tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210681182024-03-07T11:19:33.911-08:00Moving StabilityOur journeyRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-25537404799391983952012-06-04T21:08:00.004-07:002012-06-04T21:08:36.199-07:00Selah has been going to Ballet lessons for several months now. Her recital is in a few weeks. I'll be out of town when it happens so I was glad to be able to see her dress rehearsal.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VAKYLMKwf24" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-29491940141934765392012-05-07T23:17:00.003-07:002012-05-07T23:17:51.070-07:00Happy Birthday Eden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PIJV_FyNi3w/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIJV_FyNi3w?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PIJV_FyNi3w?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
We had a great birthday party for Eden at the park. I can't believe she is three. She had plenty of helpers to assist her with her new scooter.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-18294168915745173332011-12-27T07:05:00.000-08:002011-12-27T07:09:03.412-08:00Life PicsMerry Christmas!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCJHttE5F92UyOdocUmb_eWXbDa-H8LJook-_KNF2ZwMm7swOqPhupkGvTJyqznHYdCZ0XMD3mrrHiNq0mAAAj70AzmGYiZf9EZTwMv5OHtTwW3BA3AFB5HO6gOzhMb17AQ_r/s1600/IMG_7935.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCJHttE5F92UyOdocUmb_eWXbDa-H8LJook-_KNF2ZwMm7swOqPhupkGvTJyqznHYdCZ0XMD3mrrHiNq0mAAAj70AzmGYiZf9EZTwMv5OHtTwW3BA3AFB5HO6gOzhMb17AQ_r/s400/IMG_7935.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690824869508956802" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wii Just Dance Party with our seventy-something neighbor. She killed it, but was out of breath in about 20 seconds.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5FcVtXtsr6OJlXbXDg6Xjs928opSnVu_xpTjM-uJ7WnoVkCW86E-2NddhXBzPeGdmb1BqsxA-2syypaFYb185kHrvTC1Dmd46hj5XENQKxzLG_FePf2P92UMiR4UxBAyf5Gt/s1600/IMG_7933.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5FcVtXtsr6OJlXbXDg6Xjs928opSnVu_xpTjM-uJ7WnoVkCW86E-2NddhXBzPeGdmb1BqsxA-2syypaFYb185kHrvTC1Dmd46hj5XENQKxzLG_FePf2P92UMiR4UxBAyf5Gt/s400/IMG_7933.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690824865146927074" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Laura's lovely Christmas tea service.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnrDSEN6u-eZnQ9hhygseVEMmuP_Em_ZgW1CxaadCY_IKmZswyppzejb9WE3BTmVpKT9xHimU1cxC1zbixTEYLLt238yk_TOtsdiNodgI1XJQpcAGHCyFefuSNbwOixLl-9AE/s1600/IMG_7928.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnrDSEN6u-eZnQ9hhygseVEMmuP_Em_ZgW1CxaadCY_IKmZswyppzejb9WE3BTmVpKT9xHimU1cxC1zbixTEYLLt238yk_TOtsdiNodgI1XJQpcAGHCyFefuSNbwOixLl-9AE/s400/IMG_7928.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690824698677297634" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Amazing princess cake for Selah's 5th b-day. Laura is talented.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWDja_0dvSRwlSBSqQDkdFjuCmB7dj3nGgp00nF7BsgDvAhK8VGmoBbcnqAyfykncTj3eJq7xKNnqyzVP5CE5s5-mA-QZWdAftSe9yKAiN4LykUUEPBHzAX6dDwwMU_5Anf2C/s1600/IMG_7743.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWDja_0dvSRwlSBSqQDkdFjuCmB7dj3nGgp00nF7BsgDvAhK8VGmoBbcnqAyfykncTj3eJq7xKNnqyzVP5CE5s5-mA-QZWdAftSe9yKAiN4LykUUEPBHzAX6dDwwMU_5Anf2C/s400/IMG_7743.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690824692854128562" /></a><br /></div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-74951732164122437722011-08-13T01:40:00.000-07:002011-08-13T01:51:12.651-07:00Balcony PicnicWe were all geared up for a picnic in the park when the rains came. Plan B on the balcony worked out well. Also for your enjoyment are some dress-up/dancing pics. Selah says she dressed up like a soldier.<div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNzGCYuoRFm4ZVgMtCKOV72sC5h1DyuMmAu1rou7hHeS8sRY6vT-MeIV-_ZApNZe38oBOIBgqz0h5BHCoebve5BeCQRW_XwUulHztkSeqGNap5FyvGD3sP4RWSETGMXB6v7H4/s400/IMG_6786.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640259092693094882" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEyWhyobH16oNHj8cDNd4fGgTnIoPJ60bvVkQ3gx0fGF7gIchJcxgjDsPEeCtemnqEZax_FbUY7ivu7YjUvNDhZwMNEziy8MUeCu4DrqmlcaWcosIU_BKJ-3XsFJux0z6cLNW/s400/IMG_6799.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640259097918814402" /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mwW8cO2xR-dGO9ZckPsCwBMuzdud7xkLpFYgDZLQDcGTqDkHU6I9yegt9eah5xRIf1AkAogEWNL36IeXEXnvzmMgizo8O5WbefWgoQPRDdeesPwg8wBnVISqal5cWf4KCLvq/s400/IMG_6797.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640259093623111858" /></div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-34430131225242689522011-08-13T01:25:00.000-07:002011-08-13T01:40:21.093-07:00Bed ShuffleChange is afoot. Jillian graduated from the pack and play in our room to the crib in her own room. Eden went from the crib to the toddler bed and Selah went from the toddler bed to the single bed. Everything went great the first night except for those two times when Eden fell out of the bed. Jillian didn't sleep there. She just wanted to pose for the picture.<div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6twyf8KAbOk8eu8IJKu5jXRYUT9CPBTahaG5GOhLTxjZmeakxdAeLBl4GdDwoyz6EalW3g4SruJqaVlRQvmoKX04goNjmB20KaIR2DEePIgVC1pvMqlfYOoVddHfCfB_sgSmk/s400/IMG_6783.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640255999835615026" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ju70PPZjGv1m2CA8ioaZHrFfXg_PLHhIapd0X22gGhL11uoYR9rAss57sMz-stnLofbxkgR2klYx5WCmhrQDpl_hZ-1xlV59GQt2bcaUTHyAm3HRljh1pT4ePuaKO1cuQvWU/s400/IMG_6781.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640255998161458434" /></div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-25186545564769129012011-04-09T02:19:00.000-07:002011-04-09T02:28:01.589-07:00Goldfish!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UxJKQT69LfgOjkU7m5lcIuXrdVpEGQ2o_74osdZuOxcrU5nBPnHQNQALHHxaB-40aL7Eamf8K_HsT6SpQirMIXEqUdhPZnNQMVpnYH5RFz_Mx3ZNYalUsNlqNxc43Ln-8SJT/s1600/IMG_5392.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UxJKQT69LfgOjkU7m5lcIuXrdVpEGQ2o_74osdZuOxcrU5nBPnHQNQALHHxaB-40aL7Eamf8K_HsT6SpQirMIXEqUdhPZnNQMVpnYH5RFz_Mx3ZNYalUsNlqNxc43Ln-8SJT/s400/IMG_5392.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593511314258224322" /></a><br />It's a big day at our house. As a reward for sleeping 5 consecutive nights in the same room as Eden (without incident), Selah picked out a large goldfish at the pet store. At some point, we must have told her that fish can be a little fragile and even die. Selah has been very concerned. On the ride home from the pet store, she made us hold up the bag every few minutes to check on the fish. Here are some quotes from the last 30 minutes.<div>"If you stop looking at it, she will die."</div><div>"Uh-oh, she's not breathing! Oh, she's OK."</div><div>Through tears, "Oh no, the bag fell over!"</div><div>"Why is she just sitting there?"</div><div><br /></div><div>The guy at the pet store told me the little turtles will live longer. I offered that alternative to Selah, but she said the turtles looked angry.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here, we are. New pet owners. Her name is Sarah, by the way. We hope that she will be with us a long time, but it sounds like we are all prepared for her eventual demise--maybe too prepared.</div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-18996277753528843252011-02-06T11:08:00.000-08:002011-02-15T21:21:50.505-08:00Selah & Eden Playing<div>Eden is old enough now that she really enjoys playing with her big sister. When Selah is gone, Eden notices and asks where she is. A friend tells me that she noticed when our babysitter takes the girls to the park, Eden plays more and seems happier when Selah is with her. </div><div>Of course, they fight and hit during the course of their play and we're working on teaching both of them how to treat people, especially loved ones. Eden seems to love the concept of time out and will give herself one if she is reprimanded for her behavior. Things she likes to do: hit in the face, pull hair, or push. Selah has perfected the art of swiping a toy and running, or holding her things high in the air when Eden is present--to keep Eden from touching them. </div><div>Ryan and I are new to the world of teaching our children how to get along, though we both had 2 siblings growing up--so we should know something from experience, right? One thing I'm trying to do is teach the girls to talk to one another about their issues before getting Ryan or me involved. You know kids, one takes the toy and the "wronged" kid whines to mom. It seems to me that these are good opportunities to teach the girls how Jesus taught us to deal with conflict. They should talk to one another first before bringing the adult on the scene. I know they're young, but Selah definitely grasps the concept. I don't know if it is effective, but something I'm trying. If any of you very wise and experienced friends have any great tips for me, I'd love to hear!</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dz_V7kfd3II?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dz_V7kfd3II?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vj1GiohjCaM?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vj1GiohjCaM?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-23320049068321894212011-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:002011-02-09T04:24:41.620-08:00Eden Footage<div>Two videos of Eden. She's 21 months old and talking all the time. When she wakes up, her first words are, "Selah woke up?" Every night she looks at pictures in her room and says goodnight to the people in the pictures. The first video was taken after Selah finished with the cheerleader costume. Eden put it on and did the same thing she saw Selah doing, minus the jumping around. She's saying, "Go (H)Aggies!" Of course, you'll also catch a glimpse of Selah's performance...which are never ending in our house! In the second video, Selah was helping Eden practice her words. Notice how Eden says what Selah asks her to say but not what her mom asks. </div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C_C-btpAZ2A?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C_C-btpAZ2A?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HE25qINr2u0?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HE25qINr2u0?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-79276767663301084922011-02-06T03:58:00.000-08:002011-02-06T11:17:36.998-08:002 1/2 Weeks<div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtYmTNG88NscQ9kamyrx1t79fItFFGD3jD20iiiMabnwkWRI46iXG0LyJR9psOAaeHObqbJBqOv7h3Ah-LouidADu2efAiVGXWDXSkWHseytViI3EjVS3SvE3bsMi38ODCK_j/s1600/IMG_5238.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtYmTNG88NscQ9kamyrx1t79fItFFGD3jD20iiiMabnwkWRI46iXG0LyJR9psOAaeHObqbJBqOv7h3Ah-LouidADu2efAiVGXWDXSkWHseytViI3EjVS3SvE3bsMi38ODCK_j/s400/IMG_5238.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570547346820234946" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span">This is the new retro-fitted computer cabinet I told you about last week. I still like it--a lot.</span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq85WA5XuWEdaNOV0roAHMSeBof30uLlePevoKLD8Umzah0B55zBpKYBqd9vNa2ArheO7c7INk6KDZSp8K1p5UBWWnf0Z2ThpXS-Mu9uepTn4w9ROQhwxw98EpbeylCdXWi5Mf/s1600/IMG_5227.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq85WA5XuWEdaNOV0roAHMSeBof30uLlePevoKLD8Umzah0B55zBpKYBqd9vNa2ArheO7c7INk6KDZSp8K1p5UBWWnf0Z2ThpXS-Mu9uepTn4w9ROQhwxw98EpbeylCdXWi5Mf/s400/IMG_5227.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570547334944874754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span">This is how Eden plays with markers: coloring her face, lips, legs, arms, etc. The markers are under lock now, but she still manages to get her hands on them.</span></i><br /><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">From the beginning of the first child becoming ill to the (hopeful) end of the 2nd parent--and everyone in between--we've been sick for over 2 weeks. On day 10 of being sick I finally went to the doctor and learned something new-but not about viruses or colds.</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><div>I learned that I assumed primary physician-type care functioned the same way here as it does in the States. When I was pregnant with Selah, my OB told me that she would be my primary physician during the pregnancy. So, when I decided to go to the doctor on Friday, I made an appointment with my OB. She gave me a slightly confused look when I explained my symptoms to her and told me, politely, that I should make an appointment with an ENT. So, 30 minutes and 1 "just for fun" ultrasound later, I was in with the ENT in the neighboring building of the hospital. After the appointment, I put the dots together and realized that I am almost certain that we don't see general physicians for anything here. We always go to the specialist. The great thing is, I don't need any kind of referral to do that. Different countries, different practices...most likely because insurance companies work differently here. The diagnosis: sinusitis. Hopefully we'll all feel 100% soon.</div><div><div>Ryan and Selah had a date night on Thursday. Both of us got excited about dressing her up for the show. They saw Aladdin on Ice. They left 1 hour early and arrived 30 minutes late due to horrific traffic. Selah fell asleep during that long drive and Ryan carried her into the ice rink. He said he wasn't sure she ever fully woke up, but did seem interested in the show. She slept all the way home.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZvCZ5ZxKEyvvG1XVMotGsgLxLtoHEVT8yFLd4PNkyMalberKG9uevZdqOKULyJGKvz-c21ZfYYojUnHDgl0qEuVyMFEs0sdies6sn23ZZVs_Er1dw-RuUu7Gm8QkbkGRsvQi/s1600/IMG_5247.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZvCZ5ZxKEyvvG1XVMotGsgLxLtoHEVT8yFLd4PNkyMalberKG9uevZdqOKULyJGKvz-c21ZfYYojUnHDgl0qEuVyMFEs0sdies6sn23ZZVs_Er1dw-RuUu7Gm8QkbkGRsvQi/s400/IMG_5247.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570547359881378626" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">She chose to have two french braids and her Indonesian dress and church shoes</span>.</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7d6droKuJQ3ra10OMVfOALRqQfQpTpQ_polJQOc44AmtPUIXMjNiASNrLpJooA0cGJN9okHr9mIXKJ7T9nu2oMikFTH9dHH4g6-a3vt1bd01ddQckDDD541Zk3PZ5BMG88dy/s1600/IMG_5241.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7d6droKuJQ3ra10OMVfOALRqQfQpTpQ_polJQOc44AmtPUIXMjNiASNrLpJooA0cGJN9okHr9mIXKJ7T9nu2oMikFTH9dHH4g6-a3vt1bd01ddQckDDD541Zk3PZ5BMG88dy/s400/IMG_5241.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570547351080704834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Sick on the couch</span></i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3Zae-UGxuc5FYYnBDaJ-YE5qKXfPESddbSHNwkOPpeglfXp4-eToRW46WCZickHRZqXGJ9mPPGDA3DLyOuLgdy3xXohRdoEJbsvgXjthN2v__kguYd7swyrdLsy71JSIZRNS/s1600/IMG_5228.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3Zae-UGxuc5FYYnBDaJ-YE5qKXfPESddbSHNwkOPpeglfXp4-eToRW46WCZickHRZqXGJ9mPPGDA3DLyOuLgdy3xXohRdoEJbsvgXjthN2v__kguYd7swyrdLsy71JSIZRNS/s400/IMG_5228.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570547340152863842" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></i></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span">She looks TOO grown up in this shot...but oh so beautiful, just like a "princess"</span></i><div><br /></div><div><div><div>Today, we went to the park as a family for little while and enjoyed the sun and fresh air. We stopped at the picnic tables to enjoy some spinach or ground beef or feta cheese filled pastry. The girls love the spinach filled ones.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IIK-rqCw3ptq7USCqyoo449ZokzZe1diLhCzY07VUTihCiGe1tVIcfpPrLHf9G-2R5m-Q3gdRJ42KmNwjnh6Luejnj3RkxA-OUV-h4W6c1jHclFYAyWGrnAUz6vTVUXUrONL/s1600/IMG_5283.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IIK-rqCw3ptq7USCqyoo449ZokzZe1diLhCzY07VUTihCiGe1tVIcfpPrLHf9G-2R5m-Q3gdRJ42KmNwjnh6Luejnj3RkxA-OUV-h4W6c1jHclFYAyWGrnAUz6vTVUXUrONL/s400/IMG_5283.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548953435547970" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLubYZ6iGq9hOqWnO_OmjEHHHsOHBAviN5CqYIUjRTc0hfL1TRyar-fWxKnnaotroVLZGF_Z0D6lg1L2m_j3TG6i02MCO5qlzpy1U4fC5eHdxw5jDxwx398ipxf4ZtuKS-pTZ/s1600/IMG_5267.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLubYZ6iGq9hOqWnO_OmjEHHHsOHBAviN5CqYIUjRTc0hfL1TRyar-fWxKnnaotroVLZGF_Z0D6lg1L2m_j3TG6i02MCO5qlzpy1U4fC5eHdxw5jDxwx398ipxf4ZtuKS-pTZ/s400/IMG_5267.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548420127292370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh9hA4S5HhTTdSFvkzBKMYXIy6nwG_Pj0sAUjCpUtE5CzxoFBrpXIJGWWKJZZ-YG8SNwv4gbZJq3xyoAd5GBo0xNy7Dbmlfj_0Qm-KbRezXIcAsN2BeR-AYsJlzgu2ofNmP6P/s1600/IMG_5261.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh9hA4S5HhTTdSFvkzBKMYXIy6nwG_Pj0sAUjCpUtE5CzxoFBrpXIJGWWKJZZ-YG8SNwv4gbZJq3xyoAd5GBo0xNy7Dbmlfj_0Qm-KbRezXIcAsN2BeR-AYsJlzgu2ofNmP6P/s400/IMG_5261.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548412042049330" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTEEINv-o16GW_acTJ9CWuTlaobRuuE_QG8MP6mZYw665T6YqEt0yLcdCbo1Eo1odAUs1cgJYtXS84wGFlQ_02PiC8cnJitekMEV-DmQa2kFtPX3A24g7hvC23sWr-QoHOvoU/s1600/IMG_5254.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTEEINv-o16GW_acTJ9CWuTlaobRuuE_QG8MP6mZYw665T6YqEt0yLcdCbo1Eo1odAUs1cgJYtXS84wGFlQ_02PiC8cnJitekMEV-DmQa2kFtPX3A24g7hvC23sWr-QoHOvoU/s400/IMG_5254.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548408684247330" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kYudSs3axRr394_M0wrOfh9J-5nXZzD7N6eKqXUftHkzJ-j1nP081-CHIKHma-XF6HLdaV5LoW3ZWVPEF-qKkRr90NlNqJqjZmRSM9N-v1bFHUaM2BkFL0EpW-V4c3bA8JHZ/s1600/IMG_5250.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kYudSs3axRr394_M0wrOfh9J-5nXZzD7N6eKqXUftHkzJ-j1nP081-CHIKHma-XF6HLdaV5LoW3ZWVPEF-qKkRr90NlNqJqjZmRSM9N-v1bFHUaM2BkFL0EpW-V4c3bA8JHZ/s400/IMG_5250.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548398652409506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/COHyVcVyTUk?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/COHyVcVyTUk?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAdkPT9cZsGE4u6_FMXmjk9cC44IwTac7SqieKHLviJAWGtnEJXNn9xmWfNyD9Tss3BpIBh_zSYhkCJTDNg6dcy7yh5Su306Pa_IdiZjY-jBSvR6XVs3EDPQZ_-_m9OzxA1xZ/s1600/IMG_5249.jpg"></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAdkPT9cZsGE4u6_FMXmjk9cC44IwTac7SqieKHLviJAWGtnEJXNn9xmWfNyD9Tss3BpIBh_zSYhkCJTDNg6dcy7yh5Su306Pa_IdiZjY-jBSvR6XVs3EDPQZ_-_m9OzxA1xZ/s1600/IMG_5249.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAdkPT9cZsGE4u6_FMXmjk9cC44IwTac7SqieKHLviJAWGtnEJXNn9xmWfNyD9Tss3BpIBh_zSYhkCJTDNg6dcy7yh5Su306Pa_IdiZjY-jBSvR6XVs3EDPQZ_-_m9OzxA1xZ/s400/IMG_5249.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548397741216162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-TKd9MFIRpVOy4ZP__2KE5h1jG8LJwwRsGGV5x5bz0c0cIHmMpdz1kuMYas0r2dqnVlpJgNaJHaC37Qoek408UlC1X5IoG2Fs1jnWNI_mT4ogabGPVICpOwtqJuqKak8gz_R/s1600/IMG_5284.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-TKd9MFIRpVOy4ZP__2KE5h1jG8LJwwRsGGV5x5bz0c0cIHmMpdz1kuMYas0r2dqnVlpJgNaJHaC37Qoek408UlC1X5IoG2Fs1jnWNI_mT4ogabGPVICpOwtqJuqKak8gz_R/s400/IMG_5284.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570548961915548818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span">After returning to our apartment building, Selah and I posed for a 25 (ish) week prego shot.<br /></span></i><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-30347853999886224812011-01-21T05:09:00.000-08:002011-01-23T11:14:20.024-08:00Back home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI94DG_4E1danWpKBH2pfO21W0Wl0vSOpwcWscFcQfcOqCOVC5UnEKfP513cyzKk5QBsgDPofwtsvpfYqiAbDcFhbSV4R7gou0_2jn-4hJXwIzPAgLSabpsfmFnnCd4kL1_83l/s1600/IMG_5222.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI94DG_4E1danWpKBH2pfO21W0Wl0vSOpwcWscFcQfcOqCOVC5UnEKfP513cyzKk5QBsgDPofwtsvpfYqiAbDcFhbSV4R7gou0_2jn-4hJXwIzPAgLSabpsfmFnnCd4kL1_83l/s400/IMG_5222.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565460996142029266" /></a><br /><i>Selah posing with the fake flowers we just bought from Ikea</i><div><div><div><br />We've been back in our apartment for 15 days now. It is good to be back.<br /><br />After returning, the first order of business was cleaning the house from top to bottom. It took me 9 days. Of course it wasn't 9 full days of cleaning. There were very important other things that needed to be done throughout that time, like go to the park every morning, have dinner with friends, go to the store (several times), and change our t.v. cabinet into a computer nook. <br /><br />Ryan worked hard for almost a week on this project. I'm so pleased with the result. No more seen computer in our living room. The printer is hidden away in the cabinet too! Ryan also installed some great speakers to enhance our music listening and movie watching experiences. <br /><br />I still want to get some new curtains made for the current guest, soon-to-be baby room. Enough projects for now...back to telling you about the most disgusting cleaning job...<br /><br />We have these shutter-type things that we closed over all of our windows while we were gone. We left one cracked because there were pretty flowers growing in a planter on the outside of the window sill. One very naughty pigeon made this a warm nest for himself and others. So, the entire length of the window sill was caked with poo and the windows were smeared with it. Yuck!! Ryan, while wearing a mask, spent over an hour cleaning up that mess. What a man!<br /><br />Selah is at school today, for the second half-day this week. She couldn't wait to get back. She squealed with delight when Zeynep, our good friend and babysitter came last week. She is now remembering more of the language each day. Today she commented that she only knew how to say "yes" when we came back, but now she remembers more words every day! Yippee! <br /><br />Eden has started eating more than I've ever seen her eat. I'm wondering if she feels back at home, even though she was only 14 months old when we left. I didn't think she'd really notice, but maybe she does. She is doing so well. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xCX2bYy19gifImIlW6K0HIjzr6ylIfjqBKDGEZn7Z-4BM32A-HIvVLn7aDe7IHcQ4qRejktLq-0eqeTZVTpyT64xSi6D_njj0BwMj2nJPvZcZDnY9w8dCiFPy5ZaX3UM8DCp/s1600/IMG_5215.jpg"><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xCX2bYy19gifImIlW6K0HIjzr6ylIfjqBKDGEZn7Z-4BM32A-HIvVLn7aDe7IHcQ4qRejktLq-0eqeTZVTpyT64xSi6D_njj0BwMj2nJPvZcZDnY9w8dCiFPy5ZaX3UM8DCp/s400/IMG_5215.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565460986327621058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a><div><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xCX2bYy19gifImIlW6K0HIjzr6ylIfjqBKDGEZn7Z-4BM32A-HIvVLn7aDe7IHcQ4qRejktLq-0eqeTZVTpyT64xSi6D_njj0BwMj2nJPvZcZDnY9w8dCiFPy5ZaX3UM8DCp/s1600/IMG_5215.jpg"></a>Eden trying to find the scent of the fake flower.</i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br />I am enjoying eating the food I've missed for several months. Last night I made a vegetable dish that is basically a bunch of vegetables cooked in olive oil for a while and it hit the spot! You really should try it! I added some fresh green beans to the mix as well. <br /><br /></div><div>Here's the link to the recipe:<br />http://www.turkishfoodandrecipes.com/2009/09/mixed-vegetables-with-olive-oil.html</div></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-4670908445242968272011-01-06T20:44:00.000-08:002011-01-06T21:13:34.720-08:00Heading HomeOur 6 months has come to a past-paced end as we've done as much stuffing as humanly possible. We've stuff our stomachs ( I think I win the prize for stuffing the most), good-bye's, and our bags. As I think about walking into the airport tomorrow, stress starts to overwhelm me. The stress isn't rooted in an anxiety to return to our home or fly a total of about 17 hours with a 4 year-old and 19 month-old while 21 weeks pregnant. No, the stress comes from thinking about how much stuff we are flying back across the ocean with us. We will ask a nice porter to load our 5 50-pound trunks, 3 50-pound suitcases, 3 carry-ons, 3 back packs, 2 car seats and strollers onto a cart and head to the check-in counter. I know I shouldn't let something like this stress me out. But I do. Sometimes, we have a nice assistant that will check our carry-ons for us at no charge, sometimes we don't. Inthe case that we don't, imagine us waiting in security lines, going through security, wondering the airport and boarding the plane with 1 car seat, 1 stroller, 3 carry-ons, 3 backpacks and 2 kids.<div>
<br />But....once we're on the plane, we're home free (till we change planes, at least). We are all very excited about going home, though it isn't without stings of pain. Oh how we've enjoyed the time with family...the pressure-free time with family. We've relished in the meaningful conversations, the encouragement and fun we've been blessed with over the past 6 months. We're going to miss the great state of Texas and maybe even the wind in Amarillo. My favorite part about being home was the time with family. I am so happy that many relationships were strengthened as a result of our time in the states.</div><div>
<br />As we go back to the land where God has put us, we go anticipating what is going to happen in the next three years. One big hope is that my language will continue to deepen and that I'll be able to make some close friends. I also pray that God will work on my heart so that instead of being high-strung and testy, I will be able to enjoy the next year as we await the arrival of our third child and adjust to being a family of 5.
<br />
<br />We'll post something after the post-flight recovery is in full swing.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZZEQ7X6eexet0ApYFRfOtyhmzoBmGv01DlgnBY8Hm9rJ2shOoSWfznlyIL8MJdJsdEnAgvfK9mgoxFiG81onQoHwwxR2_GeCLaSPBl8OB3gIWO9Wmuj62svziTFFjnC5tmRE/s400/Laura.preg.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559307374108161522" /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-63941003263206766872010-12-13T13:15:00.000-08:002010-12-13T14:22:14.445-08:00Thanksgiving and afterWe spent Thanksgiving in Amarillo. In our former life of no kids, we refused to drive there from Houston unless there was some very important reason. Now that we have kids, the price for airfare is prohibitive, so we drove from Houston to Dallas one day. Then went on to Amarillo the next day. <br /><br />While in Amarillo, we spent time with my Aunt Bonnie and my cousin's daughter. They had a great time making a mess, I mean gingerbread girls. We had a great Thanksgiving meal with my mom, dad, sister, and grandparents. While there we had some family fun decorating for Christmas, Christmas shopping, and eating at some of my favorite restaurants. Grammy and Pops made sugar cookies and let <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Selah</span> and my friend Jamie's kids cut them out and decorate them while the parents of said children went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Starbuck's</span>. Oh how we will miss being close to grandparents!<br /><br />This past weekend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Selah</span> celebrated her birthday a little early and had her friends over for a party. We decorated Christmas ornaments, played musical chairs and hide & seek, and decorated cupcakes/cookies. <br /><br />We have less than 1 month till we go back to our home across the ocean. As our time draws to a close, we're trying to spend as much time as possible with friends and family. We are ready to get back home but sad that home is on the other side of the world from Texas because we miss our friends and family so much!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-8962522159338607952010-11-07T17:58:00.001-08:002010-11-07T18:28:33.348-08:00I'm not throwing the towel in yet!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nPPNU_oXJ-SBaGmYsOMAPr0Po2rMTTDZF22uCqSX271XyzLPmr14B2-qQSOap8Q-DGhUsUqCR0vfQ5EzWbGFRpWeLAhaAsLd5iKds5D70almAdKIDriGeYuvj1FbmLUTgbPt/s1600/IMG_4472.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nPPNU_oXJ-SBaGmYsOMAPr0Po2rMTTDZF22uCqSX271XyzLPmr14B2-qQSOap8Q-DGhUsUqCR0vfQ5EzWbGFRpWeLAhaAsLd5iKds5D70almAdKIDriGeYuvj1FbmLUTgbPt/s400/IMG_4472.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536999748385734722" border="0" /></a><br />You might think that since I've only had 2 posts in the last 7 months, this blog thing is about to be finished. I don't think I'm there...yet. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things.<br /><br />We've not been too busy since the end of September, but I haven't been feeling up to doing...anything. There probably isn't a good reason for a mother of 2 to act on that feeling of wanting to do nothing and I am still trying to take care of the things that I HAVE to take care of , like my kids. :)<br /><br />On to the reason I haven't been feeling well. I am pregnant with baby #3. Now that I'm waiting for a third kid to come, I've learned to not even think about the theoretical due date. For me, it is just stupid since my kids have come later than that date. So, we'll just say sometime at the end of May, Lord willing, we'll welcome the 5th member into the Ryan Wolf family. We're excited. Another plus is that it is one more chance for me to go through a refining process.<br /><br />Selah has been convinced since before I became pregnant that the next child would be a boy and his name will be Luke. We have chosen that as the boy name yet, though. Needless to say, she's excited and already sending hugs and kisses to the baby.<br /><br />The girls (and I) are enjoying Mother's Day Out twice a week and Selah is in a gymnastics class that she loves. She has improved a lot in the past two months and turns everything into a gymnastic move as she plays around the house or on the playground. Last week, the girls dressed up for a costume parade. Selah went through her dress up clothes and decided she would be Tinker Bell. Eden was a Pumpkin Fairy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxCgmxotTcHOzUCJcUKOQHnDaqGL4_lf696z-ZkyGhtITw8Reo0-J1vXRw4TBAtm_frxaUCd-KSSwc1l3mpjMKW76BwHeXmPMWSjbGm9AmRvgc_fyQAmPIH8KqUFqqo40FCN_/s1600/IMG_4453.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxCgmxotTcHOzUCJcUKOQHnDaqGL4_lf696z-ZkyGhtITw8Reo0-J1vXRw4TBAtm_frxaUCd-KSSwc1l3mpjMKW76BwHeXmPMWSjbGm9AmRvgc_fyQAmPIH8KqUFqqo40FCN_/s400/IMG_4453.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536997068605884322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9FRF5b5rqIqMdya671ipvy7gabTb7cFU7b7POK3_WridDVS9NIN2Ogu41I1Ys3FRzPLniBPuj_UmHUF2J1NOiwuv9iQQdqSfl8qDj4Pr498z7-67Qjdu8-ZFKBHf_srVCCyB/s1600/IMG_4452.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9FRF5b5rqIqMdya671ipvy7gabTb7cFU7b7POK3_WridDVS9NIN2Ogu41I1Ys3FRzPLniBPuj_UmHUF2J1NOiwuv9iQQdqSfl8qDj4Pr498z7-67Qjdu8-ZFKBHf_srVCCyB/s400/IMG_4452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536997060795972818" border="0" /></a><br />On the 31st, we went to the church's "Festibration," where Selah proudly wore a ballet recital costume calling herself a ballerina...and the most exciting part was that she got to wear some makeup!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRwmaDrFjwFayTqPmPuMn1_7BoPS7-P7ddJPKsPQEyxAj-VM3PSk_2ylS-pnQrDEquKRHAtpoHyp8hih8_S4o8exASLeHYxYNnbabxtiIQURhZzx43WXpCLxA_ln_6VVzAkDq/s1600/IMG_4522.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRwmaDrFjwFayTqPmPuMn1_7BoPS7-P7ddJPKsPQEyxAj-VM3PSk_2ylS-pnQrDEquKRHAtpoHyp8hih8_S4o8exASLeHYxYNnbabxtiIQURhZzx43WXpCLxA_ln_6VVzAkDq/s400/IMG_4522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536999753013384594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Rthqp2fc5OgXn0QyQ8lSMItjtz-5owZSNY30E1faAQbRBj9I95rAEMQJvLaxySRGNKtTqhF7mYeu6OIuwj-jWGlGmVF0GMcq_mf_eO6RXaqyGNLUhL68p6aHhY1SGQDQsNWZ/s1600/IMG_4527.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Rthqp2fc5OgXn0QyQ8lSMItjtz-5owZSNY30E1faAQbRBj9I95rAEMQJvLaxySRGNKtTqhF7mYeu6OIuwj-jWGlGmVF0GMcq_mf_eO6RXaqyGNLUhL68p6aHhY1SGQDQsNWZ/s400/IMG_4527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536999761058130898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Granddaddy and 2 of his girls</span><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-89708459044528360152010-08-14T20:05:00.000-07:002010-08-18T11:32:56.329-07:00Crossing our T'sThat Sunday that I described so many months ago didn't do me in, as it may have appeared. Since then, Selah "graduated" from her preschool. The day before her graduation she told me she dressed up like Santa Claus at school. I was confused about this because I thought I'd paid $15 to rent a cap and gown for the "ceremony".<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMiscoN1HO1wauUxYlQQsovjUQwX0jXCuYq4kAPE898fDq7hgBdXQgBw7AhnvUGOKE0gevP7RWdANOnzv7CWPPZMw99t3q_6avhSzZJgFdnKN0alVGfgfORth9bFog-_3DIOA/s1600/IMG_2594.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMiscoN1HO1wauUxYlQQsovjUQwX0jXCuYq4kAPE898fDq7hgBdXQgBw7AhnvUGOKE0gevP7RWdANOnzv7CWPPZMw99t3q_6avhSzZJgFdnKN0alVGfgfORth9bFog-_3DIOA/s400/IMG_2594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506611365587613362" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The "Santa Claus" costume<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KuCKLunyleyNq2-P8hL-24K43uevvoKbKPadd2Tdwq5hzLjb05vncCW8rR-Yk4hdaBIeUVBWfJ_fMasNYkR5EftxzMT24j8S6uLCfZU2R4pdGANdVNymFkun7psjfVNteSjF/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KuCKLunyleyNq2-P8hL-24K43uevvoKbKPadd2Tdwq5hzLjb05vncCW8rR-Yk4hdaBIeUVBWfJ_fMasNYkR5EftxzMT24j8S6uLCfZU2R4pdGANdVNymFkun7psjfVNteSjF/s400/IMG_2639.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506611355665327042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Selah's favorite teacher<br /><br /></span></div>We've crossed one "T" and landed in another. We are now back in the place where we lived before moving overseas and settling in to a routine (or trying to). We have been home for almost 5 weeks and have been in about 10 different beds. The girls have been quite adaptable and patient. I can't say so much for myself on a few certain days, though. We've had a lot of fun seeing family, friends, and making new friends. We've eaten some great Tex-Mex and Blue Bell ice cream. The most rejuvenating activity of our 5 weeks has been getting out on some friends' boats and reconnecting with the wakeboard, tube, and learning to wake-surf.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIysBZiTX_AYO7IZTMEiWrSTCVx9N7zY9zF67fm5ylkVAGFzrw95YrCvjaD-EdV6MY79IeswS4lZoev0ECngu7DWXkcFr2tjqgcSSrlRfRhbyAEACnMivcTDilvYbetyVWmub/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIysBZiTX_AYO7IZTMEiWrSTCVx9N7zY9zF67fm5ylkVAGFzrw95YrCvjaD-EdV6MY79IeswS4lZoev0ECngu7DWXkcFr2tjqgcSSrlRfRhbyAEACnMivcTDilvYbetyVWmub/s400/IMG_3448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506611380263386946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxlKJ5_y8BPfdKvgu489pX_DgFpRJzBJquR3VCqeJA97C1XAx9SzmH3aah-56O81v7yaz1sRFF_5VBAK6YTRNkqA5WSSsDE6oIYql64u9cb4Xlc4CyadjO_FoJThxCEj8HJmV/s1600/IMG_3444.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxlKJ5_y8BPfdKvgu489pX_DgFpRJzBJquR3VCqeJA97C1XAx9SzmH3aah-56O81v7yaz1sRFF_5VBAK6YTRNkqA5WSSsDE6oIYql64u9cb4Xlc4CyadjO_FoJThxCEj8HJmV/s400/IMG_3444.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506611374495693330" border="0" /></a><br /></div>A generous couple is allowing us to stay in their house while they're away. Selah didn't like her room at first but a trip to Walmart and a Princess-sheet purchase fixed that. Seriously, every day she'd ask if she could spend the night with Ama because she didn't like her room. I agree, compared to Ama's "grand-daughter room" her bedroom is like a jail cell. Maybe we'll find some time to get creative and decorate her room. Any creative person want to come over for a craft day and help me out? I mean, I would like to keep the investment at a minimum since we have less than 5 months left.<br /><br />On Sunday we headed back to the place where Ryan and I met. We enjoyed being at that church again and Gig [ing] 'em and whatnot. Whoop! (that was for you, Laura L.)<br /><br />Selah has asked me when we are going home several times now. Today we made a chain to count down the days. It has 143 links in the chain. Eden made every attempt possible to foil the creation of this chain. But, Selah and I prevailed with a determined deaf ear turned toward the crying.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qsti0c48kPDICqQKLEGRwkniBOBCBHakHVPtTZeoZZXd6KJ2ysJ-Hdm2KMS553iJlMFPZ-LR99LlXSc03ZCtRlMQgB-Bp5CElMChERc3ILnpYg6ku-o7CwKqGqZvYtB97GRk/s1600/countdown.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qsti0c48kPDICqQKLEGRwkniBOBCBHakHVPtTZeoZZXd6KJ2ysJ-Hdm2KMS553iJlMFPZ-LR99LlXSc03ZCtRlMQgB-Bp5CElMChERc3ILnpYg6ku-o7CwKqGqZvYtB97GRk/s400/countdown.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506611347078525010" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-75989874267597677092010-04-26T04:41:00.000-07:002010-04-26T05:39:35.296-07:00Thank God it is Monday!The past 2 weeks of my life have been....harried. Most of you would be bored with the exciting details of my 2 weeks so I'll try to give the boy version....there's no hope. Sorry guys.<br /><br />We got sick while Ryan was out of town last week. I didn't get much time to get over my illness as I was tending to the needs of the others'. Ryan came back and we had guests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I was cooking most of Friday, while people in the living room consumed much of it. On Saturday we hung out with some fun friends and went to a meeting. Saturday night we played games. Then SUNDAY happened. Wow.<br /><br />I must say that I started Sunday with about 4 hours of sleep. Then we had a wonderful doughnut breakfast. After that, we came home and relaxed a bit before I took Selah to her school to get ready for their "recital". I had been asked to drop Selah off at 12 PM and the show was going to start at 1:30 PM. In the mean time, I was going to come home, let Ryan take our friends to the ferry boat and come back to get Eden and I on the way to the show.<br /><br />However, when I arrived at the school, the teachers ask me to wait downstairs with her until 12:30. I think that I literally heard a record scratch at this point. I felt like we were in our groove for the day's schedule until this request was made. I knew I couldn't wait til 12:30. Our guests would be late and so would we! Reluctantly, I said, "okay", and walked downstairs hoping to find a mother of one of Selah's classmates whom I would ask to watch Selah for me while I left. I found mom that I had only been introduced to in the past, but it worked and off I went.<br /><br />We made it back to the school in time to find that the show will be poolside and in the sun. I forgot a hat for my bald baby Eden's head. I coat her head with sunscreen and run for the shade. The show starts only 15 minutes late and then the gymnastics group come out one. at. a. time....doing the same routine. Ironically, the song they played for every gymnastic performance for the day had about two lines. One of them was, "time goes by so slowly."<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9k9djWkm_Kiy3x9hdsvXyTVtdHrpiFGQos5AKs_KR0mJiM0GGBkdql6hAVP7XFh6FetMtSxKkof12-MFegSCU352Mhqzp1-tsKp2K6M9r-x-ACp_aoKcz7NNCu78E7RuXG2X/s1600/IMG_2249.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9k9djWkm_Kiy3x9hdsvXyTVtdHrpiFGQos5AKs_KR0mJiM0GGBkdql6hAVP7XFh6FetMtSxKkof12-MFegSCU352Mhqzp1-tsKp2K6M9r-x-ACp_aoKcz7NNCu78E7RuXG2X/s400/IMG_2249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464423927820295762" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Yes. it. did.<br /><br />Selah finally came out in her costume. She looked a little odd. Oh, of course, they did not take the white undershorts she was wearing under her skirt off and just put her white hose on top of them. What were the teachers thinking? Probably that those are the weird foreign family's version of panties. Who knows? No other kids had biking shorts on with their hose. Anyway, I tried to video the whole thing, but because Eden wanted to hold the camera too, my already bad skills were even worse. I think Ryan can't fathom how he married someone with such terrible videoing skills. She was a cute, little dancing butterfly (that needed the older butterfly to remind her of the steps to the dance).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnIuZJS3vBmrRe0olBkx1jhfdQGWX14sQD-xgs5AC7EL0BXuSzJskmmH0NbTo7htF6Id4BEuC79NHSbxcF62ZQFIjOUA3g0WuTFZOetW0qPQR4Qv2CbjaXt-JTj284bE3Klfb/s1600/IMG_2263.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnIuZJS3vBmrRe0olBkx1jhfdQGWX14sQD-xgs5AC7EL0BXuSzJskmmH0NbTo7htF6Id4BEuC79NHSbxcF62ZQFIjOUA3g0WuTFZOetW0qPQR4Qv2CbjaXt-JTj284bE3Klfb/s400/IMG_2263.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464423939674730674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7f05oIFjahw7hnZLtpU41xyuM1saGla9V-x4GcrpjFIIz_It15QtkVaDz6DZvfaqqyGWv1lP10HEcKCv_bd6qayHjmANxw6_OzX6S5zlGVfohtTmKjKMSYmWssqi-cOFlxXj/s1600/IMG_2258.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7f05oIFjahw7hnZLtpU41xyuM1saGla9V-x4GcrpjFIIz_It15QtkVaDz6DZvfaqqyGWv1lP10HEcKCv_bd6qayHjmANxw6_OzX6S5zlGVfohtTmKjKMSYmWssqi-cOFlxXj/s400/IMG_2258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464423935560452610" border="0" /></a><br /></div>I then went upstairs to look at the display of all the kids' artwork. On the wall was a poster board of pictures of all the kids in the class.<br /><br />[Background info: I had been asked over the past few weeks to bring several things to school. I didn't know what even 1 of those things was before asking my babysitter for help. It turns out that she needed a jar, a white undershirt and panty hose. At the last minute they asked me for a picture of Selah and used hand motions to show me the size they wanted. I went home and found one of Selah and Eden from Christmas. I gave it to them, explaining that they should just cut Selah's face out of the picture. ]<br /><br />So, I look up at the poster board and see that all of the other 20 kids' pictures are wallet size pics.<br /><br />Then I see it.<br /><br />Selah AND Eden's 4X6 picture in the bottom center of the poster board. They hadn't cut Eden out. Awwww...so cute, right? Wrong. Once again, we are the weird foreigners. Sometimes, we just want to be normal...blend in. This seems to be an impossibility at this point, which is normally fine.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR9JWF4xt9ls_RTa7lN4CSKJP5mW1504vVZUVUTLpvWbkYRjbbdrP5_Nq-v12GGf3itAaRtdwgyoluPDQZ5JDm55lm_ezv2dy55Pk8JPtDmq1l-JNxG46bjebJYjX1SlPagl2/s1600/IMG_2268.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR9JWF4xt9ls_RTa7lN4CSKJP5mW1504vVZUVUTLpvWbkYRjbbdrP5_Nq-v12GGf3itAaRtdwgyoluPDQZ5JDm55lm_ezv2dy55Pk8JPtDmq1l-JNxG46bjebJYjX1SlPagl2/s400/IMG_2268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464423953791867650" border="0" /></a><br /></div>I run back to downstairs to watch Selah's final performance, where she did almost nothing while she looked at her dad taking a billion pictures of her. So after Selah's last performance, time starts going. by. so. slowly. again and we realize we have to leave because our church is meeting at our house in 15 minutes! I ask if Selah is finished and the teachers say she should stay for the last song and wave flags around. I take her anyway, declining to attend the expo following the performances. The teachers smiled and said, "OK," as they looked at me like a foreigner. Grrr. I wish I didn't have to leave early.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMonC5Vd-NWrU8y-E7n9BidMhvX8dVBxnOF2MbwI2wfPp18bJzMBpX9swqDerFNwvKsDwtP-nmkydUJ_TU10h9dda75xheor7NBTFStVvbRchz3SWnANIYfo-KgsXfSIDFjTR/s1600/IMG_2276.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMonC5Vd-NWrU8y-E7n9BidMhvX8dVBxnOF2MbwI2wfPp18bJzMBpX9swqDerFNwvKsDwtP-nmkydUJ_TU10h9dda75xheor7NBTFStVvbRchz3SWnANIYfo-KgsXfSIDFjTR/s400/IMG_2276.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464423961801234002" border="0" /></a><br /></div>We get home and our church is waiting for us outside our building. We come up the elevator and my downstairs neighbor is waiting for me on the staircase. She wants me to come talk to her granddaughter. I go, unhappily, and sit for 5 minutes. In this amount of time, my language is a bit jumbled because I can only think of my house full of people, my hungry Selah (it's 3:45 PM and she hasn't had lunch) and my tired Eden. My neighbor then proceeds to tell her granddaughter that my language has gotten worse because I don't talk enough or go to class anymore. I get mad. Yes, my language has gotten worse and I don't talk enough. But, the reason it was bad in that moment (as far as I was concerned) was because she was insisting on me being in her house (she is quite persistent) while I only want to be in my own house. So, I respond with a cranky, "Actually, my language is worse because I got 4 hours of sleep last night and I don't ever sleep that much." I sit for 1 minute longer and leave.<br /><br />Deep breath.<br /><br />I come home, vent to my friend who has graciously taken on the role of house host and go nurse Eden and put her in bed. Then I realize it was my day to plan worship for church and I totally forgot. We make different plans and the evening ended with a wonderfully fancy dinner with some other ladies that wanted to treat a departing friend to a nice goodbye dinner. It was a good end to the day.<br /><br />Thank you, God, for Monday.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now, I need to go get groceries!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-66460631758390366832010-03-29T09:09:00.000-07:002010-03-29T09:54:25.493-07:00Worms!We went to the park and dug up some worms to put in our plants to help them be healthy. Selah thought they were really neat and got close until she saw them move.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yQOauqBj2e37Pf3SZS_pHPFwKHHxQ9UJdVSrWMwej1g1UsZ7QR6mFfCPMnTSwc08_ZuuyCKfS8BygJIrAetnOLYVYehUSwx_fztbPnz_ieZBgUy-1Z4Ds2pQv9H9yqXXeFF0/s1600/IMG_1937.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yQOauqBj2e37Pf3SZS_pHPFwKHHxQ9UJdVSrWMwej1g1UsZ7QR6mFfCPMnTSwc08_ZuuyCKfS8BygJIrAetnOLYVYehUSwx_fztbPnz_ieZBgUy-1Z4Ds2pQv9H9yqXXeFF0/s400/IMG_1937.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454099646902311650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmZVr83CuR30SYi7Nlri7MDrDCmreoUZuiT8W1W4di4QMihDlEx4Vweqtjk8IqvdL6ROTzMPNXtwaTf2EM2d8Ps9h2CXdMr2-lLucWYsgsJdb3vSCxdpqYEuCh_P2UFOSXdUM/s1600/IMG_1935.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmZVr83CuR30SYi7Nlri7MDrDCmreoUZuiT8W1W4di4QMihDlEx4Vweqtjk8IqvdL6ROTzMPNXtwaTf2EM2d8Ps9h2CXdMr2-lLucWYsgsJdb3vSCxdpqYEuCh_P2UFOSXdUM/s400/IMG_1935.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454099090808872322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9X9fFd3lllkG1-0tKMIj4PYevaEBDLy_5UMhLt1p-FxhRGRY0qW5uANriUKET40d3MUV6p7GDmbyj_7aDnVX0d2FC80ELN_3UPn3lxRrMeG2oesCZ2C5GvQiClkpCkcOz5GP/s1600/IMG_1932.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9X9fFd3lllkG1-0tKMIj4PYevaEBDLy_5UMhLt1p-FxhRGRY0qW5uANriUKET40d3MUV6p7GDmbyj_7aDnVX0d2FC80ELN_3UPn3lxRrMeG2oesCZ2C5GvQiClkpCkcOz5GP/s400/IMG_1932.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454089222527411506" border="0" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-55236952799029660002010-03-26T13:24:00.000-07:002010-03-26T23:28:05.360-07:00More stories on Selah...Selah and her cousin, Sara Kate, are getting to be pretty savvy Skype chatters. The other day, Sara Kate asked her mom to call to talk to Selah but she insisted that no moms could chat during the call. This is some of the silliness that ensued… <br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hYKG2K9nyKY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hYKG2K9nyKY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />The other day I had baked some cookies for dinner guests. As they were cooling on the rack, Selah reached past them to grab the banana in the fruit bowl. I felt very proud of my little girl for making a good food choice—especially since the goal of her day (everyday) is to get as much candy, chocolate or sugar as possible. I say no almost every time and almost every time she says, “Why?”Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-54328032846938690652010-03-26T13:18:00.000-07:002010-04-01T11:23:16.398-07:00Entertainment<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy2l2coIrq-jRWIcUABOJVrR9lY3lZVA09iBlyGo7nuinbw7yfsJO_mzPjDKCQeJFS3wdjqJlfsvSGXVgCMCNECdWXc92m2BxEuSu7h3XDLauFM3kPHpn8xDmbzsn5i4aGRBF/s1600/IMG_1447.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy2l2coIrq-jRWIcUABOJVrR9lY3lZVA09iBlyGo7nuinbw7yfsJO_mzPjDKCQeJFS3wdjqJlfsvSGXVgCMCNECdWXc92m2BxEuSu7h3XDLauFM3kPHpn8xDmbzsn5i4aGRBF/s400/IMG_1447.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455236239464768658" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Eden is now almost 11 months old. She is big enough to sit in the kid swings and swing next to Selah. If she is feeling extra crazy, she’ll even let Selah push her a few times! I have discovered sand in Eden’s shoes recently, so I think she is also enjoying the sandbox when she goes to the park with Zeynep Abla. Zeynep told me that Eden has also stopped eating the sand!<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkTS6tHbM3Yxkcz38TiwkXFd1mVOes-4sTT33bCOQ8JKQloALKSXwJNCTSY_8WdRisJ61GLCzKIwXfuMGOWUvD0v4uiFfJNrOUxY05imaEgT7doyj-lpRP1TY1PsqeqfZsR2h/s1600/IMG_1449.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkTS6tHbM3Yxkcz38TiwkXFd1mVOes-4sTT33bCOQ8JKQloALKSXwJNCTSY_8WdRisJ61GLCzKIwXfuMGOWUvD0v4uiFfJNrOUxY05imaEgT7doyj-lpRP1TY1PsqeqfZsR2h/s400/IMG_1449.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453040434386143026" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Selah is starting to play with Eden a lot.<span style=""> </span>She takes the time to explain the rules of whatever activity “they” will be playing and then slowly tries to teach her how to do it correctly.<span style=""> </span>Selah still gets very irritated with Eden for taking things that Selah does’t think Eden should play with, like her headbands. Eden is a pro at leaning over to hug Selah, then swiping the headband off of Selah’s head in an instant.<span style=""> </span>It doesn’t matter if a chunk of hair comes out with the headband, Selah is only upset about the headband.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuo84ubG-TxQHNJCZOyDNCzIAeI2aTQHmtkF8LCa4OqRpIHnJbRWBpcxpxGzqaA5eehnO83aCtuJMuUAnmi06aLnTaNp8LOteIeR9hKFF6bKIn21s_JOmVe0V2R0zguc8_HtmT/s1600/IMG_1453.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuo84ubG-TxQHNJCZOyDNCzIAeI2aTQHmtkF8LCa4OqRpIHnJbRWBpcxpxGzqaA5eehnO83aCtuJMuUAnmi06aLnTaNp8LOteIeR9hKFF6bKIn21s_JOmVe0V2R0zguc8_HtmT/s400/IMG_1453.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453040441347085890" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l00fJNbaeyeAQPPmA8qJH9OuHLFj6FpdFgHHQmzxKrQdnUBYxABFd_0UtP_1xBDaQ9gh__h2-gboiOXkQM93AElG0sIW1BzLzd27oRLRp238zUHHC3awvkd3Sne8CrbVDLAz/s1600/IMG_1476.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l00fJNbaeyeAQPPmA8qJH9OuHLFj6FpdFgHHQmzxKrQdnUBYxABFd_0UtP_1xBDaQ9gh__h2-gboiOXkQM93AElG0sIW1BzLzd27oRLRp238zUHHC3awvkd3Sne8CrbVDLAz/s400/IMG_1476.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453040448567547042" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-61371178500556207752010-03-26T05:32:00.000-07:002010-03-26T05:41:22.660-07:00Consistant Inconsistancy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn68doIRKn9P9Yc7IRthcwbWGW6BZWvjTIuDHQHN-jn4DafNo4HPGExFzBz3I-ksUWKTTAKxYdQNBWwnEMbD1yePgKUTbECohQQ2M_BP0Z6HrZ4F07MvEmVjBhMtSzqvvSK8D/s1600/IMG_1225.jpg"><br /></a><br />Isn't this how a lot of moms would describe their life? Their emotions?<br /><br />I try to take comfort in knowing that I am not the only mom out there that can't seem to get "it" together quite like I want to. Although, I hope I will look back on this season of life with fondness and no regrets. I'm pretty sure I won't turn 50 and wish I'd kept my house more organized instead of enjoying my time with my kids. These are the things I try to keep in perspective when I'm trying so hard to just get my house picked up, keep a consistent routine, get dinner on the table, update the blog, add photos to the baby books, make a grocery list, study language, have a quiet time, exercise, spend time making friends, teach my girls about our Savior, love my husband, spend quality time with each child and husband, get enough sleep each night, put make up on (sometimes), do my hair (even less) and....well, I think I've made my point.<br /><br />All that to say, usually 3 days don't go by that I don't think "I should update the blog" at least 1 time. Being that it has been 6 weeks, I've thought about it a lot of times. I've taken pictures with the blog in mind. But, here I am, with too many pictures and a small window of blog-updating time. So, here's hoping that I get back around to doing more tomorrow.<br /><br />We got to a butcher shop in our neighborhood to get all of our meat. When we first moved here, we bought meat at the grocery story, but I found the quality to be inconsistent and really hated it when my beef smelled of lamb meat. Ryan started going to Hakan Kasap (butcher) to make friends with the guys, but started asking why the prices were higher than the grocery store. Up until that point, I didn’t want to go to the Kasap because it was more expensive. Bulent (the employee that does all the cutting when we specify our request) told us that his meat was fresher and tasted better. We found that we agreed with Bulent and have been faithful customers ever since. As a bonus, they even deliver!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItcmQWrsnahQgHe6O4HRfZSCvzK2DWtDT5Ca-5H6IMHmttZyb_x9RJjmI8rUYwcJ9qOd4Qt07NxNNPNStHnFs4sIM9cE8wN1PoSYvt6jAKFtIrR_I4uQEZFs3_sfHjY6rq4kX/s1600/IMG_1195.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItcmQWrsnahQgHe6O4HRfZSCvzK2DWtDT5Ca-5H6IMHmttZyb_x9RJjmI8rUYwcJ9qOd4Qt07NxNNPNStHnFs4sIM9cE8wN1PoSYvt6jAKFtIrR_I4uQEZFs3_sfHjY6rq4kX/s400/IMG_1195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452920566960162002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn68doIRKn9P9Yc7IRthcwbWGW6BZWvjTIuDHQHN-jn4DafNo4HPGExFzBz3I-ksUWKTTAKxYdQNBWwnEMbD1yePgKUTbECohQQ2M_BP0Z6HrZ4F07MvEmVjBhMtSzqvvSK8D/s1600/IMG_1225.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn68doIRKn9P9Yc7IRthcwbWGW6BZWvjTIuDHQHN-jn4DafNo4HPGExFzBz3I-ksUWKTTAKxYdQNBWwnEMbD1yePgKUTbECohQQ2M_BP0Z6HrZ4F07MvEmVjBhMtSzqvvSK8D/s400/IMG_1225.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452920589174742018" border="0" /></a>Hakan on the left and Bulent on the right<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHL7zXbF_6HfM7xp1iixv1CqjIAe3WFMuS6NjGRjpEK9fFRdR4oRvtuXAIys4E7V74ZGi0RTe65_rdgF88_yqZsdIEVkH_PQiaJZ0JnkQODott_MWb8ZnCN_PifTYD8G1K-cWm/s1600/IMG_1206.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHL7zXbF_6HfM7xp1iixv1CqjIAe3WFMuS6NjGRjpEK9fFRdR4oRvtuXAIys4E7V74ZGi0RTe65_rdgF88_yqZsdIEVkH_PQiaJZ0JnkQODott_MWb8ZnCN_PifTYD8G1K-cWm/s400/IMG_1206.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452920573938126130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLf7nWcJBnPd2Dwe3RkX01OXxF2dJwci5dglYrJcIWUqJljRFU7cH7UmIgvSroLuOBmBTjMcMqnDLJxDsV5RUfP5SjdRgCkEU9Xa9fSMg0rhyG2joGr7oxt__ZWm7TUrCfQJlh/s1600/IMG_1201.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLf7nWcJBnPd2Dwe3RkX01OXxF2dJwci5dglYrJcIWUqJljRFU7cH7UmIgvSroLuOBmBTjMcMqnDLJxDsV5RUfP5SjdRgCkEU9Xa9fSMg0rhyG2joGr7oxt__ZWm7TUrCfQJlh/s400/IMG_1201.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452920570411374018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItcmQWrsnahQgHe6O4HRfZSCvzK2DWtDT5Ca-5H6IMHmttZyb_x9RJjmI8rUYwcJ9qOd4Qt07NxNNPNStHnFs4sIM9cE8wN1PoSYvt6jAKFtIrR_I4uQEZFs3_sfHjY6rq4kX/s1600/IMG_1195.jpg"><br /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-31218341605312777822010-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:002010-02-18T14:07:53.857-08:00Videos<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PZoZxS5WMeA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PZoZxS5WMeA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />If you're interested in the types of videos that grandparents would enjoy, click the link on the right of our blog that says, "My Videos."<br /><br />Disclaimer: They are anticlimactical and my voice gets a little high-pitched once or twice.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-49332830728287316512010-02-12T04:29:00.000-08:002010-02-18T11:48:05.804-08:00VacationBefore I forget, I wanted to post pics of Selah after being painted. I wrote about it in the last update.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNvzSJVBDDVLIziVrz-1KEj4dC5jhzqea4RHBmUwfcSGqkmL2IkRzzDT72tH8A5kjgTcSl4m-s-8dxK1qnRy-0nVGgi0snJG1bvfw0VCn1Y_th_UzQ0A9zT4oYlEJIRgR3cfx/s1600-h/IMG_0679.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNvzSJVBDDVLIziVrz-1KEj4dC5jhzqea4RHBmUwfcSGqkmL2IkRzzDT72tH8A5kjgTcSl4m-s-8dxK1qnRy-0nVGgi0snJG1bvfw0VCn1Y_th_UzQ0A9zT4oYlEJIRgR3cfx/s400/IMG_0679.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664260225411122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiY6t6phdh9_CAMidTSW40fOS1AF8hGNKcHXh52aNKs1w66DaECDiG_EbTLRDL8cBtubz1I6p7Ep8XNWAoZsWNGPrFHysxZf84dCpTRdSVQmEmFpwyrdO8pQwFSgpJNFoYk-W/s1600-h/IMG_0677.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiY6t6phdh9_CAMidTSW40fOS1AF8hGNKcHXh52aNKs1w66DaECDiG_EbTLRDL8cBtubz1I6p7Ep8XNWAoZsWNGPrFHysxZf84dCpTRdSVQmEmFpwyrdO8pQwFSgpJNFoYk-W/s400/IMG_0677.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664250199346370" border="0" /></a><br />Since I last wrote, we went to Indonesia to see Jamie & Eric. I have known Jamie since middle school. It was really fun to get to see their home, meet their friends, eat Indonesian food and go to a cool resort. We spent one week at Jamie and Eric's house, hanging out. Jamie's son got sick a day or so after we arrived, which meant that Selah got sick. Subsequently, Eden and I got sick.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl2_thBH1UN5UAOLJoT-H1La5SjgJzISjhG_j4bImAriYJRSb0cx7xkogiSUuyPyUnptJmEDt4jpU4LUpf6MEiKO5rogbfWdV45eQYLATc2Pqx_3bHMR4BsKxr3LF48VoEFts/s1600-h/IMG_0726.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl2_thBH1UN5UAOLJoT-H1La5SjgJzISjhG_j4bImAriYJRSb0cx7xkogiSUuyPyUnptJmEDt4jpU4LUpf6MEiKO5rogbfWdV45eQYLATc2Pqx_3bHMR4BsKxr3LF48VoEFts/s400/IMG_0726.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664627473215314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero traveled from Istanbul to Indo </span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVGk5ANC8M4SBZEgbwl2Qo1WISJwWQPLRV6DF9TSdySwiAulDyZegbJCuUkhM4-HwJ1EJKj-thy7THNDnLskIQAVs_AtLfTPJea42a_x6wpEB3oGp3bQZfgc8NKsH0OCpLlZU/s1600-h/IMG_0716.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVGk5ANC8M4SBZEgbwl2Qo1WISJwWQPLRV6DF9TSdySwiAulDyZegbJCuUkhM4-HwJ1EJKj-thy7THNDnLskIQAVs_AtLfTPJea42a_x6wpEB3oGp3bQZfgc8NKsH0OCpLlZU/s400/IMG_0716.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664269553073026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaajztkRqTq3CLNq6ZCMLK4CZ3O-1S4_2cK3hXbVHtGlpzom_-sCoyetELNy6YjtIRPBFB94VyznnGq3O8WavxcvoRm9ZpA_diuQz_LWmXZGJ4VSHdFacfbkCrlri4ybig4BOK/s1600-h/IMG_0712.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaajztkRqTq3CLNq6ZCMLK4CZ3O-1S4_2cK3hXbVHtGlpzom_-sCoyetELNy6YjtIRPBFB94VyznnGq3O8WavxcvoRm9ZpA_diuQz_LWmXZGJ4VSHdFacfbkCrlri4ybig4BOK/s400/IMG_0712.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664267972118754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Selah and Hannah entertain the passers-by</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozdqotjyN0WW6PDj3eZq4aX172xgXHZ3O3j1_yYCDbcQdRh8jx6bx1ssKzG-24B32PetgGDxcDjrWUyNOPMRQ1qDJZiX1puCQKvhAir62-kTAo6-9oGbUaF5gr3vOPI5AheUm/s1600-h/IMG_0707.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozdqotjyN0WW6PDj3eZq4aX172xgXHZ3O3j1_yYCDbcQdRh8jx6bx1ssKzG-24B32PetgGDxcDjrWUyNOPMRQ1qDJZiX1puCQKvhAir62-kTAo6-9oGbUaF5gr3vOPI5AheUm/s400/IMG_0707.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664261149738162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The family vehicle of Asia</span></span><br /><br /></div>During that first week, we went to an engagement party, for an Indonesian couple, ate a lot of food (including and amazing Thanksgiving dinner), and went to a really cool water park. Eden enjoyed the water more than Selah did. Selah was a little gun-shy to do anything after standing in the wrong place, at the wrong time and getting a huge bucket of water dumped on her head. Then, she and daddy went down a small water slide that didn't seem too scary from observation, but absolutely was. Selah didn't even want to ride in a tube in the lazy river after that. This was my first experience at a water park with Ryan. We both had momentary flashbacks to high school fun at the water park. We went down 2 slides, 2 times--in a double tube. It was a lot of fun. That's all we got to do this time. Maybe next time, if we can still climb the stairs, we'll get to slide a lot more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JGFaUupH6MHKa3bLNRoIUiSbqVkdVdDahilHRfipFq1KgR-RZZF28SiRFIW1mTxJq3js5UFd-WI-1Q9QRdFpxZzPZ86s50ZDh0gzgCWyPPNQDlfrYDkX95GcIx2mu0VMNJ4U/s1600-h/IMG_0764.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JGFaUupH6MHKa3bLNRoIUiSbqVkdVdDahilHRfipFq1KgR-RZZF28SiRFIW1mTxJq3js5UFd-WI-1Q9QRdFpxZzPZ86s50ZDh0gzgCWyPPNQDlfrYDkX95GcIx2mu0VMNJ4U/s400/IMG_0764.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664638263717714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Th</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">eir oldest, Callie (8, I think)</span></span><br /><br /></div>After being at their house for a while, we flew to a nearby island, really close to Singapore, and stayed at a resort for 4 nights. The idea was to be close to a beach, have a swimming pool and other activities. But, Selah was sick the first day. The second day we got sunburned b/c we didn't think about how much more quickly we could burn being that we were practically on the equator. The third day Eden was sick, but I went to the mall anyway. The kids played outside in the afternoon and we traded off kid duty after bedtime.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfjBtk8-lfhrrcpCr5MWeck5FrvzZv9gjMljNir0GBqJ_lHpf7NaKvKqwHQEy9AaEIOBA_XXGRndiAD61Ia909MRhNZ5ZQ60ukb8TjUQ6J0HQUJ1fYWmNlRsu2GVIYi9GmI6y/s1600-h/IMG_0931.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfjBtk8-lfhrrcpCr5MWeck5FrvzZv9gjMljNir0GBqJ_lHpf7NaKvKqwHQEy9AaEIOBA_XXGRndiAD61Ia909MRhNZ5ZQ60ukb8TjUQ6J0HQUJ1fYWmNlRsu2GVIYi9GmI6y/s400/IMG_0931.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439666758927280098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Selah flies</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7L5Mpf3QACymEdCo29-Gau2eQqJxWR12mIq_xIdEkL75XQVBbOI8LXEDmmZuDtwN2Hi0WJhrkaw71gFzgk06M3pQDlOVMkuDv1YN9R9gYVgqZKh3SPmYVJTyVRgzjaN4HgG1/s1600-h/IMG_0892.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7L5Mpf3QACymEdCo29-Gau2eQqJxWR12mIq_xIdEkL75XQVBbOI8LXEDmmZuDtwN2Hi0WJhrkaw71gFzgk06M3pQDlOVMkuDv1YN9R9gYVgqZKh3SPmYVJTyVRgzjaN4HgG1/s400/IMG_0892.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439666754449733602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Eden and I spent about 10 minutes at the beach, but she still found an opportunity to eat the sand.</span><br /><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-JDX12MEpjnCA_36vZVkYmNOeGs4vWE1JR_6xxpqFx6GOpy_TNC1rsie9oafGSretJpn3fub-raZECyWsw2yo3alyN-l7eaOGEoQYsK3zh02yHdK7LiW05ZEzmA1rDhr6smi/s1600-h/IMG_0868.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-JDX12MEpjnCA_36vZVkYmNOeGs4vWE1JR_6xxpqFx6GOpy_TNC1rsie9oafGSretJpn3fub-raZECyWsw2yo3alyN-l7eaOGEoQYsK3zh02yHdK7LiW05ZEzmA1rDhr6smi/s400/IMG_0868.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439665228676586386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone having a good time</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-HD6hfFKIOEclBtPiQaJC1_4vr3lWwkiViKLE-8C-OG41LlOn3SAHmstTFtaGBSbwDKmWT-uUeY92kIULOhQ5VXzJGauzUMfTCajEeRNPEAXIbrdrJLvO6KOg5xnKHVWEA0S/s1600-h/IMG_0858.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-HD6hfFKIOEclBtPiQaJC1_4vr3lWwkiViKLE-8C-OG41LlOn3SAHmstTFtaGBSbwDKmWT-uUeY92kIULOhQ5VXzJGauzUMfTCajEeRNPEAXIbrdrJLvO6KOg5xnKHVWEA0S/s400/IMG_0858.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439665220186587026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jamie found the way to Selah's heart--suckers.</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk9LqtC_dp-EtVcIiW2_OiG_5S1p0ypeDWIhWFxiQBSbkPWxmukhyphenhypheng1tMOUZKUm2gvl7D1VD9MIhnnJyqhCg1-lAISEBU-UYFAK0o1Lc8yThP1Mn-aKhQYbN8TgVxhxKKJQrJ/s1600-h/IMG_0824.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk9LqtC_dp-EtVcIiW2_OiG_5S1p0ypeDWIhWFxiQBSbkPWxmukhyphenhypheng1tMOUZKUm2gvl7D1VD9MIhnnJyqhCg1-lAISEBU-UYFAK0o1Lc8yThP1Mn-aKhQYbN8TgVxhxKKJQrJ/s400/IMG_0824.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439665214898943090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Their youngest--Hannah (3 1/2)</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0MajdX-wCNYVKR8vSV_44YKIBZ01u7h4Ko552Fsp_srK294gCPe4c8wQIe5XkS5P5Cx5VtLCFz2oFGiJ_XKbIi93DTQQ2V3qlHAqSoEm2eWt6vAlFCh4KzDd-RfU5Okx2cR8/s1600-h/IMG_0818.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0MajdX-wCNYVKR8vSV_44YKIBZ01u7h4Ko552Fsp_srK294gCPe4c8wQIe5XkS5P5Cx5VtLCFz2oFGiJ_XKbIi93DTQQ2V3qlHAqSoEm2eWt6vAlFCh4KzDd-RfU5Okx2cR8/s400/IMG_0818.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439665213435264770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Selah and their middle child--Creed (5)</span></span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNFA8FmyF-YT819OO5ILK4I7IDdMoku-YBrDglrldIACAnGkVWRVpJbtIRZ-AJa6Wgq3UT2h39m9JJKT9KrOFHP4Ay0E_hiCj5OgiMbw5N7qJ2e-QxiSVMWBKECkSNAt2N1Uv/s1600-h/IMG_0812.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNFA8FmyF-YT819OO5ILK4I7IDdMoku-YBrDglrldIACAnGkVWRVpJbtIRZ-AJa6Wgq3UT2h39m9JJKT9KrOFHP4Ay0E_hiCj5OgiMbw5N7qJ2e-QxiSVMWBKECkSNAt2N1Uv/s400/IMG_0812.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439665209201831282" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT1rT35b4Bx9CW1PGSf15sD_KF7fJrB3SKgPRIeWjL9M7jgrGwoPIiSYHD5XW2r_OXQyU4AebwfpFFAp_WWo8-2fJoNM59R6xZmaic2K25L_p1x2nsvnmNfeaRyshFwACSfDS/s1600-h/IMG_0806.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT1rT35b4Bx9CW1PGSf15sD_KF7fJrB3SKgPRIeWjL9M7jgrGwoPIiSYHD5XW2r_OXQyU4AebwfpFFAp_WWo8-2fJoNM59R6xZmaic2K25L_p1x2nsvnmNfeaRyshFwACSfDS/s400/IMG_0806.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664655222980626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Our awesome hotel room...<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZWrJPQZu779k-LIBFq3Gxr7CiDlshi97FQdgaUbj7JRxyTS2Rz6YIRbda8NN03im3nZQF6ayovh4YD14_rOk16DMdNjuC2UTUTJ5HEK9ARdJwWpsD0EzRnQ_6wLIqKq2ImZ8/s1600-h/IMG_0804.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZWrJPQZu779k-LIBFq3Gxr7CiDlshi97FQdgaUbj7JRxyTS2Rz6YIRbda8NN03im3nZQF6ayovh4YD14_rOk16DMdNjuC2UTUTJ5HEK9ARdJwWpsD0EzRnQ_6wLIqKq2ImZ8/s400/IMG_0804.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439664639197497474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">With a window in the bathroom.<br /><br /></span></span></div>From there, we took a 1 hour ferry to Singapore and stayed for 2 nights. I really liked Singapore. The landscaping was incredible. Driving down the highway just felt like a smooth ride down a nice street with no lights in the suburbs. We used frequent flyer miles to stay at the Hilton on Orchard Road. Orchard Rd. is a shopping Mecca. Mall after mall with lots of bling--inside and out. We enjoyed some barbecue at Hard Rock Cafe on the first night and California Pizza Kitchen on the second night. We also bought Selah a cute Chinese dress and spent lots of time in the pool, which is on top of the hotel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbxMXlqEaSxKDQ7_POyb-wLFA6bI6lgQvsWy-QsR8hpMcbs9fuBykAD5o7-JMWFw9i4-juEZ091DqMmQ_-lpA5PqyDI0H_9t5HdUbNChREIL3B72aDeSpUZU1CjBkTK4uZ7N0/s1600-h/IMG_0957.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbxMXlqEaSxKDQ7_POyb-wLFA6bI6lgQvsWy-QsR8hpMcbs9fuBykAD5o7-JMWFw9i4-juEZ091DqMmQ_-lpA5PqyDI0H_9t5HdUbNChREIL3B72aDeSpUZU1CjBkTK4uZ7N0/s400/IMG_0957.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439666761263730322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzMoE7xFZmve5daGJJK7ROMJ1CKu9S5FYUdqeH0sRLDC0Pv2MkpQBz-7gLG1BG6Jv5poCRecIw-AdzP53kmDMa71VMUx_Te0ePCQtrzhLjtsHLrmznZBrahI5nFDIL8n2TXiO/s1600-h/IMG_1026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzMoE7xFZmve5daGJJK7ROMJ1CKu9S5FYUdqeH0sRLDC0Pv2MkpQBz-7gLG1BG6Jv5poCRecIw-AdzP53kmDMa71VMUx_Te0ePCQtrzhLjtsHLrmznZBrahI5nFDIL8n2TXiO/s400/IMG_1026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667139057106658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During the first day we went to the huge botanical gardens and let Selah play in the water at the children's area for a while.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iZi9sfqfH6gK3lT-Jufq2K4vw0Czoiu2tE4aA_n7RV3SRrMbWpKFAj_Wmh5cAH04BqpR45VIsM3K4pi3Y0qoA8NvpIT6M5_vKK3hPT7WdFMIRqy2jcCOqSZM2Z1X1hYDOx8v/s1600-h/IMG_1007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iZi9sfqfH6gK3lT-Jufq2K4vw0Czoiu2tE4aA_n7RV3SRrMbWpKFAj_Wmh5cAH04BqpR45VIsM3K4pi3Y0qoA8NvpIT6M5_vKK3hPT7WdFMIRqy2jcCOqSZM2Z1X1hYDOx8v/s400/IMG_1007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667134314382946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyv9vJwMePyyya5i3TtybtNoY6uNTbaH_6Gwpi3fXTJXQFrFmCWoWS2NzWGBkcKbYmTH0zB8tKwUXUxxdYRXbgujEBAOMX4I0HW-v0CisdMzUST2Xi3yd_n2v4K-35i7bfGT80/s1600-h/IMG_0997.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyv9vJwMePyyya5i3TtybtNoY6uNTbaH_6Gwpi3fXTJXQFrFmCWoWS2NzWGBkcKbYmTH0zB8tKwUXUxxdYRXbgujEBAOMX4I0HW-v0CisdMzUST2Xi3yd_n2v4K-35i7bfGT80/s400/IMG_0997.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439666769006504258" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblDMlGYK5okJmUxgCjG5iHpsiF20O5ag1tpUJNaHaDNSQomxHTQHy-EoVUr1y3RGTNfCkvRoNeF2w5iSuvh9iYOqsJxMzyj01QIqCZxP_-35JmV7PxbTbXhif-xMkZpzPr4Zp/s1600-h/IMG_0986.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblDMlGYK5okJmUxgCjG5iHpsiF20O5ag1tpUJNaHaDNSQomxHTQHy-EoVUr1y3RGTNfCkvRoNeF2w5iSuvh9iYOqsJxMzyj01QIqCZxP_-35JmV7PxbTbXhif-xMkZpzPr4Zp/s400/IMG_0986.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439666760318192626" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">wondering through the banana trees</span></span></a><br /></div><br />On the second day we went to the A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Singapore Zoo. The animal habitats were second to none that I have ever seen. We got relatively close views of some hippos, rhinos, monkeys, and polar bears. It was a fun day, that wore us all out. If only we'd know that there is a kid's water playground at the zoo, we would have brought a swimsuit so that Selah could play.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7miHIi6E3hqaGqv0g9LaQUe22QLgDmJQKP08JIH2P6sLSSJIHGzvX39wi9UelSBeG67k6SF8aSKCKAsPUmJ4zmRzVzBH5hbt3wUasDE-WYAeI6DT_jspnTeybE1ywYqtZ5y4/s1600-h/IMG_1085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7miHIi6E3hqaGqv0g9LaQUe22QLgDmJQKP08JIH2P6sLSSJIHGzvX39wi9UelSBeG67k6SF8aSKCKAsPUmJ4zmRzVzBH5hbt3wUasDE-WYAeI6DT_jspnTeybE1ywYqtZ5y4/s400/IMG_1085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667150697387970" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDWe9EqvYyj5WEVfe8KfuR69zEoQwuQ6VBt6FE3bATtOtfreARrRqHyVE6mydWG1ADBfl6i5KszXizgPjXDMxopiNcToYJ3rLuXouIlxxR5zGUDnGitxE_yih1xk57v6NW_lK/s1600-h/IMG_1051.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDWe9EqvYyj5WEVfe8KfuR69zEoQwuQ6VBt6FE3bATtOtfreARrRqHyVE6mydWG1ADBfl6i5KszXizgPjXDMxopiNcToYJ3rLuXouIlxxR5zGUDnGitxE_yih1xk57v6NW_lK/s400/IMG_1051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667140614443202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Look closely, there's a kangaroo behind them!</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju92dmtQ0qSmixuCuueGZH59rJBzIZmRk6Z2Z0XuqfKU8BKzTJyLwE7E4ZWjkBDGkZmcyKk4rOMMbIhjj0PBJGeleMuIWZroBjzrfezMQzAYJPOWje3LKTPnk39x0rd4BaKZpl/s1600-h/IMG_1168.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju92dmtQ0qSmixuCuueGZH59rJBzIZmRk6Z2Z0XuqfKU8BKzTJyLwE7E4ZWjkBDGkZmcyKk4rOMMbIhjj0PBJGeleMuIWZroBjzrfezMQzAYJPOWje3LKTPnk39x0rd4BaKZpl/s400/IMG_1168.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667409929490178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Eden charms everyone with her smile</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">. This is Ryan's friend holding her.</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4t0JTFoqd2ga5jKDTHIDkZA3ItdF7cLBDs-ney4f4QqlxCI_XXVC-KgGI9xHahL6F9iISF6BQ-inq9FhLdssvjVIjRQg73MCQhSrqJCBh3aWD3qYOiBZ1WiIMrJfmlbZ0XmM/s1600-h/IMG_1093.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4t0JTFoqd2ga5jKDTHIDkZA3ItdF7cLBDs-ney4f4QqlxCI_XXVC-KgGI9xHahL6F9iISF6BQ-inq9FhLdssvjVIjRQg73MCQhSrqJCBh3aWD3qYOiBZ1WiIMrJfmlbZ0XmM/s400/IMG_1093.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667153075022706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Selah's first snowman. We've had lots of snow this year, too! But not as much as the crazy U.S.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e8JuhOxpue_e1Ie17Xdfudn-IQ3nL6SrzQkWC7tKY9uLeN_W8ozhF8S6Vy3CninWMv3WzBtyvBsmlFHFdLK7a6kJHX6x1JBlFLLHBmdZSlGjQTxrf5n6FEo45B0fXAt1rq8I/s1600-h/IMG_1157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e8JuhOxpue_e1Ie17Xdfudn-IQ3nL6SrzQkWC7tKY9uLeN_W8ozhF8S6Vy3CninWMv3WzBtyvBsmlFHFdLK7a6kJHX6x1JBlFLLHBmdZSlGjQTxrf5n6FEo45B0fXAt1rq8I/s400/IMG_1157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667408505746082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Our friends that have kids about the same age. Nate is on the left and Peter is on the right. One of their parents was fortunate enough to attend A&M the same time we did. The other (mom) had to go to t.u. ssssssssssss!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFRFLjNLKMc_NrORSIigdKtPexdh-iyJkxkUfitBqC7pV4GO95vIw3qLm1WWv7ago0xk53oO59FeTYKIt7XuE-rM8NLEJNvWcUr_pjHxCL1UPs-mW30QtbxBR9RqESFeNSKAH/s1600-h/IMG_1138.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFRFLjNLKMc_NrORSIigdKtPexdh-iyJkxkUfitBqC7pV4GO95vIw3qLm1WWv7ago0xk53oO59FeTYKIt7XuE-rM8NLEJNvWcUr_pjHxCL1UPs-mW30QtbxBR9RqESFeNSKAH/s400/IMG_1138.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667402919476994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I just can't get over this picture. She looks so grown up. All of her warm pants were dirty on this day, so she decided her flannel pajama pants would do the trick.</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCZ1Y8YE5JWrnXjuKrLXtWY0978N64ssznz0nXqlX3kvIvadauK0Ga_In-322Ph26itPJMstXFWdG09npjxxiN_-1EqmmSur9ZgQn9EYYLI6p3gbJ3U9A7-YUE7Unf5CyDszJ/s1600-h/IMG_1136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCZ1Y8YE5JWrnXjuKrLXtWY0978N64ssznz0nXqlX3kvIvadauK0Ga_In-322Ph26itPJMstXFWdG09npjxxiN_-1EqmmSur9ZgQn9EYYLI6p3gbJ3U9A7-YUE7Unf5CyDszJ/s400/IMG_1136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439667396563695794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The smile that melts our hearts.</span></span><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-5799294104001179302010-01-17T13:15:00.000-08:002010-01-17T14:06:59.969-08:00Since Christmas<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0SK_Jh2_l6UvBnpUjKaoUxdXtCyUZbqxjibRZGtysjXWmK34t0cd17PMNPUcA4nyPF6odzL1TGgjaQo68ns27Ni2n8AbEysaJU_xSH26Ld6cKV89cB2NLhH6B4kRBqC9i9dB/s1600-h/IMG_0636.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0SK_Jh2_l6UvBnpUjKaoUxdXtCyUZbqxjibRZGtysjXWmK34t0cd17PMNPUcA4nyPF6odzL1TGgjaQo68ns27Ni2n8AbEysaJU_xSH26Ld6cKV89cB2NLhH6B4kRBqC9i9dB/s400/IMG_0636.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830664329124594" border="0" /></a> all I can think is Victoria Beckham.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSBYRLtwEoqMFxd-RN5Lcju8R0mHCERpcrl-SO9S4iqH53cm1WbArDEgpxMwe_5LKXrMFu7LAEbdwQKqOCObAKNJcnFqfDclfU4Dlp1ZMWTkB8CpsASIBd3Pki13oH1UN95S_/s1600-h/IMG_0510.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSBYRLtwEoqMFxd-RN5Lcju8R0mHCERpcrl-SO9S4iqH53cm1WbArDEgpxMwe_5LKXrMFu7LAEbdwQKqOCObAKNJcnFqfDclfU4Dlp1ZMWTkB8CpsASIBd3Pki13oH1UN95S_/s400/IMG_0510.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830392192081938" border="0" /></a>Eden loves the mirrors in our room<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdagiVKnXoMKQn4Sgr3hSgYut9Ex5migp3JOD1I9FIe597t7BIIyKIa4wRQrqABk9bfA5SBoihrxgBb7DFnEAi4Sw4582_Cgg7Uw9PWuqyeWStKqE59KOpiuPzJbpcqZlGPggc/s1600-h/IMG_0484.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdagiVKnXoMKQn4Sgr3hSgYut9Ex5migp3JOD1I9FIe597t7BIIyKIa4wRQrqABk9bfA5SBoihrxgBb7DFnEAi4Sw4582_Cgg7Uw9PWuqyeWStKqE59KOpiuPzJbpcqZlGPggc/s400/IMG_0484.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830387788827906" border="0" /></a>Princesses!?!<br /><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>275</o:Words> <o:characters>1569</o:Characters> <o:lines>13</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1926</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: arial;">Before Christmas I hosted a cookie exchange with some friends.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I made peppermint-flavored cookies in the shape of candy canes.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Since there was a competition for presentation as well as taste, I decided to make a Candy Cane forest—from the movie, Elf.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I was pretty excited about this idea as I find myself creatively challenged at times.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I baked a chocolate cake, covered it in white icing and stuck the candy canes in the cake.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I also made some tree-shaped cookies to mix in with the candy canes.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I sprinkled white sugar on top of the cake to give the effect of sparkling snow.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">It was fun.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn’t win because I hosted, but was definitely proud of my presentation! </span><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0pMQId11GgOxmTmKuzK757ci26l-izOxsf6uttRHVYEPRD4JEdqpaEnpBeWJCk01EEynZwWJEuyd7ST47tPBq_J630yfTNyVTQkEgueXngjAbwuse2oHjv7h-BPBw7MWB24m/s1600-h/IMG_5503.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0pMQId11GgOxmTmKuzK757ci26l-izOxsf6uttRHVYEPRD4JEdqpaEnpBeWJCk01EEynZwWJEuyd7ST47tPBq_J630yfTNyVTQkEgueXngjAbwuse2oHjv7h-BPBw7MWB24m/s400/IMG_5503.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427832695924369858" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">We celebrated Christmas at our house with some good friends, Justin, Laurel, Hannah and Asher.<span style=""> </span>We enjoyed sour cream chicken enchiladas instead of the traditional meal…and the left over chocolate cake from the cookie party.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVcJZAJST446x2VzM45cm4HjyQ-hByYsK2mpGsIHLxlrmHkQ0iBEhc3Pa-E-CPiC-HoN_2m8hgRxsZvbQHOFurm-9-VUh6Hn1mCtEj34zPyxF6ybHBSG9id8VIATlybq2pArV/s1600-h/IMG_5518.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVcJZAJST446x2VzM45cm4HjyQ-hByYsK2mpGsIHLxlrmHkQ0iBEhc3Pa-E-CPiC-HoN_2m8hgRxsZvbQHOFurm-9-VUh6Hn1mCtEj34zPyxF6ybHBSG9id8VIATlybq2pArV/s400/IMG_5518.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830679801483058" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Grammy watching over skype.</p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tc8_F8xZPs0fBKg9hCA-7lviemNk_zCinuQNlDuk8WdsFl-CtS6mSBgL5131lXlAPyOE52YtoYJG6gg_0nWS2uE2gm93hNbowmmEOV6ksYpMNwYTEX9SyPaTw8oDrbs1Wlgh/s1600-h/IMG_5529.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tc8_F8xZPs0fBKg9hCA-7lviemNk_zCinuQNlDuk8WdsFl-CtS6mSBgL5131lXlAPyOE52YtoYJG6gg_0nWS2uE2gm93hNbowmmEOV6ksYpMNwYTEX9SyPaTw8oDrbs1Wlgh/s400/IMG_5529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830684385945250" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Thanks to our parents for helping us out with our Christmas present to ourselves, we bought a new SLR camera.<span style=""> </span>We’re pretty excited about learning how to use it correctly.<span style=""> </span>I definitely see a photography class in my future…just so I don’t have a nice camera that I don’t know how to use.</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQXjH9Zp0RieQHO0QHtDYIWbcZSW0HCmpPLjagRNusErJHM8NRgSqjEU9xPlqrqALCYv8k4w70RBUd0LsBIbnNmxuA0gWXwbWcGSBd1n-ZB1Txd29e_DLWnNMwkxwdyovwF73/s1600-h/IMG_0641.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQXjH9Zp0RieQHO0QHtDYIWbcZSW0HCmpPLjagRNusErJHM8NRgSqjEU9xPlqrqALCYv8k4w70RBUd0LsBIbnNmxuA0gWXwbWcGSBd1n-ZB1Txd29e_DLWnNMwkxwdyovwF73/s400/IMG_0641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830672432494738" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Got lucky on this one</p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Ryan’s sister, Rebecca, and her family came to visit just after Christmas.<span style=""> </span>We had a great time visiting with Dave and Becca and playing with their girls, who are the same age (give or take 2 months) as our girls.<span style=""> </span>We were surprised that Selah and Sara Kate were several handfuls of frustration, as they fought so much. Dave often commented that they had a love-hate relationship during the visit.<span style=""> </span>Elisabeth was a joy to be around.<span style=""> </span>She is so beautiful and is always in good spirits, beaming an amazing smile.<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ckr64Vs9HgplNNJFdAz3Cvskrz57VUTG03hMo0-FOGV5TN6-FmipT8pX2-qf2j83JVsCFK1mZm_JUDcxJPMtHduEf2oWRNvOLTR58N_PbSJ5NOaS-gE9bldoCTJOnypIwNFk/s1600-h/IMG_0471.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ckr64Vs9HgplNNJFdAz3Cvskrz57VUTG03hMo0-FOGV5TN6-FmipT8pX2-qf2j83JVsCFK1mZm_JUDcxJPMtHduEf2oWRNvOLTR58N_PbSJ5NOaS-gE9bldoCTJOnypIwNFk/s400/IMG_0471.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830383012947346" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Eden(left), Elisabeth(right)</p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsks7PjecxuOuyQWqn_qmux8msh3xBsRMvrVNeVxUI5dnZmezX37lCv9xvDS1ck0qdOINJN-afgQNeeh5W3sgn1YCNddaGlXwlXfs4o7AE2V19CTANZTIUp_023uaTtLjPEYG/s1600-h/IMG_0441.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsks7PjecxuOuyQWqn_qmux8msh3xBsRMvrVNeVxUI5dnZmezX37lCv9xvDS1ck0qdOINJN-afgQNeeh5W3sgn1YCNddaGlXwlXfs4o7AE2V19CTANZTIUp_023uaTtLjPEYG/s400/IMG_0441.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427829946800703554" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Love...<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF025BSEaAsnl9jrri8uml-Cma8kOBQN5EUcHdycnziBGbxRmvsLSKMkvxScDpZa4QNMDJ9YTjqF_z6XPcG60w8Myr3gUznbL_wwzuKjSs2r4cmV68EQwyMRlaf5HfHsBgDp-p/s1600-h/IMG_0443.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF025BSEaAsnl9jrri8uml-Cma8kOBQN5EUcHdycnziBGbxRmvsLSKMkvxScDpZa4QNMDJ9YTjqF_z6XPcG60w8Myr3gUznbL_wwzuKjSs2r4cmV68EQwyMRlaf5HfHsBgDp-p/s400/IMG_0443.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427830374054498210" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Hate.</p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJjdXOIA4qlsgY-0JNCX9vvj1rtVpbJAKhF-VYET2Kaf8_sF6bwLVPPkbV-lZNxb_wzBu0AQRKrLx6H7e8-ZerE6F7XrrUQITXMGixFkMCZ7qQto750RifAaCVh8XxnfcWx0W/s1600-h/IMG_0429.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJjdXOIA4qlsgY-0JNCX9vvj1rtVpbJAKhF-VYET2Kaf8_sF6bwLVPPkbV-lZNxb_wzBu0AQRKrLx6H7e8-ZerE6F7XrrUQITXMGixFkMCZ7qQto750RifAaCVh8XxnfcWx0W/s400/IMG_0429.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427829942363629170" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQrFcafaC9vUN9wBT0kQlTQITlVwCpPgrtYjhZgDF6ZHqQL7Pd0usntUPZrLHsKjm1qeFyfMzMHEaXd_Zs57U678xeuRT8IEPRcQfVBARHQdEXJ6jfynTHV7QsFr6Mjm-nWW9/s1600-h/IMG_0344.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQrFcafaC9vUN9wBT0kQlTQITlVwCpPgrtYjhZgDF6ZHqQL7Pd0usntUPZrLHsKjm1qeFyfMzMHEaXd_Zs57U678xeuRT8IEPRcQfVBARHQdEXJ6jfynTHV7QsFr6Mjm-nWW9/s400/IMG_0344.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427829938256338482" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;">Family Cay<br /></div><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjEBeBeh16xFW1PQoVmt0EhMdQdzrF36FkFIx1P-ogSri8d0Aa-CDqI1lfFQxCbaGaTMGYkZW5RvA-lKhqoYUDDgdszwS3Ihm2sHiPdjzGQRS1j-BGY4fdvQt1g7Cm3yffWbN/s1600-h/IMG_0274.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjEBeBeh16xFW1PQoVmt0EhMdQdzrF36FkFIx1P-ogSri8d0Aa-CDqI1lfFQxCbaGaTMGYkZW5RvA-lKhqoYUDDgdszwS3Ihm2sHiPdjzGQRS1j-BGY4fdvQt1g7Cm3yffWbN/s400/IMG_0274.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427829933089523026" border="0" /></a>Love, again<br /><br /></div><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWUSQZzIlouQIVUYMtq5CClxZhyNFD1Sp78slQactU6hHY5q9AtcXdJEyC5CiFeYc84wZqfnnq2sWL5u0eaDy2fiQJyo98lno2IgAuZs9zDI3M9tolTYt4o2UH7NqNAysaflQ/s1600-h/IMG_0184.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWUSQZzIlouQIVUYMtq5CClxZhyNFD1Sp78slQactU6hHY5q9AtcXdJEyC5CiFeYc84wZqfnnq2sWL5u0eaDy2fiQJyo98lno2IgAuZs9zDI3M9tolTYt4o2UH7NqNAysaflQ/s400/IMG_0184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427829928768264402" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Sweet Elisabeth<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">This past week Selah was contently painting in her coloring books when I decided it would be fun to paint Selah. I certainly knew she would enjoy it.<span style=""> </span>So, we painted…and we both enjoyed it.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-77816986020145533962009-12-23T13:04:00.000-08:002009-12-23T13:23:47.958-08:00We Wish You a Merry Christmas<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Selah has prepared a few Christmas Carols to spread some Christmas cheer....</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyd75uWwqc_ZLqkIn3Hev2SwITrlAoD7fc9TSlokPbOutC3gvvphiDv-Gp1Y-YBRba6GxRRR8hwYjc' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Christmas Pics....</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5JDFQ1d1H_MD-9YjQ4yHKaI9QjtBbafpr2aYBdaAidXkCWsznaY1k1RBzpFw4KbSEnEoW_M-SCP8tD2X-Ql5DxZV3hMCce4sSVy_2mjyvvGWNL-GShWWU8aGf1o70DUsaH23/s1600-h/Laugh.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5JDFQ1d1H_MD-9YjQ4yHKaI9QjtBbafpr2aYBdaAidXkCWsznaY1k1RBzpFw4KbSEnEoW_M-SCP8tD2X-Ql5DxZV3hMCce4sSVy_2mjyvvGWNL-GShWWU8aGf1o70DUsaH23/s400/Laugh.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418543526952991442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Selah, please sit still and look at the camera. [Snap, snap, etc.]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwIBrYkX06hfHA-mQ6qK0FXFqTEVlVKVh5Acz5c5BHlXkreZ6OLqUEAFhShsjX1TY8eRXWAUljQkjxVZOLq5kO_ruS29Eb1wdizkaY0iZHZQpZ_QWczzfKYQNOAMfVKLiA5cI/s1600-h/folded+hands.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwIBrYkX06hfHA-mQ6qK0FXFqTEVlVKVh5Acz5c5BHlXkreZ6OLqUEAFhShsjX1TY8eRXWAUljQkjxVZOLq5kO_ruS29Eb1wdizkaY0iZHZQpZ_QWczzfKYQNOAMfVKLiA5cI/s400/folded+hands.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418543511335058978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Selah, please look at the camera. [snap.....snap]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrmt5MIzKrW4Ccu9-zfRNFhmOwEsg4754uAAqjmS0PoOx4-sTXIuCkO3R5sBgJNrCkogVorCt5wyxs2x9i8RBlV-rVDpcdc-T9CDkXnSEP13Pmt0P4mCcYovj-2ulTN6fOLz4/s1600-h/head+flip.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrmt5MIzKrW4Ccu9-zfRNFhmOwEsg4754uAAqjmS0PoOx4-sTXIuCkO3R5sBgJNrCkogVorCt5wyxs2x9i8RBlV-rVDpcdc-T9CDkXnSEP13Pmt0P4mCcYovj-2ulTN6fOLz4/s400/head+flip.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418543521565449266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Selah please don't push your sister over and look at the camera. [snap, snap]<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHZSp6qj1g1UJhr4mlzsNmg8EqLuIQwYya-tFepi4L0bCGz4bxV_ehYFhHBmBKyDk2qyObW76fRbTTyrQ0ZH4l21NAQ2-MJWGlpfUFXmgMkjJ2RNFHWxaxahaz8T7M3KMTCmL/s1600-h/happhy.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHZSp6qj1g1UJhr4mlzsNmg8EqLuIQwYya-tFepi4L0bCGz4bxV_ehYFhHBmBKyDk2qyObW76fRbTTyrQ0ZH4l21NAQ2-MJWGlpfUFXmgMkjJ2RNFHWxaxahaz8T7M3KMTCmL/s400/happhy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418545175513270210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ahhhh, there it is. [After taking the picture, Selah kisses Eden, causing her to fall and hit her head. ] Okay, before everyone explodes, let's get a quick family picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw3quVEYWNFANWFhz0dqv3SFKI7vT7P3eTWos3Db3xw8FdUC6JJFQFpNoobRodjsrCID7RlHnTnrKx91Sx6wndCLfSrzMC2SnEpymejNR9aqv3WVBjM0Vc1f63jSyAKMw2lqN/s1600-h/family+pic.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw3quVEYWNFANWFhz0dqv3SFKI7vT7P3eTWos3Db3xw8FdUC6JJFQFpNoobRodjsrCID7RlHnTnrKx91Sx6wndCLfSrzMC2SnEpymejNR9aqv3WVBjM0Vc1f63jSyAKMw2lqN/s400/family+pic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418543506831248322" border="0" /></a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04057544002107340780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-26729268664396102942009-12-21T12:55:00.000-08:002009-12-21T13:11:09.121-08:00Update on the Girls<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rpBT069Ykc00VNFYQsgDav5vYd1W0nx58oRklI4C-5Sdmv78N_5oFqRpF3J3jxWYNvXYIiefFogqw3iVo9z5qpYkK-7dwiU7cnZJpSEC-fzzQM190CXnyNkWSQQrx3pqLzod/s1600-h/IMG_5391.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rpBT069Ykc00VNFYQsgDav5vYd1W0nx58oRklI4C-5Sdmv78N_5oFqRpF3J3jxWYNvXYIiefFogqw3iVo9z5qpYkK-7dwiU7cnZJpSEC-fzzQM190CXnyNkWSQQrx3pqLzod/s400/IMG_5391.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417798930386087490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Selah loves standing on the water bottle...I know, it doesn't look safe.<br /></span></div><br />The other day I was playing with Selah as she built things with her Leggos. She made a tall tower of square Leggos and pointed to each one, saying, “This is Eden’s house; this is mommy’s; this is daddy’s.” At first I agreed with her without really paying attention, you know how toddlers’ imaginations work—sometimes you just agree and approve of what they say so they will stop saying it over and over. Then I looked at the “houses” and was struck with the realization that her idea of a “house” is not the same as mine. Since she has lived in this metropolitan city all her life, she thinks of houses as apartment buildings, each floor being someone’s home. I guess I need to stop drawing only houses with A-frame roofs and chimneys when we draw pictures.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSFhCPJXcupROWFzMG2UsFla-Yk27SvW8iutOLb0YiouEObAefP3TVpO9A7Qz45OGLbkRwC92cuHrtFvJdoZSoa3Ulx0eVp2Ekend67BzCn5EggdtbQ-DhcC53qnaEcKaKKuI/s1600-h/IMG_5380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSFhCPJXcupROWFzMG2UsFla-Yk27SvW8iutOLb0YiouEObAefP3TVpO9A7Qz45OGLbkRwC92cuHrtFvJdoZSoa3Ulx0eVp2Ekend67BzCn5EggdtbQ-DhcC53qnaEcKaKKuI/s400/IMG_5380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417798942309367298" border="0" /></a><br />When I look at pictures of Eden smiling, she has the prettiest little twinkle in her eyes. They just glow. What joy she brings to my life. She is so happy, always smiling and making happy noises. She doesn’t cry very much at all anymore. We went to the doctor today to get some immunizations and she was so brave, not crying at all for the first shot and just crying for a few seconds for the second one. She is 67 cm ( ~ 26.5 inches) and 8.5 kg (~18.7 pounds). Eden just finished 7 months and is wanting to be more mobile. While sitting, she will dive forward to her tummy to reach a toy. Yesterday she started really pushing with her legs to inch forward and get that toy that is just out of reach. I have started feeding her pureed foods like carrots, pumpkin, and apples.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9JIM2luTxOkV5OZuFULIvPnUqSY1mXeLfRptTYuqoBFqxtRMgVpRSewgOmDIg4lhvaQlPzcNFf3RRxPQWTrYFBKBjZac8c-sRV9fAqGYxsuFE3mGX_prNpe6i2k1n9tnme__/s1600-h/IMG_5493.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9JIM2luTxOkV5OZuFULIvPnUqSY1mXeLfRptTYuqoBFqxtRMgVpRSewgOmDIg4lhvaQlPzcNFf3RRxPQWTrYFBKBjZac8c-sRV9fAqGYxsuFE3mGX_prNpe6i2k1n9tnme__/s400/IMG_5493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417799545668617874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Zeynep, our friend and fabulous babysitter</span><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21068118.post-60621543093014484792009-12-18T04:12:00.000-08:002009-12-18T04:15:44.303-08:00Language ClassWe’ve been trying to get back into the swing of taking language classes, but it just isn’t working well for me, these days. I can’t seem to get any homework finished or memorize words. I’ve been quite frustrated with my language lately. It seems that I’ve gone backwards a bit—sometimes I can’t remember words or how to put sentences together correctly. Thankfully, I have patient friends. So, this Thursday was our last class for a couple months. Then we’ll try to do something again in February, I think. <br /><br />I’m looking forward to this weekend. Selah officially turns 3 on Saturday and I turn 30 on Sunday. I’m 10 times as old is she is this year, to the day….won’t ever happen that way again, thankfully. Otherwise, I'd feel extremely old from here on out. Ryan has sweetly planned for someone to watch the girls on Sunday night (all night), so that we can enjoy a date and full night’s rest.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919778809201482940noreply@blogger.com0