cobras with their neck pillows</span></div>
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My dear friend, who also happened to be my mentor early in the news business, now works in PR at the San Diego Zoo and hooked us up with free tickets (thanks, Jenn!). How sweet is that?! So, we zoo'ed it up. We did some reconnaissance work in advance, and checked out the exhibits online so we could map out exactly where we wanted to go during our visit, and which animals we just had to see. We kinda lost Jax once we told him the zoo had a cobra snake. After that, he had a one-track mind and had little interest in anything else. The Zoo has a great reptile/amphibian area where Jax got to see every kind of snake, lizard and turtle imaginable. He was jumping-out-of-his-skin excited. When we found the first of the two cobras, he seemed to have springs in his shoes because he couldn't stop jumping and excitedly yelling to Andy and I to come look. He just kept saying, "I can't believe I'm seeing a real-life cobra!" <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The look on Ava's face pretty much sums up how she felt about the reptile area </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> This is a terrible picture, but it's a cobra.</span></div>
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Ava's major request was the panda exhibit, she was hoping the baby panda
would be on display, but unfortunately, he wasn't. However, we did get
to see this three-year-old panda who gave us quite a show. To commemorate the event, Ava chose a baby panda stuffed animal, who she named Lily, as her Zoo souvenir.<br />
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Eden went along for the ride, making monkey sounds when appropriate, growling at the bears, hissing at the snakes and barking at all animals whose sound she didn't know. She wasn't too keen on the stroller and wanted to walk like the big kids, which wore her out... so she was tired... but she didn't want to be in the stroller... so we carried her part of the way... until she finally gave up and let me put her in the stroller where she took a little snooze.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Totally his father's son!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">All tuckered out. That snake is Jax's souvenir. It's freakishly real.</span></div>
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The following day, we headed to the beach where the kids were supposed to JUST put their feet in. It was pretty chilly so I kept the swimsuits in the suitcase. I should have known better. The beach is Ava's happy place. She's always loved it.<br />
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Jax was a little hesitant at first but quickly followed his sister's lead.<br />
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Eden, however, was not having any of it. She tried it out for a few minutes before deciding she absolutely hated it. She cried, she told us no when we asked if she wanted to play, she was just miserable which surprised me because she loves the sandbox at home. In her defense, she started getting sick the night before and by the time we got home she had full-blown croup, so that could have had something to do with her attitude toward the beach.<br />
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On a side note, Jax chose a very realistic rattlesnake as his zoo souvenir. He brought it along to the beach, setting it in the sand with our things. I wish that snake came with a hidden camera to capture the frightened look on beachgoers' faces when they spotted what appeared to be a live rattlesnake on the peaceful beach, or the double-takes we received as Eden walked down the pier carrying the thing. If we're being honest, I hate that darn snake. Much like the beachgoers, it has scared the tar out of me just laying on the floor in the living room or Jax's bedroom.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> This is my favorite picture of the girls! Eden rarely looks at the camera, so this is extra-special. They're so beautiful!</span></div>
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That evening, we headed over to Dawn's wedding. Actually, Andy did. It was a no-kids shindig, so Andy went to the ceremony then came back and got me for the reception while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kids in the hotel. Not only did we get a date night, but we got to spend some time with "the girls" -- Andy's three girl cousins with whom he spent many childhood summers playing, and who I just happen to adore. We spent most of our time talking about their childhoods together, and our kids, and laughing at it all.<br />
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I'm grateful our little family had the chance to enjoy some special time together. We spent all summer finishing the remodel on the house and then moving into the house which, while exciting, didn't make for the most eventful summer break for the kids. So, we made up for it, and made some great memories in the process!Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-82903471727764332692012-11-26T21:54:00.002-08:002012-11-26T21:54:33.474-08:00So Much HalloweenMy kids are pretty good about telling me what they want to be for Halloween months ahead of the actual event. Yet it seems that each year, despite a fair warning, I find myself frantically sewing just days before October 31. It just sneaks up on me. Or maybe I'm a procrastinator. Probably the latter.<div>
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Ava, since November 1, 2011, had been set on being Rainbow Brite for Halloween. I was a little surprised by the choice since Rainbow Brite is a character from my generation and not so relevant these days. But, I agreed. However, just a few months before Halloween, I introduced Ava to "Jem and the Holograms," another show from my childhood (and quite possibly my favorite). It didn't take long for Ava to change her costume. I knew most people wouldn't know who Ava was supposed to be (unless they were children of the 80's), so she just called herself a "rockstar." Oh, but she knew who she really was. </div>
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Jax, didn't waver one bit on his costume, despite my best efforts. He, without a doubt, wanted to be a cobra snake, or a "flathead cobra" as he calls them. I went back and forth with how exactly to make said costume and came up with this. Not too shabby, although far too many people called him a dinosaur or lizard, for his liking. </div>
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I was so excited to make Eden a unicorn costume until, just weeks before Halloween, she developed a serious aversion to all headgear. Hats, headbands, clippies, hoodies. She rips them off her head either with a resounding, "Uh-uh!" and a head shake, or she coyly removes them and then hides them so I can't replace them on her noggin. So, I had to change my plans. Jax and I saw a cute little octopus costume online that would have been easy to recreate, but because of my aforementioned procrastination problem, I never got around to it. So, at the last minute, I made a little ghost costume. </div>
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We had a quite the extended Halloween, first going to Andy's brother's town the weekend before for a town-wide shindig. Then, on actual Halloween, we joined cousins for trunk-or-treat at their church building, then "real trick-or-treating" (as Ava calls it) in this awesome neighborhood where residents set up movies outside their homes, offer popcorn, hot apple cider and even NBA basketball on a large TV. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jax, Nathan, Bracken and Ava at Trunk-or-Treat</span></div>
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Most importantly, the kids got quite the haul. One nice lady at trunk-or-treat even gave them all her leftover Dum-Dums (about 40 total), which just happen to be Jax's favorite treat in the whole world. Seriously, he'll take a Dum-Dum over any dessert. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">We had a great time and, of course, the kids are already planning next year's costumes. Maybe I'll get a head start this time around. Probably not, though. </span>Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-5491229664220562922012-11-09T21:17:00.000-08:002012-11-09T21:17:13.192-08:00When Eden is Quiet...When Eden is quiet...<br />
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You know she's sneaking food.<br />
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<b>Exhibit A: </b><br />
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As I got our things in order to head out the door to pick Ava up from school then take kids to gymnastics, I noticed my usual little shadow was nowhere to be seen. That's the first sign. Then, when I called for her, there was no response (I usually get a high-pitched, "Mama!" in return). Sign number two. The greatest indicator of Eden's attempts to hoard anything edible, though, is the silence. She's rarely quiet. So, I went into the pantry (because that's where all the good stuff is) and found this:<br />
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MARSHMALLOWS!<br /></div>
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Sharing with Mama</div>
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So pleased with herself.</div>
<b>Exhibit B: </b><br />
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I gave Eden and Jax each a little bowl of goldfish crackers to snack on. Eden gobbled/spilled hers very quickly and promptly began begging her brother for some of his ("Please. More"). He gave her a few but that simply didn't suffice, so as soon as he got up to go to the bathroom, she went in for the kill.<br />
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First I caught her with her hands in his boots. Nothing out of the ordinary.<br />
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Then, I noticed she was sticking something into said boots. A little weird. So, I peeked into the boots and guess what I found?<br />
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She didn't want her brother to take the crackers away from her so she was hiding them. My first reaction was to be impressed by her ingenuity. Then, when she heard Jax coming out of the bathroom, I saw her stick one of the boot crackers in her mouth and, while disgusting, it also proves just how far she was willing to go That's dedication.<br />
<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-91967596722520106252012-11-09T20:51:00.006-08:002012-11-09T20:51:48.509-08:00Cousin FunOur kids are so blessed to live near all 7.5 of their cousins, they have built-in buddies all around! We see cousins Nathan, Bracken and Marco every week while Ava takes piano lessons from Aunt Courtney (the added bonus is the kids hang out for a bit after lessons and Courtney and I get to have adult interaction!), but we try to get together for fun stuff as much as possible. While the fair was in town, Court and I thought it the perfect opportunity to have some fun.<br />
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The kids had a blast riding all the kiddie rides together, Jax was just plain giddy. Really, the ride could have been a man pushing him around in a laundry basket and he would have loved it. I think it was just the idea of being at the fair with cousins that made him so happy. And I must say, I was pretty impressed by how well the four older kids compromised and took turns choosing rides. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Look at us, we're having fun at the fair too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It was way past Eden's bedtime so she spent most of the fair in her stroller with this exact same look on her face.</span></div>
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Just a few weeks later, during fall break, Courtney and I loaded the kids up for a trip to the local zoo. Our zoo is small, but it's just perfect for a little family outing. The walk is nice, there's a wide variety of animals and it's fairly inexpensive (especially with our discount card thanks to the PTA!).<br />
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I love watching these kiddos play together! Each of our three kids areabout a year apart: Ava is 6, Nathan is 5, Jax is 4, Bracken is 3, Eden is 15 months and Marco is 8 months, it's so neat to think they'll all grow up making fun memories like these together. </div>
Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-56199202607940355912012-09-27T06:44:00.003-07:002012-09-27T06:44:48.061-07:00Soaking Up SummerSummer is slowly coming to a close in our little town. The days are still nice --- in the low 80's, but I've noticed some leaves beginning to change colors and feel a slight breeze in the air as we're outside playing most days. The nights have quickly turned chilly and I've even had to turn the space heaters on a few nights.<br />
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Ava's sweet friend from church and school came over one day to help us celebrate the last days of summer. Grandma and Grandpa got the kids a little play pool at the beginning of the season, but this is the first time we actually filled it up, it spends most days as a cover for Jax's sandbox. It's a teeny little thing, but seemed just perfect for the three big kids and Eden. It did take some convincing to get the older kids to actually submerge their bodies in the water. Apparently, it was pretty cold. But Eden, our little water baby, could've cared less. I finally had to pull her out of the pull, kicking and screaming (more like grunting), her lips blue and toes about to fall off. <br />
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Jax mostly enjoyed squirting the girls with his squirt guns which, of course, they didn't appreciate. They threatened to get him back, so rather than give his big sister and her friend the satisfaction of soaking him, he took matters into his own hands and plunged into the water. This is the result:<br />
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A freezing Jax</div>
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What a great way to send summer off. Soon enough, we'll be playing in the snow, longing for days like these. </div>
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Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-46538384918597133482012-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:002012-09-24T12:35:08.267-07:00One is Fun!I seem to have made it a habit this year to post about the kids' birthdays TWO MONTHS after their actual birthday. At least I'm here, right?<br />
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Our sweet Eden turned one on July 16. Already?! I know! I was thinking the same thing. This has been a busy year for us, you know, with moving across the country and remodeling a house, so Eden birthday seems to have snuck up on us.<br />
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Now that we're back in AZ, the whole family joined us for our Little Mushy's big day. G-Ma and G-Pa came up for the whole weekend, which we kicked off with a round of goofy golf. It was fun, I mean the name says it all, but if I'm being completely honest, it's something we'll wait to do again until the kids are a little older. Jax was impatient and just wanted to wack the ball every which way, which was quite dangerous for the rest of us. Ava was easily frustrated at the difficulty and Eden, well, Eden just wanted to get out of her stroller and boogy. It was HER birthday after all. Despite my complaints, the kids really enjoyed themselves, but like I said, I think we'll wait a few years to do it again.<br />
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After our 18 holes, we headed out to lunch then back to our house to hang out. The next night, we celebrated with a big family BBQ. One of the great things about having G-Ma and G-Pa around is they entertain the kids while I work in the kitchen. It's amazing how much faster things go without all the hands, but I'll admit it, I kinda miss all the "help" when its not there.<br />
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That evening, all of Eden's grandparents, uncles (except Uncle Dusty and Uncle Ben), aunts and cousins gathered at our house for birthday fun. Eden opened presents, actually, Ava and Jax opened them for her but she didn't seem to mind. Her favorite was a little ride on truck from Grandma and Grandpa. It sings and everything, which is why I have found myself humming "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" EVERY DAY since Eden's birthday. Anywho, our little Eden hopped right on that little toy and scooted herself around the living room saying, "Vroom, Vroom."<br />
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Eden's birthday cake was pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. Because we call Eden Princess Polka Dot, I made a white cake with pink and purple polka dots inside the cake, so when it was sliced, each slice had dots. Seriously, cute. And, of course, Eden devoured it!<br />
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So, our sweet baby is officially a toddler now. She started walking about a month after her birthday and now she's perpetual motion. I love the look of excitement and victory on her face as she toddles around the house, or sneaks away with a snack, or tries to "run away" from Daddy as he chases her. Eden, like her brother and sister before her, is such a happy kid. She rarely cries, and will smile at just about anyone. She's super cuddly, and will often just climb up on my lap, just to give me a hug, which includes sweet little pats on my back. She's finally starting to sign and talk. She's definitely not as verbal as Jax and Ava were at this age, but she comprehends way more than I sometimes give her credit for. Her vocabulary consists of: Mama, Dada, Bubba, VaVa (Ava), Mamaw (Grandma), Jesus, ball, baby, Boo!, more, no, hi, shoes, please, this, woof-woof, vroom-vroom, go and pew (which is what she says when I change her diaper). At her one-year-checkup Eden weighed 18 lbs 11 oz (which is three ounces less than Jax's weight at THREE MONTHS) and was 28 inches long. She's a teeny little thing, but having a big brother and big sister to follow after gives her a false sense of size. She often attempts to do things meant for much bigger kids, and surprisingly, often she succeeds. As of late, she's proven to be quite the master climber. She'll climb ladders, fences, to the top of my piano, on the kitchen table, out of the grocery cart, she'll hang from the pews at church, there's no mountain too high. She's extremely efficient too, it doesn't take long for her to reach her destination nor does she realize just how dangerous her little tricks are. Fortunately, I haven't suffered a heart attack... yet.<br />
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I love this little girl so much! Since the day she was born (four days before my scheduled c-section) she's proven to have her own plans. She's determined and independent, but still so attached to me. I love that she calls for me first thing in the morning, or that she'll roam the house calling for me until she finds me, and then exclaims, "BOO!" I love how much she adores Ava and Jax. She loves to attack Jax, bouncing on him, tickling him, squeezing his cheeks, and the sweet boy just lets her and giggles along with her. Eden gets so excited when it's time to pick Ava up from school, shrieking and smiling enormously as soon as she sees her big sister come out of her classroom. She greets Andy everyday when he walks in the door, running to him and giving him a big squeeze before he's even shut the door all the way. I love how silly she is and how much she already recognizes the importance of laughter. I love how tough she is, often when she falls, she gets up, shakes her little hands and moves on. She loves dirt and mud and would much rather play in the sandbox with Jax than with her baby toys inside. She loves doggies and seems to be able to hear them from a mile away. She plays our piano almost as much as I do. She'll climb up on the seat all by herself and play for quite some time. She loves fruit. All fruit and can't ever seem to get enough of it. But, she also loves chocolate and has quite the nose for it. I love, love, love this little girl and am so excited to continue to watch her and her personality grow!<br />
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<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-20670116988337811182012-08-06T22:53:00.001-07:002012-08-06T22:53:40.632-07:00Can You Hear Me Now?Bright and early the morning after Jax's fourth birthday, he had surgery. I know, what kind of mom schedules her son's surgery for the day after his birthday? Ironically, the surgery was originally scheduled for the day after MY birthday but the doctor had to reschedule.<br />
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The surgery was nothing major. Breathe now. Three years ago Jax had tubes put in his ears; a result of chronic ear infections. The tubes were great! In those three years he only had one ear infection, compare that to 11 in his first year of life. Generally, tubes come out within about two years, but every once in a while they don't and surgery becomes necessary to remove them. One of Jax's came out more than a year ago, but the other little bugger just wouldn't budge. Technically, the stubborn tube could have come out on its own, but if it doesn't, it can leave behind permanent damage. When a tube is left in too long, the eardrum begins to form scar tissue around that tube. When it does come out (naturally or by removal) it leaves a permanent hole which can lead to hearing loss and require additional surgeries. To avoid permanent damage we just went ahead with the surgery. In what is honestly a 15-minute procedure, the doctor removed the tube and then placed a paper patch over the hole, which would assist the ear drum in healing properly. To protect the paper patch, Jax's ear was filled with a gooey substance that hindered his hearing for about two months. Sometimes, he would call out, "Mom, where are you." I'd respond with, "In here" and he'd walk in the complete opposite direction of my voice, still calling for me. It was like our own little game of Marco Polo. Andy and I couldn't help but laugh. Fortunately, Jax didn't seem to realize he wasn't hearing as well, or atleast never made mention of it.<br />
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The day of the surgery, our brave little dude suited up. As with his last surgery, he got to choose a stuffed animal. Just his luck, a turtle was available and he snatched him up and immediately named him, "Turtley." Appropriate. Within a few minutes, the nurse came in and gave Jax his first dose of "sleepy medicine." She warned him he might start getting a little drowsy. He very sweetly informed her that he's pretty big and wouldn't be affected by the sleepy medicine she spoke of. Within a few minutes, his eyes were droopy and he started slurring his speech. As I write this post, I'm realizing just how much entertainment I've gotten out of Jax's surgery.<br />
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Post surgery, I had to wait out in the waiting room for him to wake up. During that time, the doctor came out and told me how the surgery went. I knew everything was fine when I saw he was wearing a UofA scrub cap. He said Jax also pointed that out before he went under. That's my boy. By the time I got back to the recovery room, our little charmer had already won the hearts of all the nurses back there. As a child is coming out of anesthesia, they tend to become physically violent, so a nurse holds them as they begin to wake up. Our little man was quite the opposite. He nicely asked the nurse to let go of him, when she explained she was holding him so he wouldn't fall, he thanked her. When she asked how he was feeling he said, "I just need to get undizzy and then I'll be okay." They all thought that was pretty cute. He asked where I was and if his tube was out. And he just kept repeating that he needed the "dizzies" to go away. When I finally got back there, they placed him in my lap and he enjoyed crackers and apple juice. The sweet nurses even gave him a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to enjoy later, just for being "such a doll."<br />
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Within about 30 minutes we were discharged. Jax got to ride in a wheelchair to the car, which he really enjoyed, although he was pretty disappointed his nurse wouldn't pop wheelies. I guess that cute kid bit will only go so far.<br />
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To reward Jax for being so brave I took him out to breakfast. It was a special little Jax and Mama date, which we don't do nearly often enough. He said it was his favorite part of his surgery. Mine too.Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-11448995063138461152012-07-26T20:15:00.003-07:002012-07-26T20:15:42.128-07:00Four Is Almost FiveWay back at the end of May (the 28th to be precise), our little dude turned four! Up until the day before his birthday he was telling people he was three-and-a-half, and had been anxiously awaiting his fourth birthday as many of his friends hit the milestone before he did.<br />
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All Jax wanted to do for his birthday was go camping with his cousins, but he also didn't want his little buddies to miss out, so we had a friend party the week before his birthday and a cousin camping party the week after (his birthday was on Memorial Day this year, so we tried to avoid major celebrations that weekend).<br />
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Because we were in the middle of remodeling a house and preparing to move into said house, I'll admit, I kinda threw Jax's friend birthday party together. In the past, I've always done a themed party, sent out cute invitations weeks in advance and made sure every detail was in place. This year, I picked up some monster truck decorations and sent out text invitations. Fortunately, Jax is a boy and could care less about the matchy-matchy and was just excited to have friends over. His two closest buds came over (along with one of Ava's friends) and they had a "major water fight" (Jax's words). They were so happy to attack each other with squirt guns and water balloons. It was serious business. I mean, look at Jax's face:<br />
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On Jax's real birthday (in our family, it's more like a birth-month rather than birthday celebration) our little early riser woke up extra early, announcing to the whole house that he was indeed four and that it was probably best that we all get out of bed and celebrate with him... and give him presents. Of course, he got monster trucks, monster truck signs for his new bedroom (from Ava and Eden), his own little digital camera and some other knick-knacky things. He was so grateful and couldn't stop thanking us all for the "best presents ever." Later in the day, cousins Nathan, Bracken, Baby Marco and Uncle Curtis and Aunt Courtney all came over at Jax's request. The water fight was such a hit the week before, I thought the kids could go at it again, this time with sponge bombs. Jax asked for an orange-flavored, orange cobra snake cake for his birthday. I attempted to make one, probably could have been better, but he loved it. Although, I don't know why I waste time making cakes for his birthday, he never eats them. Jax is an ice cream kinda guy all the way. Fortunately, Daddy is a cake guy.<br />
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Like I said before, all Jax really wanted for his birthday was to go camping with cousins. So, after months of waiting, the day finally arrived. Our little man was ready to go first thing in the morning but he had to wait for Daddy to get home from work, and unfortunately, on this particular day Andy was two hours late getting home. He had just started his new job at the engineering firm a few days before and was bogged down with some projects. So, we were the last to arrive at the birthday celebration, which was a little disappointing for Jax. But, the good news is, the cousins were already settled in so they got to play while Andy built our tent and we cooked dinner. The kids got filthy, explored the forest, played baseball, got more filthy, wrestled with uncles and just enjoyed each other.<br />
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On a few side notes: Ava is wearing a patch because she scratched her cornea the day before. She was up all night, horribly uncomfortable and in terrible pain. I took her to the doctor the morning of the camping trip, hoping it wasn't anything major. Our sweet Ava was so worried that her eye would keep us all from going camping and would ruin Jax's birthday. Fortunately, all was well and Ava got to be a pirate princess for a couple of days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sospvENbotl20yP6sGIcLto5dVLklvlt0pEkZHICK5M0dUX2YHkJgVqnJPbINNIzLMAw-Mgb6_-6UolhB6f3_iU-tS1QgmI1cbADuPouGdzCo2bjG17uElaMElevJjw8kQX4fBt8vbLQ/s1600/May-July+472.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sospvENbotl20yP6sGIcLto5dVLklvlt0pEkZHICK5M0dUX2YHkJgVqnJPbINNIzLMAw-Mgb6_-6UolhB6f3_iU-tS1QgmI1cbADuPouGdzCo2bjG17uElaMElevJjw8kQX4fBt8vbLQ/s320/May-July+472.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
I have this picture of Jax squatting under a tree. No, he's not doing what one normally does in that position while camping. He's hiding. Why? I wasn't quite sure myself. All of a sudden I saw him go and hide with this weird look on his face. I asked him if everything was okay and he told me it was and asked me to go away. That took me aback. Jax is always so good about talking things out with me, especially if he's upset. I was a little concerned, until I caught sight of Jax's hands. They were covered in brown goo. Again, not what you think. I looked to the table and saw an open Reeses Peanut Butter Cup wrapper and immediately realized he had snuck one and retreated to the tree to indulge before I caught him and foiled his plan. I let him finish the treat, told him he didn't need to be sneaky, cleaned him up then laughed hysterically. My poor candy-deprived child.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERhwxQUeP-VuK5EKuzkMvWsg6ArieoRJYukp7CrP7Kt5P1UuBI5jd17bTLJEi2Z5xrNzVJrhuR_8gE_j7i65vhC9gkCa8usjMMH9ArUjMcA9oqA1T6cP2EgkBi_IfRetul-az0Hbd-VwC/s1600/May-July+478.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERhwxQUeP-VuK5EKuzkMvWsg6ArieoRJYukp7CrP7Kt5P1UuBI5jd17bTLJEi2Z5xrNzVJrhuR_8gE_j7i65vhC9gkCa8usjMMH9ArUjMcA9oqA1T6cP2EgkBi_IfRetul-az0Hbd-VwC/s320/May-July+478.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
What a great way to celebrate Jax's 4th birthday! I sure do love my little four-year-old! He's truly just a big bundle of laughs! I don't think a day goes by that Jax doesn't do or say something that has Andy and I in stitches. He's quite the little clown. He's very thoughtful and very helpful and loves his sisters so, so much! He's the perfect blend of rough and tumble ninja boy and sweet, cuddly little man.Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-14623255303143856902012-07-16T22:34:00.000-07:002012-07-16T22:34:44.017-07:00The BIG 3-0It came. My 30th birthday. I really didn't have an issue with it until a few weeks before. I'd had friends freak out when it came time to say goodbye to their 20's and I never understood why, but then, as I quickly approached that milestone I came to a grim realization -- I'm getting older. All of a sudden, I'm closer to 40. I know, I have 10 years still, but when I think of all that has happened in the last 10 years (got married, graduated college, moved nine times, had three kids) and how quickly it passed it appears 40 will be here in the blink of an eye.<br />
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Anyway, my sweet husband listened one day, months before my birthday, when I mentioned how thoughtful it was that a friend's husband threw her a surprise party for her 30th. This wasn't me dropping Andy a subtle hint, it was just an observation. Besides, despite his numerous attempts, in almost 10 years of marriage (and a-year-and-a-half of dating before that) he's never been able to surprise me. Well, never say never, because he pulled off a surprise 30th birthday party with the help of the kids and my mother-in-law.<br />
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I picked Andy up from work the day of my birthday and asked if he wanted me to make dinner or if he had something planned. He said he'd take care of it, I wasn't sure if that meant we were going out or if I'd be celebrating the big 3-0 with his famous toast with butter, cinnamon and sugar. But, as we drove home he pulled into a little park and there waiting were several of my friends and family members. I can honestly say I was surprised. And kudos to Ava and Jax for not saying anything. I'd expect that out of Ava, the girl is the best secret keeper. Her lips are like Fort Knox. Jax, on the other hand, is a little more loose-lipped and tends to spill the beans, not for lack of trying though. So, the fact that he kept the surprise is pretty impressive.<br />
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It was a truly great night, the kids played with cousins and friends, I got to hang out with some wonderful people and my sweet hubby got the satisfaction of knowing that he pulled off a great surprise at a great time! What a great way to usher in my 30's!Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-63846208789834666382012-07-12T20:53:00.001-07:002012-07-12T20:53:44.864-07:00Teacher of the Year... and why we're back in AZAs many of our friends and family know, we moved back home to Arizona rather abruptly last August. Andy and I had been feeling that we needed to be closer to family. We prayed continually for a chance to move West, not even Arizona, just the other side of the Mississippi River. About three weeks after Eden was born, Andy sent an e-mail to his old colleagues at the high school he taught at in Arizona, announcing the birth of our baby girl. Not long after he got an e-mail from the principal which basically said, "Funny you should e-mail, our math teacher just quit, what do we need to do to get you to come back?" Andy initially thought it a joke. But it wasn't. He really struggled with the idea and even more, telling me. So, he called me from work and asked what I thought. At first, I kinda panicked and just asked for some time to think it over. I was in the parking lot at the car place about to get our car serviced. My first thought was, "There's no way at all." I couldn't imagine going back to a teacher's salary, with no health insurance. But, then as I sat waiting for my car to get worked on, I thought of my husband, how miserable he was at his job in Mississippi. Andy's undergrad degree is in Mathematics, his Masters is in Civil Engineering, oddly enough he wasn't using a whole lot of either working for the Army Corps of Engineers. That killed him. So, as I thought of this, my heart softened and 20 minutes later I called him back and told him to take the job. That was a Friday. He didn't have to give the high school an answer until Monday, so he suggested we pray about it all weekend. We did. He e-mailed the principal back and forth negotiating a contract. On a side note, a few months prior we were online looking at structural engineering firms in Arizona, we happened to find one in our little town and the owner happened to be a BYU graduate. So, as we prayed all weekend and the prospect of moving back home became clearer and clearer to us, we also considered the possible future opportunities with this firm. So, within two weeks our little family (Andy, me, Ava, Jax and our five-week-old Eden) was back in AZ. To say that Heavenly Father provided a way for us is an understatement. We were blessed beyond belief with the opportunities afforded us and the doors that opened for us at just the right time during the whole process. Our gratitude and testimonies were truly magnified. <br />
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Andy returned to the high school where he used to work only to find they hadn't had a stable math teacher since he left. He was needed there. And he fell right back into it naturally. He really is an amazing teacher and I don't just say that as his wife, I hear it from his colleagues, students and the Teacher of the Year Committee. My man was a Teacher of the Year finalist. How amazing is that?! He won $250 to use in his classroom this year and we got a special night out when he was honored at a banquet. After the banquet was over, one of the Committee Co-Chairs, a sweet elderly gentleman, came up to ME and said, "Your husband is truly special. I thought you should know that while interviewing a student I asked her about Mr. Kleinman and she said, 'He's the best teacher I've ever had. He makes me like math. I wish I could take him with me next year to college.'" Andy needed to hear that his students really do appreciate him and I needed to hear it so I can remind him. So, Andy is back teaching and making teenagers actually enjoy math. BUT....<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">At the Teacher of the Year Banquet</span></div>
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In March the ward boundaries in our stake (church) were realigned. The above-mentioned-engineer just happens to be in our ward. He e-mailed Andy and asked if they could get together to talk. Turns out, he needed Andy AND on a side note, in college Andy received an academic scholarship, the man who provided that scholarship just happened to go to school with this engineer. Small world. Anywho, they worked it out and Andy has been working at the engineering firm full-time all summer and will continue working there part-time during the school year.<br />
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The decision to move back was a hard one. It was truly a leap of faith. We are so grateful to have taken that leap and have been blessed beyond words as a result. We're so grateful to be back home, near family. We're grateful Andy has two jobs doing his two favorite things: math and structural engineering. We are so happy.Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-50029646747062064422012-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:002012-07-11T09:55:35.963-07:00Slip Sliding SleddingIt's the middle of July and I'm still catching up on March posts. Eek!<br />
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We got hit with quite the snowstorm in the middle of the month. We had two days of constant snow, and once it stopped, it made for the perfect playground for kids and cousins. Andy's parents have a great hill, perfect for sledding, so we all met up there with sleds and innertubes for an afternoon of fun!<br />
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Ava was a little hesitant at first, but once she went down a couple of times she became more confident actually looked happy, rather than nervous, going down the hill.<br />
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Here's some video. For some reason Blogger isn't letting me download some of my videos, so click on the link and you can see the video.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/bfvfrynGpQA">http://youtu.be/bfvfrynGpQA</a><br />
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Jax, on the other hand, ever the daredevil, jumped right on the sled and zoomed down, only to race back up for another shot. He went down headfirst, sideways, innertube, sled, he didn't care. He even convinced Daddy and Uncle Curtis to build a jump so he could get "rare air" -- which he did.<br />
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Here's his video: <br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_748610515"><br /></a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/MaPdlCVMkl8">http://youtu.be/MaPdlCVMkl8</a><br />
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Uncle Curtis was quite the sledding pro.<br />
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You have to know Curtis to know how totally normal a picture like this is. He's hilarious and will do just about anything to make us all laugh, even if it requires him making a total goof of himself. But, that's why we all love him so much! This video is a perfect example. I especially love Andy's laugh!<br />
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Andy was such kid. He and his brothers frequented this very hill many times in their youth. It was fun to see the kid in him come out to play!<br />
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I even took a shot down the hill a few times, and allowed Andy to take Eden down as well. She didn't seem very impressed.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/Bodgdl-zGEg">http://youtu.be/Bodgdl-zGEg</a><br />
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As I stood at the bottom of the hill playing amateur photographer I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity our little family had to move back home. Without it, my kids would miss out on fun times like this with their cousins and Andy with his brothers. Ava, Jax, Nathan and Bracken are the greatest of friends and my kids love making memories with them. What a blessing that they get to do it so often!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jax and Bracky helping each other out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Little ducks following Curtis</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It's summer now but the kids are already (or maybe it's still) talking about sledding. Next time around they'll all be seasoned pros, so who knows what kind of jumps they'll come up with then! </span></div>
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</div>Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-29409294084604872912012-07-11T08:23:00.002-07:002012-07-11T08:23:20.495-07:00UofA BabyIt's ALIVE! My computer has been raised from the dead. It's truly a miracle! Now, I have a lot of catching up to do.<br />
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Way back at the end of March, Andy and I took the kids down to T-town to visit our beloved alma mater. We also happened to score tix to a monster truck event (Jax's favorite part of the trip) which included a monster truck ride for the little dude. Unfortunately, despite my constant reminders to take the camera, Andy left it sitting on the front seat of the car and missed out on spectacular shots of our little man freaking out (in a totally good way) when he realized his surprise was a monster truck rally and overflowing with uncontainable giddiness as he rode in "Boogie Monster." Moms and Dads just have totally different priorities, Andy's was getting a good parking spot and rushing inside to avoid lines, I totally would have gone back for the camera. While the boys rallied it up, the girls and I hung out at the hotel for a good ol'-fashioned girls' night. Eden went to sleep at her normal time (7:00) which meant Ava could do my hair and makeup without interruption.<br />
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The following day we met up with our dear friends Rob and Sara and their sweet daughter, Anya to indulge at our very favorite Mexican food restaurant in the world. Seriously, THE WORLD! We went to the location we remembered and went into full-on panic mode when we saw the establishment was now a hooka shop. Panic. I frantically called Sara only to discover it had moved down the road to a much larger building. Phew! Oh, how we've missed Guadalajara Grill and the sweet little ladies who come to your table to make fresh salsa with a mortar and pestle. The kids were pretty excited about the place too, we've been building them up for it for years. We even got to celebrate Ava's birthday (again), the employees sang to her, made her an awesome tinfoil hat and gave her a yummy treat. Guadalajara Grill got an A+ from Ava!<br />
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Tummies full, we headed over to UofA to introduce the kids to their future college. I graduated eight years ago, I swear it doesn't seem that long. It's amazing how much has changed in that time. But, much has stayed the same and we got to show the kids some spots that were really special to us. For me, it was the fountain in front of Old Main where I told my good friend Amerest that I knew I was going to marry Andy. We had only been dating two weeks. Much to my surprise, Andy had never heard the story.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The 1997 NCAA Men's Basketball Trophy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Awesome poses!</span></div>
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To finish off our fun time in Tucson we stopped by Rob and Sara's home to hang out a bit before heading back home.<br />
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Thank you Tucson for the memories, old and new!Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-88598150231807040422012-05-18T14:54:00.001-07:002012-05-18T14:55:28.160-07:00Birthday Post ... Two Months LaterAva has been six for two whole months. Maybe it's taken me this long to get use to the fact, or maybe it's just that my confounded computer is still broken. Or maybe, just maybe, it's a little bit of both.<br />
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Well, our girl celebrated her sixth birthday for pretty close to the entire month of March. Some might say that's overkill, I say, when you have a daughter as awesome as ours, it's deserved :)<br />
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We kicked off the festivities during Spring Break with Ava's "friend" birthday party. Since her birthday is St. Patrick's Day, we went with a rainbow theme this year. I even found the perfect material for making her dress (which she actually helped "design"). Several of her closest girlies came over to play games and do makeovers. Another mom and I did nails, but the girls took the liberty of doing each other's makeup. The results were... interesting... but let me tell you, these girls felt extra fancy strutting around in their makeup. Ava is really fortunate to have made some wonderful friends at school (two were missing from the party) and I was extremely impressed that over the course of a two-hour-party they all played together wonderfully. No tears, no hurt feelings, no one being left out. It was really sweet to watch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTEJD94-FMvMb7EPguKGfDxz9XRuiHaz0CB4TvUjpT1h8dMl8VQaS-vpG8E2DYP4bajvlmHoRrSA7pXPahx8-HFONZHBj-LFmkfsV2g9XvfDDDSvNU2COZAssOP83J7XU_740zIHmZMoI/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTEJD94-FMvMb7EPguKGfDxz9XRuiHaz0CB4TvUjpT1h8dMl8VQaS-vpG8E2DYP4bajvlmHoRrSA7pXPahx8-HFONZHBj-LFmkfsV2g9XvfDDDSvNU2COZAssOP83J7XU_740zIHmZMoI/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU-h0f9IovTqDWzXfd0ej3mp-3koFO2Icwm9JvW_oUTY1YESsgZVpxBYZe0Zl6RuSreQ0cZnaG7H1b2AYeHZ0fUBjSRCvTKkxtybi1HuObXvWX0mtVtk2WJ2yNLg8Mk0qLc7sQxX5vodI/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU-h0f9IovTqDWzXfd0ej3mp-3koFO2Icwm9JvW_oUTY1YESsgZVpxBYZe0Zl6RuSreQ0cZnaG7H1b2AYeHZ0fUBjSRCvTKkxtybi1HuObXvWX0mtVtk2WJ2yNLg8Mk0qLc7sQxX5vodI/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" width="320" /></a>The following weekend, the whole family came over on Ava's actual birthday. Early in the day, our little family and my parents went to see "The Lorax." There's something about a movie theater that is so magical to children. We had planned to go to the zoo, but the weather was a little unpredictable, Ava was obviously disappointed, but her reaction to my suggestion of a movie erased any prior sadness. Really, you would have thought I was taking her to Disneyland. Anywho, after the movie, cousins started showing<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Konrad the Goon</span></div>
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up which is when the real party begins. We made homemade pizza, played, opened presents and ate Oreo cake. You know, standard birthday goings-on. But, as we all sat in that room I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude. I am so grateful to be back home, in the same city as almost all of our family, and within just a few hours of the rest. The fact that we are always together to celebrate birthdays, holidays and just plain old days is such a blessing. We've been away<br />
for several years and have missed out on a lot. It's just neat that my kids will now always have their cousins at their birthdays. That might seem like a silly thing to get all emotional about, but to me, it's special.<br />
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The following weekend, Ava received more presents from neighbors and a friend who missed her party. Really, it seemed like it would never end. But, alas it did. Another birthday has come and gone and we are on our way to number seven. Ava is still ever the sweetheart. She's tender and so motherly (much to her little brother's chagrin). She tries so hard to do what is right and recognizes immediately when she doesn't. She is quick to apologize and quick to forgive. I love throughout the day how she shares little tidbits from school, tells me stories about things that happened or how she's feeling. Our relationship has grown over the past year and while I am sometimes sad to see her grow up so quickly, I look forward to our relationship developing and maturing. I just don't know how much I look forward to our little girl developing and maturing. She's gonna be a stunner. Andy's already scared and a few moms in Ava's kindergarten class have already claimed her for their sons. Ava, of course, is not interested and still firmly believes all boys EXCEPT those related to her have cooties. I will never tell her otherwise.Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-26862109652419268812012-04-01T21:53:00.001-07:002012-04-01T21:53:16.383-07:00What a DragThis blog post is way overdue. This is pretty much how I will begin all future blog posts until my computer is fixed. I am writing this post from our super old desktop. It gets the job done, it just takes it a lifetime to do so. But, I shouldn't complain. Since the demise of my laptop I've gotten a lot more done around the house and pinned a lot less on Pinterest.<br />
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Ava entered her first ever science fair back in February. It was a schoolwide event and our little miss placed SECOND in her category (which was the largest of all the categories!). For her project, she wanted to determine which type of paper airplanes flies the farthest. After much research online, she chose three very different planes. She threw each plane 10 times, measured and recorded the distance then analyzed her results. She learned all about "drag" while preparing for her project and took it into consideration when coming up with her hypothesis. She was disappointed that her hypothesis was incorrect (mine was too) but was excited to research her results.<br />
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Ava was one of only three kindergarteners who entered the science fair (it's not mandatory) and was the only one to place. She dropped her project off the morning of the science fair for judging. That evening, the science fair was open to the public and the judges decisions were revealed. I was the first to notice the red second place ribbon on her project (everyone got green participation ribbons) and excitedly pointed it out to Ava, who had no idea what it meant. When I explained to her that the red represents second place she was shocked, then immediately ran to tell Daddy and G-Pa (who had come up from Phoenix). I think Andy was the most proud of all. He's always assumed that Ava would take after me and lean more toward the English and writing disciplines. Now, he has a glimmer of hope that maybe she'll be a scientist or math nerd like her daddy.<br />
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We're so proud of our girl and the hard work she put into her first-ever science fair project. Here's to many more1Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-18290415741862109312012-03-19T10:02:00.001-07:002012-03-19T10:02:41.453-07:00Spring???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbSMWfUI4nr1fQtOKw1dHVX14nVqMicICbAtnY0YPai7ePL0jVich0g4nn17zUOXNKbHQIqd_HwIdmJ-jl1BzPa0OOd5-ERYw4G0iUHHjOJyb8ikRfpxrGizGuy0ECcLxLNUpXzFi2uT-/s1600/3.18.12+Snow+Day+-+Andy+and+Kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbSMWfUI4nr1fQtOKw1dHVX14nVqMicICbAtnY0YPai7ePL0jVich0g4nn17zUOXNKbHQIqd_HwIdmJ-jl1BzPa0OOd5-ERYw4G0iUHHjOJyb8ikRfpxrGizGuy0ECcLxLNUpXzFi2uT-/s320/3.18.12+Snow+Day+-+Andy+and+Kids.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjsKUP1wsbUzd-VB3MQAT_3i7LDp1vRbemm2ru48pLmyDYOq-pQmecpuFEdrDz2zKb3IdiIACPIivYvNmNTa97nEH1xedwG1yvkWP3C-NiOaex7HiVgPgyFNK_IjA5CIOenlIFTYQDmRP/s1600/3.18.12+Snow+Day+-+Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Ava and Andy are supposed to be back at school and work today after a weeklong Spring Break. SUPPOSED TO BE. Instead, on this day before the official start of spring, they are home for a snow day. That's right, SNOW DAY! It was 71 degrees here Friday, today's high is supposed to be 37. In the past two days we've gotten well over a foot of snow. Crazy! Crazy, but so fun! After church yesterday, our little family bundled up and went outside for some good ol' fashioned snow fun: we had snowball fights (just for the record, my dear sweet husband TAGGED me in the face with a 90-mile fast ball... just throwing that out there), made snow angels, ate snow and, of course, built a snowman who we lovingly named Lute (Wildcats understand).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpmUe_6T91IgnlINwseFm29mWDbHiCVZnHDJnqo9y8gpnfGSGymxBJe9ryV6vQE9-D7WSMI4oJn-A4E5Vw1HWMRzyplnvjhnY01g05DbpTUSeIZpV3fdzW98ChSORvXi7EqUMB_Y88e0t/s1600/IMG_1673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpmUe_6T91IgnlINwseFm29mWDbHiCVZnHDJnqo9y8gpnfGSGymxBJe9ryV6vQE9-D7WSMI4oJn-A4E5Vw1HWMRzyplnvjhnY01g05DbpTUSeIZpV3fdzW98ChSORvXi7EqUMB_Y88e0t/s320/IMG_1673.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz4VwtrOTrKILkirugukI05DnLnVHvRmikTzpL6Smv0Fw40_mk6veIeCdXtZZfsumOeNpr75i4hNIWdGo3KgxKjwiOy80k2-LM9oOBFsOfMGptZXCM9-C8tTsrHQP0o8Wi0K3pb0zFZ7v/s1600/IMG_1684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz4VwtrOTrKILkirugukI05DnLnVHvRmikTzpL6Smv0Fw40_mk6veIeCdXtZZfsumOeNpr75i4hNIWdGo3KgxKjwiOy80k2-LM9oOBFsOfMGptZXCM9-C8tTsrHQP0o8Wi0K3pb0zFZ7v/s320/IMG_1684.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZwl1VaWjzbrdHB9fb8EQRryuvTdIJyr0MPc1oKBDFSpCpanV01AQpzUoDTtXIRNpkcbpCchACwmdWlwgLC317khzq98zPIjR8NkUs3Pgd6FYe7BeOYGmW7Qk1VGHid9HpG7oyihVy_e6/s1600/IMG_1672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZwl1VaWjzbrdHB9fb8EQRryuvTdIJyr0MPc1oKBDFSpCpanV01AQpzUoDTtXIRNpkcbpCchACwmdWlwgLC317khzq98zPIjR8NkUs3Pgd6FYe7BeOYGmW7Qk1VGHid9HpG7oyihVy_e6/s320/IMG_1672.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eden ate some snow and generally looked around in wonderment (or she was just frozen that way) before going in the nice warm house for a nap while the rest of us played outside until our noses could no longer handle the cold.<br />
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We're heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's today to sled down their big hill. Better take advantage because before we know it, summer will be here!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjsKUP1wsbUzd-VB3MQAT_3i7LDp1vRbemm2ru48pLmyDYOq-pQmecpuFEdrDz2zKb3IdiIACPIivYvNmNTa97nEH1xedwG1yvkWP3C-NiOaex7HiVgPgyFNK_IjA5CIOenlIFTYQDmRP/s1600/3.18.12+Snow+Day+-+Family.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjsKUP1wsbUzd-VB3MQAT_3i7LDp1vRbemm2ru48pLmyDYOq-pQmecpuFEdrDz2zKb3IdiIACPIivYvNmNTa97nEH1xedwG1yvkWP3C-NiOaex7HiVgPgyFNK_IjA5CIOenlIFTYQDmRP/s320/3.18.12+Snow+Day+-+Family.jpg" width="320" /></a>Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-44201150968549427632012-02-09T09:15:00.000-08:002012-02-09T09:15:03.509-08:00Snapshots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The kids are always stealing my camera. I can't tell you how many times I
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Jax's self-portrait</div>
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Jax took this one of Ava...</div>
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...and this one of her wiggling her loose tooth</div>
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Not sure who snapped this one, but it's from a little person's perspective nonetheless</div>
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mmmm.... cereal milk</div>
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I took this one at the kids' request</div>
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Jax snapped this one of his beautiful big sister!</div>
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Jax and Eden through Ava's eyes</div>
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Courtesy of Ava</div>
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While I'm always surprised to find pictures I didn't take on my camera. I can't help but take the time to look at each one, not only because there are some real gems in there, but it's fun to see things through my kids' eyes. <br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-79040854767049078832012-02-05T13:12:00.000-08:002012-02-05T13:12:01.950-08:00Little ScooterOur sweet Eden adores her big brother and sister. She watches their every move and smiles as soon as they enter a room. She giggles when they play and does her best to involve herself (if she's close enough). I think she may be getting tired of her lack of mobility preventing her from being a part of the fun because she has taught herself to scoot to her desired locale. She gets up on all fours and rocks, trying so hard to crawl, but she's still not there. So scooting it is. For about a month she mainly moved in reverse, which always led to a fun game of "Where's Eden?" I'd put her on the floor, walk out of the room briefly and come back to find her in a completely different spot. As entertaining as this was to me, it frustrated our baby girl. So, she's learned to scoot forward and sideways and now her big brother and sister, who have been so anxious for Eden to crawl, are getting just a small taste of what life is going to be like when she's fully mobile. She is into EVERYTHING! She has a special fondness for paper, which she first attacks then drools on until it's a big mushy clump. It's pretty gross. She also prefers Jax's monster trucks to more girl offerings, much to Ava's chagrin.<br />
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Push ups!</div>
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I remember when Ava was a baby, being so excited for her to move. With Jax, I was excited, but didn't mind any delays. But to be honest, this time around I'm a little less anxious. I'm not sure I'm ready for three mobile kids! It's not the actual moving, it's the constantly having to make sure Barbie shoes, puzzle pieces and crayons are off the floor or at least out of baby's reach. That'll be a full-time job in itself!<br />
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But, on the other hand, I am looking forward to Eden really being able to include herself in all the fun things her older siblings do. <br />
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<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037496529017635835.post-29619273781124306702012-02-01T22:48:00.000-08:002012-02-01T22:48:35.998-08:00Boys Night OutMonster Jam comes around once a year and it's a must for Jax. This year though, rather than dragging the girls along, Andy and Jax enjoyed a guys night out with most of the Kleinman boys. These kids are OBSESSED with monster trucks!<br />
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Our little dude would have enjoyed any trucks, but he was especially excited that his favorite, Sonuva Digger was on the lineup. He and I even made him a special Sonuva-Digger shirt the day before.<br />
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Andy says Jax could barely contain himself for most of the show, his excitement was just bursting out of his body! The boys got home around 1 am. Jax was asleep when Andy brought him in, but as soon as he heard my voice the little dude popped right up to tell me how "really awesome" his night was and to show me the new monster truck DVD Daddy bought him (which he slept with).<br />
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I love that Andy and Jax got to have this special time together and I think a new Guys Night tradition may have been started. If nothing else, this night only strengthened Jax's desire to grow up and become a monster truck driver. <br />
<br />Bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16106370201184842337noreply@blogger.com3