tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-305544122024-02-27T23:58:18.480-06:00Happily Ever After...Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.comBlogger1080125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-24677908709985536082016-09-06T20:39:00.001-05:002016-09-06T20:39:44.513-05:00Still Here! Hello dear blog friends! It has been a minute since I've stopped by here and poured myself some coffee while I sat at this keyboard to chat. I can't believe how time has flown and how life looks so much different than the last time I wrote. Like truly upside down, brand new, what is my life, kind of different! God is so good and His plans for us over these last six months have been a rich exercise in His faithfulness and provision. These timely lyrics from an old hymn come to mind even now as I sit here...<br />
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<em>"Blessed assurance Jesus is mine...Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love...This is my story and this is my song, praising my savior all the day long!"</em> <br />
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All is certainly not perfect, it never is on this side of Heaven, but for sure this has been a season in our life of being filled with His goodness and I am anxious to tell you all about it! I really didn't intend to leave you with a massive cliffhanger like my last post here, but truthfully life just sort of got away from me in the upheaval that a move with three children brings and then I found myself doing lots of updating on social media instead of my blog, simply because it's much, much easier! BUT, I've had sort of a gaping hole in my person that has always been filled with the satisfaction of writing and getting my words out, and so here I am, attempting to find my footing again and tell a few more stories. I'm totally overwhelmed about where to start! The kids are growing like little weeds and even in the last few weeks, we have just looked at them with huge eyes and realized our babies aren't really babies anymore. They are all doing so well and they fill us with joy and pride, but they also wear us down! haha! My season of motherhood is shifting once again with TWO kids in school all day (WHAT?!?!?!) and I find myself taking a deep breath as I reinvent parts of me and embrace lots of new! <br />
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I don't think there is any good way to smooth over my absence from here, so I guess I'm doing a massive cannonball in the deep end today! If I had to guess, showing you our home might just be the best way to resolve the cliffhanger of selling the condo, am I right?? I have just a little time before I have kids getting off the bus, but I'd love to show you two of my very favorite spaces, our living room and our front porch. They are two of the most put-together spots in the house, I have spent most of my time on our main level for obvious reasons, but having outdoor spaces has been the biggest treat for both Travis and I. We ached for that for so long after making the most of our tiny condo porch and both our backyard space and front yard space have been the best reward for our patience! I went a little bananas with my flowers this year, mostly because I had YEARS of pent-up creativity and lots of "someday when I am in a house I will..." scenarios to play with. I'm sure the neighbors have wondered about me more than a few times! ha ha! I am having the best time nesting over here and of course I'm loving the change of seasons too. My mind is exploding with creative juices and a brand new (to us) home to decorate. I'll give you the back story of how we landed here in another post, but for today, here are some fun before and after pictures! <br />
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We took a few pics in the condo the night before we closed on it. It was emotional for me! I didn't think it would be but when you bring 3 babies home to those walls to experience all of their "firsts", it's hard to just walk away. </div>
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To think we moved here with a dog and no kids and we left with no dog and 3 big kids! Lots of life in those 9 years and lots of memories too. Only in the last month or so have our kids started to call our new house, home. They missed the condo for quite awhile, even though they loved our new place too, but I think they struggled to let go of the "familiarity" and how comfortable they were there. It's so ironic, we longed to get out from under that condo for many years and when it came time to leave, we were all a little weepy saying goodbye! </div>
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But we did move on and into a brand new reality! This is a picture from our first week in our new house, we were all so happy to have SO MUCH SPACE. We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. We nearly tripled our square footage in this move and not surprisingly, after we emptied our storage unit and garage, we quickly filled this place up. I have been hanging onto many things for years knowing we would want them someday. I'm so happy our someday came this year! </div>
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All of my good before pics are on my phone and not uploaded so I'll just show you what I took with my camera for now. This was our living room on the weekend we moved in! </div>
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It is a nice big room with a fireplace that we loved, a mantle for me to decorate (YAY!) and wonderful windows that let tons of light in. I was super happy with the layout of this house and all the natural light. The only thing we did in the whole house before we moved furniture in, was to paint that wall that the TV is mounted on. It was cherry red before and I just couldn't wrap my mind around making that work! Thankfully the owner of our house was a-ok with us painting it and we had just enough of the original color left to cover it. I am so happy we did that! Did I mention that we are renting in my last posts?? I will save that story for another time, but in case I didn't mention it yes, we are renting and we are very thankful for the way the Lord brought us to this house. We signed a two year lease here and already we just love it! Considering what's out there and the lack of control that renting can bring, this house was such a great fit for us and among many more important things, selfishly I was very thankful for it's neutral color scheme to work with! </div>
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I found this gem from our first few weeks here. Travis, Ava and I all celebrated birthdays within our first month here and I think that was a great way for us to begin making new memories. Already the kids look little in this pic compared to today! I'm glad that our living room has already held milestones and sweet times together. It is definitely our most "lived in" space! </div>
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After many arrangements and re-arrangements, this is what my living room looks like as of today! I just vacuumed it and picked it up while the kids were at school so that's why it's perfect! Please know that it almost never looks this clean, haha! By tonight the pillows will be strung all over the place and we'll be stepping over toys and backpacks like every other normal family. We love this room and are thankful for enough seating to pack lots of people in here. A few weeks before we sold our condo I found this couch and the chair/ottoman on Craig's List! It was a crazy amazing deal and almost brand new. We love it so much and I'm so glad it works in this room, we sort of took a chance on it but it's perfect for us. </div>
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When the kids went back to school last week I let myself do what I loved while they were gone, including getting my Fall stuff out! The color scheme of this house was made for Fall and I was like a little kid in a candy store getting it all put together. Don't even talk to me about Christmas! I will likely pass out with excitement over decorating for that! </div>
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Aside from our Craig's List deal and some new lampshades, I didn't really have to buy anything for this room. I've just made lots of our old things work for now and I'm happy that they do! I couldn't wait to get a gallery wall up and I love how it's all come together. Things always look a little different in pictures versus real life but the good news is, I like it a lot in real life! I picked up a couple pops of orange and gold to add in for Fall and I love the change up for the season. </div>
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We kept our old TV cabinet solely for storage. It took a few moves to get it in its' permanent spot but I like where it landed. Besides, Travis said he will never, ever move that thing again so I have decided it's perfect! It's crazy heavy, I can't blame him! </div>
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It's probably the designer in me combined with my extremely sentimental side but I love furniture that tells a story and it's been fun to use/re-use some of our things in this house. This little white table reminds me of my first post-college job! I bought it in Florida from the little Interior Design studio I worked for. Over the years it's been a side table in our guest room and then in Ava's nursery before it went to storage for a few years. For now it's in our living room and I have loved seeing it again! I didn't envision it in here but I have learned to shop my house before deciding I need to buy something. Many things have found new homes and new uses. </div>
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I've been on a major creative bender since sending the kids back to school! I think all of my creativity from this summer has been bottled up inside me and was dying to come out. I basically managed children for the last three months from sun-up to sundown and it has been kind of fun to do a few projects now that I have a little more time! I made this sign last week and I found a home for it on my mantle. It may migrate to the porch but right now it lives here! Welcome to my never-ending carousel of re-arranging. It's one of my spiritual gifts! Ha! </div>
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That basket of mums used to be my Mom's but she passed it on to me a few years ago. I always loved it in her house! I remember when she bought it, believe it or not. I would always get excited when it came out every Fall and then sad to see it put away until the next year. I love that it lives in my house now! And as a bonus, it also fills a really odd/challenging space next to our fireplace. Score! </div>
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I've got a thing for pumpkins and by "a thing" I mean, an obsession. </div>
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It's a problem. A problem I have no intention of correcting.</div>
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This is our cute little porch! Last week I cleaned up my summer pots and traded lots of them for Fall mums and some ornamental kale. I loved the summer look with lots of bright colors out here too, but this feels like a great change up. It's definitely one of my happy places! </div>
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I also made that gigantic welcome sign because, well, pinterest made me do it! It's a little big, but I think I like it! You cannot accuse me of not being welcoming, haha! </div>
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I have also had that porch furniture from my single, Florida days! It too has been in storage for awhile but I think we are both happy to be reacquainted again. It's the perfect size for this porch and being out here is one of my favorite places to be! Ava and I like to call that plant on top of the bistro table, the Rapunzel plant! We planted a little fairy garden in there and over the summer it has grown and grown and grown! The trailing leaves remind us of Rapunzel's hair! </div>
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I traded in my bright summer cushions for a little more muted color scheme out here...I know, I know, who cares?? Well, I do! Those are the sorts of dumb things running through my head on a daily basis. Welcome to the crazy! I'm waiting to add a fun throw and some more pillows (because you can never have enough of either!) from my sister in Iowa as soon as I see her next. I love to read out here and drink a little coffee while I wait for the bus. It's also been a fun play spot for our kids and all the neighbor kids too... I loved sitting out here this summer to chat with friends and watch our kids play. It still feels like the best surprise every morning! I hope I always have a front porch! </div>
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Oh Fall and all your colors, how I've missed you! </div>
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So there you have it! Two of my favorite spaces and a clumsy return to blogging, but a return nonetheless! I've missed it here and I look forward to stopping in a little more frequently. We are truly so grateful and thankful to the Lord for what this year has brought. A new address and other new adventures as well, but mostly for His faithful and steady provision for us. We would never have dreamed this one year ago, in fact we had never even driven through this neighborhood back then! But that's what I love about the Lord! He always knows what's best and His timing is perfect. If I have learned one big thing this year, I think it would be that our God is so trustworthy. When the road ahead seems dimly lit or completely foreign, that is no indication of whether or not God is present or actively involved on our behalf! He is present and we can trust Him completely with what we don't know and can't see. He has never let us down or failed us and life with Him in the lead is more than we could possibly ask or imagine! He is the grand adventure of our lives and we have been reminded in this whole move to leave our anxiety in His very capable hands and in the most gracious act, to trade our worries for his peace. He is so good like that and He delivers every. single. time. </div>
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Thanks for being excited about what He did for us this past year! It's not the end of the story, He's still doing a lot, but it sure was a sweet page turn in our book! </div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-79473282351046383762016-02-12T13:10:00.001-06:002016-02-13T08:14:34.233-06:00Sold!! {Part Two}Even before any thoughts of selling our condo came to be, Psalm 37 was my refuge for the last year. During so many days of wondering what the Lord was doing with us or why we couldn't put our finger on what we were experiencing, He spoke the same few things over and over to me as I kept going back to Psalm 37. <div><br></div><div>Vs. 3- 7 <b><i>"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him, do not fret..."</i></b></div><div><b><i><br></i></b></div><div>Again and again I was being reminded to trust Him. To wait patiently on Him. To let Him act and to just keep doing the right thing, even when there were no immediate answers or change of circumstances. If I'm honest, I often struggled to put this into practice and my own frustration over what I couldn't control frequently robbed me of sleep and certainly of peace. But the Lord called me right back to Him and kept telling me in His word to wait patiently on Him. I had no control over a housing market and there wasn't any way we could rewind 9 years and undo a purchase that at the time, was a huge blessing to us. God worked a real surrender into me and helped me focus on just dwelling in the land He had given us. Loving our home for what it was and not wasting the days away in regret or despair. This past Fall, we simply did our best. Life was busy with ministry and soccer and school and the daily everything. We took each week as it came and had plenty on our minds to occupy us. </div><div><br></div><div>And then on one ordinary day, at the end of November, an email landed in my inbox from our friend who is a realtor. Over these last five years he was fully aware of our scenario and desire to sell as soon as we found out we were pregnant with Carter. He's been a great source of input for us, checking in annually to let us know where the market is at and how that might impact us. We've sort of laughed together over the past few years at how "stuck" we really were and how God just kept giving us enough creativity and determination to make it work. But as I read this email, something was different. This one had a critical element we hadn't had for years, a missing piece to the puzzle. This one had a little <i>hope</i> woven through it. Maybe the market was finally close enough? Maybe this time of year would be beneficial to us in selling? Maybe we were ready to just take a way out and escape with our necks just above water? It sort of stopped me in my tracks and I read it with the same kind of defensiveness that kept me detached when I've entertained thoughts like these before. Sounds great, but I'll believe it when I see it. </div><div><br></div><div>I did later read it to Trav and we agreed to look a little deeper and have a conversation with him. I remember driving on the 1st of December to Ava's school, sitting in the carpool line when my phone rang. It was snowing gently outside and I was mentally thinking of all the things I needed to get done before Trav's Mom came to visit later in the week. It was our realtor and he wanted to chat a little more about that email. We had a hopeful conversation, lots of "maybe you could think about this and that" and then at the end of it he added, "You know, I just might have someone who may want to take a look at it. We've been looking at things in a different suburb but I wonder if he'd consider yours? Do you want me to ask him?" I didn't really need to even think about it, I had zero expectation that it would amount to anything so I just agreed and we hung up the phone. I do remember having the distinct thought afterwards, wouldn't it be just like the Lord to come out of nowhere, as quietly as this snowfall outside and just sell this thing? I almost dismissed it as totally wishful thinking, but there really was a thread of wonder in my heart that held onto that thought. Why would I think the Lord couldn't or wouldn't do something like that?? </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>An hour later, an email buzzed on my phone and I almost dropped it as I read it. Turns out, yes, this guy <i>was</i> interested in taking a look and how did a showing in 6 days sound? </div><div><br></div><div>I. Know. Right???? </div><div><br></div><div>What in the world was happening??? A showing??? We hadn't entertained that as an actual possibility at all and HELLO, if you could have seen the state of our house at the time, you would have laughed your head off at the irony! It was a disaster! And just for fun, freshly decorated for Christmas...certainly not ideal for pulling off a "spacious and orderly" vibe! I called Travis in a nervous panic and he laughed. He laughed at me but also because he just doesn't panic, ever. He was genuinely impressed with the Lord and at the timing of all this. A new job in the works and his Mom about to arrive, "she can help us" he added cheerfully, at which I about died. His Mom was coming too!! Good grief! I was simultaneously thrilled for the same reason and overwhelmed because I had to get ready for her first and I didn't want her visit to become a work trip. I think I sat down and put my head on the table, muttering things like "this is nuts, maybe we should cancel, it's not that hard, we could just stay here forever. It's easier." Again, my level-headed man laughed and calmed me down, helping me see this as a good thing and reminding me to breathe. And then just like that, we spent the next 6 days doing the deepest clean/purge we could. Trav's Mom was a HUGE help and without her there that firs time, I could never have pulled it off. I mean that sincerely. It looked so nice in here and I felt so good about putting the best foot forward we could. Our potential buyer saw it and then we entered phase one of the great moving drama, we waited. The first feedback we got was good, he liked it and was surprised by it. The cleaning woman in me felt validated and the designer in me felt appreciated. He was probably not expecting a baby suite in the master closet! haha! The mom in me just felt tired :) </div><div><br></div><div>Next came the whirlwind that is the holidays and we didn't have much communication other than an affirmation that he still liked it and was still interested. We were in no hurry really, we were traveling to Iowa and juggling all that Christmas brings with it and then the great sickness of 2016 hit us on New Years Day. January ushered in pink eye for 4 of us, a double ear infection for 1 of us, a stomach bug for 4 of us, an upper respiratory infection for 1 of us, laryngitis for 2 of us and stitches for 1 of us. So it was, you know, quiet and peaceful around here.</div><div><br></div><div>In the midst of all that drama, we were wondering how he still felt and should he want to move forward, what in the world would we do? This was still a completely shocking scenario to us and truthfully we didn't know if we should put any stock in it or if we could trust the roller coaster emotions that come with buying and selling. Should this happen, where would we go and how would that all come together? I like to refer to this as phase two, the what-if dreaming phase. It's basically grounded in sunshine and rainbows with key pieces of information missing, namely reality and actual numbers. I think I hate this phase most of all. It's still coupled with the waiting phase so it seems like an actual exercise in futility, guaranteed to waste all your time and energy. But at least it was a distraction from the pharmacy that our kitchen had become. And it did help us formulate a plan and have conversations we needed to have. </div><div><br></div><div>In early-January, we hit a snag. Because of our potential buyer's type of loan, our condo building needed to meet certain guidelines, a process with a considerable cost attached to it. We got that call and I thought it was probably our answer. He would need to back out and the Lord was surely shutting this door. I felt some relief but also some sadness. Moving was really starting to grow on me. Thankfully God gave our realtor a great idea and before he could even finish throwing it my way, I was sending it to our HOA board with a giant ask of them to approve it and pay for it. Basically it seemed like a long shot with several likely meetings and endless discussion before it could ever be approved. Picture the episodes of Seinfeld, when Jerry's parents fought the HOA...We braced ourselves for at least a few weeks of waiting and lots of pleading our case. </div><div><br></div><div>Well. </div><div><br></div><div>This was when I began to seriously believe that God just might be about to deliver us from this condo after all. One hour after sending that email, our HOA board unanimously agreed and committed to funding it. No questions, no delays, no hesitation, no meetings. Just a quick response that essentially said yep, we'll do it. And just because the Lord likes to dazzle us with His goodness, He really showed off when the paperwork was completed and submitted the very next day for the govenrment process to begin. It was almost crazy how quickly this "huge bump in the road" felt like maybe it was just a pebble in our shoe. It all got sent off and we were extremely happy about it on both sides, but we still expected several weeks of waiting because it was the government we were working with after all. If I haven't convinced you yet of the Lord's faithfulness in every detail, then here is one more evidence of it. Eight days from the first mention of this problem, we were officially government approved and the process over. His loan was now able to proceed and it cost none of us a penny. EIGHT DAYS is all it took and there was not literally one issue from start to finish. I think we took one giant deep breath and we seriously began to smile, jaws dropped, at each other. I even uttered the words, 'God is totally going to do this isn't He?!?!?!" That day, on the 14th of January, I felt a real shift in my excitement level. I let myself entertain the idea of an actual move in our future and I began pouring out every fear I had to the Lord, asking Him for one big thing. I really did not care where He took us next, but I wanted this whole process to be a marker in my life when He actively helped me take every thought captive, not giving into fear and anxiety over the unknowns but choosing to trust Him and wait for Him instead. I started asking friends to pray specifically for this. More than concrete plans and more than wild dreams coming true, I so wanted to have victory in this area and to not be a stressed out mess. I wanted His word to come alive to me in this process and to ground me every hour of the day. I knew my own weakenesses and I knew this could really create a perfect storm in me if I wasn't careful. And so I began bathing in Philippians 4, Matthew 6 and Matthew 7. </div><div><br></div><div>A second showing was scheduled at the end of January and we were the top contender in our buyer's mind. Again, our excitement was growing but we were trying to stay cautiously guarded too. It was especially fun to consider a sale because we knew our buyer. Long before this began we had been praying with the kids at dinner for the Lord to move us in His timing and for this condo to be a blessing to the person who would buy it next. This was not because we had any inclination about moving, it just seemed like a good conversation to start with them. We especially prayed for our neighbors to also be blessed by the sale someday, it kind of made us sad to think about leaving them with just anyone. We began praying with the kids in the Fall about moving someday, because we wanted to give them the chance to see God actively working in our family. We anticipated at least a year or more of this, we had no clue really, but God had other plans! He hand delivered us a buyer we knew from Church, someone who was a great volunteer in student ministries even! Of course He did that! All along we thought that was so amazing, but we truly wanted him to feel zero pressure from us and we really prayed that God would shut this whole thing down at any point if it wasn't the best move for him and for us. We kept that detail to ourselves and just prayed a lot. We got ready to show him the house again over Martin Luther King Jr weekend and then held our breath for a few days while we waited to hear back. That was the start of phase three, tortured breath holding and subsequent Oreo eating. </div><div><br></div><div>After a few long days later we heard he did indeed still love it and that he wanted it. On that note, we got the suggestion from our realtor to begin making tentative plans in pursuing our next move. There aren't really words for how that felt! After 5 years of waiting and 2 years of hard-pressed living, we thought we were going to die from excitement. Hope is a powerful thing. Without hope it is hard to dig deeply for joy and apart from the Lord, it's impossible to maintain it. But since He has always been our hope, we knew we could still have joy even if this all fell apart. Our joy has never rested in a bigger house or an eminent move. God graciously helped us anchor our hope in Him but now it seemed He was breathing new hope into our circumstances too and that felt like pure delight! </div><div><br></div><div>The last few weeks of the process were tough to live through. We were pulling triggers and waiting for dominoes to fall into place. Our buyer was living through his own journey too as this was his first home purchase and that is overwhelming for anyone to experience. All along we have felt so blessed by the Lord to have escaped the rollercoaster that is putting a house on the market with three little kids and a husband adjusting to a new, busier job. We knew that would be a massive gift the from the Lord to escape that and yet, toward the end we felt like we needed to prepare for it, in case we needed a plan b. We went to bed on a Tuesday night feeling a little discouraged and wrapping our minds around the thought and cost of listing it officially that next week. Again we asked the Lord to just make it very clear about what we needed to do, we really didn't want to list it, and we fell into bed exhausted from this whole thing. At the same time, I had a bad bout of laryngitis and had spent the previous two days with absolutely zero voice. I do not think that was poor timing. It kept me from picking up the phone and complaining or trying to formulate a plan on my own, apart from the Lord. I had two full days of forced rest and time to pray, without the ability to talk to anyone. I know the Lord allowed that on purpose. It was good for my soul and kept me from trouble with too many words :) </div><div><br></div><div>The next morning as I was about to drive Carter to preschool, I looked at a text that said, "Guess what? He is ready to move forward and get this done!" from our realtor. I couldn't believe it. I sent it to Travis immediately and thankfully we didn't have to wait long for the official news. One hour later the offer was being written for full asking price and a closing date that was perfect for us. Boom! Just like that, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the clear answer God had given us. In a 12 hour swing we went from discouragement to praise! And in two months we went from not a real thought of selling this condo in our heads to signing the official purchase agreement. Only the Lord could have done that! Only He could have known that we would need a push from Him to do this and that our changing circumstances would make the timing of this so right. We are still so awed by Him and thankful for His faithful care. I am thankful I can even say that one week later, we now have a place to go, a great house that is just right for us. I will share that story in another post, sorry this is turning into cliffhanger city but I have to get some actual things done today! </div><div><br></div><div>We praise God for this fun story and this chapter that is closing, 9 years in the making! I have much to say about that and I will say it soon, but for now I will leave you with this...more truths from Psalm 37 that grounded me and held me every step of the way. It is still surreal to say that we SOLD our home, but we are so grateful and so very excited!! Thank you for sharing our joy!! </div><div><br></div><div><b><i>Psalm 37:23-28, 39-40~</i></b></div><div><b><i><br></i></b></div><div><b><i>"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones...The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." </i></b></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-73646887852689492282016-02-11T12:17:00.001-06:002016-02-12T11:24:21.760-06:00SOLD!! {Part One}This is going to be a fun post to write. <div><br></div><div>Since my last check-in at Christmas, when I went on a blogging spree in an attempt to catch up from the year, our entire life has been turned a little upside down! For starters, my computer stopped working, as in the power cord will no longer connect or register as discoverable, meaning as the battery life drains from the computer I have no way of powering it back up again. I did manage to get all my pictures off the hard drive and I've saved just enough battery life to grab a couple of documents too, but the end is near and therefore the blog is at a standstill. It's an old computer, they can't service it any longer at the Genius Bar and it's time for a new one, but as you'll soon know, that purchase has just been moved to the very back burner for now. In the meantime, I'm thankful to be coming to you from the Blogger app, via my iPad, so all is not lost! I am sad to not be attaching pictures to this post, by now you know my LOVE for the pictures, but no need to hand me a violin, I have more than enough good news to share with you today! </div><div><br></div><div>If we are Facebook friends or real life friends, then you already know the bullet points of this post; </div><div>-Travis has a new job (same Church, same department, new title, new role!) </div><div>-We sold our condo! </div><div>-We are moving into a great house in April!! </div><div><br></div><div>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like those three statements are just amazing movements of God, each in their own right, and worthy of a little pause to throw all the praise hands up in the air before I even begin!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div>What in the world??? Life happens fast! </div><div><br></div><div>Yes, those are the all caps headlines, but as I promised and as the famous Paul Harvey used to say, "and now, for the rest of the story..." </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It would be almost impossible to sum these last few months up without some context. Really the whole last year, actually. If you would have asked me to write this a year ago, I could have imagined some similar bullet points, I just would have predicted completely different circumstances. It's been my experience that as the Lord orders our steps and His will for us unfolds, there are major hinge points in our story that He uses to shape and direct us and most of the time, they are completely unsettling and unknown as we walk through them. Times in our life when we sense He is up to something but for the life of us, we can't figure out what or why and in our darkest moments, we aren't really even sure if He's on our side. Do you know those seasons? They happen to all of us at one point or another and of course His Word tells us that He is on our side and He's always acting for our good, but they aren't easy, in fact they are often the exact opposite of easy. They tend to be full of character building, walking with one-foot-in-front-of-the-other times, that come hand in hand with sleepless nights and exhausting days. That's sort of what this past year has felt like for us. Tons of unknowns, feeling like this was a hinge year for us and yet not knowing what on earth it might look like or mean. </div><div><br></div><div>It's no secret that the Lord has indeed been stirring and moving at our Church this past year too. In many, many ways He has been turning the page on a new season and writing a new narrative for His plan with His church. That's looked like many tough goodbyes to many ministry partners who have all started new chapters of their own, in new places and continents even! Each of those transitions are always hard, even when God does a beautiful thing in the process and faithfully takes care of each family. Ultimately it's change we struggle to embrace. And who loves change at the beginning?? But life with Jesus is an adventure and serving Him full-time as a vocation means you sign up for the adventure to be your "normal." So as only He could do, and with perfect timing as only He could orchestrate, we found ourselves on the roller-coaster this year, only to be called to stay right here, in the same Church, with the same people and students we love. After nearly a decade of Travis specifically being a junior high pastor, he is now turning a new page as pastor to all students, overseeing both junior high and senior high. We are thrilled about it, thankful for it and very humbled to have the opportunity. Travis would say his best way to describe the joy of what this means, is that instead of being able to shepherd and invest in a student's life for just 2 years, he now gets to do that for 6 extremely transformational years. And we both consider that such a privilege and a delight. 2015 wrapped up for us with this new change in the works and it's been a joy to experience the change and just in the last two weeks, for it to finally be announced and set into motion. We are thankful for the way He answered our prayers and for the gift of being able to stay and to continue putting our roots downs here in Minnesota. In hindsight, we now see the fruit of so many of those hard days and we are able to trace His hand as we look back and see how He was preparing us and protecting us and guiding us all along, even when we couldn't have known or seen what He had in store. We learned wonderful lessons, helpful not only in ministry but just in life. And maybe the biggest blessing of all, is that He used this stressful year to grow us closer and to keep us on the same page. I consider that miraculous grace. Somehow as we navigated this season, our marriage has been strengthened and we know that is simply grace from Him. We were completely surprised with this new role and we praise the Lord as we anticipate new, exciting days ahead. </div><div><br></div><div>In the midst of all of that, we had not one thought about this condo, except that with each week it seemed to be growing smaller and smaller as our kids grew bigger and bigger. But as you who have been faithful blog readers know, that's the same song and dance we've been singing for about 5 years now. I won't re-hash the whole story or detail all the circumstances again, I have plenty of old posts that do that. I will just remind you that we bought at the peak of an inflated market 9 years ago, with no kids and a big, sweet golden retriever. As God grew our family, He blessed us with three darling kiddos in 7 years, all while our square footage shrank and the value of our home plummeted. It wasn't a story unique to us, many families have found themselves in similar situations, but it has been our reality and it hasn't been easy. By the grace of God we've made 1200 square feet work for us and truly, there have been more blessings than we could have ever imagined here. I've detailed those before too and I've thoughtfully put together list after list of what we can thank God for about this condo, in my quest to fight for Godly contentment and daily joy. I have poured out my sorrows and struggles to the Lord and faithfully, He has walked with me through each one and has taken such great care of our family in the process. We have not been abandoned by Him and we do not believe for even a second that He dropped the ball for us. We could not have known what an unpredictable market fall would look like, or how it would feel so crushing for our first home purchase. Life is not like that. We don't get a crystal ball or a map of what lies ahead. I have always known in the depths of my heart that this season of waiting and struggling was part of His plan for us because it was building godliness and character into us as we quite literally worked our salvation out, here. </div><div><br></div><div>Probably 4 years ago, the Lord in His mercy helped me change my prayers from "please get us out of here" to "please help us not waste these years here." He opened my eyes to the possibility that maybe us being stuck in this financial pickle, really wasn't all about us. Maybe this season of living in this condo was so that we could be used here to love our neighbors and share Jesus with them in tangible and real ways. I began praying that way and as I did, the Lord did shift my perspective and He gave me thoughts and scriptures that were life to me as I tried to obediently be a Gospel blessing to our neighbors. The fruit of that has been one of the greatest joys we will take with us from this chapter of our life and it's also what makes leaving this condo very bittersweet. We have made dear friends here, our kids have so many extended grandmas and grandpas here, we have been able to share the Gospel and have wonderful conversations with many neighbors, we now go to Church with a neighbor down the hall from us, and we have tried to use every opportunity we've been given to bring honor to the Lord. As much as we are able, we speak very boldly and freely about who He is to us and how He has taken care of us. Our sweet neighbors know how hard this has been and we have been able to share openly with them about what Jesus is teaching us and now, how He has provided for us. I could cry remembering a day when I broke down before the Lord in total frustration, weary of living with little ones in such close quarters with no end in sight, and as I prayed with a broken heart before Him I can remember telling Him, "if we need to stay here, please don't let us stay without making an impact. Please let this be for something greater than just a really long season. If and when we do go someday, I hope we will have made such a difference that our neighbors will be sad to see us go." </div><div><br></div><div>I genuinely meant that and it has been something that has sustained me over these last few years. While our incredible neighbors have been so good to us and so understanding, when Walker entered the picture things got harder. We couldn't love our Walker more and he certainly was/is a gift from God to us. But three kids in a 2 bedroom condo and the days of middle of the night feedings, crying for no reason (x's 3!!) early mornings and now the throws of toddlerhood have translated into a very stressful situation. Walker was born with a megaphone volume and he exercises his lungs on a regular basis! We have been living with so much stress in an attempt to keep him quiet for the sake of our neighbors, that it has turned home from being our refuge into our greatest challenge. Carter and Ava have also continued to grow (as kids do-wink, wink) and they have needed space to run, freedom to play, permission to make noise, etc. and all of those things have been hard for us to give them. There have been some hard days and nights these last two years and we have fought to not lose hope or our joy as we faced a market that still had not quite rebounded enough for us to make a move. We pursued renting it out multiple times and even then, the Lord just firmly closed one door after another. We just knew He was asking us to hang on and stay until He made it clear that we could go. We have had to be very creative and on the go a lot these years, trying to help them get their wiggles out at a park or a gym or wherever we could find freedom, before we'd come home and try to stay reasonably quiet. Truly this last year of job stress was a great distraction from the stress at home! We both resolved to not worry about home for awhile and to just thank Him for whatever we could here because at least we had a roof over our heads and food on our table. And so, with this condo an afterthought, wouldn't you know that is exactly when the Lord stepped in and began to move on our behalf...</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-31799678659996362252016-01-01T09:54:00.002-06:002016-01-01T09:55:00.001-06:00Apple Orchard 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I will be the first to admit, there are far too many pictures in this post. I'm breaking all the laws of blogging I'm sure but here's the deal, this orchard is in my top 5 family traditions every year and I just can't help myself. Both in the taking of a million pics and in the posting. There is no rational thought involved, I just see everything through a camera lens when we get there and all I can think about is how they've each grown and changed year to year. Travis is a saint, he fully embraces my desire to keep going back, to take a million pics and yes, to wear whatever I choose for our family look...I'm always thinking "Christmas card material" while we are there! So scroll through or don't, I won't bore you with a million lines of text, I think they are pretty self-explanatory, except that every now and then I can't help but add some detail I feel compelled to share :) You're welcome, words are my love language. </div>
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ENJOY!! </div>
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Seriously, they were just in the double jogger stroller!?!?! Now they are practically giants with long legs and grown up faces. I can't take it. </div>
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Man, I love him. </div>
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Them. </div>
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I love both.</div>
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But especially him. He still makes my heart race. </div>
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Every kid should feed a kid. </div>
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Top pic of the day in my opinion. </div>
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I love this so much! </div>
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Hipster pose and he doesn't even know it. </div>
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Taken by Carter! </div>
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It's too bad they have no fun with their Dad.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLssvpGTM6OSkyRychnuPw024GyNFWb-lSqQRuWHr0k31H-OSe85EO8nNeuaXEMz7W03dtFF4myMSs_mGBEcUochra0xLNEsira7KAOTId2-aZOSTl4d4I6SEav9SQkyULV3mxg/s1600/IMG_3345.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLssvpGTM6OSkyRychnuPw024GyNFWb-lSqQRuWHr0k31H-OSe85EO8nNeuaXEMz7W03dtFF4myMSs_mGBEcUochra0xLNEsira7KAOTId2-aZOSTl4d4I6SEav9SQkyULV3mxg/s640/IMG_3345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I wish he'd lighten up.</div>
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Sweet little apple, sweeter little boy. </div>
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Thanks for enduring the Apple Orchard tour of 2015!</div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-62969721116242071382015-12-30T09:43:00.003-06:002015-12-30T09:43:31.911-06:00Donuts and Hikes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Over Labor Day we found ourselves with a little break. Those days are so rare in the midst of Fall activities and especially while Trav is coaching soccer, but thankfully we ended up with a day of no plans and we were glad for it. The difference between us however can be adequately summed up by our responses to that news. In the spirit of enjoying a day with no plans or no agenda, I suggested we go get donuts to kick our relaxing day off. </div>
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Travis suggested we have an adventure and go on a family hike. </div>
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Is it a wonder opposites attract?? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX4hyNal-08q7svMbq8H1sgj9In9R07lXFE2riw8sU4MHE5Xu8MtmIEz6zEIA3ARycwkyoNOMa6PEj6wme2SPTMV6Koh8Nk_nKzs3jTkPtK1hz058uxsz1oowzgoLUxKphd7Zow/s1600/IMG_2954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX4hyNal-08q7svMbq8H1sgj9In9R07lXFE2riw8sU4MHE5Xu8MtmIEz6zEIA3ARycwkyoNOMa6PEj6wme2SPTMV6Koh8Nk_nKzs3jTkPtK1hz058uxsz1oowzgoLUxKphd7Zow/s640/IMG_2954.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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He won out and drug us all to Red Wing, MN where we discovered the joys of Barn Bluff for the first time. I was thinking my plan for donuts was far better the whole drive down there but once we got there I conceded, this might be fun too. </div>
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This backpack we've had for three kids finally came in handy with Walker! For years I've thought the sun shade was missing but turns out, it was there the whole time. </div>
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That discovery alone redeemed my day! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiXTcFsKNObIEs2v9q7wUbShGnsAyT8FN7NZZNy2JSx-FaeHziKkJDZ0DLApCZllRyA1VVS8q6O33cSdYfPTgfGC5rArRugbcKyryyZW0aRBn2cEzQvuf_h_RTy6BpuMibGBrGw/s1600/IMG_2945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiXTcFsKNObIEs2v9q7wUbShGnsAyT8FN7NZZNy2JSx-FaeHziKkJDZ0DLApCZllRyA1VVS8q6O33cSdYfPTgfGC5rArRugbcKyryyZW0aRBn2cEzQvuf_h_RTy6BpuMibGBrGw/s640/IMG_2945.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a gorgeous day, sunny and not too hot. It was declared quickly that we were not as fast as Carter who literally ran the entire hike! I did not need that pointed out to me, I could have predicted that from him. Ava started out with a bang and then probably out of pity, she kept me company in the rear. </div>
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I loved watching Walker's head peak out from his fortress the whole way. Trav was my hero for climbing with him on his back, he was not a lightweight in September! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjgfvb3Y3F-EvUj_fZXihG8MOp_orOu1XDnq3iYD4f2KCcNrs4O19InrMlugDCPDOQOXNtEqHPu-bt69QX7bNYm5UglZnkKyuPrWMj_67Vr548IkyT6LfdG4VDRvWmZ3O6QJPGA/s1600/IMG_2948.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjgfvb3Y3F-EvUj_fZXihG8MOp_orOu1XDnq3iYD4f2KCcNrs4O19InrMlugDCPDOQOXNtEqHPu-bt69QX7bNYm5UglZnkKyuPrWMj_67Vr548IkyT6LfdG4VDRvWmZ3O6QJPGA/s640/IMG_2948.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcucXu8gKjaXKFk79O5D-H7rQkxhdBzP9_LDRtpgtXSOk5vuw9-s4H0jAMk68qqk4R8zlfdSuZzkN31G8LdaqFq-2U6OK3bZ-vST0fHTPX0FNPBRONSp8UKtAWmWkMUtH6gxoag/s1600/IMG_2947.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcucXu8gKjaXKFk79O5D-H7rQkxhdBzP9_LDRtpgtXSOk5vuw9-s4H0jAMk68qqk4R8zlfdSuZzkN31G8LdaqFq-2U6OK3bZ-vST0fHTPX0FNPBRONSp8UKtAWmWkMUtH6gxoag/s640/IMG_2947.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The beautiful view of Red Wing!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2_bntebERkLhWTqVWGGoC_ilxjmCzb4stdZvFSbsV4LaMEoo0l55dXo9WJf42V2Nwcb6tHmm7TvdKUXhUmijNkF22cChUaB8f1_YGXLE8lZWjRZqVhiZzu8qTbK6Zj2McgYteQ/s1600/IMG_2950.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2_bntebERkLhWTqVWGGoC_ilxjmCzb4stdZvFSbsV4LaMEoo0l55dXo9WJf42V2Nwcb6tHmm7TvdKUXhUmijNkF22cChUaB8f1_YGXLE8lZWjRZqVhiZzu8qTbK6Zj2McgYteQ/s640/IMG_2950.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAWE5fw3pNI7UuwALock-6AlsZg1K2tyaXdNw0QqJT-EBsBkbTT-pR3Cwtnll4OobvTdVSDs4G-dCI8cGk9SjqPGdwv4EWfUAGzrAAjDY66URFmMOoN4pvlZ5DEqeMerdkpsiCQ/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAWE5fw3pNI7UuwALock-6AlsZg1K2tyaXdNw0QqJT-EBsBkbTT-pR3Cwtnll4OobvTdVSDs4G-dCI8cGk9SjqPGdwv4EWfUAGzrAAjDY66URFmMOoN4pvlZ5DEqeMerdkpsiCQ/s640/IMG_2951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Proof that every now and then the energizer bunny needs a break too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cncUIDem-Jq3jetYlFfw0e17yPs1NTQWOrHZZqaHEkA7bLoH2EoV_T1mRv2GC49xksAsbSxlc4I4AlK77QWNZhXjt7lOEew5bcV2kwuitIMxiQsPlandSlIKy33TAX5CbuPf3w/s1600/IMG_2952.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cncUIDem-Jq3jetYlFfw0e17yPs1NTQWOrHZZqaHEkA7bLoH2EoV_T1mRv2GC49xksAsbSxlc4I4AlK77QWNZhXjt7lOEew5bcV2kwuitIMxiQsPlandSlIKy33TAX5CbuPf3w/s640/IMG_2952.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Our teenager. </div>
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Good grief, when did she turn 13??</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUisc2KKGOecPWM7AL-tRpWPbz_F3TgI78J6TjisxDmrh8YDJnDrKE4GrYodOH6fwXRjmyZN3sSGbwhWBxyN3ZNzVKNciHqp6-UFIdkZAxW6cEwuYMbwbqeLNZSw65Y2hSJt9vrA/s1600/11930944_10153124358493017_1806461004936775283_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUisc2KKGOecPWM7AL-tRpWPbz_F3TgI78J6TjisxDmrh8YDJnDrKE4GrYodOH6fwXRjmyZN3sSGbwhWBxyN3ZNzVKNciHqp6-UFIdkZAxW6cEwuYMbwbqeLNZSw65Y2hSJt9vrA/s640/11930944_10153124358493017_1806461004936775283_o.jpg" width="542" /></a></div>
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I was a hot and sweaty mess but I was also the carrier of the water in my backpack, so that turned out in my favor! Ava and I stuck together, she's no dummy either. I sure loved her in that hat! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaSoysx8SkDEoTAs8ZqwSUj3NhW98ZFGtxMQpAOEqOL7dx1Iy_xfrj8-nhA2mDI6PP1TbMtiW5JlDGfeXVAsTpBRAwBeOzs3XeK_-jfTZ8cu4RVYYVEiN6h8tN7eANVymeskASA/s1600/IMG_2958.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaSoysx8SkDEoTAs8ZqwSUj3NhW98ZFGtxMQpAOEqOL7dx1Iy_xfrj8-nhA2mDI6PP1TbMtiW5JlDGfeXVAsTpBRAwBeOzs3XeK_-jfTZ8cu4RVYYVEiN6h8tN7eANVymeskASA/s640/IMG_2958.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So beautiful! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqRdSfXg-3Yg8XCTqe4-qGqrLUMmJOFHzrtGRoMpMAzlbG7Bk2tSd6UolzATKfqD1D2XoIsTqJhzA395kNfgiDQzYscTaJH688QYA0Q_cYljOEyJHBexaY-12AZSdk0S9ehD-A/s1600/IMG_2967.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqRdSfXg-3Yg8XCTqe4-qGqrLUMmJOFHzrtGRoMpMAzlbG7Bk2tSd6UolzATKfqD1D2XoIsTqJhzA395kNfgiDQzYscTaJH688QYA0Q_cYljOEyJHBexaY-12AZSdk0S9ehD-A/s640/IMG_2967.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I sort of felt like we should break out in our best "The hills are alive, with the sound of music..." </div>
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If for nothing but this picture, that family hike was totally worth it! Turns out a little adventure is good for the soul and the bonding, and for sure with each step logged, I was earning those celebratory donuts!</div>
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So thirsty from his ride!</div>
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Smile, Mom wants a picture! </div>
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*naturally this is their cue to not smile OR look at the camera*</div>
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Kind how I felt when I learned donuts were not the primary activity of the day. </div>
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Seriously. </div>
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I do love him and I do love the adventures he makes me take. I like to think I'm also a good counterpart for when those adventures go sideways and involve way too much effort, ha! </div>
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And PS, also pictured is the cutest photobomber I've ever seen. </div>
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Because Carter is cut from the same rock as his Daddy, this one was in his element the whole time. Running, exploring, climbing, jumping, and doing what boys do best, adventuring! </div>
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I'd go again just for this smile! </div>
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For the record, we never did get donuts. </div>
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I settled for a latte on the way home.</div>
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And takeout for dinner. </div>
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It wasn't all bad :) </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-83811921837327763992015-12-29T14:33:00.002-06:002015-12-29T14:33:05.867-06:00Preschool Field Trip <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After Carter started preschool this Fall, I signed up to go on his first field trip to the Apple Orchard. I went on this same trip with Ava and loved it, so I knew I would want to share it with Carter. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasbyUaIlVwZRWKNpnx2zyi6WlUaWYTli3Wf20Qo_4m3JQu9K-ERNpJU-6iFzNXyaPlQlH8-SZp_TPDe14MAAmALxZcfrusKjSHgxISGO0xhhyphenhyphen6AF5AdNLHApUmbfNvVsvCKwxLg/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasbyUaIlVwZRWKNpnx2zyi6WlUaWYTli3Wf20Qo_4m3JQu9K-ERNpJU-6iFzNXyaPlQlH8-SZp_TPDe14MAAmALxZcfrusKjSHgxISGO0xhhyphenhyphen6AF5AdNLHApUmbfNvVsvCKwxLg/s640/IMG_3398.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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He was thrilled I was coming with him (can't you tell!?!?!) but mostly he was thrilled we were riding on a school bus! </div>
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And to top it all off, we got to ride with his buddy Markus. It was a good day to be Carter! We did all the things you do at an orchard, we went on a hay ride, saw the trees dripping with apples, sampled a few ourselves, learned about the process of pollination, and had fun!</div>
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It was such a fun morning together, I'm so glad we could share this little trip. I loved watching Carter with his buddies and teachers, he is one cute little preschooler! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-53214507099241807322015-12-29T14:26:00.001-06:002015-12-29T14:26:47.918-06:00Walker's First Year Pictures <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I had Walker's first year photos taken in September, a few months late but who's counting? The talented Diana Rouse took them for me and she worked her magic like always! Walker was less than thrilled and the opposite of cooperative but she managed to put her running shoes on and making something out of what I surely thought would be nothing. There aren't words needed to describe these, I can't believe how much he has already changed just two months later. So happy we cemented this season in time with a few photos, especially the sweet pics like the one below with Trav's Grandpa Jack's cowboy hat. Perfect accessory for our Texas Ranger! Enjoy! </div>
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September 2015</div>
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Photo Cred: Diana Rouse, Diana Jo Photography </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-19186847612859662362015-12-29T14:15:00.001-06:002015-12-29T14:15:14.855-06:00Simple Summer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello again blog land! It's been awhile since we've met here and while I'm sure you haven't missed me, I have indeed missed sharing life in pictures with you! I have been itching to catch up for months now but as life has dictated, there have been better choices for me to consider...things like groceries to buy, clothes to wash, children to raise and husbands to please. Good things, just not blog tending things :) So the record of the Armstrongs has taken a necessary backseat and I'm stumbling all over my words as I try to find my groove again, but I'm so thankful for a window of time over this Christmas break to look backwards and fill in the holes from the last few months! I'm starting with some sweet memories from our simple summer of sorts. We didn't have any big trips this summer, just lots of ministry stuff and time together. </div>
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Nothing fancy but lots of fun! </div>
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With every month that passed, this little guy became more and more park adept. He loved keeping up with Ava and Carter and enjoying the sunshine! We are grateful for tons of local parks and several we can easily walk to. I spent many hours park-side with my trio this summer and now that I'm staring at 10 inches of snow, I miss it already! Also on a totally unrelated note, I adore those big eyes!</div>
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Ava was our fearless ring leader, with Kindergarten behind her she imparted all kinds of playground wisdom on her younger brothers. She introduced us to new games she and her friends liked to play and she demonstrated her mastery of the monkey bars everywhere we went. She particularly loved when we played at her school playground! Something about "home field advantage" I think :) </div>
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Carter spent the summer trying to master the monkey bars like his big sister, and while he certainly had the determination to master them he still lacked about a 1/2 inch of height. But it didn't stop him from trying at every park we visited! Carter's favorite game this summer was to play "scary monster." Travis and I were deemed the "scary monster" and adamantly instructed to chase them until there was screaming. Which was always inevitable! </div>
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Even when we weren't at a park this summer, our house was still a jungle gym for these three!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaWJg2YpPhwrDmr6KnezVaZPghzpQwot5RWmytYI_260p4OOIJLCuhMKppMRSUBaYyGI1VSn_6Jjo-gz7G4_SCLp50f0-tUGvVfQzaRofxHQw0miefcpuixRAHyTcLkfFt5VpcQ/s1600/IMG_2441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaWJg2YpPhwrDmr6KnezVaZPghzpQwot5RWmytYI_260p4OOIJLCuhMKppMRSUBaYyGI1VSn_6Jjo-gz7G4_SCLp50f0-tUGvVfQzaRofxHQw0miefcpuixRAHyTcLkfFt5VpcQ/s640/IMG_2441.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And thankfully for us, it didn't take much for them to be entertained! </div>
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For example, this toothy grin is due to the riveting post dinner revue of their father...</div>
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...who was blowing a plastic ball in the air and might as well have been juggling rings of fire! </div>
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Everybody loved it! </div>
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At some point we decided to help Walker in the slide department by bringing the little tikes slide in and trying to help him learn how to sit...but there is no "sitting safely" in Walker's repertoire and so he chose to just dive head first off the couch instead! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ndaPUbZga3_SuryJDxdlo0EyOVGNJt5BhhZW1pFj-6q8k7YWrtvqygMDSF7xw-THVaXzAxt0blgyJmf7wwcvuizKk3SS-2cx3yZbAZtnXXGtGQBASev4SOu5zGkPWiTPBojKWg/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ndaPUbZga3_SuryJDxdlo0EyOVGNJt5BhhZW1pFj-6q8k7YWrtvqygMDSF7xw-THVaXzAxt0blgyJmf7wwcvuizKk3SS-2cx3yZbAZtnXXGtGQBASev4SOu5zGkPWiTPBojKWg/s640/IMG_2436.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thankfully his brother and sister thought to pad the floor with pillows and blankets. </div>
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See Walker, they do love you! </div>
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We made great use of our porch this summer, it was essentially an outdoor playroom and this was often the scene...all three huddled up around each other, playing. </div>
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Walker was often a wrecking crew in the situation but he couldn't stand to be away from his siblings if he had anything to say about it! </div>
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Eventually he got the hang of the slide...</div>
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And he made me less and less nervous as the summer began winding down!</div>
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These two cuties spent the month of August swimming twice a week. </div>
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We wanted them to spend some focused time getting their swimming strokes down and they did so well!</div>
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Thankfully they loved it! I never had to convince them to go, each lesson was super fun and they jumped right in. </div>
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I wanted to remember this summer as the summer that Ava's freckles really started to show! She is fair like her Mama and the summer sun kissed her sweet cheeks and nose with the darling evidence of her coloring. She's so cute. I love those angel kisses! </div>
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This was also the summer that Carter officially lost his "preschool" look and began looking more and like a big kid. Bruised knees, scrapes and cuts, and hair that got blonder by the second. I love him. </div>
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This pic is a bit deceiving, they are the best of friends and sometimes the worst of enemies. They do get along most of the time but this was the summer of fighting. Which was lots of fun for all of us! We worked a lot on being more kind and considerate, offering forgiveness generously, and asking for it first. I'm not sure how deep the tracks we made, but this is the work of this season. Reminding them again and again of how we treat one another in this family and helping them learn to think of others before themselves. The same hard work of their Mom and Dad's daily sanctification! It's not easy and it makes for long, exhausting days but I do know how important it is and we trust it will help and pay off in the future. If not for them, at least for us! Ha ha! This might also be called the summer that Stephanie was forced to learn patience while failing miserably. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_6VnOzfBP3A04UvojJs5IDdwdshrF2uSjcRD_sZ4LwONxiWOL-Fz1bm24D4trFoKILH_VO3D9toKPgJlWDXT6D3hZLiCmheLSU8JrGJMOhxQExDwrZ-4x0KHqf5aKeyBoF3XRQ/s1600/IMG_2572.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_6VnOzfBP3A04UvojJs5IDdwdshrF2uSjcRD_sZ4LwONxiWOL-Fz1bm24D4trFoKILH_VO3D9toKPgJlWDXT6D3hZLiCmheLSU8JrGJMOhxQExDwrZ-4x0KHqf5aKeyBoF3XRQ/s640/IMG_2572.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We began braving the restaurant scene a little more liberally this summer as Walker expanded his palate. When not yelling or throwing food to get laughs, he was a delight! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlrL1iHaqXrZWMURZsUmxd5qP2QjBRVc-aIjWmtjNi6Eiam9xYZMFPh6dfmvPfF1xYhyFbMTDxcXsET4Zj5IFGZlQIOpQqpD5ynyXRcjp3V3lWkmjamicsutzh86SMaRZG_FEUg/s1600/IMG_2569.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlrL1iHaqXrZWMURZsUmxd5qP2QjBRVc-aIjWmtjNi6Eiam9xYZMFPh6dfmvPfF1xYhyFbMTDxcXsET4Zj5IFGZlQIOpQqpD5ynyXRcjp3V3lWkmjamicsutzh86SMaRZG_FEUg/s640/IMG_2569.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before the summer ended, my parents came up for a little visit. </div>
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We spent the night enjoying a perfect summer sunset on the lake.</div>
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It was a gorgeous summer night with tons of boats coming in and out of the docks and the best kind of people watching! Especially these three people. </div>
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I love my little family! </div>
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I also love this pic of my parents and the kids. </div>
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We had such a lovely night, Minnesota lakes in the summer are hard to beat!</div>
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We celebrated our 12th anniversary together on August 1st! So thankful for what God has done in and through us over these years. Marriage has only grown sweeter and sometimes harder, but truly better with each year between us. The Lord has blessed us so greatly. </div>
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I just couldn't help but include these...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU908zMDUZyTpyGwhOSftxA7d8QGNkRFWGpuhFwSGzAfgdlPaTppUrZvEC4d45e89scQQzzewzD6vjzxK8Jx5LP1CdOyIfaUCcH_G7fSMOMFTjM0mQkL4osKls7-i5X0s7J1yxQ/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU908zMDUZyTpyGwhOSftxA7d8QGNkRFWGpuhFwSGzAfgdlPaTppUrZvEC4d45e89scQQzzewzD6vjzxK8Jx5LP1CdOyIfaUCcH_G7fSMOMFTjM0mQkL4osKls7-i5X0s7J1yxQ/s640/IMG_2645.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love Minnesota. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyy8K8mXD3pCyVaIpuUKoONQ0l01JCPtQQYz7XJe8VKGl7b5udmENtUjB0N4CGRiqFy9ietObJptfv88CG4nr_SrM8v3-W7_iWk-GsUog59C-8c0FgiTigUj__ZOSSYiP6p_sRA/s1600/IMG_2657.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyy8K8mXD3pCyVaIpuUKoONQ0l01JCPtQQYz7XJe8VKGl7b5udmENtUjB0N4CGRiqFy9ietObJptfv88CG4nr_SrM8v3-W7_iWk-GsUog59C-8c0FgiTigUj__ZOSSYiP6p_sRA/s640/IMG_2657.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This little boy finally got a well overdue haircut in August! After looking a little too much like Grandpa Munster, we went in for the official cut. </div>
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And there was a lot to cut!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL7k29hjnXBzK-tCQ3agaT4rh4E-Zq2rgaTlr34XHerO6smELFgo7MarBvDFRdEhd6B8gYafQQrL9tpuGO7tPAx82J2cyNgjR_hxjp1U2BgJmDB36gCKIyKvjrXNEX2GJFlVtig/s1600/IMG_2669.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL7k29hjnXBzK-tCQ3agaT4rh4E-Zq2rgaTlr34XHerO6smELFgo7MarBvDFRdEhd6B8gYafQQrL9tpuGO7tPAx82J2cyNgjR_hxjp1U2BgJmDB36gCKIyKvjrXNEX2GJFlVtig/s640/IMG_2669.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Instantly he was older and somehow even cuter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1_RIVUDizGj0tg7HoxZjoDY5Z_QWsvAqD6iwPGQwqy4LYdtBuczOyHC8oeRgpN8gLoL7rSyTv_P9JbrO0z_u9eLglSMvW4QLSorLL9vwJ7qoYxFjzI-LoD4q9imtpi73AhSvbA/s1600/IMG_2686.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1_RIVUDizGj0tg7HoxZjoDY5Z_QWsvAqD6iwPGQwqy4LYdtBuczOyHC8oeRgpN8gLoL7rSyTv_P9JbrO0z_u9eLglSMvW4QLSorLL9vwJ7qoYxFjzI-LoD4q9imtpi73AhSvbA/s640/IMG_2686.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Love these freshly groomed brothers!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPElsYG0TOvmmaUmx4tsFRMsEkFWCq3aJUiMEBqt2bN7iibEkgHgKU9UPV9Pg_ZQ_d6CnFJ6n2UULgVNFG5DfKMXeWhQ5mLmURm1nrxTqw7ixRMIWujII7MFTkM_7y4hGizj3Cw/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPElsYG0TOvmmaUmx4tsFRMsEkFWCq3aJUiMEBqt2bN7iibEkgHgKU9UPV9Pg_ZQ_d6CnFJ6n2UULgVNFG5DfKMXeWhQ5mLmURm1nrxTqw7ixRMIWujII7MFTkM_7y4hGizj3Cw/s640/IMG_2729.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just days before school started we wrapped up swimming lessons. </div>
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Smiles all around</div>
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And graduations for both, from one level to the next.</div>
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So glad we worked swimming in this summer! It was a highlight for Ava and Carter. </div>
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One of the best things we did this summer was to let Ava and Carter stretch their creativity and imaginations due to a little brother who needed to be home for naps. We broke out the blocks and the duplos and these two went nuts building constantly and all over the house. </div>
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So darling and a good reminder of the value of simple fun. </div>
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They also made great use of a big cardboard box we brought home when Walker upgraded to a new carseat! I loved the custom artwork they added. </div>
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That house provided hours and hours of fun for all three of them until November when the temps plummeted. Cheap thrills! </div>
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I was more than ready for school and preschool to start in August and September, but it really was my privilege to enjoy a summer with these yahoos! </div>
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We squeezed lots of playtime in everyday and made the best of summer where we were homebound with a twice-a-day napper. I know enough of motherhood now to know that these seasons are so short and each year brings new challenges and lots of change so I'm grateful the Lord gave us lots of grace to endure and even enjoy this time with one another. </div>
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It was pretty easy to find joy in every day! </div>
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Just as the final three-story home was built, it was time for summer to end and Fall to begin!</div>
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I sure enjoyed keeping up with these two all summer, they are growing up so fast. I can't believe the school years are upon us now and summer no longer bleeds into September, only ending when we decide to buy pumpkins. It's crazy how fast this parenthood thing goes! </div>
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We ended the summer with a family walk to Ava's school the night before classes began and we prayed outside the building for another year of loving people with the love of Jesus. A great memory and a fitting ending to our summer! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-84005566576671055272015-09-24T17:20:00.001-05:002015-09-24T17:20:07.726-05:00And So it Begins...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This growing up thing is tough on a mommy's heart. Whether you are prepared or not, one day you look at your child and think "where did the time go??" Lately when we look at Carter, this is exactly what we think. He has lost so much of his baby face and is starting to look older and older as he fast approaches 5. He is growing physically for sure, but emotionally he's been growing too. </div>
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If you've read my blog for the last few years, you've seen a few hundred pics just like this one. You know this is Carter and his third arm, his giraffe! He got that giraffe as a baby and from about 18months on it has never been far from him. He sleeps with it, plays with it, takes it places, constantly snuggles it and strokes its' tail over and over again. Giraffey is what he's called it for a little while, but before that he was fraffy and then raffy. He is very well loved! He's traveled to Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Iowa and all the states in between, and he even went to Disney World with us! To say Carter loves that stuffed animal is a major, major understatement. Many, many times I have told him to please leave him at home because we didn't want to ever lose Giraffey. Well wouldn't you know, just days before preschool started and on the eve of a really big transition for Carter, Giraffey went missing. We traced his last known appearance to the double jogger stroller when Daddy took the boys for a run. We've concluded that at some point, Carter shared him with Walker, who likely held him for a few moments and then dropped him or tossed him overboard. Somehow no one noticed this (what can I say, 3 men were involved) and later that night it was discovered that he was in fact, MIA. We staged an epic search around the house, all believing he'd turn up as had previously happened, but he was nowhere to be found. That night Travis and I each drove around in the dark, re-tracing the route Trav had run, even scanning the park they had played at with headlights and flashlights. We knew if this was the end of Giraffey, it would be a sad, sad day with one devastated little boy. So we looked and looked and looked some more, but it was not meant to be. Both Ava and I went to bed that night, distraught that he was missing and bothered by the thunderstorms happening all night, likely soaking his beloved toy. Strangely however, Carter was not nearly as torn up as we all predicted he would be. He just kept thinking he'd show up and he told me over and over that we could call the police and they would find him :) </div>
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After a few days of looking, we never did find his Giraffe. Thankfully for Carter however, we did locate an almost identical replacement on Amazon. Oh how lucky that was for us! Two days later a new Giraffey was waiting at our doorstep and Carter has never looked back! Travis and I still can't believe it, we thought for sure he would take this loss hard, but he's proven once again that he is growing up and reasoning on a much more mature level than ever before. We are glad the issue resolved itself, although if Ava and I are honest, we are still sad about the original Giraffey being lost! Can you say Toy Story 3, anyone??? That movie series has forever wrecked me when it comes to the kid's favorite toys! She and I still talk about it but we are glad Carter seems to have moved on, ha! </div>
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He has in fact moved on, to the big, exciting world of Preschool! </div>
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Carter has waited and waited for his turn for awhile now and thankfully this Fall it came! Even though much of it was familiar, he was still a little nervous when it came time to go check it all out. </div>
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I took the boys to his open house so he could meet his new teachers and some of his classmates. It was fun for us to get reacquainted with one of the teachers that Ava had and to meet his other teacher too. They are both so sweet and will be great for Carter! After playing with his new friends, he was pretty excited to start this new chapter! </div>
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When it came time for the official "first day pics" he was more than ready!</div>
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Doesn't he look so grown up?? And so handsome??</div>
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We are so happy for him to have this great experience at the same preschool Ava went to. He is gone three days a week and it's a sweet time for him to gain some independence and work on his school readiness while still having time this year to just play and be home a few days too. </div>
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Star Wars is one of Carter's new loves, so he was thrilled with this backpack when we first saw it over the summer! I was thrilled it was a less tacky version of much of the Star Wars gear :) </div>
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They know the drill! </div>
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Yep, your day is here Carter!</div>
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On their own, they decided to get their snuggly things and pose for me. I love this picture of all three of them! </div>
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Ava was very, very disappointed that she couldn't be there for Carter's first day but she was glad to share these pics with him. She is dying that she can't see him in action at Preschool, especially with her old teacher, but we promised her we would take lots of pics :) </div>
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Our very tall 4 year old!</div>
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Travis and I were able to take him on his first day since the preschool is inside our Church. </div>
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I love this of the two of them! </div>
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He had just a few butterflies before the morning began but mostly he was ready to go!</div>
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He did tell me once on the way to school that "it's ok if we just go home and maybe I could play Super Mario Bros instead??" Ha ha! </div>
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I knew as soon as he saw his best buddy, he'd be good to go! Lucky for him, they are in the same class this year and every day is like a special surprise when they see each other again. Don't they look like twins?? They became fast friends in Cubbies last year and their friendship only continues to grow! I love those little blonde heads of theirs'! </div>
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That verse above our heads says, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Genesis 6:9 </div>
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I love that verse and that is our prayer for Carter, that he would pursue righteousness and walk with God so that he could be blameless among the people of his time. He does have a tender heart for Jesus and this kid can pray with conviction and a sincere passion that humbles us. We wonder if the Lord will call him to full time ministry someday, he certainly has a love for God that we are thrilled to see!</div>
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So far, just two weeks in, Carter is doing great, we think?? He does seem to love it although getting him to tell us about his day is about like pulling teeth! We definitely see the boy/girl difference in this area! Most of my questions for him are answered with "uh huh" or "I don't know, I can't remember." I have to play 20 questions every day or just accept the fact that he's good and that's ok too. The car rides home are mostly all about what's for lunch and if he can play on the wii, as opposed to Ava who used to tell me what her teachers wore and who had on an outfit that was so cute in her class! We are excited for him to have this year at Funshine and already we look forward to our first conference with his teacher so we can hear what he's like in class. We love to see our big boy growing up and we look forward to a great year for him! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-67778710406157569902015-09-24T12:00:00.001-05:002015-09-24T12:00:04.077-05:00First Grade!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am breaking the chronological succession of my summer posts to catch up to what's happening in our world right now! School is officially back in swing and after a weeks in, we are finally feeling like we have mostly adjusted to having a schedule again. Miss Ava Page is a big first grader this year! </div>
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We are grateful to the Lord for another sweet teacher that He has blessed our family with. We have enjoyed her so much and Ava is really loving being in her class. That is a big answer to my prayers specifically. I continue to see how the Lord provides for us in big ways and in small ways and the teachers he has given us for the last two years are a reflection of that. We went to Back to School Night in August and met her teacher for the first time. We knew nothing about her before the year began, but we ran into Ava's para from Kindergarten at Target, just hours before the school open house, and she raved and raved about what a great teacher she is and how she requested her for her own daughters when they were in First grade! How sweet for Ava to hear that and for my heart to be encouraged by that too. I know the Lord gave us that encounter for a reason! </div>
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I took the kids with me and of course Carter wanted to be right by Ava's side. This is her first year to have her very own desk! Ha ha! It was big news :) </div>
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We got to bring in all of her supplies and get her desk all ready. By the time this hour was over, I was sweating bullets trying to manage all three of them and Walker had eaten three suckers just to keep him occupied and quiet! It was quite the circus scene. </div>
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Someday I will look back on these days and laugh, right?? </div>
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Here she is last year, after the Kindergarten Open House...</div>
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And here she is this year! I do believe she looks older, don't you??</div>
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The night before school started, we took a family walk to the school so that we could pray together. We did this last year and it was so important to me that we did it again. We prayed for Ava, for her teacher, for her classroom, for her school and for the Lord to bring her a friend who loves Jesus too. I love doing it because we want the kids to know that we intend to be a light for Jesus everywhere we go, but it's also sweet for us to pray over each other. Hearing Carter pray last year for Ava nearly had me sobbing and this year, I nearly had to beg him to do it! ha ha! In the spirit of keeping it real, we always go with great intentions and sometimes it's a sweet experience and other times we do it just because we know it honors the Lord, even if we have to stop and threaten certain children to stop complaining! </div>
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We were greeted by a fun surprise, all of the teachers had drawn pictures and written messages to welcome the kids back the next day! </div>
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That was special for Ava to see and helped calm some of her butterflies.</div>
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Hard to believe that next year, we'll be dropping two of these kiddos off! </div>
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Ava's sweet teacher had sent this fun "ready confetti" home with us at the Open House and Ava could not wait to use it! I knew I was going to love her teacher when I discovered she is crafty and creative :) We sprinkled this confetti under her pillow that night and sure enough, she popped out of bed the next morning and told us that she slept so great! The ready confetti gave her really sweet dreams! ha ha! </div>
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Ready or not, the backpack and lunch bag were packed and organized the night before. I think this was as much an adjustment for me as it was for the kids. I loved the summer schedule and not having to plan for the next day! It was kind of a brutal wake-up call to get my act together :) </div>
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First Grade, here she comes! </div>
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Of course I can't resist a little flashback, here is her peanut self a year ago on the first day!</div>
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This year it was Anna and Elsa for the backpack choice</div>
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Last year it was Sophia</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBxw7j4TtZENK0eiu72XWkhyphenhyphennqBeJJSqYrymcMc-IgUg43ad1K8RFatv9uSJ3VNNxvi_RvSYhbD4ZIb9oebk9EirSPvTL-939eDBiNsALpmia1uKJAG1dSrHU4vgIi32uajOqoQ/s1600/IMG_2894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBxw7j4TtZENK0eiu72XWkhyphenhyphennqBeJJSqYrymcMc-IgUg43ad1K8RFatv9uSJ3VNNxvi_RvSYhbD4ZIb9oebk9EirSPvTL-939eDBiNsALpmia1uKJAG1dSrHU4vgIi32uajOqoQ/s640/IMG_2894.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Walker is cracking us up because he starting to catch on to the picture drill in front of the door! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eSc_S8FvioFKaDQ8vD5lMZhvxWm1ZcbNZv6vla487XTC2nHzefLz8ZH0WQS6lXjyoJBdhcykBrQB0hbIv7ZAi8trERiyLv4ba7MjVrvGmVV2XBO57c5PJ9vcrrfriwUNLb9j8w/s1600/IMG_2903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eSc_S8FvioFKaDQ8vD5lMZhvxWm1ZcbNZv6vla487XTC2nHzefLz8ZH0WQS6lXjyoJBdhcykBrQB0hbIv7ZAi8trERiyLv4ba7MjVrvGmVV2XBO57c5PJ9vcrrfriwUNLb9j8w/s640/IMG_2903.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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He knew something exciting was happening! </div>
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Daddy's girl</div>
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And Mommy's girl</div>
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We walked together on the first day, last year...</div>
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... and we did it again this year! I think we can also safely say that Travis prefers to wear orange when the kids go back to school! </div>
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The mascot greeted us while we waited for the doors to open. Thankfully Walker didn't cry at the sight on him!</div>
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And much like last year, sweet Carter just had a hard time saying goodbye! He followed Ava in her room, gave her about three big hugs and kisses, followed by several rounds of "Are you Ok Ava?" and "I'm going to miss you today." It was totally precious and as we left, many tears were shed from his big eyes. Thankfully Ava was only excited and she didn't cry at all!</div>
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This was our hilarious picture of the three amigos last year! Carter was not happy, Walker had to be woken up and Ava was thrilled!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQInoyBkOBNHPnTFThyphenhyphenYTwzZ6_scK6MsYi64HL-TfOwQEXKpANPzvn2c6K8GREI42jsJzzPqw2gQmDkFfj2FIfMVKRwjnnqn1BRy_O96scjGz1scFqIwDo_jxYM-86PegLuE4tw/s1600/IMG_4705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQInoyBkOBNHPnTFThyphenhyphenYTwzZ6_scK6MsYi64HL-TfOwQEXKpANPzvn2c6K8GREI42jsJzzPqw2gQmDkFfj2FIfMVKRwjnnqn1BRy_O96scjGz1scFqIwDo_jxYM-86PegLuE4tw/s640/IMG_4705.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Everybody got bigger this year and so did their little sibling bond. </div>
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I love this pic I snapped on my phone because I love the way Walkie is holding on to both of them! He definitely didn't understand what was happening like Carter did, but I can tell you several weeks later, he doesn't like to see them leave in the morning. He has since cried many times too, now that his playmates are gone for hours of the day. I just can't imagine when it will be his turn to go! He will have witnessed this scene many, many times over. Wonder if he'll even need me to go with him?? He'll probably be a pro by then! </div>
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Ava has adjusted very well to her new class and her new routine. She loves being at school and is very chatty when she gets home about what she did all day. We had some tears this morning over our first lost library book (seriously, I have spent more time looking for that dumb thing and we still can't find it!) and whether or not she was going to have to talk to the principal because of it!?!? Sweet girl! I assured her it was important that we find it but not worthy of visiting the principal :) I am thankful she is making friends with some new faces in her class and still connecting with faces from last year. We are learning she is very opinionated (still) about what she wants to wear and how she wants to wear her hair, that was another meltdown morning about a week ago! She is all girl and feels these things pretty deeply, so you can imagine the tension she and I already have sometimes. I am doing some coaching to myself about picking battles and letting lots of them go. I love to see her independence and her confidence and I am glad she is speaking up for herself more and more. But for crying out loud, is insisting that we brush her hair everyday an unbearable burden!?!?! Ha ha! Oh the refinement that comes from the school years, and no, I'm not referring to Ava's refinement but rather, mine. Suddenly I feel for my own poor Mom and the drama of having three girls to get ready for school every day! The tension, arguments and fights that erupted over shoes, clothes, and being late should have been enough to make my Mom nuts! But she survived it and I imagine I will too. I'm thankful that at least I have two boys who will likely not stress about their hair :) </div>
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We truly are off to a great start this year and our first fundraiser packet even came home this week, oh boy! Travis and I are grateful for the blessing of a neighborhood school and love to see Ava doing so well there. We thank the Lord for these last few weeks! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-49131743706853192002015-09-05T20:35:00.001-05:002015-09-05T20:35:15.223-05:00Super Cooper! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On the 4th of July we welcomed our newest nephew, Cooper into our family! My sister had her second baby and on the 8th we were able to head down to Iowa to meet him. Love when a plan works out! </div>
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Nothing like brand-new-straight-from-Heaven babies!!</div>
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The shadows in this picture make his hair look dark but actually he was born with a full head of blonde hair! So sweet, we loved being there to welcome him and to have a few days to just hang out with my whole family. It seems like yesterday and not a year ago already, that the kids and I were making the same trek down with a newborn Walker, while Trav was off to Peru! </div>
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Since we would all be together and because we didn't get to celebrate Walker's first birthday with any family, we made the most of the opportunity and had a little ice-cream cake in honor of the new 1 year old! My Mom ordered it for us and had them do a little mickey mouse theme, Walker isn't really "into" much yet but he does recognize and react to Mickey Mouse, courtesy of his siblings love for Disney cartoons every morning :) </div>
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The 5 mouseketeers! </div>
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We took his cake outside to share with everyone, after we got our pics inside. </div>
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The lit candle was a surprise to Walker...</div>
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... so much so, that he tried to touch it and Ava saved the day by stopping him! </div>
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We tried to get Sawyer in on the action, but he wasn't as thrilled with the hat as we hoped, ha ha!</div>
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Most of our afternoons were filled with these two in the backyard, playing in all kinds of water! It was beautiful the first few days we were there, but then it got crazy hot and humid, making the slip n slide and the local water park a necessity!</div>
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Who could be bothered with sagging shorts when there is fun to be had??</div>
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Even Oliver came outside to see what all the fuss was about!</div>
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Stacie and Jesse flew in to meet little Cooper too, which was a bonus for all of the rest of us!</div>
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These two were twinning!</div>
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Four generations! </div>
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My grandparents came over one afternoon to see all of us and I can never resist this picture! Plus, I think Walker has inherited my Grandpa's cheeks when he smiles. You can't tell here, but he reminds me so often of him!</div>
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And Cooper got in on the 4 generation-throwback fun, too!</div>
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Grandparents and granddaughters. When we were little, they used to buy the three of us beautiful and fancy, matching dresses every year for Christmas. We got to order them from a special catalog, which we thought was thrilling, and often we had our pictures professionally taken after we got them. They loved seeing us all dressed up as much as we loved being dressed up! We don't dress alike anymore, but we still like those sister pictures :) It is amazing to me how the passage of time is especially reflected in a visit with grandparents. While they must look at us and think the very same thing, it's a interesting and kind of sad time to wonder how many visits we will share in the future. I'm glad we could get one in! </div>
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Meanwhile, Cooper continued to sleep the visit away in somebody's arms at all times. </div>
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I don't think he minded!</div>
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Walker thought he would be brave and crawl right into the freezing water like his siblings, but he quickly realized the gravity of that choice! He was not a fan! </div>
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Daddy to the rescue :) </div>
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But, even after all those tears, he couldn't stay away :) He is an Armstrong male if I've ever seen one! The thrill is just too much to walk away from!</div>
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He slowly made his way right back to the water and decided he could handle it, one small dose at a time!</div>
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I love those little water bugs!</div>
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Super Grandpa took all four of these grandkids for a walk after dinner one night. It was crazy humid and my camera could not stop fogging up from the thick blanket of moisture in the air! He deserved a medal for that! </div>
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Cousins and two peas in a pod. These two are already double the trouble when they are together. If one of them isn't into something forbidden, the other one is :) I can't imagine Christmas! When they are in confined spaces! And around all things breakable! We'll all need a padded room by the time we part ways! </div>
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Travis had to go back to Minnesota a few days after we got there so it was up to me to take over the swimming duties! We enjoyed a neighbor's pool one night, which was a great way to stay cool!</div>
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And the uncles came to my rescue and helped me with all three of my kids too. </div>
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We joked the whole time about Jesse being our "manny" because he totally entertained Ava and Carter for me. He took them to a water park in town, twice, and created a giant waterfall with the hose suspended from an antenna near my parent's roof! It was hilarious to see and the kids went wild for it! I never would have survived with my sanity somewhat in tact if it weren't for his energy for them. It was so hot out but he helped all of us enjoy it! </div>
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And on our last night, after we were ready to say good-bye and go to bed, we realized we never took a picture together all week :) Something about having a newborn and 4 other kids that got in the way of our shopping, eating out and late-night game playing ways of the past! Oh how kids are changing the game, of course in good ways :) </div>
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It was wonderful to love on Cooper and to just be with our family for a week. I am thankful we could come down to see everyone and escape the summer grind at home. The next time we are all together, this little guy won't be so little! Welcome to the family, Cooper :) </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-43016111737775588492015-08-29T11:49:00.003-05:002015-08-29T11:54:31.640-05:00Fourth of July 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We were home this year for the 4th and gratefully, Travis was finally feeling back to normal. We had no grand plans for the day but we are lucky to have some great kid activities in our neighborhood that we were looking forward to doing together! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnuGcTUa4igULVG1vpstrukuaE1bcDmr5Sw0vFm-xLa8Y2Xk7g9dcqovwpEUkGYn1T8woqVU9rAbWOFQS3G_axkDOwWntw7p0qxtZn5ILqpfxWVBKe3kW9RyV8rWM0WiibRDrVg/s1600/IMG_5719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnuGcTUa4igULVG1vpstrukuaE1bcDmr5Sw0vFm-xLa8Y2Xk7g9dcqovwpEUkGYn1T8woqVU9rAbWOFQS3G_axkDOwWntw7p0qxtZn5ILqpfxWVBKe3kW9RyV8rWM0WiibRDrVg/s640/IMG_5719.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Every year there is a kid's parade that lines up right in front of our house, complete with veterans leading the way! Sidenote, nothing makes me quite as teary on the 4th as veterans who carry the flag and pass on their allegiance and service to country to the next generation. It's so moving that they come and do this for a group of parents and kids. </div>
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The firemen come as well as some police officers too. That thrills the kids, mine included!</div>
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And then we jump in a sea of bikes and wagons and strollers, all sporting their red, white and blue while we walk through a few neighborhoods to our destination. </div>
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Last year, Ava and Carter were at my parents' house and Trav and I enjoyed it all from the balcony with this teeny, tiny firecracker. </div>
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But not this year! We loaded up our big firecracker, got our colors on and joined the fun too! </div>
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Bikes, balloons and Walker's foot sticking up in their air, ha ha! </div>
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Ava waved like royalty to every neighbor who lined up to watch, she loved the whole thing. All those princesses and Disney park parades, means this girl knows how to work a parade route! </div>
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Walker, however, took more of a "kick back and relax" approach...</div>
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And Carter was never within range of my camera, he was just too busy and fast to lag behind with us! And of course Travis was a walking billboard for the Gospel :) </div>
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I love him. He doesn't waste opportunities! </div>
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The cutest red, white and blue crew! </div>
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At the end of our ride is a neighborhood carnival with free food, bouncy houses, a petting zoo, face painting, magicians and lots and lots of people!</div>
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Ava was delighted to see so many friends from school and one of her teachers she adores. </div>
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Carter also played with a neighbor and darted around to keep us on our toes, which is his usual mode of operation at these kind of things. </div>
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And Walker and I looked for shade and stayed cool. Walker, I love you for that. The shade is my favorite and a baby is a great excuse to linger in it! </div>
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Love these three!</div>
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In the afternoon we went to a new swimming spot that we had heard about. </div>
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It's a great place for families and it features a man-made, filtered and chlorinated lake. Which was music to our ears after some of the bacteria scares in local lakes. We were sold immediately and it turned out to be a perfect day to be there. </div>
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Ava and Carter spent hours in the sand, digging and playing and running in and out of the water. </div>
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I, of course, attended these things as well but since I am the photographer and a mom in a swimsuit, I never made it into a photo. I'm not losing sleep over it! But listen kids, I was there! And I was the one packing, carrying, organizing and keeping track of allllll your junk, just so you know :) I also swam with you, so I'd appreciate some mom points for that someday! </div>
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We knew these two would love it but we weren't so sure about Walker.</div>
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Sand and swimming have never been his favorite things but he surprised us and happily played in both.</div>
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He even charmed the people behind us and "borrowed" their toy truck while he batted his big eyelashes at them! </div>
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And then we put our baby who screams at the top of his lungs over EVERY. SINGLE. BATH. into the sandy bottomed lake and because it just seemed right on a hot day and of course, he loved it! </div>
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Like really, truly LOVED IT! </div>
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Meanwhile, he has continued to scream at the top of his lungs for every bath since, but on this day he enjoyed a cold lake. </div>
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Oh Walker, there is no predicting you! You love to keep us on our toes :) </div>
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Also, that face just kills us! </div>
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One of the other things that makes this lake so appealing for little ones is that the majority of it is only 3 feet deep and way in the back, behind the ropes, it's a whopping 6 feet. Perfect. </div>
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Because he did so well, we spent the entire afternoon there and grabbed some take-out on our way home around dinner time. It was such a fun day and just a relaxing time together. It can be a little lonely around here with so many people gone to their cabins or enjoying family time, but the Lord gave us a sweet day and we needed it. Funny how He's good at that! </div>
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When we got home, I hit a serious wall. I think the week of camp, Walker's first birthday and another week of running the ship while Travis was sick finally hit me. I love fireworks but at 7:45 I told Travis I absolutely could not stay awake and I had to go to bed! So Walker and I enjoyed an 8:00pm bedtime while Trav took the bigs to see fireworks with some neighbors. We are again blessed by our location because the city shoots their fireworks off at the lake behind Ava's school, at the end of the street. We have easy access and can walk over at the last minute. It was a fun day and I heard it was a fun fireworks show, too! Thankfully I slept through the whole thing :) </div>
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I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that the most exciting part of our day was our nephew Cooper making his grand entrance in the world! We woke to many texts and pictures of our newest family member from my sister Jennie and celebrated his precious life on a big day! He'll always have fireworks to celebrate another year! And so will our niece Emma, who was also born on this day last year! She turned one and it's been fun to see how she and Walker have hit so many milestones within days of each other. The 4th has become such a fun holiday for lots of reasons! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-40601338984078690512015-08-29T09:48:00.001-05:002015-08-29T09:48:53.694-05:00Happy First Birthday, Walker! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On June 30th, this little guy woke up and turned one!! </div>
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Hard to believe, but that first year just flew by and our baby is now a toddler. </div>
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This sight has been a true delight and joy for Travis and I all year. Walker has added such blessing to our family and we just praise God for gifting us with each one of our kids!</div>
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And while it isn't always picture perfect around here, it's still pretty amazing that we have 3 kids! </div>
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We planned a very low key celebration for Walker, largely due to the fact that Travis was still sick from his post-camp virus and our family fun plans for the week had to be postponed. I took the birthday boy to the grocery store to at least pick out his own balloon. We thought we'd do a family dinner together and then meet some friends for cupcakes in the park. </div>
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Here's to leftover decorations from Carter's 2nd birthday! I love that I have a pile to pull from now after years of birthday dinners :) </div>
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Thanks to additions from Trav's Mom, Walker's stash was a good one! </div>
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I made some ice-cream cone cupcakes to bring to the park. </div>
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Which were sort of a fail as I filled them a little too full with batter and they dripped down the sides of the cones! </div>
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Oh well! It was the best I could do by myself while juggling the kids and while poor Trav slept all day, feeling pretty miserable. I'm pretty sure all my kids saw was icing and sprinkles and the joy of knowing it was all coming their way soon! </div>
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This guy sure didn't notice OR care! </div>
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He wasn't too sure about that party hat however :) </div>
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But he sure looked cute in it! </div>
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I've now put some kind of 1st birthday paraphernalia on three kids now! And each time I couldn't get over how big they had become or how darling they were in their party hat. I can say the same thing about Walker. How this year flew by in a blink is beyond me, but here we are celebrating a big milestone! For him and for Travis and I. </div>
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It is true, the older you get as parents, the longer it takes to recover from everyday "fun!" It's been our most tiring year, for sure, but Walker you are SO worth it! </div>
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And speaking of the bigs, they were THRILLED to be having a party for Walkie. They love a birthday like every other kid and they were pretty excited for him, although they couldn't understand why he didn't quite catch the same excitement, ha ha! </div>
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Like the great Dad he is, Trav emerged for all the fun and rallied to participate :) </div>
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And my tired eyes and I jumped in there for a pic too! I sure love this one year old! I clearly remember having that same grin on my face while I held him last year, so fresh and darling in my arms. </div>
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And these silly kids too!</div>
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Thankfully we had a beautiful June night to meet our friends for some fun! We have been in a small group together with two other families, on and off for the last few years...on as life feels manageable and off when babies and changing seasons fill our plates, but friends always! </div>
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We love them dearly and we are thankful that all of our kiddos are becoming great buddies, too.</div>
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Sweet Olivia, the daredevil with the scars to prove it! </div>
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Eliza and Owen, the ninja warriors :) </div>
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Cute Isaiah, the most responsible 6 year old you'll ever meet :) </div>
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And Ariel the redhead!</div>
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And the birthday boy of course </div>
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Walker will likely develop a love for thrill rides, due to his early exposure to risk and reward! </div>
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Look at that face! What are his parents thinking??</div>
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Yep, getting the hang of it and maybe even loving it? </div>
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Safe with his Daddy!</div>
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Have you ever seen such cutie pies??? Between our three families, we have 11 kids that are 6 and under! You can only imagine the chaos that ensues when we are all together, right? The BEST kind of chaos, I might add :) </div>
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And every single one of these faces are precious to us and loved by us!</div>
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Duke (pictured), Walker and Tagg (home sleeping) are the three youngest of this crew and I can only imagine the trouble they will cause as a threesome! They are the babies of each family and each one a big surprise and joy! Welcoming new babies into the world with friends is one of life's richest blessings. I should have taken a picture with the Moms, but these girls are some of my dearest friends and we've all been gifted with amazing husbands who are great Dads. We just love them and thank God for this sweet season of life, together! </div>
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No one loves sugar like my Carter does!</div>
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The big kids of the group! Ava and sweet Eliza :) The classic big sisters and the little mothers of the group! </div>
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Owen and Carter are just 2 months apart and are 2 wild peas in a pod! Throw Isaiah in the mix and these three boys are a good time! </div>
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That grin! She is precious and aptly named with that red hair!</div>
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And Miss Evie, darling as ever with the biggest brown eyes!</div>
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Walker was not to be denied the sugar or the mess on his big day!</div>
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And messy it was, but he loved it! </div>
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Oh how we love this sweet boy! </div>
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We saved his gifts for the next night at home, much to Ava and Carter's disappointment...they were like caged monkeys waiting for him to open everything.</div>
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Classic!</div>
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He truly had no idea what the fuss or the gifts were all about. Next year however, he will also be like a caged monkey, I'm sure of it. </div>
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I love the way he is looking at his Daddy! </div>
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Scout is a much loved toy here and Walker was very happy to open his very own singing and talking dog! </div>
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Clothes, books, a few toys...it was a good birthday for this little guy!</div>
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Of course the number one requested activity from Ava and Carter was that Walker smash his first cake!</div>
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We had high hopes as we sang to him...</div>
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...but he did not quite share the same level of excitement! In fact, he really shared no excitement! </div>
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Just a tiny bit of curiosity...</div>
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...mixed with bouts of sobbing! </div>
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A little bit of tasting...</div>
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....but there it is again, more crying! Ha ha! </div>
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These two were thoroughly confused about what could possibly make someone cry over a cupcake with a mountain of icing, but if I remember correctly at least one of them also cried on their first birthday! They were disappointed at the lack of mess he made, but happy to have experienced a birthday with Walker! Thank you Lord for this special day and may we have many years of birthdays together!</div>
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We love you sweet boy!! </div>
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Happy first birthday! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-57674786620015356342015-08-25T11:13:00.002-05:002015-08-25T11:13:46.983-05:00JAM Camp 2015 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a fun post for me to write, and fair warning, it's a long one...I simply couldn't hold back with some of these sweet pictures or some of the stories behind them. As many of you know after all these years of reading this blog, Travis is a student Pastor and we have the privilege of attending his junior high summer camp every year. Since we moved to Minnesota, I've been to all of his summer camps (all 10 of them!!) with the exception of last year, when I gave birth to Walker 2 days after he returned home. For us, this is routine and tradition. He loves to have us with him and until we had kids of our own, I loved to help him with various things, including being a stand-in camp nurse and the designated hospital driver! We've taken each of the kids to camp as babies and for several years beyond that. They didn't go with the last two years as life simply got more complex but we pulled the trigger and brought all the troops this year, for a week of family fun at JAM camp! </div>
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It was fitting that the first day of camp fell on Father's Day this year! I asked Trav if he was bummed as he wouldn't really get much of a celebration and definitely no nap or time to relax. He laughed and said this was actually the best gift we could give him, spending a week together enjoying the great outdoors and loving on students while we did it. That sounds right! This is his favorite activity of the year and I always watch him at camp and agree, this is so his element! What a special thing it was for him to have his four biggest fans and the three youngest campers with him all week. I went with low expectations, not knowing how Walker would do or how I would juggle all the kids while he was so busy, but what a surprise God had in store for us. It was such a wonderful week and such a gift to our little family. I can't wait to tell you more about it! </div>
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Trav wears so many hats during the week and is ultimately responsible for the whole enchilada. It's a lot of weight and something he loves, but hands down my favorite part of the week is hearing him teach during Chapel. I still love to sit under his teaching, he challenges me right along with the students and leaders and I am so blessed to see him serve in his strengths and with the same passion he's always had. It is also so sweet for our kids to see him in action and get a glimpse into what their Dad gives his time to when he's away from home. </div>
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On the first night, after I got Walker to bed, the kids were hanging out on the back porch while everyone was in the chapel and Ava ran over with a pen and paper and asked me, "Mom, can you spell Isaiah 66 for me? I want to take notes while Daddy talks and write about the Gospel and stuff!" Sweet girl! I loved it! She did indeed write Isaiah 66 on her paper and listened intently to her Daddy. The building we stay in is right next to the chapel so I'm able to go back and forth pretty easily. We don't always get that opportunity to hear him so that was an extra blessing all week for both the kids and I to enjoy! </div>
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Walker was the source of much of my anxiety going into camp. He is at a challenging age and not walking yet, so I didn't know how he would do with all the gravel and dirt, or the grass for that matter. He wasn't a huge fan of grass at that time! I also kept thinking about how impossible it would be to keep him clean all week and hopefully bug-bite free. And then wouldn't you know it, 48 hours before we left he spiked a fever and was clearly cutting a tooth in a big way. He was super fussy for two straight days and at different times we both considered the kids and I staying home because of it. BUT, the Lord took care of every detail and Walker woke up in a good mood the morning we needed to pack up and he was golden all week! We had a perfect weather week and the bugs never seemed to bother him at all. He napped perfectly and slept like a rock every night! All the activity and stimulation wiped him right out and although he wasn't a big fan of being held by everyone, he did love watching the action while sticking close to us. I couldn't have asked for a better little camper! He was still exhausting to care for, ha ha, but certainly way more resilient and pleasant than I had planned on. Thank you Jesus! </div>
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This was Ava's fourth JAM camp, although she was so little for each of those years, she really didn't remember much. She was so thrilled to come along and if this grin is any indication about how she felt, let me just tell you that she LOVED being there! </div>
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Carter and Ava lived in the lake, or the "big pool" as Carter called it! They were troopers with their floaties and didn't complain when I made them wear them the whole time. They probably went down that slide a hundred times, it was such a special treat for them and so many of the students were so sweet to swim with them and play with them too. The waterfront was a big blessing! </div>
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The students love tubing behind the jet-skis and we were dumb and suggested that Ava and Carter try it one afternoon too. We weren't dumb to suggest they try it, but we were dumb to do it on a windy and choppy day. They happily got on the tubes and as soon as they took off, they were hanging on for dear life! Trav rode with Carter and another staffer with Ava, but still, it was pretty bumpy and when they came back in Carter told me, "I did not like that Mom! That was not fun!" Whoops! </div>
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One of our counselors making fun of my request for a picture, haha! </div>
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The aftermath...</div>
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This about sums it up, look at Carter's face! Ava was no big fan of the whole thing either! </div>
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Carter was very content to play in the sand and mud with the rocks and sticks, building damns and rivers. Typical boy stuff and I loved it! We did get him back on the tube a few days later but only after lots of time to just do this :) </div>
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We dipped Walkie's toes in the water, the toes of our child who screams and cries through every warm bath...He wasn't thrilled at first, but by the end of the week he loved it! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBa3Vt_A_NAHDJZZyIIjVg7dnYiT009thIQO2U2qKHuDNSmbjEHnF47pTQie2ZqrtbEsMZv5Bx8jORMpUcNGIx-JrNbY82oSbqxqVZoDQxRiXhITWo9ZETlvU001X4o3dun3/s1600/IMG_1708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBa3Vt_A_NAHDJZZyIIjVg7dnYiT009thIQO2U2qKHuDNSmbjEHnF47pTQie2ZqrtbEsMZv5Bx8jORMpUcNGIx-JrNbY82oSbqxqVZoDQxRiXhITWo9ZETlvU001X4o3dun3/s640/IMG_1708.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Mostly these two just had the time of their lives, every afternoon from 1-3! </div>
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Judging by the first night's response, we were off to a great week! These two were in Heaven. </div>
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With each passing day, this little guy was so worn out and tired for each nap and especially at bedtime. That alone was a major answer to prayer! I have cuddled with each of our kids on that back of that porch, because they've all come to camp as babies. This year it really struck me about how much our life has changed from our first year and how many summers we've been privileged to do this. </div>
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I snapped this one afternoon because it was so sweet and reflective of us bringing the kids with us. This is the chapel porch and where we hang out while worship and teaching and crowd breakers happen. It gives us a good buffer zone to be a part of what's happening and yet, not a distraction. Ava and Carter's little camping chairs are a precious addition. </div>
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I walked around one night with my camera, taking in the beautiful sunset and the gorgeous glow it cast over the camp. </div>
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It really is such gorgeous place, so serene and peaceful.</div>
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I was so thankful for a little chance to soak this up while Walker was in bed and the big kids were helping prep for the night game. </div>
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"Helping prep" is probably a relative term! </div>
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Camp is exhausting, but it's also really great in so many ways. I'm so glad Trav convinced me to come and bring the kids. The Lord reminded me of that decision all week as I counted the blessings He poured out on us while we were there. </div>
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It didn't take Walker long to work on his selfie game after being around so many teenagers! </div>
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Here's my attempt to keep him on a blanket...he lasted all of 10 seconds on here before he fled for the gravel, dirt and rocks! 100% boy! </div>
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Mail time is always a daily highlight!</div>
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Even for my own kids, thanks to my faithful cousin Jenny. She sends them a package every time and they just love it. </div>
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Every night we gaze upon a sea of neon colored students, waiting for their names to be called or to participate in some crazy crowd-breaker. I think most of them love this time of night, but if I was a student, this would have been my most feared time of day. I would have hated being called up there for any reason! </div>
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However my own kiddos were not exempt from the hilarity, we always make the students "do something" to get their mail and Ava and Carter had to dance to get theirs. Clearly THEY were not afraid of the spotlight! I'd like to say that's their father's influence on them :) </div>
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Thank you Jenny!!</div>
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Travis is such a great Daddy and he did special things for the kids all week, like bring the bubble machine along to let our kids play and squeal as they got covered in bubbles!</div>
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He has pockets of time here and there when he isn't needed or busy and he graciously gave those up for us. I love this picture of them!</div>
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One of Walker's favorite times of the day was at night, before Chapel started. While the kids were doing crowd breakers and lined up in the grass for mail time, he crawled through the ranks looking for their booklets and pens while pretending to write in them! Ha ha! He was thrilled and those sweet campers were always kind to hand their stuff over so that he could enjoy it! Maybe he'll love writing like his Mom??</div>
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After free time every afternoon we have some sort of group game, the messier the better. Travis LOVES these games, I tend to keep my distance from the chaos!</div>
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It delights him to no end to chase those junior high kids and torture them with whatever game they are enjoying. On this particular day it was mess fest, which begins with white t-shirts on everyone before they start playing games with kool-aid soaked sponges and giant kiddie pools and buckets filled with chocolate! The laundry queen in me cringes at the thought :) </div>
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This is the face of the girl who was told by her Mother to just watch the game, as I assumed she would likely get hit by something/someone and it would upset her, not to mention cover her in all things messy. Well, she was having none of my reasoning or caution and after some tears, I relented and let she and Carter join in. </div>
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And naturally they LOVED every second of it!</div>
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They also loved the lake time afterwards to wash all that chocolate off!</div>
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Love it! </div>
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Please take special note of my kids, front and center and loving it every morning during announcements!</div>
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The highlight of the week for me was being able to lead our counselors in devotions, encouraging them and thanking them each morning for all that they are doing to serve. They are rockstars all week and they put tons and tons of work and energy into each day, so I loved the time I could pour back into them. My kiddos were able to do cabin clean-up inspection during this time and Walker was napping, so it was a sweet 45 minute window I had to just be me! We looked at some leadership lessons from Hebrews all week and I loved to hear their insights as well as pray with them and for them all week. We had great counselors!!</div>
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And here is my darling man, rubbing those cramps out of his leg muscles...Ha ha! I gave him some grief for not stretching and not remembering how much older he is while trying to keep up with 14 year olds :) I like to think I am his constant reality check, he might describe my ministry of truth-telling in another way! LOL! He sure is cute though! </div>
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The quintessential look of summer! </div>
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Spontaneously after breakfast one day we took some family pics and they turned out to be my favorites from the entire week! </div>
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What a true privilege it was to serve as a family and to just take part in what Trav was up to all week. I've always considered part of my ministry to be taking care of things at home so that he can freely serve without guilt or worry, but I also know that it means something for students to see us interact in front of them too. Watching our marriage and our relationship dynamics at play is important for students to see, while also humbling and sometimes sobering. I know it's important because we hear from them and I see the sweet notes they write to Travis, mentioning the impact that's had on them. The same goes for they way they see him in action as a Dad. Believe me, they are seeing the real, everyday stuff from raising kids...we are not a perfect family, our kids are VERY normal and we are flawed parents too! But I hope they always catch glimpses of grace and patience and love as we try to model Godliness in all things to them. Sometimes the Lord reminds me of how rare it is for a lot of them to see a "traditional" Jesus-centered home. I take that seriously and it drives me to pray that He would help us stay faithful and Godly, while also being authentic and honest about our own shortcomings and struggles. So much of this "fishbowl life" can be overwhelming and crushing even when comments are made or criticisms felt, but on the flip side of that, the Lord is SO gracious to give us opportunities like this one to serve and enjoy our kids together. We are works in progress and we certainly don't have parenting/ministry/life all figured out! One day at a time and one event at a time...that's usually my mantra for survival and perspective. This was a great week for the five of us and for that, I thank Jesus and praise Him for His grace to us!</div>
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How cute are these boys??? I have no idea what they were doing or how Ava got in the middle of it, but those sweet guys humored her and posed with her to make her feel included!</div>
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Don't believe the stereo-type that all junior high boys are lame! I know way too many that are SO great!! </div>
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My sweet girl! She sure loved being with all these students and she lit up like a light bulb every time any of them paid attention to her or included her, which was often!</div>
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Of course the classic JAM camp game has to be our annual shaving cream war and giant slip n slide afterwards. It's mass chaos and tons of fun and everybody loved it! </div>
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I did keep the kids away from the shaving cream so they wouldn't get it in their eyes, but the slip n' slide was a green light for them!</div>
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Poor Trav is always an immediate target, but he brings it on himself believe me! He's always chasing kids down! </div>
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He also loves to help them get it out of their eyes with a giant water gun :) </div>
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Patiently waiting :) </div>
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They wanted some shaving cream on them and one of our volunteers obliged them! </div>
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And then the real fun began!! </div>
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I LOVE him!!!</div>
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They went a million times on this thing, it's a huge slide and they were maniacs like everybody else. </div>
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I am very grateful to Raschelle, Trav's co-worker, who made the kids and I feel very welcomed and supported all week. Thank you, thank you for loving on us and making this week so fun! </div>
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Not to mention providing a steady stream of snacks and candy to my crew!! They LOVED that most of all! Ha ha! </div>
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We are also indebted to Corrissa, our camp nurse and JR, who runs everything technical and a million other things too. Camp would never happen without the time and effort they poured into it. Having a great team is invaluable!! And we like them in real life too, so score! </div>
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I think they like us back :) </div>
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Trav did have Ava and Carter come up and thank the students who were so kind to them all week and who specifically bought them bribes for their cabin clean-up competition. I wish I would have video-ed it, they both spoke and said precious things. </div>
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It really did mean so much to them to be there and to be a part of the week. I can't thank the students enough for playing with them, including them, being patient with them, talking to them, and helping me! It was impactful for my own kids and a blessing to Travis and I. Carter even prayed for the group on the morning of baptisms! I cherish these God-given opportunities we've been given as parents, what a privilege to see our kiddos soaking up this week as well. </div>
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We've had one or more of my cousin's kids with us every single year we've done camp!! So fun! This year it was Bette and we loved our time with her! </div>
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Seeing kids be baptized on the last day is always a sweet ending to the week...</div>
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This year there were 8 students and I enjoyed hearing all of their testimonies about why they wanted to go public with their faith and obey Jesus' example in baptism. </div>
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Again, I am always reminded to never underestimate what the Lord can do in the life of a teenager. I love that their families come and watch too, it's a special day!</div>
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Carter was most sad about camp ending and not being able to see his FAVORITE counselor, Delaney! </div>
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Ringing the dinner bell one last time!</div>
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Such a fun group! </div>
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Bonus points if you can find all three of our kids in here, too! </div>
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As is tradition now, we come home from camp completely wiped out and literally spent from a wonderful/exhausting week! We spend that Friday night barely speaking because we have no words left with a strong desire to just lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling. Travis almost always gets sick with some sort of respiratory thing and sadly this year was no exception, although in a twist of dramatic fashion he got the Rotavirus instead! Unfortunately that meant 10 days of misery for him...yikes! Praise the Lord the kids and I did not follow suit, I know that was His mercy on us, but my poor husband was down for the count and the week of vacation we were planning on turned into a week of him in bed. Not what we were excited about, but definitely what the Lord ordained instead. The upside to it was that he did get some forced rest! I, on the other hand, felt like I endured camp 1.0 AND camp 2.0 by the time it was all done! Ha ha! Really glad that it's all a memory now...</div>
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We are thankful for another year of camp with junior high kids, high school counselors, awesome volunteers and an incredible staff. We loved it and our kids bring it up weekly, still. They can't wait for next year and now that the memory of rotavirus is fading, neither can we :) </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-87969539989521527662015-07-30T11:20:00.003-05:002015-07-30T16:32:15.555-05:00That's a Wrap! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ava's big year in Kindergarten came to a close in early June! </div>
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We were all excited for the end of the year to finally be upon us! </div>
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Bring on sleeping later, playing in jammies, no more carpool and being together all summer!! Yay!!!</div>
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Although summer has been a welcomed changed and reprieve from the schedule, Ava had such a wonderful experience in school and we loved watching her enjoy it and grow in new ways. I spent many hours worrying and wondering if we made the right choice to send her where we did and then praying and asking the Lord to take care of her and provide for her before the year began. I'm amazed when I look back at how He answered those prayers and stilled our fears before that first day ever began. He was so faithful to us and His presence and care was very real to Ava this year and we praise Him for that!</div>
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Not only did Ava grow up this year but so did her brothers! This is such a classic picture of the monkeys waiting for her at home every day! They missed her every time we dropped her off and were so happy to see her again when we would pick her up. It was quite an experience to be without my girl every day, that took some time for my heart to get used to, but she loved it so much that it became much easier to send her off knowing she was happy to go. </div>
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And to think Walker was a newborn in an infant carrier when we sent her on her first day, and a tank now! Time flies! I love these pictures of him, wrangling him for a picture is nearly impossible these days! </div>
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It was beach day on the last day, which admittedly, I barely had the bandwidth left to celebrate. So many dress up days this year, I made a half-hearted attempt to help her look "beachy" while mostly just focusing on the fact that the daily grind was almost OVER!! </div>
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I never got over dropping her off and watching her walk by herself into school everyday. She did finally look so much bigger and older by the end of the year but for the first 5 months or so, I could have cried every time she left me! Thankfully she almost never looked back, she just marched her cute self into the building every morning, always so excited to be there. </div>
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We were most anxious to find out who Ava's teacher would be last summer and He just blessed us with the sweetest and most wonderful gift in Mrs. Fogarty. She was perfect for our first school teacher and Ava adored her. I am so thankful to God for pairing us with her and we loved getting to know her all year as she taught our Ava. We were truly sad to say good-bye to her on the last day, but I know Ava will love seeing her in the halls next year!</div>
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We also got to see one of her special friends as we were leaving! These two were two peas in a pod this year, I know she will miss her this summer. At each of Ava's conferences we heard about how compassionate and kind Ava was to her classmates, always concerned about anyone who was sick or sad or struggling. She came home with lots of stories and we spent time praying for different kids in her class at dinner. There were also some great teachable moments this year, as she got a taste of what it's like to be left out when you don't want to play something or how it hurts to be talked about. For reasons God is in control of, Ava has experienced this exact same thing before with girls who haven't always been very kind to her...it's hard to see that but at the same time, it's given Travis and I lots of opportunities to talk about it with her, to help build her character and to remind her of her true identity that is defined by what Jesus says of her. It's also a good time to encourage her to be a good friend too, regardless of what someone else does or says. She has a tender heart and sweet disposition by nature and I hope she never loses that! Standing up for herself has been something we've worked on a lot, but being a friend to the kids who don't always fit in or get included is an area we've seen her shine in. School was a learning experience for ALL of us! But it's really the first of many, right? Life isn't always what you imagine it will be but God is always good and He is trustworthy and faithful to us. We have loved helping Ava see and believe that this year as best as she can. Who knew Kindergarten social dynamics could already feel complex?? </div>
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Fun to watch the staff line up to do a big wave send-off as the buses pulled out for the last time...</div>
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...which was a big moment for the boys and I too, because it meant that we survived the carpool this year!!! I feel like we should get an award for that, really!!!</div>
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Truly, that was the miracle here! Every morning and every afternoon, we waited and waited and waited...rain or shine, in the warmth and freezing cold...I nursed Walker many afternoons in the back seat and we listened to him scream when he decided I wasn't moving fast enough! We watched movies, listened to the radio, talked to Daddy on the phone, read books, and ate snacks. It was not an easy thing day in and day out, many times we all wished we could just stay home. But our girl was worth it and no one was more happy to see it end for the summer than Carter and I! </div>
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And maybe Walker!?! I think he was happy to be done with all that car seat time, too!</div>
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We celebrated the end of the year with dinner out and ice-cream. Ava's school didn't do a graduation ceremony (which was GREAT in our opinion...it's Kindergarten after all!) so we let Ava choose a dinner spot (Noodles) and then we treated everyone with some fro-yo to cap the year off!</div>
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Our new first grader! </div>
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Walker was the proud recipient of Ava's hard work and enjoyed his first ice-cream outing too!</div>
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He earned it with all those hours logged in the car and all those naps that were interrupted!</div>
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And Carter earned it as well! Preschool is on the horizon for him this Fall, more changes for everyone!!</div>
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I thought I would share some funny pics of Ava's dress-up days from this Winter and Spring. Truly this year was one party after another, in the midst of all that learning! I don't ever recall having a dress up day when I was younger (in elementary school) but they sure employ them now! </div>
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On the 100th day of school, the teachers asked the kids to dress up like 100 year olds to celebrate! </div>
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Ha ha! Pinterest to the rescue, we scrolled through lots of pics there for some inspiration. She was the cutest old lady I've ever seen!</div>
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We sprayed her hair with some white temporary color and dug through her closet and mine to come up with her look. Not surprising, she was VERY opinionated about all of her accessories!</div>
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She was hilarious! We had AWANA at Church that night, which was also funny as she retained a few of her "old lady" things while she was at Church. We got some funny looks and giggles! </div>
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Valentine's Day!</div>
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Which meant treats for the teachers...</div>
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...and a kiss from her Daddy, who reminded her about who her only Valentine was, him!</div>
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Disney day! </div>
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PJ and stuffed animal day!</div>
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St. Patrick's day! Thankfully Carter had a hand-me-down t-shirt from a friend she could wear, otherwise I was basically empty handed for this holiday. I've been making lots of mental notes for next year and the years to come :) </div>
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Mid-Winter, Ava took a little after school drawing class and she loved it! She brought home lots of beautiful art and we loved what she was able to do! So far, art is her thing. She loves, loves, loves to color and draw and paint and create. She spends hours doing all of the above and it was fun for her to take a little class with some other kids at her school who love to create as well. </div>
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Her birthday!</div>
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Field day!</div>
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And beach day/the last day of school...exhausting, right?? I welcomed summer so intensely, mostly for a break from all these theme days! I could hardly keep up! </div>
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One of my sweetest memories from the year was these little lunchtime notes we exchanged. While I packed her lunch, I left her a note each day during that first week, thinking it would just be for that week so that she wouldn't miss me- I know, first time school mom right here! Naturally she loved them so much and began asking me to write her another one each time she had cold lunch, so I did! Fast forward to the end of the year and I ended up writing tons of them and as I discovered, she kept each one of them in her lunch box! Sweet girl. I loved knowing she smiled when she found them each time and that she didn't ever want to throw them away. Wonder if the boys will be into this someday?? Probably not so much the princess stickers and rainbow colors, but maybe some cars and trucks would make them feel loved too :) </div>
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I'll have to remember to stock up on notecards and stickers for next year!</div>
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Ava, you did it! We love you, we are proud of you and we are excited for your school journey to continue! We will always encourage you to do your best in school and to work hard, but we are most proud that you were a blessing to your teacher, a good friend to all of your classmates and a little shining light for Jesus! Those are the things that matter most to us and always will. </div>
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We love you, Ava! </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-23237060736482603282015-07-22T15:23:00.000-05:002015-07-22T15:23:01.188-05:00Vintage Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you've followed me for a few years, you know that I have previously spent many summers (not to mention Fall, Winter, and Spring) creating and designing flowers for brides. I have a little floral business that grew into more than I ever expected it to and I have loved it! I'm currently on a little break from weddings, it's just too much to manage with three little kids underfoot right now and although I do miss it, I love being a Mommy more! However, I did have a fun opportunity this Spring to design a bouquet for my Aunt who was getting married in June and I wanted to share it with you. The wedding was in Iowa, but I was able to create her bouquet because it was a departure from my normal fresh flowers and it was made with permanent materials instead. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMryH5MIBg17Fd76kkNcqE9vdEEKFls7jmHLbnLbfyYc417dEaHUfkIGF2ug5ukBds5l2yEOxTv1IN0kLfuufwGrYXji4HNixm4CFyDt6SbXmv3auQFMnK138Cxf63ywkOKwJa/s1600/IMG_1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMryH5MIBg17Fd76kkNcqE9vdEEKFls7jmHLbnLbfyYc417dEaHUfkIGF2ug5ukBds5l2yEOxTv1IN0kLfuufwGrYXji4HNixm4CFyDt6SbXmv3auQFMnK138Cxf63ywkOKwJa/s640/IMG_1384.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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She was inspired by the vintage jewelry she found while thrift shopping and asked me to incorporate them into a bouquet that would fit her outdoor/romantic/vintage theme. I almost never get a chance to use permanent flowers, so this was kind of exciting and gave me an outlet for all my pent-up creativity. </div>
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I'm glad I said yes! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6oxMq6m2wjHvBvoBbJ_B1NZnRh5mT1W_efKEC3Fv-BM0nY1Ynf4hs971fVMHlKkQDvIXwbrP4VgCeVuQwxh9nOPVXhLrgYdGgpHDepHzuHgm-3RKPLfWwUgm2IEmHLaVKAVv/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6oxMq6m2wjHvBvoBbJ_B1NZnRh5mT1W_efKEC3Fv-BM0nY1Ynf4hs971fVMHlKkQDvIXwbrP4VgCeVuQwxh9nOPVXhLrgYdGgpHDepHzuHgm-3RKPLfWwUgm2IEmHLaVKAVv/s640/IMG_1380.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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She sent me home from a visit with some gorgeous things she'd found and then I picked up a few more things to help hold it all together and tie in her theme. </div>
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She was looking for something with mostly ivory to set off all of the jewelry, but she also wanted touches of blush, peach and a soft turquoise incorporated to tie in what the bridesmaids were wearing. </div>
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I couldn't wait to get started and then my little Ava caught wind of what I was doing and wanted to help too! Sweet girl. She must have known that would be music to her Mama's ears! She has witnessed many of my wedding designs from start to finish and has helped me deliver them a few times too. I would LOVE it if she and I became a mother-daughter design duo someday, who knows? She climbed right up on my bed and told me, "Mom, I'm SO excited to do this! It's my first time to design!" </div>
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How could I turn that face down??</div>
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We put this feather clip in her hair and she played around with some of the silk flowers, pretending it was her big day. I called Travis in to see her and we both got a lump in our throats imaging how quickly that day will come someday. We both caught a glimpse of her grown up self as she smiled at me through the camera. </div>
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Oh, how we love her! </div>
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We played around for a couple of hours with everything and then I finished! </div>
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This is the front.</div>
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A side view</div>
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Another side view</div>
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And the back. </div>
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Just like a fresh flower bouquet I wanted it to be beautiful from all sides, no matter how you hold it or which was it was facing.</div>
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I brought my little helper outside and asked her to model it for me so I could photograph it. </div>
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I love the way the light hit it and made it sparkle!</div>
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This was so fun to do, I truly love how it turned out and that it was so different from what everyone else does. </div>
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My Aunt found some really gorgeous pieces to use but I kept thinking, this kind of bouquet would be so fun to make with family pieces too. Wouldn't this be so sentimental with your Grandmother's or Mother's jewelry?? You could take it apart after the big day or keep it forever as is. Either way, what a fun way to use pieces that mean something on your wedding day. </div>
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It was also so NICE to make a bouquet that could be done way ahead of time, as opposed to the day before when you use fresh. I loved that part! No stress for the florist :) </div>
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It's not for everyone but, if vintage is your thing you might love it too. You could do so many shapes and sizes, depending on what pieces you have to work with. </div>
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Regardless, can we just agree that my model is the sweetest girl you have ever seen?? More than the bouquet in her hands, I was amazed at what my camera captured...Our precious, kindhearted, and sweet natured girl. She is looking so grown up to me lately, so much older. It's a beautiful thing...</div>
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Happy Wedding Day to my Aunt Sharae, I am glad I was able to make this. </div>
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And a big thank you to my right-hand girl! Let's do this together more often, okay? </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-4129692652909699752015-07-22T14:34:00.001-05:002015-07-22T14:34:25.548-05:00Washington DC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In May, we had the honor of going to a conference for Pastor's and their spouses, in D.C. It was such a privilege to be there and we were so excited to have a few days away together! We hadn't been away together for almost 2 years, so we didn't hesitate at the invitation! When the opportunity arose a few months back, my Mom graciously agreed to watch our kids so that we could say yes. That was no small thing, she had her hands full with all three, and by herself for a couple of days before my Dad could join her. But we are so grateful she gave us the green light to go. It was an incredible time for us! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxY2tJbz6tEG7mmCcNa7raSCyIL2b868ijR9cdsDrgdjfgOPkWEAbM62MjYXqPsu61K13xNcSkpNpvYQFlSQkpFvzQ0Picz2yDDxwiwCNQmnHN9h2IKZJghmzYBJaiMceV29o/s1600/IMG_2828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxY2tJbz6tEG7mmCcNa7raSCyIL2b868ijR9cdsDrgdjfgOPkWEAbM62MjYXqPsu61K13xNcSkpNpvYQFlSQkpFvzQ0Picz2yDDxwiwCNQmnHN9h2IKZJghmzYBJaiMceV29o/s640/IMG_2828.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A very generous donor from our Church made this trip possible for those of us who could attend. While it seemed like just a few, random days in May it actually came at such a needed time. The Lord perfectly orchestrated this time for us to be refreshed when we needed it so. I am continually blown away by His care for us and this trip was another reminder of that!</div>
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The icing on the cake was time with friends, too! Melanie and I were loving the time to catch up and enjoy time with our husbands. We laughed and laughed and stayed up way too late every night, but it was so worth it! </div>
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It was also such a fun excuse to get dressed up and enjoy the full D.C. experience! I loved being in a room full of men and women who were like-minded and who have also been called into full time ministry. It truly was a privilege to sit with and pray with hundreds of Pastors and spouses. We were treated with amazing speakers and encouraged by all of them as we all navigate a culture that is growing increasingly hostile to Jesus and those of us who hold fast to the authority of His Word. It's an interesting time in our nation and this conference felt (and feels) like a timely prompting from the Lord to remain steadfast in who He is, believing what He says and not fearing man or the consequences our faith may bring. </div>
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A great picture of Peter and Mel! So thankful to serve alongside them, not to mention the many couples we have been privileged to know over these last 12 years in ministry. I am humbled at the way we've been blessed by so many friendships and how we have learned through the examples of others who have gone before us or who serve in different capacities. It's not an easy job and I wouldn't expect anyone to understand unless you've been in these shoes. However, it is an honor to love the Lord and serve His Church for as long as He allows and in the way that He chooses. I loved being in the company of so many Pastors and of course, their wives! </div>
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When we didn't have anything scheduled to attend and before the conference began, we made the most of every single minute we were in D.C.! We got up early every day and stayed up late, cramming in tons of sight-seeing and great conversations to process it all. It had been years since Trav and I had been to the nation's capital and never together, so we put our walking shoes on and took it all in! There is so much beauty in Washington and obviously so much history!</div>
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And of course, I'm a total sucker for all the architecture and details! </div>
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You just forget the magnitude and size of these amazing monuments until you are in front of them in person! Ava had just finished studying Washington D.C. in school and we had strict instructions to take pictures for her! As if she had to ask that of her mother :) </div>
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I had forgotten how gorgeous the Smithsonian Castle is. </div>
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What good men they are! Enduring our picture stops and food requests! </div>
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I told Melanie it's common for Pastor's wives in the South to be referred to as the "First Lady" of the Church, so we couldn't pass up this photo op! Ha ha! I mean, we fit right in there with them don't you think?? </div>
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We giggled at this sign, knowing full well the pressure we feel sometimes as a Pastor's wife... Women have always been criticized and scrutinized for what they wear or how they look and the First Lady of the United States is not immune! And speaking of the First Lady, look how gorgeous Michelle Obama's inauguration gown was. It was incredible in person, just so beautiful and she looked stunning in it! I see why she chose it! </div>
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The biggest dollhouse, ever! Oh my goodness were Peter and Trav good sports to let us see all this before we sat for days in a conference :) I'm not sure this would have been at the top of their list! </div>
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Ironically, the presidential china pattern I loved the most was Hillary Clinton's! Not sure she's ever been my style choice, but she picked a gorgeous pattern. Loved it!</div>
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The highlight of the First Ladies exhibit had to be when I spotted and recognized one of my beloved Hawkeye basketball players on a bench, waiting for his girlfriend or family member! Ha ha!! Who would have guessed!!! He was probably mortified to be spotted there but I did not waste the opportunity to say hi, tell him how much we love the Hawks and then ask him for a picture! I also thanked God for helping me sovereignly choose to dress in black and yellow that day!!! How good of Him, haha! Thanks Jarrod Uthoff! </div>
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We got a taste of the incredible restaurant scene while we looked for the perfect lunch spot!</div>
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Trav and Peter were on that job while Mel and I decided to relax in this cozy spot! What a cool place! We decided on that particular day, it was a rough life being a Pastor's wife, wink wink! </div>
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We arrived in D.C. very early in the morning and spent a full day taking in the sights, but our first scheduled event was a private Spiritual Heritage Tour in the U.S. Capitol, sponsored by some congressmen. I was very excited to do this, when would we ever have the opportunity to do something like this again? It was a gorgeous night although I wish the dome wasn't under construction! Bummer for us! </div>
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Still, the scope and the beauty of the Capitol is incredible!</div>
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My camera lens and I could not take it all in fast enough. Everything was just gorgeous and we happened to be there on the most beautiful night with a gorgeous sky, just before sunset. </div>
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Loved this shot of the Washington Monument in the background! </div>
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After we made it through the extremely tight security, we went to the rotunda and this is a shot looking straight up at the construction they are doing. </div>
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We were hosted by Congressman King, who is from Iowa, so of course I had to get a picture! </div>
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It was really just an amazing night, we got a tour of many places in the capitol and were able to hear about the spiritual history of many men and women who founded our country or were instrumental in key battles and government. It was a throwback to my Christian school days when we learned about so much of our nation's spiritual history and how the founders designed our government according to Biblical principles. We enjoyed it so much and felt very honored to be there. </div>
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The highlight for all of us was standing in the middle of the rotunda as a group, singing and praying for our country and its' leaders. We were led in a powerful prayer by the President of the SBC and it was one of those amazing moments when the gravity of our country's current drift from the Lord was so starkly felt and yet, we were so encouraged to hear about the many Senators and Congressmen/women who diligently seek the Lord and work tirelessly to make a difference. There is a weekly prayer meeting in the Rotunda and we were honored to be there to witness it and participate with many other Pastors. You can imagine the special time that was and how incredible to hear the voices of many Godly leaders all seeking God's face on behalf of our country. Regardless of which way the wind of government blows, the Lord is still Sovereign and in control of all nations and His Church and His people aren't going anywhere! We need to take heart in Him!</div>
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I was doing my best to listen and pay attention to it all but of course I was distracted by the beauty all around me!</div>
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What a privilege! We will never forget being there!</div>
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The rest of our time at the conference was equally powerful. We were able to hear from many leaders, pastors, and believers who have faced increasing pressure and penalties in this season of hostility. A Alabama judge who was removed from office for saying he believed in the Bible, a fire chief who was fired for writing a book about God, the florist in Oregon who is likely losing everything for declining to do flowers for a gay wedding, the Pastor from Houston whose sermons were seized after a radical mayor was elected and many, many more. We were there before the Supreme Court vote and yet we talked about what that might mean for all of us and our Churches if that is passed. We know now that it has indeed passed and I am certain we will begin feeling the ripple effects sooner than later. It will likely impact us in a very real way. That is sobering. And yet, I was so encouraged by the reminders of who our God is and how He takes care of His people when we stand for Him. We were challenged to go back to our Churches with bold confidence in the Lord and the truth of His Word. </div>
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One of my favorite speakers was the former Fire Chief in Atlanta who recently lost his job after writing a book for Christian men about the Fatherhood of God. He has faced tremendous criticism on a public scale as well as the loss of his job and income and yet, he gave such encouragement about standing firm. He shared so openly about the ways the Lord has drawn near to him and how the Lord has prepared his family well for this road. We have nothing to fear when we stand for Christ, what can man do to us? I will admit, sometimes I panic about what might face Travis someday as we choose to obey the Lord and His Word above all. I don't know what the road ahead looks like but I do know our God is faithful and He will see us through and bless us if we stand for Him. This conference has been a blessing to me in the last few weeks even as I've reflected on the changing climate of our culture. Our God is Holy and Righteous and True. He will never leave His own and He will strengthen and equip us for anything that is ahead. </div>
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We were able to spend the last evening on our knees with hundreds of Pastors and spouses, crying out to the Lord on behalf of our country and but also for believers in the middle east who are being persecuted and brutally murdered at the hands of ISIS. It was unbelievably gut-wrenching and powerful to hear stories of families being eliminated in horrific ways, when they refused to denounce their faith. I truly wish I hadn't heard them, it made me sob thinking about my own children and how those parents are facing agony I couldn't imagine. I swear the room was thundering with the voices of such Godly leaders praying, and many weeping as well. For reasons only the Lord knows, we are not yet facing persecution, torture and death here, but our brothers and sisters in the middle east are. It is really an insult to them to say we are being persecuted, we are simply feeling increased pressure and political discomfort but we don't even know a taste of what they are facing on a daily basis. It was a privilege to pray for them and a reminder to not forget the persecuted Church! The Lord has certainly not forgotten them. </div>
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I was so struck by my love and affection especially for the many grey and white haired men and women in that room. Those who have been at this much longer than we have and have stayed faithful to the Lord and committed to sharing the Gospel with the people God has entrusted to them. I could cry now thinking about it. It's a sacred calling to serve the Lord and shepherd His people and no one sees the countless hours of prayer and heartache and daily faithfulness that mark so many Pastors. I'm convinced that the unseen private times with the Lord are what make a Pastor effective for the long haul. It's one thing to command a room or give a stirring "speech"in front of the masses, but to lead wisely, consistently and faithfully is the product of being led daily by Jesus. I loved that time more than anything else and I was honored to be with my favorite Pastor in the whole world. </div>
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Before we all flew home, we squeezed some more sight seeing in! We hadn't seen the WW2 Memorial the last time we were in D.C. and it was amazing in person. </div>
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Peter with the great photo-bomb!</div>
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This made me laugh, once a youth pastor always a youth pastor! A class of students were trying to rub the names of some veterans on paper at the Vietnam Memorial and one girl couldn't reach so Trav stopped to help her :) </div>
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We flew home just a few days before Memorial Day so the decorating at many monuments had begun and was touching to see. </div>
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We really wanted to make it to the White House and we were there for about 3 minutes before we were yelled at loudly by the capitol police to get off the sidewalks and clear the area. They were not playing around! </div>
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Thankfully I had my long camera lens and I was able to snap a quick pic before we had to leave!</div>
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We cleared the area with hundreds of other people and finally found an acceptable place to stand. We could tell something was going on so we decided to stick it out and see what it was. </div>
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We waited probably close to 45 minutes but it was totally worth it because we ended up getting a front row seat for the Presidential motorcade and yes, POTUS himself! We watched the helicopters circle, the police form barricades, many, many decoy cars come through with the secret service and then finally, we got what we waited for! </div>
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Two limos waving the flags, this one coming first...</div>
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...and then this one following with President Obama! </div>
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He is in the back window and he even waved at us! So fun to experience that!! </div>
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And here are the Secret Service snipers to make sure none of us acted up! Ha! </div>
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We were on our best behavior :) </div>
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It was an amazing, whirlwind trip with so many treasured memories and fun times! We are so grateful we could go and we thank the Lord for all that He taught us while we were there and even after we've been home. We do pray for our nation and for our leaders, those who fear God and those who don't. We are saddened by the recent changes and legislation that disregards Biblical truth and yet, we love this country and we have nothing to fear! Our God is on His throne and we ask Him to help us stand boldly for truth with a sincere love for all people. These are not days to panic but days to trust God, speak up and love big! Our hope is not in America succeeding, but in the Gospel that has given us a great salvation! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-11697328984856643382015-07-21T09:39:00.002-05:002015-07-21T09:39:24.947-05:00Eleven Months Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Walker, you turned 11 months old at the end of May! Your mother is in denial that this first year has flown by in the blink of an eye but here we are. You are a busy guy and this month was another exciting one!</div>
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You became incredibly smiley and sweet this month! Your personality is shining so brightly and you are so much fun. We can barely keep up with all your changes and we love seeing you grow right before our eyes. </div>
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You are going through clothes these days like a force to be reckoned with. You wear size 12-18 months now and we are really getting a kick out of seeing you in so many things that we swear Carter was just wearing last year! I don't know how much you weigh or how long you are, I just know you are a chunk! You love to eat and you are getting hard to carry around for very long, ha ha! Thankfully you are sleeping beautifully and still napping twice a day (Hallelujah!). You have a pretty predictable routine and you seem to thrive on it. You are so very flexible and I am so very thankful for that! </div>
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The big news of the month is that you cut two bottom teeth almost instantaneously, and finally! We have been waiting and waiting for those teeth to come in and now they are here and we love to see them! Your new smile already makes you look so much older. </div>
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I only wish you didn't have soooo many more to go!</div>
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Walker, you LOVE being on the go and exploring the great outdoors! We have a fun routine of picking up Ava from school and then hitting the parks to play. You no longer want to sit on a blanket or in your stroller and watch though, you want to get right out there in the middle of the action!</div>
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You even braved the slide with Ava and Carter and you love it!</div>
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You see a slide anywhere now and immediately try to climb on it! </div>
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You know there is fun to be had there :) </div>
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You still love your paci, Walkie! I have to keep track of them like a hawk now because you have a habit of taking yours out and dropping it wherever you seem to be playing. It's like a game for all of us to find Walker's missing paci! </div>
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Not only do you love the parks, but you also love being on our porch! You play out there for long periods of time and you love to sit and watch cars go by or people walking or birds in the trees. </div>
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I love to see your sweet smile out there. You aren't quite walking yet, but you are crawling at warp speed like a madman and you love to cruise along anything you can hold onto. Not being able to walk hasn't really kept you out of anything yet! The common phrase I hear whenever I pick you up from the Church nursery is, "Wow, he sure is fast and busy!" You are not one to avoid the action, so far you like to be right in the middle of it! </div>
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You also learned to wave this month! You aren't overly generous yet but you like to wave to us at home all the time and you are always very proud of yourself when you do it!</div>
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You are also a little stingy with your smiles at this point, we like to call you Mr. Stoic :) </div>
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Getting you to crack a smile is hard work sometimes, even though we know you are enjoying yourself!</div>
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I'd love to know what's going on in that contemplative mind of yours! You and those big eyes sure love to take the whole room in and observe a situation before you show how you're feeling about it. Who knows if this is just a phase or if you'll always be like that? Sometimes your Daddy and I compete to make you smile! We're like your very own circus sideshow and yet you just look at us like you are truly wondering if we are indeed fit to be parents?!?! Ha ha! </div>
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When we do break you down and see that smile however, you sure are adorable! </div>
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After Ava finished school, we took a little roadtrip to Iowa and while we were there you discovered the joy of chalk! </div>
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And also, the joy of a sprinkler! You are a tough nut to crack because until this very moment, you have screamed and cried your way through every single bath and yet, when the freezing cold water of the sprinkler enticed you, you crawled right over and got wet and giggled your head off! </div>
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Explain that, Mr. Texas Ranger!?!?! </div>
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You got to spend some time with your cousin Sawyer while we were there, which was hilarious! </div>
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You aren't totally interacting yet but you both got closer and closer to each other, usually without incident, ha ha! Like the youngest sibling you are, you also stole Sawyer's snack cup and helped yourself again and again :) </div>
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You did share a phone though, so there's that! </div>
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After we conquered the sprinkler mountain, we tackled the pool! </div>
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And just like that, you loved it! Of course you did! </div>
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A cold backyard pool, green light. A warm bath with toys and siblings, nope. </div>
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Makes total sense :) </div>
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This is what's so fun about you being 11 months now, you are finally joining the big kids in all the fun and they LOVE having you in the mix!</div>
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It's precious to see you play with them and them with you. I am excited for you to always have a big sister and a big brother in your corner. That is a gift, Walker!</div>
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This month has been full of all three of you learning how to play with each other and share spaces and toys. Your siblings are very patient with you and they are doing their best to let you destroy things without losing their minds :) You do have an uncanny ability to go straight for the the one thing they are enjoying. Enjoy your freedoms now Walker because you won't always have the grace from them you presently receive! Ha ha!</div>
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One of our sweetest discoveries this month is that you L.O.V.E. watching the Praise Baby DVDs! Like you seriously stop what you are doing immediately, and you sit up straight and usually start clapping your hands and then you are totally transfixed for the next 30 minutes. It's a beautiful thing for Mommy and Daddy...</div>
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I won't lie, we have used it to our advantage this month! All we have to say if you are crying or want something you can't have is, "Do you want to watch Praise Baby?" and then you are instantly thrilled! Obviously we love that, but we also love that those great worship songs fill our home and hopefully your little heart and mind even as a baby. We long for you to know Jesus Walker, all of us, and we go to great lengths to give you as much of Him as we can. Even your sweet brother and sister pray that over you! Carter made Mommy and Daddy cry at the dinner table one night when he asked God to "help Walker to know you God and to love you" totally unprompted. He and Ava are passing on what they are learning to you and more than anything we could ever give you or provide for you, we pray that Jesus will always be our greatest priority. We are so tickled to see you love music and respond to it. We know the words don't mean anything beyond repetition at this point but we do pray that the Lord will begin to let those seeds of truth take root in your heart so that you will know and believe His Word all the days of your life. </div>
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Walker, you went to camp this month! Just like Ava and Carter before you, you were the youngest camper at Daddy's JH JAM camp! </div>
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You did so well while we were there. Before we left you had a terrible, terrible time with some teeth that were trying to break through and we weren't sure you could go but you woke up happy the morning we left and you were wonderful all week long. There is so much activity and noise and constant changing circumstances but you rolled with all of it and loved it. Way to go, buddy!</div>
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Your favorite time of the day was probably after dinner and before chapel began. The kids were all lined up in the grass during their mail time and crowd-breaker games and you loved crawling through the ranks so you could steal someone's booklet and pen! And those sweet junior high girls were always so kind to let you have free reign. You did it every night and then sat so happily pretending to write! ha ha! You were enjoyed by all of us at camp and had no shortage of people wanting to see you, hold you, play with you or just make you smile! You are a lucky little guy Walker!</div>
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When we got home we enjoyed another special treat when Aunt Shaye got to spend a little time with us. It was your first time to meet her and we played at the Mall of America with her! We enjoyed a special tour at the Aquarium and you loved the water and seeing all the fish all around you!</div>
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Thanks for visiting us, Aunt Shaye!!</div>
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Walker you are a good eater! You expanded your palate even more this month eating most of our meals with us and so far, we haven't found too much you won't at least try! Spaghetti was new for you this month and like most kids, you loved it and wore most of it. </div>
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You are a demanding little guy when you're in your high chair! You've taken up yelling as your new trick and you like to yell when you're hungry, if we don't get food fast enough to you and when you're done. Your volume has significantly increased this month! </div>
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Good thing you are so cute! It saves you many, many days :) </div>
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Carter and Ava love to entertain you and you get a big kick out of them! Most of the time anyway :) You are into everything these days and sometimes I have to get creative to keep you from destroying everything in your path. We put you in the stroller one night while I was trying to quickly load the dishwasher and before I knew it, you were giggling your head off while Ava and Carter blew raspberries on your tummy! </div>
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What a loved little guy you are! </div>
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Walker, you are loved and adored by your Daddy and he is enjoying you and all that you can start doing with us now that you are getting older. Your Dad makes you laugh and is often the first face you see every morning and the last one you snuggle with at night. I am so thrilled for you to grow up with the Daddy God has given you!</div>
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On the eve of your first birthday, you had us all feeling sentimental and so very thankful! God sure blessed each of us and these 11 months have been an incredible gift. Ava and Carter prayed so faithfully for you before we ever knew you were coming! They asked God over and over for a baby and how great for all of us to watch the Lord answer us while He knitted you and formed you for 9 months. You were the one we were waiting for and you have been SO worth the wait!</div>
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I enjoyed one last snuggle with you before we woke up to a one year old and admittedly, I shed some tears that night to think how quickly time has flown. Eleven months!! We made it through that first year with such JOY and it has been nothing short of amazing to love you. </div>
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Happy 11 months Walker Cole!! </div>
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I sure love being your Mom. </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-49342296156730709092015-07-04T14:20:00.001-05:002015-07-04T14:20:09.762-05:00April Showers Bring May Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If I've learned one thing since having kids, it's how fast and full life can be! With three in our nest now, things happen and weeks go by and before I can even catch my breath, another month has come and gone! Lots of things have gone down this Spring and this is my attempt to re-visit some of them that are worth documenting. There isn't too much rhyme or reason to this post but it is full of things that we enjoyed and events from April and May that I wanted to share with family, especially those who don't get to see us on a daily basis. We've had such a busy few months, here's a taste of what's been on our plate! </div>
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Spring Soccer! We signed these two up for a month long soccer clinic in April I believe and it was so much fun for them! We knew we didn't have the capacity to commit to a Spring league with practices and games for two kids, so this was a perfect substitute. They were able to be in the same age group and it was just one night a week for five weeks. They were thrilled to go on the first night! </div>
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This was Carter's first experience with an organized "sport" so we were anxious to see how he would do. He thought he was SO big and was looking forward to it so much. After they split them up by age, you can see he is about foot taller than most kids his age! He stuck out like a sore thumb and as soon as they started to "play" that was a hilarious thing to watch as well!</div>
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We were interested to see how well he would listen to instruction, follow directions, etc.. He surprised us and did pretty well but mostly what killed us was watching his ultra-competitive drive take over! Carter basically ran the show and took every single opportunity to put the ball in the net, no matter what the drill was! Almost all of the kids his age stood around, lost focus, stared at the ceiling, etc, but not him. He turned his wheels on, put his head down and chased down every single ball, often stealing from the other kids, so that he could score! Ha ha! It was so funny to watch and a taste of what we've always thought might be true of him. He LOVED the whole thing and was red in the face and sweaty every time the hour was over! He must have scored a hundred goals and each time he would grin and look for us to see if we saw it :) On the first night he suddenly left the court and ran into the hallway where we were, just so he could say "hi guys! I'm having so much fun!" and then two or three times we saw him spontaneously find Ava in the gym so he could give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek! </div>
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Holy moly, he's going to be a trip to watch! </div>
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Ava on the other hand was the exact opposite! She loved it each week for sure, but she was all about talking to the friends she made and playing with the jersey they put on her. She spent more time trying to untangle that after she twisted herself in it like a pretzel and then looked as us grinning :) It was quite reminiscent of her first soccer experience last Fall! </div>
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She did have fun however and she enjoyed the coaches and tried to do her best on every drill. She made a strong effort to get to the ball during their "games" and scored a few times too! We loved watching her and especially seeing her make friends. She's great at that and we love that about her! We are also biased and thought she was the most darling one out there! </div>
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4 year old soccer is totally funny and something every parent should experience! Or many endure? </div>
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This little guy did his best to stay busy through the hour too but he and I stayed home a few times, he thought he should be IN the gym and not on the other side of the glass :) </div>
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Carter always wanted to sit next to Ava in the circle :) </div>
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Sweet girl!</div>
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Again with the jersey...see what I mean?? :) </div>
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And because we live in a world where everyone gets a medal for basically existing, these two got a medal on the last night and of course, they were super excited! And as a bonus, the medals glow in the dark so we are STILL enjoying the rewards of Spring Soccer :) </div>
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It was a great experience for each of them!</div>
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As the weather got warmer and warmer, Walker started to understand what going outside meant and we found him often by the windows checking things out.</div>
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As often as we could, I started taking the boys to the park during the day and all three to the park after school. Walker got to experience sun hats and we battled each other in the struggle to keep one on his cute, little head!</div>
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There is something about the Spring in Minnesota that is so healing to our cold, Winter souls! I feel like a better Mom when going outside everyday is an option. That sounds silly but it's just so helpful for the kids to run and get their energy out and I love that every year. The parks are good for all of us. </div>
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These two are learning more and more to play together and although it often ends in tears or frustration right now, I know this is part of the joy of having a sibling. I'm embracing it and I love that they have each other. I want them to get along, yes, and I'm sure it will come with time but I also know this is part of parenting and I spend a good portion of my day trying to help them get there. Also, refereeing and drying the tears of the offended :) </div>
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I had a fun opportunity to speak about Interior Design at a local, private high school on their career day. It was fun for me to think back on my days in a firm and to share what it's like to work in that industry. I enjoyed the departure from my normal days in sweats! </div>
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Carter kept growing like a weed this Spring! He shot up again and suddenly his clothes were looking a little small. He is such a tall guy and although he is 4.5, he's wearing size 5-6 now. As school began winding down for Ava, I was also aware that my days with Carter were coming to an end too. They'll all be together this Summer and then life will change again in the Fall. I sure enjoyed this year to play with him and enjoy him while Walker napped a whole lot and Ava was gone each day. It was a sweet year for the two of us!</div>
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And the same could be said of this guy! He changed so much this Spring and I found myself looking at him often, realizing how long gone those infant days are and how much he reminds me of his brother and sister at that age. Thankfully he still napped in the morning and the afternoon this Spring and that was a good thing for all of us!</div>
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Carter really grew in his independent play this year and I found him at his train table a lot. </div>
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Sometimes he played trains there but nearly every toy found it's way to that table for some reason or another! He did a lot of crashing and banging things together, which is pretty typical when you are a little boy :) </div>
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More often that not, this is an accurate picture of what Ava and Carter's room looked like. When Carter was home all day it was littered with cars, planes, dart guns, legos, magnet sticks and balls, trucks, and various pieces of clothing he shed. Now that Ava's home, add princesses, baby dolls, markers, and ten times the amount of clothes and you get an idea of why my heart rate is constantly elevated. I like to remind myself that lots of playing happened in here and that's a good thing, but oh my goodness, the house has been my greatest struggle this year. Maintaining it with three busy kids is challenging to say the least! </div>
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And speaking of Ava, she brought plenty of spunk and originality to the Spring. That Christmas dress made its' way to her body more times that I could keep up with and she decided hair extensions would be something fun to wear to school! </div>
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I love her so much, she reminds me of Pippy Longstocking in this picture! Remember that book? With every day of sunshine we got, more and more of those darling freckles made their appearance known on her nose and cheeks. I had tons of freckles as a little girl and I love to see them on her! </div>
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Trav and I celebrated our birthdays with a date night out with friends. It was much needed and we enjoyed every minute without our precious kiddos. I could cry at the sight of all these babies in my arms, God has been so good to us! They all look very alike, we hear that a lot right now, and we are so grateful for each one of them. We also know as much as we love them, we need time for US! Date nights have not been easy with three but when we get one, it's such a breath of fresh air for both of us. </div>
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Trav took us all out to my favorite ice-cream place the weekend of my birthday and we attempted our first family selfie when we got home! I sure love my peeps! </div>
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AWANA wrapped up in April I think and that was a welcome end to a great year! Carter completed his first year of Cubbies this year and Ava completed her first year of Sparks. We did the afternoon program, right after school every Wednesday. It was a better option than being out late with a baby but it made for a loooooong Wednesday and a busy one at that. One of the best reasons we kept it up however, was the precious friend that Carter made in his class. Throughout the year these two became fast friends, looking alike even and sharing the same kind of light-up shoes. That was big news in our house! They had so much fun every week and we got to know their family a little bit and are excited about these two spending more time together!</div>
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Ribbons and awards for both of them! Carter was a rebel and didn't love wearing his vest, which was exactly how Ava felt in Cubbies too!</div>
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Ava had the sweetest year in her Sparks class. She worked hard and finished her book, which meant that she memorized quite a few verses throughout the year and worked to complete the other things required of her. She was blessed with the most darling helpers in her class who just spent so much time with her and loved on her like crazy all year. </div>
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She adored both of them and we are thankful that they were in her life this year! </div>
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We will get to have them in Junior High next year :) </div>
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We squeezed quite a few park trips into our days after we picked up Ava from school each afternoon. </div>
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It was fun to explore some new parks together and they kids looked forward to it as much as I did. </div>
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Daddy met up with us after work several times and I got this sweet picture of him with all of his kids! He is the best Dad and they are lucky to have him! </div>
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For as long as they've been in our care, he has spent every night he could reading to them at bedtime and talking about Jesus with them. I love it for many, many reasons and so does he. I laughed one night when I spotted our little dissenter in the group! Walker doesn't understand obviously, but he wanted to be near them, as long as he could do what he wanted! ha ha! </div>
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In May, Carter and I caught on to the the Star War's celebration on the 4th! Star War's is a new love in our house as Carter discovered the joys of it this Winter and lucky for us, we had one t-shirt to wear that day :) I love having boys and discovering the things they love! </div>
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Teacher Appreciation week was a new thing for me this year. I didn't even know it was a thing, but we jumped on board and got some gifts for Ava's teachers, as well as the boys' childcare volunteers at Church. These are the kinds of things that caught me off guard this year but next year I'll plan ahead! ha ha! We really did love and appreciate each one of the people who cared for our kids this year so it was a pleasure to celebrate them. I'm just glad Target is close to our house and open late! </div>
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As the seasons changed and we discovered that everyone needed some changes in their wardrobes, I pulled out the old bins of Carter's in order to find clothes for Walker, and we found this funny costume...which cracked us up when Carter decided to re-visit it! He sure is a darling dino!! </div>
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Trav started hitting the trails again, running with the boys in the jogger. Last Fall Walker was still in an infant seat attachment so this was a big upgrade for him and despite his solemn face here, he loved it!</div>
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A sweet neighbor blessed us with some farm fresh eggs after Trav helped her with something in her condo. I thought they were a beautiful display of the ombre craze, but as a plus, they were also delicious. I haven't had an egg so amazing since! She made me re-think the eggs I buy and we've been enjoying much better eggs this Spring :) </div>
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We made it official and signed the papers to enroll Carter in preschool this Fall! He is SO excited and we are happy for him to experience all the fun that preschool will bring. He will likely be in a class with his two buddies, which is awesome, and he will enjoy three mornings a week doing his own thing apart from me! I think it's going to be great for all of us! </div>
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He and I have been building all kinds of things lately, marble towers, legos, blocks...building is something he loves and I enjoy watching him! We turned our screened in porch into a total kids' zone this Spring. </div>
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It's been wonderful for all three of them to have some space to play in the fresh air, and especially for Walker. </div>
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I have been mourning my cute porch and the fact that I have no furniture, no plants or herbs this year to tend to, but it was the best thing for the them and we've all enjoyed the extra play space! We did enjoy some beautiful pansies for awhile until Walker proved that truly he is no respecter of Mommy's pretty things. He was a one-man wrecking crew until I finally gave in and removed all the pots and even my pansies. Oh well! Someday I hope to have a garden and plenty of room in a backyard for sitting and drinking my coffee in peace! Maybe by then they'll all be big enough to play without me and then I can really kick my feet up and enjoy myself?? Here's hoping! </div>
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Ava put this cute headband on and wore it to school one day, which made me think of the night she wore on the reverse side to Church, about 2 years ago. It's easy to see how much has changed and how quickly these seasons with kids, go. She is a beautiful little girl now...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCUewlNKMxKfT_J0iwNu-3w9eQ4ok0heQZvbEibqrvcMoFWlPKL_-DnDMwobpbL-x2jVVbeQ4baN-tTx9T-QsvSkdSNDMR-23tDChnEO0rKyuULrKFVz4yJ92B0SLGdPsd56T/s1600/Ava+headband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCUewlNKMxKfT_J0iwNu-3w9eQ4ok0heQZvbEibqrvcMoFWlPKL_-DnDMwobpbL-x2jVVbeQ4baN-tTx9T-QsvSkdSNDMR-23tDChnEO0rKyuULrKFVz4yJ92B0SLGdPsd56T/s640/Ava+headband.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...just like she was a beautiful, little girl then! Ava seems to be our benchmark for milestones and the passage of time. She is a daily reminder to enjoy these days for all they're worth, just as Carter and Walker remind us as well. Spring was busy, full of changes and good for our family. </div>
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Mother's Day arrived in May and I enjoyed a sweet afternoon with my little family.</div>
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I love my growing Carty-boy! Mothering him has been a grand adventure and good for me as the Lord continues to show me my own need for Him. I love the ways that Carter surprises me and stretches me. </div>
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I've been referring to these two as "the twins" lately because we get that question almost every single time we are out with them. They are in a pretty great stage and I am so appreciative of the ways they've both stepped up to help me this year with Walker. They were such a dynamic duo for so long but it's been pure joy to see them welcome a little brother and learn how to make room for him. </div>
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And speaking of him, we had to wake him from the car seat to take a photo before we put him down for a nap. Oh how I love our little Walkie-Talkie!! I have enjoyed mothering a baby again and this whole last year has been the best gift ever. I am so grateful to God for him!</div>
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It's truly hard for me to believe that I once ached to be a Mother! God has filled my arms with the most precious kids and all in His perfect timing. I love these three so dearly!!</div>
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And of course, my darling Ava! The one who made me a Mommy first. What a pleasure to parent her. She is full of grace for her Mom and is patient with me as I test the waters with her in just about every way. I love what sweet spirit she has and her helpful heart. She is a joy to mother! </div>
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Ava woke me on Mother's Day with these treasures that she had been hiding! I had no idea! She made me a beautiful bookmark that said I was the best Mom because "You bake banana muffins for me" and a gift certificate good for "One sweet date wif Ava!" I also got a little plant and a cute card she made me. I loved and cherished all of it! </div>
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Even Carter had a great surprise for me with this cute mug he colored for me in his Tuesday morning Bible Study kids class. </div>
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I added a verse to the back of it, one that I love. How blessed I truly am to have a quiver full of kiddos!</div>
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April and May were busy!! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-30655566915045240122015-07-02T22:15:00.002-05:002015-07-02T22:15:31.589-05:00Six! Happy Birthday, Ava! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On April 17th, we celebrated Ava's sixth birthday. It's hard for us to imagine where six years have gone or rather, how quickly they have gone by. Maybe having a baby in the house again has made us more aware of how quickly time flies! This has been such a fun year with Ava, she is growing and maturing in so many ways. Of course this year brought us Kindergarten and all that goes with that, but it was also a year of watching Ava continue to blossom and become the young girl that she was created to be. She is sweet as sugar, sometimes a little stubborn, silly like her brothers, has a creative mind like her mama and a love for people like her Daddy. We love and adore our Ava and it was another fun year of celebrating her! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRLK8m94Olp7j4TKhc6ShmF0kGiY2aR-Ovhhyphenhyphen-2h-ygHFiJOIM97vcnWB-FBemk7-4kijnCvTFb_AF9xV2c4eagNHJIPmrd81XJTppjWnDLD1DKfibezNf2foJRa55Tme6ofi/s1600/IMG_0603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRLK8m94Olp7j4TKhc6ShmF0kGiY2aR-Ovhhyphenhyphen-2h-ygHFiJOIM97vcnWB-FBemk7-4kijnCvTFb_AF9xV2c4eagNHJIPmrd81XJTppjWnDLD1DKfibezNf2foJRa55Tme6ofi/s640/IMG_0603.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Her birthday fell on a Friday this year so we had to work around school for the first time! I made a birthday breakfast for all of us to share and like usual, this sweet girl was up and at em to check it all out!</div>
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I decided the night before that flowers were appropriate for Ava! She appreciates them almost as much as I do and she loves it when her Daddy brings me flowers so I knew she would think it was special to have her own. </div>
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Thanks to five years of celebrating and my decision to keep the leftover decorations every year, I pulled out all the princess stuff we had and transformed the kitchen into a pink princess themed table. </div>
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I really do try to keep things simple but the kids are enthralled with all things party-related and I love to surprise them when they wake up with decorations just for them!</div>
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Before I knew it the troops were all awake and ready to party!</div>
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These two are such close buddies and Carter is blessed to have such a great big sister in Ava. She takes great care of him and is so good about including him and looking out for him. </div>
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And of course this Daddy is smitten with his baby girl! And she sure loves him back. I'm thankful her big day fell on a Friday, which is Trav's day off, because it meant that we could all be together for a breakfast before school.</div>
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I was up with the birds that morning, because I promised the birthday girl some treats to take to her class! We compromised this year and decided not to do a friend party in exchange for treats at school and a shopping day with Mom! A win/win for all of us. </div>
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We had these cute fairies from a cupcake set that Trav's Mom sent us last year and I've been saving them for the perfect occasion. We made strawberry cupcakes together the night before and I frosted them that morning with some pink icing. </div>
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Miss Ava loved them and so did I!</div>
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Pink is still the name of Ava's game!</div>
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The birthday girl was showered with presents that had been delivered from all of her grandparents! She picked out this cute outfit to wear to school and we agreed that it fit her sunny personality perfectly. </div>
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She was so happy to be at school on her actual birthday, I wasn't sure what the protocol would be so I tried to speak some gentle reality over her lofty expectations! Ha ha! </div>
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When we picked her up later that afternoon it was clear she had suffered through a day with little to no attention. Ha! </div>
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That night we were so blessed with a planned Father-Daughter dance through our community ed program in our town. I'd asked Ava weeks earlier if she wanted to go and she did! It was a princess themed dance and most of her friends from school were going to be there. It was such a sweet night, and almost tailor made as if it were for our princess-loving birthday girl! </div>
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She chose her new Elsa dress to wear (of course) and we curled her hair...</div>
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And I gave her a little make-up, which she loved!</div>
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I could not love this little face any more, glitter lipgloss and all! </div>
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I made Travis wear a suit for her sake and they were both excited about their date together.</div>
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Someday we will blink and she will be in a prom dress, hopefully still taking a picture with her Daddy!</div>
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The boys and I were more than happy to stay home and let her have this special night on her birthday.</div>
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Travis texted me some cute pictures during the night! </div>
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She and her friends ditched their Daddies for a little while to dance together but they also had a fun time dancing with their dates!</div>
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Melts my heart to see this :) </div>
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I'm so thankful Ava has the Daddy she does. He is a gift in her life and he loves her so very much. I know he will be an important piece of who she becomes someday. I hope to always help her see how amazing her Daddy is! </div>
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The next day it was my turn and I was able to take Ava for a morning of shopping at Mall of America! She had some money to spend at the Disney Store and she also needed some things for her wardrobe as she had outgrown much of her spring/summer stuff from last year. </div>
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She and I had a fun time together and I'm so glad we got to have a little girl time. We have to stick together in this boy family! I've got some work to do in training her to be a marathon shopper but we'll work on that in small doses :) For now I'm thankful she's content with very little and easy to please. I love being Ava's Mom and I praise God for the work He is doing in her heart and her life. She is such a precious soul with a real tenderness for others and a nurturing heart. I love that God gave her those things! She makes us proud to be her parents simply because of who she is and she brings such joy and love to our home, we can't wait to see what God has in store for her in this next year!</div>
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That night we enjoyed an ice-cream cake with the birthday girl!</div>
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Cake always brings out the best smiles!</div>
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It was a sweet and simple family weekend and we loved showering Ava with our love and affection. She chose a cute Cinderella figurine set and a "Sophia the First" Floating Palace play set from the Disney store and we picked out some cute clothes for her together. I'm not sure how many more years she will love those princesses but we are going with that as long as we can! </div>
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We are blessed and thankful to have so many of our extended family in town and quite a few of us have April birthdays, including Travis and I. We met at my cousin's house for dinner and birthday cake one night! Combined we were a total of 312 years this year :) We sure love our family and we're thankful our kids have been able to experience the blessings of a big family too! It was a special April!<br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-53491380841139532772015-07-02T14:16:00.001-05:002015-07-02T14:16:49.727-05:00Charleston Charm: Charming Details <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am finishing my Charleston posts this morning with a final look at some of the things that make Charleston so unique and so beautiful. For a right-brained creative like me, this is a city that is so inspiring! I honestly could walk around Charleston for weeks and months with a camera around my neck and never capture all that it has to offer. It's architecture echoes a day gone by and an era of history that is rich and specific to the lifestyle of Charleston's elite. There are details of both the aesthetic and the practical that melt into one another and make the "holy city" unlike anything the East Coast has to offer. All of my college classes on classic architecture, the history of design, and the application of interior design come to life in Charleston! In my three previous posts, I've shown you a series of beautiful <a href="http://www.travandsteph.blogspot.com/2015/04/charleston-charm-doors-windows.html">doors and windows</a>, <a href="http://www.travandsteph.blogspot.com/2015/04/charleston-charm-historical-homes.html">historical homes</a>, and <a href="http://www.travandsteph.blogspot.com/2015/07/charleston-charm-plantation-living.html">famous plantations </a>but today I want to show you some of the iconic details that make this city one of my very favorites!</div>
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<b>Gates</b></div>
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Historic Charleston is truly a city of gated living. Almost every home is protected behind a gate of some sort, some elaborate and grand and others simple and functional. Great artisans crafted these amazing gates and they are still as beautiful as they were in their original installation, now with years of patina and history covering them. I love the brick work, the weathered stone and the moss covered walls as much as the wrought iron art. I love the gates of Charleston.</div>
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<b>Cobblestone</b></div>
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It's so charming to walk on cobblestone that has been around for centuries. Not only is it beautiful but if you use your imagination you can almost hear the "clippity clop" of a horse's hoof echoing on the stones beneath you. It's not easy to walk on cobblestone, it's very uneven and it's quite loud as well. I can't imagine the thunder of soldiers on horseback that stormed this city at various points in history or the echo of gunfire down some of the historic dueler's cobblestone alleys. Not all the streets are cobblestone here, but it's wonderful that many remain. </div>
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<b>Courtyards</b></div>
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One thing that is immediately obvious when roaming the streets of Charleston is the sideways orientation of most of these homes. They were not built like ours are today, facing the street with grand front yards. Most of these homes are only feet from the sidewalks and curbs, meaning the front of the home is technically facing its' neighbor with an inner courtyard separating the two. So many of these courtyards are barely visible from the street and are protected by walls and gates for privacy. Every now and then you get a clear view of what's behind the walls and it's always ripe with manicured beauty. </div>
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<b> Ivy </b></div>
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So many of these gorgeous properties have ivy or some sort of vine covering their patina washed brick and stone. The gorgeous landscaping of these homes is typically a beautiful blend of manicured and natural. </div>
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<b>Real Estate Listings</b></div>
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It's always a fun reminder that real people live here! These listings are common and fun to read. I can't imagine buying here or living in such a gorgeous, historic place but many people proudly call historic Charleston home. </div>
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<b> The Pineapple</b></div>
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A symbol for hospitality, these are cleverly displayed and sometimes hidden as subtle details but they certainly speak to the Southern hospitality that makes Charleston so charming!</div>
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<b>Pets</b></div>
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I wouldn't say this is a common thing, but it is fun to see pets and their owners on the streets. Another reminder that these homes house families and animals alike. We stumbled upon Oliver, who was clearly out for a stroll on a very beautiful road!</div>
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<b>Old Twisty Trees</b></div>
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This park, White Pointe Gardens, sits between the open waters and some of the grandest homes on The Battery. It's full of gorgeous trees and many paths that allow for slow strolls. This is the kind of city where it's easy to sip a latte and let time slip away while you get lost in its' charm!</div>
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<b>Statues and Memorials</b></div>
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There is much history here, many battles and important events in history that unfolded in the streets and in the harbors of Charleston. It's unique positioning on the water meant trade routes and foreign attacks were sometimes a package deal. There are famous battles, courageous leaders, significant defeats and the nation's largest slave market that all took place right here. </div>
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<b>Secret Gardens</b></div>
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Behind those walls and gates are places not meant for the public...</div>
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...but a little stretching of the arms and it's not hard to get a glimpse of such hidden beauty! I love all of these tucked away spaces and the surprise of what lies behind the brick fortress surrounding it! Charleston would make a great backdrop for an action/suspense movie with lots of darting around and hiding, ha ha! </div>
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<b>Photo Spots</b></div>
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There are no shortage of backdrops and spaces for amazing photography. I am partial to this home in particular with it's window boxes, wrought iron gate, ivy covered wall and gorgeous brick courtyard walls. We took a family photo here a few years ago and I loved it! You could never run out of possibilities or potential for photos in Charleston.</div>
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<b>The Old vs. The New</b></div>
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It's a funny thing to walk down old streets and see homes and historic places, all the while dodging traffic and real reminders of modern day life. There is quite a balance between the two here, obviously cars are one of our best modern inventions and yet, they really mess up a good picture!</div>
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<b>Flower Boxes</b></div>
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Maybe it's just because of my undying love for flowers, or maybe it's because Minnesotans in March are DESPERATE for color in our lives, but I could have spent the whole trip photographing window boxes and flowering plants. In Charleston they seem to drip with blooms that perfectly adorn all the right houses! </div>
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<b>Horse Drawn Carriage Tours</b></div>
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This is one of the most amazing things to experience as a first time tourist! I highly recommend taking a tour and getting to hear stories and interesting facts about all the fascinating places in Charleston. There are quite a few companies that run tours all day and into the evening and it's worth it to make reservations with one of them!</div>
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The rest of these photos don't need much explanation, they are just more of the same details that make this city so beautiful and they happen to be some of my favorite photos from our few days downtown. Enjoy! </div>
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Go visit Charleston! You won't be disappointed!!</div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-18568082350657937242015-07-01T23:04:00.001-05:002015-07-01T23:04:14.633-05:00Charleston Charm: Plantation Living <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am walking down memory lane today, with high hopes of finishing my Charleston posts from my trip back in March...yes, March. I never promised to be timely, ha ha! </div>
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On a serious note, I would be remiss to post about Charleston after all they've been through in the last two weeks and to not address the unbelievable tragedy they have faced. It is amazing to me how horrific and unjust the loss of 9 lives was (and is), all within the walls of a Church no less. And yet, in supernatural strength that could only come from the Lord in them, those families extended their forgiveness, demonstrating to the whole nation how evil can be overcome by good. It was a stunning reaction and one that has reminded me of their difficult and courageous choice. A choice they will likely repeat for the rest of their lives as the pain of loss takes over their lives and finds itself rearing its' ugly head time and time again. </div>
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This is a city that has seen adversity and injustice, both in the ugliness of slavery and its' fallout, long after the Civil War was won. They have risen out of the ashes of that sorrow and don't deny the sobering history that is theirs. But to think there is no residual affect after all those years, is foolish. And as we've seen play out in the national media, there is healing to be done here. I think the AME Church has set the stage for that healing and forgiveness and I am so grateful for their amazing example. </div>
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These pictures are from our visit to one of the historic plantations in the area, Magnolia Plantation. It is overwhelming in it's beauty and there aren't many words I need to add. The pictures are self-explanatory. There is a tension in visiting and in even in enjoying it, knowing this was largely established, built and run on the backs of slaves. Still, it is worth visiting and seeing. It is part of our nation's history and it tells the story of Charleston from an era gone by. We visited on an overcast day, right before the azaleas were at their peak but it was so gorgeous to behold! </div>
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This is the classic South, right here...</div>
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In a stroke of great luck, we stumbled upon a wedding site that was being set-up on the grounds of the plantation. It was one of the most gorgeous locations I've seen and we were able to watch it come to life. I wish we could have been there for the real thing! The floral designer in me was almost giddy with inspiration! Enjoy!!</div>
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Hard to capture in the daylight but this is the bar...can you see the gorgeous chandelier hanging overhead in that tree? </div>
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Amazing detail!</div>
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Just breathtaking, wasn't it??</div>
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The iconic bridge at Magnolia, just stunning and straight out of a movie! </div>
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Just gorgeous!!</div>
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What we didn't have time to do, and what my Mom was hoping to do without us, was the slave cabin tour. These photos are from the slave quarters and we got there too late to make the tour so we didn't get to experience that part. </div>
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I'm not sure if I would have wanted to take that tour, my Mom sure did but it makes me very sad and it's sobering to see. I do know that as of a few years ago, there was still a descendant living on property simply because he wanted to. It was home to him and he didn't want to be anywhere else. That breaks my heart too. It's history and the tour is probably very informative but I struggle with the very idea of slavery, let alone the very real reminders of it in the flesh. </div>
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We loved our time at Magnolia! It was a gorgeous day and an amazing thing to see. </div>
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I highly recommend it, should you find yourself in Charleston someday. </div>
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We didn't have time to squeeze this amazing home tour in, but we did stop for a minute and I grabbed my zoom lens to see what I could capture from the car...</div>
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Beautiful! All of that brick and those old windows and that front door?? So amazing. If I remember correctly, this is a home that has been preserved and not restored. So it is as it was, hundreds of years ago. I think I'm remembering that right? Don't quote me, it's late at night and I'm too lazy to google it :) </div>
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Horse-drawn carriage rides and sheep grazing, not sure it get's more picturesque than that? </div>
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Charleston, you are an amazing city~</div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-87002545086161261452015-06-28T21:45:00.002-05:002015-06-28T21:45:56.913-05:00Ten Months Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Walker, you're ten months old! </div>
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You are quickly leaving babyhood behind and trying so hard to usher toddlerhood in! More than ever you are aware of what your brother and sister are doing and you are trying so hard to keep up with them! You are so darling to watch. </div>
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You are a sleeping champ, napping so well and for hours at a time in the morning and the afternoon. You're in a good groove Walker and we are thankful! You love to eat table food, preferring pureed baby food most, as well as bananas, bread, waffles and pancakes. You drink several bottles a day and always drain them dry. You are never one to turn food down! </div>
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You love when your sister and brother will sit with you and play. Mommy and Daddy also fill this need, but I think you prefer them more! </div>
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You started working those gums pretty hard this month, we can't believe you haven't gotten a tooth yet but it sure seems like one is coming! </div>
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When we come to get you from your nap every day, you are always so thrilled to see us! You pop right up, grinning every time and usually start clapping too. </div>
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You go to bed around 7:00pm every night and usually sleep until 6:00-6:30. You rarely fuss about bedtime, you've usually worn yourself down before 7pm rolls around. You love to sleep with your paci, several soft blankies, and your giraffe! You are JUST like your big brother :) </div>
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You've shown no signs of walking yet, but you do crawl like a maniac now and you are working on pulling yourself up. You are like a little explorer, all over the house and into anything you can reach!</div>
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As the weather has warmed up, you love to be outside with us in your stroller. We like to take you for long walks and you love to kick your legs up on the front of the stroller, like you're lovin life!</div>
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I love those big eyes peeking out of that stroller! </div>
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You are so intrigued with our porch, now that the weather is warm. You love to peek out the glass doors and check out all that is happening. I love when you tuck your little feet under yourself like that!</div>
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Your temperament is so happy and content. You are easily entertained right now and there is no shortage of things to put in your mouth around here.</div>
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You spend so much time crawling around, checking toys out, following Ava and Carter or just flinging toys here, there and everywhere. These are sweet days with you!</div>
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You look a lot like Ava as a baby, but as you get older you are favoring Carter more and more! I loved you boys in those Hawkeye shirts! Our future linebackers maybe??</div>
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Much to my delight, you still love to snuggle with your Mama and I am always up for it!</div>
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You've started enjoying the Disney Channel in the mornings with Ava and Carter. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is your favorite and it gets your attention every time. I love your little matching profiles here! </div>
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Because it's spring in Minnesota, the weather is all over the place so sometimes we have to bundle up on the porch! </div>
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But you don't mind, you're so happy to be out there. You love watching the neighbors and the cars that drive down the street and we like to bring your favorite toys out there and the beautiful quilt your Nana made you. </div>
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Just like we thought, toward the end of the month you did pop two little teeth through your gums, at the same time! They are on the bottom and they make you look so old :) </div>
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You are so sweet Walker!</div>
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This has been a fun month with you, buddy! With each week I feel like your world keeps getting bigger and you get more and more excited about it. </div>
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You have been such a delight and a joy to us!</div>
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Your personality is coming out with each month and we love discovering more about you. You are getting more vocal and opinionated these days, you love to laugh and you love when we sing to you! </div>
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You also have the best little smile! Your round cheeks are from your Great-Grandpa Hausman and I think you have the perfect smiley-face smile! You can be so shy sometimes and you aren't a fan of going to just anyone, you definitely know your people and like to stick close to us. </div>
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Your Daddy can get you going more than anyone else, he gets you giggling with a belly laugh that is hysterical!</div>
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Ava is your safe place and the one who loves to help you. You relax around her and I can tell you already trust her! She's the best big sister and sometimes my right hand girl!</div>
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Carter is a typical big-brother, you two are rumbling more and more these days but Carter is also the one who loves to snuggle you tight and kiss you like crazy! I think you will be thunder and lightening as you grow up, trying to out-do one another and creating the perfect storm together. He loves you so much Walker, we all do! This has been another month of joy and excitement watching you grow! </div>
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Happy 10th month, buddy! </div>
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-17477841684601816812015-06-28T17:09:00.002-05:002015-06-28T17:09:30.411-05:00Nine Months Old <div style="text-align: center;">
Walker, before I forget everything you've been up to for the last few months, here is a look back at your ninth month! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CjGsNHpC90G-uHGWaO1XxmyJECS3BbYXHoNIG-xgQsXB3KXOxcorVwKO9LgrRDF57ChOHu9TP9oNeMg4B1j-nlE0i67ZQtJyuM2RqGK2f0YXpAad4iq-az6BYI_UmQrN5zB2/s1600/IMG_0728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CjGsNHpC90G-uHGWaO1XxmyJECS3BbYXHoNIG-xgQsXB3KXOxcorVwKO9LgrRDF57ChOHu9TP9oNeMg4B1j-nlE0i67ZQtJyuM2RqGK2f0YXpAad4iq-az6BYI_UmQrN5zB2/s640/IMG_0728.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="426" /></a></div>
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We took you to the pediatrician for a well check and got some fresh stats on you! </div>
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You weigh 18 pounds</div>
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You are 27 inches long</div>
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You wear size 9-12 month clothes</div>
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You are in a size 5 diaper</div>
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In short, you continue to be a big guy!!</div>
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We've developed a pretty good napping/sleeping routine with you Walkie. You are in bed by 7:00pm every night, sometimes a few minutes earlier, and you are awake around 6:00am or so. Sometimes we just slip into your room with a bottle when you wake up and then we lay you back down so we can sleep a little longer! Often you go for it, but sometimes you make it clear that you just aren't having it...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd21zVsPaCdNSqA0aU5SDXDOx9ZK4fg_vM5OkcsZlwTd33e_JBFxC86Des-zS_BZDnN3HKO_IVVxLxafSN5N1LwyNrF9ySnTa33pYs4iwp3ZoRr626Ao8Y-kLHZwZf_LANi1GR/s1600/IMG_9668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd21zVsPaCdNSqA0aU5SDXDOx9ZK4fg_vM5OkcsZlwTd33e_JBFxC86Des-zS_BZDnN3HKO_IVVxLxafSN5N1LwyNrF9ySnTa33pYs4iwp3ZoRr626Ao8Y-kLHZwZf_LANi1GR/s640/IMG_9668.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and sometimes you wake the whole house with your early morning "squawking." This has earned you the nickname, Squawky Walkie. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDJBP2gw_0jvHEGExRED6Sr-HnOtcQP60H-G5sqBb2m4uRhJGKwLFGb-0Hij1FNjrUfhE-2hNhtkjjLWMm4WOeIbyD93kq65TueOup3fTISqYXhtl3WFKfQtIUSz_mi-5uAkJ/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDJBP2gw_0jvHEGExRED6Sr-HnOtcQP60H-G5sqBb2m4uRhJGKwLFGb-0Hij1FNjrUfhE-2hNhtkjjLWMm4WOeIbyD93kq65TueOup3fTISqYXhtl3WFKfQtIUSz_mi-5uAkJ/s640/IMG_1449.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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You are a great napper! I am thankful for that. You take a consistent morning nap for a couple of hours and then I have to work hard to get you back down for an early afternoon nap before we have to leave to pick up Ava. Lucky for you, our neighbor has been coming over to sit with you while I run to pick her up, just so we don't have to wake you! How great that is, for you and for me! You like your crib and you don't fight it. It's a beautiful thing, Walker!</div>
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Your eating is coming along, you have no teeth but you manage to eat lots of soft things anyway. You drink lots of formula everyday but you enjoy lots of baby food and some squeeze packets. You like pancakes and waffles, you aren't a fan of yogurt yet, but you do love fruit! Veggies are a tough sell so we sneak them into other things, but you do like chicken and ham. Mostly you like sitting in your highchair at the table, with the rest of us! </div>
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You had to get shots this month, which is no fun for both of us. You hated it and cried, which made me cry too, but as soon as I scooped you up it was over. It's a good thing to be vaccinated Walker and although you don't understand it, we only do it for your good! And thankfully it's over quickly. </div>
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In general you are such a happy guy. </div>
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You are enjoying your toys so much these days and are easily entertained. </div>
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Your hair is wild and growing like crazy! You have the biggest eyes Walker and the sweetest smile. I love your round cheeks and how they plump up when you grin. You are so easy to love!</div>
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For the most part, you army crawl all over the house but every now and then we catch you up on your hands and knees and we know it's just a matter of time before you catch on and take off. </div>
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You are too big for the rock and play now but every now and then we pull it out and use it to keep you still, especially while you drink a bottle. It cracks us up to see you in that thing, you are not the little baby who once slept in it!</div>
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Your brother and sister continue to be crazy about you Walkie! They LOVE to play with you and are so fascinated by everything you do.</div>
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They love to include you often and you love it too!</div>
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As the weather has warmed up, you're really loved being outside on our porch and watching the cars and people go by. You love to take everything in and we are thankful to have a safe outdoor space for you to explore. We're also thankful that you are still willing to sit in the exersaucer, although you do not like it if we go inside and leave you out there. </div>
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This is the month you decided to crawl under things! We find you under this rocking chair all the time and now you've started crawling under the kitchen table. You remind us of a little puppy who likes to hide!</div>
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I have to keep our kitchen floor picked up more than ever before, now that you are on the prowl. </div>
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One day we tried to block you from your brother and sister, putting a wall of toys between you. You love to be with them, but you also love to put their toys in your mouth or destroy what they are building. We thought this seemed like a happy compromise...</div>
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You were into it for about a week and then one day you decided you'd had enough and you just crawled right over the boxes! We all got a laugh out of your determination! </div>
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We introduced you to the swings for the first time in March! Clearly you loved it!</div>
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And we also let you sit in the jogger for the first time, out of your infant seat. You looked so big and yet so tiny, at the same time! Carter looked like a giant and you looked like a little boy with big boy shoes on! What a cutie you are. You love being in that jogger with either Ava or Carter beside you!</div>
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Mommy left you for the first time this month, when I flew to Charleston with Grammy. You stayed behind with Daddy and Texie, who ran the show without me! You did very well, except that you got messed up from Daylight Savings, which threw your sleeping off and then you caught some random bug that you passed around. Mommy missed you so much and I was thrilled to come home to you!</div>
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I didn't anticipate taking you to the ER the night I got home, however! You had thrown up too many times and we had to get you checked out. Thankfully they gave you medicine to stop throwing up and you were back to your charming self soon. I'm so thankful that was your first and only visit to the ER so far this year! And it was a very special bug that you felt like you should share with me too :) </div>
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How giving of you! </div>
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You crack us up in so many ways, Walker. You are a pretty stoic guy, you aren't easily excitable but you are full of funny faces and classic looks that have us laughing all the time! You are experiencing many things that are brand new to you, like sitting in a shopping cart and not wearing a winter coat everywhere we go!</div>
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You've also recently discovered the world of cabinets and you LOVE to get inside this one especially, to pull out all of our leftover containers! You move like lightening when you see me in the kitchen and you make a direct line to that cupboard! So far it's the only one you can open, but I'm guessing that will change soon, too. </div>
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You continue to have wild hair! It's similar to your brother's in the way you're going blonde and losing those darker streaks of hair. But you are also favoring Ava with more of a strawberry blonde look and your own odd hairline! It's looking more and more like you were destined to have a faux-hawk!</div>
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We started taking you out to eat here and there, imagining you would be a handful, but of course you've been as good as gold! </div>
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You love the whole experience I think, watching other people and getting your hands on what we're eating too. You are such a flexible baby, we throw many new things your way and you just seem to roll with them so naturally. We love that about you. </div>
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Happy 9th month buddy! You are growing and changing and finding your place in our family and we are so thankful for all of it! We adore you Walker and we praise God for you! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30554412.post-41182978052009377562015-05-24T17:12:00.003-05:002015-05-24T17:12:51.834-05:00Easter 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
We were able to spend Easter in Iowa this year at my parent's house. It was a gorgeous day and the kids had fun after we got home from Church, looking for eggs and digging for treats in their Easter Baskets. I always love the joy of Easter morning after we've spent time talking and praying with the kids in the weeks leading up to Easter. They are able to articulate so much of the crucifixion and resurrection now and it is amazing to hear their childlike faith and be reminded that God delights in simple belief and obedience. I love them and I love our little traditions...They aren't perfect, we don't have elaborate routines, we just try to be intentional when and where we can. We do pray these memories and traditions will be like seeds of truth planted deeply in their souls! </div>
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The Armstrong Easter Trio </div>
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Walker was killin us in that outfit, and that little grin on his face???? I could barely take these without wanting to stop and smother him in kisses! </div>
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Daddy and his youth group :) </div>
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These monkeys are the best. They keep us on our toes for sure, but at the end of the day, what a wildly satisfying and FUN ride it is to parent them. </div>
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My parents are loving this new season of life with all these grandbabies! </div>
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Chocolate dipped peeps, who knew? </div>
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Carter was on a mission for candy, which is his sole focus at most holidays! ha ha! </div>
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And Walker licked the puffs container while Sawyer clapped for him! </div>
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We had a picture perfect afternoon for an egg hunt too! </div>
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What a gorgeous Easter Sunday!!</div>
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Just a sweet day with family, celebrating Jesus and the new life He brings! </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044873959660778423noreply@blogger.com0