tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27710542083062961672024-03-05T01:23:13.590-08:00Not One Empty ChairUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-29096562709642401512013-04-02T10:38:00.003-07:002013-04-02T10:38:45.254-07:00January and Rachel's Birthday Celebrations<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel is 4! Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was the pick this year.</td></tr>
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Rachel turned 4 this year, and got her first friend birthday party. Jase and I decided that we would do parties for the kids when they turn 4, 8, 12, and 16 (and probably for graduations, etc. when they get older), just to spread things out, and do lower-key family things the rest of the time. We spent her real birthday just with family and enjoyed all her favorite foods. The Elliotts came over and we had cake and ice cream that evening. We got her a one big present this year, a dollhouse, which she really loves, since we knew she'd get a few things from grandparents and from friends at her party.</div>
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Rachel chose a "marine biologist" themed birthday party, and if you know her that probably doesn't surprise you. Rachel loves animals, but especially dolphins, sharks, whales, and fish. We kept things pretty simple with just a snack and cupcakes, playtime, present opening, and some games. We played "shark attack" with a hammerhead shark puppet (essentially hot potato to the Jaws theme) and pin the tail on the fish. Our crowd was mostly 3-5 year olds so simple was great. I'd call it a success, and since it was the first "drop off" birthday party for most of the kids in the group they all talked about it for weeks. I did learn one thing, and that is to never do chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting for preschoolers. It was Rachel's request, but it was So. Very. Messy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place settings for Rachel's first real birthday party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pin the fin on the fish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are under the ocean!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing out candles with friends.</td></tr>
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For one family home evening in January we decided to capitalize on the new year with the kids and set some family and personal goals. Both kids are old enough to make a few simple and realistic goals and see improvement in themselves. We talked with the kids about what they would like to learn and be better at this year and they had such great answers!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rachel wanted to read her scriptures (with help, obviously), say her prayers (she does this without reminders or help now), be kind to Alden, learn to write her name (she can do this as of March, after lots of practice!), and pay her tithing. Rachel started getting a $1 allowance per week last fall to teach her about saving and paying tithing. She has so far (as of April) saved her money diligently and bought herself a Rudolph stuffed animal (around Christmastime), and a Barbie that she wanted.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden chose to work on saying his own prayers (he sometimes asks for help, but very often expresses himself quite well on his own), be kind to Rachel, and learn to go potty this year and wear underwear.</td></tr>
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January finally brought the first snowstorm suitable for sledding (and now that it's April, it was one of the few of the season). I took the kids to the local park. We were the only ones out there and although I was having a lot of fun pulling the kids around they didn't share my joy as long. After two or three rides down the hill they were done. I remember as a older kid staying out forever building igloos and forts with friends in Colorado, but I suppose when you are a toddler it's just not the same. Someday maybe I'll get them to build an igloo with me. They sure were cute though. We've also spent some time doing "winter crafts" since it's been pretty cold.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel put her snowman together all on her own.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden's snowman (I helped him with the hat and face he wanted, but he drew the arms and glued the "snow" in the right order).</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-40641155434712267222013-04-01T11:36:00.000-07:002013-04-01T11:36:03.801-07:00December 2012<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 23rd, Sunday before Christmas in their Christmas best for church.</td></tr>
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December was a great month, one of our best Christmas seasons. Both kids are old enough to understand the deeper meanings of Christmas and to enjoy traditions. We did lots of baking, delivering goodies to friends and family, watching Christmas movies, making lots of crafts, and coloring Christmas pages.<br />
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Christmas Eve began eventfully with Rachel, a fever, and a stomach virus. Poor Rachel is the best sick girl around. Rachel seemed to just wake up feeling rotten that day and just cuddled with us on the couch. She seemed to be doing much better that afternoon, so we decided to go ahead with our plans of an Italian dinner out with my cousins for the night. We got to the restaurant and things just went south for my poor girl, culminating in an episode of stomach virus right there at our table. Luckily I had packed a vomit-appropriate bag just in case (that morning she had been complaining of stomach pains) and she had let me know in advance what she thought might happen. I was actually surprised at how quietly and discreetly it all happened. I don't think the people next to us even knew what had happened, gratefully. Obviously after this we left and didn't get to do a Christmas program with family like we had hoped.<br />
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Instead we headed home to open pajamas and at least do the traditional pictures in front of the Christmas tree. We read a little from Luke and put the kids to bed since no one was up for much after that. Luckily there weren't too many episodes of stomach illness after that, but we could tell Rachel was not herself all through Christmas. She made the best of it though and really enjoyed cuddling up to watch her new movie the next morning.<br />
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Christmas was lovely with the exception of Rachel not feeling well. Her fever was gone by late morning and she seemed to perk up. Our friends, who we had invited over for Christmas dinner previously, decided to still come over that evening (even at the risk of stomach flu), so we had a full house for dinner with all the trimmings. We had the Harmans and the Blacks over, and my friend Tanya even brought the most delicious homemade tamales that we enjoyed for days afterwards (we are talking the real deal here--true Mexican goodness). I've got to learn to make them.<br />
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Our anniversary is the 28th, just after Christmas, so it's usually a bit of a trick to get a date in unless we are with our parents for the holidays. This year my cousin Joani offered to take the kids for a few hours so we could go enjoy ourselves for our anniversary. Since Les Mis had just started playing in theaters we decided to grab some good deli sandwiches and sneak dinner into the theater. We loved the movie and were so grateful for generous family. This was our happy 5 years to us anniversary, and we big-time celebrated a little later in March with a trip to NYC (post to come).<br />
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A few days later Alden (obviously) caught whatever it was the Rachel had. Luckily none of our friends or family that were around our children caught it though! Alden's version wasn't quite so bad, only lasting about 24 hours, but he was still out for the count for New Years Eve. You know you've reached toddler parenthood when you go to sleep with sick kids at 9 pm on New Years Eve because you just know they'll be up early the next day, if not throughout the night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just can't get over how beautiful she is, but also a little sad at how grown up she looks in this picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve tradition of opening up new pajamas to wear for the night. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yearly pictures in front of the Christmas tree. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Rach looking a little sick still, but happily holding her baby penguin from brother Alden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie gets in the picture too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxBgorPsYYZUGH1Qgo-16D2Vi3yv7tuuWe-fra7irLv5ziaJTPLoeUFImVkNknXZHL1AeAx2Ks83DHAWOW8hTlkA5hbkO8wtzZDkKnS3Yd5u9NFzx0ba0XOvEljIpitGAz3UlQ-Z_pJ-u/s1600/SDC11492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxBgorPsYYZUGH1Qgo-16D2Vi3yv7tuuWe-fra7irLv5ziaJTPLoeUFImVkNknXZHL1AeAx2Ks83DHAWOW8hTlkA5hbkO8wtzZDkKnS3Yd5u9NFzx0ba0XOvEljIpitGAz3UlQ-Z_pJ-u/s320/SDC11492.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to include a note about all these books. My Mom sent a package with each of these books wrapped and a date on them so we could open one per day for the whole month of December. I'm a huge book lover (especially good children's lit) so this was a wonderful surprise. We loved reading our new book every day.</td></tr>
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Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-37162831188184121422012-11-29T18:21:00.002-08:002012-11-30T10:41:49.619-08:00God Remembered Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shortly after Alden was born, around 2 or 3 months old, I was having a really awful day. My two babies were both under 2 years old (Rachel would have been around 21 or 22 months) and needed my help with everything. I was beginning to get really deeply exhausted from a lack of sleep (something that continued until Alden was around 10 months old so, I still had a while to go). Post-par-tum depression was settling in. My body was still recovering, my days were demanding, and my nights were a blur. When people ask me what it is like to have two children 19 months apart, I say this. I imagine it's like having twins in some ways, except that one can easily kill the other one. They cannot ever be left alone together for any amount of time, even just to go get a drink in the next room. They are both in diapers, neither speaks all that much, both need rocking and singing to sleep, both take lots of naps--though never at the same time, meals are all on me, etc. Anyways, it was a difficult time. This day in particular, a Monday, was really bad.<br />
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Out of the sheer mercy of God, I swear it, I managed to get both children down for an afternoon nap at the same time. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, stepped into the shower (which had evaded me all morning) and just cried. I cried and prayed and just wanted to know what God thought of my whole situation. I wanted even emotional relief. I was feeling alone and wondering whether we had made the right decision to have Alden so soon. He had been a very prayed for and wanted baby from the moment even Rachel was born. We knew he needed to come when he did, but it was just so hard. I didn't feel overwhelming peace like I had wanted to with my prayer. I got out of the shower, got dressed, and started to "get ready" for the day when I picked up my cell phone. I had 2 missed calls from Jason, both while I was in the shower, with a voice message. He said that he'd had a really productive day at school and had done all he felt he needed to accomplish that day by 3 pm (he usually stayed until about 5). I could come and get him anytime I wanted, and he thought I might need a break. I sat there with my phone and just cried and cried, feeling remembered. I knew that God had helped Jase be productive, and had perhaps arranged things so that I would feel his love through Jason. It couldn't have been coincidence that the moment I was pouring my soul out in the shower Jase called. It felt like God was telling me, "We've got this together. You made the right choice, and although it's tough, we can do this. How about a break this afternoon?"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures from around that time. Such precious babies!</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-56730176770311668692012-11-29T18:21:00.000-08:002012-11-29T18:21:06.654-08:00A Challenge for DecemberI've been thinking lately of ways to make this Christmas season more meaningful. I think I've come up with something that has and will help me remember Christ even more this Christmas.<br />
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This quote by Spencer Kimball has been surfacing lately in my reading. I've read it many times before, but I've been applying it and using it to help me remember actual examples of when I've felt this.<br />
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“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through
another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we
serve each other.”<br />
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Being reminded of God's hand in our lives either through giving or receiving service really is the essence of the Christian message. Feeling the love of Christ, and having our hearts changed by him because we ask and try our best are the goals, but those goals are only really met through service and our interactions with other people. Sometimes we are the one giving the service and feeling that love for other people. When we are the instrument God uses to meet those needs of another, it inspires us. We feel gratitude. We feel a part of something much greater. When we are on the receiving end of the service, we feel remembered by God, and again, we feel gratitude that another was willing to be that instrument. Sometimes we don't take the opportunity to be a part of any of it, and forfeit the chance we had to learn something, help someone, or be reminded of God's love. I've done this a few times lately, and each time had the experience of regret, wishing I had listened and taken that particular opportunity that I'll never get back. Even in this instance, I learned something.<br />
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What I've realized lately in my exercise of writing down some of my "pivotal" life experiences is that most of the experiences I recall as being the most meaningful, touching, and profound seem at face value to be completely ordinary and unremarkable. Some decisions, even really important ones like marrying my husband, came so clearly and easily and without a certain one profound "experience." Other decisions, sometimes even what seemed like really simple decisions, came after great effort and specific reminders and help from God. I've also noticed that I'm beginning to forget things that happened even in high school. Even things since then are beginning to become a little fuzzy. So, in an effort to preserve some of these memories for myself and for the benefits of my children, I want to write a few of them in this blog during the month of December. Perhaps they might inspire someone to think of ways God has had a hand in their own lives, or maybe they might just be interesting reading.<br />
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Also, I had an experience with one of my young women from church a few weeks ago. She asked for some advice about something not directly religious, and knowing that she has struggled with her beliefs in God, I didn't include a lot of faith-based suggestions, rather more practical things in an effort to keep her comfortable. Later I thought about what I had said, and about what I would do in her situation, and my suggestions for myself could not be separated from spiritual solutions. The practical ones were totally necessary as well, but faith had to be included. I usually don't write a ton about religion on my blog, mostly because of how personal it can be for me and those who read it. At the same time, I write mostly for my own children's record of our family, so they can read someday about their lives as children and I really would want them to know what their mother believed and tried to teach them. For this reason I'll plan on blitzing my blog this Christmas season with stories of how I knew God was in the details of my life. I know that no concern is too small for God, and that every prayer is answered, even if it seems it takes years for that answer to come, or for us to understand.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-11585865321792017832012-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:002012-11-27T13:25:00.211-08:00October and November<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have had such a wonderful fall here in Maryland. Fall wouldn't be fall without LDS General Conference (see <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2012/10?lang=eng">here</a> if you're not familiar), cooler weather, falling leaves, and of course, a trip (or two) to the pumpkin farm. I took the kids to Butler's Orchard for Rachel's Joy School class field trip. It did not disappoint. There were tons of great activities to do and the weather was awesome. Can't beat that much fun for $6 a person, and that included a pumpkin and two awesomely fresh apples each.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden enjoying the many tractors to play on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their playground was the coolest I've ever seen, with a castle, huge wooden ship, a train, and lots of slides, fireman's poles, and things to climb on. Rachel looks so tiny up there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden steering the ship.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with a bin full of corn kernels and lots of construction trucks (the kids really loved this!).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yxA1CO-ytsKGaWBHCLlEn3zCQ-9_ZWIGWZ7ve3edAEzfaMFD4znD3KB7L32eUi9saAQIf9O5gA2PxhaDrA-Y4ZWe2d91xO5EdxsfXruADGcvFbfKsSi8gSeNUJAMoGRjfq_yJI90casb/s1600/SDC11196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yxA1CO-ytsKGaWBHCLlEn3zCQ-9_ZWIGWZ7ve3edAEzfaMFD4znD3KB7L32eUi9saAQIf9O5gA2PxhaDrA-Y4ZWe2d91xO5EdxsfXruADGcvFbfKsSi8gSeNUJAMoGRjfq_yJI90casb/s1600/SDC11196.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This activity was Rachel and Alden's favorite! This barn was filled with tons of hay. The hay had been baled in some places to let you climb up and stand, and then you could jump into the loose hay. It felt like walking on clouds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In flight action!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZI3bMpMq3blyLEHIxub01tZ___DXkjVBXzb-HYj6fm2m90ucAddZCyfMI515fwOAYC3BZbgjjP_0Avewxl_Ejce5N1AzBfySBREw_QbRn4JQwxr_2HhtBHsjg1zG-pjr26Bcs627eyO9/s1600/SDC11212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZI3bMpMq3blyLEHIxub01tZ___DXkjVBXzb-HYj6fm2m90ucAddZCyfMI515fwOAYC3BZbgjjP_0Avewxl_Ejce5N1AzBfySBREw_QbRn4JQwxr_2HhtBHsjg1zG-pjr26Bcs627eyO9/s1600/SDC11212.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picked our pumpkins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqi9zTEZmTUyLhO_snnh_IsUj7DwN2Lmi-RXcUdJcvT6jk4vQmF0SqJ6N_8bppM3ovHdj1N4besTG7RtB6thjGOowbauolmNuWU9oJ6HvVvte5xvP0t9MlgHh_zzjAf92064AGWs4r8JM/s1600/SDC11214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqi9zTEZmTUyLhO_snnh_IsUj7DwN2Lmi-RXcUdJcvT6jk4vQmF0SqJ6N_8bppM3ovHdj1N4besTG7RtB6thjGOowbauolmNuWU9oJ6HvVvte5xvP0t9MlgHh_zzjAf92064AGWs4r8JM/s1600/SDC11214.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden and I on the hayride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBzY8epA0e5crbxh_0IOK4gwAGfI-kQpL9CSNlRWd7bDoAEjSN_NiRYJCp0DHAisXhkuy4Pn27IMXZTYyZC475_ueKNx6IfBDGpgBlSTQ3fE43b4kA48u1GSVqv0YTEn4CVjidwoPRyJk/s1600/SDC11220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBzY8epA0e5crbxh_0IOK4gwAGfI-kQpL9CSNlRWd7bDoAEjSN_NiRYJCp0DHAisXhkuy4Pn27IMXZTYyZC475_ueKNx6IfBDGpgBlSTQ3fE43b4kA48u1GSVqv0YTEn4CVjidwoPRyJk/s1600/SDC11220.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the chickens. Several types of animals were there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAdK6ReuPlUI2e13zhual96uKoO9AM5WgmKDBRXcXjfH4-qH2OLAlzwjw9iWFhN6IeXOj_hyy2JQfSroPTwFn_34Lz-wd9JXuKZ17-wsuUYnAfaE3cuNjZEm4ZaUIVwyAfoeTEV-tS54U/s1600/SDC11226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAdK6ReuPlUI2e13zhual96uKoO9AM5WgmKDBRXcXjfH4-qH2OLAlzwjw9iWFhN6IeXOj_hyy2JQfSroPTwFn_34Lz-wd9JXuKZ17-wsuUYnAfaE3cuNjZEm4ZaUIVwyAfoeTEV-tS54U/s1600/SDC11226.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting with the goats.</td></tr>
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We had so much fun we decided to take Daddy back to get even more pumpkins. We also bought some really amazing fresh Honey-crisp apples. We just did the pumpkin patch that day since it was really crowded, but we were happy with our pickings. Jase cooked them down to puree and bagged tons of pumpkin for the freezer. We've made some great pies and cookies already with them. Fresh pumpkin really is worth it. <br />
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The next weekend (Columbus Day I think) it was just looking too deliciously beautiful outside not to go on a hike, so we set off for our favorite little 1 mile trail in Seneca Creek State Park. I love this little hike because it's not too hard and the kids will walk the whole way. The view is pretty and it follows a little stream to the side. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day with so many changing leaves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail crosses these power lines twice. The kids call it "the meadow," and they run into it and say it like Bambi says it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy and his cute girl.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My big and little misters.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Rachel and I </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKopEDuB8F8RxYfrPHOESjlARfka6t5kBBtAsa5xC3yVqNim_Fz7Hiqnj0jbeydf5Jp7-7q0j3l8Gn1rwASBSLGUO5Fhezb6Wlo_VfweYoZYQhmrUIB0q-piAw-4XUJXO2RyHho4V18JK/s1600/SDC11321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKopEDuB8F8RxYfrPHOESjlARfka6t5kBBtAsa5xC3yVqNim_Fz7Hiqnj0jbeydf5Jp7-7q0j3l8Gn1rwASBSLGUO5Fhezb6Wlo_VfweYoZYQhmrUIB0q-piAw-4XUJXO2RyHho4V18JK/s1600/SDC11321.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this post wouldn't be complete without Oliver! He loves sitting in the sinks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy day fun pretending Alden's bed is a car and we're taking ALL the babies somewhere.</td></tr>
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Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast the weekend before Halloween. New York and New Jersey bore the major brunt of it and are still recovering now (and I imagine will be for some time). We were very lucky and did not even lose power, although we were preparing to lose it--perhaps for a week or two!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only casualty we saw close to us. This tree fell right outside our front windows. We're really glad we didn't park there.</td></tr>
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Halloween was a blast. We got all dressed up and went over to the Elliott's house (my cousin Joani and her family). We watched Mark carve a pumpkin quite expertly, roasted pumpkin seeds, went trick-or-treating in their awesome neighborhood, and had dinner. We stayed up way too late singing songs with the kids, and Joani re-lit some candles for the kids to blow out about a hundred times because it was just so funny (we'd sing some song, and then the kids would blow out the candles...they thought this was hysterical). The day after Halloween, we went to Target to buy half price costumes for our dress-up bin. We ended up with a Buzz Lightyear costume, a cowboy/cowgirl getup complete with hat, coat, vest, and badge, several superhero vests with capes, a Cinderella costume, and a ninja costume. I think I'm going to do this every Halloween.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BYU cheerleader Grace and Miss Rachel with "Toto" (who obviously looks nothing like the real dog).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful Dorothy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little lion with a mouthful of dinner (he was so tough to get a picture of the whole night!).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WyvVEpoIPBEhYzJdaptiYj5J4SpDdE_BC4tTjSaRM-yl1XR3TgpjXC2WwJBbGH5LOjochPvMInKsXxmCUQSZPL5nNH5A4DkcGyKJ-feWQEPYoqLWMifRKz-Owlp0aQG9l9lrhZLfaoFN/s1600/SDC11357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WyvVEpoIPBEhYzJdaptiYj5J4SpDdE_BC4tTjSaRM-yl1XR3TgpjXC2WwJBbGH5LOjochPvMInKsXxmCUQSZPL5nNH5A4DkcGyKJ-feWQEPYoqLWMifRKz-Owlp0aQG9l9lrhZLfaoFN/s1600/SDC11357.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With her loot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwSgNWt43HctubQFX_ncoZrfAVJoaKRAmr6FNEdQu_Whihe_EqOy9MNKB1tQJQZON4OuNi4jCIwgrJfDB5JW2oxwv3SEjA1b3qgmPniukq3nSBH6X7MN0G2xMR9fLEkgbpexcTmWEAdlB/s1600/SDC11358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwSgNWt43HctubQFX_ncoZrfAVJoaKRAmr6FNEdQu_Whihe_EqOy9MNKB1tQJQZON4OuNi4jCIwgrJfDB5JW2oxwv3SEjA1b3qgmPniukq3nSBH6X7MN0G2xMR9fLEkgbpexcTmWEAdlB/s1600/SDC11358.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark's witches "brew"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ykIWxbBQNXTr-y9tIpNzG_pf3sTczXeoHvIgWfqEEYxAW-yO9WKGFPdxGIeHeSS39OiibUbYqJSEtCLDxVYjaFN_MucAk5xHvlrUZ4utdeke4K1XaDeQn_731LGE4tmLCLRdiVtY29MH/s1600/SDC11370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ykIWxbBQNXTr-y9tIpNzG_pf3sTczXeoHvIgWfqEEYxAW-yO9WKGFPdxGIeHeSS39OiibUbYqJSEtCLDxVYjaFN_MucAk5xHvlrUZ4utdeke4K1XaDeQn_731LGE4tmLCLRdiVtY29MH/s1600/SDC11370.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted pumpkin seeds! Yum! Rachel hated them but Alden couldn't get enough.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4533YVs47WPOCQTBFUeLy_VGhfe58sc0ScxyGHMQCFneB0-z6vIauIf-U_8_IdXZQI1lilpjKQ1qlkoWLkSRb55RoQyUrnwIwktlddoDDpiZLb6JsFXFWs8rNyFGB76a7Bn3JVWOi7NTJ/s1600/SDC11374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4533YVs47WPOCQTBFUeLy_VGhfe58sc0ScxyGHMQCFneB0-z6vIauIf-U_8_IdXZQI1lilpjKQ1qlkoWLkSRb55RoQyUrnwIwktlddoDDpiZLb6JsFXFWs8rNyFGB76a7Bn3JVWOi7NTJ/s1600/SDC11374.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't you think this boy could get away with anything in a bow tie?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5CVevHEPle6oMwGT01KeXDIM6Z7_6csXKp7Dv2RU5vb-OtWTPsBWzqoKQIfnSZu8DROzIecSAbkuKv_bfTthE9DWzivoh6oC1K397PMKwP3LhLQWX8Duax3nM38b4EnaXNvoPBCkbmow/s1600/SDC11375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5CVevHEPle6oMwGT01KeXDIM6Z7_6csXKp7Dv2RU5vb-OtWTPsBWzqoKQIfnSZu8DROzIecSAbkuKv_bfTthE9DWzivoh6oC1K397PMKwP3LhLQWX8Duax3nM38b4EnaXNvoPBCkbmow/s1600/SDC11375.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good. Because right now I'm making one for him for his Sunday Christmas outfit.</td></tr>
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In other important recordable news, Jason is doing really well at work. Before he accepted his current job at the FDA he interviewed with another office in HHS, where he was really impressed with the office in general, but particularly the boss there. When he got into his fellowship he had to pick a mentor, so he picked this gentleman since he wanted to keep in contact and learn from him. Jase has been part of an appropriations law reading group with him, and was asked to lead one of their discussions downtown mid October. Everything went well! Part of Jason's fellowship allows him to do a 4-6 month rotation with another government office, so he discussed this with the HHS office and they said they'd be happy to have him. So come March, Jase will be working in the HHS Budget Office for a few months. It's downtown, so it'll be a bit more of a commute for him, but he's happy to get even more experience.<br />
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Rachel finished her gymnastics class, but had to miss the second to last class due to getting her fingers caught in the elevator on the way in. Ouch! As the door was opening she put her hand on it and within a second her fingers were jammed between the wall and the opening elevator (maybe this is hard to picture? the elevator was NOT closing on her fingers...). Anyways, there was incredible commotion and Rachel crying. We iced things up and I watched her for a few hours. We went home to get lunch and to nap the kids, and then I took her to urgent care just to be sure things weren't broken. I didn't think they were since the swelling had gone almost all the way down and she said that nothing hurt anymore, but you never know with fingers. Got her checked out and she was perfectly fine. I loved that when the nurses asked her to pick the face that showed her pain level she picked the happiest looking one and said, "I'm the happiest!"<br />
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And that brings us to these wonderful holidays!!! I am slightly ashamed to admit that I began listening to Christmas music early this year, and the kids followed suit. We bought our tree and put it up (our first fake one) about a week and a half before Thanksgiving. I realize this is ridiculous, but it was fun. And our fun will be present for nearly 2 months this year. Thanksgiving was one of our best (sadly no pictures...). I can't remember enjoying turkey until this year. Jase carefully brined that bird in our refrigerator, and it was stellar. We had lots of fun teasing the kids about the dead bird in our fridge (it was in the bottom vegetable drawer, floating in a clear plastic bag full of brine and very visible). All the other food was awesome, and the company even better. We hosted the Elliott family and had fun eating, watching the old clay-mation "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and talking. Later that night Jason braved the black-Friday crowds and found a $38 blu-ray player, some new cheap movies, and a new coat he needed. I did the rest of my shopping the next day, and now everything is either bought or ordered. We're done! I think that brings us up to speed! Next post will probably be a recap of the Christmas season, but I feel accomplished just recording our lives even every month or two. I've never been a reliable journal-keeper, so hopefully this will suffice.<br />
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I'm so grateful for this season that reminds me to enjoy the little things and be grateful for all the things I have. We have our little family, loving and thoughtful extended families, good friends all across the country, our health, a solid job, a reliable car, a warm and happy home, and plenty of clothes and food. I have been feeling really blessed lately and have had some great experiences in young women's and because of General and Stake Conference and I've just been feeling continually reminded of how blessed I really am. Happy Holidays!Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-19270611094842281502012-10-05T11:03:00.000-07:002012-10-05T11:03:08.895-07:00Oh Sweet SeptemberWe surely began the month of September with a bang in deciding to take our kids on their first ever overnight camping trip. I had high hopes of enjoying nature with our two little people, especially since they loved the hike we took a few months ago. Surely they would love camping then, right? Jase went into this experience with more realistic expectations (he said, "I wasn't actually expecting to sleep, were you?").<br />
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Anyways, We went to Brunswick, MD and stayed at Brunswick Family Campground. They were the only campground around here without a 2 night minimum for the Labor day holiday weekend. It was a nice campground, literally steps from the Potomac river, but also right next to a double train track where trains went by blazing their horns about every 1/2 hour all night long. Brunswick is supposed to only be about a 50 minute drive from here, but it ended up being closer to 1 1/2 hours. Bless this Maryland traffic. Alden screamed (for unapparent reasons we could not understand, nor would he care to communicate) most of the way there. We got there and set up camp and cooked our dinner, etc. That went great, and the kids loved eating hot dogs and throwing sticks on the fire and getting dirty. I love when they like being outside. The real fun started when it got dark and Rachel realized we weren't going home. She thought it was the silliest, dumbest thing in the world that we would even think of sleeping OUTSIDE, ON THE GROUND (granted we were in a tent, with sleeping bags and pillows) when we had perfectly good, empty beds at home. Those were her words. Plus it was really dark, and that really scared Rachel, who is used to sleeping with the closet light on. She eventually consented and fell asleep around 10 (we started bedtime routine around 8:30). Alden was a whole other story. He was completely irrational and totally exhausted but just couldn't calm down. He's used to falling asleep by himself with no distractions, so this was pretty nuts of us to even attempt I guess. Around 11 Jase took screaming little Alden to the car and drove laps around the campground until he fell asleep around 11:30 and brought him back to the tent. Little man woke up around 3:50 and again, couldn't sleep, so Jase did the same thing as before and just slept the rest of the night in the car. By 6 am we were all up and making breakfast. Our fishing pole had manufacturer's defects discovered by Jase at the campsite, so...no fishing. We ended up walking around a bit (Alden called this a hike) and swinging with the kids at the campground park, so that was fun, but we couldn't help but think the swinging, walking, and cooking at a charcoal grill nearby may have been more efficient. Let's just say that I don't think we'll be going <span class="il">camping</span> anytime soon. At least because I've written this down, the kids will know someday that their parents tried to give them good family time out in nature, even if they hated it?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBGnWtIgsIN-D2OgvJAk1X-t_TevGjpORYx1Mf0B7xp2tIFPtKS_yr_mrpF2RO12U6-vt8fLfVKYsQej5z9-bLLfYitPcgXyVqxLqWJ-mBshEr0zeRQduwTyYY9LBBfFkBF4APmAGW7fR/s1600/SDC11031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBGnWtIgsIN-D2OgvJAk1X-t_TevGjpORYx1Mf0B7xp2tIFPtKS_yr_mrpF2RO12U6-vt8fLfVKYsQej5z9-bLLfYitPcgXyVqxLqWJ-mBshEr0zeRQduwTyYY9LBBfFkBF4APmAGW7fR/s320/SDC11031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel and Alden adding sticks to the fire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamTyLOwCIZt_AFN-Et2P1IERBac4bD8PMgrzPjuLY1jxexybavVxnAH491elhve5LfAOz69b4trPwMPxOtAVfpwtgel8P8JWx-Xt3uaLjzZLvLNUnySEEWp1GZnUXK2KrYTOfZZ_-rO7d/s1600/SDC11032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamTyLOwCIZt_AFN-Et2P1IERBac4bD8PMgrzPjuLY1jxexybavVxnAH491elhve5LfAOz69b4trPwMPxOtAVfpwtgel8P8JWx-Xt3uaLjzZLvLNUnySEEWp1GZnUXK2KrYTOfZZ_-rO7d/s320/SDC11032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jase telling<br />"spooky" stories</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD0DqcEPNQZpM5DQ1yBgvCorJxRQFxq3VsVwZP2AC-qO5wxcOUdqx_zRoOP1WSnY8DURMMKBljKFhccloidokNjgizYFJqlQWq01Wyh7YbioCiID2viasVcZfnmOqWau_C-mS25t5uk5L/s1600/SDC11046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD0DqcEPNQZpM5DQ1yBgvCorJxRQFxq3VsVwZP2AC-qO5wxcOUdqx_zRoOP1WSnY8DURMMKBljKFhccloidokNjgizYFJqlQWq01Wyh7YbioCiID2viasVcZfnmOqWau_C-mS25t5uk5L/s320/SDC11046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempts at a family picture by the Potomac river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bcahpHbH_Yuqd0OFEsBjoZx1JS7lM8rYPKuhRsIdLsIwzFit2u7k_NFbd1pXJ2nbY2NmCb6tOpvBT3Tr-Uvl-iW8pUNZIZzaAwKBj8i0w3BTkBZf0J_r8d7B4gs0avFsJWxxZ24MQ5x4/s1600/SDC11044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bcahpHbH_Yuqd0OFEsBjoZx1JS7lM8rYPKuhRsIdLsIwzFit2u7k_NFbd1pXJ2nbY2NmCb6tOpvBT3Tr-Uvl-iW8pUNZIZzaAwKBj8i0w3BTkBZf0J_r8d7B4gs0avFsJWxxZ24MQ5x4/s320/SDC11044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempt #2 (we never got a great one)</td></tr>
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I love back to school time each fall. With the weather cooling and all the new school supplies in the stores, it's just exciting for me. I used to love the first day of a new school year or a new semester, what with the fresh starts and the new books. I even have started to re-read the Harry Potter series this fall since it makes me feel like I'm at Hogwarts going to school again. Too fun. Anyways, Rachel and I started our second year of Joy School. Three other moms and I rotate weeks, which makes the class a nice group of 4 kids--2 boys and 2 girls. So far everything's gone pretty well. The first day at my house was pretty chaotic, but I sort of expected that since none of the other kids had been to our house before. With new surroundings, new toys to play with, and a new mom to meet, attention spans aren't top notch. The second day went great, so I'm sure things will be wonderful this year. It has been good for Rachel to make some more friends here in Maryland, which I think has been a little harder for her since she's so used to things being easy with her Virginia friend group. During Joy School when the other mothers teach, Alden and I have been enjoying long park visits (this boy can swing for an hour straight!), ice-cream dates, and doing errands that are easier to do with one munchkin instead of two. Rachel also started a pre-k gymnastics class for 45 minutes once a week. It's a pretty simple class, but the teacher is awesome. The moms get to look through a little window to watch the action, and it looks like a blast. They do a little stretching, lots of playing/movement exercises with music (pretending to be animals, etc.), and they do little obstacle courses with a small balance beam, soft padded stairs and wedges, etc. She loves going and has a lot of fun every time. Alden desperately wishes he could go into class too, so I think next year when he turns 3 I'll let them do the class together (it's a 3-5 age group).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgwSMRA4cOryVUPJNOA00e2w1hu-r_fZkjfhL5BRQuQc1hby499d0OxR4iYMhyphenhyphen7nvx_iHJn3jH5CEOQrNE_WIFhor3Tzrz1MIWAp_X5zj9CK3oZ6p_sPoNiMhKBy1egMG4fetwTKlQcJ6/s1600/SDC11065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgwSMRA4cOryVUPJNOA00e2w1hu-r_fZkjfhL5BRQuQc1hby499d0OxR4iYMhyphenhyphen7nvx_iHJn3jH5CEOQrNE_WIFhor3Tzrz1MIWAp_X5zj9CK3oZ6p_sPoNiMhKBy1egMG4fetwTKlQcJ6/s320/SDC11065.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel's first day of Joy School, year 2!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSZACtXlej_u_JZ2wJff0wPbbDT4hrbzq7agB0f-3ijvhyphenhyphenQW8XMI8CVnQ0G5Tv3lOOTPNAOc-cZfdFAsdAkkOtNnUFWYG79ytILtS7gYPx5kF4Bui6miMMRvHsEa0qTz-XCxZtnRHvKP3/s1600/SDC11070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSZACtXlej_u_JZ2wJff0wPbbDT4hrbzq7agB0f-3ijvhyphenhyphenQW8XMI8CVnQ0G5Tv3lOOTPNAOc-cZfdFAsdAkkOtNnUFWYG79ytILtS7gYPx5kF4Bui6miMMRvHsEa0qTz-XCxZtnRHvKP3/s320/SDC11070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden enjoying some coloring time with Mama during Joy School</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxIY-0VOnYiY8fXhuGJYCId5L14ry64zkutTOFOSp23crATcIiQ0xtqylMgHo-BtRkR30uSDCA4arg4U7aChkXu2N_UT9yJjtWQFRgnutFJutIsdPHB_7hv5PhNTmwMa0AwO-QiaVexIA/s1600/SDC11081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxIY-0VOnYiY8fXhuGJYCId5L14ry64zkutTOFOSp23crATcIiQ0xtqylMgHo-BtRkR30uSDCA4arg4U7aChkXu2N_UT9yJjtWQFRgnutFJutIsdPHB_7hv5PhNTmwMa0AwO-QiaVexIA/s320/SDC11081.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel all set for Pre-k Gymnastics</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDr4WqIskSCRX4I1AoD4sZTVqf-E0ifm04PZOX9dp7Fi3aI8YUCA1fG8Ii_bkwToOx5x9ZgYA9MnuURjAja5qHoScUFcqMqLN3fj558ovIp_S_BqJTqAs-niCPtk1cBB3lIPzRUwRxy0/s1600/SDC11084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDr4WqIskSCRX4I1AoD4sZTVqf-E0ifm04PZOX9dp7Fi3aI8YUCA1fG8Ii_bkwToOx5x9ZgYA9MnuURjAja5qHoScUFcqMqLN3fj558ovIp_S_BqJTqAs-niCPtk1cBB3lIPzRUwRxy0/s320/SDC11084.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking so handsome for church!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIHArbRbj65mtVlNWx95lA_wy-QHk5nI4b-uI0N1sl_mnnDhjk0oLYmgVJnl5-uq2zrLCnZDIl4oNrXQlHjIZeoBSP3uGP5MTOijtwH_jV4C09k7PSMKTG6k6GBif2VxDUXX_BFwL5TQj/s1600/SDC11088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIHArbRbj65mtVlNWx95lA_wy-QHk5nI4b-uI0N1sl_mnnDhjk0oLYmgVJnl5-uq2zrLCnZDIl4oNrXQlHjIZeoBSP3uGP5MTOijtwH_jV4C09k7PSMKTG6k6GBif2VxDUXX_BFwL5TQj/s320/SDC11088.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful girl!!!</td></tr>
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Probably the biggest news of the month is that we added a little someone to our family. Jase and I have discussed adding a real pet (not a fish or even our little birds) to our family for a long time. Our last apartment wouldn't have been great for a cat or a dog, especially not during the time we were having two tiny ones and in the throes of law school. When we signed our lease here in Maryland, we knew that it said "no pets," but we decided to ask the Realtor anyways since we thought it couldn't hurt. The owner actually came back with a "yes, no problem, one small cat." Adopting a pet is sort of like a decision to have a baby, since a kitten could stick around for 15-20 years of raising, so we really wanted to find the right kitty. We did some prep buying (a crate, bed, litter box, etc.), and then went to Petsmart to scope out the available cats (Oliver is actually from an animal rescue that contracts through Petsmart adopt). We had been the week before, just looking for fun before we knew we could even have a cat. I was with the kids this time while Jase was at work and as I pulled the cart up to the window, Rachel and I saw the cutest little orange kitten through the glass. Rachel and I looked at each other and she said (with tears in her eyes, like she couldn't believe this was really happening), "That's my kitty isn't it?" I was thinking the exact same thing. He was bouncing around in his pen like crazy chasing after a ball. I spoke with the adoption counselor and she agreed he was a great fit for a house with kids. He was 4 months old (we didn't really want an 8 week old baby, what with Alden being 2 and potentially a little rough), very playful and tolerant, and healthy. I got all his records, picked up a few more things, and we brought him home the very hour! Rachel named him right there and proclaimed him to be Oliver. I took him to the vet the next day and he checked out great. He is everything we dreamed and hoped for. More than anything, he loves being near people. He follows me around all day (he even comes and sits by my feet while I do my hair and makeup). He still takes many naps throughout the day, and can sneak away to a spot under a bed or chair and enjoy some space from the kids. He is a great lap cat, and if you're sitting on the couch, he's there right beside you or on you sleeping and purring like a motor boat. I think this is uncharacteristic of most cats, but Oliver will purr for a half hour straight if he's awake and just sitting with you. He's the happiest, sweetest cat. We've had a few near-death scares, what with Rachel and Alden being sort-of (completely) obsessed with finding Oliver and touching him most of the time, but he's no worse for the wear, and sometimes I actually think he likes it. The other day Rachel was "tickling his chin" like crazy and making all sorts of horribly high-pitched sounds. I thought it would annoy him, but it turns out he was purring the whole time and quite enjoying all the attention. Suffice it to say, we love him and are so happy he's ours. His nicknames are Ollie, Ollio, and Oliver the "regal lion."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTQa9RZUh1FOdstjog01R4vHKgqef0oQ3_aqjHOY4-pZmYVToPzRQD_y-4lrAnJK72OQaPTBvJ0u8feN5SQJL7atrKrLjITzdcQvg_GjUNP17CHsF6Vlmi1pD5bx00JX-2RR38PIYO4CM/s1600/SDC11090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTQa9RZUh1FOdstjog01R4vHKgqef0oQ3_aqjHOY4-pZmYVToPzRQD_y-4lrAnJK72OQaPTBvJ0u8feN5SQJL7atrKrLjITzdcQvg_GjUNP17CHsF6Vlmi1pD5bx00JX-2RR38PIYO4CM/s320/SDC11090.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy is IN LOVE with Ollie. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XM3kvTe8wryEyd5qEZSVS1rz9RGhz8Df3PcaPTZNO8i5LVCRSaSRJEaNs5DZ-MUkpblCP_8qsWscD_YKewPtgzwGEV7PsWvDAiOv8P_BRIwBjSzSMrTHkSwjrCrjDo3L4-XgJAkd6Iyv/s1600/SDC11101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XM3kvTe8wryEyd5qEZSVS1rz9RGhz8Df3PcaPTZNO8i5LVCRSaSRJEaNs5DZ-MUkpblCP_8qsWscD_YKewPtgzwGEV7PsWvDAiOv8P_BRIwBjSzSMrTHkSwjrCrjDo3L4-XgJAkd6Iyv/s320/SDC11101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute boy with his white socks and jingle bell (although we've been taking his bell collar off so the kids can't find him).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nap on the couch (he crosses his front paws a lot while sleeping...I think it's so cute!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgFnit3ulzIT4noORAoxQwSkrth-lEUw0Kyp9s8jX4Y3AOPqKw63s4Af9ClUJhI7cuNA8-MI8RCtbgbyIVJimj3f9cUVZw9zjqgAyr_PoHkcig4bCpVm404OuWoOA4LqxOK9ePfnRMfvT/s1600/SDC11156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgFnit3ulzIT4noORAoxQwSkrth-lEUw0Kyp9s8jX4Y3AOPqKw63s4Af9ClUJhI7cuNA8-MI8RCtbgbyIVJimj3f9cUVZw9zjqgAyr_PoHkcig4bCpVm404OuWoOA4LqxOK9ePfnRMfvT/s320/SDC11156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel is most definitely in love with her kitty. She is always laying on the couch or the floor with him singing the song from Charlotte's Web "There must be something more to us than you and me..."</td></tr>
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We also took a Saturday family outing to the National Zoo. We decided to take the metro in so the kids could see what riding was like. They call the metro "the wild choo-choo" since when we first moved here and would drop Jase off to go into work Rachel would say dramatically, "it just looks so wild" (we think this is because it's sort of dirty maybe?). The kids were giddy to ride something so wild, and had a lot of fun going through the tunnels and looking out the windows when we were above ground. A girl who was riding in the same car as us passed Jase a note on our way off the train that said, "You two make a cute couple. Congrats! :)" We thought that was a really nice thing to say. Our supposed 30 minute train ride actually ended up being a nearly 2 hour adventure itself since the red line was partially down (we had no idea) and we had to exit at an earlier stop than we wanted, catch a free shuttle bus to another stop, get back on the metro, exit at the one we really wanted, and then walk several blocks to the zoo. And then walk around the hilly zoo to enjoy it! It was pretty exhausting with 2 kids and a stroller. I could have only done it all with Jase there! We saw so many animals and had a great time though, and a frozen yogurt place across the street gave us free cold water bottles on our way out. The kids were pretty well shot by the time we saw the seals, so we decided to call it a day (we hadn't seen several parts of the zoo yet, but...when you're tired, you're tired!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the metro like Dad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rach and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8JxupKDI5nIr2tWm6LlLyG7zb0YvSfRluAPSJtNyPSt-Bwnxzp01Psx2aM2tXn_bPgdusIZqgDIprzTf8yEDJxv6MtUB1gCwXep4lg5_S3zhR266rLCWXuGVhKDm8BAIP3hx0Ygn9Uir/s1600/SDC11128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8JxupKDI5nIr2tWm6LlLyG7zb0YvSfRluAPSJtNyPSt-Bwnxzp01Psx2aM2tXn_bPgdusIZqgDIprzTf8yEDJxv6MtUB1gCwXep4lg5_S3zhR266rLCWXuGVhKDm8BAIP3hx0Ygn9Uir/s320/SDC11128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Yy9Ql9xOoSLjWdSzgR_HAmkaycj1Y2xTqomrIDtw09DOkkzTgBrzNuWZvvQJ5P2DmJ-SB3X_yZwjTS90_zq8wXfLWECiyQkrdewbXnLwpdWSdZ8w6QxH6-t_h8AknTdAGgutKi-MY5h/s1600/SDC11129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Yy9Ql9xOoSLjWdSzgR_HAmkaycj1Y2xTqomrIDtw09DOkkzTgBrzNuWZvvQJ5P2DmJ-SB3X_yZwjTS90_zq8wXfLWECiyQkrdewbXnLwpdWSdZ8w6QxH6-t_h8AknTdAGgutKi-MY5h/s320/SDC11129.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel was obsessed with this armadillo. We couldn't believe it, but apparently this is her most favorite animal. We spent just as much time watching this little guy as we did with the monkeys, seals, etc. She loved him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a sweet ape. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally wiped out. Most days we get our normal nap time routine, but you just have to have some days like this where you have so much fun you just fall asleep wherever you are, right?</td></tr>
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In other news, Jase and I are officially dating again (meaning we actually go out, with no children, alone, to do something fun, just for us!!). Getting a babysitter, in our current state, means it's just cost-prohibitive to go on weekly-ish dates (we like to reserve dating money for the actual dates), so we were hoping when we moved to Maryland to find a like-minded couple to switch off with. In the past, we've always swapped babysitting with friends. Jase or I would go sit at their house after their kids went to bed so they could go for a date, and then one of our friends would do the same for us the next weekend (this works still since we all have kids that go to bed around 7). It can be a pain to plan and figure out the times, but it always works out and is worth it. We finally found another couple who were interested in a date-swap, so we've been doing that. We've mostly just gone out to eat and gone for walks in fun areas. Our last date we got frozen yogurt and went for a walk to a Barnes and Noble. It was so much fun holding Jase's arm and holding hands with no little people to carry or to ensure no one gets run over by a car, etc. (bless them still, we love them). We found tons of books we want to buy each other for Christmas, and spent way too much time in the children's section reliving our favorites from when we were kids, and planning which ones to get the kids for Christmas. I forgot how fun a bookstore can be, especially when it's just you and your really cute husband. <br />
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And that's a wrap! Happy October!!! It's pumpkin season (Jase makes a mean homemade pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream that I am seriously looking forward to...).Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-5684432106431469302012-09-02T08:19:00.000-07:002012-09-02T08:28:13.488-07:00Summer Highlights in Maryland<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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Here's what been happening with the Howell's since late June. This is going to be a marathon post (I'm really not kidding) since we've been busy, and since I am a bad at blogging regularly. I've been working on this post for a week now.<br />
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Starting with June:<br />
A few weeks after moving in to our new place my parents came to stay for a week and a half. It was absolutely wonderful to have them all to ourselves. We relaxed, played, went to lunch, went swimming, picked blueberries, and played at the park. The kids got to know my parents even more and fell even more in love. My mom took some awesome family pictures of us (see above, thank you Mom!). We celebrated the 4th of July with them and the Elliott's (my cousins) on my parents last night here and really enjoyed ourselves. We felt spoiled to have them come all the way out to Maryland. I can't find hardly any pictures of this trip (probably because we were having too much fun, and my Mom takes the pictures so I just get hers eventually). I stole this one off of Facebook, because it totally epitomizes my dad and his grand-kids. It's all about the playing. I couldn't find any of my Mom with the kids, and I swear I took one! Mom do you have that picture?<br />
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<img alt="" class="spotlight" height="286" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539737_4170801398337_1847107998_n.jpg" style="height: 372px; width: 520px;" width="400" /><br />
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The week before July 4th a pretty violent storm called a "derecho" blew through the area, causing a great deal of damage from high winds and lightning. We were one of the lucky few with electricity through the whole thing, so we felt very blessed to not have to worry about all the food in our freezer, etc. and to be able to keep cool. Because of the storm there were no fireworks on the 4th due to the fairgrounds being used as a cleanup home-base, but happily they were rescheduled for the next weekend. We set up a spot a ways from the fairgrounds with the Elliott's, and enjoyed watching fireworks with them. We've felt extremely blessed to be living in the same town as my cousins. We've been able to get to know them a lot better and it's been so nice feeling at home with them. <br />
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Mid-July we got a little homesick for Williamsburg and took a little road trip down to see off some of our best friends, the Wilkerson's, who left for new employment in Texas. We were able to spend the night at our other best friends empty (of people) apartment, the Taylor's, since they were still in Wisconsin completing an internship, so that was great and made sleeping arrangements much easier. We spent the evening and the next morning hanging out with our friends. It was so incredibly bitter-sweet to be there one last time with them. Jared and Jason graduated law school together, both went to the DR on their missions, and worked in the same Elder's quorum presidency. They got along great, and always seemed to be planning our couples Dominican Republic trip for 2014 together. I could say a million wonderful things about Stacy, because there really are that many wonderful things about her. I didn't really get to know her very much my first year in Williamsburg, but we both later felt regret about what we'd been missing! This woman is one of the most brilliant, loyal, and hard-working people I've ever met. She is an incredible friend. She is the kind of person who hears your kids are sick and shows up at your door with fresh coloring books and chicken noodle soup (this very thing has happened to me). She knows and loves each of her boys fiercely. She has incredible talents with children, and taught me so much about being active with my children's learning (she is also the most incredible nursery leader and teacher <i>ever</i>). We shared so many tears together through some pretty rough times and challenges, and I'm so grateful we had each other. Our kids were the best of friends, and I wish it could always be so. Her kids became like two little nephews to me, and I miss them dearly. Sadly I can't find a picture right now of Stacy or Jared!! But here's one picture, at least of the kids.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOpevOjWWXmhsTM3BzEiINYdZuhLpEJzdJkAiIB9VvRyKQVUNWe4yM7RayPH4J2s0kwxYnAlNGj5BNduuS7U8halPcdJQxh0acLv0yDo5QhSKpnT7qOubOnKTUsw973B7ulscoVYdzDhF/s1600/SDC10793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOpevOjWWXmhsTM3BzEiINYdZuhLpEJzdJkAiIB9VvRyKQVUNWe4yM7RayPH4J2s0kwxYnAlNGj5BNduuS7U8halPcdJQxh0acLv0yDo5QhSKpnT7qOubOnKTUsw973B7ulscoVYdzDhF/s320/SDC10793.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke, Rachel, Micah, and Alden playing on the bed</td></tr>
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After breakfast and goodbyes to the Wilkerson's, we headed to Busch Gardens for one last trip on our summer passes. We met up with more good friends, the Larsen's. We love Gordon, Amber, and their girls so much and it was especially fun for Sophie and Rachel to see each other (these two girls have come from not even crawling to being nearly 4 together). We rode a few rides together and caught up for a few hours and then the weather sadly got in the way. The rain literally came down in sheets and buckets for quite a long time. Alden took a nap while we waited things out and Rachel had fun playing in the warm rain. We were just glad I brought extra clothes for the kids, a towel, and ponchos (I thought it might rain)! We ended up calling it a day before we got to ride our two favorite rides, but decided that we'd come back to BG in a few years when the kids are older and can ride even more rides.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkS7w45EN8R9uFVYECmxgof4c1UljWxRuKB8UZHhj7SdZ4jhSpyrmAT5WPiqWB1A9Cm-H41jvTHCOgTB0TpaJ8tmOgbtmpsOCzDc8f5RSAtE8CcKX2We7TC1wfFL4T93cNe8p3yt1qQIB/s1600/SDC10814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkS7w45EN8R9uFVYECmxgof4c1UljWxRuKB8UZHhj7SdZ4jhSpyrmAT5WPiqWB1A9Cm-H41jvTHCOgTB0TpaJ8tmOgbtmpsOCzDc8f5RSAtE8CcKX2We7TC1wfFL4T93cNe8p3yt1qQIB/s320/SDC10814.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy and Rachel super soaked from the pouring rain. Loved it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEJMrKds4vZZ6v7EbP8zK1ctjxtgZSiKiHWB21Os__VGVqa74JA7EoWIoo-FlUnQprMulhUZl47XhMG7Z46gxmKPtqNLmPJ8Ld4d0xoN5H1DcZppSjitf9WQwHPOzWsHWdmHKrRG6a9rp/s1600/SDC10802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEJMrKds4vZZ6v7EbP8zK1ctjxtgZSiKiHWB21Os__VGVqa74JA7EoWIoo-FlUnQprMulhUZl47XhMG7Z46gxmKPtqNLmPJ8Ld4d0xoN5H1DcZppSjitf9WQwHPOzWsHWdmHKrRG6a9rp/s320/SDC10802.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the rain on a kiddie ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ydqzBdLHzP1EYZ3KyXrs6jTl8zm2ljd-rBFID3cLOe38JFFiDZ6DMeWkByM5aEGHZ0rBnbePOnift5MLtm6LJSdZ33Jy4P3GNYm5JBkpXkR6Sb274lVAQsiXaeg_VFxYP6tc1rJKjzKF/s1600/SDC10796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ydqzBdLHzP1EYZ3KyXrs6jTl8zm2ljd-rBFID3cLOe38JFFiDZ6DMeWkByM5aEGHZ0rBnbePOnift5MLtm6LJSdZ33Jy4P3GNYm5JBkpXkR6Sb274lVAQsiXaeg_VFxYP6tc1rJKjzKF/s320/SDC10796.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie and Rachel hanging out before going on the battering ram. </td></tr>
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We love Williamsburg so much, partly because of the wonderful town that it is, but mostly because of the wonderful friendships we made and the experiences we had there. Law school couldn't have gone better, and we know we made exactly the right choice to be there. Part of us wanted to stay somehow, but we know that with so many of our friends now or eventually moving on and away, Williamsburg for us would never be the same. We're so grateful for the time we had there. We think it will become one of our favorite "getaway" spots for weekend trips and such, and since we know it so well we'll still consider ourselves locals instead of tourists.<br />
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August brought my 25th birthday and Alden's 2nd birthday. Our birthdays are exactly a week apart, both on Mondays this year. For my birthday Jase and I bought an elliptical. I've wanted one for so long since I've needed the exercise and the elliptical is a lot easier on my creaky knees (I have joint narrowing and what sounds like a lovely "cracking" in my knees) than running on pavement or a treadmill. I absolutely love it. I also got new dishes, a great nonstick electric skillet (that makes much improved grilled cheese sandwiches over our stainless steel), clothes, and some money. Great birthday. For breakfast Alden and I made blue pancakes (we like to dye them a color for fun), played all morning, got lunch at Panera (one of my favorites), went swimming all afternoon, and picked up Jase from the metro and had dinner at Cafe Rio. Can you tell I don't really like to cook? Jason made my cake the day before and we had cake and ice cream after dinner (I always have yellow cake with chocolate frosting), I blew out my candles, and turned 25.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpA23b8lj4DLYUTOz2cViwhqnZ3Toa_sd-Fw1WPsPeCkcHRUx-lFfgQzILlyVuc5f63er9HCTx6hnPeOdoOLMYZlHQfL5qniJP65qkttnO57E1YXAKY29OfImf2jPtVnbcjmhzX440dDV/s1600/SDC10845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpA23b8lj4DLYUTOz2cViwhqnZ3Toa_sd-Fw1WPsPeCkcHRUx-lFfgQzILlyVuc5f63er9HCTx6hnPeOdoOLMYZlHQfL5qniJP65qkttnO57E1YXAKY29OfImf2jPtVnbcjmhzX440dDV/s320/SDC10845.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before church shot of my two babies and I. Alden looks happy to be sandwiched doesn't he? He always tells Rachie and I: "I love my girls."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjzPEFhPKusZVTc3OsaXDKJZwZ0iodEid-Bk9xj6p-TVQEahAh8Th5KFP9pqpJLxbYqd3F9VC-Y3RE1VFq2A0pGXLrYq4gHPDPrXOtEG7QEGHD6ddkUXF-1NNcHlGI8F79TtSFCvcQBA6/s1600/SDC10849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjzPEFhPKusZVTc3OsaXDKJZwZ0iodEid-Bk9xj6p-TVQEahAh8Th5KFP9pqpJLxbYqd3F9VC-Y3RE1VFq2A0pGXLrYq4gHPDPrXOtEG7QEGHD6ddkUXF-1NNcHlGI8F79TtSFCvcQBA6/s320/SDC10849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden helping me with my birthday breakfast.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqFlhV9aKuVXqgiQGpTHrmsrFHai-mJDAdoHMP5KvB-B4gNALyT4JaaCkjYz-6YjjH1QaK_KDZRnx4GMzGus3whHOD11tHTyC3ABfT6Ps_3mSNA4wKCN4pwrBj_k_74WoNDNEwkRFG8Rp/s1600/SDC10867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqFlhV9aKuVXqgiQGpTHrmsrFHai-mJDAdoHMP5KvB-B4gNALyT4JaaCkjYz-6YjjH1QaK_KDZRnx4GMzGus3whHOD11tHTyC3ABfT6Ps_3mSNA4wKCN4pwrBj_k_74WoNDNEwkRFG8Rp/s320/SDC10867.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jase lighting candles for my cake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girl and me on my 25th!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt7pB0HJzlUGkW-rTnbdwbq8K-jkfDPh0TObZkC10zSU3aFEcbtdUCpKh9w_eWsA_kvBFdBj1CJdFAzCT8kKrejcMdhel5v1VD9CUQq9s7H9olMffmC3vfyhcjqtHwrfIO0x6eJU6Mu10/s1600/SDC10869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt7pB0HJzlUGkW-rTnbdwbq8K-jkfDPh0TObZkC10zSU3aFEcbtdUCpKh9w_eWsA_kvBFdBj1CJdFAzCT8kKrejcMdhel5v1VD9CUQq9s7H9olMffmC3vfyhcjqtHwrfIO0x6eJU6Mu10/s320/SDC10869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cake on fire! </td></tr>
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We began Alden's birthday celebrations the Saturday before his birthday with a trip to the Smithsonian's Air and Space satellite museum in Chantilly. They hosted a "Super Saturday" all about helicopters, which I think I've noted before as one of Alden's biggest interests. The museum was great, full of tons of airplanes, helicopters, and space equipment, including the space shuttle Discovery. The best part was the chance to go outside and see several working and "in-use" helicopters. We talked to their pilots and crew, and the kids got to climb around, sit in the seats, and ask questions. They loved pretending to be helicopter pilots. On Monday (his real birthday) he woke up to lots of fun presents. He got a tool kit since he's always swiping Dad's tools, a construction worker dress up set complete with hat and vest, some rescue hot wheels vehicles (including a helicopter), the "little people" helicopter and airplane, his first Legos set, several new books, and a movie. I made him all his favorite foods, and mostly he just wanted to play with all his new toys. We had Joani and her girls over for dinner, cake, and ice cream for the evening. Alden requested a blue Buzz Lightyear cake, but since his Mama lacks in cake decorating creativity he got a very basic version of that (a blue cake with an action figure on top). We think he quite enjoyed his day, although he's apparently still not clear as to what it all meant since he will claim through tears that he's still "one, not two!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited to be sitting in a real helicopter pilot seat.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl1_dXLI-R2wMKHJa7tTN6X0eM0Wsi8RBZ881r9kOnIjGPe_FXKdW5DdyCB75eeM9rvBA-bwNylPHTA86P_oopEvShBBcAFcbfoGvka51QfHG8LiiH_uAk-JklXkRydVj-BsbMYJrpuI4/s1600/SDC10903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl1_dXLI-R2wMKHJa7tTN6X0eM0Wsi8RBZ881r9kOnIjGPe_FXKdW5DdyCB75eeM9rvBA-bwNylPHTA86P_oopEvShBBcAFcbfoGvka51QfHG8LiiH_uAk-JklXkRydVj-BsbMYJrpuI4/s320/SDC10903.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday morning presents after opening. We do the present opening in the morning before Daddy goes to work so the kids can play with their new things all day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special breakfast for a special boy--his current favorite: green pancakes, bacon, and orange juice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited for his blue Buzz Lightyear cake.</td></tr>
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The week after Alden's birthday was the Montgomery County Agricultural fair. It was awesome. I've never been to a fair close to this big. There were all kinds of farm animals, including many babies. We saw cows, ducks, sheep, goats, chickens, llamas, camels, and many more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids and I went with my friend Jaime and her two boys during the week. Here's the three of us riding the school bus from the free parking lot to the fair entrance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzxBSrbnpniTf4_TAUvzJzBTz03kXf4mJidksleywkZs3gP8t3NSYADZQpNP8WRtT8Z6EZET08ihzk1Jeb-L7P3D7pWHy3eHbPqo1s07qfmEfX1GK-EMPB3l6WdZX_N04Z8rKwujqpvCf/s1600/SDC10954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzxBSrbnpniTf4_TAUvzJzBTz03kXf4mJidksleywkZs3gP8t3NSYADZQpNP8WRtT8Z6EZET08ihzk1Jeb-L7P3D7pWHy3eHbPqo1s07qfmEfX1GK-EMPB3l6WdZX_N04Z8rKwujqpvCf/s320/SDC10954.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel having a chat with some dairy cows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHCk-UvKx9dB5DgmE3FNatkLeJgqww7m8p5f-gv5fQRa7LVCSN5DAv5UwCfx3JDgIeyq9PhTp-OsgmZk3Qfsgim5uZm52-1-iD__Ry8dzjRoRIOzSaKknU0hRIx6kfQm7DOarrk4Wuhgs/s1600/SDC10963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHCk-UvKx9dB5DgmE3FNatkLeJgqww7m8p5f-gv5fQRa7LVCSN5DAv5UwCfx3JDgIeyq9PhTp-OsgmZk3Qfsgim5uZm52-1-iD__Ry8dzjRoRIOzSaKknU0hRIx6kfQm7DOarrk4Wuhgs/s320/SDC10963.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden was terrified of the poultry house. Hundreds of clucking chickens are the stuff of nightmares.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTBUT9m40KKTcA9XRZSHucc6aPT2O9-mmNJfAtvtN44yFqCHouT6uJ5TwUY11dRDGqD8UZgIENPV3XPPOw_6Zw7mzAbWNZy0wAj-N36ioJ0zvy59iDU8QGEFME7GvbFYdP64ZaEz2lyVP/s1600/SDC10968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTBUT9m40KKTcA9XRZSHucc6aPT2O9-mmNJfAtvtN44yFqCHouT6uJ5TwUY11dRDGqD8UZgIENPV3XPPOw_6Zw7mzAbWNZy0wAj-N36ioJ0zvy59iDU8QGEFME7GvbFYdP64ZaEz2lyVP/s320/SDC10968.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden was totally tuckered out. Thank goodness Jaime had an umbrella stroller and Eli was awake. This kid is getting heavy. Jase went out and bought one for our next fair trip.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnLgTCXVkGac9tb3Z-Ni-XeSlkkEVzGiDUZwhStboRMXKIQgAoB2F4SHjFEj_FfKluaCQ0PeYAfLPnu1BfAWSS0LFMU_GZ1Cm8c5bKL4VioKbJznlQHWRJCnPaupQawwWvyUMdL2FhPcD/s1600/SDC10978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnLgTCXVkGac9tb3Z-Ni-XeSlkkEVzGiDUZwhStboRMXKIQgAoB2F4SHjFEj_FfKluaCQ0PeYAfLPnu1BfAWSS0LFMU_GZ1Cm8c5bKL4VioKbJznlQHWRJCnPaupQawwWvyUMdL2FhPcD/s320/SDC10978.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had so much fun going with our friends that we wanted to bring Daddy too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfI92x9CUR5Gh-7a6PDTleCm6mzegev8eU3ck_eKcpoB9sQ9DWO6DafdlEfcwvLD0Wo9CThvpcKmZtBlKzPPhuz6oG_dVLLyFsz9FbAH1kXU5yf9aYUXxg5Docxm5OtyZlTEVuDVdcg0U/s1600/SDC10983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfI92x9CUR5Gh-7a6PDTleCm6mzegev8eU3ck_eKcpoB9sQ9DWO6DafdlEfcwvLD0Wo9CThvpcKmZtBlKzPPhuz6oG_dVLLyFsz9FbAH1kXU5yf9aYUXxg5Docxm5OtyZlTEVuDVdcg0U/s320/SDC10983.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden having a chat with this Mama cow.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRqC5oRKFzLdeOS9CpqG0RSQvgr_vWKmWNAEX8Yt50SjrwvhZp-5R7-aQ0tl8xa64YDVjscN8Yx2A7Qyl42-RyAn9EJUJSxz0lbXRcYwCfRagobcPj_J5GfMTBbqiDMyQhjRMmWBZaJyf/s1600/SDC10989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRqC5oRKFzLdeOS9CpqG0RSQvgr_vWKmWNAEX8Yt50SjrwvhZp-5R7-aQ0tl8xa64YDVjscN8Yx2A7Qyl42-RyAn9EJUJSxz0lbXRcYwCfRagobcPj_J5GfMTBbqiDMyQhjRMmWBZaJyf/s320/SDC10989.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel trying on a fireman's coat. We explored many fire trucks.</td></tr>
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The next weekend we got to see Jason's sister, Ondalynn (the kids call her our tiny Onda). Onda had been in NYC for a week to look around and take some trial opera lessons from a Broadway instructor. Her friend Austin had been in NYC for the summer and they drove back to Arizona together, stopping at our house for the night and to play in the morning. We were sooo glad that stopped by!<br />
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The very next day some of our favorite people came to visit us. The Taylor family came up from Williamsburg for dinner and to stay the night and go to the temple the next morning. We got some Costco pizzas and I had a blast catching up with Keegan. The kids played like crazy and picked up right where they left off a few months ago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFWvS6Suwimuh6Z0MftW7y0OJru-IoJ1U2rCo6qZ6DNr68W8_stNWHqu_PrnXOKUk024NQTUyvzE8JTdIlftZ3aGPZ-4xartwdqnM7zguhS9OswtqZtb18B0chdrEpXSF0RuvG4CVkQOf/s1600/SDC11005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFWvS6Suwimuh6Z0MftW7y0OJru-IoJ1U2rCo6qZ6DNr68W8_stNWHqu_PrnXOKUk024NQTUyvzE8JTdIlftZ3aGPZ-4xartwdqnM7zguhS9OswtqZtb18B0chdrEpXSF0RuvG4CVkQOf/s320/SDC11005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZHHIjJAC7Kg_xAAXFLXoG7juciKb6Ki9Z4-V7oyyItcRDH0KTUrD0PmBZqYO4IFaSwe66dUBwDttdll33vqqdCuYnsUMviuQ76b7uQLkVciRxXW7O7Ea-Ph8Gh-Vu1Pu8fpDVboGBfM9/s1600/SDC11010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZHHIjJAC7Kg_xAAXFLXoG7juciKb6Ki9Z4-V7oyyItcRDH0KTUrD0PmBZqYO4IFaSwe66dUBwDttdll33vqqdCuYnsUMviuQ76b7uQLkVciRxXW7O7Ea-Ph8Gh-Vu1Pu8fpDVboGBfM9/s320/SDC11010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Other than the bigger events above, we've gone on a hike, gone swimming several times, shopped (the kids love Costco and call it the "snack store" since they have samples everywhere), played at the park, and got creative inside. The kids and I don't like this crazy heat, so we've been finding fun things to do indoors until fall hits. We've done lots of painting activities (birdhouses, pictures), played with play dough, made homemade bean bags, done fingerprinting, and lots of assorted art projects. We've built forts and sat in them while having popcorn with afternoon movies. We've put masking tape all over our carpet to make "little people cities," complete with parking lots and streets. We've sung at least one hundred thousand songs, read twelve hundred books, and gone to the mall to walk around and go to the library (our library is temporarily inside our local mall). We've had play dates with new friends, and even built a homemade volcano with them. Basically having two walking/talking/playing/learning kids absolutely rocks. I sleep all night and play all day, and even get a nap quite often!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5OTPs2d487DTZvjrwHzCDzBuUCPukTxGBPdGwR6bh29bULH5PKZyslHlrlsTtNkcIw-RNsWN2I1o4Axg6Epvhc9W0LpWHq0fWdqXF1K60hUs2M9zb26Hr-ctyphHr0XngbAy4T6ly_i8/s1600/SDC10758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5OTPs2d487DTZvjrwHzCDzBuUCPukTxGBPdGwR6bh29bULH5PKZyslHlrlsTtNkcIw-RNsWN2I1o4Axg6Epvhc9W0LpWHq0fWdqXF1K60hUs2M9zb26Hr-ctyphHr0XngbAy4T6ly_i8/s320/SDC10758.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our hike in Seneca Creek State Park.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HgV6olF1pYB4AiDv3rtoWhnLcpeiDGqlLCv5yw4HnZ41Cpdus0mUE69W2o8PqCP4VkVyGreyfsq4wrD75TdcnUjCnS_Le1HEDJsf649fiPpdEqSosFMFeKvytG8Rx6EdPL3iHPgIrdyJ/s1600/SDC10759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HgV6olF1pYB4AiDv3rtoWhnLcpeiDGqlLCv5yw4HnZ41Cpdus0mUE69W2o8PqCP4VkVyGreyfsq4wrD75TdcnUjCnS_Le1HEDJsf649fiPpdEqSosFMFeKvytG8Rx6EdPL3iHPgIrdyJ/s320/SDC10759.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silliness at the pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeypMoVbxCsRprO6pqsPxCjmpSZaBDew0ngF7wDkKqIVPhxFDFzTFOgotCz3XCfPZ8KvwR8qVV7yq1VyIPNg-GEHUhmi_8ZKsvHpcnsMyupcJo6T4WdF_1IAndY4Ed9OJWU6hYio-11fCU/s1600/SDC10776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeypMoVbxCsRprO6pqsPxCjmpSZaBDew0ngF7wDkKqIVPhxFDFzTFOgotCz3XCfPZ8KvwR8qVV7yq1VyIPNg-GEHUhmi_8ZKsvHpcnsMyupcJo6T4WdF_1IAndY4Ed9OJWU6hYio-11fCU/s320/SDC10776.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing our cutting skills! He's pretty good with his toddler scissors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHjXGAb8GFT6OyWa1V6bF_SdJWCV6HkdxEfy1IX7FPRPkJu_b5xh-OS0FbavU84LMlQ_o12kqY99wdtthJSwV2W_RPUm6ett31Q4R5rhTaJmNjKl-iN_qscjlcxwvbkKNQw3zE5GPorRp/s1600/SDC10782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHjXGAb8GFT6OyWa1V6bF_SdJWCV6HkdxEfy1IX7FPRPkJu_b5xh-OS0FbavU84LMlQ_o12kqY99wdtthJSwV2W_RPUm6ett31Q4R5rhTaJmNjKl-iN_qscjlcxwvbkKNQw3zE5GPorRp/s320/SDC10782.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out in one of our many blanket forts, complete with child-size lanterns.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2raaPXDQv6VDqNl1l108R65ct3gnkbSl2F-0hmGtcWkFcjsPuRweDrYx_nfiA4hfe2Pm4xoAIP0e1FI-AKVLA7wipfR5aSru0P83z3zkE6xVcRfwxYT5kKbGOdeZRYIhNSfpG8LrsNj9N/s1600/SDC10784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2raaPXDQv6VDqNl1l108R65ct3gnkbSl2F-0hmGtcWkFcjsPuRweDrYx_nfiA4hfe2Pm4xoAIP0e1FI-AKVLA7wipfR5aSru0P83z3zkE6xVcRfwxYT5kKbGOdeZRYIhNSfpG8LrsNj9N/s320/SDC10784.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another tent day with blankets and pillows for comfortable movie watching.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHji4XceKRaoQx6W4PzTovZ4fddusQyygVI215zuM6R-W53XMLZ4E45iXswXOisny7Fx-MCDINzHvGsX15OMakPEO80hXBrqErawoSm2I2C5UnG3e8hZV9oEskiVeZpCgpJV4NT0l4DnHH/s1600/SDC10834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHji4XceKRaoQx6W4PzTovZ4fddusQyygVI215zuM6R-W53XMLZ4E45iXswXOisny7Fx-MCDINzHvGsX15OMakPEO80hXBrqErawoSm2I2C5UnG3e8hZV9oEskiVeZpCgpJV4NT0l4DnHH/s320/SDC10834.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling bean bags.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masking tape cities and little people.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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A few random things about the kids I want to remember:<br />
--We're beginning to understand how much of a winter-girl our Rachel is. She can't stand the humid heat outside. When it started to get really hot, she would work up quite a sweat sitting in her car seat each time we hopped in the car. The first time she got so sweaty (we're talking dripping, even though the air conditioning was on full blast) she sounded so frustrated and grossed out when she asked me, "Mom, why am I all wet?" She is a self proclaimed "winter girl." Rachel asks me every couple of days, "Why is it taking so long for my birthday to get here?" and "How many more days until Christmas?" I think it may be rubbing off on Alden as well, since every night he's been requesting "The First Noel" and "Jingle Bells" as bedtime songs.<br />
--Both kids now know all the words and proudly sing Lee Greenwood's song "Proud to be an American" and I just love it every time. They know so many songs and love for me to turn the music up in the car and we all sing. Their favorites lately are Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby," Justin Beiber's "Baby" (Rachel can even nearly do the rap part...haha), Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale," American Tale's "Somewhere Out There" (they even separate the boy and girl parts, sing them appropriately, and do air guitar during the totally 90's electric guitar bridge), Robyn's "Show Me Love," and Christina Perri's "A Hundred Years." I play them lots of music at home and in the car and it's funny to see which one's they request over and over again. --They've started singing their own "theme songs." Whenever Alden does something cool (like put on his own shirt), he comes out and expects Rachel and I to sing his theme song. Alden's goes something like this: "Go Alden, go Alden, yeah, yeah, go Alden." He shakes his head from side to side while we sing it. We do the same for Rachel, but her theme song goes like this: "Yay for Rachie, cause Rachie's number 1, Hey!" I think this whole thing is hilarious. Basically it's always a party at our house.<br />
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In other news, lately Jase and I keep busy with our callings for church. Jason is the Ward Mission Leader and I'm back in Young Women's with the 16-17 year old's (I've been doing this for about 3 years now). Both have been challenging and demanding for us, but we've met so many wonderful people and are happy to help. I've grown so much since teaching YW classes, and I love being able to get out of the house one night a week to be with the girls and the other leaders for youth group. In other news, Jason has decided against taking the bar now that he's enjoying his PMF program and human resources experience. Taking the bar is a financial and time commitment he's not sure is worth it. He's getting so much training and is thinking that since the human resources field is growing and seems more versatile than the legal field that he'd rather pursue that. His legal education gave him a ton of valuable skills and knowledge for human resources, so we're still very happy he did it. We wouldn't have been in the position we are now if we hadn't come to William and Mary for the Law program and had the experiences he did.<br />
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I'll blog soon about our recent camping trip (which was a very interesting trip indeed). That's a wrap!<br />
<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-90677920360853913042012-08-26T11:58:00.002-07:002012-08-26T12:01:29.374-07:00Birthday Letter to Alden, age 2My dear Alden-boy,<br />
<br />
Happy birthday to you my golden-haired boy. You've made it all the way to two years old, and my goodness has it been one crazy beautiful ride. Today when I held your two-year-old, wiggly self to rock and sing to you before your nap, you snuggled into my chest and looked up at me not three inches from my face and through giddy giggles you told me you loved me, just like you always do. I told you I loved you back and I breathed every bit of you in and was reminded again of the day Dr. Isbell set you in my arms. I knew then as I know now that you are someone special.<br />
<br />
You love to love on people and to be loved on. Not an hour goes by that you don't have a hug to give. You have a gift for spreading excitement and helping people feel happy, welcomed, and comfortable. You have a gift for being a good friend. The other day I watched as you confidently waltzed up to several people you didn't know to introduce yourself. You smiled at them and said, "Hi! My name is Alden. What's your name?" You are one of the most complimentary two-year-old's I've ever met (it should also be noted that you are also one of the most verbal two-year-old's I've ever met!). You are always quick to tell me that I look pretty, or to tell your Daddy that you like his nice shoes or tie, or that you like Rachie's hair. Not too many boys notice all the things you notice (even grown up ones), so keep that up. You are deeply kind, and if there was any trait I would wish for you to have most, that would be it.<br />
<br />
Remember always that your family loves you. You really hit the jackpot with having a Father you can admire and strive to be like, and he talks daily about how we are so lucky to have you in our family. Your Mama is deeply in love with every bit of you and tries very hard to help you understand your goodness. Your Rachel thanks Heavenly Father every night for you because she is so grateful to have you as her best friend and co-conspirator. Your Grandpas and Grandmas love your contagious smile and your jabber-box ways. Your aunts and uncles and cousins love your jokes and antics. And we all love your extra special squeeze-style hugs.<br />
<br />
Thanks for being my boy. Eat and sleep a little more this year, okay? We'll make the two's terrific.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Your Mama<br />
<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-86764009424977238232012-06-17T17:56:00.000-07:002012-06-17T18:00:13.654-07:00Father's Day and The Big Move to MarylandHappy Father's Day to two especially wonderful men in my life: my own father and my husband. I love Mother's and Father's days to honor and remember the wonderful men and women in our lives. I want to take a few minutes and write down a few thoughts about the men in my life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Daddy with baby Rachel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Daddy with baby Alden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family picture in front of the law school.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy with his two babies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Diploma.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRkLSnCBDCzE1p4Iw6nR-TrFfa9a-8lboIatNKjYVnycvdOTtGgbGI45xdAnoSTU3DDBaMuSF0pPSMwGSe2D6xD3Y1dgSUf1ad-tjbxCF0Mk7-PBhsb1cx3GvKw6OusRdnXJe8Ov8gPw/s1600/100_3197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRkLSnCBDCzE1p4Iw6nR-TrFfa9a-8lboIatNKjYVnycvdOTtGgbGI45xdAnoSTU3DDBaMuSF0pPSMwGSe2D6xD3Y1dgSUf1ad-tjbxCF0Mk7-PBhsb1cx3GvKw6OusRdnXJe8Ov8gPw/s320/100_3197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jase coming off the stage after receiving his diploma. Hallelujah!</td></tr>
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Let it be known that Jason is a stellar Father. He <i>really</i> loves his babies. When I met and decided to marry Jase, I really didn't know much about his kid-abilities. I also don't think he did either. Being the second oldest, and a full ten years old when his youngest brother (number six) was born, Jase had lots of experience being around and helping care for younger kids. Still, I'll never forget the look on Jason's face when we did a little babysitting service for the neighboring ward (LDS congregation) in Provo just a few months after we were married. There were about 6 toddlers (all 18 months-3 years old) to watch for about an hour and a half while their mothers attended a Relief Society activity. I started to prepare the snack and the kids' activity and get a few toys out and Jase sat down in front of the kids. They looked at him, and he looked at them, and then he looked at me and asked, "so <i>what</i> do I do with them?" A few weeks later we were sitting in church and a little boy in front of us turned around, pointed at Jase, and furrowed his eyebrows. He then turned to his Mom and said, "Who's THAT guy?" Jase took all this to mean kids thought he was weird, but mostly I think Jase had simply forgotten how to really interact with little kids after not doing it for so long (it had been years since he'd lived at home). I figured things would come along when we had our own, and he did not disappoint. Jason fiercely loves our kids. They know it and feel that from him. From day one he was willing to rock and burp babies (he's actually better at soothing babies than I am sometimes), change diapers, sing silly songs, and read books one hundred times in a row. To my children, Daddy is rough and tough play-time Daddy (Alden reported to me yesterday that he loves his Daddy because "he tackles me"); Daddy is a snuggle Daddy (both kids love their Daddy's lap for movies, books, songs, and sometimes just for a good long hug); Daddy is a book-reading Daddy (both kids expect book-time with Dad, since he is an eager reader and they love them some lap time). Whenever we pick Jase up (from school, the metro, etc.) Rachel always spots him as he's walking up to the car and says, "There's our cute guy! Look at him! There's our favorite guy!" I'm so grateful for a husband who knows what it really means to be a Father and who not only takes that calling and role seriously, but loves and enjoys it as well. I failed to blog about graduation and all of the amazingness that is Jason, so I'll include a few pictures here of that event. He not only graduated in the top third of his law class from The College of William and Mary, but he did it while being a stellar father to two babies and a supportive and caring husband to me. We entered law school with a seventh month old and left with two toddlers (now that's crazy!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad with brand new baby Rachel, January 2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad with Alden, October 2010</td></tr>
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Now for my own Dad, Grandpa Ducks (Rachel gave him this name a few years ago since we always ended up feeding Ducks with him when they or we visited and it just stuck). My Dad is an incredible father. Today in Sunday School the teacher asked us to think about what our fathers taught us or impressions our father's made on us, maybe even just two big things we learned from them. I immediately thought of two very important things. First, my Dad taught me incredible loyalty. He has always (and I know will always) be my Mom's #1 fan, support, and friend; no matter what. He has made it abundantly clear through words and actions that he loves her more than his own life and anything else he could ever have. He never was one to take much time for himself, because he'd far rather spend his time at home with our family. He is incredibly loyal to my family. Second, my Dad taught me to love scriptures. While I was in high school I attended LDS Seminary, beginning at 6 AM before high school each day. My Dad commuted into Washington D.C. at the time and drove me to seminary every morning on his way to work. Every morning around 5:30 he would pour his breakfast cereal and sit down at the table with his scriptures. I saw him reading all kinds of books in the scriptures. I expected to see him reading things like the Book of Mormon, but I saw him deep into obscure books of the Bible (at least obscure to me at that age...can you imagine my surprise at such things as a 15 year old at 5:30 AM?). My Dad loved God enough to make sure he read something from Him everyday, even if it was at an early hour. I've never doubted my Dad's testimony or love for God, Christ, or the gospel. I'm so thankful for such a kind man as my father. He is a wonderful person, Father, and Grandfather (my kids are absolutely giddy that he and my Mom will be here in one week!).<br />
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Next, a general update. We made the big three hour move up to Maryland, and it truly is a different world up here. I no longer feel like I'm in the friendly "South," but rather in this big sprawling city-world that is D.C. To tell the real truth, I miss Williamsburg a lot. First of all, Maryland is expensive. Home prices, rent, food, gas, insurances, and pretty much every single thing a person could think of is more expensive. Luckily our pockets are somewhat deeper than they've ever been (it wouldn't take much to make them deeper seeing as how we've been students all of our marriage), but the expenses are significantly more expensive as well. Second, Maryland is a nanny-state. It is clear from the way the state itself runs things that they expect most people to be dishonest and unable to take care of or handle themselves. This annoys me and also results in higher taxes, ridiculous taxes, and higher fees. Third, Maryland drivers and traffic is just ridiculous. I'm half tempted to call the local police department and ask whether it is even required by law to use a turning signal. Just the other day I was sitting in a three-lane left turn waiting for the arrow and when I looked around me, Jase and I counted all ten cars to have no turn signal on (we were the only other car there, turn-signalling away...silly us). I've seen two people cut other people off and flip the bird while they sped past us. I just feel a little unsafe on the road these days, and if you know me, you know that is really really scary to me.<br />
Plus I just miss what is comfortable and familiar. I think anyone who moves feels this way for a little while until you get your bearings, know your way around, and make some good friends.<br />
BUT...now for some pros...<br />
I love our apartment. It's about 300 square feet bigger than our last place and it is beautiful. Brand new carpet, crown molding and chair rail, fresh paint, a beautiful kitchen sink, and a full size dishwasher and a full size washer and dryer all to my little self (I've never had a full size either of these--and for a few years nothing at all; and I've managed to bring two babies to toddler-hood this way!). My cleaning/home maintenance time has drastically been reduced by having these conveniences and I love it. This excitement may sound silly to some, but I just might appreciate them more since I haven't seen them in so long (I'll tell myself this was a good reason to not have such luxuries these past 4 1/2 years).<br />
I have met some really nice people from church. I haven't had a ton of time to get to know them yet with moving in and getting acclimated, but I have no doubts things will be just fine. There will be friends for my children and friends for me here. I am also ecstatic to have my wonderful cousin and her family living just 15 minutes away as well, so that's very comforting to have family and friends nearby.<br />
There is a Trader Joes less than one mile from my house. Milk is a whole dollar cheaper per gallon there than anywhere else. I love Trader Joes for many reasons, and I'm so glad it's my closest grocery store.<br />
Our ward is very diverse. I love this because it provides us with new perspectives and insights and opportunities to serve and learn from people different than us. Looking around in Relief Society and hearing the women comment, I am convinced at least half are non-native English speakers (some are Latinas and Spanish speakers, and many are French speakers, I think of African descent, and possibly Haitian). Hopefully I'll be able to brush up on some Spanish (our kids are like sponges lately, and eagerly learn Spanish) and maybe learn a little French as well.<br />
So, there are many great things about Maryland, and generally about every place we could live. Growing up in a military family gave me the perspective that you just accept wherever you are and make it your home. You dive in, get to know the place and the people, make yourself useful to others and try to serve other people, and enjoy it. Even if it's not ideal for whatever reason, I've found if I search for the good in it then I'll learn what I'm supposed to learn here.<br />
Transitions can be hard (it's been really hard on the kids mostly, since they miss their friends and their beloved "blue house") but they lead to more flexible people. And when you know something was the right move, or the right decision, or the right home, or the right place, you can trust that it will all be okay and that there may be an even bigger plan for you than the one you had for yourself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sneak peak at the kiddos room (it's starting to come together). We're going with a vintage ABC's theme.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6q-kXsXPEDV4IJlRBq-clPKuVfRt3x1SliaJ-Em6DMM6_mTgR4TCSjfvp49JAolbhZBToV-_6GoMV-lW781qbbk7ZoqaxP8FeaIMvhngdZhGSBrmh4dTvJXiuglFAV-pd2hyXTclP1s/s1600/SDC10736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6q-kXsXPEDV4IJlRBq-clPKuVfRt3x1SliaJ-Em6DMM6_mTgR4TCSjfvp49JAolbhZBToV-_6GoMV-lW781qbbk7ZoqaxP8FeaIMvhngdZhGSBrmh4dTvJXiuglFAV-pd2hyXTclP1s/s320/SDC10736.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These pictures are from a children's book of fingerplays my Grandma gave me. It was just sitting in a box not getting used (since I know all these fingerplays) so I removed the staples and folded the pages over. I ended up with 6 colored pages of vintage art straight from the '60s AND my Grandma is now a part of my children's room. Every time I look at these pictures while rocking my babies I think of her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WL32zXFDBblilV0IqKtUM8iOsPYreIIAmySXf-zW02a09TwQBp65rAtYumEtIqOSEnAvRGAaI-Chrqo9gp-OztjY-C6nIzBfiFPuXM6-ChvdvTLngQXmkMkKKFC-8vWUCIiaU1o9Ntk/s1600/SDC10734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WL32zXFDBblilV0IqKtUM8iOsPYreIIAmySXf-zW02a09TwQBp65rAtYumEtIqOSEnAvRGAaI-Chrqo9gp-OztjY-C6nIzBfiFPuXM6-ChvdvTLngQXmkMkKKFC-8vWUCIiaU1o9Ntk/s320/SDC10734.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a little "tea" party with Mr. Monkey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_waaxS7ABlcBpZ4oYBFAZVjA8mP_AVtwQs8492gQ9Ai8k0GqKzUSFlEwnKTJmJqvmTV5-TN1MGHwr1l45Hw-_BRXHM-oeTcc7aipJ5n816DvG8HjCD9JTs_90Ry9PvUz1hXh4-QEw1Q0/s1600/SDC10733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_waaxS7ABlcBpZ4oYBFAZVjA8mP_AVtwQs8492gQ9Ai8k0GqKzUSFlEwnKTJmJqvmTV5-TN1MGHwr1l45Hw-_BRXHM-oeTcc7aipJ5n816DvG8HjCD9JTs_90Ry9PvUz1hXh4-QEw1Q0/s320/SDC10733.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing some painting lately!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwaYZ9wQtj6bUnC_mXXW1pbjDYSDCountQHJ6UXC_pkR5xLC07THaP8OJK0HA-ZFYb0QqyT9mhCxFRxFsDT4kxSl_7FDeansEQaGmZf2_QCGnIJvGDVw74VqqeClv_sXEYbDmlC21G94/s1600/SDC10731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwaYZ9wQtj6bUnC_mXXW1pbjDYSDCountQHJ6UXC_pkR5xLC07THaP8OJK0HA-ZFYb0QqyT9mhCxFRxFsDT4kxSl_7FDeansEQaGmZf2_QCGnIJvGDVw74VqqeClv_sXEYbDmlC21G94/s320/SDC10731.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loves to paint!</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-88248175223659447322012-05-25T19:26:00.000-07:002012-05-25T19:26:17.234-07:00Figuring Things OutI have had so much on my mind over the past few days worrying about my Alden-boy. This will be a terribly long post, but writing it out is helping me sort through everything. Little man has had a bit of trouble falling asleep the past few days. I posted on Facebook to get solicited advice about ways other people have dealt with too-young babies climbing out of cribs, and I got a lot of feedback. I was overwhelmed by how many different ways there are to do things. Some people subscribe to cry-it-out methods and others are firmly against it. Everyone has such different ways of doing things, and I'm friends with all of these wonderful mothers! The reason for this is of course, that all people are different; family dynamics are different, schedules are different, mothers and fathers are different, and probably most of all, children are different.<br />
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What I'm learning especially right now is that children in the same family can be very different. This is the first time it's hit me hard that the ways I had of doing things (discipline, bedtime routines) with Rachel may need to be very different and individual for Alden. Kids simply have different needs and different insecurities, and it's my job as their mother to read them, understand them, and treat them accordingly. I think in the past I've applied too much of what I learned from Rachel to Alden, assuming he would respond the same way. I don't have a clue why I thought I could do this, because I've always known he was so different from her. His babyhood was completely different, his temperament was different, and he had much different challenges than her. He also had a different mother, in a way; I've grown up and changed just as much as Rachel and Alden have.<br />
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When Rachel was born I was a bit more clueless and less confident, and luckily God sent me a baby who easily nursed and accepted the "cry-it-out" (sort of) method around 9 months old (I had read no books about it, this was just what worked with her after trying some different things). With her it was very simply done over a period of about three nights, and ever since she's had a pretty consistent and comfortable sleep schedule and routine with hardly any crying. Obviously we've made adjustments as she's aged or had illnesses, and I've become really good at reading her sleep needs. <b>She</b> has also become really good at reading her own needs, and rarely fights me on napping or going to sleep, because she understands how good sleep makes her feel. She was taught from a young age how to fall asleep by herself when the time was appropriate, and I don't regret doing what we did with her. She's a total champ and has been so flexible with us and with Alden through all of his sleep problems. She's always been a flexible person, able to read herself and others and go with the flow. She is perceptive and deeply kind, and I'm so grateful for these wonderful traits in her. I think she came to us with many of those traits, but perhaps some of it was because she had such a grappling, imperfect, young mother trying desperately to figure out how to take care of her. She also got a little brother when she herself was just a baby and lost (in my mind sometimes) a little too much of her babyhood too quickly. She had to be flexible! She also gained a best friend to boss around all the time, much to her liking; and there is no one who loves that boy more than her, so I guess it's a trade off. It always is.<br />
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This is what I believe about sleep, in general, for all people. Sleep makes a huge difference in the way we live our lives. I was flabbergasted to get 36 comments, mostly within one hour of my initial post. Even this fact shows how important this issue is to us, especially to parents (who made up a large body of those posting). Whether or not you sleep can literally change who you are; how you feel, how you think, what you think about, and thus what you do and how you act. I think especially for small growing bodies, appropriately timed and quality sleep makes a huge difference in behavior, security, happiness, mental activity, energy, and physical health. I have found that for my kids, their ideal times to fall asleep are 7 for Alden and 8 for Rachel. They will forever wake up at 6 am, but that's okay since they are each getting 11 and 10 hours of sleep each night (exactly the amount they need). They also both take a nap from about 1-3 every day (this is largely why Rachel goes to bed a little later--the nap is still needed and worth it for her).<br />
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Even for me, understanding sleep and getting enough sleep makes a drastic difference in my life. During my especially sleep-deprived days and months after Alden was born, I began to get very chronically sick. I would have these strange "flares" where my lower joints would be swell and become extremely painful, especially my knees and hips. My family history is heavy in autoimmune disorders and these symptoms were beginning to look interesting, so I went to my doctor and eventually a rheumatologist. They found actual joint narrowing in both of my 23 year old (at the time) knees, and blood work came back with results looking an awful lot like someone with an autoimmune disease. My symptoms were never bad enough (and they come and go) for me to be willing to take steroids or pain medication other than good ol' prescription dose Ibuprofen, so my specialist and I parted ways to meet again someday if (and maybe when) things get worse. The interesting thing is that these symptoms gradually went away the more sleep I got as Alden got healthier and slept better. Autoimmune disorders (especially flares) are triggered by things like having a baby, a lack of sleep, or incredible stress: three things my life was full of for that year. Two babies under two, very little sleep, even sometimes not sleeping for more than an hour in a row while rocking my ear-infection stricken baby all night, and then caring for my attention starved toddler all day. All that stress and in turn lack of sleep set me up for sickness and depression. Basically, sleep is key, even for me. And if an adult needs it, growing children need more of it.<br />
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So for our game plan. Ultimately, the source of Alden's problems is what we feel we must focus on, rather than just focusing on his getting out of bed and simply putting him back in the way we were doing (which was just frustrating for us both). I think he's deeply insecure about the move, and I think being in the hotel has affected both Alden and Rachel a lot more than we before thought. What I realized is that even though our bedtime routine was
consistent and no different than it ever has been, our daytime routines
(outside of the kids consistent nap) have been all over the place with
Dad home, no Joy School, living in a hotel, and not having our regular
play dates and errands. Plus the kids keep hearing us talk about this impending "move" that they don't understand. I think it's made them uncertain and unconsciously stressed out (this is hard for me to realize, because I feel like we've done everything we can to help them feel loved and cared for, and there is nothing we can do about living in a hotel or moving). As free-spirited happy as Rachel is even through all of this, there have been more meltdowns than normal, and even a few nights of bed-wetting (something she's never done in her year since potty-training). So for the next several weeks of transition (from the hotel to the new house), we've decided to take it really easy on both of them. Sometimes you have to take a hard line (no hitting or biting), and sometimes you have to give a little, especially when you know they are having a hard time. Rachel still has no problems falling asleep, but we've decided she'll be falling asleep on the couch and moved to her bed in the kid's room later in the evening (thank goodness for her flexibility!). This will keep her sleep time early enough for her and she won't have to wait for Alden to fall asleep in order to get in bed.<br />
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As for Alden, after his regular bedtime routine, I will be holding him and singing to him (this is what he's most relaxed by, reading seems to stimulate him) in the dark until he gets sleepy enough to put in his bed. Cry-it-out worked for Alden as a younger baby (around one year old), but that was a time when we had addressed his insecurities and we were in a different place and time. I plan on adjusting the time I spend with Alden as he gets more comfortable with the new place and we get set in a more consistent routine. I can't spend an hour and a half singing to him every night when I have another little girl who needs me too, but I can eventually spend a full half hour singing and helping him relax. I'm realizing he just needs that extra alone time with Mama since he really hardly ever gets that. Basically we just have to start bedtime routines earlier so he can be asleep at the latest by 8 for now, and move that time earlier as he falls asleep faster. If we continue to have problems with him getting out of bed because of freedom, we may have to move him to a toddler bed so he can get back in bed on his own, and make the room his "crib" essentially. At that point we will have addressed his reasons for insecurity and he'll be back to his routines and in his own home.<br />
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I think that's enough for tonight! :)<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-8996527547315512962012-05-23T11:05:00.002-07:002012-05-23T11:05:15.894-07:00Bedtime Craziness and Thoughts on the Young ManAlden has now officially learned how to get in and out of his port-a-crib (his only sleep option at the moment). The way he does it is just hilarious to me. He backs up a little ways to get a running start and then takes off into a jump-cling move akin to Spider-man on the side of the crib, with his hands gripping the top edge and his little toes digging into the mesh side wall. In one more fluid motion he is head first into the crib and flips over with a giggle. Getting out used to be a little harder (no running start) but he's now mastered hoisting one of his little legs up over the edge and throwing the rest of his body out while hanging on with his hands. Because he now has more control over being in bed, he doesn't really want to be there much. Last night Jase had to drag him back to bed every minute or two for about an hour and a half, and finally just sat in there and stared at the wall until the kids fell asleep (I was at my last mutual night at the time...poor Jase looked like he might tear his hair out when I got home). This also means the kids haven't been going to sleep until about 9 for the last few nights, leading to 5 am wake-ups and grumpy babies. Today for his nap Alden kept getting out again so Jase went in there and did the same thing as the night before-sat there and ignored him, except to "shush" him if he said anything. It only took him ten minutes to fall asleep; I guess he knew with Dad in there he wasn't going to get out. Hopefully after we move, Alden will be stuck in his real crib, but if he can climb out...a crib tent? Sheesh! Not a once did Rachel ever do this so much, even when we transitioned her to a toddler bed when she turned 2. Every kid is a new experience I guess.<br />
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I am learning just how incredibly mischievous my little guy is. He used to be so shy and observant, afraid of being involved in too much, and now that he's nearly two he is all about pushing buttons and diving into his bed head first. Luckily, he is still really, really sweet and all about melting his girls' hearts. It only takes flashing that devilish grin and chattering on about everything he loves about us. I sure love him back, and maybe all his crazy antics lately are just one more reason to add to my growing list of reasons why Alden is a hard but worth-it kid. I sometimes have no idea how to teach/discipline him. He giggles through almost every time out (he gets a one minute time-out with his face in the corner and his hands held to his sides for aggressive/mean behavior). He cannot be made to feel bad about, well, anything (I'm throwing food? Sure, take it away Mom, I didn't want it anyways!). Today while trying to put him down for his nap, and just before putting him back in bed for the fifteenth time I spanked him--a less than proud moment for me. I had already taken away his favorite blanket and sock monkey, and he had sauntered out to hand me his stuffed Tigger as well, because well, why not give me that too? Now, I've never been one to spank my kids. After I did it He. Seriously. Raised. His. Eyebrows. and gave me a look that said, "Really? That's all you've got left?" It was totally aggravating how pointless that swat was (also meaning I realize how ineffective and better-left-unused it was). I'm sure he's just testing us right now to see what we'll follow through on and what he can get away with. Even still, I really love his personality. He is happy-go-lucky and silly but also very kind and thoughtful. He is the first to help clean up anything, he gives the best squeezes and wet kisses, and he's always asking me, "How doin' Mama?" In answer to that, I'm doing good my Alden-boy. I guess you can be a little ornery because you are nearly two. But I'm just happy you're mine.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-28950907218236167872012-05-21T18:38:00.000-07:002012-05-22T06:42:05.517-07:00More Picture Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The babies enjoying our hotel room. There was hardly anything in the kitchen cabinets below, so I pulled out what was in there since the kids loved the space. Rachel started calling it her "hide out" from the "bad guys," which Alden has converted into "hide-guys." He always wants to play in his "hide-guys" spot. I'm thinking about reserving a lower cabinet in our new kitchen as a little hide out for the kids to play in. Below, Alden is playing hide-and-seek. He really doesn't get the game, and picks the most obvious places to hide. He thinks if he crouches in a corner and can't see anyone, no one must be able to see him. Cute boy.<br />
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Here's the babies with their beloved statue. This statue stands in front of the law school, and Rachie's loved it from day one. It wasn't long before we'd pull up and she'd say from the back, "Hi John Marshall, Hi George Wythe" (pronounced by Rachie: George Wiff). Alden thinks they are pretty great as well.<br />
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Here's Rachel with one of her best buddies, Caleb at the JRCLS send-off cookout to celebrate the end of the year and say goodbye to the 3L's. These little ones have been playing together since they first learned to crawl. The picture below Rachel and Caleb is of Alden and our friend Luke playing on the park manager's truck/cart. They spent a ton of time during the cookout imagining they were driving together on this thing.<br />
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Alden loves to relax with his arms behind his head and I think he's just cute. <br />
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From our most recent Busch Gardens trip. Loving on Elmo.<br />
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Petting a Clydesdale with Daddy.<br />
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Alden giddy as can be after getting absolutely soaked on the log flume ride. Jase literally rung out Alden's shirt afterwards and we had to strip him down up top and put on his jacket to warm him up.<br />
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Rachie scored big at the pet show. Busch Gardens has a 57 year old parrot named Stevie who actually does math. He can solve any math problem with an answer less than 10 as long as it's a simple two number combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. We prepped Rachel a little and picked the math problem 2 x 3. She went up on stage like a champ and told Stevie her problem. He actually said "uh-oh" to her (he laughs for addition and subtraction because they are easier for him), but then solved it just fine. Smart little parrot.<br />
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These last three pictures are from the last week of Joy School. Here are five of the six kids performing a few of their favorite songs.<br />
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I taught the last day of school. We did a little recap of activities from throughout the year, so we took a nature walk to play at the park behind the hotel.<br />
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Here's all six kids with their graduation hats. So glad we got to know all these cute kids and their families a bit more. We'll miss them.<br />
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<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-31913101866572127842012-05-21T17:38:00.001-07:002012-05-21T17:41:05.739-07:00Pictures<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725284104360153282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLB9CdzxNwBkCEmiAcd90dJB845jlKd7lqInmk6V6lUvE3Iv7dTaYSvra0CrZohsqBLrqjnIXOTZCluYks-KXRHjjkY2fbz46VJfqTOuyE7WaFcoNdAFIkA6v7hZ4afUQdsFRxTEIV__s/s320/SDC10363.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> <span style="color: black;">A few pictures of things we've done in the last few months. Above and below--a trip to the Norfolk Zoo over spring break in early March. It was cold and not many of the animals were out, but the kids had a ton of fun, we got some exercise, and we got to see a baby monkey on the back of his Mama for quite a while. The monkeys were indoors and hugely interactive through the glass with the kids.</span><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725284091723569826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT_npe5Pb9_pjvfTUHYsII6rVukfIvm0MIRpXDiIU42WXyl1gOi-1UWPzYj0nXsTvt9LbyJTOFeRKH7aN1qzXOMwB0E5tFShCmti2BtyzW8meYbEdhzwJHsg2rhocWT8dUSUl2e1V5ud1/s320/SDC10361.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><span style="color: black;">Below are pictures of little miss. First is from our trip to the Chesapeake Bay over spring break while Jason's Dad and Step mom were in town. Rachel found herself a little ladybug to take care of for awhile.</span></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725284085039905682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25Tg3cjEaXLLt4uIhAxmQxhqMrExKv3c_WtD1PgmIkS7KhXKfXNK8F_cutMjtePISFdHzLNFDXzUJxfz7G1YL8joTvpPJobDhyphenhyphenb7dgUCY2w8FdhokUvqdPGzTDEvC8B5_nSN7c6EpAlTQ/s320/SDC10355.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesGtAuBXZqoQSMu-U0eDLsy2rMaipAFsQdawwOJeYyHu1NVfBqvqSMHNQVRk_lU8sYohiJ0cQvK7C7npWbgVv3XmJvkBtgHrcqeuHVpTxprvp4CaD9OjCT24sdMWhijK7aDoxhEgxG8aR/s1600/SDC10330.JPG"></a><br />
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I think the below picture is so cute. Alden loves watching Jason shave and so Jase often lets him "practice" with a comb or something else. He wants so much to be like his Daddy. Alden also has recently become obsessed with Jason's leather wallet, always taking out the cards, etc. He kept finding it no matter where Jase put it, so we bought Alden his own little cheap leather wallet. He feels so grown up with his little Martin's grocery card in there, tucked in his back pocket just like Daddy.</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725281754518475810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu85LQMeH2A2q7eZdt4-qLKv9GIIHsk3VvX69eJt4i1ez5BYl6C-gKf2TZOGV-tptFH_tKdgz1touftZkwz2Oi0ZMi5ouJCbgh_RSy18e-mY8yvjRiV-ILksGkFov01wI8tdu_bIyx09EI/s320/SDC10313.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" />A picture of Jase on his 28th birthday. We had his favorite cake--German chocolate with coconut pecan frosting. He says he feels much older than before, being "almost 30." Jase thinks it's crazy that he can remember when his own Dad turned 30, so it's crazy to him that he's closer to being there. For his birthday we went to bowl as a family. The kids had a blast and looked so cute in their little bowling shoes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUl0c9mXvuI_1IyXVCyvsox4f3t0SHpU5bYhHEsWgT4Nwwc8LxY87N6djNvSmS-pPf2T53J2KLSXU2hVQ0Ur5Ogxhfs70henXye7d9ChFRQCMBgQXMC-h0t-qRzyFECGOtqIjnjWto9aA/s1600/SDC10304.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725281750170794626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUl0c9mXvuI_1IyXVCyvsox4f3t0SHpU5bYhHEsWgT4Nwwc8LxY87N6djNvSmS-pPf2T53J2KLSXU2hVQ0Ur5Ogxhfs70henXye7d9ChFRQCMBgQXMC-h0t-qRzyFECGOtqIjnjWto9aA/s320/SDC10304.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725281740686997890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYv3u8t08WSUjtRLw1oYAAWT4JgSYH8mGDgBLnQIw04svPtu5DbKo__L7E0Cxh6DBOYPiiG3FldjFLRLOw4HzwH6bhhKaXvoIGNItgXqvqyCSGcY6UGOCZepNMU-rcvFZQdZaYh7-2stgP/s320/SDC10295.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />I don't know if I had before said anything about Rachel taking ballet lessons, but she had a blast with them for the last few months. The local community center had a great deal with a wonderful teacher, Miss Tessa. Miss Tessa is an undergrad nursing student and dancer who just loves to teach. The class had about 5-10 little girls in it each week, for just about a half hour. Rachel learned a few things about ballet, but I think mostly just had fun dancing, listening to and getting to know Miss Tessa, and learning to make new friends. The first day we went to class Rachel was so nervous because she didn't know anyone there. We talked about how you make new friends and how it's important to say hi and smile and help other people not to feel nervous, and then you forget that you are nervous yourself. We talked about how to ask other people questions about themselves and listen and learn and be a friend. She timidly walked up to a cute little girl who also was there for her first time and found she really liked her. When we left she said she was glad to have some ballet friends but that she liked her "real" friends better (she was referring to the friend group she's had since she was a baby), which made me laugh. We talked about how they are all "real," but some we know better than others. It was a fun experience for her, and I think she loved ballet. <br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725281737052115778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgkO9h3dJozrUHPjE0AfVsZ_2e9dZvKjfE_5Ngf9Bijy9X8-bcphYjp0UGC22-OjK2vCMlmFWCO2cMaG9xulwV9sMhrHb0umGG7lUhJdMBP12AAquNTnUTrkYpccRVf7WqznSjprim4Cj/s320/SDC10278.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" />Here's Alden-boy reading his most favorite book, "Trains" by Byron Barton.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuPcAHoWdBjWz7G0dBvdr-l_s1odwUFThhBsdTmlBctmIGtOEaNadFD6pA1GL4QglJ3cCaNIC_QzYNNt3X8GJemjAiOUMUd8zrLCkvYkWESIY-HgvEAOBVMObBnihIS_cdmRe3DRBd3BF/s1600/SDC10329.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725281769518092786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuPcAHoWdBjWz7G0dBvdr-l_s1odwUFThhBsdTmlBctmIGtOEaNadFD6pA1GL4QglJ3cCaNIC_QzYNNt3X8GJemjAiOUMUd8zrLCkvYkWESIY-HgvEAOBVMObBnihIS_cdmRe3DRBd3BF/s320/SDC10329.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
More to come...Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-7265122490017293192012-05-21T12:47:00.000-07:002012-05-21T12:47:14.722-07:00The Final SemesterSince my last post exactly two months ago, we've had so much happen that needs to be recorded. I'll do my best to get it all down.<br />
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When I last wrote, Jason was at the PMF job fair in Washington D.C. Later that week, the kids and I drove up to meet him in D.C. and take him to one last interview downtown. The kids and I saw the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, just down the road from the HHS building where Jase had his interview. Alden was especially in awe of the hanging airplanes and Rachel loved the space tech stuff. Alden was a little disappointed when we couldn't find helicopters anywhere, but after talking with their info-desk, we found out those are housed in another center in Chantilly, Virginia (who knew?). Apparently this place has all of the coolest "big stuff" that is too big to house in downtown D.C. They even have the space shuttle Discovery there! We're planning a visit for Alden's birthday, as they happen to have a special "Super Saturday" featuring helicopters on August 11th (his birthday is the 13th). I can't wait to see his face.<br />
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As for how the job search turned out, Jase accepted an offer to work for the FDA in their Department of Human Resources as a Human Resources Specialist. He's thrilled about the job (not only relieved to have one, but happy with the people he'll be working with and the type of work he'll be doing). There is plenty of promotional potential and they really seemed to want him there. He'll do a great job. We originally thought he'd be working at the FDA campus in White Oak, MD, but recently realized that his office is actually housed in Bethesda. Good thing we signed a rental lease to live in Gaithersburg, just 20 minutes by metro! We did some home searching in Maryland and found a great little condo for a good price, and close to the metro. We'll be able to save our money by staying in a two bedroom for another two years, and stick with one car for awhile as well. The benefits of savings just outweigh the conveniences of space and another car. We'll be safe and comfortable, and have enough for our needs and a few wants, and be able to beef up our savings. We're very happy with our plan. We also realize how blessed we are to have a job in this market, and are feeling very grateful for the way we were led to be at this school, at this time, making these decisions, and getting this job in the D.C. area. It's not my ideal area, nor would I have picked it first (I do not consider myself much of a city girl), but we cannot deny how important it was that we came to William and Mary, met the people we have, and had the experiences we've had, because we can see how all that led us to the job and location we are moving to now.<br />
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We had a little bit of a small crisis happen in our apartment towards the end of April. Essentially, our kitchen area was flooded by the upstairs condo's malfunctioning dishwasher. Water came pouring in from the light fixtures (imagine my shock!) and heavily damaged the ceiling, cabinetry, and flooring. The next day brought workers tearing apart our kitchen and a quick packing job. Luckily we have displacement coverage in our rental insurance, and after some awesome negotiating by Jason we secured a two-bedroom suite in a local hotel. We've been here at the Residence Inn now for almost a month. The adjustment was a bit hard for the kids, being without all of their regular things, beds, blankets, and toys, but we've tried to make things comfortable and now I think they are doing fine. The hotel has a hot breakfast that I don't have to cook every morning, and I can get my sheets and towels cleaned by someone else. Originally we thought we'd be back in our apartment by now, but the only thing that's changed about the place is that the ceiling has been refinished. The living/dining area is still full of kitchen appliances, and the kitchen is still bare and empty. The house is largely packed up though, since we're not using anything there, so that's actually been surprisingly convenient.<br />
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Jason's law school graduation was a week ago, on the 13th.. It was a perfect weekend for it, and we enjoyed having Jason's mom Elizabeth here to celebrate with us. I'm so proud of Jase for all he has done. He's worked hard to put himself financially through two degrees, worked hard to find a job and then received a prestigious fellowship, and finished in the top third of his class academically. And he did all that while helping me raise our family. He's the first of his family tree to earn a graduate level degree, and I'm so proud of him.<br />
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Rachel had her own little "graduation" of sorts as well for completing her first year of Joy School. It was a fun experience for both of us. She misses spending time with her friends, and I think it will be hard for her for a bit since many of her friends are moving, and we'll be moving in about a week. Luckily she still has her Alden to boss around (I mean...keep her company?). We heard from our new Bishop and Elders Quorum President in our new ward that there is a very large Primary program, so I'm sure she'll find and make many new friends quickly. She's very outgoing and kind, so I don't think she'll have any problem with it. We've loved having such good friends at such a young age for our children, and I think probably have had a very lucky and unique experience. Rachel has been playmates with a few of her friends since she was just crawling at 9 months old, and grown to experience all those milestones through preschool with them. I'm so grateful to have all these memories and to have so many children in my life. I love Rachel's little friends as though they were my little nieces and nephews and it hurts to leave them all, knowing they'll grow up and probably not remember us very well or at all. But we're on to new adventures and new experiences. The D.C. area holds so many opportunities and things to do, and I think Rachel will really enjoy it.<br />
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As for me, I've been busy taking care of these little ones, packing up the apartment, and preparing for our move. Over the last few months with having more time on my hands during nap time and after bed time I've been missing structured learning/being in school. For awhile I got on a bit of kick to go back and get an associates of nursing and become an RN, but realized how much time that would take out of the my daytime. Ideally earning something at night would be better for now. Unfortunately, nursing degrees are (understandably) hands on and built around a very rigid schedule and cohort. Basically that means that I feel I should wait until all my children (including future ones) are in schools of their own. It's been a personal decision for me that I just can't bear to leave the babies with anyone else. The other day I was researching other educational options and bumped into BYU's Independent Study online program. You can take online courses of various disciplines. There are a few free courses that look interesting, but I found two courses for around $500 each that I'm really excited to take. Jase and I decided they'd be good investments for me to continue learning, even if it's just one course a year that's not contributing to any sort of degree (I already have a Bachelor's degree). My first pick is a World Geography course, built around learning about the different countries and their relationships. The syllabus sounded fascinating and the professor seems really interesting and insightful. I never had the chance to take any history or geography courses at BYU since I took the humanities and social sciences routes for general education (of which I was very happy with) and I'm really excited to get to know more about the world and current issues in different parts of the world. The beauty of these courses is that you pay for them and purchase texts, etc. as if you were going to class, but you complete the lessons, assignments, and quizzes at your own pace whenever you like. You have up to a year to finish each course for credit. As much as I told myself I could do self directed learning, I haven't been very good at it and need some structure and direction, and I feel like professors do actually offer some great insights and ways of thinking that I couldn't necessarily come by on my own. Anyways, I may be taking a World Geography course in the fall, and have started taking a free personal finance course online for the summer. Jase thinks that after the bar (he'll take the Maryland Bar in February) maybe he'll start taking a course here and there and we can study together and be perpetual part time students learning all sorts of things (I guess we're both nerds!?).<br />
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Since the end of school and graduation we've filled our days with packing and prepping for the move. We decided to do a few "stay-cation" things during our last few weeks in Williamsburg, so we went to Busch Gardens on Friday. We all had a perfect day. Both kids can ride the log flume with us, and Alden got so giddy on that ride (it's kind of like Splash Mountain at the end). They met Elmo again, gave him lots of hugs, and Rachel got to ride on a real roller coaster. We're going to try to go another two times before we have to leave (Rachel got a free summer preschool pass and Jase and I got the "pay for a day, play all summer" passes). <br />
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And I think that brings us up to date. I'd like to think I'll get better about blogging, but who knows. I'm feeling pretty good about just recording some of the basic things I know I'll forget if I don't write them down. I suppose I really ought to post a few pictures as well, since I promised that months ago and still haven't done it. Maybe with this super-fast hotel internet it won't take blogger so long! <br />
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<br />Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-14246886560223039732012-03-21T09:54:00.002-07:002012-03-21T11:49:51.152-07:00Things I Want to RememberThe last two months have been a dearth of blog posts, so I'll spend this one catching up a bit. This might be a marathon post, but it's for my future self to read, so I don't really care. I'll post pictures later when I have access to the other computer. I wanted to mostly write down the funny things the kids have been saying lately so I'll remember them. A few things about/by each of them:<br /><br />- Whenever Rachel or Alden gets messy while eating, Rachie always remarks, "That's like Cookie Monster. I bet Cookie Monster drives his mama crazy!" I think she hears me say (sometimes quite a bit), "you two are driving me crazy!" I almost always say this while laughing, but I think Rachel sees it as a funny remark of mine that lets her know I'm not happy with how messy the house has become due to toys dragged everywhere without being picked up or when food gets all over the place during a meal.<br /><br />- When Rachel was in the car the other day she was heavily lamenting the fact that she is still in a car seat (a five point) and not a booster seat like some of her friends. I told her that she had to be at least four years old to sit in a booster seat (and if she fits, I may keep her in a five point for longer). She sighed and said very sadly, "I'm so tired of being three, Mom." Rachel is constantly talking about what things will be like when she gets older (this little three year old cannot wait to be a mom herself and get married and do all the things I'm doing right now) and I can't help but wish she would just enjoy being a child. I think this may be common for oldest children, as it's how I know I felt as a child and especially a teenager. I couldn't wait to get to the next stage or milestone...couldn't wait to drive a car, go to college, and be a grownup. I did all those things and never looked back, and thus I suppose worried a bit more about my life from a younger age. At the same time, having a mindset like that made me incredibly responsible and ready for adult life at a young age. I married at 20 and had Rachel at 21, so perhaps I needed to mature early to be ready for big life changes like those. I just see a lot of myself in her in these areas and I make a point to talk about how much fun we're having doing "kid" things. Rachel is no stranger to "living it up in the moment" either, so I'm sure she's fine. She just notices how much fun it can be to be a big kid, or an adult, and obviously can't yet understand the responsibilities that come with it.<br /><br />- Rachel and Alden are honestly the best of friends, which makes having them so close together so worth it. They play better together than apart most of the time, and are always making up games and playing their own versions of "Blue's Clues" or "Dora" (the two shows I let them watch regularly). Their current favorite spot to sit and chat is on the little carpet next to the front door, which is apparently, "The Elevator." Rachel is constantly quizzing Alden and teaching him. She always asks him, "what's this?," even when she knows what it is, just because he will answer. If he doesn't know, she will teach him what it is. Their conversations are adorable. She'll repeat the word a few times and tell him how to say it. Because she does this, he already knows how to count to ten, and knows hundreds of words I wouldn't have expected him to know. He can speak in sentences, asking me politely, "Peas, I want to wear the geen shurt" (Please, I want to wear the green shirt). Rachel is a great teacher and a best friend to Alden, and makes it very clear in her best dramatic ways that she cannot wait for him to go to preschool with her, go to ballet with her, and all the other things he doesn't get to do yet.<br /><br />- Alden is currently obsessed with helicopters. I have no clue what it is about them that makes him so in love, but he cannot get enough. We read the same two books over and over again, every single night and nap time (he also really likes "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" when he can persuade me to read him three). One is "Airplanes" and the other is called "Trains," both by Byron Barton. I will probably have to renew these from the library as many times as possible, and then recheck them out until I can purchase them. The airplanes book has a page about helicopters. Every night while I'm singing to him after his books are read and the lights are out he looks up at me and asks so sweetly, "I wide he-wa-cop-ker to-mo-woah?" (I ride helicopter tomorrow?). He is so serious and so desperate every time, and I always respond with, "someday baby boy." He has no idea how big a thing it would be to actually ride a helicopter, and it's just cute how much faith he has everyday that tomorrow will be the big day.<br /><br />- Alden has learned so many songs lately, and can do the actions as well. He knows: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Popcorn Popping," "The Wise Man," "Flying on an Airplane," "Once there was a Snowman," and "Choo Choo Choo," (which is his and Rachel's favorite song in the whole world, requested separately by each of them every single night, without fail). I'm sure there are more, but those are the current favorites.<br /><br />- Today I fed the kids "Cars" chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I had no idea what a hit it would be. Alden was hilarious, and kept smacking his lips and saying, "mmm....," and mumbling, "dis is licious!" (This is delicious!)<br /><br />As for a general update of the past two months, Jason turned 28 and kept up with his thousands of deadlines for school. We also had a fun visit from Jason's dad and step-mom for a weekend a few weeks ago. We went out to eat at our favorite local restaurant, "Anna's Brick Oven," and attempted to go see a museum down in Hampton (Ft. Monroe), but never did find it. Instead we saw the Chesapeake Bay and even got to see a cargo ship go past us pretty close.<br /><br />As for the job search, Jase became a Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist, which means he is a candidate for a job with the federal government in their PMF program. It's kind of a fast-track program for grad students to get into the upper reaches of the federal government. He is at their job fair this week, and has very high hopes for some wonderful job opportunities. We'll hopefully have an idea of where we'll be moving and what he'll be doing with his career by the end of this or next week. I'm thrilled at the prospect of simply having a plan for the next few years. This entire law school journey has been filled with a lot of confusion and questions for us as far as what Jason's career path might be, and where we ought to live. Looking back, we really can see how each experience has prepared Jason to be a PMF, and there is no way we could have gotten these jobs earlier; he was right on time. All our discouragement and worry about not having a job along the way really was for nothing. We've realized we never should have doubted things would work out the way they should, and we are more grateful than ever for the experiences we've had. We've learned so much about faith and putting our trust in God. Things really do turn out in the end when you have faith and you give your best efforts. As I'm saying this, we don't have any job offers yet, but I really believe something will happen and we'll be just fine.<br /><br />As for me, I'm really really enjoying motherhood (finally!). It's not that I don't love infants, because I do, for about a month. I read an article by another blogger/mother who talked about how she has a theory that it's okay for mothers to love different stages of their children and struggle with others. Some mama talents are better for suited for different children's stages--some mamas love their pregnancies, some are great with newborns, some enjoy busy toddlers, some are better suited for grade school age children, some are wonderful parents to teenagers, and some know just how to be a parent to adult children. Some parents are good with many of these stages, and struggle with just one or two. Understanding this idea has been good for me, since I always thought I had to love them all to be a good mother.<br /><br />I for one, absolutely love the first four weeks of heaven-sent baby freshness. I love the way newborns cry (that's strange to many mamas) and the way they root when they are hungry and they way their eyes peek open when they are waking up. After about month, exhaustion sets in for me. This was especially true with my second since I couldn't sleep when Alden was sleeping since Rachel needed me. Having two tiny ones under two was a huge challenge. I barely slept for 9 months, struggled with postpartum depression, and basically just put one foot in front of the other to keep both babies fed, clean, and as happy as possible. I can't say that I loved every minute of it, or even most of it. But since Alden turned about one and began sleeping through the night consistently (and as of late is napping exactly when Rachel is), I <span style="font-weight: bold;">love love love</span> being a mama. Toddlers are my forte. Maybe I'll have more fortes too though. I have a blast keeping them busy, doing activities with them, baking with them, taking them on long walks, exploring the beach, listening to sounds outside, and a million other little things that they find fascinating, new, and exciting. Watching them enjoy simple things has got to be one of my favorite feelings. They are thrilled over seeing our seeds become sprouts. They shriek with giddiness when they play with my parent's dogs (and constantly wish for one to call their own). They jump up and down with excitement over rain, snow, or a sunny day. Sure they throw some incredible tantrums, but here's the thing, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I can handle these calmly</span>. A screaming infant for hours on end might put me into a sobbing, blubbering mess, but these toddlers, I feel like I've got it.I can speak to them and reason with them. I get the sense that something deep in me understands how to teach the right-now-Rachel and Alden to be kind and good and brave and obedient and creative. They seem receptive to how I teach and I seem to be able to read their feelings and their needs for explanation. Sure, there are definitely still times where I just don't know what to say or how to teach something, but somehow I always feel confident I can figure it out. Back when Alden was screaming for hours on end with no apparent end in sight or reason, I felt completely lost and confused, with no way out or help to figure it out. Eventually things calmed down, but I've realized that the difference between then and now was my confidence in my ability to figure things out. Next time around maybe it will be different. I'll have a different baby and even more experience. But then again, maybe I'll just push through and love having that toddler too. It's okay and I'm okay.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-77258418787509158932012-01-10T12:19:00.000-08:002012-01-12T18:45:31.469-08:00Rachel's 3rd Birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz80MTB1YikrYwGT-KvR-1MTFZeRwpQYOJ4aA8Ay6mlJFfrUzuKh2ivFsbCj8Icp88dmPReXBKMhYmkO2nYcxhDfOWdafe8ausNtw0Dj2nEuU-XTYn-BWZ5mFjipr_PHwHfTL-LHqkZaCo/s1600/SDC10247.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz80MTB1YikrYwGT-KvR-1MTFZeRwpQYOJ4aA8Ay6mlJFfrUzuKh2ivFsbCj8Icp88dmPReXBKMhYmkO2nYcxhDfOWdafe8ausNtw0Dj2nEuU-XTYn-BWZ5mFjipr_PHwHfTL-LHqkZaCo/s320/SDC10247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696180145434093954" border="0" /></a><br />Today is big girl's 3rd birthday and I am completely filled with emotion about it. Gratitude for how blessed I've been to be her Mama, pride for who she has become, excitement for all that lies ahead, and even a little sadness at it having gone so quickly. Even after three years, it's still so hard for me to wrap my mind and memory around how it all happened.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhxXQrDrMlvQpjKLSHGYTvGIGz3yiM1KlysQazml5DnRyJ215c3iZbGhF4V6g18seru_-l09CuoRN4QhqmSFCYu445ksAidZWCKaVcWJnJuMvHZcQCdl6pc1tPvjpYQ9GEvHzc5wEKeDA/s1600/SDC10251.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhxXQrDrMlvQpjKLSHGYTvGIGz3yiM1KlysQazml5DnRyJ215c3iZbGhF4V6g18seru_-l09CuoRN4QhqmSFCYu445ksAidZWCKaVcWJnJuMvHZcQCdl6pc1tPvjpYQ9GEvHzc5wEKeDA/s320/SDC10251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696180148631861810" border="0" /></a></div>I looked at Rach today. I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> looked at her. Sometimes in the rush of the day when everything's a mess and we're running late and the table still has breakfast all over it I forget to look at her and see her for who she really is. She is growing into a little lady. She is beautiful and deeply kind. She loves her home and our family and her "yitta boy" Alden more than anything. Oh how good it is to be a mother. Especially <span style="font-style: italic;">her</span> mother.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">(with most of her birthday loot, since two of the things we ordered for her got here during Joy School today)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzIJIDJZ-4PevniR6qmF9WNbP95HL6S5qLg0wMjWQJC1Ix163v84frfXuph3nqO52iR05vAZAOufEN-reqVSqHKjoC_dheVyNk52mRw2-5jB4yZmqO8eAcLJ3WeH_3HEKZiFGgX1z8BuQ/s1600/SDC10253.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzIJIDJZ-4PevniR6qmF9WNbP95HL6S5qLg0wMjWQJC1Ix163v84frfXuph3nqO52iR05vAZAOufEN-reqVSqHKjoC_dheVyNk52mRw2-5jB4yZmqO8eAcLJ3WeH_3HEKZiFGgX1z8BuQ/s320/SDC10253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696180129568053026" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ajaHGPx7g6K5t9ZHBWn5fBFE4w-BHylraRzFBdvG6TRAMogAR_tVhzKlpsjjIXzSPIj4Vex4KxVSkdgjxgKgGlSN9ArpOpAM61FPEmCdPHZHKFhPPdMJx2NIWm4VGal7zMqijnHe-1Sy/s1600/SDC10259.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ajaHGPx7g6K5t9ZHBWn5fBFE4w-BHylraRzFBdvG6TRAMogAR_tVhzKlpsjjIXzSPIj4Vex4KxVSkdgjxgKgGlSN9ArpOpAM61FPEmCdPHZHKFhPPdMJx2NIWm4VGal7zMqijnHe-1Sy/s320/SDC10259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696180121715233538" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(eating her birthday dinner, sans one hair bow--"hot dogs cooked over a fire on a stick, with root beer please"--Rachie request)<br /></div><br />A birthday letter for my girl.<br /><br />My dear Rachie Nicole,<br /><br />I am so proud of you always, but want you to know it especially on your big day. Later on in your life you probably won't remember anything about your life up until this, your third year. But I will. And I hope when you read my letters to you, you can see what I see in you, even when you doubt yourself.<br /><br />You are good. You are so kind. You are truly funny. You have the gift of empathy and compassion for others. In your completely genuine eyes, you see all people as simply people, no matter their faults or mistakes or differences. You are a friend to all you meet, and when you say, "It's nice to meet you!", I really think you mean it. You are honest and quick to give compliments to others. You are incredibly polite and are always saying please and thank you.<br /><br />You were brought home to a little tiny garage apartment with nothing but a tupperware bin of clothes and a portable crib, and yet you filled that home with love beyond anything I ever imagined and helped me grow into myself. I've learned more, loved more, and lived more since you were born, and I'm so grateful to be your mother. You are a blessing to your Daddy, me, your "yitta boy" Alden, your grandmas and grandpas, your many aunts and uncles, your little cousin, and all your many friends.<br /><br />I love you so much my girl.<br /><br />Your MamaMelissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-42364903667004244772012-01-07T17:24:00.000-08:002012-01-12T18:40:33.799-08:00One Last Long (And Wonderful) Vacation Part 1Jason and I have been students for our entire 4 years of marriage. One really great thing about being a student is that you get regular, long breaks between certain semesters. At William and Mary, it gets even better since you get about three weeks off in a row at Christmastime (Jason got 4 off this time because he finished his finals early). Coming up on our last semester of school, we had one last long break before we embark on this new journey called "The Real World." We thought we'd take advantage, so we bought tickets to Arizona to visit our families in Tucson and Phoenix.<br /><br />We spent the first week or so in Tucson with my parents and brothers and sister, and the next in Phoenix with Jason's mom and siblings. The whole trip was a blast and the kids did great. Due to not having hardly ANY pictures from our trip to Tucson I will have to save my family for the next post. My mom is a professional photographer (check out her website <a href="http://heathermagnussonphotography.com/">here</a>...I created the logo and my kids are on her opening page) and takes great candid shots of my kids and the whole family, so I just let her do her thing and end up with much better pictures of all the fun when I get them from her (they're in the mail).<br /><br />To record the rest of the trip, here we go.<br /><br />So we left on the 17th, early in the AM. The kids were huge troopers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6_7PCrfdz5jvKL_F7_oa7iMKSiZLZPoUWlmzaqUzMCXg4ZpC7KQXIl0BgGZkMjcXRL-PfaVSQtS1TQFqjfud7qgEY4Gs5YOO25zo_1GsfvfzQCaGP0tTuG_kzqOms2-v-QScwv1GRlSv/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6_7PCrfdz5jvKL_F7_oa7iMKSiZLZPoUWlmzaqUzMCXg4ZpC7KQXIl0BgGZkMjcXRL-PfaVSQtS1TQFqjfud7qgEY4Gs5YOO25zo_1GsfvfzQCaGP0tTuG_kzqOms2-v-QScwv1GRlSv/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696928239572291250" border="0" /></a> No big incidents to really report, especially since the last time I took the kids on the plane I looked like I got in a food fight when I met my parents in the airport, and cried several times just simply because the babies were so bored/tired/livid with me. Keep in mind that I braved a full scale across the country trip BY MYSELF with 2 children under 3.<br /><br />During this trip we did in fact see Jake Pavelka (ABC's the Bachelor, fame obsessed jerk of a star) in the Atlanta airport train car. We are certain it was him, plus he is a pilot for Southwest I think. I was kind of sad that the first "famous" (or "infamous") person I ever was to come across was him. He was a lot smaller and less good-looking than he was on TV.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5CdFFX86Dxv-w3aj0G6AbjmbhMSdBl2DBrEqv7H-LKOhyS3ZDgPrPSmWzTZ73LTzBlBIbzrpG-M9vK0ItVsP6O5U45C1RfYeaNu1EKi9IElwGGFsMlNUVn-gzwPRn6thwdzyDEjvn0xN/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5CdFFX86Dxv-w3aj0G6AbjmbhMSdBl2DBrEqv7H-LKOhyS3ZDgPrPSmWzTZ73LTzBlBIbzrpG-M9vK0ItVsP6O5U45C1RfYeaNu1EKi9IElwGGFsMlNUVn-gzwPRn6thwdzyDEjvn0xN/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696928232167750722" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsG6P7-vkRdzxgGbjx0id6nWCT1RYdDhZaVBTZ-A3rTAwMGgtQemNojjiaUI_txAP3hwmlEzPjebvJbjgvJoyWKHhmc2yLRVRk617A_dMFv0CkhwhhMjwZrWDP5pz0RdH9fyxwHRVY2j/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsG6P7-vkRdzxgGbjx0id6nWCT1RYdDhZaVBTZ-A3rTAwMGgtQemNojjiaUI_txAP3hwmlEzPjebvJbjgvJoyWKHhmc2yLRVRk617A_dMFv0CkhwhhMjwZrWDP5pz0RdH9fyxwHRVY2j/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696928252206496450" border="0" /></a>Anyways, we made it to Phoenix where my parents picked us up. I'll post about our week there later.<br /><br />But we will continue with the rest of the trip, starting with the day after Christmas when we came up to Jason's mom's house in Gilbert. We walked in and were greeted by several of Jason's siblings and Jason's mom, and we all got to meet baby Noah for the first time. He is 5 months old and our very first nephew. The day was spent opening Christmas presents, eating a Christmas dinner, and just catching up. The rest of the week, we went on many walks to the park around the corner (it was beautiful weather the whole time--60's and 70's, breezy), watched lots of movies, played with toys, fed uncle Davy's dog Moose lots of treats (Moose is aptly named, as he is a huge great dane/german shepherd mix), played games, fed the ducks, and did puzzles. We also went to the movies and saw "The Muppets," which Rachie loved and Alden loved 1/2 of. Movies and 16 month olds aren't best friends.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BUF_RkmDG6I1lcoHsTTH2FYnARk37tyYcWZt11l5x8PV75Y_bRkgDbx4lNoNYvPe-7Bp2f6xqfatLIKdAKniiqH2ZSIHmxKid1em49R4wKnhLlTyNMkyj1ZjYl80R0nwIEaDHn0qAwxW/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BUF_RkmDG6I1lcoHsTTH2FYnARk37tyYcWZt11l5x8PV75Y_bRkgDbx4lNoNYvPe-7Bp2f6xqfatLIKdAKniiqH2ZSIHmxKid1em49R4wKnhLlTyNMkyj1ZjYl80R0nwIEaDHn0qAwxW/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696929842376265762" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidULMJngEn5ym9MrsviQwhLQtTGQjljja67acaTXjoz5Dti4WtKKzyrFy7P4-urZ68GSM6OgZFWpHnJNqf_f5o75p0Okfs13HgkJqvtSFepDW90PVOQ704A6cls9SEdlSP07EjWFd4sTQm/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidULMJngEn5ym9MrsviQwhLQtTGQjljja67acaTXjoz5Dti4WtKKzyrFy7P4-urZ68GSM6OgZFWpHnJNqf_f5o75p0Okfs13HgkJqvtSFepDW90PVOQ704A6cls9SEdlSP07EjWFd4sTQm/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696929830896091426" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNjZPFp6M5N-7xye86hD4FQPM2TV5o7nh810GpKRkQN7072UTQ4ZaY3cQUXbeEbsZ7cg8Y1ObphQEa5rZTWReEixibeFf9AZdWEdRASEUwrfs-ZPdeJyfde_fN8gLs3q6aKnBLQI4OkAN/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNjZPFp6M5N-7xye86hD4FQPM2TV5o7nh810GpKRkQN7072UTQ4ZaY3cQUXbeEbsZ7cg8Y1ObphQEa5rZTWReEixibeFf9AZdWEdRASEUwrfs-ZPdeJyfde_fN8gLs3q6aKnBLQI4OkAN/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696929823023883954" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Feeding ducks at the riparian preserve)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR26A5h06IHI2Fr7yNcgUK9ptJqS_9uqJHS5gLB5vOOKT5QdqcqnThGu1PD6r8bHJtFqoIb8BnDxECOXIHdA8wS7OgY9YNWI-ccXxrSud4ClJdlmGpybtEwpOXD4SlDoHAIehFay1em-B_/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR26A5h06IHI2Fr7yNcgUK9ptJqS_9uqJHS5gLB5vOOKT5QdqcqnThGu1PD6r8bHJtFqoIb8BnDxECOXIHdA8wS7OgY9YNWI-ccXxrSud4ClJdlmGpybtEwpOXD4SlDoHAIehFay1em-B_/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696929812795758290" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Almost 3!)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNargJkkMDk6j6adM-u2M48-Ml9wzioU26UNvtcvocg08Y0e4xuk5hCxdX5NX89nNDeKyJ0sxwSp2jCpqoys5KX29l_EPibhCxlD_ZIuj1zlHm0Erq7NryvdQH9GFiGhgfkaKpqXhZkcxH/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNargJkkMDk6j6adM-u2M48-Ml9wzioU26UNvtcvocg08Y0e4xuk5hCxdX5NX89nNDeKyJ0sxwSp2jCpqoys5KX29l_EPibhCxlD_ZIuj1zlHm0Erq7NryvdQH9GFiGhgfkaKpqXhZkcxH/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696929808999401346" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(With Grandma Howell, eating birthday cake)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ORayqn1ik2Cq_YBD34bjwKHWqc53me1nuEVm4y4ep83J4KAMok_paXiblKFpq0n0eIB7V3_mz0SgZTM4rDaauNcvL8bMrCOpXqOzYXPLzskLubDHmNTe33gmiEdoVxbZvt2Nnl2SvQVR/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ORayqn1ik2Cq_YBD34bjwKHWqc53me1nuEVm4y4ep83J4KAMok_paXiblKFpq0n0eIB7V3_mz0SgZTM4rDaauNcvL8bMrCOpXqOzYXPLzskLubDHmNTe33gmiEdoVxbZvt2Nnl2SvQVR/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696928255935726210" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Skateboarding with Uncle Seth)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qY6Sf-NLGakSzRcTKc19fR_nAsfK-Vx9u7dRGwDfGi5zJkswRV5uGUnorClTspdcHEGvgggoue86usZBzIZks2X_dT0DHVDWJTdit-Yif-D5_oApSDB24JgMIARHr71TXJw1jjjAzO5R/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qY6Sf-NLGakSzRcTKc19fR_nAsfK-Vx9u7dRGwDfGi5zJkswRV5uGUnorClTspdcHEGvgggoue86usZBzIZks2X_dT0DHVDWJTdit-Yif-D5_oApSDB24JgMIARHr71TXJw1jjjAzO5R/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696928266958315266" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Feeding baby Noah with Uncle Davy)<br /></div><br />Over the weekend we celebrated New Years Eve by lighting sparklers and throwing poppers all over the driveway with the kids (it was just our family and Elizabeth since everyone else was off partying) and then falling asleep early. I have a habit of doing this...New Years just isn't the same when you know your kid is going to wake up ready for the day at 5 am because of the time difference. Later that week we had quite the dance off in the dark, complete with glow sticks and taped with a video camera. We split into teams of girls vs. boys, and the boys danced to "YMCA" while the girls did "Firework." It's a good thing it was all in the dark, or it would have been terribly embarrassing. The same night we celebrated Rachie's birthday (a week from that date) with a purple cake, and ate way too many hot wings after the kids went to bed. I had a blast being with all my in-law adult siblings. It's so much fun when you're all grown up and can stay up forever laughing and telling stories. I have been adopted into a truly hilarious and awesome family. I love love love being a Howell.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrg9vJO2xPcTQ0vJ8HFkoFsPOCyeIIcHpeIKmNNZhDwMctCXSVepaiwVqSxgYt0b0ByxZJiGZKIhS0rAjYJfcsQ07SPXQcrygYdCQqohMit6ZCOn-GepMWXgJ4kj3Yrt0K7-jsstLiJW0/s1600/Dec2011_Jan2012+013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrg9vJO2xPcTQ0vJ8HFkoFsPOCyeIIcHpeIKmNNZhDwMctCXSVepaiwVqSxgYt0b0ByxZJiGZKIhS0rAjYJfcsQ07SPXQcrygYdCQqohMit6ZCOn-GepMWXgJ4kj3Yrt0K7-jsstLiJW0/s320/Dec2011_Jan2012+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696933084921554594" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Married 4 years!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">One special day was Wednesday the 28th; Jason and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We got to have an overnight date to celebrate down in Tucson, but we still wanted to have the evening out so Elizabeth took care of the kids for us and we went off to visit the Mesa temple, where we were married. My cousin was going through the temple for the first time, so we joined in the session. It was great to see everyone and sit with my Grandma and my Aunt Pennie for a bit inside. After the temple we went to Fuddruckers. It was a fun night, and really nice to be in the place where we were sealed forever. I can't describe how happy it makes me to be sealed to my man. More info<a href="http://lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples?lang=eng"> here </a>and <a href="http://lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples/what-happens-in-temples?lang=eng">here</a> on temples.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdfZ2z4ntpElyVer5mr5V4AWr6APi5vGBfLpAqhAyRJ2qMhjIKMZ8ooEGRAM0kMxmAQw3H_NPYsrFm-Y1NHRAgkXSEsjnx3lZnBHHt37J3tiSvhe-wsOn9y8fUAkUJ0_O_mOAVewayNGo/s1600/edited.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdfZ2z4ntpElyVer5mr5V4AWr6APi5vGBfLpAqhAyRJ2qMhjIKMZ8ooEGRAM0kMxmAQw3H_NPYsrFm-Y1NHRAgkXSEsjnx3lZnBHHt37J3tiSvhe-wsOn9y8fUAkUJ0_O_mOAVewayNGo/s320/edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696936428062055602" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc42nVZg2G-9efDUtpNjPayXnX700tlMaIju3GaEDvztAA6hB4j8nX73bEzBPpuhxQ7lqpGt0LnpEdTxU4SgNHazgBbKzuuC_jd-Ei7o9gc_vfr6tXwGdmpP4UnZWaoD_lvXD_lLxsb8ML/s1600/IMG_4753.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc42nVZg2G-9efDUtpNjPayXnX700tlMaIju3GaEDvztAA6hB4j8nX73bEzBPpuhxQ7lqpGt0LnpEdTxU4SgNHazgBbKzuuC_jd-Ei7o9gc_vfr6tXwGdmpP4UnZWaoD_lvXD_lLxsb8ML/s320/IMG_4753.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696936440770909074" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdopC1D8M94y_RgKEY0Dt-z-5d__EYYP7um-vdut9vzTsJdj2v0J7C6zkvSFC_b1WOT5SYxgzEOaQDlkGv1S1CvW1ION0aUByWgcSCHEF__Jv9vWQsxDbKPQkV8rxkmvB5kNwxWnExbHu/s1600/IMG_4084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdopC1D8M94y_RgKEY0Dt-z-5d__EYYP7um-vdut9vzTsJdj2v0J7C6zkvSFC_b1WOT5SYxgzEOaQDlkGv1S1CvW1ION0aUByWgcSCHEF__Jv9vWQsxDbKPQkV8rxkmvB5kNwxWnExbHu/s320/IMG_4084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696936444308528818" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Wedding day December 28, 2007)<br /></div><br />Anyways, more to come on the trip with my family, but I think that catches the blog up on at least that part of the trip.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-28195097056591437402012-01-06T18:11:00.000-08:002012-01-07T16:44:48.260-08:00Holiday RecapIt's already been over a month since I last posted, and there are so many events to record for the month of December. I'll take it in a few posts to catch up, since I want to write it all down for the books.<br /><br />First off was Thanksgiving. We have been blessed to be a part of a great group of friends here in Williamsburg. Most of us do not have family nearby, so we all kind of band together for many holidays and make them special in our own way. For the past two years we've used the church cultural hall to gather. This year we shared Thanksgiving with the Wilkersons, the Taylors, the Devereauxs, and another couple (who I can't remember their names anymore since I only met them that one day...oops). Everyone brought food and we set up tables and chairs, brought the kids' booster seats and high chairs, and afterwards the kids played with the nursery toys and the boys threw a football around while us girls talked. It was relaxing and wonderful. Afterwards we all helped clean up the food, put everything away, and vacuumed the church, and all went home to already clean houses and only a few dishes to be done. All in all, wonderful! Here are a few pictures from the event:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Rachie eating her meal<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydgggunYxx9HSojbMQudsEOFN9qaHRvb9jJGjcV-9nso4858Gb1Kd1woF5TMxmWxrXGmvr8Swln65vCD8VIrJ56674It_EPmiopKepSekrc7prpPaigG0GsAaNfkrvZO4Xem2lXr-LEGK/s1600/SDC10074.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydgggunYxx9HSojbMQudsEOFN9qaHRvb9jJGjcV-9nso4858Gb1Kd1woF5TMxmWxrXGmvr8Swln65vCD8VIrJ56674It_EPmiopKepSekrc7prpPaigG0GsAaNfkrvZO4Xem2lXr-LEGK/s320/SDC10074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694713926066246146" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rachel with her friends Luke (L) and Caleb (R)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhUoRIlQRf-eCXbczUbQtGmX6wwQIj7PiJgxotx97a-Og4E9lRNyG0k7f-aL9o8i3EwrsOnC7c07FRxDimJ3wLMlOr6NGRXrye-GyFTMs8-mF5B9gqzX_qOtlzskGfvc3Akb8fDJhqIzz/s1600/SDC10089.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhUoRIlQRf-eCXbczUbQtGmX6wwQIj7PiJgxotx97a-Og4E9lRNyG0k7f-aL9o8i3EwrsOnC7c07FRxDimJ3wLMlOr6NGRXrye-GyFTMs8-mF5B9gqzX_qOtlzskGfvc3Akb8fDJhqIzz/s320/SDC10089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694713921564389986" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Alden eating some sweet potatoes (he also really loved the turkey, surprisingly, because he comes from a family who likes ham for Thanksgiving!)<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYpwjtQvF97lKxpEETb95pT3YEAgoVWj9i_F_n1-xRFR7NZWpVzOTK_h7ikmRSu8a5XCs6IYiEX4oiREowCmEJ20fgyM-rflwfASidu-QiLT0gpYqMpgVXQBgdu_AFYKc0-e3hKoPeR0s/s1600/SDC10073.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYpwjtQvF97lKxpEETb95pT3YEAgoVWj9i_F_n1-xRFR7NZWpVzOTK_h7ikmRSu8a5XCs6IYiEX4oiREowCmEJ20fgyM-rflwfASidu-QiLT0gpYqMpgVXQBgdu_AFYKc0-e3hKoPeR0s/s320/SDC10073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694713930961508786" border="0" /></a><br />The next day we went to Mill Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. This is the third year in a row we've done this, and we've really enjoyed this tradition. The kids get to run around in the farm and pick a Christmas tree, and then we haul it home on top of our car and decorate it that night. This has been great for us the past few years since we have absolutely no storage space for a fake Christmas tree, although it is somewhat more expensive since I think we've spent about $30 every year on a tree. Some may think that silly, but this has always been pretty much the only Christmas decoration in our house. The kids love putting the ornaments on it, and I love the smell of pine and the lights at night. Next year we'll probably have a fake tree since we'll have room to store it, but we'll always look back (at least Jase and I will, since we'll remember it) on the few years we got to spend traipsing through the Christmas tree farm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">At the farm<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvun6SxnB_1rq_S1DhvJg5dQI7hCvosKvnrhWaY0PFEvOvxXgfRLLl_DFGOpVsRucotlRv2hAP2dAPvwG_k-hRMKZr6garHM5Xb24PueCD6OIr_vbSr8AeIiP84oCk0r4l6jhMAX1U6eF/s1600/SDC10102.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvun6SxnB_1rq_S1DhvJg5dQI7hCvosKvnrhWaY0PFEvOvxXgfRLLl_DFGOpVsRucotlRv2hAP2dAPvwG_k-hRMKZr6garHM5Xb24PueCD6OIr_vbSr8AeIiP84oCk0r4l6jhMAX1U6eF/s320/SDC10102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694712759881286546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULjcEHO9eBTzOudwsWT2vqvSClNIgwQYAnyGsU0NPqvFZAPOgr_i21-tk_r_TT38-gPgUeYAHgWnY54s4oAgdTXz71no0RgJ-dKJGXIYpfN28N048jbmNyafy4x7vHIuyGMnwUxzuGJjx/s1600/SDC10104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULjcEHO9eBTzOudwsWT2vqvSClNIgwQYAnyGsU0NPqvFZAPOgr_i21-tk_r_TT38-gPgUeYAHgWnY54s4oAgdTXz71no0RgJ-dKJGXIYpfN28N048jbmNyafy4x7vHIuyGMnwUxzuGJjx/s320/SDC10104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694712753853680770" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq6fDgr9vcoMkcAFNdpcA4VxdfkFgldTFGFQeGVHXyMUU65P9yuuxHksZQHOmSvjfkEn4_Hk7GdJ5YqC_PvOWVpM5n5zlVBJkGAWjtLNzPrEbmoDHiRqGVBvItNxbpuSGljQr__jbmF5s/s1600/SDC10101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq6fDgr9vcoMkcAFNdpcA4VxdfkFgldTFGFQeGVHXyMUU65P9yuuxHksZQHOmSvjfkEn4_Hk7GdJ5YqC_PvOWVpM5n5zlVBJkGAWjtLNzPrEbmoDHiRqGVBvItNxbpuSGljQr__jbmF5s/s320/SDC10101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694712765220571442" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The house after decorating<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUCNufQm1n4xHj4MYjHuEJXWvaM-2X7cwRbPVbr3qm5gCRhbhmN3UM0gcPYF8ss3tMVT_Wx-4C1aBKOXIIWz5fDmNYud00CeADHLzRAo7EFLXOdefsc7dwr5eaQCA3SKInWtqdIFe_jQw/s1600/SDC10119.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUCNufQm1n4xHj4MYjHuEJXWvaM-2X7cwRbPVbr3qm5gCRhbhmN3UM0gcPYF8ss3tMVT_Wx-4C1aBKOXIIWz5fDmNYud00CeADHLzRAo7EFLXOdefsc7dwr5eaQCA3SKInWtqdIFe_jQw/s320/SDC10119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694712746301543266" border="0" /></a>The next week (December 3rd) we held our 3rd annual Ugly Sweater Party (sorry, very unfortunately no pictures). The day of, our kids ended up with fevers and were feeling pretty bad, so we called our friends to let them know. We held the party since most everything was already done by the time they were sick, and most of our friends attended anyways. We had a nice time. The real fun actually began about 20 minutes after the last guest left. Jase and I were shuttling toys from the living room to the kids room to prep for bedtime when we heard very scary screaming coming from Alden in the other room. We ran in to find Alden screaming and blood coming very quickly from his right ear. Turns out Rachel put the handle of a paintbrush into Alden's ear canal. We knew it was really serious, and after some brief panicking, we all jumped in the car (me still in Jason's slippers and my ugly sweater, which really is hideous, although at the time I thought nothing of it) and raced to the ER. Alden screamed all the way and soaked through nearly two paper towels. I don't think I've been more scared as a mother. I had no idea what damage had been done, and he seemed really hurt. I was crying, Rachel was crying, Alden was screaming, and Jase was just driving, but was very very scared too. Anyways, things calmed down once we reached the ER and Alden seemed to relax a bit out of his car seat. I pretty much carried him around for two hours while we waited to be seen by a doctor. It could have been worse. He did pretty well letting me walk him around and going through every last thing in the diaper bag. When the doctor finally came, he took a look and basically confirmed that the ear drum was definitely ruptured, but he couldn't tell how bad it was due to so much debris in his ear canal (dried blood, etc.). He gave us some great pain meds for Alden, antibiotics so it wouldn't get too infected (although turns out it already was, that was the cause for the earlier fever in the day), and instructions to see an ENT as soon as possible.<br /><br />Anyways, we saw the ENT (a wonderful doctor) and his regular pediatrician (whom I love) the next week and were given more antibiotics in the form of oral and ear drops (Alden now knows the words "ear drops" very well, and doesn't really like them) as well as several other medications to help calm the swelling. The ENT doctor concluded that most of his eardrum is completely gone. He couldn't tell us much more than that until the swelling goes down and the infection goes away, so we have appointments this month (January) to determine how well he hears and the next steps (possible surgery--depending on further damage we might find beyond his ear drum, or quite possibly the ear drum will just grow back given time--up to a year--on it's own). The next few weeks after the ER drama we were pretty sick with colds, sinus infections, ear infections, prep for Christmas and our trip to Arizona, and keeping Alden comfortable.<br /><br />We also had our 1st Joy School Christmas party. The kids made cookies for the dessert, we had soups and salads and rolls for dinner, and then the kids put on a little Christmas program. The program consisted of songs and a little 5 minute nativity play. Some things went better than others, but I can tell you, I sure was proud of my little girl when she played her part in the play. None of the kids actually practiced verbal parts, but were supposed to act out their parts. When it came to Rachel's two moving parts, she cut in to the narrator and actually said her part, almost perfectly. She must have just heard it a few times during practice and thought she was supposed to say it. Anyways, she played the part of the angel, and what she said to Mary was, "Do not be afraid. You will have a baby boy. You will call his name Jesus." Later she said to the shepherd, "Do not be afraid. Follow the star to Bethlehem. There you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." She said it all so reverently and quietly I just couldn't help but get a little choked up, partly from the shock of seeing such a little person do such a grown up thing. It sure made me proud though, and once again, I felt really really blessed to be her Mama. Many of her talents just came with her. Things like speaking in front of others and performing the way she did, I know she did not learn from me. That is all her own. So many things she does I am so often reminded are just from her very nature. The way she is so intuitively sensitive to how other people are feeling around her, the way she naturally wants to comfort and help and take care of people. She even recently told her Aunt Ondalynn on our vacation, "That's me. I just, you know, take care of people. Animals, Alden, baby Noah, my friends. I just like to take care of people." No kidding she said it just like that. I'm grateful for a girl who just naturally thinks of others. Without further ado, a few pics of my little angel...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_i5GrjUnXUF-JToqwxcBatCyBg1DJfNqTLNaAL2qZlKSN_FPL7wZZpANh7xIQakNCr1xUtlYZ7RXvp7LOalImuhez1jltdyNoqoyRAwXWqEDHvAzm4XwdKhxpyAWmacHSKCh2jfRlk-q/s1600/SDC10132.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_i5GrjUnXUF-JToqwxcBatCyBg1DJfNqTLNaAL2qZlKSN_FPL7wZZpANh7xIQakNCr1xUtlYZ7RXvp7LOalImuhez1jltdyNoqoyRAwXWqEDHvAzm4XwdKhxpyAWmacHSKCh2jfRlk-q/s320/SDC10132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694710695172514242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUPry8kgsjVSeHlCqPZE_YfdhyphenhyphenZwAVZWoqpA7tIksqmBZHUYeOFOenQtqbBL2SYcSalyziteIOOp8CosplafrQBkt7UrXcAy9JN0G9oyr4PoWtOZ13tyFy5fALe9tn7kjUKgnFPL6wHUh/s1600/SDC10134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUPry8kgsjVSeHlCqPZE_YfdhyphenhyphenZwAVZWoqpA7tIksqmBZHUYeOFOenQtqbBL2SYcSalyziteIOOp8CosplafrQBkt7UrXcAy9JN0G9oyr4PoWtOZ13tyFy5fALe9tn7kjUKgnFPL6wHUh/s320/SDC10134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694710681439732914" border="0" /></a><br />And what would a post be without a little mischief? While packing for our Arizona trip in the bedroom, Jase and I realized things were too quiet (we thought the kids had been playing with toys in the living room). We went out to investigate and found this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA3RqUzlORypddGNRO_uW6U8eUt6lNHbVpmWA2QyRGvP_uqB4b9oo14SOtOB-Zws2zR2EOZSVviKdOD7d57tlv88Pla3Z7PJ0HLbDxK9PJMpL_zsBe0CqRMfnAE-j820fJW0K-6IKpU1W/s1600/SDC10137.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA3RqUzlORypddGNRO_uW6U8eUt6lNHbVpmWA2QyRGvP_uqB4b9oo14SOtOB-Zws2zR2EOZSVviKdOD7d57tlv88Pla3Z7PJ0HLbDxK9PJMpL_zsBe0CqRMfnAE-j820fJW0K-6IKpU1W/s320/SDC10137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694710675867878450" border="0" /></a><br />Alden got into the baking supplies (yes he was most definitely the instigator) and I think Rachel thought, well...what an opportunity! Flour was everywhere. Although I realized how much work it would be to clean up such a mess...kids are kids. Wouldn't this be fun if you were a kid? So we took pictures and took baths and vacuumed up flour. Oh well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJgSF84C1G67IHRFdINOK2EkUJMYMSJIGcN3ZMaDWYYhLpFiYErfwQgcvWcTCVaBwbxaOuOvBs_-_lDKuPJrR-TfrgqjqOtfGjA8lyIyUp5VhCku552yrviFAek9iPhv5w_rjQLKygxZ6/s1600/SDC10139.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJgSF84C1G67IHRFdINOK2EkUJMYMSJIGcN3ZMaDWYYhLpFiYErfwQgcvWcTCVaBwbxaOuOvBs_-_lDKuPJrR-TfrgqjqOtfGjA8lyIyUp5VhCku552yrviFAek9iPhv5w_rjQLKygxZ6/s320/SDC10139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694710673744018050" border="0" /></a>And that about wraps things up for our pre-trip fun during the months of November and December. More posts to come about fun with our families.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-16749372369656451802011-11-24T04:46:00.001-08:002011-11-24T06:02:55.554-08:00Giving Thanks<div style="text-align: center;">I am grateful for....<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />This guy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPui2_na9HpMlNZ16ScDvq9_MpMSH_E-cjmtazDYpgqC3wcp65-ekA3jRC05rMMqwIJA8axiIrPTUawn2beurGnDDBUlA-az8p5x1aVsThyphenhyphenlaxy-iGnIFLfezTO60L0N5oKPy3cAFLtkk/s1600/announcement+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPui2_na9HpMlNZ16ScDvq9_MpMSH_E-cjmtazDYpgqC3wcp65-ekA3jRC05rMMqwIJA8axiIrPTUawn2beurGnDDBUlA-az8p5x1aVsThyphenhyphenlaxy-iGnIFLfezTO60L0N5oKPy3cAFLtkk/s320/announcement+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678551192180076562" border="0" /></a><br />He's funny, happy, and downright good. He works hard for our family, and has a lot on his shoulders being a student with all the worries of providing for three others. He loves each of us, and we all know it. He loves getting our babies from their beds to play, loves giving shoulder rides, squeezes, and playing pretend. He loves slow dancing with me in the living room after the kids go to bed, reliving songs from back when we were first dating. I love that we still consider ourselves "dating," largely because of him.<br /><br />He truly deeply loves taking his little girl on dates. They've been on bus rides, out for ice cream, McDonald's (per Rachie request), out for on tap root beer, and now her first time bowling. These pictures are from their last date a few weeks ago.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0qTcge5tU-N1pNhPSKjToKwQxn0MailSYCj7HEnmB_DrpRCG5Ng0H6pteA19nzGilK1Bf_XGV52oe-Bqt4O0ODIS1NaZdLlfaQA4wf1e2EB5fLiSv8dMb70njO2kh4lxBUSUdYcRl2HV/s1600/SDC10049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0qTcge5tU-N1pNhPSKjToKwQxn0MailSYCj7HEnmB_DrpRCG5Ng0H6pteA19nzGilK1Bf_XGV52oe-Bqt4O0ODIS1NaZdLlfaQA4wf1e2EB5fLiSv8dMb70njO2kh4lxBUSUdYcRl2HV/s320/SDC10049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678545375915010930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iC1E-qr-Xord_h_10Zmx_hE2hPiarXykFQ1r3IOlsblEyM9tRBoDZMBu76Du3LiBkPVFOwbBssRVO1uQC61Ml2Ca6b90eQHGhtrHoVaj4wB6wyK0khE6c5Wp3ss4rVoniYntDwDUABck/s1600/SDC10048.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iC1E-qr-Xord_h_10Zmx_hE2hPiarXykFQ1r3IOlsblEyM9tRBoDZMBu76Du3LiBkPVFOwbBssRVO1uQC61Ml2Ca6b90eQHGhtrHoVaj4wB6wyK0khE6c5Wp3ss4rVoniYntDwDUABck/s320/SDC10048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678545370920807186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">I am grateful for this little girl.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdhcCG9THDWRIZcEOVLhQL-Yjqdl-F3v7hjJpLv1oSHy0v5oYPi8QEkGxLONv0w_FjpjjKYMFNSgIS7kVGhIPgTPd7ADiqYJnTo3ZjcdA34SOTZUGBK_Nnn8SbpAV4u3IJkg_A3v7ofsW/s1600/SDC10023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdhcCG9THDWRIZcEOVLhQL-Yjqdl-F3v7hjJpLv1oSHy0v5oYPi8QEkGxLONv0w_FjpjjKYMFNSgIS7kVGhIPgTPd7ADiqYJnTo3ZjcdA34SOTZUGBK_Nnn8SbpAV4u3IJkg_A3v7ofsW/s320/SDC10023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678553132020771826" border="0" /></a><br />She brings so much spice to my life. She brings out the more fun side of me. She is also the person who made me a mother, and I will always be thankful for her because of that. What a privilege it is to raise and learn from someone with so much empathy and passion.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOcGI4fsMWT17t3adTTxhba0PDSxCh5qxGl49E6FcrZ1WGMlQeJYineP491IJqvjRIbwwKz9ifuhXa58sCGcbFm7U1b6w2RJIcni08jYwMMOBPlQRNKakrmm4xehxQGNWSFEafHPQSzFp/s1600/SDC16561.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOcGI4fsMWT17t3adTTxhba0PDSxCh5qxGl49E6FcrZ1WGMlQeJYineP491IJqvjRIbwwKz9ifuhXa58sCGcbFm7U1b6w2RJIcni08jYwMMOBPlQRNKakrmm4xehxQGNWSFEafHPQSzFp/s320/SDC16561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678553117555072130" border="0" /></a>(Practicing cutting and gluing.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCHe8ADiu_YDW4oFqBQaVw_pcS4rds8aB8D4qaDu0qy18LqT6wjsKeQluyhmxTfQ6kOmBrKIaNQp0U8wgV1XpsCDq3tjSz7bjgFOetthjpZlwW29r-ON0Xqhk75oAnYkBtTm7xyK4ASHF/s1600/SDC10057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCHe8ADiu_YDW4oFqBQaVw_pcS4rds8aB8D4qaDu0qy18LqT6wjsKeQluyhmxTfQ6kOmBrKIaNQp0U8wgV1XpsCDq3tjSz7bjgFOetthjpZlwW29r-ON0Xqhk75oAnYkBtTm7xyK4ASHF/s320/SDC10057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678553114603441970" border="0" /></a>(A new favorite activity...play dough.)<br /><br />I'm grateful for this little boy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfiJYyM553_CJcIs8I76UpqPQYlbNc21roWba3QL8rpnef3XFruSyhE0SyREYzNcG5uk786oIdSZ_xk8tyFMhMn-_EzM6vEh0jWw9SqbZAGnjL1f3xQCXhwSK3DWk6fnHILX27wkDy3l9/s1600/SDC10034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfiJYyM553_CJcIs8I76UpqPQYlbNc21roWba3QL8rpnef3XFruSyhE0SyREYzNcG5uk786oIdSZ_xk8tyFMhMn-_EzM6vEh0jWw9SqbZAGnjL1f3xQCXhwSK3DWk6fnHILX27wkDy3l9/s320/SDC10034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678555704251029602" border="0" /></a><br />He is my littlest sweetie, my baby. Before I had him I wondered how I could fit more room into loving another child the way I love Rachel, and it is truly a remarkable thing how it is done. It's especially easy to love someone like Alden, who gives THE best hugs in all the world. Since Alden was just a new baby I've always felt that he has something really important to do in his life. It's been a rough going babyhood for him with particularly hard challenges from near constant teething pain from cysts, ear infections, sleep problems, and just general fussiness. But when this kid is rested and healthy, I feel like I see the true him. Happy and goofy. He has helped me become a more flexible, resilient person. He has taught me to let things go and prioritize my life so I'm doing the most important things (because that's all he gave me time for!). I love him for it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4QpCGaM8Ssyq6SZkgg7BDomf8-1Jv_4HRCTr9Me5ArqlYlSQxyX4oUCk17u3l0NvtWTUeuTT8WByE0tHD94xdBGR8-xGBLwv9u3bV5BfFzdzW3O7rJXPbu4s5cH8_j-eHeCxMCccfPN-/s1600/SDC10070.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4QpCGaM8Ssyq6SZkgg7BDomf8-1Jv_4HRCTr9Me5ArqlYlSQxyX4oUCk17u3l0NvtWTUeuTT8WByE0tHD94xdBGR8-xGBLwv9u3bV5BfFzdzW3O7rJXPbu4s5cH8_j-eHeCxMCccfPN-/s320/SDC10070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678555698285365122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5V0w00gMAnszW1VuPgHSvUHeyGH1XjuJDLNc8L2kC71Z7EXaZrSLOG_SsuCLa-N-Jg3K6p34lHn4mdi0tosHtyomn5ZaTY3ZV4zwhW1g3JZhtTyYzfQ_XeLI2tgdyVRoq6KkEgkBFMXJQ/s1600/SDC10026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5V0w00gMAnszW1VuPgHSvUHeyGH1XjuJDLNc8L2kC71Z7EXaZrSLOG_SsuCLa-N-Jg3K6p34lHn4mdi0tosHtyomn5ZaTY3ZV4zwhW1g3JZhtTyYzfQ_XeLI2tgdyVRoq6KkEgkBFMXJQ/s320/SDC10026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678555715438920962" border="0" /></a>I'm grateful to be part of a supportive, wonderful extended family. My parents and in-laws, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and little nephew are all reasons to be grateful for life.<br /><br />I'm grateful to be an American. Jason and I have been watching Ken Burn's WWII documentary and other WWII movies lately and I have felt an intense gratitude for those many families who gave their fathers, sons, and brothers, and those men and women who gave theirs lives in that war and many others who sacrifice so much defending our country today. I'm proud to be from a family with a heritage of military service.<br /><br />I'm grateful for a home, clothes, food, roads and transportation, cameras, telephones, and so many hundreds of things that make our lives so much easier and comfortable.<br /><br />And finally, I'm grateful to know their is a God. I'm grateful for the things I understand about religion, because they put all of the other things I'm grateful for into perspective. I can catch glimpses of the end from the beginning, and see the point of this thing called life. And having that perspective really does change everything.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszw0XSDPbmtpxKuGYAosltD8rkR-USr5YWLGq1UQBOyK4sexExPtoxtLRtZI1Lp58PuW_hn4KlEI2XvhvTcyEgIS_UG_A3Z5__kqWpWhro29QGqvh3fC42lf-ONn5FoW_TpmejLSuqOQN/s1600/SDC10043.JPG"></a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszw0XSDPbmtpxKuGYAosltD8rkR-USr5YWLGq1UQBOyK4sexExPtoxtLRtZI1Lp58PuW_hn4KlEI2XvhvTcyEgIS_UG_A3Z5__kqWpWhro29QGqvh3fC42lf-ONn5FoW_TpmejLSuqOQN/s1600/SDC10043.JPG"></a></div>Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-82225769183199197292011-11-12T09:45:00.000-08:002011-11-12T11:27:12.224-08:00"Fangled Eggs," Car Noises, Sleeping (ah sleeping), and Growth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyumvHs3XSPnMTEPg4uUxiNPMCscKf7TS1FoNtM_kZP9XgdWZqOhgTpquweqURu3EwLKbtMY06jd77X9hq5VRkFLClS1Wv1ZJMXGomhZje6BKzy-01eJXL0bsqjeIjN_l3nm0psVNqlk-N/s1600/DSC_1521.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyumvHs3XSPnMTEPg4uUxiNPMCscKf7TS1FoNtM_kZP9XgdWZqOhgTpquweqURu3EwLKbtMY06jd77X9hq5VRkFLClS1Wv1ZJMXGomhZje6BKzy-01eJXL0bsqjeIjN_l3nm0psVNqlk-N/s320/DSC_1521.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674191808209651426" border="0" /></a>So I took the kids on a little photo shoot the other day at New Quarter Park. Some of them turned out cute, but most turned out like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGMwFoHB_CsE3mqyiic5hb_xFJk35_dhUJSCQIGcgu6tmCRh2QJjW8VtGVTDn5Nv9bfBXBKVmjaKjYHxgsroOGX_1iFxLCOcBQE6MYhhyphenhyphenqaNi9WeYG2QS_8J_qSbGm1sctsEzniKJcaFP/s1600/DSC_1593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGMwFoHB_CsE3mqyiic5hb_xFJk35_dhUJSCQIGcgu6tmCRh2QJjW8VtGVTDn5Nv9bfBXBKVmjaKjYHxgsroOGX_1iFxLCOcBQE6MYhhyphenhyphenqaNi9WeYG2QS_8J_qSbGm1sctsEzniKJcaFP/s320/DSC_1593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674190922905668274" border="0" /></a>And this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKx8GDW9H1Gmm2smdjaVFItzSxnrbEjKVTQ6UgcPvAwZGlMI4EWN1wYOlC24aSdn7MWKNO0e3ZT-JBGSAD7h66jIFoXrIV1Z0anTkMaVYJQHDPSZ1vrXFdqxIx9-9o15zdDUys9vV6ELL/s1600/DSC_1610.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKx8GDW9H1Gmm2smdjaVFItzSxnrbEjKVTQ6UgcPvAwZGlMI4EWN1wYOlC24aSdn7MWKNO0e3ZT-JBGSAD7h66jIFoXrIV1Z0anTkMaVYJQHDPSZ1vrXFdqxIx9-9o15zdDUys9vV6ELL/s320/DSC_1610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674190500082244946" border="0" /></a>And this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEluZsaHInI9dMaM1jegycnTWz1ZSzSmSW2twoVnfhpmIaEIMbubSVM7dnloEYGp1sPXSWN2MXuNqb_vgo7OwuEZAFe31MRf0aX9bZN7Bwg66-RL7mOZYrLpVEGaJSV8KGo57rRRYlLOi/s1600/DSC_1641.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEluZsaHInI9dMaM1jegycnTWz1ZSzSmSW2twoVnfhpmIaEIMbubSVM7dnloEYGp1sPXSWN2MXuNqb_vgo7OwuEZAFe31MRf0aX9bZN7Bwg66-RL7mOZYrLpVEGaJSV8KGo57rRRYlLOi/s320/DSC_1641.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674189507487613090" border="0" /></a>But some turned out like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihg0gr8kHnsI1OPi1VzOoru9TTjW0KavIbsA-cdsLUJFjVXNJAbaDrlRu6ilkidec2zy2rcBO6XJlQwTT-NaQhAI85Nn0Eeq3Lr-NzGa7MiHE6V68WFb2_rgwBM_yBY-2Mbdmpyz193qE/s1600/DSC_1639.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihg0gr8kHnsI1OPi1VzOoru9TTjW0KavIbsA-cdsLUJFjVXNJAbaDrlRu6ilkidec2zy2rcBO6XJlQwTT-NaQhAI85Nn0Eeq3Lr-NzGa7MiHE6V68WFb2_rgwBM_yBY-2Mbdmpyz193qE/s320/DSC_1639.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674189011022531826" border="0" /></a>And this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfc6cJe4OZ9MwdUwIsA6gbscA4KTg8P12qxM5dJV6e9p0D8lzi-IRUFT2vyAYbGisRmWMAniGWGoGHe1Q7URRjp31g_2HBOyz3va5JvgS7ScGUKd0kJPmFSZ49iMR7MJ90Agngb8CXKaB/s1600/DSC_1562.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfc6cJe4OZ9MwdUwIsA6gbscA4KTg8P12qxM5dJV6e9p0D8lzi-IRUFT2vyAYbGisRmWMAniGWGoGHe1Q7URRjp31g_2HBOyz3va5JvgS7ScGUKd0kJPmFSZ49iMR7MJ90Agngb8CXKaB/s320/DSC_1562.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674188402932809666" border="0" /></a>And this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8_wgpLurmDJGBDu6gXUz9EPbgzFQjScm9sf4SfQ-z2KyAqTin-dsTVyJRLzyk-2h4gGZxd9scF0r2se9705GYXHZEgCA8HKC2g28QKsKVx1LmcZMxxn0Uv4vOWJjJz28hGGxNmTOSGP4/s1600/DSC_1498.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8_wgpLurmDJGBDu6gXUz9EPbgzFQjScm9sf4SfQ-z2KyAqTin-dsTVyJRLzyk-2h4gGZxd9scF0r2se9705GYXHZEgCA8HKC2g28QKsKVx1LmcZMxxn0Uv4vOWJjJz28hGGxNmTOSGP4/s320/DSC_1498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674187570024558130" border="0" /></a>Not exactly frame-able, but still worth the frolic through the fall air. Poor Rachel was just disappointed towards the end when she found out this was just a walking park, with no slides and no swings (the audacity!).<br /><br />And for good measure, a Halloween picture to record the event. My little blue-haired babies. They are really so much like Thing 1 and Thing 2.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP5ZtPQjnLPD1tkd21UHkClqkt5Sk8XdzTj5l6ItnhfeAg_pDh4YYlvPeNmQ4U9soMi_mt3oy_F-zROR3Ldmw7mwnLuccsARLcLRulv8tGZNYDh6kFyQaD67ZprmPsQQwzgltiEbqUiC-/s1600/SDC16538.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP5ZtPQjnLPD1tkd21UHkClqkt5Sk8XdzTj5l6ItnhfeAg_pDh4YYlvPeNmQ4U9soMi_mt3oy_F-zROR3Ldmw7mwnLuccsARLcLRulv8tGZNYDh6kFyQaD67ZprmPsQQwzgltiEbqUiC-/s320/SDC16538.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674186894951317298" border="0" /></a><br />To start off, last post I said I'd record some things about each of the kids and what they are doing and saying lately.<br /><br />Rachel is constantly making us laugh. One funny thing she says a lot is "it's/that's/you're/he's buggering me," instead of "bugging" me. She says it whenever something's annoying her, and you just can't help but smile when it comes out. Another saying of hers is, "fangled eggs." One morning Jase was making her scrambled eggs and she was sitting at the table waiting and she said to him, "Are you going to ask me, (quoting in her mock Jason voice) "You want some fangled eggs or some-ping (something)?" Jason asked her if fangled eggs meant scrambled eggs, and she said, no, those were the bad eggs. She wanted good eggs (which turned out to be scrambled eggs). Who knows. That silly girl. One funny story that happened awhile ago was when we were driving in the car and Jase stopped at a red light. Promptly from the back seat we heard a mumbled "dang it!" Both Jase and I looked at each other and I asked her where she learned to say that. She replied with the utmost honesty, "Well that's what you say at a red light!" Oops....parenting fail? I guess it could have been something worse. We still had a good laugh about it later.<br /><br />On to Alden...my favorite thing he does lately is give you this little squeeze. He goes to hug you and because his hands and arms don't make it all the way around you, he squeezes with his fingers. It is the cutest thing. He also shrugs his shoulders if you ask him to (he knows we think this so cute), and he swings his arms when he walks as if he's really got somewhere to go. He makes dinosaur noises (growling) on command, and makes car noises when he plays with his hot wheels. He knows so many words now! He can understand much more than these, but he consistently says car (his favorite thing), mama, dada, ada (Rachel, he also has a name sign for her), bath, duck, milk, shoes, dance, Jesus, water, all done, more, help me (the sign, mostly), and cracker. I think there are probably more, but I don't remember them all at the moment.<br /><br />Alden's finally sleeping!!! I can't even believe it myself, but this boy has to go to bed early in order to sleep in until 6 (yes that is the absolute latest I can push my children). He goes down at 6:30 and wakes up at 6 (Rachel goes down at 7:30). It is a huge pain sometimes to make sure he gets down that early, but apparently he needs that much sleep because he does it without complaint. Before we switched him so early he was going to sleep between 7-8 and waking up around 4 (ouch). Not only that, but he was always so tired. I couldn't get him to take two naps anymore (he'd just scream through one of them), and so we switched him to one mid-day two hour nap plus the 6:30 bed time and within about a day it solved all of his sleep problems. The child doesn't scream all the time anymore!!! Oh happiness. I am a believer that a lot of my children's behavioral problems (at least crankiness related things) can be solved by taking a look at one thing: are they getting enough, consistent, quality sleep? I had no idea coming into motherhood how important sleep was, but wow. It's the truest thing I've learned lately.<br /><br />As for Jase and I, we still do what we've done for awhile--school, home, work. It's really not a bad life. We're waiting on a few job prospects and preparing to apply to others. We still remain hopeful. Jason had an epiphany of sorts just before his last job interview. Previous to this, we've been working and praying constantly to have Heavenly Father help us find a job. Numerations to this also included helping us know where to apply, and after each job interview we've basically been asking to please just let us have the job. Jason's thought process that day was this: that all along we've basically just been asking God to change our circumstances, without really asking for help to change ourselves-to help us to have more patience through this time, to become more qualified, to be more in tune with the Spirit so we might know where and how to apply. That day he asked God to help him do better in the interview than he normally would of his own accord--and he believes he had help that day. From this we've learned that there are things we can control--our faith, our prayers, our own efforts, and there are things we can't--the economy, other people's decisions about jobs, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I suppose the point of life isn't to ask God to change all of our circumstances, but rather to make us equal to them. If those with health problems or money problems or any other type of problem just asked for it to be removed, where would be the challenge? The growth? </span><br /><br />Elder Hales in LDS General Conference talked a bit about this. In an answer to my thoughts above, he said, "Why such terrible tribulation? To what end? For what purpose? As we ask these questions, we realize that the purpose of our life on earth is the grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. How do we do this? ...we wait upon the Lord. Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His son." There was so much wonderful guidance found in this talk (find it <a href="http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/waiting-upon-the-lord-thy-will-be-done?lang=eng">here</a>), and I read it just when I needed it.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-78507059382322135542011-10-30T05:06:00.000-07:002011-10-30T08:44:13.979-07:00A SnapshotSo to start the posting, I thought I'd record just a bit of what our lives all look like right now...I suppose to provide a starting place for future blogs.<br /><br />Jason is a 3rd year law student. He has done a remarkable job juggling all the stresses of law school. He came out with a great resume and great grades. In an economy such as this, our main stress as of late is finding that right job for us. We've got a few options we are hoping and praying for right now. We know that it will all turn out in the end, and that even 10 years from now we'll look back at this time and wonder to ourselves why we worried so much. In the moment, with two babies to take care of and debt to deal with, it's still a little disconcerting. But we are confident that we'll be taken care of as long as we keep doing all we can do.<br /><br />I stay at home with the babies. Keeping up with them and the house keeps me extremely busy. Other than the home and motherly duties (most of my news will be their news), I teach a class on Sundays to the Young Women (16-17 year old girls) and help out with Tuesday night youth group activities.<br /><br />The best word to describe Rachel...passionate. That girl is truly passionate about being happy when she's happy, and passionately angry when she's angry. She's two (almost three), so this is I'm sure how many two year old's can be, but she's always added a little spice to our lives. She is so so so smart. She's always telling us funny things. Right now she loves watching movies, dancing, and going to Joy school. She and I get to do Joy school this year, where I teach 2 days per month. It's kind of a co-op preschool where 4 moms rotate weeks. We only do it two days per week, for just 2 1/2 hours per day, but it has been a good experience so far. Rachel really loves going and she's made some new friends. She's learning all about different types of "Joy," i.e. the joy of the body, the joy of the earth, the joy of being honest, etc. It gives me a great mindset and framework to talk about lots of different things in life with her. If nothing else, I think it's helped me be a more proactive mother in teaching her about the world.<br /><br />Alden is my little sweetie. He is incredibly tender and his smile really can just melt your soul. I could gush over him all day. He has had a hard time teething (for what feels like his whole life), and already had to get two hematoma cysts in his gums lanced so the teeth could come in. But aside from those bumps in the road, he sleeps well at night (finally...this was a long time coming) and is healthy. I just stopped nursing him a few days ago (this has been wearing on me for a long time and I've wanted to stop but didn't know how-with Rachel it wasn't really a choice when to stop). It has been a little emotional for him, but I'm feeling great about it. He's eating a little better than before (getting this kid to eat is somewhat difficult).<br /><br />Anyways, that's kind of an update of what we're like right now. I need to post more later about all the funny things Rachel says now and the words Alden knows.<br /><br />Another thought on my mind today, it really is incredible how fragile life is. Our friends lost their little baby girl yesterday morning at just 11 days old. She was born with a heart problem. I've been thinking today about how I felt about my babies when they were 11 days old, and while I can't actually know how our friends must feel, I just hurt for them. It's times like these, when really sad, unexplainable things happen to good people, that I'm grateful I know about <a href="http://mormon.org/plan-of-happiness/">this</a>. Knowing God's plan has helped me wrap my head around tough things. And while it doesn't make bad things good, it does bring peace, even through hard times.Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2771054208306296167.post-25409101113331555882011-10-30T04:37:00.001-07:002011-10-30T05:01:46.192-07:00A Fresh StartAs many of you know, I previously ran a blog a few years ago, mostly about Rachel. About the time I started getting sick during my pregnancy with Alden things just petered out and I never felt like I could get back into it. I've been wanting to blog again, but it just feels like so long since I've posted. I don't want to feel the need to catch up, because I definitely never could. So I decided to just start fresh.<br /><br />I titled the blog "Not One Empty Chair" because that's how I feel about my children and my family. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that our time here in this life, while vitally important, is not the end of existence. I believe that we'll exist as a family with generations before and after. I want to sit down at our family table after this life, and I want all of my children there with me. I don't want any empty chairs because I didn't teach them to choose the right. I also believe that if my children and family members want to be there, they will be. We all have that choice.<br /><br />So welcome to our new blog. I'm now sleeping regularly, so I feel a lot more energized and have as of late been feeling a real need to write things about the children down. If there is one thing I've learned about motherhood, it's that in the moment I think that I'll remember things forever...and then just a short while later I don't. No matter how hard I try, I can't replay that moment in my mind again. Some of that is probably attributable to constant sleep deprivation for 3 or so years, but I think I could remember more if I wrote things down immediately. And it's not too late. My babies are young...Miss Rach is only 2, and Alden boy is barely 1. As guilty as I feel for not recording every funny thing they've said or every tender moment, it's not all lost to me. I've still got time to record them! So that's why I'm starting over, and starting now.<br /><br />I'm stealing this from my cousin's blog, but I think it's exactly the reason I want to record all of these memories:<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal">"What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Begin today and write your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies and the angels may quote from it for eternity."<br />Spencer W. Kimball</p>Melissa Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09544164426988744314noreply@blogger.com1