tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334963362024-03-13T23:17:46.958-07:00the Crisp familythe ongoing story of two becoming one, and together making fourpjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-60205945540091299972010-12-07T20:24:00.000-08:002010-12-07T20:27:01.782-08:00ok, i've given up. we've moved. i promise if you follow us to our new location, i will regularly make you laugh, move you to tears, inspire profound thoughts. or maybe just share random pictures of the kids. (fyi, i know the name is cheesy, but everything good was taken!)<br /><br /><a href="http://thecrispies.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:180%;">http://thecrispies.blogspot.com</span></a>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-70813379815152831222010-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:002010-11-18T20:05:58.148-08:00Well, I'm quite sure nobody still checks our blog, but just in case, I thought I'd share another wordy update. I haven't even been taking pictures, so even if it did work, I wouldn't have much to post. FYI, I even tried starting a new blog, and I had problems with that. Do you think it's me?<br /><ul><li>picture of big red truck here. So, Patrick has a work truck! It's really nice, I've ridden in it. He's thrown himself into this new job, I'm so proud of him. He's having to do quite a bit of reorganization, nearly starting from scratch with building clientele. Lots to overcome, but L]limitless opportunity!</li><li>picture: boxes of kleenex. The whole family has been sick the past few weeks, and I get the prize for the sickest, I think. Colds, and then the stomach flu for a few days. I can only remember a few days in the past 3 years when I absolutely could not take care of my kiddos, and this was one of them. I'm amazed they survived, Charlie not falling down stairs or me not dropping him. Hannah would get out pieces of bread to feed Charlie, and they carried around snacktraps of cereal. Hannah spent her first night away from home! </li><li>picture: patrick in camo. Patrick went pheasant hunting for the first time, and he did so well, he got 3. (They were good, but I got sick the next day, so it might be a while before I eat them again.) We got him all outfitted, and part of that was waterproof, warm boots. He was gone for 12 hrs, actually hunting for 9 or so. Walking through grass taller than he, lifting those boots, he actually couldn't walk the next day. It was a sorry sight around here. But he had fun.</li><li>picture: cut up credit cards. We are out of credit card debt! I am excited about this, but it did come at great personal sacrifice, so I am taking it seriously. We still have a Lowe's card, and some leftover from one of Charlie's surgeries, but we're on a roll. (apparently it's called the snowball something or other, thanks to Mr. Dave Ramsey)</li><li>picture: Hannah stuffing shoeboxes. We actually use the sturdy plastic tubs with the removable lids, but we still call them shoeboxes. This year she's old enough to pick out items to put in them, and then we went online and watched a promo video from Samaritan's Purse. She payed attention really well, but when it ended I was crying so much I couldn't explain more or pray over our boxes. Any opportunity to share Christ's love and message with a hurting child is always amazing, but to share that with my child is special indeed. Some people try to raise children without influencing them one way or another, without pushing their own beliefs on them. I, on the other hand, try to brainwash/indoctrinate my children any chance I get, through any means! Something God said about when you sit down, when you get up, writing it all over your house, etc. She said she wanted to give somebody her box personally. I told her she can, one day!( <a href="http://www.samaritanspurse.org/">www.samaritanspurse.org</a>- you can give a box too!)</li><li>Hannah knows nearly all her letters, and some of the sounds they make. Her numbers came first, maybe she'll be a mathematician instead of a writer. Preschool hasn't been terribly regular these days, but she's doing great anyways. Charlie is getting more teeth, finally. And I'm confident he will walk soon! If you want to see how they're growing, I guess you'll have to come visit. </li></ul>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-60701615608294720132010-11-01T17:34:00.001-07:002010-11-01T18:20:13.692-07:00"I know the plans I have for you" - Godso for those of you who have not been with us since the beginning, let me recap:<br /><br />when i was much younger, I had my life all planned out. It began with getting married immediately after college, and having a baby approximately 2 yrs later. i am soooooo grateful that isn't how it worked out. we all know life doesn't always go how we imagined, and patrick and i have experienced that time and time again.<br /><br />fall 2005: get <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">back from Africa</span></strong>, move directly to Longview, TX, get <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">married</span></strong> 2 mos later. now that was a whirlwind. go through a few random jobs before I get my dream job at an amazing gym. Patrick and I live in a little apartment, life is good.<br /><br />fall 2006: I'm at that job exactly 2 wks before we <strong>get <span style="color:#ff0000;">pregnant</span></strong> with Hannah. Patrick was in school full time, he had a full year to go.<br /><br />summer 2007 We switch the apt out for a<span style="color:#ff0000;"> little house</span> we bought close to campus. I work full time till a month before she's born, then we struggle through the fall.<br /><br />spring 2008 Patrick gets a job with Premier Aircraft Sales, immediately after graduation. we sell the house. we <span style="color:#ff0000;">move to Opelika, Alabama. Buy another house</span>, put in flower beds and a vegetable garden, paint the bedrooms, have block parties with the neighbours, all for approx. 10 mos, at which point Patrick has the opportunity for a promotion. So, we <span style="color:#ff0000;">sell that house, and move to Dallas. </span><br /><br />fall 2008 after losing so much selling our last house, we rent in Frisco, north of Dallas. During this time, Patrick works as regional sales manager. A few months after the move, he's informed his contract has been changed and there will be <span style="color:#ff0000;">no salary, only comission.</span> Due to financial constraints at Premier, he home offices for much of our time there. we <span style="color:#ff0000;">get pregnant</span> with charlie right after moving.<br /><br />summer 2009 charlie's born, I'm staying busy working at church and keeping other kids at home. We're really starting to make friends, get to know the small universe of dallas/ft worth, and looking around for where we want to buy a house. Business, however, is not going great.<br /><br />spring 2010 patrick finally decides he's given premier all he can, and he <span style="color:#ff0000;">resigns.</span> THAT VERY AFTERNOON he is presented with a job opportunity in pratt, Ks, just down the road from where he grew up. However, this means leaving aviation. Being a pilot wasn't just a job, it was Patrick's lifelong dream. Giving up aviation was a huge sacrifice for Patrick. However, unable to deny the coincidences, we soon accept. A few months later, we're packing up and <span style="color:#ff0000;">moving to Pratt</span>.<br /><br />summer 2010 we stay in a rent house for a little while till we finalize the sale of our new house. night before the closing, a <span style="color:#ff0000;">wall collapses</span>. we step back and think about what we want to do, decide to proceed, but it takes months before we can move. During this time, and since, we pour so much into this house, financially, emotionally, and physically. We have high hopes for selling this house down the road, at a profit.<br /><br />10 days ago patrick hears his company is being sold, and there will be<span style="color:#ff0000;"> no jobs for anyone</span>. we cry, we are speechless with disbelief, we are very confused and possibly angry at being led into this situation only to have it turn out this way, but most of all, we decide: we ain't movin. no packing, no more unsettled, no more pizza on paper plates, no more introducing ourselves to the neighbours, at least for another few years. we dont' know what we're going to do, but whatever it is, it's happening here. or at least within a commutable distance.<br /><br />7 days ago Patrick is offered a job with a local company, managing one of their divisions. completely new field, but basically sales in a managerial position. Today, he <span style="color:#ff0000;">accepts this new job</span>, and starts Wednesday. more details later.<br /><br />take a moment to catch your breath, as i feel the need to do when i think of the changes that have happened in the last 5 yrs. another bend in the road; we'll see where it leads.pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-76221302289496112882010-10-23T19:27:00.000-07:002010-10-25T18:44:09.344-07:00technical difficulties with the blog. again.so, i can't get any pictures to upload. anybody else having that problem? it isn't my computer, i think it's a blog problem. we had a great visit with my dad last weekend, and we've been working really hard on the house, one of these days i'll have to take some pictures of the house. so in absence of pictures a few news bites:<br /><ul><li>i have stitches for the first time in my life! in my mouth, not fun. as far as surgery goes, even minor outpatient surgery, it really wasn't that bad. he cut open a flap in the roof of my mouth, attached a chain to the delinquent adult tooth, and sewed it back up, and now the orthodontist can pull on the chain that's attached to my braces, and in another 18 mos, i should no longer look like a hillbilly.</li><li>we are no longer carolina panthers fans. seeing as how their games are never on tv here, we can't talk about it with anybody here, and, let's face it, they suck, patrick has exercised leadership in this area and decided we are kansas city chiefs fans. maybe next year we'll go to a game! </li><li>hannah is night time potty trained! we just took off the pull ups, and she hasn't had a single accident. we're quite shocked. i had her bed made with two layers of plastic sheets, i wouldn't let her drink hours before bed, we woke up her in the middle of the night, everything. but apparently she's got it under control. literally. yeah hannah! </li><li>charlie is not walking. i thought that would have made a good news piece if he were though :-). </li><li>I am starting up an hourly childcare business, in hopes of getting some investment capital for the preschool i want to do in the fall. Hannah and I are both enjoying the unstructured approach we have now (fyi, she's now working on counting 10-20, and recognizing those numbers as well. i'm so proud of her!) however, i think i would also really enjoy teaching another 4 or 5 kids, as well. i'm already planning out activities, and researching how i watn to stock my centers: music in one corner, art in another, reading, science, etc. I want to have an ant farm, and get them involved in my garden. i want it to be very hands on, as they learn. now that charlie's party is over, i need something to keep me up at night! i do want to host a christmas drop in for our neighbourhood, though. . . :-) </li><li>patrick's good, working so hard at the house. soon i'll itemize everything he's done. it's amazing! </li></ul><p> </p><p>if anyone has thoughts on my blog problems, let me know! </p>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-79643890528142744782010-10-18T17:45:00.000-07:002010-10-18T18:44:45.065-07:00flashback to August<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8va5UnI/AAAAAAAADMI/k2CThzRu3Rw/s1600/IMGP3123.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529561567839474290" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8va5UnI/AAAAAAAADMI/k2CThzRu3Rw/s400/IMGP3123.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />although these are 2 mos old, i still wanted to share the pictures. (they were on my mom's camera, and i couldn't get them until she came). the kids and i drove up to my mom's, then patrick surprised us for the last few days! it's approx 18 hrs, and the first 15 hrs of scenery look exactly the same: farmland. it was cold again this year, but warmed up enough at the very end to get in the water. charlie loved it, he wasn't scared at all.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8fkA_AI/AAAAAAAADMA/6BQKpz1P0bE/s1600/IMGP3121.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529561563582757890" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8fkA_AI/AAAAAAAADMA/6BQKpz1P0bE/s400/IMGP3121.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />patrick had great success fishing this year. one of the kinds he caught is extremely difficult to filet, so bob was giving him a tutorial. there's my girl, right in the thick of fish guts.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8CRRCDI/AAAAAAAADL4/pdVXIK0yr7Q/s1600/IMGP3116.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529561555719489586" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy8CRRCDI/AAAAAAAADL4/pdVXIK0yr7Q/s400/IMGP3116.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we had a bonfire, which they do in that tub thing to lessen the risk of forest fires. hannah had her first ever smore. it was worth it just to hear her say "marshmallow." if i remember correctly, i ate 3, and felt sick for days!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDrqcs0I/AAAAAAAADLo/1OyXhmOgdg8/s1600/IMGP3110.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529560587578422082" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDrqcs0I/AAAAAAAADLo/1OyXhmOgdg8/s400/IMGP3110.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDf-Am2I/AAAAAAAADLg/mjs44YDJwX0/s1600/IMGP3108.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529560584439241570" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDf-Am2I/AAAAAAAADLg/mjs44YDJwX0/s400/IMGP3108.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy7qgGIPI/AAAAAAAADLw/Kh9dscYlUE8/s1600/IMGP3114.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529561549339238642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzy7qgGIPI/AAAAAAAADLw/Kh9dscYlUE8/s400/IMGP3114.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />this picture makes me think of a story my mom (and nana) tells me all the time, i guess she thinks i forget :-). we've had the floating dock for as long as i can remember. when i was 5, we were having a fire at night like this one, and somebody realized they hadn't seen me in awhile. a little bit of yelling later, i yelled back from out in the water. apparently, i just headed out to the dock by myself, not thinking i should ask or tell anyone. but hey, we were good swimmers!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDHH9PFI/AAAAAAAADLY/VbVw5rkJYho/s1600/IMGP3101.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529560577770077266" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyDHH9PFI/AAAAAAAADLY/VbVw5rkJYho/s400/IMGP3101.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />building a sandcastle with bob. hannah is still at the stage where she likes to build something for the express purpose of jumping on it right after. it can be frustrating for the adults.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyC2pZt8I/AAAAAAAADLQ/PWwoZWcqgXI/s1600/IMGP3100.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529560573346953154" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyC2pZt8I/AAAAAAAADLQ/PWwoZWcqgXI/s400/IMGP3100.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />my mom has taken up kayaking for exercise, and patrick tried it out.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyCR7aogI/AAAAAAAADLI/Pynqb9-c4VE/s1600/IMGP3099.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529560563490398722" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzyCR7aogI/AAAAAAAADLI/Pynqb9-c4VE/s400/IMGP3099.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />it looks sooooo different from when i was growing up. but still recognizable. that thing at the very back of the property that looks like a fence is the solar panels for electricity. that's a newish addition, it used to just be the generator.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqxYNqjI/AAAAAAAADLA/Rjy84sYGfZc/s1600/IMGP3091.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557960592566834" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqxYNqjI/AAAAAAAADLA/Rjy84sYGfZc/s400/IMGP3091.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />hannah did really well in the water, even though it was cold. she still won't be in by herself, without someone holding her. trying to tread water and hold a 3 yr old, even if she's wearing a lifejacket, is harder than it seems!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqt4Wh3I/AAAAAAAADK4/QeubHeOn6Do/s1600/IMGP3089.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557959653623666" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqt4Wh3I/AAAAAAAADK4/QeubHeOn6Do/s400/IMGP3089.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie, just watching the show<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqZ_7omI/AAAAAAAADKw/le9_57kHe2M/s1600/IMGP3085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557954316706402" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqZ_7omI/AAAAAAAADKw/le9_57kHe2M/s400/IMGP3085.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i have no idea what is up with my face, so focus on my calvin klein model here.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqDul6UI/AAAAAAAADKo/ILoGf82c8T0/s1600/IMGP3083.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557948338399554" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvqDul6UI/AAAAAAAADKo/ILoGf82c8T0/s400/IMGP3083.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvpTE2QKI/AAAAAAAADKg/rT9Q8vbAdC4/s1600/IMGP3080.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557935278407842" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzvpTE2QKI/AAAAAAAADKg/rT9Q8vbAdC4/s400/IMGP3080.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />heading home after our picnic across the lake.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuzWo8gUI/AAAAAAAADKY/3RKqCNQsCaI/s1600/IMGP3079.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557008522182978" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuzWo8gUI/AAAAAAAADKY/3RKqCNQsCaI/s400/IMGP3079.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />sorry about the squinting, it's the wind and sun. charlie, in my lap, fell asleep nearly immediately. just like nearly every other baby, i think. tired out from playing, and the hum of the boat, works every time.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuzKsr1ZI/AAAAAAAADKQ/DN5TRwaWHKM/s1600/IMGP3071.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529557005316642194" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuzKsr1ZI/AAAAAAAADKQ/DN5TRwaWHKM/s400/IMGP3071.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />early(ish) morning serenity</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuy2kSJ8I/AAAAAAAADKI/9p9hdi3GfGY/s1600/IMGP3064.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556999912695746" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuy2kSJ8I/AAAAAAAADKI/9p9hdi3GfGY/s400/IMGP3064.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />but not for long, with this impish grin around<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuyn_BdqI/AAAAAAAADKA/u8wYq2nSZBw/s1600/IMGP3056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556995998316194" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuyn_BdqI/AAAAAAAADKA/u8wYq2nSZBw/s400/IMGP3056.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />ah, siblings. (i get nostalgic seeing charlie before his haircut :-(<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuycKv6OI/AAAAAAAADJ4/V9dVsnoGti0/s1600/IMGP3049.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556992826271970" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzuycKv6OI/AAAAAAAADJ4/V9dVsnoGti0/s400/IMGP3049.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so as you can imagine, there is quite a bit of wildlife in the area. unfortunately, the bears are halfway domesticated and come every day to eat at the dump. it's somewhat of a tourist attraction. not only is it sad, i can't imagine what it does for their health. but anyways, hannah got to see bears. i do have to mention, though, that we did actually see a real bear in the wild, the morning we started our drive home. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt_Doo8YI/AAAAAAAADJw/OOoYg-WcQeU/s1600/IMGP3043.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556110067429762" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt_Doo8YI/AAAAAAAADJw/OOoYg-WcQeU/s400/IMGP3043.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-6kwUQI/AAAAAAAADJo/RjT6W-s5uys/s1600/IMGP3040.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556107635216642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-6kwUQI/AAAAAAAADJo/RjT6W-s5uys/s400/IMGP3040.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />entertaining the kids inside, seeing as how it was about 50 degrees outside.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-UAMnkI/AAAAAAAADJg/sNnTYflYhaY/s1600/IMGP3033.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556097281334850" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-UAMnkI/AAAAAAAADJg/sNnTYflYhaY/s400/IMGP3033.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-F4JtjI/AAAAAAAADJY/ox9qFNlRj3c/s1600/IMGP3031.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556093489493554" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt-F4JtjI/AAAAAAAADJY/ox9qFNlRj3c/s400/IMGP3031.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />while i huddled up inside making charlie's bday invitations, hannah "helped" out with various projects. hopefully nothing involving power tools.<br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt9p9RQjI/AAAAAAAADJQ/1_t2qGh6Gsk/s1600/IMGP3025.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529556085994766898" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TLzt9p9RQjI/AAAAAAAADJQ/1_t2qGh6Gsk/s400/IMGP3025.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>it was a wonderful visit with grandma and grandpa bob!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-41166960315997373602010-09-29T18:14:00.000-07:002010-09-29T18:51:02.959-07:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPm21x1N4I/AAAAAAAADIg/J4G9H70jkxE/s1600/IMG00087-20100927-1404.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511397909772162" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPm21x1N4I/AAAAAAAADIg/J4G9H70jkxE/s400/IMG00087-20100927-1404.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />so, a few days ago i did my much anticipated target trip. My orthodontist is an hour away, which is a drag but gives me a real reason to go to a real town. (compared to here, anyways). I can also hit target, starbucks, and hobby lobby. The kids actually need some winter clothes, so it was guilt free. well, except the pumpkin scone. is it emotionally unhealthy that the instant i walk into starbucks i simply feel better about life? it also helped that i only had one child with me. Anyways, pumpkin scone + %50 off all fall decor at hobby lobby + clinique gift time + being allowed to get the kids some new clothes = a happy me. and i needed that encouragement, as shallow and short lived as it was, because around the time i headed home, the wrenching pain from my braces started up and is still going strong. I had a cartload of slimfast at the grocery store and i felt the need to qualify to the checkout person that i just had my braces adjusted, i wasn't doing a liquid fast because i wanted to. not that they care what kind of diet i do, i'm sure.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPm2o-9I9I/AAAAAAAADIY/rbw4tMksgOY/s1600/IMG00084-20100924-1604%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511394475156434" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPm2o-9I9I/AAAAAAAADIY/rbw4tMksgOY/s400/IMG00084-20100924-1604%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so the other day, patrick got me a gift. just for no reason, except he saw it and knew i needed it and it would bless me. (it's the recipe book holder, up there). and it sure did bless me! saving me counter space when i'm cooking and protecting my recipes, sure, but knowing that he was thinking of me like that! i was very impressed.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmpMeF6XI/AAAAAAAADIQ/LkCJR2QYiHE/s1600/DSC02856.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511163482827122" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmpMeF6XI/AAAAAAAADIQ/LkCJR2QYiHE/s400/DSC02856.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i love my children! (not that i wouldn't rent them out for an afternoon to, well, anybody!)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmokVWeaI/AAAAAAAADII/ZiXw6QhGaYs/s1600/DSC02854.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511152708745634" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmokVWeaI/AAAAAAAADII/ZiXw6QhGaYs/s400/DSC02854.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />david and des came for a quick visit last week, we didn't take many pictures because we didn't do much,, but they did get to spend time with the kids. they're actually praying about a job opportunity over by wichita. they helped out so much with our house over the summer we were glad they were able to see the (somewhat) finished product.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmoWq1pII/AAAAAAAADIA/3J8shizVtng/s1600/DSC02849.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511149040772226" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmoWq1pII/AAAAAAAADIA/3J8shizVtng/s400/DSC02849.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, Hannah started out a really difficult baby then got easier as she grew up. charlie was an incredibly easy baby, but he's making up for it these days! last night was the first time he's slept through the night in i dont' know how long. we're down to one nap a day, but he doesn't sleep for long at all and wakes up so cranky, and stays that way till bed time. so, if he wakes up too early, the afternoon is looooooong! there isn't really anywhere to go, either. we used to go to the playplace at the mall, the train table/kids section at barnes and noble, various parks and nature areas, even toysrus because they have alot out to play with. i'm not complaining, we just need to come up with some different ideas for when we have bad weather and cranky children. patrick is going to have the basement finished really soon, and that will be our play/preschool room. anyways, all that to explain the picture: it was raining, but we went on our walk anyways.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmoN6l-hI/AAAAAAAADH4/9kZYoPAF_rQ/s1600/DSC02848.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511146690935314" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmoN6l-hI/AAAAAAAADH4/9kZYoPAF_rQ/s400/DSC02848.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlfW-mp1I/AAAAAAAADHQ/GiN8cckO1Eg/s1600/DSC02831.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522509894993225554" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlfW-mp1I/AAAAAAAADHQ/GiN8cckO1Eg/s400/DSC02831.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie opening his birthday present from nana and pop pop. </div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlflWIsFI/AAAAAAAADHY/51VvWICh9BQ/s1600/DSC02832.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522509898850021458" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlflWIsFI/AAAAAAAADHY/51VvWICh9BQ/s400/DSC02832.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlgFrGYCI/AAAAAAAADHg/_jklNibleNw/s1600/DSC02835.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522509907527884834" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlgFrGYCI/AAAAAAAADHg/_jklNibleNw/s400/DSC02835.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlgB6OHWI/AAAAAAAADHo/gL-JBHwJ1pg/s1600/DSC02842.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522509906517564770" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlgB6OHWI/AAAAAAAADHo/gL-JBHwJ1pg/s400/DSC02842.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>he just loves it. and so does hannah. she always try to steal it away from him. <br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmn2Sv3yI/AAAAAAAADHw/wcZ24G2ogW4/s1600/DSC02847.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522511140349796130" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPmn2Sv3yI/AAAAAAAADHw/wcZ24G2ogW4/s400/DSC02847.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />of course the box is also fun to play with.<br /><div><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlfe0B0hI/AAAAAAAADHI/HouFP_IWe3Y/s1600/DSC02861.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522509897096352274" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TKPlfe0B0hI/AAAAAAAADHI/HouFP_IWe3Y/s400/DSC02861.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>so, i got my harvest table in plenty of time to celebrate, well, harvest! in case you missed the post awhile ago, patrick made this table. his grandpa vic and david had done it before him, so he thought we needed one to, and we love it. it is so nice to have so much room at the table. you'll have to come see! </div><div>we love fall: pumpkin bread, apple cider, scented candles, sweaters (hopefully eventually. it was 85 today), decorating. i love every season, but we're ready for fall. we've both lived in much warmer climates for quite a while, so this will be a change. </div><div> </div><div>so my mom will be here next week, and lar is also coming to celebrate charlie's party with us. i'll try to post again before, i've done quite a bit of prep work already, and we're going really simple with the food, so i'm hoping it will be low stress. patrick especially is hoping it will be low stress!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-68532940479301860902010-09-17T19:30:00.000-07:002010-09-17T20:27:14.161-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQoIZRIYlI/AAAAAAAADG4/GtfsMD3YKzo/s1600/DSC02801.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079568122503762" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQoIZRIYlI/AAAAAAAADG4/GtfsMD3YKzo/s400/DSC02801.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />apparently my life is flying by because i thought it had been only a few days since i update, and here it is, almost 2 wks. this is just a little example of how much hannah, uh, helps me out! she loves to climb in charlie's crib and play with him, so often in the morning or when he wakes up from his nap and is crying, she'll go entertain him and i'll get a few more minutes of productiveness. i guess it's actually productivity. anyways, she loves dumping everything out in one huge pile. but then when it comes to picking it up. . . ! there's a giant trash bag of toys sitting in the closet for that exact reason. the toy jail is full these days. but then i think, if she can keep herself so amused when she's missing half her toys, can i just go ahead and take the bag to goodwill?<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn5fVvpwI/AAAAAAAADGw/v43tJEn8XGk/s1600/DSC02805.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079312054429442" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn5fVvpwI/AAAAAAAADGw/v43tJEn8XGk/s400/DSC02805.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />now that's what i call pizza dough!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn4sjcOQI/AAAAAAAADGo/9OH93E_yLBQ/s1600/DSC02806.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079298421668098" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn4sjcOQI/AAAAAAAADGo/9OH93E_yLBQ/s400/DSC02806.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i can't get over her pose here. the eyes and everything, her finger on the pastry brush. like she's doing a cooking show. when i have the patience for it, i love cooking with hannah. there's alot she does already, like peel garlic or pull the herb leaves of the stems. and, apparently, brush oil on the pizza crust.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn4B5HxdI/AAAAAAAADGg/mH8IxceUWSk/s1600/DSC02809.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079286969877970" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn4B5HxdI/AAAAAAAADGg/mH8IxceUWSk/s400/DSC02809.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"Alright guys, i'm all ready for my first haircut. let's get this show on the road!"<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn3tVq2TI/AAAAAAAADGY/CA7xj4uZYzA/s1600/DSC02810.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079281452472626" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn3tVq2TI/AAAAAAAADGY/CA7xj4uZYzA/s400/DSC02810.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"uh, i'm sorry, what did you say was going to happen? he's going to come at me with scissors? yeah. . . "<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn3Z9iteI/AAAAAAAADGQ/QUjUJN6AD8o/s1600/DSC02812.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518079276251002338" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQn3Z9iteI/AAAAAAAADGQ/QUjUJN6AD8o/s400/DSC02812.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"well, i can see your point. it is getting kind of long around the ears. but only if i can play with this nifty brush."<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmmiiXZtI/AAAAAAAADGI/fL6J46FnVfM/s1600/DSC02814.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518077886983530194" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmmiiXZtI/AAAAAAAADGI/fL6J46FnVfM/s400/DSC02814.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"careful now. my do is important! i dont' want to lose my reputation with the ladies at playgroup"</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmmKgNyJI/AAAAAAAADGA/APSPF_S170I/s1600/DSC02816.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518077880532060306" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmmKgNyJI/AAAAAAAADGA/APSPF_S170I/s400/DSC02816.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"alright, alright. i'm diggin it!" </div><div>mommy thinks he got a little carried away with the razor, and should have stopped after the scissors. but he's a boy, it'll grow back fast!<br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmlfJN34I/AAAAAAAADF4/4Nk4N6tQZCk/s1600/DSC02817.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518077868892872578" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmlfJN34I/AAAAAAAADF4/4Nk4N6tQZCk/s400/DSC02817.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />my next batch of supercharlie food: quinoa, lentils, butternut squash, collard greens, and beets. </div><div>if only we all ate like that! (right, patrick? :-)<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmk0-YwnI/AAAAAAAADFw/1H7Iddw0xJw/s1600/DSC02818.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518077857573159538" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmk0-YwnI/AAAAAAAADFw/1H7Iddw0xJw/s400/DSC02818.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />turns around to see if i'm watching. . .<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmkU6GLRI/AAAAAAAADFo/p-LQH4UfqWQ/s1600/DSC02819.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518077848965229842" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQmkU6GLRI/AAAAAAAADFo/p-LQH4UfqWQ/s400/DSC02819.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />and yep, he's going for it! i can't believe he's big enough to reach the doorknob. and that type is so much easier to open. patrick got it for me because he knew how my hands are always full, and it's helpful to just use an elbow to open the door. but i forgot it's also alot easier for the crisplings.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlFnHuOGI/AAAAAAAADFg/OGf_R_ddD4w/s1600/DSC02821.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518076221766645858" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlFnHuOGI/AAAAAAAADFg/OGf_R_ddD4w/s400/DSC02821.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, we finally had a cool day. that would be, something under 100. ok, maybe i'm exaggerating, but just a little, honestly. i had a hot chocolate craving (more specifically a starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate craving. alas, they don't even make that anymore). so i decided we should start a tradition of making hot chocolate on the first real fall day of the year. i would love to say it was all happily ever after, but our milk had gone bad. we didn't know this until after we wasted the time and ingredients making it. does anybody know if raw milk goes bad faster? or is it because it's whole, as opposed to the skim we used to get. i don't know, but we never get through the gallon before it goes bad.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlFNJWqeI/AAAAAAAADFY/ktvta7euo0c/s1600/hanging.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518076214794168802" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlFNJWqeI/AAAAAAAADFY/ktvta7euo0c/s400/hanging.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />she's getting so strong! this adorable outfit was made by Grandma (my mom).<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlE1UygXI/AAAAAAAADFQ/S5iIf_QfInw/s1600/puzzle.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518076208399679858" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlE1UygXI/AAAAAAAADFQ/S5iIf_QfInw/s400/puzzle.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />i mentioned how much she loves puzzles. i got her a new one to challenge her a little bit. we did it together, but i really only helped with the border. she is learning so much these days. the other day we were talking about food, and i mentioned protein, and started listing different protein sources she eats. she piped up with, what about eggs, mommy? i said yes, eggs too. are you learning your food groups? she says, yes, in homeschool, just like my letters! (that isn't something we talk about specifically much, because the word school just isn't that important at three. but apparently she already knows what's going on!) </div><div>also heard around town: </div><ul><li>mother and daughter and baby are in store. mother is on phone with mother in law, and distracted by son in cart. mother periodically loses daughter, and calls to her. daughter responds, loudly enough for other shoppers to hear: "mommy! don't bother me!" (it's unfortunate that rebellion can sometimes seem so cute, isn't it?) </li><li>H has a certain CD called animal songs, from the cd display at walmart. it's one of those things she begs to listen to ALL. THE. TIME. i simply must have a break occasionally. instead of expressing myself appropriately, i have been known to yell, in response to begging, NO! because i am so sick of your animal songs cd. sooooo, other day I make chicken pot pie. i thought it was the best chicken pot pie ever. i used leftover gravy, maybe that's why. anyways, H decided she doesn't like it. i tell her to eat more. no, she says. are you full? no, my tummy's sick. oh, you don't feel well? no, i'm just sick of this food. just like you're sick of my cd. whoops. </li><li>daddy and H are talking before bed. H refers back, all in a jumble, to numerous convos H and mommy had throughout the day. relating to babies, nursing, marriage, and for some reason the 2nd coming of Jesus. (not sure how that related, but anyways.) H tells daddy she is going to get married to a boy, and we don't know his name yet, but Jesus knows his name. she then tells daddy this boy will give her babies. (now those weren't even my words, so don't think i'm getting all scientific on her already.) he will also have blonde hair, blue eyes, and be able to do this (insert picture of Hannah making fish face here.) You mean he'll kiss you? (i ask because mommy and daddy do like to kiss, even in front of children. gasp!) no, not kiss, just fish face. she will also have a pink and purple wedding ring.<br /></li></ul><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlEcmbyxI/AAAAAAAADFI/dVTUO64-1mQ/s1600/slide.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518076201762802450" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlEcmbyxI/AAAAAAAADFI/dVTUO64-1mQ/s400/slide.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />my charlie man is such a climber. he can't walk, but he climbs up anything he can. he gets in hannah's rocking chair and stands up. (we have all hardwood, so i don't like this stunt). he climbs up the slide, as far as he can. he speeds his way all the way up the stairs. on his way to the rocking chair or horse, actually. i can't believe i have a preschooler and a toddler, not a toddler and a baby. (a toddler who just got himself 2nd degree burns on 3 fingers, from the oven door :-(. he really doesn't seem like a baby any more either because we're pretty much free of each other in the nursing dept. I wasn't tired of nursing, just the stupid supplementer. so, no more mixing up formula. when i get sad thinking about moving on from that stage, i just think, hey, no more corn syrup solids for charlie! (if you don't know the whole story i understand that sounds confusing. just roll with it. i'd be happy to explain later :-).<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlD6_GQoI/AAAAAAAADFA/ZhhVERHatEs/s1600/tractor.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518076192739443330" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TJQlD6_GQoI/AAAAAAAADFA/ZhhVERHatEs/s400/tractor.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div>oh, if it weren't blurry, this might be the sweetest picture ever taken of any 1yr old boy. i love how intent he is on his tractor, a birthday gift from grandma loretta and grandpa alvin. whenever i get it out for him to play with, hannah swipes it, though. </div><div> </div><div>next week david and des are coming for a few days, then mom and lar are coming the weekend of charlie's party, then dad and bunny the next weekend. i'm really excited about the company! we kind of get bored here :-) so, whoever comes, can you bring me a pumpkin spice latte? :-)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-15638356542966868252010-09-09T18:38:00.000-07:002010-09-09T20:16:31.725-07:00the simple life<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUjRIVeCI/AAAAAAAADEw/OBc8Oct4J5w/s1600/DSC02800.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102552306579490" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUjRIVeCI/AAAAAAAADEw/OBc8Oct4J5w/s400/DSC02800.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so it's a good thing we has "Western Fun Days" (or something or other) recently, or i'd have absolutely nothing to put on the blog! no six flags around, so this was our outing for saturday. nearly free, it only cost $2 for the whole family to ride the train :-). the kids are so easily entertained right now, so they had fun. yes, even just riding stick horses!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUGAp9MrI/AAAAAAAADEo/5Ucuavg-5s4/s1600/DSC02798.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102049667986098" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUGAp9MrI/AAAAAAAADEo/5Ucuavg-5s4/s400/DSC02798.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i love that little lip thing he does. he's such a goober!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUF4ONpZI/AAAAAAAADEg/kRrjR9x9zyo/s1600/DSC02791.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102047404139922" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUF4ONpZI/AAAAAAAADEg/kRrjR9x9zyo/s400/DSC02791.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUFRZUVmI/AAAAAAAADEY/96BBxfav94Y/s1600/DSC02789.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102036981732962" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUFRZUVmI/AAAAAAAADEY/96BBxfav94Y/s400/DSC02789.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />of course we had to do the provided photo shoots.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUEdHrF9I/AAAAAAAADEQ/Bz86G0-H5KQ/s1600/DSC02786.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102022949083090" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUEdHrF9I/AAAAAAAADEQ/Bz86G0-H5KQ/s400/DSC02786.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie's first train ride<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUD4q8T6I/AAAAAAAADEI/X4BaGR7Zqm8/s1600/DSC02783.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515102013164900258" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImUD4q8T6I/AAAAAAAADEI/X4BaGR7Zqm8/s400/DSC02783.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTHmwnTcI/AAAAAAAADEA/FEzssVJRQGI/s1600/DSC02782.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515100977564700098" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTHmwnTcI/AAAAAAAADEA/FEzssVJRQGI/s400/DSC02782.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTGVga78I/AAAAAAAADD4/Zl-U8sVBB3k/s1600/DSC02781.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515100955753508802" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTGVga78I/AAAAAAAADD4/Zl-U8sVBB3k/s400/DSC02781.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />for some reason i think charlie actually resembles me in this picture!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTF4gc-xI/AAAAAAAADDw/LP1_gV2Laxw/s1600/DSC02780.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515100947969014546" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTF4gc-xI/AAAAAAAADDw/LP1_gV2Laxw/s400/DSC02780.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />my 2 boys. . .<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTFkLHVyI/AAAAAAAADDo/ocWC27XHiCI/s1600/DSC02757.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515100942510806818" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTFkLHVyI/AAAAAAAADDo/ocWC27XHiCI/s400/DSC02757.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />but, he does have a sister! hannah got a princess outfit for her birthday, which surprisingly we don't have a picture of yet. she loves putting the tiara on charlie, and he'll leave it on for quite a while. she is in love with princesses. for some reason, specifically Snow White, Tinkerbell, and Ariel. (she has not seen any of these movies, especially little mermaid, i have no idea where she got these names or why she is so attached to them.) she is set on calling charlie "Tink", as a nickname. How she even got the idea to shorten it, i'm not sure. but it's kind of cute, maybe it'll stick :-)</div><div>Charlie turned one last week, without much fanfare. (we're waiting for his party) But he needs at least a shout out, i think. my sweet boy, getting so big. he only takes one nap a day, and we only nurse at bedtime. he is so affectionate, if i'm ever on the floor, he crawls right over and gets on my lap or climbs on my back. we've started to read books before his nap, and he pays attention really well. he loves playing in the fridge and the dishwasher, the toilet, the cellphone, the recycling bin, climbing up stairs (he is so fast all the way up to the top), and many other things. i realize most of those are hazardous to his health. in the morning, when we're eating breakfast and he hears the stairs creak, he gets so excited because he knows patrick will be coming around the corner. he just loves to dance, all with his arms. whenever he hears any kind of music, he gets going. he knows how to wave, say bye, and we're working on blowing kisses. he also claps and gives high fives. he eats like a pro football player. especially fruit, the boy loves fruit. he loves his family, if hannah's not around and i say her name, he'll start looking around for her. at the playground, even though he can't walk he crawls all over the place in the sand, and climbs up on whatever he can. loves the slide, and the swings. i am so in love with him, and i kiss him every chance i get because i know in not too long i won't be able to be physically close to him, not like hannah. he's making me completely re evaluate how i feel about boys. i can't wait to be his mommy as he grows, becoming more boy every day. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTEySWDOI/AAAAAAAADDg/5ICKXQQ3KXs/s1600/DSC02755.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515100929119358178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TImTEySWDOI/AAAAAAAADDg/5ICKXQQ3KXs/s400/DSC02755.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>hannah is getting so big too. she built this lego castle all by herself. she's also really into puzzles, and books. we are taking a less structured approach to preschool than i planned originally. she is, after all, only 3. we do have workbooks and such, but we don't do them every day. instead, i just make sure i spend a good chunk of time (as long as her attention span is!) reading, doing puzzles, doing crafts, legos, or something else and we learn as we go. I just want to expose her to all kinds of avenues for learning, and being with her all the time, it's easy to reinforce things in different situations. reading recipes, for example: she can pick out nearly all her numbers. </div><div> </div><div>we are starting a new phase in our lives, called "getting out of debt". (creative, i know :-) obviously it's something we've always been working towards, but we've recently simply had enough with credit card payments. so, we're taking some drastic measures to accomplish this. I am selling my violin, which has been really difiicult for me, even though i rarely play it. my dad gave it to me when i graduated high school, and i never imagined i'd sell it. i know it's just a thing, but it represented so much more to me, it used to be such a huge part of who i was. whenever i get too sad and want to change my mind, i remember patrick leaving aviation for us, and i'm encouraged. not by him being sad as well, but that even though we make sacrifices, even ones we really struggle with, like sometimes giving up our dreams, God knows how we're feeling and I know He can replace them with other dreams or bring them back in some way, eventually filling that emptiness with peace and excitement for the future, even if it looks different than what we thought. This would be a good time to sign off, as i usually try to leave the personal reflections to other bloggers! anyways, three cheers for dave ramsey! wish us luck :-)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-90009312703507090472010-08-29T17:57:00.000-07:002010-08-29T19:00:16.036-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsIAN2m3qI/AAAAAAAADDY/03WOkDsb19o/s1600/1.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511007368829656738" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsIAN2m3qI/AAAAAAAADDY/03WOkDsb19o/s400/1.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />one of the highlights of our the canada trip was catching up with old friends the Gualdieris. Monica (center) and Lara went to preschool together, so even though don't see each other hardly ever, it's still wonderful when we do! also notable was the banana nutella crepe i had for breakfast in this picture. unbelievable! Nita's on the right, and Alex is the youngest. He's starting college this year. Makes me feel so old. I remember when he was born!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsH_zuyu7I/AAAAAAAADDQ/YMUuEP_QAoE/s1600/3.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511007361817557938" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsH_zuyu7I/AAAAAAAADDQ/YMUuEP_QAoE/s400/3.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />you got to love how i somehow pawned the double stroller off on lar!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsH_o304AI/AAAAAAAADDI/sFDnpbWU9Lw/s1600/4.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511007358902657026" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsH_o304AI/AAAAAAAADDI/sFDnpbWU9Lw/s400/4.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHcajjqaI/AAAAAAAADDA/iAILLXq9hUo/s1600/7.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511006753764125090" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHcajjqaI/AAAAAAAADDA/iAILLXq9hUo/s400/7.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />My dad bought all the ladies a necklace at the Byward Market to commemorate the occasion.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHb33OqmI/AAAAAAAADC4/_CH0Lk9nK6w/s1600/DSC02707.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511006744451394146" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHb33OqmI/AAAAAAAADC4/_CH0Lk9nK6w/s400/DSC02707.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />my son can put away the peaches! and the watermelon. often Hannah declines my offer of a snack, then just steals it off of charlie's tray. swiper!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHbchG9XI/AAAAAAAADCw/IhuhBIkQRj4/s1600/DSC02708.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511006737110857074" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHbchG9XI/AAAAAAAADCw/IhuhBIkQRj4/s400/DSC02708.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />sleepy face.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHa9ZKCSI/AAAAAAAADCo/DKFlZ3VXc50/s1600/DSC02711.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511006728756005154" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHa9ZKCSI/AAAAAAAADCo/DKFlZ3VXc50/s400/DSC02711.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />smiley face!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHahMZzzI/AAAAAAAADCg/BTJma9bc4Ec/s1600/DSC02715.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511006721186320178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsHahMZzzI/AAAAAAAADCg/BTJma9bc4Ec/s400/DSC02715.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, hannah's bday cake. (now, before i talk about this, i know lots of regular old sahm's make amazing amazing cakes. i am not one of them. so, it may not be that impressive, but it sure was an accomplishment in this house.) it was kind of an afterthought, I know how much work (and $$$) these things can be. i guess i just did it to say i'd done it. i started 4 days beforehand. made 3 layers, then used the pampered chef batter bowl for the top. i made chocolate ganache for 2 layer fillings, then raspberry jam for the other one. then we did regular buttercream on the outside. patrick made a hole to put the doll in. then together we decorated it.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGfeoxAMI/AAAAAAAADCY/VZDa9k4K3xA/s1600/DSC02717.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511005706887692482" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGfeoxAMI/AAAAAAAADCY/VZDa9k4K3xA/s400/DSC02717.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the flowers were all patrick. i have to say, we were pretty happy!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGfJd8oGI/AAAAAAAADCQ/hyuTZxq4LpQ/s1600/DSC02721.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511005701205172322" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGfJd8oGI/AAAAAAAADCQ/hyuTZxq4LpQ/s400/DSC02721.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />and it was GOOOOOOOOOD. (well, kind of rich. and a little too much ganache. but hey, hannah and i like chocolate! nobody else could finish their piece :-)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGeriPljI/AAAAAAAADCI/0kcKe1sV5_w/s1600/DSC02722.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511005693170128434" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGeriPljI/AAAAAAAADCI/0kcKe1sV5_w/s400/DSC02722.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Aunt Jeana, Grandma Jan, and Aunt Dixie were among our distinguished party guests.</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGeMwOEWI/AAAAAAAADCA/_48gK4YcXjI/s1600/DSC02724.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511005684907250018" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGeMwOEWI/AAAAAAAADCA/_48gK4YcXjI/s400/DSC02724.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGd4Y6VoI/AAAAAAAADB4/n0DTVJNCJIk/s1600/DSC02725.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511005679440778882" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsGd4Y6VoI/AAAAAAAADB4/n0DTVJNCJIk/s400/DSC02725.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div> my big birthday girl<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFies89lI/AAAAAAAADBw/r67vRygcN2E/s1600/DSC02730.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511004658933233234" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFies89lI/AAAAAAAADBw/r67vRygcN2E/s400/DSC02730.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />this is my last batch of baby food. I just thought it looked so nice and colourful, i love colourful food! green kale, orange carrots, yellow summer squash, purple cabbage, and rice. Yum!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFh5GqU7I/AAAAAAAADBo/UsZYgIkDUwc/s1600/DSC02733.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511004648840516530" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFh5GqU7I/AAAAAAAADBo/UsZYgIkDUwc/s400/DSC02733.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />now for my little birthday boy. this is the picture from his party invitations. it's a farm theme!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFhSsoMlI/AAAAAAAADBg/nQ89BBVZNP8/s1600/DSC02750.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511004638530777682" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFhSsoMlI/AAAAAAAADBg/nQ89BBVZNP8/s400/DSC02750.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, our front yard has been a little busy these days. the basement wall is rebuilt! the yard still looks disastrous, but it's fixed. we'll get the porch put back on soon, and then get around to redoing the inside of the wall.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFhNIgkNI/AAAAAAAADBY/LzdiUM8LcIc/s1600/DSC02752.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511004637037105362" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFhNIgkNI/AAAAAAAADBY/LzdiUM8LcIc/s400/DSC02752.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />what is this, you might say? well, glad you asked. it's my new dining room table! patricks building it himself. i'm so excited. he's talked about it for awhile, but to be honest I didn't actually think he'd do it. but now he's almost done. it's going to be beautiful!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFgbZQi-I/AAAAAAAADBQ/EODIuPWMEBs/s1600/DSC02754.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511004623685585890" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/THsFgbZQi-I/AAAAAAAADBQ/EODIuPWMEBs/s400/DSC02754.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>my anorexic tomato plants. so sad. and to think of all the time i've spent watering them. </div><div> </div><div>alright, this post may also be somewhat anorexic, but now i can cross it off my list! </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-13608241097869899122010-08-10T12:01:00.000-07:002010-08-10T12:10:26.449-07:00we interrup your regularly scheduled programming. . .although i'm doing a million things today, i wanted to stop and share a moment right away, before it got away from me. our laundry is in the basement, and i try to not bring charlie down there because what with the ongoing construction there's so much to put in his mouth, which he does. anyways, the kids were with me and charlie kept climbing up the stairs. he can get up, but not down, which is not a good system! so i kept grabbing him and putting him somewhere else. I overheard Hannah talking to him: "charlie, you can't climb up the stairs, because you will fall, and crack your head, and you will bleed, and you will die, and you will go to heaven to see Jesus, but we don't want you to be with Jesus we want you to be here in this house, to stay here with us in this house until we die and go to heaven too." and she said it just like that, in one big run on sentence.<br /><br />the other day, i lost my temper and yelled at her. (i know it's no excuse, but sometimes the whining, aggghhhh!). a few minutes later i apologized, and said i had made the wrong decision. Even though I was frustrated, i should have communicated differently but instead I chose to yell, and that was wrong because I was disobeying God. She was quiet, then said, "Jesus can help you obey. You can ask Jesus to help you obey and make the right choice." so we decided to help each other remember that, and regularly ask Jesus to help us obey. we'll see how it goes!pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-38842167763871931872010-08-03T17:17:00.000-07:002010-08-03T19:00:13.697-07:00canada, part 2<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-F6y-maI/AAAAAAAADBI/ryROnabB6vo/s1600/DSC02671.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355953724758434" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-F6y-maI/AAAAAAAADBI/ryROnabB6vo/s400/DSC02671.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i know alot has happened in our lives since our canada trip, but we had so many memories i wanted it up there. this was our last night at the cottage on Stony Lake, which is a few hours from Toronto. My dad and bunny both grew up close to here, and my family went to see my Dad's family there when i was younger, so it was neat to go back with my kids, even just the general area. that's my aunt and uncle and grandma down at the end. Hannah is at the table even though it's very late; one or the other of my children were up late every night. with charlie it was 11 pm a few nights! contrary to popular perception, it does get hot in canada, and it sure did. every day was in the 90's, and there was no air conditioning.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-FZCOR4I/AAAAAAAADBA/MSUk0slwqpQ/s1600/DSC02667.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355944661895042" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-FZCOR4I/AAAAAAAADBA/MSUk0slwqpQ/s400/DSC02667.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, of course we spent as much time as we could in the water. now i know lakes are not for everyone, but i'm pretty partial to them. as long as they're clean and relatively clear, so that probably rules out most of the lakes in the southern half of the US :-). i've been swimming in lakes since i was old enough to walk, even before, and it doesn't really matter which lake i'm on, i love being there. this particular property was on a point, so surrounded by water and it had a little trail through the whole thing, which was heavily wooded, as it all is up there. there were small benches at different places, and two little bridges. at night, hot though it was, i put charlie in the carrier and went on walks to try to get him to sleep. alot of musquitoes, but i still loved it! water and trees, i do miss them in KS! Kennedy was wonderful playing with Charlie (above).<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-FGizroI/AAAAAAAADA4/3PwZjKoxlag/s1600/DSC02648.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355939698290306" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi-FGizroI/AAAAAAAADA4/3PwZjKoxlag/s400/DSC02648.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />and then there's boats. it really doesn't matter what kind of boat i'm on, i love them all. my kids, not so much! or maybe it was the uncomfortable lifejackets all kids wear as a rule. boats have always been a part of my dad's family, in one way or another, owning a marina or mechanics or something, so i got my love of boats from him. (i used to live on a boat, for those of you who don't know. fun random fact)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9X592Z-I/AAAAAAAADAw/Y_igwLNs3VY/s1600/DSC02621.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355163227940834" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9X592Z-I/AAAAAAAADAw/Y_igwLNs3VY/s400/DSC02621.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />hannah does love her tomatoes, but i think it was just coincidence sitting here. there were 4 adults and 7 children (ages 5 and under) at this cottage, so it was more than a little crazy. we rarely ever sat down and ate at the same time, and everybody has a little different nap and bedtime schedule, but we made it work. despite what people say, i am more flexible than i was 2 yrs ago. we didn't get much sleep, though. neither the adults or the kids!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9XeTKfSI/AAAAAAAADAo/ofbKxGM3mcc/s1600/DSC02609.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355155801144610" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9XeTKfSI/AAAAAAAADAo/ofbKxGM3mcc/s400/DSC02609.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>once again, lookin like she's ready for the papparazzi.<br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9XLsIY_I/AAAAAAAADAg/_2g-Ig3tPak/s1600/DSC02613.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355150805591026" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9XLsIY_I/AAAAAAAADAg/_2g-Ig3tPak/s400/DSC02613.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />alot of birthdays fell in July, so Bunny had a giant birthday party. the kids had fun with a pinata.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9WZW32PI/AAAAAAAADAQ/VrxaIo8stcg/s1600/DSC02603.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501355137294653682" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi9WZW32PI/AAAAAAAADAQ/VrxaIo8stcg/s400/DSC02603.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />these are bunny's daughter's twins, a few months older than charlie. it was blueberry season, every few miles on the 4 hr drive between ottawa and peterborough there's another blueberry stand. so charlie ate his weight in blueberries! actually, the local foodshed in that area is just wonderful! they put out a booklet with all the local food producers, fruits/vegetables, meat/dairy, baking, honey, etc. It was a really neat idea.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8VVstgnI/AAAAAAAADAI/qalYzJ9rIkg/s1600/DSC02602.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501354019621012082" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8VVstgnI/AAAAAAAADAI/qalYzJ9rIkg/s400/DSC02602.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />everybody agreed that charlie's just about the most mellow baby ever. even he had his moments, though!</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UhBdeKI/AAAAAAAAC_4/7i-VJYAGG7g/s1600/DSC02598.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501354005480962210" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UhBdeKI/AAAAAAAAC_4/7i-VJYAGG7g/s400/DSC02598.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />while i do love lakes, there are drawbacks: often no beach unless it's manmade, and alot of rocks and seaweed. so, floatie things are important for those who don't like their legs to touch the seaweed :-).<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UTIMc_I/AAAAAAAAC_w/93SsDZDcouo/s1600/DSC02594.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501354001751110642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UTIMc_I/AAAAAAAAC_w/93SsDZDcouo/s400/DSC02594.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the cottage. this isnt' in the family, dad and bunny just rented it for a month.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UDNIXeI/AAAAAAAAC_o/0l3JV55IQEo/s1600/DSC02593.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501353997476847074" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi8UDNIXeI/AAAAAAAAC_o/0l3JV55IQEo/s400/DSC02593.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />even surrounded by countless beautiful lakes, sometimes the baby pool is just the way to go!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7J6hKSuI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/-xuvpHqHT5Y/s1600/DSC02587.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501352723834620642" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7J6hKSuI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/-xuvpHqHT5Y/s400/DSC02587.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i cannot underestimate the importance of french fries to canadians. (at least the part of canada that i'm familiar with.) my sisters and i have realized that most americans are not familiar with the concept of a "chip truck", so here is an example. this is hardly representative, though, most aren't nearly this nice. some have only french fries, many have brats, maybe hamburgers, and then, of course, poutine (pooh teen). pretty sure it's a french canadian thing: french fries with cheese curds and gravy. sounds gross, but's somewhat of a regional delicacy. anyways, there was a poutinerie right by our hotel in ottawa, that served 20 different kinds of poutine. that's how seriously these people (or we, i guess. i am still canadian :-) take their poutine. and of course, almost all french fries, or chips, are liberally doused with white vinegar!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7JSUHnkI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/2A6kIM1M9Q0/s1600/DSC02581.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501352713042501186" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7JSUHnkI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/2A6kIM1M9Q0/s400/DSC02581.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7JBqcXZI/AAAAAAAAC_I/jnd3FS0T4VE/s1600/DSC02567.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501352708572732818" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7JBqcXZI/AAAAAAAAC_I/jnd3FS0T4VE/s400/DSC02567.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />there's no way to capture with words or pictures how much i enjoyed the byward market in downtown ottawa. Ottawa, the capital of my great country, is in the province of Ontario but also borders Quebec, the french part of canada. The market is in the English half of the city, technically, but there was so much french spoken in the market it seemed like you were there. not just french, actually, all kinds of languages. I ate and ate. French, Thai, Indian, Greek, Moroccan, all right next to each other. and endless stalls of produce, flowers, honey and maple syrup, everything. then artisans. and all kinds of wonderful amazing bakeries. i'm not talkin doughnut shops, but fresh bread, pastries, and big bowls of cafe au lait. also whole stores devoted to cheeses or meats. oh, it was so wonderful. i was so distracted, i set a carton of raspberries right down in front of charlie, on the stroller tray. only i forgot he was wearing a white shirt. it was a disaster. but i digress. anyways, i wish patrick had been with me, with no children, and we could have gone every day for coffee and breakfast.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7IkljRkI/AAAAAAAAC_A/ax0C_zABiBY/s1600/DSC02566.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501352700767585858" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi7IkljRkI/AAAAAAAAC_A/ax0C_zABiBY/s400/DSC02566.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2a1NkaKI/AAAAAAAAC-4/U6o22sdoLmY/s1600/DSC02575.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501347516909906082" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2a1NkaKI/AAAAAAAAC-4/U6o22sdoLmY/s400/DSC02575.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2Z-ZeIVI/AAAAAAAAC-o/sR79kXGOIZ8/s1600/DSC02572.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501347502195876178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2Z-ZeIVI/AAAAAAAAC-o/sR79kXGOIZ8/s400/DSC02572.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2ZR7evgI/AAAAAAAAC-g/sOjtvJ4wB2I/s1600/DSC02570.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501347490258927106" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2ZR7evgI/AAAAAAAAC-g/sOjtvJ4wB2I/s400/DSC02570.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2ZJ9QQ0I/AAAAAAAAC-Y/A0jyxpI-NK4/s1600/DSC02568.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501347488118883138" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi2ZJ9QQ0I/AAAAAAAAC-Y/A0jyxpI-NK4/s400/DSC02568.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1UDzdF7I/AAAAAAAAC-A/SrYvAFAFL5c/s1600/DSC02565.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501346301056194482" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1UDzdF7I/AAAAAAAAC-A/SrYvAFAFL5c/s400/DSC02565.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1T_B2szI/AAAAAAAAC94/_cnNgs3xn3w/s1600/DSC02561.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501346299774415666" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1T_B2szI/AAAAAAAAC94/_cnNgs3xn3w/s400/DSC02561.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />my cousin and his fiance (i guess it's wife now) had a barbeque at their house, and the shoes at the door made me so nostalgic.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1TqVeNQI/AAAAAAAAC9w/MU4IfEaLKYc/s1600/DSC02554.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501346294219552002" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi1TqVeNQI/AAAAAAAAC9w/MU4IfEaLKYc/s400/DSC02554.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0NKv8mYI/AAAAAAAAC9o/bfXlLX_EF5s/s1600/DSC02547.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501345083149818242" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0NKv8mYI/AAAAAAAAC9o/bfXlLX_EF5s/s400/DSC02547.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we didnt' get around to participating in as much of the canada day celebrations as we wanted, but it was still fun.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MlekUFI/AAAAAAAAC9g/EuZgsmVROaY/s1600/DSC02542.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501345073144811602" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MlekUFI/AAAAAAAAC9g/EuZgsmVROaY/s400/DSC02542.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MWkyLcI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/Xxek22t31fM/s1600/DSC02534.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501345069144354242" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MWkyLcI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/Xxek22t31fM/s400/DSC02534.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we are in front of the parliament buildings here, which is where all the government is. the streets were literally packed with people, so trying to navigate a wheelchair, 2 double strollers, and 7 adults was a challenge. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MGDvuMI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/JCF5eS6Hw00/s1600/DSC02530.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501345064710813890" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0MGDvuMI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/JCF5eS6Hw00/s400/DSC02530.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we did get to see the queen!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0Lvnmn7I/AAAAAAAAC9I/cbCLVqVyxGM/s1600/DSC02526.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501345058687197106" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TFi0Lvnmn7I/AAAAAAAAC9I/cbCLVqVyxGM/s400/DSC02526.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>my poor hannah, not quite sure where she comes from, much less where her mommy comes from! so, it was really neat to be able to share this with my kids and everybody else. it took an awful lot for everybody to be there, but it was worth it. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-24146091975873234842010-07-29T07:25:00.000-07:002010-07-29T07:31:03.683-07:00just a quick note: we don't have internet at our house yet (that would be our new house!), so that's why i'm a little behind. we did move a week after we got back from canada! Mom and Bob came down and worked like dogs, we could not have done it without them. As well as everybody else that's helped over the past few months. Even though it's been disorganized, messy and hot in our house, i am deliriously happy to be there. we finally got a stove and countertops this week, so we really are making progress. much more on that later.<br />the next little while will be busy, big surprise. We are having a little party for Hannah this weekend, then the kids and i are going to my mom's, then we're coming back and planning charlie's big first birthday, and also creating and planting a fall garden, starting preschool with hannah, and hopefully starting violin lessons for me. before we know it, it'll be thanksgiving. again, though we are tired and still overwhelmed with what needs to be done, we are together, we are grateful to be together and to be in our house, and happy!pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-2804611184619834442010-07-14T19:04:00.000-07:002010-07-14T20:27:02.459-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z5TIVAJI/AAAAAAAAC9A/TMQeYswx2TA/s1600/DSC02462.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493956023663526034" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z5TIVAJI/AAAAAAAAC9A/TMQeYswx2TA/s400/DSC02462.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />before i get into our trip, the big news is that our closing is scheduled for tomorrow! so if it does go through this time, i will be a little busy for awhile. we've been unsettled for 4 months now, and assuming it'll take awhile to get resettled in our new house, we should feel better by the fall. and we are so ready for that.<br />ok, we covered an awful lot of miles during the 10 days we were away, but made it home in relatively good health (if incredibly sleep deprived, and somewhat low on patience) with all of our luggage intact. i used to really enjoy traveling, even flying. alas, there is no starbucks and a magazine anymore. we had really good itineraries both ways, with just the right amount of layover. people helped with the luggage, but it was still a miserable experience. especially on the way back, from toronto to wichita, going through customs in the airport: wearing charlie in the carrier, hannah and the carryons in the double stroller, balancng the 2 car seats on top, pulling our checked bag. so embarassing. why i still persist in wearing heels in such a situation is just beyond me. and why i have to take off charlie's shoes to go through security? seriously?<br /><br />it was a good trip. so so so busy. i'd love to document it thoroughly, so we can <br />remember in the future, but i'm doing good to even get the pictures up right now. i'm supposed to be packing, but if i don't do this now i may never. soooo, above you see the first morning of our trip. auntie lara was incredibly gracious and helpful as we tore apart her beautiful new condo. hannah had an absolute blast playing with her cousins, even though she and parker act like brother and sister and fight quite a bit! coming from pratt (pop. 7,000 or something) to boston was fun: all the people, the food, the view from the apartment, the food, the trains, the food!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z40jN43I/AAAAAAAAC84/LQV3EZU1d8A/s1600/DSC02469.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493956015454806898" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z40jN43I/AAAAAAAAC84/LQV3EZU1d8A/s400/DSC02469.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z4q7wMJI/AAAAAAAAC8w/fokzJRetd74/s1600/DSC02471.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493956012873363602" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z4q7wMJI/AAAAAAAAC8w/fokzJRetd74/s400/DSC02471.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />making forts out of the coffee tables.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z4NIW3OI/AAAAAAAAC8o/u8G7jVaR6GU/s1600/DSC02474.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493956004873166050" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z4NIW3OI/AAAAAAAAC8o/u8G7jVaR6GU/s400/DSC02474.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />unfortunately this is all the food i got a picture of! but the bakeries, oh my gosh. amazing stuff, made from scratch. if you ever go to boston, eat at flour bakery and cafe. sooooooooo good.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z3iueyNI/AAAAAAAAC8g/uM_0qKiabpc/s1600/DSC02475.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955993490344146" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5z3iueyNI/AAAAAAAAC8g/uM_0qKiabpc/s400/DSC02475.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />lar has lived in boston for 3 yrs now, she moved there just before hannah was born. she fell in love with her new city immediately, and has become pretty familiar with it. however, navigating the city with 5 small children is a whole nother ball game. we eventually got everywhere we were supposed to go. every 10 minutes meghan or i would say, " how do people with kids do it in this place?" :-)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zM5Zel8I/AAAAAAAAC8Y/6ZGB-T3vSlQ/s1600/DSC02480.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955260841891778" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zM5Zel8I/AAAAAAAAC8Y/6ZGB-T3vSlQ/s400/DSC02480.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i'm still surprised nobody got lost. not just boston but ottawa too. this was the train to and from the beach.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zMhadusI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/GtUXi9uEbho/s1600/DSC02481.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955254403578562" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zMhadusI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/GtUXi9uEbho/s400/DSC02481.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />manchester by the sea is this little town on the coast, just like it says :-). if you ever flipped through a pottery barn magazine and said, who lives in beach houses like that? well, they're all here, in lovely manchester by the sea. i am not easily impressed, but this place was truly storybook.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zL0bVTGI/AAAAAAAAC8I/bFKbFz9BJWs/s1600/DSC02482.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955242327624802" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zL0bVTGI/AAAAAAAAC8I/bFKbFz9BJWs/s400/DSC02482.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />in case anyone else is familiar with the area, this proves we were really there. this little spot is very close to the train station, then you have quite a hike to the beach, nearly a mile. our ice cream melted while we were trying to maneuver the double strollers up those hills.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zLlW6gbI/AAAAAAAAC8A/yg7cdbpavFs/s1600/DSC02483.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955238282559922" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zLlW6gbI/AAAAAAAAC8A/yg7cdbpavFs/s400/DSC02483.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />but it was worth it! hannah and i hadn't been to the ocean in 2 yrs, and charlie never, so even though we were only there for a few hours it was a special occasion.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zLKdM4DI/AAAAAAAAC74/1sRv7s9Iubo/s1600/DSC02486.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493955231061172274" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5zLKdM4DI/AAAAAAAAC74/1sRv7s9Iubo/s400/DSC02486.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the kids entertained themselves really well.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5yxoEMM7I/AAAAAAAAC7o/J6npKZQaDbM/s1600/DSC02495.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493954792332735410" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5yxoEMM7I/AAAAAAAAC7o/J6npKZQaDbM/s400/DSC02495.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i could not stop this kid from eating sand by the fistfulls. and you could tell, the next day!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5yxDLe0II/AAAAAAAAC7g/ss9JsEHkesw/s1600/DSC02499.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493954782431203458" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5yxDLe0II/AAAAAAAAC7g/ss9JsEHkesw/s400/DSC02499.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5ywgjnk1I/AAAAAAAAC7Y/8LH6IT-Igo4/s1600/DSC02500.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493954773137199954" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5ywgjnk1I/AAAAAAAAC7Y/8LH6IT-Igo4/s400/DSC02500.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5ywA3t9lI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/AATXrr46e60/s1600/DSC02502.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493954764631570002" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5ywA3t9lI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/AATXrr46e60/s400/DSC02502.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x9Xjkh0I/AAAAAAAAC7I/HujPABWs-fg/s1600/DSC02504.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493953894547752770" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x9Xjkh0I/AAAAAAAAC7I/HujPABWs-fg/s400/DSC02504.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we weren't even in boston for 48 hrs, then we headed out for canada. lara, the kids and i in one car, meg and her kids in the other. it was supposed to be a 7 hr trip, but turned into 10 1/2. crossing the border on the eve of canada day didn't help. of course we stopped for poutine at harvey's right across the border, too. charlie did not handle the trip well, maybe something to do with the copious amounts of sand he consumed. i would love to do that roadtrip again, under different circumstances. i adore new england, the picturesque towns, the food, the landscape.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x9BUjVRI/AAAAAAAAC7A/Hcg9Hlju9rg/s1600/DSC02510.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493953888579179794" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x9BUjVRI/AAAAAAAAC7A/Hcg9Hlju9rg/s400/DSC02510.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />such a male. only happy if he's behind the wheel!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x8qHz3VI/AAAAAAAAC64/bKL6W_bihEw/s1600/DSC02513.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493953882351721810" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x8qHz3VI/AAAAAAAAC64/bKL6W_bihEw/s400/DSC02513.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x8PZWM6I/AAAAAAAAC6w/5AQiApTfgoU/s1600/DSC02516.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493953875177517986" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x8PZWM6I/AAAAAAAAC6w/5AQiApTfgoU/s400/DSC02516.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />in the midst of the charming antique stores, local food stores, beautiful farms, and farmers markets, a walmart truck pulled up beside us as we were waiting for the ferry. it kind of ruined my moment!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x7uNczcI/AAAAAAAAC6o/wqZw1wu6gVs/s1600/DSC02517.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493953866269248962" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TD5x7uNczcI/AAAAAAAAC6o/wqZw1wu6gVs/s400/DSC02517.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>on the ferry across lake champlain. we got into ottawa really late, around 11.30. Hannah does not do well waking up in the middle of the night and not being in a bed. so waking up and being in a hotel, with lots of people but no daddy, she had a meltdown of all meltdowns. i was walking around trying to get situated and she was just holding onto me so tightly, i wasn't even holding her and i couldn't shake her off. thankfully my family helped me get the packnplays set up and everybody in their pjs. this was the first installment, more to come! </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-23717260581855382092010-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:002010-06-23T20:29:57.681-07:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz6b-CM1I/AAAAAAAAC5g/u7T4KzpnsEk/s1600/DSC02414.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484315525263799122" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz6b-CM1I/AAAAAAAAC5g/u7T4KzpnsEk/s400/DSC02414.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />so you may be thinking we haven't updated because we're busy unpacking and whatnot. alas, that is not exactly the case. what you're looking at is our basement wall. well i guess it isn't "our" wall, seeing as how this wall caved in the night before we were supposed to close. less than 24 hrs, actually. soooooo, things are a little up in the air. we may be back to square one, in which case we'll rent for a year or so until we find the perfect house, or we may buy this one for an extremely reduced price.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0f2FcRaI/AAAAAAAAC6g/tbNggPsWZ_8/s1600/DSC02432.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484316167929349538" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0f2FcRaI/AAAAAAAAC6g/tbNggPsWZ_8/s400/DSC02432.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hannah is such a wonderful helper these days, when I have the patience to let her :-). she always helps me make the bed, but on a whim the other day, i sent her in there to do it herself. from the time we get up in the morning till 5 pm or so, we're basically just generating piles and piles of mess. then we run around in a whirlwind cleaning up before patrick comes home. hannah's first every bed making was part of this daily routine. she was SO proud of herself, i got teary eyed. also, i can send her into the living room by herself, tell her to pick up everything that doesn't belong there, and she normally gets most of it. not just her own stuff either, but the whole family's.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz9t1o0uI/AAAAAAAAC6A/tvk8xgzsLuY/s1600/DSC02423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484315581600027362" style="WIDTH: 223px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 309px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz9t1o0uI/AAAAAAAAC6A/tvk8xgzsLuY/s400/DSC02423.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0eBrhpuI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/5lsAlTVkmCw/s1600/DSC02426.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484316136682137314" style="WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 308px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0eBrhpuI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/5lsAlTVkmCw/s400/DSC02426.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0dQVHU1I/AAAAAAAAC6I/VDO8ejOlcd4/s1600/DSC02424.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484316123434799954" style="WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0dQVHU1I/AAAAAAAAC6I/VDO8ejOlcd4/s400/DSC02424.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div> she's my little sous chef, for sure. pratt, and kansas in general, has so much to offer, but ethnic food isn't one of those things. so we made tzatziki this week. she especially loves the garlic press. if you've never heard a 2 1/2 yr old try to say tzatziki, you should put it on your bucket list. it's priceless. she loves to tell stories these days, and plays outside forever. she has three best "friends": ariel, tinkerbell, and snow white. where this came from i have no idea, since she has never seen a disney movie. she also loves to sing and dance and twirl. I'm just so proud of her, even though i get frustrated alot, she has such a sweet spirit. when we're at the grocery store, if we go by the bakery section, she always asks for cookies and i always say no and she just says "ok mommy." i've babysat kids who flip out if they don't get the right food on the right plate. the other day i pulled one of her kid plates out of the cupboard instead of a real one and she was so appreciative, she said "mommy i just love this special plate. thank you so much for giving it to me, that was so sweet." really, that's what she said. i don't want to forget these moments. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0fVTp7QI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/DZGLsoWHBfo/s1600/DSC02431.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484316159130594562" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBw0fVTp7QI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/DZGLsoWHBfo/s400/DSC02431.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>now charlie man, he's just taking off! at the moment, we have no space for things like the computer. so it gets moved around, and the cords are always all over the place being tripped over. (our wireless doesn't work well, and neither does the battery, so we're in the computer dark ages.) i know all our keys are going to be pulled off soon if i keep forgetting to shut it.<br /></div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz9HiyLBI/AAAAAAAAC54/4gFbRYxwxYM/s1600/DSC02422.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484315571320400914" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz9HiyLBI/AAAAAAAAC54/4gFbRYxwxYM/s400/DSC02422.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"what mommy? it's just oats." before i took this picture he was laying on his stomach swimming in it. and it was alllllll over the floor. which begs the question, where was i while this was taking place. i don't remember, actually. he just gets into everything so fast. so does hannah. and so does the dog. so i just run around after the 3 of them. we just have some open pantry shelves in the kitchen, and charlie just loves to pull himself up on them and knock the food onto the floor. but there's no other place to put it.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz7-oKa-I/AAAAAAAAC5w/AtkD_jke9a4/s1600/DSC02419.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484315551747173346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz7-oKa-I/AAAAAAAAC5w/AtkD_jke9a4/s400/DSC02419.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />also loves the dishwasher, and the toilet. (no, we don't have one, this is Jan's. dishwasher, that is. we do have a toilet. we aren't that rural :-).<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz7YO-jLI/AAAAAAAAC5o/y5YuFnkI1a0/s1600/DSC02417.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484315541440990386" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBwz7YO-jLI/AAAAAAAAC5o/y5YuFnkI1a0/s400/DSC02417.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />he had a few super fussy days so i took him in to see if he had an ear infection. of course, when we got there he was the happiest kid around. we did our 9 mos well check too, and he's doing great, which we knew. nearly 20 lbs. his feet are still funky (metatarsal adductus, for the record), but that will straighten out within a few months of walking, they say. there actually isn't a pediatrician here, just family doctors. we are going to the same one patrick went to when he was little. my first appt with a doctor is always somewhat of an interview, and he passed! of course, i should just be grateful he didn't throw me out on my homebirth birthing, private breast milk donating, non vaccinating, raw milk drinking butt.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZiQIqoI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/EOcfWY2Kz9M/s1600/picnic.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483565093084506754" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZiQIqoI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/EOcfWY2Kz9M/s400/picnic.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />so say what you will about how stupid it was to work on the house before we owned it, we'd probably do it the same way next time. we had our closing scheduled, and a few days before went in to start cleaning, painting, and doing other little things. and some not so little things. david and patrick worked SO hard. and it's getting hot here in south central kansas. des worked really hard as well: she babysat every single day. the grandparents volunteered as well, we are so grateful. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZKtbdII/AAAAAAAAC5Q/GwNV8IVTwbo/s1600/floor.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483565086764921986" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZKtbdII/AAAAAAAAC5Q/GwNV8IVTwbo/s400/floor.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />so you may not have noticed at first glance, but at the top of the picture, you can see what the floor looks like underneath the dirt. i honestly did not know the tile wasn't so brown. i just barely started excavating the house from underneath its filth. this is actually as far as i got on the bathroom floor.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZJTbwNI/AAAAAAAAC5I/RUJI482cnZk/s1600/DSC02412.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483565086387454162" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJZJTbwNI/AAAAAAAAC5I/RUJI482cnZk/s400/DSC02412.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJYGcF7kI/AAAAAAAAC44/ifOP7BSTgE4/s1600/DSC02408.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483565068438597186" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJYGcF7kI/AAAAAAAAC44/ifOP7BSTgE4/s400/DSC02408.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmJYmGZMfI/AAAAAAAAC5A/aSD9Wb0M_oA/s1600/DSC02411.JPG"></a><br /><div>there are no words!<br /><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIlWEYa6I/AAAAAAAAC4w/09Eng0CDgGM/s1600/DSC02407.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483564196460784546" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIlWEYa6I/AAAAAAAAC4w/09Eng0CDgGM/s400/DSC02407.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIkxmD2OI/AAAAAAAAC4o/RQic1QWJb-k/s1600/DSC02397.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483564186669930722" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIkxmD2OI/AAAAAAAAC4o/RQic1QWJb-k/s400/DSC02397.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIkJvd6HI/AAAAAAAAC4g/m7QyRo56BLc/s1600/DSC02392.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483564175971969138" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIkJvd6HI/AAAAAAAAC4g/m7QyRo56BLc/s400/DSC02392.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />who is this big girl? surely not mine.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIj46kQHI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/HXgLMm4ruNw/s1600/DSC02388.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483564171455119474" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIj46kQHI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/HXgLMm4ruNw/s400/DSC02388.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIjVDRSqI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/HSyER9X_DeM/s1600/charlie+swimming.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483564161827949218" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TBmIjVDRSqI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/HSyER9X_DeM/s400/charlie+swimming.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div>hanging out at the pool, in his fancy baby floatie. Hannah's getting much braver this year, putting her head under water and blowing bubbles. She absolutely loves the waterslide, as well. </div><div> </div><div>we're off in a few days for a whirlwind of a trip: wichita to boston for 2 nights, driving up 7 hrs to ottawa for my cousin's wedding, Canada Day, and a side trip to see where i spent most of my childhood. I lived in a suburb of Ottawa called Manotick for 7 yrs (i think), much longer than i've lived anywhere else put together. i don't really have roots, and i definitely don't have a home, so any opportunity i have to connect with my past is priceless. anyways, we stay in ottawa for 3 nights, then drive 4 hrs to a cottage with dad and bunny for 4 nights, then back here. all of this will be in extremely close quarters with lots of people, so we hope the kids sleep through the night somehow magically. drugs, anyone? </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-83346444530890763452010-06-04T18:58:00.000-07:002010-06-04T20:01:35.385-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy7Ennl1I/AAAAAAAAC3A/8GvslCGIRrk/s1600/house.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479107149594859346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy7Ennl1I/AAAAAAAAC3A/8GvslCGIRrk/s400/house.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />this is our current abode. we're nice and cozy!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0sIM0ruI/AAAAAAAAC3w/PrK-sA-eIR8/s1600/DSC02383.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109091881430754" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0sIM0ruI/AAAAAAAAC3w/PrK-sA-eIR8/s400/DSC02383.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />yes, they do have alot of cows around here, but these ones are special. why, you might ask? because these healthy, happy looking cows, who reside at Hilltop Farms in Zenda, KS provide milk for us!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1b-UQBkI/AAAAAAAAC4A/YxIBjTrwGjw/s1600/DSC02385.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109913861948994" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1b-UQBkI/AAAAAAAAC4A/YxIBjTrwGjw/s400/DSC02385.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1cemJIHI/AAAAAAAAC4I/zyeWvWm2jlI/s1600/DSC02387.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109922526929010" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1cemJIHI/AAAAAAAAC4I/zyeWvWm2jlI/s400/DSC02387.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />She actually drank the entire half-glass I gave her without putting it down once. I think the technical term would be "chugged" her milk. She then declared it to be the best milk she'd ever had. (i promise that was unprompted. she's funny like that. the other day she was telling me a story, and she mentioned "a brilliantly coloured elephant." seriously. where did that come from? she also told me something had disappeared.)<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1bW7xwII/AAAAAAAAC34/K3lk8PB5X9U/s1600/DSC02384.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109903290318978" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm1bW7xwII/AAAAAAAAC34/K3lk8PB5X9U/s400/DSC02384.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we also picked up eggs, and jelly. these eggs, btw, were $1.75/doz. i find that amazing. we've also found beef locally, for $2.00/lb. That's so much cheaper than the grocery store! They also make wine, cheese, and yogurt, and have chicken and sometimes pork. Then fruit trees, and walnuts. Unfortunately, most of that's just for them. More on this topic at a later date. An entire post dedicated to real food, with not a picture of my children in sight. unless they're seen enjoying the aforementioned real food.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0rsAENEI/AAAAAAAAC3o/h428Iem6cDU/s1600/DSC02381.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109084311729218" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0rsAENEI/AAAAAAAAC3o/h428Iem6cDU/s400/DSC02381.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the other day alvin, loretta and jan spent the day with us. loretta kept the kids, and we worked on the house. Patrick has worked his butt off: completely remodeled the bathroom, extensive plumbing repair, ripped up the kitchen, hung drywall, and will be installing tile floor. and we finally passed the inspection to qualify for the loan. so, there should be nothing to prevent us from closing Friday.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0rEhoVJI/AAAAAAAAC3g/0LyzYGAxyIM/s1600/DSC02380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109073715090578" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0rEhoVJI/AAAAAAAAC3g/0LyzYGAxyIM/s400/DSC02380.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />this is the dining room. now that charlie's feeding himself, it's so much easier to keep the bathtub right near the table to just throw him in when we're done. we're actually considering just feeding him in the bathtub, naked. efficiency at its best! actually, the bathroom is off to the right and patrick had to take the tub out to redo the floors. he asked me to come over to help him move the tub. in my defense, it's heavier than it looks. i strained and strained, no go. imagine my embarassment when the 14 yr old he had helping him on saturday did it relatively easily.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0q560N5I/AAAAAAAAC3Y/8aOGlbRjFBw/s1600/DSC02379.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109070867937170" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0q560N5I/AAAAAAAAC3Y/8aOGlbRjFBw/s400/DSC02379.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Grandma Jan was in charge of painting. She did a great job, but there's still PLENTY left, for whoever's interested! we'll pay you in local, organic farm fresh milk and eggs. And i finally made good biscuits. After trying for a few years, these were actually amazing. I could have eaten the whole pan. The secret, I've decided, is to actually follow the recipe and put as much butter and white flour as the recipe calls for :-).</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0qNHZFfI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/NNoUgfk18NI/s1600/DSC02378.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479109058841089522" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAm0qNHZFfI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/NNoUgfk18NI/s400/DSC02378.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the other day someone asked me what i do all day. this isn't the first time i've gotten this question, and to be honest, many days i'm not exactly sure. I would venture that most people that work in an office are not exactly productive every minute of the day either. anyways, an example of how things seem to materialize out of thin air: my daughter making a hopscotch out of her toy bins. this was better than normal; she sometimes just dumps them all in one giant pile.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy7RDnhAI/AAAAAAAAC3I/TUhsP5VS7c0/s1600/pool.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479107152933520386" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy7RDnhAI/AAAAAAAAC3I/TUhsP5VS7c0/s400/pool.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />i put charlie in the baby pool for the first time, and he did great. kept climbing out to eat grass, maybe he thinks he's a cow :-). it's creeping up to 100 degrees here already. sorry mom, i told you it was colder than tx!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy6iuYCDI/AAAAAAAAC24/0Iw7rxH43Bo/s1600/cart.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479107140496394290" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmy6iuYCDI/AAAAAAAAC24/0Iw7rxH43Bo/s400/cart.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>this is what i was talking about the other day. that child had never had that much fun in his 8 1/2 mos of life. how often does an adult's face look like that?</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmxTOMh_cI/AAAAAAAAC2g/LxCW_ilnTOA/s1600/standing.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479105365459205570" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/TAmxTOMh_cI/AAAAAAAAC2g/LxCW_ilnTOA/s400/standing.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div>he celebrated his 9 mo birthday by standing up for us! he's also started crawling but prefers sliding wormlike on his tummy. </div><div> </div><div>david and des will be here on Monday, and we hope to get lots done on the house while they're here to watch the kids. i'm dragging patrick to an art festival in OK tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. art festival in Alva, Oklahoma, you say? we'll see! </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-26255451051584168482010-05-25T19:27:00.000-07:002010-05-26T18:51:14.429-07:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYFmVBnxI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/wL3NbvPJ8C8/s1600/DSC02377.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475418468931182354" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYFmVBnxI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/wL3NbvPJ8C8/s400/DSC02377.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />keep your fingers crossed! we should be closing in a few weeks, Lord willing. I walk/drive by at least every day, and often pop in just for the fun of it. I also have a picture on the fridge, so when i feel like our current house is closing in on me, i remind myself that this isn't all there is! patrick has been working doubletime, at his regular job in the day and often at the house in the evenings. there are quite a lot of things that have to be done before our bank will approve the loan. soooo, hopefully soon.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYFI40GuI/AAAAAAAAC2I/pH4gBIma940/s1600/DSC02376.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475418461028227810" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYFI40GuI/AAAAAAAAC2I/pH4gBIma940/s400/DSC02376.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYESGX7YI/AAAAAAAAC2A/w-QLiWBgma0/s1600/DSC02374.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475418446321151362" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYESGX7YI/AAAAAAAAC2A/w-QLiWBgma0/s400/DSC02374.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie will be 9 mos next week, and he's doing great! loves to babble, and can army crawl really really fast. he is eating all kinds of food, and working on picking up pieces himself. i've introduced a cup, but it hasn't really caught on yet. he occasionally sleeps through the night, but not as a rule. we put charlie down in the kids' room, and hannah down in ours. then when we go to sleep, we move hannah to her bed. then when charlie wakes up in the middle of the night and i can't get him to sleep quick enough, we put him in the packnplay in the kitchen. it works, sort of! hannah, little stinker, doesn't take a nap anymore :-(. it just wasn't worth the fight. but at least she goes to bed at night really easily. in this picture, i asked her to smile. that didn't work, so i said laugh, instead. so that's a laugh. she has her dolly and a book for one of our walks. we like to walk alot, so they bring entertainment. i walk to do alot of our errands like the post office, library, and even light grocery shopping. when we move, we'll be right next to "downtown".<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYDq9ia_I/AAAAAAAAC14/KV3tyE5upog/s1600/DSC02372.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475418435815107570" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYDq9ia_I/AAAAAAAAC14/KV3tyE5upog/s400/DSC02372.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYClhnXjI/AAAAAAAAC1w/1a-l2a11PrM/s1600/DSC02369.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475418417175944754" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yYClhnXjI/AAAAAAAAC1w/1a-l2a11PrM/s400/DSC02369.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />patrick had the genius idea to let charlie feed himself. when he was eating a blueberry/strawberry puree, of all things. </div><div> </div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVHakZkuI/AAAAAAAAC1A/kAUvZFdrjqE/s1600/DSC02368.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475415201599296226" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVHakZkuI/AAAAAAAAC1A/kAUvZFdrjqE/s400/DSC02368.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />a friend once told me that every parent should have a picture of their child sleeping. so here it is, my sleeping beauty.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVGzXA47I/AAAAAAAAC04/NoLl7Tgxmpc/s1600/DSC02367.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475415191074169778" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVGzXA47I/AAAAAAAAC04/NoLl7Tgxmpc/s400/DSC02367.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />and then, like dr. jekyl and mr. hyde, here is the same child awake. imagine!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVGZDtoqI/AAAAAAAAC0w/sYCaZ_Mnj7A/s1600/DSC02362.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475415184013894306" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVGZDtoqI/AAAAAAAAC0w/sYCaZ_Mnj7A/s400/DSC02362.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVF7iHTvI/AAAAAAAAC0o/ukLNGUOTjPk/s1600/DSC02360.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475415176088342258" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVF7iHTvI/AAAAAAAAC0o/ukLNGUOTjPk/s400/DSC02360.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVFdDeeOI/AAAAAAAAC0g/ChYu47LSioU/s1600/DSC02359.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475415167906773218" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yVFdDeeOI/AAAAAAAAC0g/ChYu47LSioU/s400/DSC02359.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />at grandma jan's this weekend. i don't know who started it, but they (patrick and Jan) let Hannah get ahold of the hose. i can't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. top right: any time she gets wet or dirty, she strips down. it's something we're trying to work on!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT7j_fQwI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/FSjndjnPIcw/s1600/DSC02353.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475413898458776322" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT7j_fQwI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/FSjndjnPIcw/s400/DSC02353.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />just like hannah did, charlie loves climbing up under the coffee table. he's so proud of himself. we didn't get a picture, but at a store the other day we put them in one of those car grocery carts, and he was absolutely beside himself. i never would have thought he was old enough, but his entire face just lit up and he couldn't stop laughing and grabbing the steering wheel. it was great!<br /><div><br /><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT5BBaqtI/AAAAAAAACz4/bX7FqoFjfyM/s1600/DSC02341.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475413854711884498" style="WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 376px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT5BBaqtI/AAAAAAAACz4/bX7FqoFjfyM/s400/DSC02341.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT5jkUMyI/AAAAAAAAC0A/aaLWuUaByXg/s1600/DSC02342.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475413863985066786" style="WIDTH: 380px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 276px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yT5jkUMyI/AAAAAAAAC0A/aaLWuUaByXg/s400/DSC02342.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS27UaQ6I/AAAAAAAACzw/fSsfCT9TVuY/s1600/DSC02339.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412719309570978" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS27UaQ6I/AAAAAAAACzw/fSsfCT9TVuY/s400/DSC02339.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS2LUQnfI/AAAAAAAACzo/6k9VhJTJk9E/s1600/DSC02338.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412706424036850" style="WIDTH: 374px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS2LUQnfI/AAAAAAAACzo/6k9VhJTJk9E/s400/DSC02338.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS1rsPHtI/AAAAAAAACzg/FVnQC4IJ8Rk/s1600/DSC02337.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412697934667474" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS1rsPHtI/AAAAAAAACzg/FVnQC4IJ8Rk/s400/DSC02337.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />some pictures from our mother's day cards.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS1I_ja2I/AAAAAAAACzY/A8NJccl95_Q/s1600/DSC02335.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412688620448610" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS1I_ja2I/AAAAAAAACzY/A8NJccl95_Q/s400/DSC02335.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />pratt has many beautiful victorian homes. Some have been neglected, but others are alive and well, such as this one. we love walking in the older parts of town, and admiring them.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS0c2OXXI/AAAAAAAACzQ/G3YkreN3JNE/s1600/DSC02332.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412676770159986" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yS0c2OXXI/AAAAAAAACzQ/G3YkreN3JNE/s400/DSC02332.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPMudFDCI/AAAAAAAACzI/F6vcuPabYcw/s1600/DSC02331.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475408695766879266" style="WIDTH: 369px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPMudFDCI/AAAAAAAACzI/F6vcuPabYcw/s400/DSC02331.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />the water towers on the left, and then it may be too small, but on the right, in the window, are the prices of different crops: wheat, corn, milo and something else i can't see. the other popular one is soybeans. <div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPL2vTJnI/AAAAAAAACzA/CVzQfKmzlrY/s1600/DSC02327.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475408680810915442" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPL2vTJnI/AAAAAAAACzA/CVzQfKmzlrY/s400/DSC02327.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />of course storms around here are legendary, so there are also alot of rainbows. this double rainbow happened right after we moved here, and we took it as a blessing! this is our backyard, the best thing about the house. and especially, the fence alvin and loretta crisp put up. thank you!<br /><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPKsWJq1I/AAAAAAAACyw/PgXCsXj_OWg/s1600/DSC02323.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475408660841212754" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPKsWJq1I/AAAAAAAACyw/PgXCsXj_OWg/s400/DSC02323.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPLbgchkI/AAAAAAAACy4/CUF5v09EV9M/s1600/DSC02324.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475408673500857922" style="WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 366px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPLbgchkI/AAAAAAAACy4/CUF5v09EV9M/s400/DSC02324.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPJyQbahI/AAAAAAAACyo/rODGouzdi7M/s1600/DSC02322.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475408645247953426" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S_yPJyQbahI/AAAAAAAACyo/rODGouzdi7M/s400/DSC02322.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>after 2 days of unpacking, we decided to leave the rest and go exploring. we were back by lunch :-). just kidding. we were already familiar with this town, though, so that helped quite a bit. there are so many other towns in a 1 hr to 1 1/5 hr radius, that i also count when i'm thinking of entertaining/shopping/dining opportunities. it's a common misconception that if you live in a ginormous city like the metroplex (dfw metroplex, that is), you're constantly on the road. maybe if you had to commute, but i practically refused to go anywhere longer than 15 min. away. I had no need to. but at least here, if you have to drive an hour to get to something, it's through beautiful fields, a few forests or creeks, through picturesque towns. the journey is part of the appeal. in dallas, an hour on the road would have meant confusing interchanges, toll roads, bad traffic, and all kinds of policemen! and numerous billboards for not so very gentlemenly "gentlemen's clubs". i actually enjoy driving places here. which is good, because i've already put alot of miles on the car! </div><div> </div><div>patrick's in Denver this week, meeting with the head office and all that good stuff. he called and told me there were 3 whole foods right around his hotel. stinker! but more importantly, he made his first deal! I'm so proud of him! that means he beat out competitors and convinced an oil operator around here to sell Patrick, or High Sierra Energy, his oil. Patrick will now figure out how to get the oil where it needs to go. It's actually very complex, which i didn't know. that reminds me, some other news that he may want mentioned: Patrick brought home a dog the other day. we named it sierra, for good luck and to commemorate this new stage in life. i have nothing against dogs as a rule, for other people. but i haven't warmed up to one becoming part of my family, so we'll see how it goes. hannah likes her. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-44429372331772848462010-05-12T17:57:00.000-07:002010-05-15T18:55:15.335-07:00<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTYKNG_8I/AAAAAAAACyA/dXpCVe8ZN6M/s1600/DSC02287.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557846892904386" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTYKNG_8I/AAAAAAAACyA/dXpCVe8ZN6M/s400/DSC02287.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, i finally bought another downloading cord, and here we are. i had so many pictures from before we moved, so i decided to do it in installments. this was charlie's first time in the swing, he seemed to like it ok! </div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTXkVwgnI/AAAAAAAACx4/-S4jMNqh-oc/s1600/DSC02295.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557836728631922" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTXkVwgnI/AAAAAAAACx4/-S4jMNqh-oc/s400/DSC02295.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />when patrick heard he got the job, mom and bob took us out for a celebratory dinner. we went to fogo de chao, a brazilian steakhouse that is one of our favourite restaurants. it's the kind, however, that you only go a few times in your life. (our lives, anyways!)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTXAZcMtI/AAAAAAAACxw/SzaRLWigioY/s1600/DSC02297.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557827080401618" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTXAZcMtI/AAAAAAAACxw/SzaRLWigioY/s400/DSC02297.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie was sick and i couldn't get him to sleep before the babysitter came, so he got to join us. thankfully, it was still special for me because i didn't have to hold him. got to love grandparents!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTWwtiA9I/AAAAAAAACxo/REFTFGlmVAQ/s1600/DSC02298.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557822869701586" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tTWwtiA9I/AAAAAAAACxo/REFTFGlmVAQ/s400/DSC02298.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we went to grapevine, a picturesque little town with lots of shopping and restaurants and all kinds of fun stuff. we love grapevine. decorated at christmas it's absolutely adorable. there's also a Great Wolf Lodge, the Gaylord Texan Hotel, the Grapevine Mills Outlet Mall right there, all right next to the DFW airport. did i mention we love it? :-) but we're not going to get nostalgic about texas, are we??? anyways, we love this little bakery/lunch place, where we were enjoying some afternoon specialties. Don't even get me started on the food. last time i had a brie/pear/spinach/pancetta panini. i guess i'll have to make my own now!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS7XAZVUI/AAAAAAAACxg/0VE-PlGUd6M/s1600/DSC02299.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557352113034562" style="WIDTH: 363px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS7XAZVUI/AAAAAAAACxg/0VE-PlGUd6M/s400/DSC02299.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6uIKa0I/AAAAAAAACxQ/gO9FpX_yCkk/s1600/DSC02301.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557341139757890" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6uIKa0I/AAAAAAAACxQ/gO9FpX_yCkk/s400/DSC02301.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, hannah eats a little more sugar now than she used to! definitely a fan. she's mine and patrick's daughter for sure. and my mom's granddaughter :-). </div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6xwzmeI/AAAAAAAACxY/ghSA5aHv504/s1600/DSC02300.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557342115535330" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6xwzmeI/AAAAAAAACxY/ghSA5aHv504/s400/DSC02300.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so as everybody was sitting here enjoying being together, the gorgeous weather, our wonderful food, admiring my precious babies, what do i do? stand up and start getting on everybody to get moving, of course. my goodness, i struggle with relaxing. i did the same thing at thanksgiving when Grandma Jan, David and Des joined us at the Dallas Arboretum. I really must work on sitting still and smelling the flowers, or whatever people do when they're sitting down :-).<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6ehWbeI/AAAAAAAACxI/Eg-gLekWi18/s1600/DSC02302.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557336950435298" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS6ehWbeI/AAAAAAAACxI/Eg-gLekWi18/s400/DSC02302.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />everyone is smiling so brightly because they were out of the house and therefore removed from my crazy easter preparations. I decided not to make my braided easter bread, so we could have this special day together. i struggled at the time, but it was so worth it!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS54ZUBaI/AAAAAAAACxA/6V1pTXkqICY/s1600/DSC02304.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470557326716175778" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tS54ZUBaI/AAAAAAAACxA/6V1pTXkqICY/s400/DSC02304.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />sometimes i wish patrick liked to windowshop as much as i do, but it has its advantages. who else would watch the packages and the stroller? and the little tornado? </div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSVta4cAI/AAAAAAAACw4/8qYxU1Q-sk8/s1600/DSC02305.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556705294675970" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSVta4cAI/AAAAAAAACw4/8qYxU1Q-sk8/s400/DSC02305.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSVVZB8bI/AAAAAAAACww/kYkm0Pnj7EE/s1600/DSC02306.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556698844459442" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSVVZB8bI/AAAAAAAACww/kYkm0Pnj7EE/s400/DSC02306.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we had a few redneck sightings, as well. it takes a strong man, that's all i'm going to say! :-)<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSUxPLakI/AAAAAAAACwo/o6ouZfLR0zQ/s1600/DSC02307.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556689139460674" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSUxPLakI/AAAAAAAACwo/o6ouZfLR0zQ/s400/DSC02307.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />this is a actually a self portrait. patrick and i are usually too busy to get this close, so it was nice.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSUiEF3tI/AAAAAAAACwg/X-JCFziXJgw/s1600/DSC02309.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556685066428114" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSUiEF3tI/AAAAAAAACwg/X-JCFziXJgw/s400/DSC02309.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Mom and Hannah had a great time doing eggs for our centerpiece.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSULz_GzI/AAAAAAAACwY/0YYCIzgdpi4/s1600/DSC02310.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556679093295922" style="WIDTH: 376px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tSULz_GzI/AAAAAAAACwY/0YYCIzgdpi4/s400/DSC02310.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRvtyJ9DI/AAAAAAAACwQ/iHiPeHHHTUk/s1600/DSC02314.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556052557263922" style="WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 369px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRvtyJ9DI/AAAAAAAACwQ/iHiPeHHHTUk/s400/DSC02314.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRvLwhncI/AAAAAAAACwI/uE9oYCejM0g/s1600/DSC02315.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556043423620546" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRvLwhncI/AAAAAAAACwI/uE9oYCejM0g/s400/DSC02315.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I just can't get enough of their smiling faces! others may not notice, but I will look back on this picture and notice the living room is empty because we were already packing. that last week is such a blur, especially with having a garage sale and everything. we did have dinner a few nights with friends, and even though at the time it was hard for me to stop working, i'm glad we did it.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRuhrRPyI/AAAAAAAACwA/eE6a50GtDM8/s1600/DSC02316.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556032127287074" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRuhrRPyI/AAAAAAAACwA/eE6a50GtDM8/s400/DSC02316.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />patrick drove the uhaul and towed his truck. we moved on tax day, so he voiced our convictions with his "don't tread on me" flag, as he traveled :-).<br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRuMk3QPI/AAAAAAAACv4/tmChRRPic3M/s1600/DSC02317.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470556026463273202" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-tRuMk3QPI/AAAAAAAACv4/tmChRRPic3M/s400/DSC02317.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />as i mentioned, those last few days were crazy. we packed the truck one day, then spent the night with just our matresses and left first thing the next morning. patrick let me splurge on getting a cleaner, or else we'd have been up till 2 am. That night we went out for Thai food and Cold Stone and tried to have closure. When you're in the middle of everything, sometimes you don't process as much as you want to. I thought about it on my 9 hr drive, but the kids are pretty noisy in the car. Ok, just one of them actually. We had mixed feelings about leaving. We enjoyed our life there, and will look back on it fondly. That 18 mos was really the longest we've been anywhere, and were really just starting to feel settled. We are really going to miss our church, and food. Grocery store and restaurant food. and having the huge, cheap Frisco Athletic Center 3 min from our house! If I were one of those good bloggers, i'd make some funny top 10 list about this. oh well. That being said, We really are excited about where God is leading us. </div><div>and this is where we were led: </div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MRJzBQPI/AAAAAAAACyg/0rE_4gYAFEM/s1600/DSC02321.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471675929849839858" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MRJzBQPI/AAAAAAAACyg/0rE_4gYAFEM/s400/DSC02321.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MQoUCjNI/AAAAAAAACyY/bLxdXcHOXAE/s1600/DSC02320.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471675920861531346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MQoUCjNI/AAAAAAAACyY/bLxdXcHOXAE/s400/DSC02320.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MQeCYCfI/AAAAAAAACyQ/JsACFGHEfQY/s1600/DSC02319.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471675918103087602" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MQeCYCfI/AAAAAAAACyQ/JsACFGHEfQY/s400/DSC02319.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MP1MGNUI/AAAAAAAACyI/IA3brlRw51g/s1600/DSC02318.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471675907138008386" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S-9MP1MGNUI/AAAAAAAACyI/IA3brlRw51g/s400/DSC02318.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />you know how sometimes one day can feel like a whole week? i started off in our house in N Dallas, eating blueberry doughnuts that some friends brought. i ended the day, many miles and hours and coffee later, here, in south central KS, a world away from N Dallas. Kansas really is its own kind of beautiful, and as soon as we started driving west from wichita, i was overwhelmed with the bigness and beauty of it. it did start to rain, and we finally pulled up in front of our little rent house, swarming with people helping us unpack. the kids and i fell out of the car, and i went inside. more than a little overwhelmed, i nearly cried then i noticed someone had picked a stem of lilacs and put them in an antique glass jar and set them on the stove. every time over the next few days that i wanted to cry, i went back and looked at the flowers. thank you Jeana! </div><div></div><div>ok, now we're sort of caught up. we will soon be posting about our new house (currently under contract), Patrick's job, and my indescribably horrible braces! </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-91251077911616192562010-04-28T12:18:00.000-07:002010-04-28T13:35:31.264-07:00He is Risen Indeed!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iTO3N6G9I/AAAAAAAACvo/2RwUcBqWp_o/s1600/IMGP2801.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465280031363832786" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iTO3N6G9I/AAAAAAAACvo/2RwUcBqWp_o/s400/IMGP2801.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so, i know you probably want to see pictures of our new home, but i can't find my downloading cord. i'll probably have to buy a new one. easter was so special, and since i'm doing this more for us to remember our own lives than for anybody else, here's a post about easter!<br />it was wonderful, other than me stressing everybody out because i worked hard and, as already mentioned, lost alot of sleep over wanting easter to be perfect. what's the big deal, you may say, just put some eggs in a basket! for me it starts on palm sunday, and we celebrate Good Friday as well. So there was alot of food and church and, yes, even outfits. above: this was all charlie got to eat. he does that to me less often, thankfully, now that he has 4 good sized teeth.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSw36cCEI/AAAAAAAACvg/2ddU2WdJYA0/s1600/IMGP2798.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465279516154529858" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSw36cCEI/AAAAAAAACvg/2ddU2WdJYA0/s400/IMGP2798.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />he's sitting up so well! not quite crawling, but he does manage to get to where he wants to be.<br /><br />I made hot cross buns this year for the first time, but they weren't all that great. there's always next year. it's a good friday tradition, apparently. we actually never made it to church on good friday because both the kids were sick, and we'd just been so stressed and busy we decided to stay home. We watched the Passion of the Christ, which I hadn't seen since i was in africa. then we took communion together.<br />Sunday morning Mom, Bob, Charlie and I went to a sunrise service, which is a tradition I really love. Then we came home and opened easter baskets. Patrick had to be at church early for choir, and it was just crazy. the whole day passed in a giant blur until 5 pm or so when our company left.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR3JcghxI/AAAAAAAACug/iPKXfwLwcuM/s1600/IMGP2771.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465278524428420882" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR3JcghxI/AAAAAAAACug/iPKXfwLwcuM/s400/IMGP2771.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR3uWHm1I/AAAAAAAACuo/p7S6qL97EBE/s1600/IMGP2773.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465278534333733714" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR3uWHm1I/AAAAAAAACuo/p7S6qL97EBE/s400/IMGP2773.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />charlie just trying to stay out of the way!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR4Zkf_SI/AAAAAAAACuw/yopi1S7RBio/s1600/IMGP2778.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465278545936776482" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR4Zkf_SI/AAAAAAAACuw/yopi1S7RBio/s400/IMGP2778.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we were in various stages of getting ready for church. hence the pyjamas and wet hair. sorry!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR5WlpihI/AAAAAAAACu4/gUC59bsIkjU/s1600/IMGP2784.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465278562316159506" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR5WlpihI/AAAAAAAACu4/gUC59bsIkjU/s400/IMGP2784.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />oh, the infamous chocolate. hannah knows what easter means, she'll tell you if you ask because we've been talking about it for weeks. but she also knows the cultural tradition of chocolate. and i have to say, she liked it. this was actually her first chocolate experience. i was so busy, she ended up eating just chocolate for breakfast. dont' think she minded!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSuV9_SfI/AAAAAAAACvA/Kic8J9S38uE/s1600/IMGP2785.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465279472682879474" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSuV9_SfI/AAAAAAAACvA/Kic8J9S38uE/s400/IMGP2785.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i'm still apalled at myself, but this is the only picture of the much agonized over easter outfits. patrick was already gone, and we were rushing out the door like crazy people, and my mom stopped to take a picture of hannah. i got on her because we were so late, i said oh, we'll do it all when we come back. well, thanks mom, because we at least got one! of course it looks better without the sweater, and the deer in the headlights smile. but i remember what she really looked like. when i was a little girl i always had a hat and gloves, and this was hannah's first time.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSvhaSTEI/AAAAAAAACvQ/TBQUQsDSPPA/s1600/IMGP2788.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465279492934224962" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSvhaSTEI/AAAAAAAACvQ/TBQUQsDSPPA/s400/IMGP2788.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we had friends over, so hannah had somebody to do and easter egg hunt with. i was in the kitchen during this part, but i think they had fun. and yes, some eggs had more chocolate in them. she was wired, that's for sure.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSwZxV9TI/AAAAAAAACvY/5pX4GjlKaMw/s1600/IMGP2789.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465279508063319346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSwZxV9TI/AAAAAAAACvY/5pX4GjlKaMw/s400/IMGP2789.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSvGzXKoI/AAAAAAAACvI/EwotmIWFunE/s1600/IMGP2786.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465279485791644290" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iSvGzXKoI/AAAAAAAACvI/EwotmIWFunE/s400/IMGP2786.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>i never could have pulled it off without my mom. having a nursing baby seriously impedes my productivity! and he was really sick that week. my mom did almost everything, and i am so grateful. we didn't eat until 2.30 or something, but it was wonderful. Thank you mom! we had rosemary glazed lamb, scalloped potatoes, green beans with almonds, rolls, and coconut cake. and i know this is stupid, but as an aspiring informal party planner, i was tickled that when i went on allrecipes.com i saw that the menu they had featured for easter was EXACTLY the same one i came up with on my own!<br /></div><div>somebody might read this and infer that i enjoy easter because of the decorating and celebrating and eating and matching outfits. i do like celebrations, and traditions, but in case you are reading this and don't know me, i have to make sure that we reiterate the purpose of Easter: remembering the life and sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, meditating on our sinful, lost state, and exulting in the most amazing miracle of all time, the Resurrection of Jesus. Those are more than words, and Easter is more than a fun holiday. It is the only thing </div><div>that gives my life eternal meaning. Not only does it mean that I do not have to pay for my own sins and can spend eternity with God, it means that here on earth I can victory over my own sin, through the power of the Risen Lord. the older i get, the worse off I feel: I don't know if I'm actually digressing, or just maturing enough to see how lost I am on my own. either way, I desperately need Jesus every day. and because of Easter, I can claim Him as my own Lord and Saviour and rise above the darkness, loneliness, emptiness, and everything that this world uses to bring us down to it's level. Because of Easter, I am a new person. I know that old things can pass away and new things can come. Not just for Jesus, but for me and you too. If you dont' know for sure that you are experiencing new life in Christ, I encourage you to search it out today! </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR2lMxL4I/AAAAAAAACuY/_aI-5ra5LJg/s1600/IMGP2764.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465278514698727298" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S9iR2lMxL4I/AAAAAAAACuY/_aI-5ra5LJg/s400/IMGP2764.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>thanks again to Mom for her incredible help, and to her, bob, patrick and hannah for putting up with me. i hope you remember the good times and not, well, my witchiness :-) </div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-74595873460235940462010-04-18T16:13:00.000-07:002010-04-18T16:22:01.349-07:00ok, we're all here and accounted for! it's been a super stressful month or so. and in the middle of this we've had easter, and mom and bob's visit. I really celebrate Easter, so between that and moving i think i've only survived the last 4 wks with copious amounts of caffeine, sugar, and adrenaline. Patrick leaves tomorrow morning, for the week. I and the kids are going to do nothing more than eat and sleep on a regular schedule, and have baths every night! We are mostly settled in our "cozy" rental house :-). the kids sharing a room isn't going all that well, not sure what to do about that. we dont' have internet yet, so i'm doing this somewhere else, but as soon as we do, i'll get some pictures up. from easter and from our new home. there will be a certain amount of adjustment time, i think, possibly even culture shock! patrick will be gone a whole lot over the next little while, at least 6 months we think. so between that and feeling unsettled because we aren't in our permanent home. . . !<br />kids are pretty good, charlie's almost crawling, and has 4 teeth now!<br /><br />ps. cultural moment: this morning in church they were advertising a fundraiser for youth camp. you can hire a youth for work, and he said, if any of y'all have a poopy chicken coop that needs to be cleaned out, come get a youth. i laughed then realized he was serious :-)pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-35348210487515283112010-04-13T10:01:00.001-07:002010-04-13T10:02:32.425-07:00so, the truck's pulling out thursday morning, Lord willing and if the creek don't rise :-)<br />pray for me, that one of my children't doesn't get accidentally left behind. we'll get an update just as soon as we can.pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-28333683102459068792010-04-07T19:48:00.000-07:002010-04-08T19:21:11.673-07:00A. it will be the 18th time in my life I move, when we move to pratt, Kansas! yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are again on the move :-). It is quite the story, actually. Patrick had been thinking about quitting for a year, and the day he did, he had lunch with a former client. This man is vice president of an energy company based in Denver. He travels around quite a bit, which is why he bought an airplane. He was telling Patrick about an average day, and mentioned he went through Pratt. Long story short, he sort of offered Patrick a job there. (This happens to be the same Pratt that Patrick grew up right next to.) Over the next few days we clarified how serious he was, and as it turns out, he was really serious. Although Patrick has no experience in this particular field, he so impressed them that they want him to start Monday. (We are going to wait till next Monday, fyi :-) So, he will be a crude oil sales rep for that territory, but i'm not exactly sure where that entails yet. We will be moving very soon, within a few weeks. The past month has been intense, and now we are ready to progress to the next season, albeit with mixed feelings. I've discovered I may not be the gypsy I thought I was! But we are very excited and will keep you posted!pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-91875033714460749792010-04-07T18:20:00.000-07:002010-04-07T19:47:43.230-07:00Q. what is special about the # 18?pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-18473352892917467692010-03-23T20:52:00.003-07:002010-03-24T19:45:33.578-07:00<div align="center">So, mommy has been begging daddy to write the captions for the pictures that she spent 1.5 hours uploading the other night. After much procrastination, daddy has given in. His only request is that you don't hold him to the same standard as his superior blogging wife. She has a great way of adding humor to our othewise humour-less lives. (Some things are actually rather funny, but most are simply frustrating. I think its a two year old thing?)<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQlYwwSGI/AAAAAAAACuQ/D3O6NC8b3SI/s1600-h/DSC02284.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452047795885197410" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQlYwwSGI/AAAAAAAACuQ/D3O6NC8b3SI/s400/DSC02284.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />So charlie has began making messes with solid food. Peas, and carrots for now, fried chicken and chocolate cake in the near future. (If you did't realize that daddy was writting this, you should now.) Charlie is so cute! He similes anytime you catch his eye, and laughs all the time.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQk1e1zUI/AAAAAAAACuI/j_sj1_zPQ1M/s1600-h/DSC02276.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452047786414820674" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQk1e1zUI/AAAAAAAACuI/j_sj1_zPQ1M/s400/DSC02276.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We had a great time in KS. This was our final meal...grandma Jan's famous fried chicken, mashed potatos, and fried chicken gravy! oh my, you just don't know what your missing. (Hannah didn't really know what to do with all this yummy food)<br /><br /><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQkQPxxHI/AAAAAAAACuA/NzxL9HHkIPM/s1600-h/DSC02273.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452047776419529842" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQkQPxxHI/AAAAAAAACuA/NzxL9HHkIPM/s400/DSC02273.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Hannah had a great time playing with daddy's grandparents. I am simply amazed at how much energy all of my grandparents still have. This was a rare picture of Hannah and mommy together. Normally, mommy is on the wrong side of the camera.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQkF_b-HI/AAAAAAAACt4/251Rfpwq-AI/s1600-h/DSC02270.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452047773666637938" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQkF_b-HI/AAAAAAAACt4/251Rfpwq-AI/s400/DSC02270.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not sure...<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQjs5QV4I/AAAAAAAACtw/kA2oAfKXZ1g/s1600-h/DSC02269.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452047766929823618" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mQjs5QV4I/AAAAAAAACtw/kA2oAfKXZ1g/s400/DSC02269.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Hannah introduced grandma jan to Veggie tails. Not sure if grandma was a huge fan, but they had a lot of fun together! </div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPjlUIInI/AAAAAAAACto/Dyzgo7qG8Vg/s1600-h/DSC02265.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452046665383420530" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPjlUIInI/AAAAAAAACto/Dyzgo7qG8Vg/s400/DSC02265.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Does anyone else notice how great grandma jan's hair looks? We're so proud of how great she has done this past year with her cancer. Oh wait, that's right...she doesn't have cancer anymore!!! Many more memories to make. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPjHc9EeI/AAAAAAAACtg/zi9ILmt-XD8/s1600-h/DSC02263.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452046657367380450" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPjHc9EeI/AAAAAAAACtg/zi9ILmt-XD8/s400/DSC02263.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Grandma is about to start crawling. You can do it!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPijrD2cI/AAAAAAAACtY/FEudSBorFqY/s1600-h/DSC02261.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452046647762868674" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPijrD2cI/AAAAAAAACtY/FEudSBorFqY/s400/DSC02261.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I love you grandma, but hannah has a beautiful expression on her face in this picture. I still can't believe I had something to do with that???</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPiFT2-UI/AAAAAAAACtQ/I18j3ITvPeE/s1600-h/DSC02259.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452046639612492098" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPiFT2-UI/AAAAAAAACtQ/I18j3ITvPeE/s400/DSC02259.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Generation one and four together.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPhkLbrcI/AAAAAAAACtI/SLh91o8tvJA/s1600-h/DSC02257.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452046630718778818" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mPhkLbrcI/AAAAAAAACtI/SLh91o8tvJA/s400/DSC02257.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Kansas and porch swings go together like fried chicken and gravy. It was still a bit cold though.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOoAEIHtI/AAAAAAAACtA/V7hAIZjKR8g/s1600-h/DSC02252.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452045641771917010" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOoAEIHtI/AAAAAAAACtA/V7hAIZjKR8g/s400/DSC02252.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Good looking girls.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOnvsu6XI/AAAAAAAACs4/TOngr12sDZE/s1600-h/DSC02251.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452045637378828658" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOnvsu6XI/AAAAAAAACs4/TOngr12sDZE/s400/DSC02251.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Not sure how much he actually ate, but at least he is enjoying himself.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOnKDVnuI/AAAAAAAACsw/YLM0lS-Vijs/s1600-h/DSC02248.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452045627273092834" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOnKDVnuI/AAAAAAAACsw/YLM0lS-Vijs/s400/DSC02248.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />So in case you haven't heard, I finally resigned from Premier. Perhaps this was the reason I was having such a hard time selling?<br /><br /><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOmOgM0bI/AAAAAAAACsg/ci-1TLM_rh4/s1600-h/DSC02243.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452045611288023474" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mOmOgM0bI/AAAAAAAACsg/ci-1TLM_rh4/s400/DSC02243.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />So Hannah loves to climb into Charlie's crib. I think they are going to have so much fun together in the future.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNtIaOsSI/AAAAAAAACsY/BLTDT02xFGI/s1600-h/DSC02241.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452044630399824162" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNtIaOsSI/AAAAAAAACsY/BLTDT02xFGI/s400/DSC02241.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Again, he is so cute!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNstweIfI/AAAAAAAACsQ/ZotouXUAKsc/s1600-h/DSC02239.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452044623245353458" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNstweIfI/AAAAAAAACsQ/ZotouXUAKsc/s400/DSC02239.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This is s new exibit at the Dallas zoo.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNr26u3yI/AAAAAAAACsI/Alp68UHfYmg/s1600-h/DSC02238.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452044608524443426" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNr26u3yI/AAAAAAAACsI/Alp68UHfYmg/s400/DSC02238.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Would someone please brush this childs teeth. Oh, I guess that's my job.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNrulTIvI/AAAAAAAACsA/2hOi7E3a2Ow/s1600-h/DSC02236.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452044606287061746" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNrulTIvI/AAAAAAAACsA/2hOi7E3a2Ow/s400/DSC02236.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Mommy's little helper. </div><div><br />We'll that's it for now. Got to go pick up my pizza! ( I wish I was joking, but I'm not) Hope to have some good news on the job front really soon. We would appreciate your prayers! </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S6mNqxzUc3I/AAAAAAAACr4/xpmopgrDIqE/s1600-h/DSC02235.JPG"></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-8203944942765149912010-03-09T18:05:00.000-08:002010-03-09T19:30:12.042-08:00A new day<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_1Vbc0cI/AAAAAAAACrw/sMXOVWvyNqU/s1600-h/DSC02233.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446822091101622722" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_1Vbc0cI/AAAAAAAACrw/sMXOVWvyNqU/s400/DSC02233.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />we went for a walk yesterday after supper, now that the days are getting longer. so this was actuallya sunset. there are so many people and buildings that we never get to see much, so it was special. hannah just knelt down and looked at it, like she was worshipping.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_058WmKI/AAAAAAAACro/JlDDDqbTGmk/s1600-h/DSC02232.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446822083723434146" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_058WmKI/AAAAAAAACro/JlDDDqbTGmk/s400/DSC02232.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_0cvfcxI/AAAAAAAACrg/QaBOjE1RI2Y/s1600-h/DSC02231.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446822075884860178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_0cvfcxI/AAAAAAAACrg/QaBOjE1RI2Y/s400/DSC02231.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_ODtswCI/AAAAAAAACrY/WRAs3ij372c/s1600-h/DSC02230.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446821416331427874" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_ODtswCI/AAAAAAAACrY/WRAs3ij372c/s400/DSC02230.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />hannah is such a special girl, as trying as it is sometimes! she currently loves her dollies, colouring/playdough/crafts, playing outside, going to church, watching tv (i still try to limit that, but that doesn't stop her from loving it!), changing her clothes, roughhousing with daddy, cooking with me, and making charlie laugh. she makes him cry quite a bit too, but we hope that's by accident! i'm pretty sure she knows her colours now, and she counts to ten. she loves to sing, and her current favourite is swing low sweet chariot. she calls it sweet cherry hot. she knows all the words. she is fiercely independent, she gets very upset if you try to help her with her clothes/shoes/potty/snacks/etc. i try to let her do things by herself, but sometimes we have quite the power struggle. at night, she absolutely refuses to stay in her bed, or leave the light off. i've almost given up. i know she's supposed to listen to me, but i'm quite defeated in this department. i guess she'll fall asleep when she's tired! she's growing up so fast.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_NG2OOSI/AAAAAAAACrQ/lLW_5R7fH9E/s1600-h/DSC02229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446821399992613154" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_NG2OOSI/AAAAAAAACrQ/lLW_5R7fH9E/s400/DSC02229.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />hannah actually took this picture, while i steadied the camera. i think she did a pretty good job!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_MuW0i-I/AAAAAAAACrI/IU5mEYMJphw/s1600-h/DSC02228.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446821393418456034" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_MuW0i-I/AAAAAAAACrI/IU5mEYMJphw/s400/DSC02228.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />and then i took this one! does anybody want a print? :-)<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_MGFiF_I/AAAAAAAACrA/AnHnk-Tno_E/s1600-h/DSC02226.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446821382608525298" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_MGFiF_I/AAAAAAAACrA/AnHnk-Tno_E/s400/DSC02226.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so charlie's just such a mellow contended dude that he's really made no progress in moving. anywhere. or sitting. i thought i'd try to help him use the boppy, but he just fell right over! he does like to pretend he's swimming, by waving his arms and legs alot. kind of like a windmill, lots of activity but all in one place. he loves toys, but is willing to accept substitutions. for example, he is just as happy to play with the drawstring on his pants, his socks, or the seatbelt strap on the carseat. he doesn't actually have teeth, but you can see the top 2 perfectly, they're right there! but not through yet. he is really starting to babble, making actual consonant sounds. that's a good sign for his hearing. which i know we haven't talked about in a while, we never got another hearing test, the day we went in they wouldn't do it because he wasn't feeling well. but i'm positive it's fine, the original impairment was a result of the infection and blockage. and while i'm on a charlie update, he does have another ear infection. he just got over it last week. i guess this is what they mean by chronic ear infections. i worked so hard to get donated milk, it kills me to do this, but i think i'm going to try a lactose free formula for a while and see if that helps. but he's a trooper!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_LoN70rI/AAAAAAAACq4/7MCh8l2qHNQ/s1600-h/DSC02224.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446821374590702258" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S5b_LoN70rI/AAAAAAAACq4/7MCh8l2qHNQ/s400/DSC02224.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>so, about our title. life is full of surprises, and it's a good thing i like change, because we seem to have alot of it! patrick resigned from Premier Aircraft Sales on friday, after a year of making it with no salary. We finally decided that it was not what was best for our family, even though he really enjoyed the job. We are pursuing a couple options right now, and really praying for God to prepare the way for us. i don't know why, but i'm reticent to ask Him for something really great, because we don't deserve it, and life isn't supposed to work out so well, i guess i think it's supposed to be hard. but i want the best possible for my children, so maybe God feels that way too? we should know something in the next few weeks. </div><div> </div><div>we're going to ks on monday so patrick's family there can meet our sweet charlie. i'm sorry i haven't been taking pictures, it seems we never do anything. the past few weeks have been dentist for me, dr for charlie, and church. next week will be better. then, mom and bob will be here for easter and we're really excited about that! </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33496336.post-81745211749030286372010-02-25T19:06:00.000-08:002010-02-25T19:56:34.846-08:00random rambles<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8Hfo0z7I/AAAAAAAACqo/luTJxvoEGag/s1600-h/DSC02223.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384774150016946" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8Hfo0z7I/AAAAAAAACqo/luTJxvoEGag/s400/DSC02223.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />so as i think i've mentioned, nobody seems to get much sleep around here. last night was par for the course: got home from church after 8, got the kids into bed around 9, patrick got home from worship team practice at 9.30, he works for an hour to get ready for his expos this weekend, i do some laundry and ironing for him to pack, we go to bed around 11, i can't fall asleep because of stupid restless leg and not being able to turn my brain off, charlie wakes up, i go get him and come back to bed at 12.30. hannah wakes up at 5.30, goes into the kitchen, turns the light on, and starts getting herself food. patrick tries to get her back to bed. she makes a big commotion, patrick goes and gets her junk (blankets and animals) and hauls it to our room where she amazingly falls back asleep on the floor. unfortunately, all this woke charlie up. at 6 i bring him into our bed, and 3 of the 4 crisps are asleep. (not me, of course). patrick's phone rings. then his alarm clock goes off at 6.45. charlie sleeps, but hannah's now up. she jumps onto bed with me and charlie, now charlie's up, and it's all over. aggghhhh. 5 hrs is not enough! patrick leaves for the weekend, leaving me with 2 very unhappy children and the one i babysit on the way.<br /><br />which brings me to my next point. consider above picture: homemade cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing (patrick has a new flight student who made these and gave to him. don't worry, she's old(er), vs. the proteinpowder/flaxmeal/oatmeal/carrot/apple/raisin/walnut/1 tbsp of oil in whole batch muffins i (and hannah) made yesterday. one cannot be expected to make a good decision under these circumstances. i told patrick to take them with him and he said no. put these two scenarios together, and what do you get? we had muffins for a snack, then when charlie went for an early nap, we (yes, hannah too) had wonderful warm cinnamon rolls, perfectly scrambled cheesy eggs, and absolutely wonderful hazelnut coffee (from brett and jess). oh my. AND, we ate it in front of the tv! decadence at our house, i'm telling you. you just wish you were here! but the catch is, you have to be up all night in order to deserve it. :-)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8G-2nbNI/AAAAAAAACqg/mnxzKDoTIzM/s1600-h/DSC02221.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384765349489874" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8G-2nbNI/AAAAAAAACqg/mnxzKDoTIzM/s400/DSC02221.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />oh. my. gosh. he's so cute! and i can't decide which one i mean. i know my mom will hate this, but i'm thinking of actually doing his hair, with gel, for Sunday. it's rocker dude adorable! maybe he'll join daddy on the bass. :-)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8GtFdC3I/AAAAAAAACqY/i1Nyv5tQ56Y/s1600-h/DSC02216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384760579885938" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8GtFdC3I/AAAAAAAACqY/i1Nyv5tQ56Y/s400/DSC02216.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />so he's a very hands on kid. he doesn't do this to everyone, mind you, so either he really loves me or thinks he can eat my chin. whenever i pick him up, he claws my face/hair/glasses/nose in an attempt to get my chin in his mouth. it's really funny, but he kept looking at patrick. he's remarkably strong for a little guy.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8GNdStcI/AAAAAAAACqQ/-4VU4K8o3j0/s1600-h/DSC02213.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384752089937346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c8GNdStcI/AAAAAAAACqQ/-4VU4K8o3j0/s400/DSC02213.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7c3oQ8cI/AAAAAAAACqI/k-JU-jsDZN4/s1600-h/DSC02212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384041855742402" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7c3oQ8cI/AAAAAAAACqI/k-JU-jsDZN4/s400/DSC02212.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />i don't think i've had a picture taken with charlie for about 2 mos. see that hole in my teeth? i'm getting braces. ugghh. 16-20 mos. very not thrilled. anybody have any advice to pass on?</div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7cJhdnFI/AAAAAAAACp4/Nz18pUWAi0Q/s1600-h/DSC02210.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384029479181394" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7cJhdnFI/AAAAAAAACp4/Nz18pUWAi0Q/s400/DSC02210.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7clVbnNI/AAAAAAAACqA/0z38ayus2MQ/s1600-h/DSC02211.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384036944911570" style="WIDTH: 361px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7clVbnNI/AAAAAAAACqA/0z38ayus2MQ/s400/DSC02211.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>i kept thinking we can't cut hannah's hair because she doesn't have hardly any. but then i decided, the mullet just has to go. so, she got her first hair cut! it's 1.5 in shorter, and looks way better. maybe now it'll grow straight. i guess since i have another baby, these milestones don't make me that sad. but when it's my last one (so 5 or 6 from now :-), i'll be so sad! </div><br /><div>i finally caved to popular opinion. she asked me if hannah could have a sucker, and for some crazy reason i said yes. i guess i was tired of how people look at me when i say no. but it was the cutest thing. she said mommy, what is this? i don't know how to eat it. YEAH! that's my girl :-).<br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7bqC12gI/AAAAAAAACpw/7CvjzEr8aNk/s1600-h/DSC02209.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384021029247490" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7bqC12gI/AAAAAAAACpw/7CvjzEr8aNk/s400/DSC02209.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />a mouse in the house? no, this is just something she does know how to eat. we had a lock on the fridge for a day or so, but it broke, or it was annoying so we took it off, i don't remember. i keep thinking she should just learn that she's so not old enough to get her own snacks. but the girl's so bloody persistent. so the other day i found her just eating the block of cheese. thank the Lord she didn't try to cut it herself, i guess. i have no idea how much she ate.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7bCFlT-I/AAAAAAAACpo/28z4N80ALJE/s1600-h/DSC02208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442384010303328226" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4c7bCFlT-I/AAAAAAAACpo/28z4N80ALJE/s400/DSC02208.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>so, i think God was trying to teach me a lesson the other day. Hannah has different levels of clothes. play/stay at home clothes, going out clothes and church clothes. it is very important not to confuse these categories. unless, of course, it will make her overdressed for the occasion as opposed to underdressed. so patrick, wonderful man, got her dressed one day. no, it shouldn't matter, but i actually made her change. then, she has a potty accident. i'd stopped carrying extra outfits around. so, i have to find the tub of reject clothes at the church, and she has to do the walk of shame out to the car. (this was the best i could find, really. her shirt says 'firecracker'. i wanted her to keep it). as if that's not enough, we had to go to the grocery store like that, and we were having company that night so i was really distracted. her bag of wet clothes and shoes stayed on the washer until the next day. when i took them out, the shoes had stained the shirt. it wouldn't come out. not happy. my fault? probably. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>right after that, she had another outfit, with a matching sweater that happens to be white. she goes in the fridge herself, tries to get a bowl of pasta, and spills it all down her sweater. it was red sauce. (if only i'd gone with the super unhealthy alfredo!). this was one of my favourite outfits, so when i see her i start yelling. (i never knew i'd do that, until i had a 2 yr old). HANNAH! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE FRIDGE BY YOURSELF! she stands there dripping in sauce and says, mommy, don't yell at me, that's not sweet! it was definitely a turn around and count to 10 moment before you proceed.</div><div>this is the sweater. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4dEnK_Vo_I/AAAAAAAACqw/PXHH-AgA2kQ/s1600-h/80CA5AN6HC.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442394114456134642" style="WIDTH: 72px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 96px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ahQLR4_RHCM/S4dEnK_Vo_I/AAAAAAAACqw/PXHH-AgA2kQ/s400/80CA5AN6HC.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>i found it on ebay. not to buy again, just to show you because other mommies might recognize the collection, so you know how cute it is so you'll know i was justified in being frustrated. ok, maybe not. any hoo. </div><div></div><div>lest you think i'm not aware of anything outside my house, how bout that ghanaian skiier? more importantly, there is something other than the olympics that has occupied my almost every waking thought, and many sleeping thoughts, for the past 2 wks: my former roommate, kari #1 we call her (both my roommates were named kari/carrie), and her husband jonathan, also a former Lebou teammate, are back in senegal! just on a visit right now, but they're going to be moving soon. it would be much to difficult to attempt to share my feelings on this, so i haven't tried. but i will be sharing some pictures she sent me, of people and places very special to my heart. </div></div></div></div></div>pjcrisphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12385111390261485759noreply@blogger.com2