tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61695687360717187482024-03-13T17:47:09.720-04:00Why Three Sons?Three boys born in less than four years...let the hilarity and insanity ensue!Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-50145878739554376962010-04-13T20:44:00.002-04:002010-04-13T20:46:54.424-04:00One Neglected Blog is Not Enough!Hello, my 9 faithful followers! I know I have not blogged in a really really long time. I do plan to start writing and sharing pictures of the boys again soon, but in the meantime, check out my brand NEW blog that is all about my journey from obesity and inactivity to health and fitness and maybe even a triathlon!! <div><br /></div><div>http://mightaswelltri.blogspot.com/</div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-37849396515893084322009-05-06T00:49:00.002-04:002009-05-06T01:05:36.445-04:00In The WeedsYes, it has been quite a while since I've posted anything. It is no coincidence that my last entry was two days before I returned to work full-time. Between working, spending time with the family, getting through Easter and a baptism, trying to exercise enough to lose weight, and being in the middle of buying a house, I have been completely overwhelmed. I have a list of ideas that I'd like to write about, and a bunch of cute pictures to share, but no time in which to sit down and create actual blog posts. It's frustrating, but there is no room near the top of my priorities list for this blog. As it is, I'm not doing a very good job of juggling all of my responsibilities right now. If you've ever worked in a restaurant, then you've heard servers use the phrase "in the weeds" to indicate that they're so busy with all of their customers that they can't keep up. That's how I feel just about every day lately. I'm not complaining -- we are all healthy and reasonably happy, and the idea of owning a home very soon is beyond exciting!!! I just want my handful of loyal followers to understand why you haven't heard from me. Please be patient and I'll be with you as soon as I can! In the meantime, feel free to flag down a hostess to refill your drinks. ;-)Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-17750389510873189802009-03-23T22:00:00.002-04:002009-03-23T23:48:28.899-04:00International Baby of Mystery<div>This May, we'll be taking a very special trip to Canada! My sister Janice just gave birth to her third daughter, Noelle Chapin Fisher, and I have the pleasure and honor of being her godmother! Lonnie and I plan to rent a minivan, pack up the boys and make the road trip to Toronto for the baptism.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we went and got James, at the tender age of almost 12 weeks, his very first passport. We picked up his birth certificate, stopped by Sears to have his photo taken (it's actually challenging to get a proper passport photo of a young infant, but the woman at Sears did a great job!), and then headed to the post office to submit the application.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtupZm-ZHKqHuhMZyLyRDL6y0uM5MFnk32GO0VlecMOAd3l-J1AkKvGUDE_MLbtVWV93dvy-J3dATMc1hfDrqZLtJGh6lZR_1UeksJJqHYJKvUpqrutnMZV8O3Ozuu2xsqa7lai5Jv-w8/s1600-h/DSCN2549.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtupZm-ZHKqHuhMZyLyRDL6y0uM5MFnk32GO0VlecMOAd3l-J1AkKvGUDE_MLbtVWV93dvy-J3dATMc1hfDrqZLtJGh6lZR_1UeksJJqHYJKvUpqrutnMZV8O3Ozuu2xsqa7lai5Jv-w8/s320/DSCN2549.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316569475139066354" /></a><div>"Yay, I have a new baby cousin and I'm going to Canada!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmA8brLyGie5GREMInFvKkm5kGuW4YL9Cs2DUn4nlSMIpGlI2sJGvCb02g_MN3skT3seqkwAAw6FrRvs9KgBJ0YEj5KfP7ffCNGE7Bgev4P5ih6bdm2uHWqcXK2vbr6O_MEOhHRJQ7kM/s1600-h/DSCN2552.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmA8brLyGie5GREMInFvKkm5kGuW4YL9Cs2DUn4nlSMIpGlI2sJGvCb02g_MN3skT3seqkwAAw6FrRvs9KgBJ0YEj5KfP7ffCNGE7Bgev4P5ih6bdm2uHWqcXK2vbr6O_MEOhHRJQ7kM/s320/DSCN2552.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316569461085620194" /></a></div><div>He cooperated for the photo, but sadly his hair did not. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW_q9-Yjw88t48LXdh1pIJrofvs-H2aFhHgwcnrdPKsCJYCKULf54gBNgWp_0JsBFan6_dVXnUqNgJQmrqk92Vrpjtbw4d0vVHy3Xo-lrqM3DgsGQLafFXGNvEwL_ZStoxN-h5ZOoCuU/s1600-h/DSCN2553.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW_q9-Yjw88t48LXdh1pIJrofvs-H2aFhHgwcnrdPKsCJYCKULf54gBNgWp_0JsBFan6_dVXnUqNgJQmrqk92Vrpjtbw4d0vVHy3Xo-lrqM3DgsGQLafFXGNvEwL_ZStoxN-h5ZOoCuU/s320/DSCN2553.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316569452223262114" /></a></div><div>Waiting our turn in the post office<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYvVM1ykyyHmczT8N2It4B7y-9hW08zRnA4Hr7e-RQI2-6NBnWntnI1-3U4bxgpcqp-BNNGRLzD4GoMjh7AoQLgq0g_IVC1NDQawNzzJIvXflLXAfYiISd9Sre15DQovsfWW3bfdzOqQ/s1600-h/DSCN2554.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYvVM1ykyyHmczT8N2It4B7y-9hW08zRnA4Hr7e-RQI2-6NBnWntnI1-3U4bxgpcqp-BNNGRLzD4GoMjh7AoQLgq0g_IVC1NDQawNzzJIvXflLXAfYiISd9Sre15DQovsfWW3bfdzOqQ/s320/DSCN2554.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316569442041321858" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It seemed so odd to order a passport for my infant son when I did not get my own first passport until I was 20 years old. My first opportunity to travel abroad was my college choir's performance tour in Austria. (Actually I did go to Toronto twice during college, but back then passports were not required for travel from the U.S. to Canada.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Growing up, my family rarely traveled far from my hometown of Charleston. Our "long" road trips were to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. My parents raised eight children and sent us all to Catholic schools on a professor's salary. They sacrificed a great deal to make this happen, and that included their own dreams of seeing the world. My father spent some time overseas in the Army when he was young and was content to stay closer to home thereafter. My mother got to visit London in her later years, but her travel fantasies went mostly unfulfilled. </div><div><br /></div><div>There seems to be an intrinsic part of the "American Dream" that we should all strive for a better life than our parents had, and then in turn we want our children to do better than we did. When I look at the life my parents provided for our family, I don't feel the need to live in a bigger house, drive nicer cars, or wear fancier clothes. I never have been misled into thinking these material things could improve the quality of my life. But if there's one thing I could provide for my children that my parents could not provide for me, it would be travel. The amazing adventures and life experiences they could gain by exploring the world would be priceless, and might in some way help fulfill my parents' dreams for themselves and for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know I'm getting excessively sentimental over a simple visit to family in Canada, but just having passports can mean so much more. It represents a certain freedom and ability to seize fortuitous opportunities. Just recently, a friend posted on Facebook that she had come across an amazing deal on airfare to Moscow, around $250 round trip from DC. Without a passport, you can't just jump on a limited-time offer like that. With a passport, you can make a spur of the moment decision to travel halfway around the world!</div><div><br /></div><div>A passport can also come in handy in emergencies as well. Lonnie's uncle just suffered a stroke while vacationing in Mexico. His wife, Lonnie's aunt, has had no choice but to deal with the difficult situation on her own, because no one else in the family has a passport with which to go join her. With some help from the U.S. Consulate, hopefully they will be back home in Michigan tomorrow, but in the meantime all the family can do from afar is pray. </div><div><br /></div><div>The truth is, right now we can't afford international travel any more than my parents could. Except for the occasional visits to my sister and her family in Toronto, the boys' passports likely will go unused for most of their childhood years. (And really, the kids are such a handful right now that it's hard enough to take all three to the mall, much less to a foreign country!) But I like to think that just getting them the passports is the first step towards fostering their curiosity and love of adventure. I may not be able to provide them with trips around the world, but the passports provide them with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">possibilities</span>. So in a way, I have already given them the world. I feel pretty good about that. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-48780399734693897062009-03-16T22:30:00.002-04:002009-03-16T22:59:22.154-04:00The Beauty of Big Thighs<div>I'm a big girl. I'm just a hair shy of 5'10" tall and I have a pretty large frame. Even at my thinnest and most fit, my clothing size is in the double digits. In fact, I've been wearing adult women's sizes since middle school. I have never been dainty a day in my life. Add to that the extra 50+ lbs I've been carrying around for the past several years, and you have an idea of what I mean by "big." </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite my size, I try not to let my outward appearance determine my self-worth. I'm in the process of trying to lose a lot of weight, but primarily so I can be healthy, not skinny. Even though my body image is mostly positive, I do have my moments of insecurity, self-consciousness, and embarrassment. It's just not easy being a big girl in our culture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every once in a while, something happens to remind me of the value of our earthly bodies. We do so much more than just get looked at and judged by others. Our bodies are constantly doing useful things in our work and and personal lives. Obviously being pregnant and giving birth are huge reminders of the amazing things that a human body can do. Parenthood provides other such reminders as well, and I received a wonderful one this weekend. For a little while, I held all 3 of my beautiful sons in my ample lap! It was a tight squeeze; I really don't know if I could have held them all if my legs were shorter or my thighs were lean and small. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had Lonnie snap a picture because I wanted to remember the moment. Gabriel is a big kid already, and I know James will be a toddler like Luke much sooner than we'd like. Who knows how many chances I will have to hold my boys like that? And it was such a lovely, organic moment too. I was holding James in my lap for a minute so he could watch some of a Baby Einstein DVD. The music caught Luke's attention and he came right over and plopped down in my lap too. Gabriel has to do everything Luke does, so within seconds he was filling up the remaining space, and there we were! Unfortunately our camera was not quick enough to catch another precious moment...after Lonnie took the first photo, Luke turned and hugged James! It was too sweet!</div><div><br /></div><div>So here is a photo of a big girl who for once was glad to have a really big lap. :)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd35b3127ccec6c9209ba52700000060O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd35b3127ccec6c9209ba52700000060O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-77528766838646818392009-03-16T21:54:00.002-04:002009-03-16T22:07:40.092-04:00With a Rebel Yell...<div>James has been practicing his Billy Idol impression.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c4b4992a4200000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c4b4992a4200000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><br /></div><div>In other news, I can't resist posting pictures of him. Sorry about the red eye.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c538f08b1100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c538f08b1100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c55a220ac200000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd29b3127ccec6c55a220ac200000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c63114b30900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c63114b30900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c70b65932900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c70b65932900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7820c52ac00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7820c52ac00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Sorry I don't have a lot to say with these photos. I just wanted to share some James cuteness. I am working on another post...maybe it will be up tonight!<br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-80406464465885016762009-03-14T20:09:00.007-04:002009-03-14T23:38:03.716-04:00From Winter to Spring in One Week<div>Let me tell you something about Gabriel: he is obsessed with snow. He has been longing for snow all winter. He didn't think Christmas could come until snow covered the ground. (By that logic, I would have celebrated my first Christmas at the age of 12! ) We have had a couple of small snowfalls this winter, but nothing substantial enough for him to have a snowball fight, build a snowman or snow fort, or have any of the fun snow-related adventures he'd heard about from Daddy. </div><div><br /></div><div>December, January, and February came and went. Then March roared in like a cold, wet lion and dumped 9 inches of snow on us! I will let the pictures speak for themselves...Gabriel's glee is clearly visible. And even Luke, who so despises cold weather that you'd think he had some Southern blood in him (and he's the one who looks like me too! haha!), had a great time in the early spring winter wonderland.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d022305f5c00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d022305f5c00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1b03f7f5600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1b03f7f5600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1d7443f8600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1d7443f8600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1ab1a3fe600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1ab1a3fe600000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0ec7ade4100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0ec7ade4100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1b4b37fd800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d1b4b37fd800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d016ac5fda00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d016ac5fda00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d17d973f0000000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d17d973f0000000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d056ffde9900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d056ffde9900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d013779eab00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d013779eab00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0f01f5f1a00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0f01f5f1a00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0bf101faa00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd23b3127ccec6d0bf101faa00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd22b3127ccec6d2a5c4c66f00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd22b3127ccec6d2a5c4c66f00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Within a week, every snowflake had melted, and we had traded our heavy coats and mittens for short sleeves and bicycle helmets. Making snow angels gave way to rolling and scooting down a grassy hill. Digging in snow became digging in dirt. Yeah, I really could have done without that last change. My boys need some tutoring in the subject of Hand Hashing and Other Personal Hygiene. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7a97d125000000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7a97d125000000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c76fad93d300000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c76fad93d300000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6f5d0b3af00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6f5d0b3af00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7b221d3a900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7b221d3a900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7f7bb938900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7f7bb938900000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c656c7f37100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c656c7f37100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6cde4b38700000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6cde4b38700000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c693fdb3b100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c693fdb3b100000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6fbac32e400000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c6fbac32e400000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7975e126c00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c7975e126c00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c66b38323800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c66b38323800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c79687d31d00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c79687d31d00000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c77e5a528400000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c77e5a528400000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c72dd712b800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dd28b3127ccec6c72dd712b800000050O00HZs3LRkxB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>While the snow was great fun and well worth the wait, I'm glad the weather is starting to warm up. These guys have more energy than this apartment can contain, and some days they are only happy when they get a chance to run around like lunatics outside!</div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-26910694062142706152009-03-03T21:22:00.014-05:002009-03-12T22:29:28.621-04:00Still Playing Catch UpI want to share some recent photos of the kids, to help bring this blog up-to-date. This will probably be a pretty long entry, but without too many words to weigh you down in your scrolling. :)<div><br /></div><div>We had a small snowfall in late January (photos from the much bigger March snowfall will be posted later!), and the boys just loved it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PkrLXi5TgTLMXbIiKuZooIqXZlcz8S03W2zLuyeHOmB5F-A-irQsMi07xgQBMJUeaZL5z6GbMJKSf8HsA-_PLCNNUUV5uA0cgDH9Cx-nQOyh645-g2Uq6cDeIS0_r0ss5B-CdtGFEEo/s1600-h/DSCN2354.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PkrLXi5TgTLMXbIiKuZooIqXZlcz8S03W2zLuyeHOmB5F-A-irQsMi07xgQBMJUeaZL5z6GbMJKSf8HsA-_PLCNNUUV5uA0cgDH9Cx-nQOyh645-g2Uq6cDeIS0_r0ss5B-CdtGFEEo/s320/DSCN2354.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312472904476757314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrFcNPugg2tUrfDGwhdVLzx37DIDhaIP8EHG_xSFR2PxkvXPuqDy3P6C5VjcLHFQxqU5Zu34sbS1sf60yJYg6CR30QmsGIvSPWq9nl3eYBNoxpJMyln-llskCYfktN5aIwXGiZ3izsXs/s1600-h/DSCN2360.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrFcNPugg2tUrfDGwhdVLzx37DIDhaIP8EHG_xSFR2PxkvXPuqDy3P6C5VjcLHFQxqU5Zu34sbS1sf60yJYg6CR30QmsGIvSPWq9nl3eYBNoxpJMyln-llskCYfktN5aIwXGiZ3izsXs/s320/DSCN2360.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312472122443413474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI24V-1v0WqIJ-hkWbOep7EO41lQ1z0-Z_612-DwrERaskKJcE2aUwJ6UNwtcwxw8O85PzNrCGdW42laukj2iHalNmBl6qyjt0bVg8QW846-f-162_dP8zql3xkF57R6mryab8vPIkJQ/s1600-h/DSCN2361.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI24V-1v0WqIJ-hkWbOep7EO41lQ1z0-Z_612-DwrERaskKJcE2aUwJ6UNwtcwxw8O85PzNrCGdW42laukj2iHalNmBl6qyjt0bVg8QW846-f-162_dP8zql3xkF57R6mryab8vPIkJQ/s320/DSCN2361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312472118163212290" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This photo is special to me because the wagon was a gift from my Dad for Christmas 2007. We have a photo of Gabriel and Luke in it last winter, and this photo looks almost identical to it except that the boys are bigger!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92VkQ1P4671gO-RprEq2hGDidH95PUfnxWUbMD4QwocfvGroH1fMDQYFKC6RXFcsMhxKCy4XZ_LVk75mRI67q3fMXBNXDhqdW7E7IGCVUxcvCqZCp7BXpuOXcjlvYMCg7rbKLmo3MoWg/s1600-h/DSCN2364.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92VkQ1P4671gO-RprEq2hGDidH95PUfnxWUbMD4QwocfvGroH1fMDQYFKC6RXFcsMhxKCy4XZ_LVk75mRI67q3fMXBNXDhqdW7E7IGCVUxcvCqZCp7BXpuOXcjlvYMCg7rbKLmo3MoWg/s320/DSCN2364.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312469954651394114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5a1Ky4iaaxgwfXAdKBZIk_JIv0-njn5g8QmmNKXpd9JDPBS4sNqcR-IXyuDD6EptC5vQ8FE9lFwEl7YZlnsO_FcVbZGI8AwdAhERC7LAJD0QYZslHBOy4ovQ9SPz-WyI3o-pcTUrgBI/s1600-h/DSCN2368.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5a1Ky4iaaxgwfXAdKBZIk_JIv0-njn5g8QmmNKXpd9JDPBS4sNqcR-IXyuDD6EptC5vQ8FE9lFwEl7YZlnsO_FcVbZGI8AwdAhERC7LAJD0QYZslHBOy4ovQ9SPz-WyI3o-pcTUrgBI/s320/DSCN2368.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312468235349131858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0GwO6UK2mPNNaFXthpmBQamU6UjX6TpUgdfFo2RoHhrDJPnu9KEbKJoe2VjY4fddKg0mP9UUm5a9Wgmx6-mwZwvw_J7cdKAyqMRy9bp9abFT7QgiznzHZJKVkaC5RVb8jH8kNHnLMWA/s1600-h/DSCN2369.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0GwO6UK2mPNNaFXthpmBQamU6UjX6TpUgdfFo2RoHhrDJPnu9KEbKJoe2VjY4fddKg0mP9UUm5a9Wgmx6-mwZwvw_J7cdKAyqMRy9bp9abFT7QgiznzHZJKVkaC5RVb8jH8kNHnLMWA/s320/DSCN2369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312468230061262194" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Luke's godfather (Lonnie's friend Charlie) sent him a gift of some really awesome art supplies. I have never seen these guys so excited to color and paint! (Please excuse the mess in the background...I told you our home has not been really clean since my sister left!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNvND31DBnRBLjotT7D9SbZlDAnKjliqYy1H4vJy-ecJ9lzmq0G0b5X8BqeHwPjEutJ0AaRUup0sf8VRmSnjbFPDjAPeKG9b2jfc3t-hbvrvaiTMRM-_wfipUiErblBBSFK-1Qq1c1ag/s1600-h/DSCN2370.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNvND31DBnRBLjotT7D9SbZlDAnKjliqYy1H4vJy-ecJ9lzmq0G0b5X8BqeHwPjEutJ0AaRUup0sf8VRmSnjbFPDjAPeKG9b2jfc3t-hbvrvaiTMRM-_wfipUiErblBBSFK-1Qq1c1ag/s320/DSCN2370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312468231412136594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbaBRmh51yof38A78MGXjwFGP7n5VxC5QydMNTOtmmNWHVcdR2KAaIu0LMgiA-msDF2U9uTqBGrNvQnTO6Bnag3fqXbF85BQCxy4zZiLDmjyuqjjDmtB0dZQZkm4Z8yKuVzMRh8MLcGc/s1600-h/DSCN2371.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbaBRmh51yof38A78MGXjwFGP7n5VxC5QydMNTOtmmNWHVcdR2KAaIu0LMgiA-msDF2U9uTqBGrNvQnTO6Bnag3fqXbF85BQCxy4zZiLDmjyuqjjDmtB0dZQZkm4Z8yKuVzMRh8MLcGc/s320/DSCN2371.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312468225865503986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8wTWYl5bNCSIQVS13TDPJ_AYiSfVwskQmlYgvGW23d_VROpa97eVoNKupwlufem415irignVDoRfa6lor9O5n4Ftvrgr0oO67rLBQ3MQMnDiMmrWEJm3S0_4ZzoClst4q7rIQvebGsk/s1600-h/DSCN2372.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8wTWYl5bNCSIQVS13TDPJ_AYiSfVwskQmlYgvGW23d_VROpa97eVoNKupwlufem415irignVDoRfa6lor9O5n4Ftvrgr0oO67rLBQ3MQMnDiMmrWEJm3S0_4ZzoClst4q7rIQvebGsk/s320/DSCN2372.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466923160356658" /></a><br /><br />I like to take these cheesy pictures so we can see how the baby grows. I'm horrible at taking them on the actual month-birthday though...so consider the signs to all be approximations!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKvVbKpmw-bj3TVXaK96660NmgZedaAiGLMTkwZrHuXmx8s4zoWXgRVdQtVgfxkoJtpFBLhyphenhyphenVF5PNjXosuCBM7MkkanPwso4YnQkwSEiLBsEFFJlaw5lqARCEQrLLK25oOheu4lBDWTQ/s1600-h/DSCN2378.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKvVbKpmw-bj3TVXaK96660NmgZedaAiGLMTkwZrHuXmx8s4zoWXgRVdQtVgfxkoJtpFBLhyphenhyphenVF5PNjXosuCBM7MkkanPwso4YnQkwSEiLBsEFFJlaw5lqARCEQrLLK25oOheu4lBDWTQ/s320/DSCN2378.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466921503505394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcdn2dgBEpgx-GbknwdrrNvqHLyHD48KgsM95PZhxgDBKVxMYH-ZL0b6eISx-YvjRcrdIik3xVDRbITuxYTs5LK74uyZ5HOEJfIn607Ubzu5dx782FqxrM5nx-tQdm1cyvVrHhqProm0/s1600-h/DSCN2380.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcdn2dgBEpgx-GbknwdrrNvqHLyHD48KgsM95PZhxgDBKVxMYH-ZL0b6eISx-YvjRcrdIik3xVDRbITuxYTs5LK74uyZ5HOEJfIn607Ubzu5dx782FqxrM5nx-tQdm1cyvVrHhqProm0/s320/DSCN2380.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174425229927730" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Random Luke cuteness</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJTN1Ky2r__HUcPkMbhkk_av1k4-hh1mrziytir0UZyyFfJN8WsE0JusLRYePSbzllTvcNdHg2yQv1SJHc46DdCZYpNjFhbC5CifXo8FWh89VDgAux8tpJkpowBjypUKRqJJpo0_hc2s/s1600-h/DSCN2382.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJTN1Ky2r__HUcPkMbhkk_av1k4-hh1mrziytir0UZyyFfJN8WsE0JusLRYePSbzllTvcNdHg2yQv1SJHc46DdCZYpNjFhbC5CifXo8FWh89VDgAux8tpJkpowBjypUKRqJJpo0_hc2s/s320/DSCN2382.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174413822387458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBy4KfPNUFosiyA2NGOdBbUT_lujqnFW7h88GmS5reQ3aIuZmqaCBIg8UpI8m7ffN6eF8ieIMhNYSp2YF6cYj9oNoJfzTNVfklxBkn4aJMVLFSXLOLrU_XbpeQFj5kxYxmnuLIzeq54E/s1600-h/DSCN2383.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBy4KfPNUFosiyA2NGOdBbUT_lujqnFW7h88GmS5reQ3aIuZmqaCBIg8UpI8m7ffN6eF8ieIMhNYSp2YF6cYj9oNoJfzTNVfklxBkn4aJMVLFSXLOLrU_XbpeQFj5kxYxmnuLIzeq54E/s320/DSCN2383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174407093203874" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On Valentine's Day, we all attended the birthday party of Gabriel's best friend, Kira. We were a little nervous about keeping track of all 3 boys in a crowded play place, but it was a lot easier than we'd expected! They were well-behaved and everyone had a blast (even James, who was all decked out in Valentine's attire). :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4gHpCe2uJeP7PIf-K8Y_6Jslg-LZ2nQcKj4tqydH54PieLu3_YGTi3SLv1QOTn2ZrWa2Yvi9SBLKWSPWDNp9JQG3N3chrTjK_KubRpPkIx53TM9pQbaD9A5q4wJJ5RNUQlHlMWvct6c/s1600-h/DSCN2384.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4gHpCe2uJeP7PIf-K8Y_6Jslg-LZ2nQcKj4tqydH54PieLu3_YGTi3SLv1QOTn2ZrWa2Yvi9SBLKWSPWDNp9JQG3N3chrTjK_KubRpPkIx53TM9pQbaD9A5q4wJJ5RNUQlHlMWvct6c/s320/DSCN2384.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174401872615058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfJHN-7180Yt71RmovqPpqQLid6O2hLFicKcX78MK_s95pjuj_FIsB_YPf-5iLNfWCHryKJAN9z95uTp0aoqpUoN89PQPWjOmYCAyyH_QFVpLwp8wvcjpSARMoi0zmz0mKSXAioMd7ow/s1600-h/DSCN2386.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfJHN-7180Yt71RmovqPpqQLid6O2hLFicKcX78MK_s95pjuj_FIsB_YPf-5iLNfWCHryKJAN9z95uTp0aoqpUoN89PQPWjOmYCAyyH_QFVpLwp8wvcjpSARMoi0zmz0mKSXAioMd7ow/s320/DSCN2386.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309173713500428274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutnnFM7FqQNhFoMJemGDENNo_fJ6u58h0xqG_Eo97GqpRZQxy8Y2KUrXIrJd9NYTl6yhhsiA3J_7BGZdnyNhcnpqP1pjH7IDst8ZQ48AiMX5sWz8F0THdzPi93pmtqSfTlXA91Cqq8Bs/s1600-h/DSCN2388.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutnnFM7FqQNhFoMJemGDENNo_fJ6u58h0xqG_Eo97GqpRZQxy8Y2KUrXIrJd9NYTl6yhhsiA3J_7BGZdnyNhcnpqP1pjH7IDst8ZQ48AiMX5sWz8F0THdzPi93pmtqSfTlXA91Cqq8Bs/s320/DSCN2388.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309173700850952386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Zc7YIgBIoWIXPK7flkTmMTfp8zgNARtOAcan8X_RyHGbTe9RzAPWRAvFi8DMc2tXULeLEq2nOr31tpVwPEQ_-iJ5KNs3cZ0TtFsufWIN-B_0F28AhrgFMcbg3G6SlNuxlx727oiC4I/s1600-h/DSCN2389.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Zc7YIgBIoWIXPK7flkTmMTfp8zgNARtOAcan8X_RyHGbTe9RzAPWRAvFi8DMc2tXULeLEq2nOr31tpVwPEQ_-iJ5KNs3cZ0TtFsufWIN-B_0F28AhrgFMcbg3G6SlNuxlx727oiC4I/s320/DSCN2389.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309173697305673330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVpHV3UCA8fNNCCbsMf3Wndvm4teoqiwXvOWFD_AYrlHYoAjSxLA121R2B0AQhX2M3BdQvhU0RQNHeHoO5HYAcTyhp8IwMIK_wxlGlncwW8rGXabB4DXY2a3mWH5atZnt2vOlwngW1n0/s1600-h/DSCN2394.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVpHV3UCA8fNNCCbsMf3Wndvm4teoqiwXvOWFD_AYrlHYoAjSxLA121R2B0AQhX2M3BdQvhU0RQNHeHoO5HYAcTyhp8IwMIK_wxlGlncwW8rGXabB4DXY2a3mWH5atZnt2vOlwngW1n0/s320/DSCN2394.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172961639893378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeYekxGubN6YbVNL2ARmg6mwU4XuUL9IZuNYMOB1BmLl1A2HWXjmqf2OAZaaInBOx9y7HiTxuBtdExJ6eMrPc9VTH-lrjZ9bsHPN6A4Z-DHrnsEC11HhfUuQWlCrQ9LEzP-rAa9CpwjU/s1600-h/DSCN2400.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeYekxGubN6YbVNL2ARmg6mwU4XuUL9IZuNYMOB1BmLl1A2HWXjmqf2OAZaaInBOx9y7HiTxuBtdExJ6eMrPc9VTH-lrjZ9bsHPN6A4Z-DHrnsEC11HhfUuQWlCrQ9LEzP-rAa9CpwjU/s320/DSCN2400.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172941081855442" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>JAMES OVERLOAD!! I can't help it...I just adore this little guy!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcHd7TynkuLxnlouF0SYdMYPAl_fNj2WyvPWZYmgO2JCVQucVo4idg_TV60WpEEcIiIZJcnIPHKckh6vR7SK3TOIQ-Ug1LYx3xoeHE3xDYF-5Gqm76WQuc-Vah6Anfnse4kuCZpuA3VY/s1600-h/DSCN2403.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcHd7TynkuLxnlouF0SYdMYPAl_fNj2WyvPWZYmgO2JCVQucVo4idg_TV60WpEEcIiIZJcnIPHKckh6vR7SK3TOIQ-Ug1LYx3xoeHE3xDYF-5Gqm76WQuc-Vah6Anfnse4kuCZpuA3VY/s320/DSCN2403.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309171838836616098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2V0qtzmjxlIg8Wt7bfGyQgunSTYgdsnZYIcWULM8YQ18-ZBoUNBlHD8VVhtktPC7B3G29mBPh2tQbEpt6-F1EfH-foNjom_ZNBKB67xy8r3vfAjg0yWpP10BX-glu57iSiTkHrE6w_ns/s1600-h/DSCN2404.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2V0qtzmjxlIg8Wt7bfGyQgunSTYgdsnZYIcWULM8YQ18-ZBoUNBlHD8VVhtktPC7B3G29mBPh2tQbEpt6-F1EfH-foNjom_ZNBKB67xy8r3vfAjg0yWpP10BX-glu57iSiTkHrE6w_ns/s320/DSCN2404.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309171840350343954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfwKx1pE5YuMfnU8BBhttoyCvHcMC6RkFBoK53ZQEbmwVRkEMqdt4M_P9TaRIyLUPA-MKaWfIQUn93NWNHwberhNhwe6LlAmQgS1aQhhaOdRWx2xJeGegLVLzDd3MkqnzrE6RYiFDq34/s1600-h/DSCN2406.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfwKx1pE5YuMfnU8BBhttoyCvHcMC6RkFBoK53ZQEbmwVRkEMqdt4M_P9TaRIyLUPA-MKaWfIQUn93NWNHwberhNhwe6LlAmQgS1aQhhaOdRWx2xJeGegLVLzDd3MkqnzrE6RYiFDq34/s320/DSCN2406.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309171099502694562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkSWr5OY_MGzVBwurUBsVVx8ThojMdAGFR4zOLl8p7ZaCP0XzGQKOJ5ij8o1EAeO2dxEAnthCDzaSB8g9qtOjPCSn7KRggiGzuzCjd7I4qiq-yt8pcRrlcfhSVkHVVg13GT9C7ebGXb8/s1600-h/DSCN2409.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkSWr5OY_MGzVBwurUBsVVx8ThojMdAGFR4zOLl8p7ZaCP0XzGQKOJ5ij8o1EAeO2dxEAnthCDzaSB8g9qtOjPCSn7KRggiGzuzCjd7I4qiq-yt8pcRrlcfhSVkHVVg13GT9C7ebGXb8/s320/DSCN2409.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309171080896697010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OR5OwV0N9T1BXVER0RBQ9rbmreM469PmZAUEZBOlJV7zhqfhAJidX4PlxnrpU5FQuHOKZjZy1o4_gvb14OLPe47ZnZ6-eHDQpfxxpGbvIWjcAWjPWt3P9jFKPpRt9J_HeJlEqm9EuQ8/s1600-h/DSCN2415.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OR5OwV0N9T1BXVER0RBQ9rbmreM469PmZAUEZBOlJV7zhqfhAJidX4PlxnrpU5FQuHOKZjZy1o4_gvb14OLPe47ZnZ6-eHDQpfxxpGbvIWjcAWjPWt3P9jFKPpRt9J_HeJlEqm9EuQ8/s320/DSCN2415.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309161809202830834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPINly9jeFWmiVA1hYwYGgcbYR2WSlweV8Q2xqCT9tzF7xQ7rUoaHuRX-yNxmIiAT7mCnitvydtiJuy7AusSIqOy6XeyFt5mwHu0y2riV6li7RnzCb_xb-fXBqxOvxX8aUei17pVXHgCw/s1600-h/DSCN2416.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPINly9jeFWmiVA1hYwYGgcbYR2WSlweV8Q2xqCT9tzF7xQ7rUoaHuRX-yNxmIiAT7mCnitvydtiJuy7AusSIqOy6XeyFt5mwHu0y2riV6li7RnzCb_xb-fXBqxOvxX8aUei17pVXHgCw/s320/DSCN2416.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309161808289897330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUoOq7w-KBQtj1bKCKabbqxQOzR8dAph0h9DKWM8mdCXIwl8G5k4Lha_ys7oomRrHwZS5tMDY-8c09DdmsO3E3SP0q0SL3zjundkIDzXSibYk8r3oSVXkWoEZtUj0Z-uMCbQIZxmL1PQ/s1600-h/DSCN2418.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUoOq7w-KBQtj1bKCKabbqxQOzR8dAph0h9DKWM8mdCXIwl8G5k4Lha_ys7oomRrHwZS5tMDY-8c09DdmsO3E3SP0q0SL3zjundkIDzXSibYk8r3oSVXkWoEZtUj0Z-uMCbQIZxmL1PQ/s320/DSCN2418.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309161774424924370" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I realize I'm still a month behind, but some of the pictures I still want to add deserve their own posts. My goal is to be completely caught up before I go back to work, which happens on March 26th. Stay tuned!</div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-42124290493707153492009-02-24T13:46:00.004-05:002009-03-02T22:29:47.859-05:00I'd like to thank the Academy...No, I didn't win an Oscar (though I did thoroughly enjoy this year's show, hosted by my boyfriend, Hugh Jackman! And don't get me started on how excited I was that Kate Winslet finally won Best Actress!). But watching all those acceptance speeches reminded me that I neglected to thank a couple of people who truly deserve the recognition. I mentioned in my last post that my sister Theresa spent Christmas with us and helped us a great deal with the holiday and some baby preparations. We were very blessed to have some other family members come help as well.<div><br /></div><div>First, my mother-in-law, Chris, spent a week in our home and took care of Gabriel and Luke while we were in the hospital for the birth and recovery. It's hard to leave little ones for so many days, and it was comforting to know they were in good, loving hands. </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSsSzoVjwmdg0sv32E1BYj0vgkSFFhud4tLLLPCC7fzimnegLuPXcghZ4OjKDJBN2ZGxoHvKqJwQkQYu01ryjtx4UPhRAIro7gHARa2SFbhB8e9p_SFI9l-MubFmRd2Te61gNcSZEiRo/s320/DSCN2293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308798349410555378" /><br /></div><div>Next, my sister Bernadette came for nearly a week in January and helped in a variety of ways, from watching the older two while we went to doctor's appointments, to cooking for us, to helping take down Christmas decorations. Our apartment has not been clean since she left...that should give you an idea of how helpful she was!</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfx1HDKOWR211O87_Y0AWYfnZKgHrBQX35gAM5cGIrLxcEfvxv2DgIgBZsu_gaomSWQ8jAFQJ-iNoNUyP4HRdb41bCqUchlLXXDpQCs5sBvCgkINuRprZugq7bdVVdDyglikDwRQ6B2Y/s320/DSCN2351.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308798350561938146" /><br /></div><div>Living far away from family means we don't receive (or give!) help very often, but somehow the ones we love always come through for us when we really need them. Our hearts will always be grateful.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm still learning my way around this blog. I played with the color scheme a little today, and tried to figure out how to include photos in my posts. I can upload them, but I don't know how to place them where I want them within the text. As soon as I figure that out, I'll start posting pics of the boys!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-46269123462886785622009-02-19T23:34:00.004-05:002009-03-02T22:54:19.794-05:00Two Joyous BirthsTo continue the story of my life from the beginning of this blog until the present day, I shall now cover the period from Christmas to New Year's.<div><br /></div><div>Approaching Christmas, I was not doing well emotionally. I was just a wreck and we'd had a difficult time preparing for the holidays. I would look over my to-do list and get completely overwhelmed and depressed when I realized not everything would get done in time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, my sister Theresa came to visit for Christmas, and her presence was such a blessing for us all! She helped us make Christmas happen with all the necessary trimmings; Gabriel enjoyed it so much that he still wishes every day were Christmas! Theresa also helped me make it through Christmas without falling apart. Obviously there was a deep sadness that was just sort of understood, but together we were able to find happiness in each other and Lonnie and the boys as well. It was a small, simple holiday, but it was full of love and joy as we rejoiced in our Savior's birth!</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwrpbsTlX4ycba35uIxu9_7xr07oymN6zKjfkRaVHJCXuoFcol87gcKsbLTEKvRV3PM89WsqE1KJTT5zlEj_Tpx2RZxGqXpIbQ1ttYx5-IhfYo04VFuN3clUPx_pyStHsGPxel5IZxoA/s320/DSCN2266.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308792784739253202" /><br /></div><div>As soon as Theresa was gone, it was time to shift our focus to the impending arrival of "Baby Three." One of the biggest tasks still left to do was to choose a name! We had played a little name game for months in the fall, beginning with a long list of potential names and eachof us removing one name from the list each week. We had always considered using my father's first or middle name as a middle name, but not long before he died I started to consider using his first name as a first name for our baby instead. We added it to the list and it became one of the top 5 finalists. Just a few days before the scheduled c-section, I finally felt completely certain that his name had to be James. We selected Matthew as his middle name because it was one of the other 5 final names, and it sounded really good with James. Also, the Gospel reading at Dad's funeral mass was from the Gospel of St. Matthew. It was a beautiful reading - the Beatitudes - and I will remember it always. It felt really good to be certain that James Matthew was the perfect name for our little boy.</div><div><br /></div><div>My c-section was scheduled for early morning on Tuesday, December 30th. From the time I first found out I was pregnant, I had stressed over when the baby's birthday would be. Everyone I've ever known with a birthday during the holidays hated it and complained about it. I felt guilty for doing to that to my child, even though it was definitely not something I did on purpose! I agonized over the different days on which I could potentially schedule the repeat c-section, but in the end was just scheduled when there was an opening. I had hoped for the 29th, but was fine with settling for the 30th. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bright and early on December 30th, Lonnie and I arrived at the hospital ready to meet the newest Woodward boy. We thought we were running about 10 minutes late. It turned out we were over an hour late! I had received a good bit of misinformation from my OB's office regarding what time I needed to be there and what needed to be done in advance. Consequently, it was too late for my surgery to go ahead as scheduled, and because the hospital was fully booked all day long, it was unlikely that they would be able to squeeze me in. I could wait around (in a Labor & Delivery room, hooked up to monitors and still unable to eat or drink) until 4 or 5 pm and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span> get to have my baby then, or come back for an open spot in the schedule the next day at 11am. I chose to come back. </div><div><br /></div><div>I won't lie...I was disappointed and angry and frustrated enough that I cried before I left the hospital, and cried some more when I got back home. It felt so awful to have my plans and expectations thrown out the window at the last minute, after everything else I'd been through. And now I was going to have a New Year's Eve baby, after trying so hard to avoid the actual holidays. I have since been reassured about NYE as a birthday...most people think it will be cool rather than a drag and I am optimistic! </div><div><br /></div><div>We showed up at the hospital the next day even earlier than they had suggested. The place was packed full of women trying to have babies...maybe some of them were trying hard to get their tax deductions in 2008! :) I've learned that people will constantly make this joke when you have a NYE baby, but I don't mind. Since my Dad was an accountant and would have made the joke as well (only he probably would have been half-serious!), it actually makes me think of him and smile. But I digress....because the hospital was so busy and there were some unexpected c-sections messing up the schedule, my delivery was delayed again, but just a little this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was really nervous going into the OR, even though this was my third c-section. I had a pretty nasty cold and was afraid I would not be able to breathe while lying flat on my back on the table. I was also afraid of what would happen if I had to cough while receiving the spinal, or during the surgery. I was still blowing my nose and coughing right up until the moment that they gave me the spinal and then laid me down. Then everything happened very quickly. My sinuses seemed to clear and my chest relaxed. I could breathe perfectly and felt completely at peace. Everything just felt perfect. The doctor moved really quickly in performing the surgery: the spinal went in at 12:37 and at 12:58 they were pulling a crying baby from my belly! </div><div><br /></div><div>If you know me at all, you know I'm the ridiculously squeamish sort. I don't even like "blood and guts" on TV when I know that it's fake. My policy on newborns, even my own, was that I didn't want to see them until they had been cleaned up. Well, I didn't express this policy to anyone because it had never been an issue before. So I was caught off guard when one of the assistants held my precious baby's head up over the curtain so I could see him mere seconds after he was born. He was all covered in yuckiness....but he was the most beautiful sight I had ever beheld! It was a perfect moment. I was overcome with emotion. I fell in love instantly, despite all my worries about not being able to bond with my baby due to my grief and the stress in my life, etc. I wept tears of joy and I felt that all was right with the world. It was the sort of birth moment that many women dream of but I had never expected would happen to me. And I will never forget it as long as I live. I know my Dad was with me. No - I know that BOTH of my parents were with me, letting me know that life goes on and that I would be okay. </div><div><br /></div><div>Very soon after James was born, all my nasal congestion came back and once again it was hard to breathe. The perfect moment was over and reality was back! But it wasn't long before I got to hold my little angel and fall even further in love. Late that night, Lonnie and I rang in the New Year in a darkened hospital room, with James sleeping peacefully beside us. We toasted with little cups of apple juice. Good thing we had a TV in the room so we could at least watch the ball drop in Times Square! It felt amazing to say goodbye to 2008, which overall was one of the worst years of my life, and to look forward to 2009 with such hope and eager anticipation. The arrival of James did not erase my grief, but filled me with enough joy to keep going, keep living, keep loving. </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_MZA4dfF099mzVca7zI7jUN_iy-4SQQ2YPSsS8nN8Pez1kOqMtH_iVS0BhI3Mqu8RSll_CoICQtnmwdkarYeI2n3XP1zuwelkEVYqrB_iYhmB-9-KeZBZ99g4u-Ca8JkqTgrgG7R-_k/s320/DSCN2275.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308787848950712146" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHiidV0yztlHW7dmc2RVaX3l6sTziKHaXw3My530l7gQ5P3L5f4CcUC0UshErIsv019CgcSAxbvduH27F0xZ4hBCKtGaPrcDJIdz3SeSVPiSsuJoqoyJsdFczCRSUA_FLrhvU8Rv2IRkk/s320/DSCN2286.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308789614397205250" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jbQTeYplrJswUC5qJmPwBzUlcEYw4V-cx8-jIQxQDBEnEJNRHDUu1j7dWkMasty10nUsttQd5y818QTCCvF1YjXIOww74B-I1pqVRON3kKm38K4pCDGwsDvp3iVBnNT2p9h6NoLSP6c/s320/DSCN2288.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308789618239531330" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ltcI4b7ZNsCBbJaNnLV1JnLIu7e11oxHZjwzyl9N_hyphenhyphenFqLq2sUbvjw9Lfj6iB55a4SyLRt1-go96ORVKzVfWlqfZ8wXd00YClV76tdhyZWb2NhhIEAEF7e_AH1CAWtRlj12c9QygZJA/s320/DSCN2303.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308789615028270994" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKuQGMVFDS7QPAoVmvJk7pJc4S5mhPzyPDDiytTFUcJ98GwDmSNJAXsPDMI6zsRWn0zNJPX_xtnEK80zgOzUSjJzhaD1FCjxrjpsW_mk-jdSU_eOkOx8nmM69GiL5PtIr29BEOTAyo-M/s320/DSCN2305.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308789621383843234" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOYy5LuflHrLw-aNcx-cPNvLvivBa5yQZHeAmJvZlMkpe_1ng3k_7lP5RxsbrlYeJWgcX3R2yh_3q84NkHN_IEnO6SRQJtikC4ii8wzCsF66EhGq3C6G07CJMFSmxjbWuH8XFkHXog2A/s320/DSCN2321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308792792580232018" /></div><div>Another beautiful little miracle in all this was James's heart. The nurses and pediatricians could hear a slight murmur in the hospital, but it grew more faint every day. By the time we took him for his first check up at the doctor's office the next week, the doctor could not hear a murmur at all. At two weeks, we took him back to the cardiologist for a follow-up echocardiogram, and she confirmed what the pediatrician suspected: any holes they had seen in his heart in utero had closed up! His heart is strong and perfect. Praise be to God! (I have a feeling someone other than my parents was putting in a good word for us with the Big Guy, but that is an entry for another day.)</div><div><br /></div><div>My recovery and James's first weeks of life proceeded quite normally. He has been a pretty easy baby and even lets us get reasonable amounts of sleep most nights. Gabriel and Luke adore him and love to give him kisses! Gabriel is taking pride in his role as big brother now, and has enjoyed helping out with Baby James by feeding him bottles occasionally. Luke just loves to get into James's face and talk to him, and by doing that he earned James's first real smile a few weeks ago!</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YJ2s7O_eOasdgWkOX1vsXn8nKd2NJ8YjqwRgOBuUVahCO7dz82TbjAKlBGev75pdYkal5FQ-6uhSFnhUjsv1Z7apO6wO53bPtUnIblctQa1-7lImNPY40dX2xFf5_gYFMKAvmSeUWHg/s320/DSCN2329.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308794805226890450" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcdpGfyzpkevK2WarBsnvnUjh9KfjbYJaSE5gxzQOZFYVEg1E6-0E2tngoyHlzdzTpbQ7FapE2q85cBds4gqTG0aBap-_qPDANz3rkdz0RHbdHIqKpw70f10nRRQykVTH6E8cEyXy5Lk/s320/DSCN2330.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308794810838567746" /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlzgYY5V8X4hZxm4Oz2O4V8N_UkYMH1Xua1fibFmfmTCyoEOJqxu6XFRav5T4cOi_AUl_czAMgjU5tCiKA5ecdUjVoy3WWPshu80m0nrIUWKjIOGWXTKSsqH2XbZKGnVCHM8hkHYfpj0/s320/DSCN2336.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308794812730262066" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekhtBDwrD_in9naauIbvGhrIHtI4g1VKVZrIkJWZO9BPeBa_mogELvUqPe-MMHfBi05hy6NCRQQw2-DUZGB5EHzCTtmT7CNrg0m89YKYjR8xwNvBtwJYmoyg1luH77okgo1W5HzjmZuY/s320/DSCN2340.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308794823914974850" /><br /></div><div>I'd be lying if I painted a picture of perfect bliss in our home. Gabriel and Luke are both at challenging ages and unfortunately can be as sassy and stubborn as their Mommy. Gabriel especially often seems like a small male version of my teenage self. And most of the time it feels like there is always at least one person hungry, tired, or in need of a diaper or some attention. There are definitely times and whole days when we get completely overwhelmed! On those days, we count the hours to bedtime and try not to sell the kids to the gypsies in the meantime! But there are more good times than bad, and our family is truly happy.</div><div><br /></div><div>James is now 7 weeks old and we're trying to emerge from the newborn fog and re-engage in our lives. We've been getting out and about with all 3 kids, which is always an adventure! This week we put an offer on a house and we're hoping to become first-time homeowners in the very near future. Our tiny 2 BR, 1 BA apartment cannot contain our boys and all their stuff, so it's time to upgrade to something with more space! Attempting to move with 3 small children will present its own unique challenges; I hope we are up to the task. If you decide to keep reading this blog, I'm sure you will "hear" all about it very soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope to post some pictures soon, and see what else I can do to make this blog more interesting and fun. [EDIT: Added photos 3/1/09.] Please bear with me. I'm still new to this, and it's hard to find time just to write, much less add any extras. I am very open to comments and suggestions, especially from experienced bloggers or just people who read a lot of blogs. I'm not looking to win any awards here or anything, but I do want this to be a fun place for friends and family to keep up with our goings-on and be a little entertained. :) Thank you for reading!</div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-20727319827498052302009-02-13T23:01:00.002-05:002009-02-13T23:53:11.939-05:00April Blogs...Take TWO!I'm not at all surprised that this happened. One of the reasons I resisted the urge to join the blogging world for so long was that I knew I'd have trouble finding the time to write regularly. Once I took the plunge last August, I hoped that I would overcome my own time management shortcomings and really do this right. I failed. In all fairness to myself, I've just gone through possibly the darkest time of my life, so I'm not going to feel too guilty about it. <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, now I am recommitting to this project I have begun. I'll be sharing the address with friends and family soon - that ought to be just enough pressure to keep up with it. I plan to start adding photos as well, though first I'm going to have to start remembering to take them more often! </div><div><br /></div><div>When I chose the name and theme for this blog, adjusting to a different gender distribution than I had imagined for my children was one of the biggest issues weighing on my mind. Unfortunately, life had far less trivial challenges in store for me and my family. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not long after my first entry, I underwent a fetal echocardiogram as a precaution because I have a family history of congenital heart defects. At that echo, a minor defect was found. It's called Ventricular Septal Defect, and it means there is a hole in the wall, or septum, between the left and right ventricles, allowing blood to flow between the two. Often the holes are small and cause nothing more than a heart murmur in a child; in rare cases they are large enough that they need to be closed either with medication or surgery. Out of all possible heart defects, VSD is about as minor as you can get, and I was incredibly grateful for that. But no parent ever wants to hear that something is wrong with her child's heart. I did my best not to allow worry to consume me for the remainder of my pregnancy, but it was always lurking at the back of my mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>In September, my father underwent surgery on his neck to decompress a nerve. It was not a particularly dangerous procedure and he was expected to have a reasonable recovery. For some reason we will never know, he actually never recovered. He developed a great deal of numbness in his extremities and became disabled. He spent two months going in and out of the hospitals and rehab facilities, enduring myriad tests to find an underlying cause for this numbness, but no cause was ever found. Attempts were made at physical therapy, but no real progress was ever made. A second neck surgery was performed, but no improvement was ever seen.</div><div><br /></div><div>His spirits were low, and we feared he would spend the remainder of his life in a nursing home, deprived of the independence that he so cherished. The outlook was not positive, but we did at least believe that he would LIVE. We were wrong. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just a few days after I celebrated my 31st birthday, my father developed pneumonia, serious blood clots, and other complications. He needed surgery to save his life but the surgery itself was too dangerous. It was his time to go home, where no doubt my mother was eagerly waiting. We were fortunate in that all eight of us "kids" were able to make it to Charleston in time to say goodbye and spend some time with him in his final days. On November 22, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, he entered into Eternal Rest. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think I need to go into detail about how difficult the loss was on an 8-month pregnant woman. I survived the week only through the amazing support of my husband and my siblings, and the bright smiles of my beloved Gabriel and Luke. But the grief was nearly impossible to bear throughout the final month of my pregnancy. I adored my father. For as long as I can remember, I've always been a "Daddy's girl." Even in my rebellious teenage years, when I did nothing but fight with my Mom, I could still talk to my Dad. And I've depended on him even more, emotionally, since Mom died nearly 4 years ago. I felt like a little piece of her lived on in him, so losing him was like losing her all over again, but more completely. Though I am an adult, I feel like an orphan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of December is truly a blur to me now. I was not myself at all. At first there were good days and bad days. Then there were just bad days with occasional good moments. My moods shifted violently. It is almost fortunate that I was very busy at my job because I was able to bury myself in my work to help just get through each day. I really was not functioning like a normal person. It was all just too much for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, I turned a lot of my negative thoughts toward my poor innocent unborn son. He was unplanned to begin with, and throughout the pregnancy I'd been frustrated by the timing. Adding grief to that equation caused me at times to resent my baby. I thought if only I were not pregnant, maybe I could have visited Dad before he got so sick, and certainly I could have handled the sadness better. I felt so empty inside that I feared I would not be able to bond with my baby once he was born. Over and over again, I asked myself, "What if I don't love him?"</div><div><br /></div><div>So I was overcome with grief, resenting my baby and fearing I could not bond with him, and also trying to throw together a good Christmas for my two precious sons, and that is how I approached the end of December. The birth of "Baby Three" deserves a post all its own, so this is where I leave you tonight. Hopefully it won't be six months before I share the next chapter of my story!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169568736071718748.post-16467793032617294112008-08-14T16:45:00.003-04:002008-08-14T17:05:16.442-04:00The Title QuestionI found out two days ago that my third baby, due Jan. 2, will be a third boy. Naturally, what I most care about is that the baby is healthy. I adore the two boys I have (Gabriel, 3, and Luke, 1) and I'm sure I will love this one just as much.<div><br /></div><div>However, the silly picture I had in my mind of the "perfect" family for us was always 2 boys and 2 girls. That silly picture also showed a larger age difference between child #2 and child #3, so clearly I'm not doing such a great job of painting that picture into reality. Having these three all so close together is making us question whether we'll still go for a fourth, so there is a chance I will never have a daughter. I am now facing the very real possibility of living the rest of my life as the only source of estrogen in a house full of testosterone. We are SO getting a female dog!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Lest you think I started this blog to whine about how cruel the world is and how empty my life will be without dresses and tiaras and glitter and pink fluffy tutus, allow me to clear the air right now: I HATE PINK! (I have been known to wear glitter on occasion though....) I am not mourning the "loss" of what I might never have. I'm merely navigating the realities of a life I hadn't imagined and for which I am thoroughly unprepared. </div><div><br /></div><div>I must confess: I'm a tiny bit scared. I'm not scared of boys or the things that they do. I'm not even scared of how smelly they get as they get older, though I am planning to buy scented candles and car air fresheners in bulk. I'm just scared that they will "be the death of me," in some vague, unforeseen way. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I am hoping is that they will not be the death of me, but rather the LIFE of me and my husband and everyone whose lives we touch. And I hope even more that they will provide me with plenty of funny and touching stories that I can share with you....whoever you are. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know why God chose me to be the Mom to three boys, but I'm looking forward to the adventure as I try to figure it all out!</div>Aprilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08494662600759746938noreply@blogger.com0