tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26381608223793411832024-03-16T22:57:51.966-04:00Adventures in La La LandUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1054125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-79278507279724152552024-03-16T22:57:00.000-04:002024-03-16T22:57:11.636-04:00The Saturday 7<p>What does it say about me that I haven't blogged in two weeks, and I still have nothing to say? Haha. Don't worry. I'll dredge something up this week. </p><p>1. We've been doing a good job of sticking to our new screen time limits - nothing during the week, lots over the weekend. There have been a few times that the kids did their required activities to earn an hour of screen time during the week, but usually they decide it isn't worth it. The nice weather helps a ton. Levi is out playing with the neighbor kids any chance he gets, and Lena's upping her gymnastics game on the trampoline. Levi's other new obsession is writing stories. He's been working on his book every time he has a minute of free time at school and illustrating every page. He brought it home this week because he wanted me to type it into the computer. But his spelling and [non-existent] punctuation are so incredibly bad that I couldn't decipher it at all. He finally read it out loud to me so I could transcribe. I was impressed with some of the funny quips he used! Now if only I could transfer his love of writing to a love of reading . . . maybe it'd help with the spelling woes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWcHIsWJcegSWKNDnbngh2VUkJVpIOfa2w1Dd3Aq_b8s-v35SAElAKjlPQZwTdmzaMwaHf5GWB2_eqh4Wq7Ip3Ij5_YaZFGZHBciWB6PqIz_5POxGYp_9cePaH_AZWGvWKGZ8I7Fl7ijHMjGrNKgYTyjM2RA5CuHuWqbXaj43IWeb66d_HQ9jB6z7gt4/s839/PXL_20240310_223840658.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWcHIsWJcegSWKNDnbngh2VUkJVpIOfa2w1Dd3Aq_b8s-v35SAElAKjlPQZwTdmzaMwaHf5GWB2_eqh4Wq7Ip3Ij5_YaZFGZHBciWB6PqIz_5POxGYp_9cePaH_AZWGvWKGZ8I7Fl7ijHMjGrNKgYTyjM2RA5CuHuWqbXaj43IWeb66d_HQ9jB6z7gt4/w480-h640/PXL_20240310_223840658.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>2. The big news in our family this week is the arrival of another baby! My great-nephew Brodie was born Sunday morning to Tristan and Brandy. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDH77iBO3GVchyh4JliOZcQJEsweCVW6gfyTddTc0HMRY_SdOAlm2ElMgHAN6UpqSbqg5dHC4SvV1yh8kiuJlnph-LALc7sfT6WTkqtsu2ySHMtO9KByUkjRxB1HUHmc3jtA23QdNfQcX3y-oFM0RtoZYTp-O-ryQUhaIqcrmQmfrdPNl1okux06S85c/s2048/430674652_10160023512462882_2336577704420455943_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDH77iBO3GVchyh4JliOZcQJEsweCVW6gfyTddTc0HMRY_SdOAlm2ElMgHAN6UpqSbqg5dHC4SvV1yh8kiuJlnph-LALc7sfT6WTkqtsu2ySHMtO9KByUkjRxB1HUHmc3jtA23QdNfQcX3y-oFM0RtoZYTp-O-ryQUhaIqcrmQmfrdPNl1okux06S85c/w480-h640/430674652_10160023512462882_2336577704420455943_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Big Sister Nova!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Don't you just want to squish his cheeks? I love babies so much. Unfortunately, Lucy and Lena still have nasty coughs, so we didn't get to see him right away. I went yesterday by myself to drop off a meal and sneak some baby snuggles, but the kids haven't met him yet. Regardless, we're all excited to welcome another bambino to the cousin crew. (Well, Levi's not super excited. When I was showing the girls pictures, he said, "Don't even show me. I don't like babies." Lol. He'll enjoy him when he's older.)</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Speaking of meals, I made dinner <i style="font-weight: bold;">four</i> times this week! That's a big deal for me because I really despise cooking, and I try to avoid it whenever possible. It's not like my kids eat anything I make, so I'm really just cooking for Justin and me. And he's a big boy who knows how to make sandwiches and hot pockets, so it's not like he'll starve if I don't make dinner. 😂 But just as I started patting myself on the back for being such a good wife I realized I have to do it all over again next week. Dangit! If we had lots of money, I'd seriously get restaurant food for every meal . . . and probably be featured on "My 600 Lb. Life." Alas.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. I've been in a terrible book slump lately. The last <i>five</i> books I've read have been 3-star reads. This is how my rating system generally works:</div><div><br /></div><div>⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was amazing. It left me thinking about the book for days or feeling strong, positive emotions.</div><div>⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was good, and there's not anything very specific I didn't like, but it didn't wow me.</div><div>⭐⭐⭐ Meh. It was fine, but not anything I'd readily recommend or read again. I could definitely point out some flaws.</div><div>⭐⭐ It was horrible, but I finished it.</div><div>⭐ It was so bad I couldn't even finish it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lucy really wants to read contemporary romance novels, but I don't want her reading secular smut, so I've been trying to find some Christian fiction that isn't too cheesy for her. I ended up reading a couple by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brynn-Sebastian-Hate-Each-Other-ebook/dp/B0BN1D38WB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W8RR0QGPWXJ1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.e8g9Y0fprNVUwt5QHmegHKV0xI-SKD83m2qV_MpeRi5wLqRhIvHtJh2mkCLdbS-W.6SdLbcOrUks-ecjGh_4YPq27uUxdulNXqohwvV-pCJU&dib_tag=se&keywords=brynn+and+sebastian+hate+each+other+by+bethany+turner&qid=1710641314&sprefix=bethany+turner%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Bethany Turner </a>as a result. I've read her stuff before and haven't enjoyed it, so I don't know why I thought it would be different this time. I also picked up an Emma St. Clair <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Groom-Ones-Own-Hockey-RomCom-ebook/dp/B0CLKZ8SH2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IBEEWZNG48P4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.COcc0fNhfiZxOn4lNITNcncKrmkIHWOZasqhcKEWTZA2zAA86cajbvf_HEDFyvqi108MrsXm5gjAD_rNlXULyEU0qSHyPR2cvQFl3ioXrkc.DRDQ26rf_k3tVEKUsiLa3eiuhjT6BS56C4sbAjbBxnE&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+groom+of+ones+own+emma+st+clair&qid=1710641273&sprefix=a+groom+of%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1" target="_blank">book </a>to vet for Lucy. St. Clair does not market herself as a Christian author, but I've heard from a variety of sources that her romances are clean. They <i>are</i> in the sense that there are no explicit sex scenes, but they're still a little racy for a 13 year old, in my opinion. And I didn't love the storyline. Then I read a secular <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Women-Good-Fortune-Sophie-Wan/dp/1525804308/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FQB5H4HZQY6H&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2nuIWF60psHc47MU4KwWjw.LLkS2oyDrKGxFiMT4I04Bd0iSS2wVFPevpenOoLh1VI&dib_tag=se&keywords=women+of+good+fortune+sophie+wan&qid=1710641357&sprefix=women+of+goo%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1" target="_blank">book </a>I got from NetGalley because I thought it sounded fun and funny - it was touted as Crazy Rich Asians meets Oceans 11, but was much heavier on the Crazy Rich Asians part than the fun heist-y stuff. Nothing against CRA, I just wanted something more light-hearted. Yesterday, I finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Masquerade-Middlecrest-Abbey-Abigail-Wilson-ebook/dp/B081G6XQ2R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XQPQ4YCTUZWD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MdJdZ5Dm9ss862LoA78PwE7UI_nu7C7zrUzyvphY3Ajn1wEQFuc9iwtL41tZBXbK.xl-DBhm5REaJGvVKCTjTZR5S1YEhTJh-IMP5IfLEokI&dib_tag=se&keywords=masquerade+at+middlecrest+abbey&qid=1710641466&sprefix=masquerade+at+midd%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1" target="_blank">one </a>that is theoretically everything I love in a good book, but I just didn't love it. Not sure if that's the book's fault or the slump's fault, but I really need to snap out of it!<br /><p>5. This has been boring so far. Should we talk about politics? That'll liven things up. I saw a meme the other day that said, "You know what year I'd never be eager to repeat? 2020." And yet, here we go again:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcS3GLqnTz0pGkSyK0O8SdzXV5Ue2jj5ChZl5_9W3nEo0yacNgdewwV42RQVtaoXAIqIQVAoez6K627k89zhND_W8bBflG7rdfQQ9JZiRNP1cjvijdPk8hMB688J3H8gpr0ZMMxFvCcRiqPQZ8TtR8DZDUQdgZIBw4mecXyzPBfRUWAjds-eSoSUGrQ8/s2560/ap24058062753549_custom-41b4cc958ea190c92db1da8c2ac068fefadf92ff-scaled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1705" data-original-width="2560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcS3GLqnTz0pGkSyK0O8SdzXV5Ue2jj5ChZl5_9W3nEo0yacNgdewwV42RQVtaoXAIqIQVAoez6K627k89zhND_W8bBflG7rdfQQ9JZiRNP1cjvijdPk8hMB688J3H8gpr0ZMMxFvCcRiqPQZ8TtR8DZDUQdgZIBw4mecXyzPBfRUWAjds-eSoSUGrQ8/w400-h266/ap24058062753549_custom-41b4cc958ea190c92db1da8c2ac068fefadf92ff-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>How?! How are these our options? Whenever someone expresses dissatisfaction with our government, they're told to vote for change. Dude. I'm trying. And this is what we keep getting. I think it's some grand conspiracy to disillusion voters so much that we give up and just let the chips fall where they may. It's not like I have real faith in any president to affect much change anyway. The polarity of our two parties in congress and the senate don't allow for any meaningful move forward. I keep wondering if things are really that bad or if it's just all I've ever known of politics as an adult. But I've heard more than one older person say that this wasn't how it was in "the old days." The division and downright hatred for the opposing party is stronger than it's ever been. How do we survive something like that? Because at this point, I'm torn between voting for the lesser of two evils, voting third party and taking a vote away from the lesser of two evils, or not voting at all. </p><p>6. I watched the last half hour of the State of the Union while scrolling through Twitter just because I wanted to see what people outside of my social circle think. And I realized that people will defend their party no matter who is at the helm. On Twitter the night of the SOTU, the democrats were cheering and saying, "This is the Spicy Brandon we know and love!" or "You can't tell me this is a doddering old man!" or "Republicans should be ashamed of their attack on this strong, powerful man!" Meanwhile, the republicans were crying, "What kind of drugs is Biden on?" or "What a fool" or "Democrats should be ashamed of propagating elder abuse!" And here's the thing. No one is ashamed. </p><p>Lucky for you, I have the solution. And it's straight from the Bible. Ready?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ldt3AdfrK_9cAivsjf-ve3YBdMF1eSHlu_4QwqTodjQ-j2DrIRtmwF3-wJXhaw1SkQMfqj1JmG1u4numunXFTME2GUqTq5RDzBcJINr_q-BjVvjvXksL6OR1C8voqHXUbgM5dt2oqHCX4Azbd9667w9D6FwCIVYfCt9332YpqmKdX7ttHwDYWbybcYY/s1080/Screenshot_20240316-221244.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="1080" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ldt3AdfrK_9cAivsjf-ve3YBdMF1eSHlu_4QwqTodjQ-j2DrIRtmwF3-wJXhaw1SkQMfqj1JmG1u4numunXFTME2GUqTq5RDzBcJINr_q-BjVvjvXksL6OR1C8voqHXUbgM5dt2oqHCX4Azbd9667w9D6FwCIVYfCt9332YpqmKdX7ttHwDYWbybcYY/w640-h256/Screenshot_20240316-221244.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Sure looks to me like we should lean right in our voting. Hahahaha. Totally kidding, people!! I have no solutions, only complaints. (Title of my memoir.)</p><p>7. And now for some pics and memes!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPt03P5he91PNilXN0HVrvAtoVt-Izr9_lhQmmzU-yBpAccnLzYxvNAI9_hrbNoh5f8VNejAUcEybKsx4g-2XyPeVFTBqSuRcBMOYkf440vZmJajG8aMqhONRy-HNNioI4kno64lY1MuzX9-AakGAEvw0Gy_Vvb7lOUVfoiuvvu1_xH4Pmte4q-Le2Pc/s839/PXL_20240310_213227723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPt03P5he91PNilXN0HVrvAtoVt-Izr9_lhQmmzU-yBpAccnLzYxvNAI9_hrbNoh5f8VNejAUcEybKsx4g-2XyPeVFTBqSuRcBMOYkf440vZmJajG8aMqhONRy-HNNioI4kno64lY1MuzX9-AakGAEvw0Gy_Vvb7lOUVfoiuvvu1_xH4Pmte4q-Le2Pc/w480-h640/PXL_20240310_213227723.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunshine snugglers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYBMTblqA8lNEapjcg9oV6qKTTIQz5HJMFImQgdaYinV46Gf_H9qD0h5AH09xb3LyDAxyHKNkokqUdXbBviXF-0csQwyiwkf58FQR0jXYL1Dj8znKEbfE5neTAY8wanjIlwzlQk2sKTWXHw7DTNE0BtX2fa1nyY4RpeOe_dSw7ZvENWGG3cm05Rd75no/s839/PXL_20240313_204829027.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYBMTblqA8lNEapjcg9oV6qKTTIQz5HJMFImQgdaYinV46Gf_H9qD0h5AH09xb3LyDAxyHKNkokqUdXbBviXF-0csQwyiwkf58FQR0jXYL1Dj8znKEbfE5neTAY8wanjIlwzlQk2sKTWXHw7DTNE0BtX2fa1nyY4RpeOe_dSw7ZvENWGG3cm05Rd75no/w480-h640/PXL_20240313_204829027.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids made "Potato Pets" for church on Wednesday. Lena called hers Farmer Joe. Isn't it so cute? Levi went a different route . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkzzP7gsLNfopDjqoKKEOG5g4wCWCUzPIEEQdgZbd8PpssWkZDqU864NBClYL_6u1HM6jt3epQ15D7vVRyNdkylZDU4BZX1kRXWLjNcjClylYC58i7UIVBG0mEHEFYZ_P97TZ-76lGt1X9YWxZD5tcyWw8WhpVyfo31W1ITM-ifm9eOpG8hDd4AEaxAQ/s839/PXL_20240313_212144407.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkzzP7gsLNfopDjqoKKEOG5g4wCWCUzPIEEQdgZbd8PpssWkZDqU864NBClYL_6u1HM6jt3epQ15D7vVRyNdkylZDU4BZX1kRXWLjNcjClylYC58i7UIVBG0mEHEFYZ_P97TZ-76lGt1X9YWxZD5tcyWw8WhpVyfo31W1ITM-ifm9eOpG8hDd4AEaxAQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240313_212144407.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I told him to make the same face the potato is making and this is what I got. Lol!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpNKHCSKXP7qGrh2W_IdoBSy994nHefKpAvrGRyOe2qCKmn_dskLadUhPn7UDzzrOdUo4ZQGhvXFCoT1IDBnDtKKwd7wRSmXBQqJco_18gAKp-9-WTPnbx5uX-_AbxyB37MCeNUe8u7b1QsviRetP_XHQUYo2cjsMJnrHbV9jeKUcwUdhhYO8dBj2lLk/s841/5c0746839d51bd206a66225954847fd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="570" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpNKHCSKXP7qGrh2W_IdoBSy994nHefKpAvrGRyOe2qCKmn_dskLadUhPn7UDzzrOdUo4ZQGhvXFCoT1IDBnDtKKwd7wRSmXBQqJco_18gAKp-9-WTPnbx5uX-_AbxyB37MCeNUe8u7b1QsviRetP_XHQUYo2cjsMJnrHbV9jeKUcwUdhhYO8dBj2lLk/w434-h640/5c0746839d51bd206a66225954847fd1.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61Nf111qG7jXaeWs5LnwjjKhQPTAaJ9Tuf9dbNwYM-unWtkSgOEi5yEcrMxM5nHlCu381BJX0AcbV4jtza2vfY1OHhTdcxI1yU2zUemNOvjSOFeKvHC-173YKjKIKiiejAmRQStdM-d3eZJueMN4D8BqWTuoiQnkfFX4P-tSFXBoXiqE61A0oF7QMkjs/s843/275292266_10100428516677461_7137824541260879998_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="843" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61Nf111qG7jXaeWs5LnwjjKhQPTAaJ9Tuf9dbNwYM-unWtkSgOEi5yEcrMxM5nHlCu381BJX0AcbV4jtza2vfY1OHhTdcxI1yU2zUemNOvjSOFeKvHC-173YKjKIKiiejAmRQStdM-d3eZJueMN4D8BqWTuoiQnkfFX4P-tSFXBoXiqE61A0oF7QMkjs/w640-h606/275292266_10100428516677461_7137824541260879998_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIrAzPmS1o3JbWwl3vEb3kHmFF9VaFa-pvFWQQ-GD5O5haO6U6t1yUkKldOJg0M64duj6MFeOyiNVQpmyOeLfB2-jN9y7Te_2kw9wpDUB6pOEs4FBj4PNfDtK710hD2hUR03OUrDWQHLZk9SkrogdJh5c4_cT8v3ql8UkU-9sacWTbae3NBZ9wbIf8Fs/s563/c58ad9399a7451251ab9bb8290b49302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="563" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIrAzPmS1o3JbWwl3vEb3kHmFF9VaFa-pvFWQQ-GD5O5haO6U6t1yUkKldOJg0M64duj6MFeOyiNVQpmyOeLfB2-jN9y7Te_2kw9wpDUB6pOEs4FBj4PNfDtK710hD2hUR03OUrDWQHLZk9SkrogdJh5c4_cT8v3ql8UkU-9sacWTbae3NBZ9wbIf8Fs/w640-h462/c58ad9399a7451251ab9bb8290b49302.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is awesome. Let's do it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKDZ6HGmBTvI1Ba1fwhbpX8seWKbDk_48Ad78WCplvrrU9ibeCNS7rJTazBO-2T37I78g8gBYhyezW3bNY_t7H-_jN8Wrr_zb0eU8BrBva6Q-5KslbQk1QdpnvPmn1X2qx-r176VMZj0_-lUPLScLItvcGFYIBQP0LXY7ktCMI2GNhx7c3kn-5C0Yowk/s839/Screenshot_20240312-194636%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKDZ6HGmBTvI1Ba1fwhbpX8seWKbDk_48Ad78WCplvrrU9ibeCNS7rJTazBO-2T37I78g8gBYhyezW3bNY_t7H-_jN8Wrr_zb0eU8BrBva6Q-5KslbQk1QdpnvPmn1X2qx-r176VMZj0_-lUPLScLItvcGFYIBQP0LXY7ktCMI2GNhx7c3kn-5C0Yowk/w476-h640/Screenshot_20240312-194636%20(1).png" width="476" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtPWAbiyUxbmHYsOAa10bYyH5srWcV7jG40Udc9GhXvHYTT1GgX0bXvJseyaRBctFYt22hvnu4rtkIJW4fM1_oiSQUtTlapRQXFY5umoYb5FxFmI2-8V_KtqmfN0N73vGQO2r6D0akfoLBWfoABwEWUJx6Mtq4v-n7E4CIT6VyK9gEqs2ombAmRu2nA/s1080/Screenshot_20240315-212305.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1080" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtPWAbiyUxbmHYsOAa10bYyH5srWcV7jG40Udc9GhXvHYTT1GgX0bXvJseyaRBctFYt22hvnu4rtkIJW4fM1_oiSQUtTlapRQXFY5umoYb5FxFmI2-8V_KtqmfN0N73vGQO2r6D0akfoLBWfoABwEWUJx6Mtq4v-n7E4CIT6VyK9gEqs2ombAmRu2nA/w640-h372/Screenshot_20240315-212305.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made the mistake of using Justin's YETI for my coffee once. It's still not cool enough to drink.</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-86706417957157557912024-03-02T22:16:00.000-05:002024-03-02T22:16:06.539-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. It was birthday week for Levi. We started on Sunday with my family. Since Saylor's birthday is just 6 days before his, they got to have a joint celebration. Levi told me on the way there that he loves sharing his birthday with her. I hope she'll feel the same way as she gets old enough to know better! Haha.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68zfUHtejNt5ANJhXRBCpJ1Yx31yzawY8zTNxzVIQDa5bWJoo-X7T1snbJHAVmpRvuVF0GVwa-6AOqFoYubd06u59-OeW2L8NyLhP6m1SgAkfOIxL2lOp0d5zPTcrqSAS463P7wgrrwaofIR7UmKW1JeNUrfeEVFul8MsF382vC0JjG-k4UQM6Mf70HM/s839/PXL_20240225_182123112.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68zfUHtejNt5ANJhXRBCpJ1Yx31yzawY8zTNxzVIQDa5bWJoo-X7T1snbJHAVmpRvuVF0GVwa-6AOqFoYubd06u59-OeW2L8NyLhP6m1SgAkfOIxL2lOp0d5zPTcrqSAS463P7wgrrwaofIR7UmKW1JeNUrfeEVFul8MsF382vC0JjG-k4UQM6Mf70HM/w300-h400/PXL_20240225_182123112.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2jpu-bczoFfIxtlBDDDDXtdfZdvBns8im35UQ0t4X5dZ-JAyucWNemzF8MohCotL2NV60LICFNPtF_sRj03fUNxzlD2T3tAF3B1y4u7eCeNk5nACyDi0-DRD1tUfwIUaELuNkNjtuYf7bqbhQWmsUcmaii03KOf2gyFCzpLvW58gzvhtSY6RmbERZvI/s839/PXL_20240225_182321478.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2jpu-bczoFfIxtlBDDDDXtdfZdvBns8im35UQ0t4X5dZ-JAyucWNemzF8MohCotL2NV60LICFNPtF_sRj03fUNxzlD2T3tAF3B1y4u7eCeNk5nACyDi0-DRD1tUfwIUaELuNkNjtuYf7bqbhQWmsUcmaii03KOf2gyFCzpLvW58gzvhtSY6RmbERZvI/w300-h400/PXL_20240225_182321478.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>2. The other news of the week was the weather. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99OHoBdKDHBqR_V0Qn90rrnzWX4zuMBSpYs5MY9SpfR1_kz1coQ5BBcoyl3FdWezKhTRO2GQcofuTNRYNDHooXwS7JjAPoGFgyUbNeZLg6Z7w-BgJjAhTib_5KBUrm2A-a9qHsfKhFz7N6XH56c23qvLUzHLeIBIGwcZCwmo2ESBHQz_EW_AotD0LEXg/s839/Snapchat-1477113531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="615" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99OHoBdKDHBqR_V0Qn90rrnzWX4zuMBSpYs5MY9SpfR1_kz1coQ5BBcoyl3FdWezKhTRO2GQcofuTNRYNDHooXwS7JjAPoGFgyUbNeZLg6Z7w-BgJjAhTib_5KBUrm2A-a9qHsfKhFz7N6XH56c23qvLUzHLeIBIGwcZCwmo2ESBHQz_EW_AotD0LEXg/w470-h640/Snapchat-1477113531.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><div>Those ice cream drivers ain't no dummies. They know my kids have been waiting all winter to blow their money on overpriced ice cream! Lol. </div><div><br /></div><div>That was Monday after school. On Tuesday, we broke the record high, hitting 73* on February 27!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQ0-bjyV2YjTtx9NxhZpi_AofZo8JctOXjV2XcI-HI27rQWsgPrWq3W12FJcodLxOicQ8QpLHwKIj0-96GWTsuTFsfPnY-jCWYEv-aSdILDPB9CanPL8EdP0UMzCy0-YDBrb5wqdprfHtSDaNMCIayKjpy2BqVK3WEvg5JheQTHeU9norQVezajFzdAk/s839/Snapchat-350654315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQ0-bjyV2YjTtx9NxhZpi_AofZo8JctOXjV2XcI-HI27rQWsgPrWq3W12FJcodLxOicQ8QpLHwKIj0-96GWTsuTFsfPnY-jCWYEv-aSdILDPB9CanPL8EdP0UMzCy0-YDBrb5wqdprfHtSDaNMCIayKjpy2BqVK3WEvg5JheQTHeU9norQVezajFzdAk/w360-h640/Snapchat-350654315.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I opened all the windows!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDG2fkgGpeCKnifCQQO_uG4gxf_ZyPTuKbieRowmLZVCfSJ4ulkNSV5OnzodxsZT61SEIQ292gPPrwNV3Zm2aK3-3_Go7jIDR2FMkPSn7zS9BikeeCKKkm20sjPaIAds8qlu-qFCbVIupvoxU6psnaaV_TId_mh5HX3kGWfiY9-JkcWPpIppInP0rwhs/s1118/PXL_20240227_202424988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDG2fkgGpeCKnifCQQO_uG4gxf_ZyPTuKbieRowmLZVCfSJ4ulkNSV5OnzodxsZT61SEIQ292gPPrwNV3Zm2aK3-3_Go7jIDR2FMkPSn7zS9BikeeCKKkm20sjPaIAds8qlu-qFCbVIupvoxU6psnaaV_TId_mh5HX3kGWfiY9-JkcWPpIppInP0rwhs/w640-h480/PXL_20240227_202424988.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All three kids outside after school!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But, of course, all good things must come to an end. It was a one day phenomenon that swiftly reverted back to normal.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb5zdSJZK88089SAuZ-RN9lz-v5SsPJVG_YOBvlNn5C1QfIDaLXLB2hbmNNSY_sXMjAtht7PPLtsUkOX5zxWvIyVfib81_ZNkWMUBvPsspGCAmJDGQdhNvpv-CbIqLutLIA_NJe2OFXsGPYDSs7HZqOBmDznHEENF_o_52GJygNjgUhEjkse4DVlVU9Y/s839/Snapchat-413185623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb5zdSJZK88089SAuZ-RN9lz-v5SsPJVG_YOBvlNn5C1QfIDaLXLB2hbmNNSY_sXMjAtht7PPLtsUkOX5zxWvIyVfib81_ZNkWMUBvPsspGCAmJDGQdhNvpv-CbIqLutLIA_NJe2OFXsGPYDSs7HZqOBmDznHEENF_o_52GJygNjgUhEjkse4DVlVU9Y/w360-h640/Snapchat-413185623.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMmLz-1uH1ooilk1GVZC2bmPSPKU9VsH7EOmND3G94lAqTEbiBfJDym2MnkJFy1euRwOA-V_48UVuUNaR-1tn_61N6BaxsuwboTh-scfU6TVHCt-r1XS-2U4WcJHmS4UnMPysfTOSnd0xP30Md4e85i0JxpGM9PUqsPs_CEdee6XXdQ6FyiPLfU3hi70/s839/Screenshot_20240227-165044.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMmLz-1uH1ooilk1GVZC2bmPSPKU9VsH7EOmND3G94lAqTEbiBfJDym2MnkJFy1euRwOA-V_48UVuUNaR-1tn_61N6BaxsuwboTh-scfU6TVHCt-r1XS-2U4WcJHmS4UnMPysfTOSnd0xP30Md4e85i0JxpGM9PUqsPs_CEdee6XXdQ6FyiPLfU3hi70/w288-h640/Screenshot_20240227-165044.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By 5:00 it was 71* but we were under a winter weather advisory. It's not every day you see those two things side by side! Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislLupGoqsYMXEad1erCJzPFZj9M3v6lMQKQbVQLdyErvt6VIlWvfrDhb9KEZrvu7CIW0MetoLb2Hpp5YyQumnsa_bL73lvy_vhY08nK9AGqPokMFRcZ2Lo5KPxG-2Hbb9jCpr6aJRglYiR73K42zCpOx4PwqsB55hyt9iz2pjmDfATUgoTVrZJ51_kFs/s839/Screenshot_20240227-213014.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="636" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislLupGoqsYMXEad1erCJzPFZj9M3v6lMQKQbVQLdyErvt6VIlWvfrDhb9KEZrvu7CIW0MetoLb2Hpp5YyQumnsa_bL73lvy_vhY08nK9AGqPokMFRcZ2Lo5KPxG-2Hbb9jCpr6aJRglYiR73K42zCpOx4PwqsB55hyt9iz2pjmDfATUgoTVrZJ51_kFs/w486-h640/Screenshot_20240227-213014.png" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got this weather alert that tomorrow would be 40* cooler than today!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTYI28_Y7cwhyphenhyphenLrJMKfUNvVPFkJKNPEqMyuHCzXxnpR-OSWPm3NZXBUaTUMeuDKuK7jJhlEUmSD3-zmjEL7MFB_xlQAK-C2jJ066JFnA6HhzUfqpWeiLHI-DQI1q8yNcsY_tI_-mxJC28rU4S5i4YqznKfAG_fg6uD1X4r6LQHiCfAfjkZ7K-04kOFL0/s903/Screenshot_20240227-215321.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="903" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTYI28_Y7cwhyphenhyphenLrJMKfUNvVPFkJKNPEqMyuHCzXxnpR-OSWPm3NZXBUaTUMeuDKuK7jJhlEUmSD3-zmjEL7MFB_xlQAK-C2jJ066JFnA6HhzUfqpWeiLHI-DQI1q8yNcsY_tI_-mxJC28rU4S5i4YqznKfAG_fg6uD1X4r6LQHiCfAfjkZ7K-04kOFL0/w640-h594/Screenshot_20240227-215321.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then there were severe storms. So for an hour, the winter weather advisory overlapped with the severe thunderstorm watch. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncTWyvEEnwMVP8WoselHjyyZtfSMxGyLmcC8JTBnqnHth-ZgGTEGE4uO5yr73bsRl6DuGofzOc1qocPBOx_DU85YfMTtsR7i8ZaHDwjsPKR1-VPejnnSR89892L9I0VrhwTXZ3j6h1M0bMWSeYeZYj-E27R-vgltpIQAGHtDMfhSH9ZidrCPsR0s4c4E/s839/Screenshot_20240302-213822.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="749" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncTWyvEEnwMVP8WoselHjyyZtfSMxGyLmcC8JTBnqnHth-ZgGTEGE4uO5yr73bsRl6DuGofzOc1qocPBOx_DU85YfMTtsR7i8ZaHDwjsPKR1-VPejnnSR89892L9I0VrhwTXZ3j6h1M0bMWSeYeZYj-E27R-vgltpIQAGHtDMfhSH9ZidrCPsR0s4c4E/w572-h640/Screenshot_20240302-213822.png" width="572" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even my Google weather app didn't predict such a drastic 24 hour swing! 50 degrees!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />3. Needless to say, I had a migraine by Wednesday afternoon. My delicate sensibilities can't handle these weather anomalies. I always hesitate to call my headaches migraines, because I know I have a low pain threshold, but this was different than my run-of-the-mill headaches. It made me extremely nauseous and dizzy and my <i>eyelids</i> hurt. Lol. Seriously, though. For three days I had intermittent head pain, near constant nausea, and the insatiable urge to close my eyes. Delightful.<div><br /></div><div>4. Levi's actual birthday was on Thursday - and when I say "actual," it's a big deal. This was only his second actual birthday thanks to Leap Year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FpiGyvLIH0h18ozTMSN5fpEmGN-ltV5qTQ931KN8oJqkjYM5BikUpbX_V-sLrtIW9kZHU8eSEm8w1Slt4N3rOFH5vnojrQSRXRappI6rx6xUQvEiKUGSZ73XCAjd5ltiUUJycExP7r7v1Dx95b7YFrWFcwDD0KBdCov3hR_Jj2EpZyTAlfNzs030110/s839/PXL_20240229_024104592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FpiGyvLIH0h18ozTMSN5fpEmGN-ltV5qTQ931KN8oJqkjYM5BikUpbX_V-sLrtIW9kZHU8eSEm8w1Slt4N3rOFH5vnojrQSRXRappI6rx6xUQvEiKUGSZ73XCAjd5ltiUUJycExP7r7v1Dx95b7YFrWFcwDD0KBdCov3hR_Jj2EpZyTAlfNzs030110/w480-h640/PXL_20240229_024104592.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Everyone </i>reminded him that he was only two, not eight, but he's a good sport about it. He spent his birthday doing his favorite things: eating, watching TV, and playing Roblox on my phone. I made him cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then since I was working at school on Thursday, I got him McDonald's for lunch and let him eat it in my office with me. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D-hWZTNHNRdqZqZ_9vVUggMOp73NbVF3lFJllgpcdPY9AzXDDj20KuMtksnqzKX8MSIsqGCyGcM8t0GRpPtbIxE-G-QEhHiAabvimAV35vyPUZ2SYWyh03764h5YuKhzQYUiQ59GCq4ts4n_vyTVINL_rW9Aps46pH8mmK973WFz7DUdRhUt_o5N9I8/s839/PXL_20240229_171635316.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D-hWZTNHNRdqZqZ_9vVUggMOp73NbVF3lFJllgpcdPY9AzXDDj20KuMtksnqzKX8MSIsqGCyGcM8t0GRpPtbIxE-G-QEhHiAabvimAV35vyPUZ2SYWyh03764h5YuKhzQYUiQ59GCq4ts4n_vyTVINL_rW9Aps46pH8mmK973WFz7DUdRhUt_o5N9I8/w300-h400/PXL_20240229_171635316.MP.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That smile. 🤦</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-quJPS9f7Cih7KCLh7qlhbPUtdvtRlhEG4RxIR0jNXb-_n-7csWQNs6OdAGkATO1BbZHA5qNFPRs58miLgeYWIQSO4Sms9TRR6btU7NtJ1RXWGjAPB5-KwvXRpTr2VfJhyphenhyphenHD8uC_Q0uMdBvou8W7hRwzOVp3JkYdGNQ5poEYqs88xXAoF90qy64Q1rTY/s839/PXL_20240229_171214141.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-quJPS9f7Cih7KCLh7qlhbPUtdvtRlhEG4RxIR0jNXb-_n-7csWQNs6OdAGkATO1BbZHA5qNFPRs58miLgeYWIQSO4Sms9TRR6btU7NtJ1RXWGjAPB5-KwvXRpTr2VfJhyphenhyphenHD8uC_Q0uMdBvou8W7hRwzOVp3JkYdGNQ5poEYqs88xXAoF90qy64Q1rTY/w300-h400/PXL_20240229_171214141.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He got a card from one of my former teachers (thanks, Mrs. Drexel!). I didn't even know they make specific Leap Year birthday cards. He got a kick out of it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After school, he got to open his presents:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDICDmvKwL40Dhu3qKgFBPFbzbFCGtHHFCjH2KrZbwi1xFkizXIAFLJ98hHXSyb2Wog2GseOMRSb1Gsi0KFt8uqB_J7Gsttvob3b5qWlxllpsqOwsCFoSsdvk62gmh5ji06jzSwLwnyxqmm2m3JnMzsDJtOlcdZ7JemsSxCOYpW88RiTmk6PzDHFEIynQ/s839/PXL_20240229_203200910.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDICDmvKwL40Dhu3qKgFBPFbzbFCGtHHFCjH2KrZbwi1xFkizXIAFLJ98hHXSyb2Wog2GseOMRSb1Gsi0KFt8uqB_J7Gsttvob3b5qWlxllpsqOwsCFoSsdvk62gmh5ji06jzSwLwnyxqmm2m3JnMzsDJtOlcdZ7JemsSxCOYpW88RiTmk6PzDHFEIynQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240229_203200910.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made him put a hat on for pictures because his hair is <i>so </i>bad. I just never have time to take him to get it cut!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5g1la8JbVCT8kmwMI55oudEUsh6dfFb5_w3SF-25Lbs8X47fvlpeCTI7JmgU430nKk0IOO4MyCgJfz-6o15wl3_LGUQDxNImDp-LIGF4rXyuCYYaF4Od0S-cnzRA5Vp8qQq8m3Eo745msNqte11OzgIKL-giZvQ7ZuO5AiPrEFGglT5QM2boUXAwqQI/s839/PXL_20240229_203847651.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5g1la8JbVCT8kmwMI55oudEUsh6dfFb5_w3SF-25Lbs8X47fvlpeCTI7JmgU430nKk0IOO4MyCgJfz-6o15wl3_LGUQDxNImDp-LIGF4rXyuCYYaF4Od0S-cnzRA5Vp8qQq8m3Eo745msNqte11OzgIKL-giZvQ7ZuO5AiPrEFGglT5QM2boUXAwqQI/w480-h640/PXL_20240229_203847651.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His big present was a new bike. He was terrified at first and refused to ride it, but Justin forced him to today and he's getting much more comfortable with it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmSDaypAE2IZtNWne_NA5kej5peNmYn63_VioR5OBsFep-x0ZqwHdcAbMatb0OdWXizd3O_nhXuduYSS8GydhHrf6Rjt5nFzqrbFoKsRJFzE0UosEct8NgAF86kmhzMUE1Y85OfAHoMmFOcZC4-qfcSlP4FanmsdHgKiFU2T9rdjOqncuQrZpvTjoow/s839/PXL_20240229_205047232.TS_exported_5424_1709308663894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmSDaypAE2IZtNWne_NA5kej5peNmYn63_VioR5OBsFep-x0ZqwHdcAbMatb0OdWXizd3O_nhXuduYSS8GydhHrf6Rjt5nFzqrbFoKsRJFzE0UosEct8NgAF86kmhzMUE1Y85OfAHoMmFOcZC4-qfcSlP4FanmsdHgKiFU2T9rdjOqncuQrZpvTjoow/w360-h640/PXL_20240229_205047232.TS_exported_5424_1709308663894.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>I think this was his favorite present, though. It's a scooter with a Nerf gun built into it. So you can scoot and shoot simultaneously. Haha. The best part is that I got it from Once Upon - brand new for $18! (It's $50 on Amazon!) <div><br /></div><div>This kid humbles me about my parenting abilities every day, but we sure do love him. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3hqNwYtJ_-iB3YEYXquuTNUTMo0sgbvrcLzJ7d5yCB8e7Oe90gvyUBBGJKSulMv3P3PKiNWliokgva4OgvIhS1ywzbvrTYY3Yp5AsVN9RP-oTmuGqTBvCcjTZzuVvP7SoBcHG7QqAGV6sBaJ339m8dhT5cC37jH7XnHEQHaMV5VLzMrAIG0xtfqpzlY/s839/PXL_20240301_230333539.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3hqNwYtJ_-iB3YEYXquuTNUTMo0sgbvrcLzJ7d5yCB8e7Oe90gvyUBBGJKSulMv3P3PKiNWliokgva4OgvIhS1ywzbvrTYY3Yp5AsVN9RP-oTmuGqTBvCcjTZzuVvP7SoBcHG7QqAGV6sBaJ339m8dhT5cC37jH7XnHEQHaMV5VLzMrAIG0xtfqpzlY/w480-h640/PXL_20240301_230333539.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><div>5. As one of my librarian responsibilities, I got put in charge of the Book Fair at school this year. Unfortunately, space constraints don't allow for the book fairs of old when you got to go into a room filled with tables of books and scented erasers. So we did an online Book Fair for the first time this year. I found a company that promotes Christian values (because <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15L-v3LSB8k_ISAgy6jXBsfuMdUNd_1LV/view?utm_id=RkEHCD&_kx=vujkGLXrMWxCbJ-PfC63Iy5vBeqdMJ0DKOSeCt1qIh9HaERyhjd1AYixeDoqLr2f.Yx2XwF" target="_blank">Scholastic </a>has gotten way too woke for our Christian school) and have tried to get the word out to our students. For every dollar that is spent through our <a href="https://pfpages.com/store/algoma-christian-school-library" target="_blank">special shopping link</a>, I'll get 20% back to buy new books for our library. I figured I might as well put the <a href="https://pfpages.com/store/algoma-christian-school-library" target="_blank">link </a>here in case any of my friends want to buy some books and support my little library! The only issue is that the books ship to me at the school. So if you're not local to me, I won't be able to get them to you. Oh, and the shopping window closes tomorrow night at 11:59 p.m., so if you're gonna order, do it quickly! 😁</div><div><p>6. Well that's all for today. Enjoy these pics and memes:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcV-Cwn01cxtthwmCJCy-6PCZ8FcH5t8hy-5bW1tdXiafJoG7DXIGB640yklR1KbqkGY0iyffWGkOYhQshAhyD0ES_UkazvFwWkHSmpEMWWgtxmsxvmu1JjZ2iY3Apadr_3fvo2-aKZy7UoArh67VhuUlIQg0CdbEAB3kus5dhJR_bloySX13q_1Un_g/s1118/PXL_20240226_021639717.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcV-Cwn01cxtthwmCJCy-6PCZ8FcH5t8hy-5bW1tdXiafJoG7DXIGB640yklR1KbqkGY0iyffWGkOYhQshAhyD0ES_UkazvFwWkHSmpEMWWgtxmsxvmu1JjZ2iY3Apadr_3fvo2-aKZy7UoArh67VhuUlIQg0CdbEAB3kus5dhJR_bloySX13q_1Un_g/w640-h480/PXL_20240226_021639717.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella making herself comfortable</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDgongoEnHURi5yXqXD-FoKR3X8S5rI4MVb-XX_L1u_y_TKpj2n4eK1_ZDLA7AlOmCGkMMHJjDE2EuVATlYfvtloT5Stc3stgD95NlHRGfGMj-2GRTUGQGXKDREMksLS4eeMhYvI6g4iSRSSl_J0wv_9_EfbWhQS98k3DrqB7is0ICWng4PELhvBg5hw/s1080/Screenshot_20240227-221346.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1080" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDgongoEnHURi5yXqXD-FoKR3X8S5rI4MVb-XX_L1u_y_TKpj2n4eK1_ZDLA7AlOmCGkMMHJjDE2EuVATlYfvtloT5Stc3stgD95NlHRGfGMj-2GRTUGQGXKDREMksLS4eeMhYvI6g4iSRSSl_J0wv_9_EfbWhQS98k3DrqB7is0ICWng4PELhvBg5hw/w640-h390/Screenshot_20240227-221346.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I truly am shocked.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxGGvnj8SeFqd_gvjy0pel8XSw9eg4cEtzFFhYFDYofi-Tjb9JwZzzib2cCsHT4eb98bj4uFiP-NjHgYxi3j_gE_jlVu2xjHXYy0z_eoX_hQImjP_s8CgA9Hl9sGut5e7QaOmtQuVYUPS3VlQDoFsz_v9B99FJ8kQ6EpWqQ8KUZKuHZv7XgUmVIj2Ai8/s839/Screenshot_20240227-224102.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="702" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxGGvnj8SeFqd_gvjy0pel8XSw9eg4cEtzFFhYFDYofi-Tjb9JwZzzib2cCsHT4eb98bj4uFiP-NjHgYxi3j_gE_jlVu2xjHXYy0z_eoX_hQImjP_s8CgA9Hl9sGut5e7QaOmtQuVYUPS3VlQDoFsz_v9B99FJ8kQ6EpWqQ8KUZKuHZv7XgUmVIj2Ai8/w536-h640/Screenshot_20240227-224102.png" width="536" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one had me in tears. 😂😂😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFdGi-l1rKOIMLA4CxfQWIO2KMZi56RuCkv-fEe6VgCGvimGySmUwWfPjgIBIRiqNbKbiF_URRcHo2pv1_cQfI7vp7i9C8iWwp-yHGPWDNeS645WByoHrVn2QNZkazEfrWLiT8v1uNprATKGdqThXt-QqmSz0RVcovyLst1SJeP83AIB37cUj4qqKetg/s1067/Screenshot_20240227-230533.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1067" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFdGi-l1rKOIMLA4CxfQWIO2KMZi56RuCkv-fEe6VgCGvimGySmUwWfPjgIBIRiqNbKbiF_URRcHo2pv1_cQfI7vp7i9C8iWwp-yHGPWDNeS645WByoHrVn2QNZkazEfrWLiT8v1uNprATKGdqThXt-QqmSz0RVcovyLst1SJeP83AIB37cUj4qqKetg/w640-h504/Screenshot_20240227-230533.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd watch that!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzs9mL751AJGZQ4eadRknFtuj7JmSnKbvTN0IoC2ePUT0jSanLTdbM3Qh5_3XEdIdRflKtqwvmtDuri07GHbbpvTioNwzSeg7sNwFZABCDpXeQIw5mDfTliJQdQd5J7hAxiOY833dtDkR5l1uL0s9ZhKnoTRbauum3BpHLlQbo3_m5-2nA-rFYjk293g/s839/Screenshot_20240228-073348.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzs9mL751AJGZQ4eadRknFtuj7JmSnKbvTN0IoC2ePUT0jSanLTdbM3Qh5_3XEdIdRflKtqwvmtDuri07GHbbpvTioNwzSeg7sNwFZABCDpXeQIw5mDfTliJQdQd5J7hAxiOY833dtDkR5l1uL0s9ZhKnoTRbauum3BpHLlQbo3_m5-2nA-rFYjk293g/w288-h640/Screenshot_20240228-073348.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been doing The Bible Recap with some friends and really enjoying it. This verse always cracks me up though, because most scholars believe Moses wrote the book of Numbers. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxC7_jjMwionoz-mBvZmU_i5cJl0iX6SiaivXWal5ov-ovQ1dMfj-679svDMEfMWqytMJ_nUkRh4qw9ioX70XjqbhxRF0bRBhUxrFpdzXN_dKDDvrqc8n3kGmhxTlySEKUGnDl3pGsDgCYrRVJvXbmq22-rMVbUUHNtLqbRh0IRxGPZAXPU61sk50UOs/s980/Screenshot_20240229-223851.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="980" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxC7_jjMwionoz-mBvZmU_i5cJl0iX6SiaivXWal5ov-ovQ1dMfj-679svDMEfMWqytMJ_nUkRh4qw9ioX70XjqbhxRF0bRBhUxrFpdzXN_dKDDvrqc8n3kGmhxTlySEKUGnDl3pGsDgCYrRVJvXbmq22-rMVbUUHNtLqbRh0IRxGPZAXPU61sk50UOs/w640-h548/Screenshot_20240229-223851.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88k2J6l47v3CCCtvwL3ZSfHcwrp8N1iuEzKjR3RY7vOyh7kxWBNQp6HF0PrqTQLEutkfwFNfl8pyOnFr6UkX8no_p0NWUz9E3d2ULhCCvP_1IW977_rC7MMGkzRgf0OdbnW4roRfvKoOsq4qpI7eOTvLPUCeetiSG9JuJnU1WSPklB09IFw8vfRCiLrY/s932/Screenshot_20240301-105012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="932" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88k2J6l47v3CCCtvwL3ZSfHcwrp8N1iuEzKjR3RY7vOyh7kxWBNQp6HF0PrqTQLEutkfwFNfl8pyOnFr6UkX8no_p0NWUz9E3d2ULhCCvP_1IW977_rC7MMGkzRgf0OdbnW4roRfvKoOsq4qpI7eOTvLPUCeetiSG9JuJnU1WSPklB09IFw8vfRCiLrY/w640-h576/Screenshot_20240301-105012.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could have written this.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dVCtC_HPE8oen55CWABjedHwTWqXypE7eJmXjEm6C2zFF6ePXxRB1TOeZuMAatczIK_AH5PsVdbTLzEEIoE1Gxae53Y75Nk5sE0Rgzyf7KsWQPNgCh_JpES4Bx4iPA3zVsDwE8Deub8nubFyDvLx4AW1AfYjVgtqqE3IaY0-z59z95Hb3uG1BzGOczE/s921/Screenshot_20240302-132904.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="921" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dVCtC_HPE8oen55CWABjedHwTWqXypE7eJmXjEm6C2zFF6ePXxRB1TOeZuMAatczIK_AH5PsVdbTLzEEIoE1Gxae53Y75Nk5sE0Rgzyf7KsWQPNgCh_JpES4Bx4iPA3zVsDwE8Deub8nubFyDvLx4AW1AfYjVgtqqE3IaY0-z59z95Hb3uG1BzGOczE/w640-h584/Screenshot_20240302-132904.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">🤦</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-46510136399009454252024-02-24T21:54:00.000-05:002024-02-24T21:54:11.985-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. We didn't have school on Monday for Winter Break, so we did something winter-y and went sledding. It was actually perfect sledding weather - enough snow to be fun, but warm and sunny enough not to be freezing. The snow melted a couple days later, so it was good that we had our fun while we had the chance - and by "we" I mean Lena and Levi. Lucy wouldn't dare, and I'm too old and fragile. We went with Cousin Esther and her kids to a park in Ravenna that my kids have never been to. The kids lasted almost two hours, so I'd say it was a success! Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiva1La73pGZvJ3c72T7jCLdUNdyLNz5pUbWiZDe7eTLIeD7nrm2ALAZ-fUCGWzRRW1xyvn6Eg1pjCgvOoGeQ8XvFgmD4P287zlD8AzbAxkMkoMo7XibCdJ3b85zrq9zAM5reNQPdCI34eSoFDjA8vqTxZkScWK3mFSLkfWZWXZntq6UV2sAGyE1fdOE/s839/PXL_20240219_182357514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiva1La73pGZvJ3c72T7jCLdUNdyLNz5pUbWiZDe7eTLIeD7nrm2ALAZ-fUCGWzRRW1xyvn6Eg1pjCgvOoGeQ8XvFgmD4P287zlD8AzbAxkMkoMo7XibCdJ3b85zrq9zAM5reNQPdCI34eSoFDjA8vqTxZkScWK3mFSLkfWZWXZntq6UV2sAGyE1fdOE/w300-h400/PXL_20240219_182357514.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>2. The sledding was a good distraction for us because I cracked down on screen time starting on Monday. I figured out how to turn off the Wi-Fi for specific devices from the T-Mobile app on my phone. So the kids had zero Internet. Levi went back to listening to audiobooks, Lucy never left her room, and Lena flitted around doing this and that. A while ago Lena found some old Odyssey CDs that I had. She and Levi tried listening to them, but they're so old and scratched that they barely worked. But I realized how much Levi liked them, and decided to take advantage of that. I don't mind him listening to audio books, but it's a lot of work to find any that are free and appropriate. The idea of having a whole library of Odyssey episodes at his disposal - that will not only be entertaining and wholesome, but also teach him things about the Bible and American history - was too good to pass up. So I bit the bullet and signed up for the Adventures in Odyssey Club. Well, actually, I signed up for the two week trial, but at the rate Levi is speeding through the episodes, I think I'll continue with the paid membership when my trial is up. I <i>do</i> worry a little that I'm feeding his need for <i>constant</i> entertainment by letting him listen to it all hours of the day, but I justify it by telling myself it's better than screen time.</p><p>3. Listening to old Odyssey episodes is especially nostalgic for me. My siblings and I used to listen to them as they were released on the radio a hundred years ago. And when one ended on a cliffhanger, we had to a wait a whole nother week to hear the conclusion! Kids these days will never know. Thinking about those days made me think of other gems from my childhood that led to this list . . .</p><p></p><blockquote><p><b>You might have been a Christian kid in the 90s if . . .</b></p><p>- You know the zip code for Colorado Springs, Colorado by heart</p><p>- You can't search for your hairbrush without breaking into song.</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote>- You learned how to spell/sing "Christian" and "eternally" before you learned how to spell your own last name (especially us Dutchies with the weird last names). </blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p>- You used to creep downstairs after bedtime to make sure your parents were still there/hadn't been raptured without you (this might just be a Baptist thing - lol)</p><p>- You wore either a purity ring or WWJD bracelet (or both, if you were extra spiritual) </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>- You know what a sword drill is </p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote>- You know Psalty, the Donut Man, and WeeSing Bible Songs - and can probably sing some of their songs to this day.</blockquote><p></p><blockquote>- You had Veggie Tales and McGee and Me on VHS and had all the episodes memorized. </blockquote><p></p><p></p><p>What else am I missing? Man, those were the days . . .</p><p>4. In stark contrast to my nostalgia for the 90s, I did something crazy this week and bought my kids a cell phone. Hahaha. Before you freak out . . . I actually bought us a "home phone" that happens to be a cheap Tracfone with zero data. We've been leaving the kids home alone a little more lately, and I'm always worried about their ability to contact me if they need to. When I'm allowing Wi-Fi usage, they can facebook message me with their tablets, but when the Wi-Fi is turned off they literally have no way to get ahold of anyone in case of an emergency. Additionally, Levi's obsession with Odyssey has been kind of annoying for me, because the app isn't compatible with his Fire Tablet, so he has to use my phone anytime he wants to listen. With this new "home phone," I can turn on the Wi-Fi long enough to download a bunch of episodes for him to listen to, then turn it back off so he can't use the phone for anything else. It also alleviates a <i>little</i> bit of Lucy's phone envy without totally giving in to getting her a phone. We made a rule that she can text/call her friends, but the phone is not allowed to leave the living room. So she can't isolate herself away in there, but she <i>can</i> communicate with her friends. Almost all of them have phones . . . stinkin' Christian school 13 year olds. 😠 I guess it proves that it's not the 90s anymore, when my kids were excited about a "home phone." 😂</p><p>5. In more depressing news, I finally got the dreaded letter today . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdLCGLd5l8J5zCxKeTJge5_5sJJlbXgspl4A8eF8QJlVdMFhnZbKqgT13mCeKkvdWfzifLLBq3ATGsqMMF1dNhBI8p5FDuar-ki-klXon2XMMUgxeteSZpKda8DTKCcRrv0NIvOIjVgUy1qOzwhM3SzlmN-jhm_HKgdwBcmqUf3rYDCfJAgAk4rGxnBg/s839/Snapchat-1051295001~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdLCGLd5l8J5zCxKeTJge5_5sJJlbXgspl4A8eF8QJlVdMFhnZbKqgT13mCeKkvdWfzifLLBq3ATGsqMMF1dNhBI8p5FDuar-ki-klXon2XMMUgxeteSZpKda8DTKCcRrv0NIvOIjVgUy1qOzwhM3SzlmN-jhm_HKgdwBcmqUf3rYDCfJAgAk4rGxnBg/w360-h640/Snapchat-1051295001~2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>Justin and I were officially denied Medicaid. I spent the afternoon researching my options for health insurance, and let me tell you . . . it is depressing. Like . . . is it all a scam? You're telling me I have to pay a monthly premium, but still pay for every doctor's visit and prescription and hospital stay until we reach an absurd dollar amount that would put us into crippling debt? This must be a hoax. Apparently I've taken Medicaid for granted for way too many years. Suffice it to say, I'll be canceling the appointment I just made for my colonoscopy! If I die of colon cancer, you can blame the government. 😂</p><p>6. Well that's all I've got this week. I don't even have many pics or memes. Sincerest apologies.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QA4PXNfWo1uHdvVTgoY2C-Nv7cBW53KOx6BTr5f8tY973_fgJikxockP2OX85hUU-UknGK4tNymsjyQDva0lKTjH0TPLiumNMqorKqnpdOogEu_PajleK-P-P7v85MQ2fJc5kX081N3tXvzOOmldhfGedKPP8s9UAZCoLbjZqRyqN7u-nCHu9A3ydMo/s1118/PXL_20240222_233506032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QA4PXNfWo1uHdvVTgoY2C-Nv7cBW53KOx6BTr5f8tY973_fgJikxockP2OX85hUU-UknGK4tNymsjyQDva0lKTjH0TPLiumNMqorKqnpdOogEu_PajleK-P-P7v85MQ2fJc5kX081N3tXvzOOmldhfGedKPP8s9UAZCoLbjZqRyqN7u-nCHu9A3ydMo/w640-h480/PXL_20240222_233506032.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51Vqf45UL_lCrgpDx6Z4PoQCKf0rKRX4jFbzIIcyg_kE6u6OLdP6xSTOkd0qHCO_TfH_Ps7eS44o7uqaQZjKBTz0jjmv9ZEfJHhtgZ6La6JbUUGOuPpycAtilN4ecyr9BXBxP3MWefkf2p0qmSY4TKwSh57OEH6-Ed-Tb2P6v88lDmk0vps7sMQFYxzE/s839/Screenshot_20240221-071333.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51Vqf45UL_lCrgpDx6Z4PoQCKf0rKRX4jFbzIIcyg_kE6u6OLdP6xSTOkd0qHCO_TfH_Ps7eS44o7uqaQZjKBTz0jjmv9ZEfJHhtgZ6La6JbUUGOuPpycAtilN4ecyr9BXBxP3MWefkf2p0qmSY4TKwSh57OEH6-Ed-Tb2P6v88lDmk0vps7sMQFYxzE/w362-h640/Screenshot_20240221-071333.png" width="362" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to document that beautiful row of 100s in my Wordle stats.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIydZimyoCsjP2Ff8R7P-HsGkv6nc0_AC4_5uTuK_F-XqN71_eidPooNVvjkp5OmJ1PgfLejMQFrNSe8HO46nMovgEbXL8dyU3_sgwRu1F5WZEPFuIEdR7ONa7dlRK8FCwcI1NFpVoMX1TxdeRF3uqpuDZ63NGOtFF-QXVdnWZ0sXqJSV3O5vu32hs4Fw/s756/3de784a733957106220dcd26988d1d36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIydZimyoCsjP2Ff8R7P-HsGkv6nc0_AC4_5uTuK_F-XqN71_eidPooNVvjkp5OmJ1PgfLejMQFrNSe8HO46nMovgEbXL8dyU3_sgwRu1F5WZEPFuIEdR7ONa7dlRK8FCwcI1NFpVoMX1TxdeRF3uqpuDZ63NGOtFF-QXVdnWZ0sXqJSV3O5vu32hs4Fw/w298-h400/3de784a733957106220dcd26988d1d36.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVyaDqOiWSNJnF7DXiX_GewaUmcPLy2ND7LuhcOZ_nzWVNP046mO7QjUUSBijf_EXrt-L7kFXfCTyHl_McX7c7G8LD0TddDOCu3oQJSdSjqanFWFqY7940psu4rbyvnA3H1ktvk5ZuCQo93w8t6ghQujdN7X2UUz9ENzqBJnrz0JJfuAyYbeZTEf0Dw/s564/a89567c059a247495345d8d1308d5e20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="564" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVyaDqOiWSNJnF7DXiX_GewaUmcPLy2ND7LuhcOZ_nzWVNP046mO7QjUUSBijf_EXrt-L7kFXfCTyHl_McX7c7G8LD0TddDOCu3oQJSdSjqanFWFqY7940psu4rbyvnA3H1ktvk5ZuCQo93w8t6ghQujdN7X2UUz9ENzqBJnrz0JJfuAyYbeZTEf0Dw/w400-h309/a89567c059a247495345d8d1308d5e20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always order a "small" instead of a "tall" because I think their rules are ridiculous and I refuse to play by them. Haven't been shot yet . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4MItGorvy3WLQqGoa4F38izWDPoJ_7wwGK94luwx1lFWEFfkZryw6cmcK2qtsbJ7OoErialrbfQ5icOJVAGUyX7lsDYFeO3QW5ztj1ppkkSzgtSTgJKFZk1-TAEVCGIDYQAGWaJgkyAvG2R62T2QZ1CSYXI44C_duJ4vM-a6n1iAnljg6qYbWUHgKIk/s564/b736e9a7d56b5db7e194792b1cf243a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="564" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4MItGorvy3WLQqGoa4F38izWDPoJ_7wwGK94luwx1lFWEFfkZryw6cmcK2qtsbJ7OoErialrbfQ5icOJVAGUyX7lsDYFeO3QW5ztj1ppkkSzgtSTgJKFZk1-TAEVCGIDYQAGWaJgkyAvG2R62T2QZ1CSYXI44C_duJ4vM-a6n1iAnljg6qYbWUHgKIk/w400-h265/b736e9a7d56b5db7e194792b1cf243a3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYyALnaPXBN2B7h-Rc-9wVikt9ajKkXx851E9MeHqSH4a1uRwLEY1-anziPrV7VdQMPcVYlA0q8m19xzj2GMBVoye5UsHdjEeEVfWF4lB5CSsGrKpYbGNc9JpBUcKbQJkMgSphlSvTywF97m5ANFlLr7CkeE7efOPUm2ULQMt15fPFiIopErDoC2vrzU/s563/eb54f1c0d41c4d26128ac68c3f2b14d9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="563" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYyALnaPXBN2B7h-Rc-9wVikt9ajKkXx851E9MeHqSH4a1uRwLEY1-anziPrV7VdQMPcVYlA0q8m19xzj2GMBVoye5UsHdjEeEVfWF4lB5CSsGrKpYbGNc9JpBUcKbQJkMgSphlSvTywF97m5ANFlLr7CkeE7efOPUm2ULQMt15fPFiIopErDoC2vrzU/w400-h203/eb54f1c0d41c4d26128ac68c3f2b14d9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq-SjGFGXlwZb2vUy7fjMjxBNbbkLzZh7Z5vsybKSJ1DDBeVGPUqnc_RyeNA38AYeL-JhqyyJkznuVRTM70gvz2eQsxB8frkyvKwzVob9Gn4AohzFxntWDJsrJ33xUD2GPXwMrP6eJd8RZhZMrd8_jKHT_qfwLlYnYmfmx2jFtxEPL2GYMCte_oPgP-A/s563/f5d5ec8a2c720bd3cdb7fa1bd49ca193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="563" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq-SjGFGXlwZb2vUy7fjMjxBNbbkLzZh7Z5vsybKSJ1DDBeVGPUqnc_RyeNA38AYeL-JhqyyJkznuVRTM70gvz2eQsxB8frkyvKwzVob9Gn4AohzFxntWDJsrJ33xUD2GPXwMrP6eJd8RZhZMrd8_jKHT_qfwLlYnYmfmx2jFtxEPL2GYMCte_oPgP-A/w400-h211/f5d5ec8a2c720bd3cdb7fa1bd49ca193.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX8NwGzf-fCwrNhZrxVlbeYdWUtrevCO8_RU5-6jKIp5ASIEJsCZ_QFB3l0wLtUR58RimqlOXdid4fmqZ-l8zD8KQdMvMxp8VEq40POXDuUXCPpc1FlLl58R0MVVbL_Zokh0wJ61CcNcatdZ_jXQwSituOG6aRW7iUAffY2iEo4rVJSLfrUFYCjuJ5HA/s563/f840e91e969fc5c1f732caaec439b2c6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="563" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX8NwGzf-fCwrNhZrxVlbeYdWUtrevCO8_RU5-6jKIp5ASIEJsCZ_QFB3l0wLtUR58RimqlOXdid4fmqZ-l8zD8KQdMvMxp8VEq40POXDuUXCPpc1FlLl58R0MVVbL_Zokh0wJ61CcNcatdZ_jXQwSituOG6aRW7iUAffY2iEo4rVJSLfrUFYCjuJ5HA/w400-h396/f840e91e969fc5c1f732caaec439b2c6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9qBblzL13BVVlhcThvikkmrM_t1DjL2gzTJEMXx3S87jNwhEfo68S9gvPYl7tXcG5UO9yJE7p9efOzB6UeHTJJO5fPKiOTi4kdiUNa464E3FQv0ETEcjew_rrdF9T-5WGVZfsxjjBuzMv3fvtLotJsvGrmKBQFLNTpuVtiNOX5mAaDPhivSNyhMvX3s/s938/Screenshot_20240221-220517.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="938" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9qBblzL13BVVlhcThvikkmrM_t1DjL2gzTJEMXx3S87jNwhEfo68S9gvPYl7tXcG5UO9yJE7p9efOzB6UeHTJJO5fPKiOTi4kdiUNa464E3FQv0ETEcjew_rrdF9T-5WGVZfsxjjBuzMv3fvtLotJsvGrmKBQFLNTpuVtiNOX5mAaDPhivSNyhMvX3s/w400-h358/Screenshot_20240221-220517.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-24386750343129512102024-02-17T22:02:00.004-05:002024-02-17T22:02:38.278-05:00The Saturday 7<p>Oops, I forgot to post last week. I'll try to make up for it this week.</p><p>1. Honestly, it's probably for the best that I don't blog every week in February, because February is the worst and I'm ornery. I inevitably spend a couple weeks coughing, and at least one of my kids inevitably gets terribly sick. For the past two years it's been Levi - always right around Valentine's Day. Last week, Levi came down with a weird virus that caused high fevers and body aches. He had no appetite, puked when he <i>did</i> eat, and laid on the couch for days. The weirdest thing, though, was how it came and went. For two days he was miserable, then his fever would go away and he'd be back to normal for a few days, then it'd come back and he'd be down for three more days. He ended up missing a bunch of school, and I actually had to take two days off of work at Once Upon to stay home with him. I have <i>intense</i> guilt about the situation, but keep telling myself that I literally had no other choice and my kids have to take priority over my job. It turns out that 8 of his classmates <i>plus</i> his teacher were down with the same virus, and it lasted forever for them too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLhjFirxYNZEr-1TLnJqoQfXTDHLJEoIzVv5fv3ZczPRQoGyaK1F9hQ_5_DZjASy_LAojG3Lmsfs8eUj5MLC5PMxPQ2KSuga8Ofor1BL_h6OOd4YlYBvAI16grczSkCnd86KKZLht8oYAOLqUewUjS1fCjw4twooht8jcQNgDcXrDSgaBEKHKYdgWOMU/s839/Snapchat-1009538952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLhjFirxYNZEr-1TLnJqoQfXTDHLJEoIzVv5fv3ZczPRQoGyaK1F9hQ_5_DZjASy_LAojG3Lmsfs8eUj5MLC5PMxPQ2KSuga8Ofor1BL_h6OOd4YlYBvAI16grczSkCnd86KKZLht8oYAOLqUewUjS1fCjw4twooht8jcQNgDcXrDSgaBEKHKYdgWOMU/w360-h640/Snapchat-1009538952.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Lena fell asleep after school one day, which never happens, so I took her temperature when she woke up and it was 101. I figured we were in for another week of fevers with her, so I kept her home from school the next day, but she woke up fever free and has been totally fine ever since! <div><br /></div><div>2. Of course all this sickness really messed up my new limits on screen time. I seriously don't know what I was thinking starting in winter - if we don't get derailed by endless snow days, it's endless sickness. I let Levi watch TV nonstop while he was down with the fever, so you can imagine how the girls felt about that. 🙄 I didn't change the Wi-Fi password this time because it's such a pain to reset everything. But Lucy totally took advantage of that and watched on her tablet all day. I'm going to try again next week - for real this time. And I'm changing the dumb password to prevent cheaters. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. I took advantage of the days I was home with Levi to get a bunch of stuff done. I did our taxes (we're getting less back than we ever have since having three kids 😭), and TurboTax offered me a free credit check, so I took advantage of it. I have a bad habit of signing up for credit cards just to get the sign-up perks. I use the credit card long enough to get the perks, then throw it in a drawer and forget about it. So I decided to use my credit report to see how many cards I have open. It was . . . a lot. Lol. I spent an afternoon finding all the physical cards, looking up the online accounts associated with them, and deciding which ones to keep and which ones to get rid of. Then I attempted to call and close a bunch, but of course Justin is the primary account holder on 90% of them, so I didn't get very far. He told me that I could pretend to be him, but I just can't do it. Haha. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also did a slew of graphic design projects for church, deep cleaned my Keurig, and got caught up on laundry! I told you guys . . . February is the worst. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. I also read a few books in my down time: Becky Wade's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rocky-Road-Relationship-Romance-Scandal/dp/B0CTLT2Y86/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1708223783&sr=8-1" target="_blank">newest </a>(she never disappoints), and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VJCY42G?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_tkin&qid=1708223889&sr=8-1" target="_blank">series </a>by a new-to-me-author: Nichole Van. I saw her recommended by another of my favorite authors, so I picked it up blind and really enjoyed it! It's not Christian fiction, but it was clean (some swearing, some innuendo, nothing outrageous). Very Mimi Matthews-esque. I'm up to 9 books for the year, which Goodreads says is four books behind schedule if I'm going to make it to 100 this year. No pressure. </div><div><br /></div><div>5. For Valentine's Day we had our traditional dinner of Shells n' Cheese and sparkling grape juice. Justin and I bought each other candy, and I got each of the kids a little $10 gift. That night Lena helped Levi with his Valentines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWKKGqECGHPT6z5kd5dAjEDgFWC__J-H0VkNJYAHkJtQKCV8tu3cAjRPq7ALfc4Fb_psKJMTjU-PJ8KE-7iLwCuzJE2Gx9pSv6j3Oas9jjlkyqxun3P2mZlnWdoDabUmwUGZEZ9MAVYmp4y-jh55NMbFq_alKfyuip6mIR7w-d8Fr1-m2S-go_albtHc/s839/PXL_20240215_012444793.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWKKGqECGHPT6z5kd5dAjEDgFWC__J-H0VkNJYAHkJtQKCV8tu3cAjRPq7ALfc4Fb_psKJMTjU-PJ8KE-7iLwCuzJE2Gx9pSv6j3Oas9jjlkyqxun3P2mZlnWdoDabUmwUGZEZ9MAVYmp4y-jh55NMbFq_alKfyuip6mIR7w-d8Fr1-m2S-go_albtHc/w480-h640/PXL_20240215_012444793.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>He was finally healthy enough to go back to school for his party. I was working at school that day, so I popped over to hang out for some of his party.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjHOcYCCGetCNDbA3ZZ3CbUQguwtXwEmALqHiGfytpXd1JnYYzm6u-zz26w-nRcgyVbB6z3gP1TNzr5kCpg0ELTtfX6PtBHyQefgo708rrh3ly2khtmF8HSmalNZ8O5H59erQ2sEwn_uX14xrSVySN_onJTXN09ndFEHmuCV1qdvuw0DV3Q9wCunFzME/s839/PXL_20240215_182905495.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjHOcYCCGetCNDbA3ZZ3CbUQguwtXwEmALqHiGfytpXd1JnYYzm6u-zz26w-nRcgyVbB6z3gP1TNzr5kCpg0ELTtfX6PtBHyQefgo708rrh3ly2khtmF8HSmalNZ8O5H59erQ2sEwn_uX14xrSVySN_onJTXN09ndFEHmuCV1qdvuw0DV3Q9wCunFzME/w480-h640/PXL_20240215_182905495.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That dorky smile . . . 🤦</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div>6. Levi missed his basketball game last week because he was so sick, but he was back at it today. He had pictures first, where I forked over $20 to memorialize that dorky smile from above. Then it was on to the game. He grins adorably the whole time, and attempted a couple more shots. He still hasn't made any yet, but here's hoping!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYV-miIn6Ag-IauP1GV9GSRZB-FQFMI8HXZU4rPD6_7JbOhl5DgttRrTxawK5SzlT2Gsezr87hSzdbjPufNZWmRVJl_Uj-ZWoWfLSolcxBylvwFyDRPMhmwf6mdHnlyh1yc0kmaX30apmhL2k4hOBgBQOPmeDdzaUZyEXZ3s8LFCJgHf7TDjb44uN-afo/s1221/PXL_20240217_193503853.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1221" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYV-miIn6Ag-IauP1GV9GSRZB-FQFMI8HXZU4rPD6_7JbOhl5DgttRrTxawK5SzlT2Gsezr87hSzdbjPufNZWmRVJl_Uj-ZWoWfLSolcxBylvwFyDRPMhmwf6mdHnlyh1yc0kmaX30apmhL2k4hOBgBQOPmeDdzaUZyEXZ3s8LFCJgHf7TDjb44uN-afo/w640-h440/PXL_20240217_193503853.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>7. Wow. I'm so sorry this post was incredibly lame. Here are a few pics and mems to make up for it.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMdTFgun4cQgab5L2yxH_4I50vEY0m_v6gCu_YgqYtNMjm8RlZMAzVLFgox8FRTkSy6P02RXSsj2x756N-ffW4wr121s9sybcf_QHBPsYGwDbkVXEtXchyphenhyphenX-yuVE062Dm0afLL09-hcR8BbrQLyp1eyDBYR_UTPnfXhqiOx80KOgTqDvqpm0nOA-wzMU/s839/PXL_20240209_123426695.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMdTFgun4cQgab5L2yxH_4I50vEY0m_v6gCu_YgqYtNMjm8RlZMAzVLFgox8FRTkSy6P02RXSsj2x756N-ffW4wr121s9sybcf_QHBPsYGwDbkVXEtXchyphenhyphenX-yuVE062Dm0afLL09-hcR8BbrQLyp1eyDBYR_UTPnfXhqiOx80KOgTqDvqpm0nOA-wzMU/w480-h640/PXL_20240209_123426695.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena with her Valentine's Day Box</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCBteD70BYXOXjTk9KnUTNyNAu0jYx0z7gigaPmYhyjvY6WZrSdjpmtrNXXP2g9H7x-AOt6Ae1MBK1jnD4gnQ6AlMgbib3_saZdUcxuAomrOLoclP5C0W9j5UZIo37uirRUXGdVl0fgJ1p79hY4WoD_mYr9CM3E2ctZ02PD_npeMRhTkiosk2SSKq_y8/s839/PXL_20240212_002712829.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCBteD70BYXOXjTk9KnUTNyNAu0jYx0z7gigaPmYhyjvY6WZrSdjpmtrNXXP2g9H7x-AOt6Ae1MBK1jnD4gnQ6AlMgbib3_saZdUcxuAomrOLoclP5C0W9j5UZIo37uirRUXGdVl0fgJ1p79hY4WoD_mYr9CM3E2ctZ02PD_npeMRhTkiosk2SSKq_y8/w480-h640/PXL_20240212_002712829.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superbowl Watching Buddies</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0ebUJnIBD1b8CVYknG6rTborDHKGKo37Xi7bNkxpkWcYinX-0CW8_L7S5Td29r_4MA1MbC4V_BlU_9U6a_niVroa0Z2QUFSOREjIsMk5WNyqyMB2vYH7E_QWgO1SW_xWR8JM_M3tBiV4eZD8kha__f39zRIaa600YdHNPAIVed6hyphenhyphenn1KjgPErJzLXw0/s839/Screenshot_20240208-230240.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="558" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0ebUJnIBD1b8CVYknG6rTborDHKGKo37Xi7bNkxpkWcYinX-0CW8_L7S5Td29r_4MA1MbC4V_BlU_9U6a_niVroa0Z2QUFSOREjIsMk5WNyqyMB2vYH7E_QWgO1SW_xWR8JM_M3tBiV4eZD8kha__f39zRIaa600YdHNPAIVed6hyphenhyphenn1KjgPErJzLXw0/w426-h640/Screenshot_20240208-230240.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oa2ebXtutxwu5ty_laZFe6-9qRRd8vr9ac46V_DYXRsFhYXaujNNSUmtNH6gQoj9OCEkWyrcX2RuKGt1o3saxniNN3KIGfmGcobY4fEDEeMccVaG6jM37F4y1Kx583Hh_FfeVF6FOKS3Xp6yux22VIGPNPu9ll8Wo5FjeP1ZOq81PklkCZ7c0kqcwIA/s852/Screenshot_20240213-183053.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="852" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oa2ebXtutxwu5ty_laZFe6-9qRRd8vr9ac46V_DYXRsFhYXaujNNSUmtNH6gQoj9OCEkWyrcX2RuKGt1o3saxniNN3KIGfmGcobY4fEDEeMccVaG6jM37F4y1Kx583Hh_FfeVF6FOKS3Xp6yux22VIGPNPu9ll8Wo5FjeP1ZOq81PklkCZ7c0kqcwIA/w640-h630/Screenshot_20240213-183053.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait . . . what?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemAD4ZXmt0F8W26y7mlRUgZ-pdWpWdPGVUfX7FR1ULZ1bBdcmM90mz24KRgroYSUtoM-i_QV85-NxRu1NEnpqK-dt_giNbj42iG7Oqn2rXIT541Wv4Kgp0j37JkQU9iK6avhXKXIYhJwJr_7fxfNSdhZXDPqy0GFdjMl6NQENr3Oyqj3mK2EDLE2U4as/s1080/Screenshot_20240213-185021.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1080" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemAD4ZXmt0F8W26y7mlRUgZ-pdWpWdPGVUfX7FR1ULZ1bBdcmM90mz24KRgroYSUtoM-i_QV85-NxRu1NEnpqK-dt_giNbj42iG7Oqn2rXIT541Wv4Kgp0j37JkQU9iK6avhXKXIYhJwJr_7fxfNSdhZXDPqy0GFdjMl6NQENr3Oyqj3mK2EDLE2U4as/w640-h486/Screenshot_20240213-185021.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gHvmnkBhMgwRobwhdNT8oXDqzqMPewQ9OBza3iuBBVQetOSd2weO6paTGMGEKK4Kdi1satuPlldN-wLXqLsVU0j3jDUacyREnkSSmNYR1G8XCU8ymgQMngKQ53MmqpQROMbi0DtzU4dhyphenhyphen_MOBMHUuDgEVyVZ0RZZHt8uG2KFAhC5KFAgH_VvL6Bo3pY/s960/427483393_10229854459441521_3458469625340826973_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="766" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gHvmnkBhMgwRobwhdNT8oXDqzqMPewQ9OBza3iuBBVQetOSd2weO6paTGMGEKK4Kdi1satuPlldN-wLXqLsVU0j3jDUacyREnkSSmNYR1G8XCU8ymgQMngKQ53MmqpQROMbi0DtzU4dhyphenhyphen_MOBMHUuDgEVyVZ0RZZHt8uG2KFAhC5KFAgH_VvL6Bo3pY/w510-h640/427483393_10229854459441521_3458469625340826973_n.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW-AHBA44nBDqd4KbQUlKKfFPd0DEHEqUWItDXLc-tiWS_RcfrfK9m6fJ7Z_w1WE_Db-cAH0A8o-gv_3ka_4Ti9Pl-87p0UAqpy2NzDJBdncmlP3og-IUZeZRetMGR9vU8PhWKUY99PVcFdYZqxq-F4xb2EE5tMnWM9qPHPIUdtA_kmssanyGqhOE1nM/s1080/428362280_1126483785363517_2743605441145136877_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW-AHBA44nBDqd4KbQUlKKfFPd0DEHEqUWItDXLc-tiWS_RcfrfK9m6fJ7Z_w1WE_Db-cAH0A8o-gv_3ka_4Ti9Pl-87p0UAqpy2NzDJBdncmlP3og-IUZeZRetMGR9vU8PhWKUY99PVcFdYZqxq-F4xb2EE5tMnWM9qPHPIUdtA_kmssanyGqhOE1nM/w640-h640/428362280_1126483785363517_2743605441145136877_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-11713419863041421702024-02-03T21:28:00.005-05:002024-02-03T21:28:29.716-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. Back to reality. After a glorious week of vacation, I woke up Sunday with a cough that got progressively worse all week. 🤦It wasn't too bad at the beginning of the week, so I went to work as usual. It was Spirit Week at school and I was excited to be working on Crazy Hair Day so I could resurrect this gem:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXPSp5kl4RFwljtETEBQsDRvFO4czM4zUa0NVaKjgEBhHRdvjZZISPdFF0ee3-tnpk9IDBYUfeny2b4JvkHB4n85FY_Df3XAyXk-LY05awQ3rvujFT0_C4OuHpzxVDHru4BttpIBEPXeAbbrCZvLeUq4020qPJnkkyWB-oDsfdZltOOZPeNLOO3H2KiM/s839/PXL_20240129_122855766.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXPSp5kl4RFwljtETEBQsDRvFO4czM4zUa0NVaKjgEBhHRdvjZZISPdFF0ee3-tnpk9IDBYUfeny2b4JvkHB4n85FY_Df3XAyXk-LY05awQ3rvujFT0_C4OuHpzxVDHru4BttpIBEPXeAbbrCZvLeUq4020qPJnkkyWB-oDsfdZltOOZPeNLOO3H2KiM/w480-h640/PXL_20240129_122855766.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My library kids <i>loved</i> it and were so amazed by it. Haha. The kindergarteners asked if it was my real hair and if they could touch it. Lol. <div><br /></div><div>Lena came up with this idea to have spider hair:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEng3egOV0vz7Uu3_WONbSXVsnThoB3-AX7DX7Rp6EqsuTBiw65XHBYg5q2_g_IIdIbFMGn0837pVZeT7vgTWALCKnXJqyCVfawEOviQyCFyNrPQZ0r2WaDLwxzuBZuNBpQuz7VjBlerZeXg6IGirSCzPl3z0nNzNyh3TBo7avqr2ubxlcV9p6bi11j6U/s839/PXL_20240129_122835289.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEng3egOV0vz7Uu3_WONbSXVsnThoB3-AX7DX7Rp6EqsuTBiw65XHBYg5q2_g_IIdIbFMGn0837pVZeT7vgTWALCKnXJqyCVfawEOviQyCFyNrPQZ0r2WaDLwxzuBZuNBpQuz7VjBlerZeXg6IGirSCzPl3z0nNzNyh3TBo7avqr2ubxlcV9p6bi11j6U/w480-h640/PXL_20240129_122835289.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>Levi used hair chalk and made himself this colorful crown:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7RTS7uEL9n3pfjFdg6NoxO9TvifHWIYE23lfVUXqa5HORhj6YZYgzNqbheOnSPmA0A_W5Xg4DVGyYm7NPRAV_XFjmqeqizz_4nzGM6oz3xVZwaVVNPkk6kin2A4GoYFqmZTKB0sAhRavXW7WCRDPOXNwmurOTm3FhY27bOQrZJkoYFYIBmdIV94caV4/s839/PXL_20240129_201144252.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7RTS7uEL9n3pfjFdg6NoxO9TvifHWIYE23lfVUXqa5HORhj6YZYgzNqbheOnSPmA0A_W5Xg4DVGyYm7NPRAV_XFjmqeqizz_4nzGM6oz3xVZwaVVNPkk6kin2A4GoYFqmZTKB0sAhRavXW7WCRDPOXNwmurOTm3FhY27bOQrZJkoYFYIBmdIV94caV4/w480-h640/PXL_20240129_201144252.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>2. I worked at Once Upon Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was fine, but Wednesday was rough. My cough had really started getting bad and I was feeling so miserable. That night, I couldn't sleep at all. I finally got a couple hours on the couch around 2:00 a.m., but I knew I wouldn't make it through a day at school, so I called in sick. Then I went to the doctor so they could write me a prescription for cough medicine with codeine. It's the only thing that ever touches my cough, and I hate asking for it like a druggie (since it's a narcotic), but I <i>am</i> a druggie in the sense that I'm desperate for it if it'll make me stop coughing. It has helped <i>marginally</i>, but even when I stagger it with Delsym, I'm still coughing a lot. Boo. I get this pretty much every February. It was early this year. I'm just thankful I made it through vacation before it set in!</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Since we failed our two week digital detox before vacation, I decided to start anew for the month of February - with a few tweaks. This time we're doing no screens on weekdays. But the kids have an opportunity to earn an hour of screen time by doing a very specific list of things I made for them. The lists are personalized, so while all three say "eat three bites of what Mom makes for dinner," Levi's says "brush your teeth," while Lucy's says, "spend 20 minutes in the living room with your family without earbuds in your ears." 😂 They also have to do homework, shower, and read. I figured if screen time is worth it to them, maybe they'll willingly do the things I usually have to force them to do. We've only had two days of it so far, and yesterday we were busy all day, but I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. We'll see . . .</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Right before we left for vacation, I got a letter in the mail warning me that it's time to renew my Medicaid eligibility. I finally sat down on Friday to do it, and spent two hours jumping through hoops and spinning in circles before I finally ended up in tears and gave up. 🤦 The whole process is <i>maddening</i>. The physical paperwork they mailed me to fill out was super confusing. But then I noticed there was an option to do it online. I typed in the url exactly as it was printed on the paper for MIBridges. That brought me to a different website called MILogin and prompted me to create an account. I did that, but then I couldn't get back to the Bridges page no matter what I tried. So I stayed on the MILogin page and tried searching for "medicaid" or "healthcare" or "insurance," and just kept getting "no results." Eventually I found a phone number for the help line. The lady who answered was very unhelpful. She essentially told me that I had set up my account through the wrong website (the one that was PRINTED ON MY PAPER), and to try a different website. So I started all over with the website she gave me . . . and ended up in the exact same spot. Finally, I decided to just call my case worker and admit that I couldn't figure it out on my own. After dialing the number and pushing all the numbers to speak to a representative, I was told, "There are 39 calls ahead of you." 🤦🤦🤦 The government in action, my friends. This was the day that I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, and I was so overwhelmed and frustrated. I couldn't even think of where else to go for help. You know it's bad when I'm taking 200 mg of Zoloft a day and still end up in tears! Anyway, I brought the paperwork to book club that night and some of the ladies there advised me to stop trying to find a "renew" button and just apply for benefits as if I never had them. That's what I did, and now we wait. Although I'm not feeling optimistic at all that I'll qualify. We haven't had to re-up in a few years thanks to Covid, and Justin's making a lot more now, plus I'm working a little bit. I feel like the government should really re-evaluate their "poverty line" numbers though. While we're <i>making </i>more money, we're also <i>spending </i>more thanks to inflation. Despite that extravagant vacation we just took, we're totally not rolling in the dough. (And I got so many deals on that vacation! It wasn't as expensive as it looked!) It's a really bad spot to be in when you make too much to qualify for medicaid, but paying for private insurance defeats the purpose of me working at all. 😤😭</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Yesterday was the homecoming game at school. We've gone the past couple of years because Lucy's getting to the age that her friends are playing, plus Justin knows a lot of the boys from soccer. Lena ran around with a gaggle of girls all night and completely shocked me after the game when she nonchalantly asked if she could go to her friend's house to spend the night. Lena has only ever spent the night at <i>one </i>friend's house in her life - the friend that she's known since birth - and even that was a big deal. I think it helped that the whole group of girls was planning on spending the night, but I was still amazed she even wanted to go! I was anxious all night that she would regret her decision, but she had a great time and bounced happily right out the door when I went to pick her up this morning. Maybe she's finally outgrowing some of her anxiety!! <br /><p>6. Today was a big day for Levi: his first ever basketball game! I was very nervous for him because he missed the first practice while we were in Florida, so he's only been to one practice and has never played basketball before! But he did better than I expected . . . at least once we got to the court. At home, when he put on his jersey he declared it too big and uncomfortable and refused to wear it. Sigh. This kid and his sensory issues. After much cajoling and demanding and a little bit of yelling, I finally got smart and moved on to bribery. I told him that he could have anything he wanted from the concession stand if he would just put on his jersey and go play with a good attitude. Boom. Problem solved. He is seriously food-motivated. Lol. By the time we got to the church where they play he'd forgotten all about his jersey and was excited to start. It was hilarious to watch a bunch of second graders attempt to play basketball. I think the final score was 6-2 if that tells you anything. 😂 But I was proud of Levi for hustling (he was diligent about guarding his guy the whole game!), and trying to get the ball, and even going for a couple of shots. Maybe by the end of the season he'll be able to score a point or two! 😁</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD-nX1oGY5xXBeur1Z6AYGS5BD59fWT4IguUQmpWw9Jl2RqffqFFEyvjwZvX6XciDL0qTfrYhIhKboSjzp0pTPhNL7bjnI60S0XFjNxdmQ5E6m1SJbCtwzuj0XCa4Bm6or5avPrml8fH-hJZTMzyadzRCN6kMWnpo3iLiWgJFdT4aj_xXT1sKepH9D9w/s839/PXL_20240203_191230432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD-nX1oGY5xXBeur1Z6AYGS5BD59fWT4IguUQmpWw9Jl2RqffqFFEyvjwZvX6XciDL0qTfrYhIhKboSjzp0pTPhNL7bjnI60S0XFjNxdmQ5E6m1SJbCtwzuj0XCa4Bm6or5avPrml8fH-hJZTMzyadzRCN6kMWnpo3iLiWgJFdT4aj_xXT1sKepH9D9w/w480-h640/PXL_20240203_191230432.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrGrSwZZ6aFTXpPN-64YjtzpA8X1m7wK-CdGO3ZdjNnVK5pHZaWsHdTo5dzXo6VpPB-nwlxrmetB6usMjpwlkUdJeqH2ZISQ6JtbYXyy-L1I0k1viz2rm7jUgv4m-IdZzVaHy6Re37CJjRavkw4LG9Ba5InrkzQmmD-LL_lBUhN0-SM4nuEtpxffVHvk/s839/PXL_20240203_194305806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrGrSwZZ6aFTXpPN-64YjtzpA8X1m7wK-CdGO3ZdjNnVK5pHZaWsHdTo5dzXo6VpPB-nwlxrmetB6usMjpwlkUdJeqH2ZISQ6JtbYXyy-L1I0k1viz2rm7jUgv4m-IdZzVaHy6Re37CJjRavkw4LG9Ba5InrkzQmmD-LL_lBUhN0-SM4nuEtpxffVHvk/w480-h640/PXL_20240203_194305806.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>7. A couple more pics - and memes! Because I've been sick and had an excuse to lay around and scroll on my phone. 😁</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSnYoUHnO0u5-9OSCr5vTTsYQyR6j9iN3Gx5sD37AvHOr-nmVOIbnMgsUw57Ivq8w25_6XlAGNBIs9gXY1Rb71O2lMXi2XG4DtdFCIwhNGuLwHHz4UUa6H3xq4vK1aZqyLjrXffc-4eMGfGrVx7NmzJdXkeEG201gEs9EUq8w56LnUGmTnRsbOZRQIDA/s839/PXL_20240202_124819280.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSnYoUHnO0u5-9OSCr5vTTsYQyR6j9iN3Gx5sD37AvHOr-nmVOIbnMgsUw57Ivq8w25_6XlAGNBIs9gXY1Rb71O2lMXi2XG4DtdFCIwhNGuLwHHz4UUa6H3xq4vK1aZqyLjrXffc-4eMGfGrVx7NmzJdXkeEG201gEs9EUq8w56LnUGmTnRsbOZRQIDA/w480-h640/PXL_20240202_124819280.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for school spirit day!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQavaRJgee-vGi93CfV2LHDzjlRd9pgxRb4kEUT-byMkAeP_6MoUBjQbtYs9cGF-x2TMcD2KjI11rW9K2VbvOTPO67x0J0JhJTcoNlY-acSq-uQJMSnnjq21kwmHT7v79_tVRTx00oyfS86N7otmWMCZ7TTVdG9z4H-zl2QeX2rOYyUsTPiwUzRpPSkYk/s2000/416152912_917778606599698_2686402863738987509_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQavaRJgee-vGi93CfV2LHDzjlRd9pgxRb4kEUT-byMkAeP_6MoUBjQbtYs9cGF-x2TMcD2KjI11rW9K2VbvOTPO67x0J0JhJTcoNlY-acSq-uQJMSnnjq21kwmHT7v79_tVRTx00oyfS86N7otmWMCZ7TTVdG9z4H-zl2QeX2rOYyUsTPiwUzRpPSkYk/w480-h640/416152912_917778606599698_2686402863738987509_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh23bG_Be9VMBGdFNlyOME88NvUPsAFohDA7T8eglQB88MUStfCFG3fcTValqNRuzh81VWlyj7-sj5tv90pX7B6r4Gi-DQ9j9615-6IOLYNUJNAoAzmhN1kWniKiz-TTsdZHtqRuIZQ5jdP0I15mQwjO43lsv4LZkttKUm84NdFAz0cmKCyh5M-QwVts/s839/PXL_20240203_234810663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh23bG_Be9VMBGdFNlyOME88NvUPsAFohDA7T8eglQB88MUStfCFG3fcTValqNRuzh81VWlyj7-sj5tv90pX7B6r4Gi-DQ9j9615-6IOLYNUJNAoAzmhN1kWniKiz-TTsdZHtqRuIZQ5jdP0I15mQwjO43lsv4LZkttKUm84NdFAz0cmKCyh5M-QwVts/w480-h640/PXL_20240203_234810663.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to figure out how to do "bubble braids."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBP9H3pcaqe9Xj9d1fmMABBQbhm13j4JDJRbu5XfHae-dQoKMn91XrybKpT37H650sR32jUX7Otw3-XH4wGWpuEj_lo0DZyqASf-JejSJXLxLfhhnM3VP4cxoFIJNycOTTZMxA6JLBG7g6zrUA7PAFvsruscbTRsAsAX8eW1TRLpp_Zg2hZjTkmS-Mp0/s839/Screenshot_20240131-204341.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="830" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBP9H3pcaqe9Xj9d1fmMABBQbhm13j4JDJRbu5XfHae-dQoKMn91XrybKpT37H650sR32jUX7Otw3-XH4wGWpuEj_lo0DZyqASf-JejSJXLxLfhhnM3VP4cxoFIJNycOTTZMxA6JLBG7g6zrUA7PAFvsruscbTRsAsAX8eW1TRLpp_Zg2hZjTkmS-Mp0/w634-h640/Screenshot_20240131-204341.png" width="634" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMcLhhAwXipTEjdLrlPZ2a3IBl9EBp_gpWY5GaGMusjqxofMzt-d_hODUkoA-dunT5_2LLRH_2j_ZlJlW8nj-MZI0N8ANfFM9ZviGAPb_t2a80QKZa5o3im19Ykgv0GTeiA64_C2SrGPItywqQRzFa6s45P0AGUyu8xU_HUO5n5NDKJUV8PEOt81XykM/s1080/Screenshot_20240131-213220.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1080" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMcLhhAwXipTEjdLrlPZ2a3IBl9EBp_gpWY5GaGMusjqxofMzt-d_hODUkoA-dunT5_2LLRH_2j_ZlJlW8nj-MZI0N8ANfFM9ZviGAPb_t2a80QKZa5o3im19Ykgv0GTeiA64_C2SrGPItywqQRzFa6s45P0AGUyu8xU_HUO5n5NDKJUV8PEOt81XykM/w640-h420/Screenshot_20240131-213220.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLW34kXJc0dLgmQWdbF-AdzUbpv_u6c7-nIfOF87NiBQ5dHippXUGJHC_MKVkgBDEzn38v7mt2NGdb_l0lkq7EdZaBB0Zkekf4QVLchsnrU5AogghVyHVw52tLGLgOTtvDy11DstZ1rfQArPQkO5SUp8woCGyYL3FaaFq4XPw74i1yjM3FlEReAv6c3g/s839/Screenshot_20240202-223323.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="665" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLW34kXJc0dLgmQWdbF-AdzUbpv_u6c7-nIfOF87NiBQ5dHippXUGJHC_MKVkgBDEzn38v7mt2NGdb_l0lkq7EdZaBB0Zkekf4QVLchsnrU5AogghVyHVw52tLGLgOTtvDy11DstZ1rfQArPQkO5SUp8woCGyYL3FaaFq4XPw74i1yjM3FlEReAv6c3g/w508-h640/Screenshot_20240202-223323.png" width="508" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf0NqyFOOxiD4hGOjZINoD65zpPD5Jp-wu_D9W0Np7p0VOAIKGmm5-cz_bE5803WWAuZE6Kfc-mcYTEEfZfwYEWUEPW1dX-mwJ9XrubJ7SqRiYdIIy0daFIp6qqitG_tAFx3bIiNVwA9tQEufYsJWZI1oMMJxvH8uRYXnwLp2YAThnAMwJ7j45HYPu7I/s839/Screenshot_20240131-211910.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="734" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf0NqyFOOxiD4hGOjZINoD65zpPD5Jp-wu_D9W0Np7p0VOAIKGmm5-cz_bE5803WWAuZE6Kfc-mcYTEEfZfwYEWUEPW1dX-mwJ9XrubJ7SqRiYdIIy0daFIp6qqitG_tAFx3bIiNVwA9tQEufYsJWZI1oMMJxvH8uRYXnwLp2YAThnAMwJ7j45HYPu7I/w560-h640/Screenshot_20240131-211910.png" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not funny. I just really liked this.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-58228472337348474292024-01-28T21:12:00.006-05:002024-01-28T21:53:02.747-05:00The "Saturday" 8: Florida Edition!<p>Are you ready for the most epic blog post ever?? We actually got home last night, but I was so exhausted that I didn't want to put forth the effort of writing/choosing pictures. But now I'm rested and ready, so here we go!!</p><p>1. My parents had their 40th anniversary in 2021 and we wanted to all go away as a family to celebrate. But Covid was complicating things and there were a few family members who just couldn't get away. So we put it off until this year. I think it was June when we finally confirmed a date and Niki found an amazing house for us to stay in. We all chipped in (some more than others if I'm honest - haha), and started counting down the days. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way it became apparent that Libby and her family wouldn't be able to come. We tried so many different avenues to work things out, but we just couldn't make it happen. To say we were heartbroken is an understatement. I know Niki and I certainly shed some tears over it, and I'm sure we weren't the only ones. Every time we took a group picture this week, I felt the tug of sadness that we were missing some of our family members. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I don't know if we'll ever be able to pull off again. The last time we did a big family vacation was right after Justin and I got engaged in 2005 - 19 years ago! And then we only had to accommodate 11 people. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPe0LPj__1ACeSfILBoii6qVc8BsXtSz8gNFgppft2Yr8S5VA6pz9DK4CbOOmtBOPV5Z1CEfW3c0Bv8hlDY3fzLDn11yN-gNFdkLjLbfIrujXyM9Lnr4neLUeJw9qigOi50qX1B7oLANWYLfP_yTpeAYIe_4_2ENDg8m4t3lxCEPygpNMb6uMWMSAiX0/s1070/image%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1070" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPe0LPj__1ACeSfILBoii6qVc8BsXtSz8gNFgppft2Yr8S5VA6pz9DK4CbOOmtBOPV5Z1CEfW3c0Bv8hlDY3fzLDn11yN-gNFdkLjLbfIrujXyM9Lnr4neLUeJw9qigOi50qX1B7oLANWYLfP_yTpeAYIe_4_2ENDg8m4t3lxCEPygpNMb6uMWMSAiX0/w640-h502/image%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've grown a lot . . . in more ways than one! 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIsAOmpWAhl_gYzmTZWezgssbMJz-wlqe69mijqELeYrgdztDdwnAQt1_HsF98_u1fwKDkblyi2HVnGylquLYrKj05nLqOpBBL-qMSQs4UUyB3v9LfBNIDuAxdXINzKHM47DaqTGd6kIjOAiXQPqUEGicarjcVykybQAtiwTUyIJEutDIoOcNxqi0GCA/s1118/IMG_1111.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIsAOmpWAhl_gYzmTZWezgssbMJz-wlqe69mijqELeYrgdztDdwnAQt1_HsF98_u1fwKDkblyi2HVnGylquLYrKj05nLqOpBBL-qMSQs4UUyB3v9LfBNIDuAxdXINzKHM47DaqTGd6kIjOAiXQPqUEGicarjcVykybQAtiwTUyIJEutDIoOcNxqi0GCA/w640-h480/IMG_1111.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Now we're up to 27 (and growing)! So despite our longing for Libby and her family to join us, we were able to have an absolutely amazing week together. Be prepared for gushing. And pictures.</p><p>2. Our flight on Saturday was at 1:00, so we all converged on the airport by 11. The Grand Rapids airport is amazing and we breezed right through checking our bags and getting through security. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWHXcgNUPYfgUjVWOz1Mc2xOrcJNGAKJsB3U1VUnP0ep-FHalOpmwQYdINBMqxMJdoudU8EWDu5qxX6eZQ0Y8vvdbdDRXTwt-lGyMTgk1EW0HSbksvKWUTOGu5nPGuiT4VNcTaJHjj7L0czK_9toQ4InNPhuQODCUSemH_Zbud3wjloMUj7S2pR4ZutM/s839/IMG_4077.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWHXcgNUPYfgUjVWOz1Mc2xOrcJNGAKJsB3U1VUnP0ep-FHalOpmwQYdINBMqxMJdoudU8EWDu5qxX6eZQ0Y8vvdbdDRXTwt-lGyMTgk1EW0HSbksvKWUTOGu5nPGuiT4VNcTaJHjj7L0czK_9toQ4InNPhuQODCUSemH_Zbud3wjloMUj7S2pR4ZutM/w480-h640/IMG_4077.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the girls waiting for everyone to get through security. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>I anticipated some waiting time in the airport, so made up a Bingo game for the kids. That kept them occupied for a while, and not long after they were done, it was time to board!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYf497H31PxdW7tGcauKkSudkCWLWusHyO8lgb8F4Qya0LNvMBPc8yhQ0ccux-9ivzqqrJn7fFbJe5WtEy0h3ZLdF1tf9quE-HjNojaQjPHzi5EAigcNjHfIOZGfj1Y3q28_HYOXccMLyLJrr6sjWaeqms1tqdwJUReeA1oJiujptB8rnu5W2zkWfPGQ/s839/PXL_20240120_164143754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYf497H31PxdW7tGcauKkSudkCWLWusHyO8lgb8F4Qya0LNvMBPc8yhQ0ccux-9ivzqqrJn7fFbJe5WtEy0h3ZLdF1tf9quE-HjNojaQjPHzi5EAigcNjHfIOZGfj1Y3q28_HYOXccMLyLJrr6sjWaeqms1tqdwJUReeA1oJiujptB8rnu5W2zkWfPGQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_164143754.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmY8vwRTaSTCUOnJn3mnCakzlEk97ZxnmwK-9Q7sRsAn8-RyC1eX4clItX1TiUJ31de5Lhrn8F0gV3Mi4snxMAM59BGHkFcHM2dTgHyEfTqa5CR93bCKmG3mSBjBHYBZnDAXxVUZ7zUS9LHnPL8KKxrtEbwXsEKO_ug_Dl-7ATVOP0FLjXWtgNRml0KA/s2000/Airport%20Bingo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmY8vwRTaSTCUOnJn3mnCakzlEk97ZxnmwK-9Q7sRsAn8-RyC1eX4clItX1TiUJ31de5Lhrn8F0gV3Mi4snxMAM59BGHkFcHM2dTgHyEfTqa5CR93bCKmG3mSBjBHYBZnDAXxVUZ7zUS9LHnPL8KKxrtEbwXsEKO_ug_Dl-7ATVOP0FLjXWtgNRml0KA/w494-h640/Airport%20Bingo.png" width="494" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzGBeda4WFfZfEw85ft3lOPSMBC0qIqiPv7t-Dv7mU-CANE6umI4hkjhR8UPh2k0VILyCnqatR1xoGu9VDZNcIBscv1il1Apj_QnxKAwTTEtrX6nsQJDPvRYFL4McVmBbRiJEip3DJ_zaq2W-hLWq2xw1yAli7p0wntyLqtDjsAzfTv78sxPQtWsnR5w/s839/IMG_4100.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzGBeda4WFfZfEw85ft3lOPSMBC0qIqiPv7t-Dv7mU-CANE6umI4hkjhR8UPh2k0VILyCnqatR1xoGu9VDZNcIBscv1il1Apj_QnxKAwTTEtrX6nsQJDPvRYFL4McVmBbRiJEip3DJ_zaq2W-hLWq2xw1yAli7p0wntyLqtDjsAzfTv78sxPQtWsnR5w/w480-h640/IMG_4100.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the first flight for many of the kids. It ended up being Casper's favorite part of the whole vacation! 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Lena and I were both nervous about flying. But I popped my trusty Xanax (I asked the Dr. if Lena could have some, but she said no) and prepared myself for the necessary evil of flying in order to go on vacation. We flew Southwest, which has open seating. Families with young children are among the first to board, so we all went straight to the back of the plane so we could be together (and avoid bothering too many people with all our kids). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8-3yGERMyKry3V_yaxerJlaeo3mjFT6oYLKwVoNSrgMSs0Zx8Hpy1eTJfikFRm6vpLzWe-BQ3jISMF55gvqFs_CkKl2L6gBrL6VyD0o565h2zZTEp23dNZbomeeVjIfcbELFHAg10aiWyD5IRhk62BZ3xdM67jSIcltEqpuwwAvtbdWmwLchUy3EJeE/s1116/PXL_20240120_180116667.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8-3yGERMyKry3V_yaxerJlaeo3mjFT6oYLKwVoNSrgMSs0Zx8Hpy1eTJfikFRm6vpLzWe-BQ3jISMF55gvqFs_CkKl2L6gBrL6VyD0o565h2zZTEp23dNZbomeeVjIfcbELFHAg10aiWyD5IRhk62BZ3xdM67jSIcltEqpuwwAvtbdWmwLchUy3EJeE/w640-h482/PXL_20240120_180116667.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not pictured: short kids<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>My parents, Mike, Tristan, and Tayton drove (not all together). They'd been sending us updates of their progress for a couple days, so it was amazing to watch the flight path as we flew and see how quickly we covered ground that took them hours upon hours to travel. As much as I hate flying, you can't beat the convenience! We had a very smooth flight and the kids did <i>great</i>. Just a couple crying jags from the two littlest, but that's totally to be expected. Lena clung to me during takeoff, but was fine after that!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJlUxvh59vRRvb-oHRj4J0PWb2OysYtFpGDgjM3exGXjtsp662GkUr9sGegJP5i6Z6cQ_tTcS4FbKVVJew9GcL5lDt70qNQhaRE3EzrSiHLMTb9nUUysWWqi9DicznSoFC_FbEnqQtgObu5G78iDOvGtVr3eDSqSpaAr9C-3baZhqyK4VDV5rwl-ouEU/s839/IMG_4097.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJlUxvh59vRRvb-oHRj4J0PWb2OysYtFpGDgjM3exGXjtsp662GkUr9sGegJP5i6Z6cQ_tTcS4FbKVVJew9GcL5lDt70qNQhaRE3EzrSiHLMTb9nUUysWWqi9DicznSoFC_FbEnqQtgObu5G78iDOvGtVr3eDSqSpaAr9C-3baZhqyK4VDV5rwl-ouEU/w480-h640/IMG_4097.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZECY7prQvBNgjtMlyAysNNtwBso1V4GLnWe8AuGzoNWn4E-if2wwXAmv6rexlt6IDQlBl-0tG7ZBUorVlQS1zODow4KBHsL_yMSi3kbqp9C91OmnfeuWnxA2lb9pdQsPe1Ps_J9zbfhA5X53TyNmwU7PceWnBHQXvDPaCRtyc5uUrqo3MirK4jNO0YOs/s839/IMG_4102.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZECY7prQvBNgjtMlyAysNNtwBso1V4GLnWe8AuGzoNWn4E-if2wwXAmv6rexlt6IDQlBl-0tG7ZBUorVlQS1zODow4KBHsL_yMSi3kbqp9C91OmnfeuWnxA2lb9pdQsPe1Ps_J9zbfhA5X53TyNmwU7PceWnBHQXvDPaCRtyc5uUrqo3MirK4jNO0YOs/w480-h640/IMG_4102.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>When we left home, temps were in the teens and there were 24 inches of snow on the ground. So even though it was only in the 50s when we landed in Florida, we were <i>thrilled</i> by the sunshine and warmth. Since we were the last ones off the plane and we had a whole bunch of kids with us, the flight attendant let them sit in the cockpit for a quick picture opportunity!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk2HmLjZrV4knJiJVdi1vYSPTgNlCk8eRP1ayqdhAPr4y2000tMLAk1X-HxfpFFvPmUDch9gd_BnMC3yQwArip5lq6l1F0Wyxaij00UVAeH9852lDs4phK2wbCSTEFkn__ZmQlCW74wJSzKKfz7d-6MEQyGa5np_q79r_vovq7rctSqVlk6unQ4eJ3kI/s839/PXL_20240120_204701960.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk2HmLjZrV4knJiJVdi1vYSPTgNlCk8eRP1ayqdhAPr4y2000tMLAk1X-HxfpFFvPmUDch9gd_BnMC3yQwArip5lq6l1F0Wyxaij00UVAeH9852lDs4phK2wbCSTEFkn__ZmQlCW74wJSzKKfz7d-6MEQyGa5np_q79r_vovq7rctSqVlk6unQ4eJ3kI/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_204701960.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Justin and I rented a car through Turo for the first time, which was a little nerve-wracking, but it was super easy and went off without a hitch. It was about a 45 minute drive to the house we were staying at (Orlando traffic is <i>so annoying</i>), so we headed straight there. There were a ton of pictures in the listing that we'd looked at countless times, but seeing this mansion in person was <i>amazing</i>. It was in a gated resort community and had 11 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, an arcade, playroom, game room, three washers and dryers, ginormous kitchen, theater room, private heated pool, and outdoor patio/grill/games. We seriously lived like kings all week. </p><p>Each couple had their own bedroom with attached bathroom, the little kids shared kid-themed rooms, and Lucy even got her own room with a king sized bed and a private bathroom. She was living her best life all week. Lol. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZFswXVLLQdcZTVqOPLwpirSbhyphenhyphenfwqswKi8go8XZqcEjWNCcoMO96Dl21oO2boVC8hrzVgFOIRW5p8fEIKWyjNxoAVvc4eT7gJ-tfaXXKFtviXY-abfxO2QmLygUzDVUH1tahntApB1SXIBXsVwXgYn0y1EkaLz24sKIWZPcqAdOJ90AdwfccIsv3eGI/s4032/420528543_949856286697909_1097657151165723927_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZFswXVLLQdcZTVqOPLwpirSbhyphenhyphenfwqswKi8go8XZqcEjWNCcoMO96Dl21oO2boVC8hrzVgFOIRW5p8fEIKWyjNxoAVvc4eT7gJ-tfaXXKFtviXY-abfxO2QmLygUzDVUH1tahntApB1SXIBXsVwXgYn0y1EkaLz24sKIWZPcqAdOJ90AdwfccIsv3eGI/w480-h640/420528543_949856286697909_1097657151165723927_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lAf2pdnA-JA6PXDjc3PEvFdfrxq_zbqnI_BDkOgn1Jj3iIxgluvS7sVipu_xJyB5oP5ElHOnFyqabKFgjA1Q9M-aYbPuGELH4DKuN9ZyzIC_jHfzxZy1G2g0a8z5KT16DPKWBl3xji2r9ugyFTuZ6MJvpjK2IJUDpcFvhLqcNhIj90fmy_AZuTfBVYU/s4032/420582761_252136804585799_7835758126307800425_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lAf2pdnA-JA6PXDjc3PEvFdfrxq_zbqnI_BDkOgn1Jj3iIxgluvS7sVipu_xJyB5oP5ElHOnFyqabKFgjA1Q9M-aYbPuGELH4DKuN9ZyzIC_jHfzxZy1G2g0a8z5KT16DPKWBl3xji2r9ugyFTuZ6MJvpjK2IJUDpcFvhLqcNhIj90fmy_AZuTfBVYU/w480-h640/420582761_252136804585799_7835758126307800425_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2Q1_HmN96OrDWQglbawWdU1Qv2odRBpa6YYCP4lXKUazh8XoDt8in8fYegK4MIZI1uwdWOQNVJ5RnoobQ8Y2LTL9bM0ZiCS97rT8ZnXYdxocS3d3lYO5ysMC2QO0ScCk4e0JXNAr8kjcJwG9AsbLCJWnmCZWBGpJCknI7D5NJHIX_7oIGM37ky2ePt0/s1118/PXL_20240127_010553297.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2Q1_HmN96OrDWQglbawWdU1Qv2odRBpa6YYCP4lXKUazh8XoDt8in8fYegK4MIZI1uwdWOQNVJ5RnoobQ8Y2LTL9bM0ZiCS97rT8ZnXYdxocS3d3lYO5ysMC2QO0ScCk4e0JXNAr8kjcJwG9AsbLCJWnmCZWBGpJCknI7D5NJHIX_7oIGM37ky2ePt0/w640-h480/PXL_20240127_010553297.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls on the upper bunk in the Frozen themed room.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTL8ZFOuTn0eRMZH-M1oWYk67p1sPwoeQD5SFd4ZJxi9J0YCbYV2F3bXqh0woV_YozIQqf9GNm6wiMhsiSPGpgYsfZhwmOQINjt9Id4pVg2gh02kHlftNaTVV2y1hB3Vgp7zjtOcLuuQJac3PpFkr7VwDbKyZK2vDYWJ6Jzhce3_p4KmnS8hGHsXXxTMc/s839/PXL_20240120_231548685.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTL8ZFOuTn0eRMZH-M1oWYk67p1sPwoeQD5SFd4ZJxi9J0YCbYV2F3bXqh0woV_YozIQqf9GNm6wiMhsiSPGpgYsfZhwmOQINjt9Id4pVg2gh02kHlftNaTVV2y1hB3Vgp7zjtOcLuuQJac3PpFkr7VwDbKyZK2vDYWJ6Jzhce3_p4KmnS8hGHsXXxTMc/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_231548685.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena peeking out the window at the top</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DhEWZFQzKa6cYyBByhVYsTPxpc3pwAA0KzjlUz17WTdWcDgiafc4s4uZ6tbRFedEZlS5eOEq_wdPOc3FomVqA-8AWTv-CkLBr1o1IRFQ-MMCqpoYEwdTRSC4M3kGlsVFc_gbH3yzyBwCUBOyNuFWlHgRU10KLSsS1zJYkxgmWRoktEKVzurSFIOlIx8/s839/PXL_20240120_231634261.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DhEWZFQzKa6cYyBByhVYsTPxpc3pwAA0KzjlUz17WTdWcDgiafc4s4uZ6tbRFedEZlS5eOEq_wdPOc3FomVqA-8AWTv-CkLBr1o1IRFQ-MMCqpoYEwdTRSC4M3kGlsVFc_gbH3yzyBwCUBOyNuFWlHgRU10KLSsS1zJYkxgmWRoktEKVzurSFIOlIx8/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_231634261.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A slide to get down from the top bunk!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The boys (Levi and Casper) had a Mandalorian themed room:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmA9WM2zlXr3hIwP-dMe7cPKafSfsYfQ-jnozHqZCZpsXvE7KEvbyVH2lA2qc0R2N1PAK1bxuG1E0rmtio0LRuxWq7wplZf_1O9PZQ3J7bYCJUhEza-OOTsqk37hQ0-rHg-59g5l8iKAm_Dvs2-7O0NPS6ZWDLjj8MepoTijALJ9kbjt3Vv4tVQvoKLI/s839/PXL_20240120_231711555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmA9WM2zlXr3hIwP-dMe7cPKafSfsYfQ-jnozHqZCZpsXvE7KEvbyVH2lA2qc0R2N1PAK1bxuG1E0rmtio0LRuxWq7wplZf_1O9PZQ3J7bYCJUhEza-OOTsqk37hQ0-rHg-59g5l8iKAm_Dvs2-7O0NPS6ZWDLjj8MepoTijALJ9kbjt3Vv4tVQvoKLI/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_231711555.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We spent Saturday afternoon/evening unpacking and settling in. Luke and Esther went grocery shopping while the rest of us went out for dinner. And the kids immediately tried out the pool. It was well-heated and was warmer than the air that first night!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9xcO5dYQRdRWO6csO8TqhiJCeWmOO1cC68BuY_CuXzyefQ7_ndmHae8QGN-bGnLbRJWGbP014rzCT_f08umrEgZC9yToZwdOEus_3S2F0GVYj9FDvms7IZeosx0cXh7jXQF5h9Qe0KZ70s1hZS13tAdeP4xdqzhRNMxZXSo8f-FI04hXp8UWka-s9VA/s1118/PXL_20240121_012800018.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9xcO5dYQRdRWO6csO8TqhiJCeWmOO1cC68BuY_CuXzyefQ7_ndmHae8QGN-bGnLbRJWGbP014rzCT_f08umrEgZC9yToZwdOEus_3S2F0GVYj9FDvms7IZeosx0cXh7jXQF5h9Qe0KZ70s1hZS13tAdeP4xdqzhRNMxZXSo8f-FI04hXp8UWka-s9VA/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_012800018.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>2. The kids all slept great Saturday night and we woke up on Sunday to Luke and Esther making breakfast for us. Casper has some severe food allergies, and Luke and Esther enjoy cooking, so they took on that role. They collaborated with Niki to make a meal plan for the week, then we all chipped in for the cost of groceries. It was such a treat to have someone cook for me all week! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPXHskuW5X5BbanThm6UTsGNZy0rSLHejTP1ZlcakGhLm87bhUGxaQ6_Bu6p7nCvbdeyg2HerCOUL8jMapDA-sdj3cmW1bmvXJln3hiMr0wSOBwMxCJUkTw_Mkv9bhelD5KTdOn5Vv6rJ3XqGcoqRUUzJ_r5uBMWQAToywFv9ZVUdP4Bvl4WmyUyw0kU/s1118/IMG_4631.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPXHskuW5X5BbanThm6UTsGNZy0rSLHejTP1ZlcakGhLm87bhUGxaQ6_Bu6p7nCvbdeyg2HerCOUL8jMapDA-sdj3cmW1bmvXJln3hiMr0wSOBwMxCJUkTw_Mkv9bhelD5KTdOn5Vv6rJ3XqGcoqRUUzJ_r5uBMWQAToywFv9ZVUdP4Bvl4WmyUyw0kU/w640-h480/IMG_4631.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RckwoIypu08vWXq30ZKMcO35SCdVi8r9WWeOSWtoxgaTKPIdKSI5ojFzfE5Kv-bp51C7CpksOr8TCHHtAuvmDyNYoLok7ceHmka0zRhXsuuIViW6OpsgRLp9q5Auvl7oOhZibXyy-5Hv9y58mCDlZiGsFVGl3Tg3ZNQwkgWbYwC5ZJsj2YGs_5p95lM/s839/PXL_20240121_130041260.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RckwoIypu08vWXq30ZKMcO35SCdVi8r9WWeOSWtoxgaTKPIdKSI5ojFzfE5Kv-bp51C7CpksOr8TCHHtAuvmDyNYoLok7ceHmka0zRhXsuuIViW6OpsgRLp9q5Auvl7oOhZibXyy-5Hv9y58mCDlZiGsFVGl3Tg3ZNQwkgWbYwC5ZJsj2YGs_5p95lM/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_130041260.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday morning couch snuggles.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXA6N0q-GdMrC4eb3aOQolhY2VONAARluwmuQTD-84QKw0Ly0XLGww3DvRbDXvpyqbc-m_1jE-gNkZGKexpeeI8zfFdqWLyNh4I1_dDftmeSXvn9GYPusjXHqopxYTvNLwfH_TOy7rxkPopkzqMXw6d8CFHKgWDUzS7_4iy37ZUQ7WN9W05pTGrqxuug/s839/PXL_20240121_161204267.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXA6N0q-GdMrC4eb3aOQolhY2VONAARluwmuQTD-84QKw0Ly0XLGww3DvRbDXvpyqbc-m_1jE-gNkZGKexpeeI8zfFdqWLyNh4I1_dDftmeSXvn9GYPusjXHqopxYTvNLwfH_TOy7rxkPopkzqMXw6d8CFHKgWDUzS7_4iy37ZUQ7WN9W05pTGrqxuug/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_161204267.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We watched church online. (Levi was amazed that we could see our church on TV while we were in Florida. Haha. The wonders of the Internet!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the house's amenities and hanging out together.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4d4tNP5Kc2U89mVbf4m1EaSeiMMwh4GbpgYxMVjWKqb1xglso2Dng9IVsUsw_ZsVST60Sni8-CHrSHjnmwc17dz2ALV4nWr0hq4ex66PjJEhgdUIOMw98WCmhY0NiHTFjwMxKFydsT57W-C5cR9ZmSAzwRON1F7T0zJOpJg3u9qwdRzGs-zchvVR8Hxc/s839/PXL_20240120_230337547.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4d4tNP5Kc2U89mVbf4m1EaSeiMMwh4GbpgYxMVjWKqb1xglso2Dng9IVsUsw_ZsVST60Sni8-CHrSHjnmwc17dz2ALV4nWr0hq4ex66PjJEhgdUIOMw98WCmhY0NiHTFjwMxKFydsT57W-C5cR9ZmSAzwRON1F7T0zJOpJg3u9qwdRzGs-zchvVR8Hxc/w480-h640/PXL_20240120_230337547.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The motorcycle game.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgvZW4E-StSG13kw1yJrM8FSkJKtIFvz9KFJDThBx4KEvHLf7qlqLkgqNxsdPhCme3jbaYcsMZAVsHSRvN5Q4TmNDSYtMXM-Ozg0Hk6WIA2crKVmowAxpyq52KO_gwJXcZD-Htrc9SMy_bjZuo4GWzn3rQuIY-2XvuRUc4doseAWGqswFkqKYxBC8U9c/s1118/PXL_20240120_230550742.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgvZW4E-StSG13kw1yJrM8FSkJKtIFvz9KFJDThBx4KEvHLf7qlqLkgqNxsdPhCme3jbaYcsMZAVsHSRvN5Q4TmNDSYtMXM-Ozg0Hk6WIA2crKVmowAxpyq52KO_gwJXcZD-Htrc9SMy_bjZuo4GWzn3rQuIY-2XvuRUc4doseAWGqswFkqKYxBC8U9c/w640-h480/PXL_20240120_230550742.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foam pit play structure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1GcgiUJ_bHw3CqQlV6QTtldgP69UF9iesRlTT6cW1o4zmjhAiHTrRQOFQYalXoHtOdf29MRbuylJaPVo1o2eJIk8Txf4XKvSSqpK-CfExzg_7Lt1mW1un1-wRObfF_WYItdjs5LOwI_2UrkJ_94U3IGUBQOX4Nnc-UUSvc1By6Mt3vbSQzsE9ACkzN0/s1118/PXL_20240121_025449861.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1GcgiUJ_bHw3CqQlV6QTtldgP69UF9iesRlTT6cW1o4zmjhAiHTrRQOFQYalXoHtOdf29MRbuylJaPVo1o2eJIk8Txf4XKvSSqpK-CfExzg_7Lt1mW1un1-wRObfF_WYItdjs5LOwI_2UrkJ_94U3IGUBQOX4Nnc-UUSvc1By6Mt3vbSQzsE9ACkzN0/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_025449861.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena was excited about the monkey bars. That blue thing on the left is one of two slides in this room.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkEXMb7lJ7RehHpijUy4D8uH3jUL8zDVViCCn4bDzDuksmlGF-1VtPMUV7hcYo66bwY1bN89NeJF30Xpmnd0YugWrT4vCpdr6rDOwMQnjGgmk0_TmRXw4wfHO7zJmOskbbfFA6rNwsKto1WShS15v1x-KgKMmgouDgHWU9v0TbfO-qozsNXuW_MEsbaQ/s839/PXL_20240121_143120163.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkEXMb7lJ7RehHpijUy4D8uH3jUL8zDVViCCn4bDzDuksmlGF-1VtPMUV7hcYo66bwY1bN89NeJF30Xpmnd0YugWrT4vCpdr6rDOwMQnjGgmk0_TmRXw4wfHO7zJmOskbbfFA6rNwsKto1WShS15v1x-KgKMmgouDgHWU9v0TbfO-qozsNXuW_MEsbaQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_143120163.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom bowling</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZzUPhvRwBR7DaSNsR_1bH_R8XDob_vD6FDiN9JZ4-37mMKLxbWSQfZhC5rSxwE8IYSrYPlJQoc8W4ITFS2egqO9ZX-yhUXHZgiJM6U5bHhZAyYtgejH2zPIol1m2WriAC7yPnaWr9frE1Scqk4cn7TJ164MDpq9Ts4bX9ed4wmYCFzKg8srveCfhZ0w/s1118/PXL_20240121_143145742.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZzUPhvRwBR7DaSNsR_1bH_R8XDob_vD6FDiN9JZ4-37mMKLxbWSQfZhC5rSxwE8IYSrYPlJQoc8W4ITFS2egqO9ZX-yhUXHZgiJM6U5bHhZAyYtgejH2zPIol1m2WriAC7yPnaWr9frE1Scqk4cn7TJ164MDpq9Ts4bX9ed4wmYCFzKg8srveCfhZ0w/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_143145742.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of air hockey all week!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECMte4VKKYar6-D1TK-vhBjukAKvoPqCRGqWPJZoOI8hj86QgIFTF7DVm42Lu1zqdTVbGu_DlQs_N4tpLTdqzcSmRNYegecta7oSlgbg8uXJ_-eV10WpSeNBkP7sNPsKZR9DX0E694j1IBYCBeI1k5It5aYSSm3GtSj2NTFHNLLHHMZklIhGipPmrBIQ/s1118/PXL_20240121_143455243.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECMte4VKKYar6-D1TK-vhBjukAKvoPqCRGqWPJZoOI8hj86QgIFTF7DVm42Lu1zqdTVbGu_DlQs_N4tpLTdqzcSmRNYegecta7oSlgbg8uXJ_-eV10WpSeNBkP7sNPsKZR9DX0E694j1IBYCBeI1k5It5aYSSm3GtSj2NTFHNLLHHMZklIhGipPmrBIQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_143455243.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_C-naRjP7HPCIz3Rog2GBkixe5nMrqGaWDT7ZhfWCWIBI8W6aa7BnOrtoIJKtleUlRwxPFb9Nw_RZjdtDavIJyP6xYjlXSxwrblcNevweafdil6VhoS7lxSV5Jwrb_2ZOmAi88kZHfk5bFuN3NbybulyhmJm42-YZYBGQLDh5h0MCyNJ2Wkzua5pNOHE/s839/PXL_20240121_143814933.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_C-naRjP7HPCIz3Rog2GBkixe5nMrqGaWDT7ZhfWCWIBI8W6aa7BnOrtoIJKtleUlRwxPFb9Nw_RZjdtDavIJyP6xYjlXSxwrblcNevweafdil6VhoS7lxSV5Jwrb_2ZOmAi88kZHfk5bFuN3NbybulyhmJm42-YZYBGQLDh5h0MCyNJ2Wkzua5pNOHE/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_143814933.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi got to be a pro at this game</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZF9KVpwDdvOzCKmADf8IrV4eV8BRQVTopxaLqDeZ61-nctxnxCz5IdxI6dS_locUjZ3Ti-CTTNza-PppmLC820rQ6pCjiYycOpmUnOT-1sQ53Uz1pB7UZ5KOdsywLd1pC0YMroGHxgZYJ65kvM6o9OC82xZwl-bzwvJzYqNqFTmfX63mKfmO6KvvScQ/s1118/PXL_20240121_164540330.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZF9KVpwDdvOzCKmADf8IrV4eV8BRQVTopxaLqDeZ61-nctxnxCz5IdxI6dS_locUjZ3Ti-CTTNza-PppmLC820rQ6pCjiYycOpmUnOT-1sQ53Uz1pB7UZ5KOdsywLd1pC0YMroGHxgZYJ65kvM6o9OC82xZwl-bzwvJzYqNqFTmfX63mKfmO6KvvScQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_164540330.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounging poolside</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmahquoRJJYBfgaDQMFswzJCfKLUWm8m4Z11Vkwgyn15iXawN1ewoVuWGHFw6C6yH6TqTNTVHTwX4YZt9v3CA2TMw_Z3YbM7K9tiZBmYQ6M2q8MOjJXayBBeNskjE_O7wyYbIhClmqSRVPf6RS6ihLhUlGd2A_Fd364lHQc81q94R0mYbj7YWj_CLkYqQ/s1118/PXL_20240121_170333975.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmahquoRJJYBfgaDQMFswzJCfKLUWm8m4Z11Vkwgyn15iXawN1ewoVuWGHFw6C6yH6TqTNTVHTwX4YZt9v3CA2TMw_Z3YbM7K9tiZBmYQ6M2q8MOjJXayBBeNskjE_O7wyYbIhClmqSRVPf6RS6ihLhUlGd2A_Fd364lHQc81q94R0mYbj7YWj_CLkYqQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_170333975.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golfing poolside</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd29jLF1PmOaCUxAa573fSc7iLfoj_94lFsF4S7MQqwAvR9Je1n2n8CLUAwp_rb6Lhxyr5YnDCkmBLI7YrEMm2_2E1DtxM8yufNbUvLIsgi1VTXBowhACNSxFQiMcszCJNjYO2uYUtiT8bHQQYD96mBNfM8l4pzd-B-GAw5JrxEDXOGB8Sq6CrEy-wIaU/s839/PXL_20240121_171728732.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd29jLF1PmOaCUxAa573fSc7iLfoj_94lFsF4S7MQqwAvR9Je1n2n8CLUAwp_rb6Lhxyr5YnDCkmBLI7YrEMm2_2E1DtxM8yufNbUvLIsgi1VTXBowhACNSxFQiMcszCJNjYO2uYUtiT8bHQQYD96mBNfM8l4pzd-B-GAw5JrxEDXOGB8Sq6CrEy-wIaU/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_171728732.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can tell by our apparel, it wasn't <i>super</i> warm, but we were happy with the 50s and 60s!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXP2sQZHC73mMexDg7FXoo4KMqg3Ez7d5f_ecNxypSBYxH916IMX1rnrFqVK1G1pySD_RuIG_jVreGmPZ9CunkEEVx8NqrHelk3JAJWgfsJ_9wwkdr_GhshNKdjASpxzeGy3j_AfG48szs9LUL1WEPv1-oPf8piK4RI_NoJS2MCQVp6eIstRKTF_cqp0/s839/PXL_20240121_211803049.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXP2sQZHC73mMexDg7FXoo4KMqg3Ez7d5f_ecNxypSBYxH916IMX1rnrFqVK1G1pySD_RuIG_jVreGmPZ9CunkEEVx8NqrHelk3JAJWgfsJ_9wwkdr_GhshNKdjASpxzeGy3j_AfG48szs9LUL1WEPv1-oPf8piK4RI_NoJS2MCQVp6eIstRKTF_cqp0/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_211803049.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSO4C6CYx8_i_t7mqbXp0xWpg_OWrVNFAe1AjN6Gqm2dO9wvM3fLKcI7GJGNSoGh0_uhQ3LayeUqB-sS7xvTGhi2dz8gnUgMAUomYFFrM2ygIxoRvH0mCV9Gu3V_csnlTlm0hKBNsL9quQMQMHNIUlUyl0bypJhPkK1tFapA2iGxCRgBZeyTi8xygoUg/s839/PXL_20240121_213345537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSO4C6CYx8_i_t7mqbXp0xWpg_OWrVNFAe1AjN6Gqm2dO9wvM3fLKcI7GJGNSoGh0_uhQ3LayeUqB-sS7xvTGhi2dz8gnUgMAUomYFFrM2ygIxoRvH0mCV9Gu3V_csnlTlm0hKBNsL9quQMQMHNIUlUyl0bypJhPkK1tFapA2iGxCRgBZeyTi8xygoUg/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_213345537.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4dNnYH6ghg5woRARI2T89vSPKPdySi5bx2zSUBBOIbrv6a_Aepa8rYOuDjZDxRIcA6S9oZRWUtytbUjB_wocvrck5vUsIl7qBNtIkR3mYVZOnXKB_PJKZW8M25ss50w-QyM8YsDxbXYnPZ8tRCDE8BvdMuZxdpXQnKXHttQy6_AoT5MSvdsbKNaFyDI/s839/PXL_20240121_214136795.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4dNnYH6ghg5woRARI2T89vSPKPdySi5bx2zSUBBOIbrv6a_Aepa8rYOuDjZDxRIcA6S9oZRWUtytbUjB_wocvrck5vUsIl7qBNtIkR3mYVZOnXKB_PJKZW8M25ss50w-QyM8YsDxbXYnPZ8tRCDE8BvdMuZxdpXQnKXHttQy6_AoT5MSvdsbKNaFyDI/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_214136795.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out the weight room</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FpTC-tPzxQkpWiybdYf8xHLpl7_J7bbl8lzJwYap7dL0yMkNfzxFGVst_YJV41UZ6SH1BOwxJuBblMhtuFwbxQfdeozPuY3cmwWSX5TGR6jKq1Q0ar-AJuWF0pJtdYAYpdLzk5EDnV1WnHTRfMEyuWifCIk-DkKU_cOxNk-CktabTmUWQq0UhsYlJ2Q/s839/PXL_20240121_214259579.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FpTC-tPzxQkpWiybdYf8xHLpl7_J7bbl8lzJwYap7dL0yMkNfzxFGVst_YJV41UZ6SH1BOwxJuBblMhtuFwbxQfdeozPuY3cmwWSX5TGR6jKq1Q0ar-AJuWF0pJtdYAYpdLzk5EDnV1WnHTRfMEyuWifCIk-DkKU_cOxNk-CktabTmUWQq0UhsYlJ2Q/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_214259579.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite features!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkZYnwcPYGe1ahTZCkeXcyF15jei7X7rg0fNW4j6qma65rDFndPBqAtnXVIIQUP6KmaMPCys0VT94rzxO90pO6fCCvLyWP9lwPeRx6EFLReEZxMq09oel8yunoQwWyy7FsIelA12u8cusIQSd9DN_tEE_9yIl7-7FhPrtGVP72RH0aZQ2eV-Stq8WjIY/s839/PXL_20240122_002323913.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkZYnwcPYGe1ahTZCkeXcyF15jei7X7rg0fNW4j6qma65rDFndPBqAtnXVIIQUP6KmaMPCys0VT94rzxO90pO6fCCvLyWP9lwPeRx6EFLReEZxMq09oel8yunoQwWyy7FsIelA12u8cusIQSd9DN_tEE_9yIl7-7FhPrtGVP72RH0aZQ2eV-Stq8WjIY/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_002323913.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couples who play together stay together!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMhrBrDoShxJ_HAxwPxdXF8v3-Y9Tmya8uiv0JBdH6arh93MJgVUdyAk2FTbtLtUMf9Js_lJ7Mu-8fmWO7ExTSNOlmsjxsH5ZR1xL4j07QgCqLIQWsF54uf1hw7pxu5PUXQdW9mYPiBjSP4IOi-QBXi0vDVgURDhfc2uV1qHPvW9rxD09AUVnWQHi-Iw/s839/PXL_20240122_012343189.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMhrBrDoShxJ_HAxwPxdXF8v3-Y9Tmya8uiv0JBdH6arh93MJgVUdyAk2FTbtLtUMf9Js_lJ7Mu-8fmWO7ExTSNOlmsjxsH5ZR1xL4j07QgCqLIQWsF54uf1hw7pxu5PUXQdW9mYPiBjSP4IOi-QBXi0vDVgURDhfc2uV1qHPvW9rxD09AUVnWQHi-Iw/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_012343189.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPm6gwKkeUSTX9_9_VjFZCqGDqK7GiBqAlC8_47ogydSOnkxwfKuczmp24TYlMRfyFrFbwOQynFjLI0XtQgUuwWxlJvvYLE0JBcKqTsMekkSVE5GV-lupUPs6rKb8dJMlzzyhxVmGFdSseDBupCrj57H72QKmqevEkOfdkwWzUBHVoo1jMsks1EFv0ho/s839/IMG_4193.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPm6gwKkeUSTX9_9_VjFZCqGDqK7GiBqAlC8_47ogydSOnkxwfKuczmp24TYlMRfyFrFbwOQynFjLI0XtQgUuwWxlJvvYLE0JBcKqTsMekkSVE5GV-lupUPs6rKb8dJMlzzyhxVmGFdSseDBupCrj57H72QKmqevEkOfdkwWzUBHVoo1jMsks1EFv0ho/w480-h640/IMG_4193.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWFlsaSRbMtKeef3m2DApI2rJM_6hQqXZNE0gTOJowRLCLd2gwT3I0UdXxG_WrfOw_aB04G1b9cc4eKg5z6ZxLoc0-9NuH_2Hm_KB0-Qbd-bNqlIUfYcjCgn8WlKtzPMiP9eeG5v94THPYH6ZIoBv03ZLgKUYSgv3V-GqHDq9mt6A7xNR2ArRNB-G6o/s839/IMG_4133.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWFlsaSRbMtKeef3m2DApI2rJM_6hQqXZNE0gTOJowRLCLd2gwT3I0UdXxG_WrfOw_aB04G1b9cc4eKg5z6ZxLoc0-9NuH_2Hm_KB0-Qbd-bNqlIUfYcjCgn8WlKtzPMiP9eeG5v94THPYH6ZIoBv03ZLgKUYSgv3V-GqHDq9mt6A7xNR2ArRNB-G6o/w480-h640/IMG_4133.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>That night was the big Lions game . . . for which we had luxury accommodations:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhln5jY8ekPLfoRAm7jlNu0p9kGrDNyCz8WF1mUKO11L6eNWFHqy-sFwpcmu3qEBABlix3NaVwYk4KWDE3DfchNov_w8DJQBxKHalkiLIX_C8Hgq57BpvnnL2rmD_mErLVA6Vwm8uEnFKrfk2S86BAlYceYhTEKZFTywBJWtVkxbKV3vCsfgcAHtYY7Z8k/s1118/PXL_20240121_202117386.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhln5jY8ekPLfoRAm7jlNu0p9kGrDNyCz8WF1mUKO11L6eNWFHqy-sFwpcmu3qEBABlix3NaVwYk4KWDE3DfchNov_w8DJQBxKHalkiLIX_C8Hgq57BpvnnL2rmD_mErLVA6Vwm8uEnFKrfk2S86BAlYceYhTEKZFTywBJWtVkxbKV3vCsfgcAHtYY7Z8k/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_202117386.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHulnr93M_6zlh17LKcJTDdT_AyPqfWJdMc7mqYQcDzSR6KmP7KZEt3jOG3V1dmp6FywRjq7dddi4ix4haQXMOBY54t4bAijzc3mlQrsHb35JgNy5pAQq-Z6FBcThJmsfe5T9cgx7tOe1tAsh-8-6g1lmdhAQpl2AEM2b4J9GZUguHQv4g1eWS1pf0pU/s1118/PXL_20240121_202124982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHulnr93M_6zlh17LKcJTDdT_AyPqfWJdMc7mqYQcDzSR6KmP7KZEt3jOG3V1dmp6FywRjq7dddi4ix4haQXMOBY54t4bAijzc3mlQrsHb35JgNy5pAQq-Z6FBcThJmsfe5T9cgx7tOe1tAsh-8-6g1lmdhAQpl2AEM2b4J9GZUguHQv4g1eWS1pf0pU/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_202124982.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Some of us watched from downstairs. It was hilarious to watch the boys pace and fret. They were pretty thrilled with the results!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQcbyAYx5C3wTMmrHSJT7vTotuHfoQ1i4eWOPKXhNbVB3-TsaNdeMgzp0RtijyfCWKqLC4yPYpzV2JzDSzi6rXS8UuBzBPPGH7acDIYiwVEgnXIvZrjZRSNGx5h40TNA57DXIAfNfUHFkUTYouHGIkieP89NNvrJevBvHQATotGnuN8ZV18S_CsQ2k-A/s1118/PXL_20240121_224704683.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQcbyAYx5C3wTMmrHSJT7vTotuHfoQ1i4eWOPKXhNbVB3-TsaNdeMgzp0RtijyfCWKqLC4yPYpzV2JzDSzi6rXS8UuBzBPPGH7acDIYiwVEgnXIvZrjZRSNGx5h40TNA57DXIAfNfUHFkUTYouHGIkieP89NNvrJevBvHQATotGnuN8ZV18S_CsQ2k-A/w640-h480/PXL_20240121_224704683.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f9GqCRNmg6n6hw-9IdofrQeoPuSiohGAnotwRfxRyR2Aox_3h-KtejDPk9By50OCjfayplxN8V_U3sebPxL9zlS1cqpsl_ZxUsLDarH2kb_NhLPFICjntQT0_joFMz9xHEEYQan_lyC-oD3f9nEdk9zpQEJvSQkLtAwU9RmU2gz5Nc6rQRAb3NC4DbA/s839/PXL_20240121_224715224.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f9GqCRNmg6n6hw-9IdofrQeoPuSiohGAnotwRfxRyR2Aox_3h-KtejDPk9By50OCjfayplxN8V_U3sebPxL9zlS1cqpsl_ZxUsLDarH2kb_NhLPFICjntQT0_joFMz9xHEEYQan_lyC-oD3f9nEdk9zpQEJvSQkLtAwU9RmU2gz5Nc6rQRAb3NC4DbA/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_224715224.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got to snuggle this cutie during the game.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2wFKWSKzkHpfWgQLEk0RKjo1tlJZg1Dc2CFnGeJiCaKhyphenhypheniQ10JwwnOk1Qxl1TlOMYO2HzwmUDQLu6QKwFfCmqgfmqKIw7nmT6ofWg0tS2fySKpTBFdaYBTDvzDJ5DoCQFdwABGoai-VRfKNOZx2ZZ_qodzxSAxYUPsdHVvVjJl9L3I1qzLCm0Vu132M/s839/PXL_20240122_002225271.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2wFKWSKzkHpfWgQLEk0RKjo1tlJZg1Dc2CFnGeJiCaKhyphenhypheniQ10JwwnOk1Qxl1TlOMYO2HzwmUDQLu6QKwFfCmqgfmqKIw7nmT6ofWg0tS2fySKpTBFdaYBTDvzDJ5DoCQFdwABGoai-VRfKNOZx2ZZ_qodzxSAxYUPsdHVvVjJl9L3I1qzLCm0Vu132M/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_002225271.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet, selfless dad doing the dishes that night after everyone else went their separate ways.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />3. On Monday we got up bright and early because it was DISNEY DAY!!! My parents aren't Disney fans, and Luke and Esther didn't think their kids were old enough to really enjoy it, so they all stayed behind, but the rest of us caravanned to Hollywood Studios. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1Sk9oynLKjYgmpSK_4mUOTuAEmBbt1VqoJIWv7CFUIE-KW6xyq5x0Ba_4OsgaqDcw4nU_fhplJ9zRRojzX1R8qBik91N7lVcUphlHRI4mOd1eVlU4i5evXIs90Vcm5mZVUvJicV46ptA5HvmKG_1Eo99BkdJ7NDiIJTwRC9NNcFG5ER3O3pIHuqWhnI/s839/Snapchat-1620326581.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1Sk9oynLKjYgmpSK_4mUOTuAEmBbt1VqoJIWv7CFUIE-KW6xyq5x0Ba_4OsgaqDcw4nU_fhplJ9zRRojzX1R8qBik91N7lVcUphlHRI4mOd1eVlU4i5evXIs90Vcm5mZVUvJicV46ptA5HvmKG_1Eo99BkdJ7NDiIJTwRC9NNcFG5ER3O3pIHuqWhnI/w360-h640/Snapchat-1620326581.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disney, here we come!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGz_P2o3kr_ag8YzYVY7a0TrvtQ4f2tSbDpHGYeuLJtdNj6f0hoMUfSv8NbxvI3KQn43ib7k2Cc-GYiu7BJ7RBw9sV2CokMrOIueXlWFTpBTVa9y5r8B4UQwLrsbaQJJc8bt36uk9DXGEoC5ImabiG0-CC69o6jMz-2ztsw2h5LeOWwdhWquoPcxoNTgk/s1118/PXL_20240122_135749999.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGz_P2o3kr_ag8YzYVY7a0TrvtQ4f2tSbDpHGYeuLJtdNj6f0hoMUfSv8NbxvI3KQn43ib7k2Cc-GYiu7BJ7RBw9sV2CokMrOIueXlWFTpBTVa9y5r8B4UQwLrsbaQJJc8bt36uk9DXGEoC5ImabiG0-CC69o6jMz-2ztsw2h5LeOWwdhWquoPcxoNTgk/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_135749999.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a lot of discussion about whether to do Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, but we settled on Hollywood because it's Nova's favorite, my kids have never been there, and they have the best shows.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />After a minor snafu with my tickets (I bought them online the night before, and despite checking and double checking, apparently reserved the wrong date 🤦🤦🤦. It was easily remedied by customer service at the park.), we took a quick family pic, then set off to explore!<br /><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyp9HNqNxWAu5mEDQyKxlVvj7uNEhOYe26mI5hpoSAEZ3EPjioMI9ih-NVYKknXF1iF6DifLIxuE0qMiRYwUPq57KOrDvYMwASueDpFOWDXdserBmoz1hcb25opCdjaaFKJ81iZum_zMPrkoyTyxsVWmtX1XGo85l_QCYETLnvIVBCb_QQej7yFYdCIc/s839/PXL_20240122_141931100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyp9HNqNxWAu5mEDQyKxlVvj7uNEhOYe26mI5hpoSAEZ3EPjioMI9ih-NVYKknXF1iF6DifLIxuE0qMiRYwUPq57KOrDvYMwASueDpFOWDXdserBmoz1hcb25opCdjaaFKJ81iZum_zMPrkoyTyxsVWmtX1XGo85l_QCYETLnvIVBCb_QQej7yFYdCIc/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_141931100.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfNi98CfWAMIBS8_FWxTU-8autMRM60nNglaEiBHCQg4s3k8insDi-DoLUtqRd3wFGnatIThKcfU7YlgqVhcSheX7EIBAWuZUNzB1vUrkwtVbbZy_NJaJUImGUpV6dvikfWMj2034QiZE6TZWAUvlYylywI3XfHk1bJfzPGAMeouEFM0zVqIb0fZM5NQ/s839/PXL_20240122_142349743.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfNi98CfWAMIBS8_FWxTU-8autMRM60nNglaEiBHCQg4s3k8insDi-DoLUtqRd3wFGnatIThKcfU7YlgqVhcSheX7EIBAWuZUNzB1vUrkwtVbbZy_NJaJUImGUpV6dvikfWMj2034QiZE6TZWAUvlYylywI3XfHk1bJfzPGAMeouEFM0zVqIb0fZM5NQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_142349743.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi <i>loved</i> following the map.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>For the first half of the day, we all stuck together. The lines were long, as expected, but the kids all did surprisingly well! Our first ride was Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQT4CtI3Zak_z1o3-E6xhtYFUm2phjMD_67eheIDj5nHDcOvlhkmz9ApVmAMqIp2ixCJK-ojOIYHPf3vbTs98yGizT44LDdG9D_oESYXyKWN92tBJlyhLHujGEfS3n9o6xFcBnryWtrFwpS-EaUByZZ6j4E7Cp3yzkyGq9LRc4i1oUytZ-jxaVa8MphQ/s839/PXL_20240122_151522691.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQT4CtI3Zak_z1o3-E6xhtYFUm2phjMD_67eheIDj5nHDcOvlhkmz9ApVmAMqIp2ixCJK-ojOIYHPf3vbTs98yGizT44LDdG9D_oESYXyKWN92tBJlyhLHujGEfS3n9o6xFcBnryWtrFwpS-EaUByZZ6j4E7Cp3yzkyGq9LRc4i1oUytZ-jxaVa8MphQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_151522691.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT591d4yzdY4KaidTkW3cm5BasWukxmmtqKL0bnarDxkI-qg1JQzKyZ2gBmaKHsTdfoLKALXa0HMst1x3etxF4TNWZQzmBWTretHRH7EsRpY5wr0htf5wdoo6G8NptoTMhpK18FpSKJXmdpEHA8MJQoVH_AzeRiUObONaFfrW4GptOiYL3a1PT5Mtt1fo/s839/PXL_20240122_151527062.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT591d4yzdY4KaidTkW3cm5BasWukxmmtqKL0bnarDxkI-qg1JQzKyZ2gBmaKHsTdfoLKALXa0HMst1x3etxF4TNWZQzmBWTretHRH7EsRpY5wr0htf5wdoo6G8NptoTMhpK18FpSKJXmdpEHA8MJQoVH_AzeRiUObONaFfrW4GptOiYL3a1PT5Mtt1fo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_151527062.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBwMNkprk2mJMOM5feuzBP7VaL4n0Bd1cVPQr1MbgiDJbTPw-uY9LrnK77NLv6WJnecy_f047D-R8tsO6vQGhQip6mfc6H_04KJ-dCXItkhyphenhyphenxZwNNSUMf2RP1hVQV3SImf6Pzbzq9Ceurt-D1cyeGvxzNEIJEibjC28OwGctVqxD4yzcLpfhYf4KYVgo/s839/PXL_20240122_160022171.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBwMNkprk2mJMOM5feuzBP7VaL4n0Bd1cVPQr1MbgiDJbTPw-uY9LrnK77NLv6WJnecy_f047D-R8tsO6vQGhQip6mfc6H_04KJ-dCXItkhyphenhyphenxZwNNSUMf2RP1hVQV3SImf6Pzbzq9Ceurt-D1cyeGvxzNEIJEibjC28OwGctVqxD4yzcLpfhYf4KYVgo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_160022171.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then we went to the Indiana Jones show. Levi had a bad attitude at first. He was sure it was going to be loud and scary and wanted to leave. But fortunately I had brought his headphones, and we made him stick it out. He ended up enjoying it. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSmxj75005YLYgO-2xnW40-5ZHk5g4Cjcrg8tBYqYLMIiAfHGQNGZyQjZm0mausWhsjRmQ1MKXpq494F4ZEgc-1W2C2C7G6SNm4ZRLFKZR8J218ZPHNZ3d8fc0nD-8jkQWw6SYUu7Sg_43aY7jVN3wDjQhDQhKoDFxiT6lD3j3_o1T2xMMcCaZs7SliE/s839/PXL_20240122_163441378.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSmxj75005YLYgO-2xnW40-5ZHk5g4Cjcrg8tBYqYLMIiAfHGQNGZyQjZm0mausWhsjRmQ1MKXpq494F4ZEgc-1W2C2C7G6SNm4ZRLFKZR8J218ZPHNZ3d8fc0nD-8jkQWw6SYUu7Sg_43aY7jVN3wDjQhDQhKoDFxiT6lD3j3_o1T2xMMcCaZs7SliE/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_163441378.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy bought herself a funnel cake, and promptly got powdered sugar all over herself. Haha.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHdgdBG9L6BhLoyEl6PrCD-z2KBXyKJ15U6D438Mc1_mNJh9jhc7hgBL_5g_5kvUZU8XGmmZUH7WWQ5ZQlXFJ2RfwAjt779eSVlx-LWe0C55daEQGQx9_AgqCtssDDKA4ouomxuTP6t1P4TYPrPSm-tmVsKmvfH0_DIIC4SiLM7Sfgs9aAgG_0x8h6T8/s839/PXL_20240122_164723058.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHdgdBG9L6BhLoyEl6PrCD-z2KBXyKJ15U6D438Mc1_mNJh9jhc7hgBL_5g_5kvUZU8XGmmZUH7WWQ5ZQlXFJ2RfwAjt779eSVlx-LWe0C55daEQGQx9_AgqCtssDDKA4ouomxuTP6t1P4TYPrPSm-tmVsKmvfH0_DIIC4SiLM7Sfgs9aAgG_0x8h6T8/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_164723058.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In line for one of the Star Wars rides. Get used to this dorky smile from Levi. It's all I can get from him now.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYj4u0R7cjA1_247qhhfww1Y4jyUzUqAb0c4NL2AOwEIBSF1ffddDzzFLPruxk2C09tVAkLOEtUZk1uuUUOnPDr3kxQWvF7fUya-wSRQLgtZ4192CcMHMntTZ92OJCTydX1KBp2KrSxSArfAs2MAoh-L3h8pERjUTSb39uQgb_XxsSgp8C4EPhaxvhgo/s839/PXL_20240122_164758883.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYj4u0R7cjA1_247qhhfww1Y4jyUzUqAb0c4NL2AOwEIBSF1ffddDzzFLPruxk2C09tVAkLOEtUZk1uuUUOnPDr3kxQWvF7fUya-wSRQLgtZ4192CcMHMntTZ92OJCTydX1KBp2KrSxSArfAs2MAoh-L3h8pERjUTSb39uQgb_XxsSgp8C4EPhaxvhgo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_164758883.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbov37CKREBXudd4Ji9gylScRms709hQXXzlJbLUdKpZ4ecDyP4KGfsMN4pexoV50IKbv-QBxPPeyws9I9zAtTRYRX1cYkrn6AOISuDjQVvjBsYP8y7RsEbjWuWxp2BfKJ0hC2KM1HiN9P0Cp86taUqUVrh4h5OWhfbzFJHW8uNdaH299Xo0sENLT-Dw/s839/PXL_20240122_164812669.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbov37CKREBXudd4Ji9gylScRms709hQXXzlJbLUdKpZ4ecDyP4KGfsMN4pexoV50IKbv-QBxPPeyws9I9zAtTRYRX1cYkrn6AOISuDjQVvjBsYP8y7RsEbjWuWxp2BfKJ0hC2KM1HiN9P0Cp86taUqUVrh4h5OWhfbzFJHW8uNdaH299Xo0sENLT-Dw/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_164812669.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvSejLQzaxMMqXXT9CwJLqEoeie3yk4rR6Lnv7cn8LgOB4Kpx2LHXAd0mterRhbxc2vINbx1jaIYC4u-dw5yxTj-foL50gu9UTZC5hXxx2Od9jO5exdIMVnW07HhBpIeeAYSDQs6sQ2Bv1S-SxCCcoGAEPHillVNlt4F5bl4bB0nWi_eBDiwz2uc3-8I/s839/PXL_20240122_170705667.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvSejLQzaxMMqXXT9CwJLqEoeie3yk4rR6Lnv7cn8LgOB4Kpx2LHXAd0mterRhbxc2vINbx1jaIYC4u-dw5yxTj-foL50gu9UTZC5hXxx2Od9jO5exdIMVnW07HhBpIeeAYSDQs6sQ2Bv1S-SxCCcoGAEPHillVNlt4F5bl4bB0nWi_eBDiwz2uc3-8I/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_170705667.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This ended up being Lena's favorite ride. It made Lucy and me nauseous, but it was fun!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ORMl-GNjL9AjAy14rURMg_D9hLiFl57ss_a4-ire-8xKCE8rWJXNFro-tW70-qsdKVPx6nWJ_avHXLxDQzAPTZ1iIaea00PtY9zVjsL_H1oyR_-KX6Zql3ovV0ogL6DUXqam_v3oX77KHh3JBRcwBB5suhtUPH5n_l9Pcq7AAwbL_ENxqzKFvzWtHgU/s839/PXL_20240122_181620067.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ORMl-GNjL9AjAy14rURMg_D9hLiFl57ss_a4-ire-8xKCE8rWJXNFro-tW70-qsdKVPx6nWJ_avHXLxDQzAPTZ1iIaea00PtY9zVjsL_H1oyR_-KX6Zql3ovV0ogL6DUXqam_v3oX77KHh3JBRcwBB5suhtUPH5n_l9Pcq7AAwbL_ENxqzKFvzWtHgU/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_181620067.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toy Story Land. I just loved all the clever decorations.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh42Jx9G_8XysMqw3CxfcKppK87f4O90PDF9AEkxPqY99XBGUI6YXCUB0hTi5oOD-GIq-2sTnVWfd0p8hPDTkAqfmmZhs-3lGIB6s_mWRu-a9qrPS_IAsyw2V5EXV9PDHi3BfUqL9QWww1M0aFcAPFZQUVO9I1cPPpynA6tybSpMj69U-9jFMkfmJsNo/s839/PXL_20240122_190906271.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh42Jx9G_8XysMqw3CxfcKppK87f4O90PDF9AEkxPqY99XBGUI6YXCUB0hTi5oOD-GIq-2sTnVWfd0p8hPDTkAqfmmZhs-3lGIB6s_mWRu-a9qrPS_IAsyw2V5EXV9PDHi3BfUqL9QWww1M0aFcAPFZQUVO9I1cPPpynA6tybSpMj69U-9jFMkfmJsNo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_190906271.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clapping along to the Beauty and the Beast show (another one he said he wouldn't like, but enjoyed!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDRScQr-YfLrH_9cVWTAgMljBBcn5qcfqAU50xG9ZVZkiiliuNMTpGyJPw6vRAshc5GwhF6v6ich7DWmDqOS5aY-j4uG4RcPDCxa3xtxmt_wYcWkePm2Lw9Yzzq6JBfrDHqReIYVAPM8csuItbwPRi9U6J5Q544TbZlp0qOwuzTGckc9-WC84z5q9tsA/s1118/PXL_20240122_192415881.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDRScQr-YfLrH_9cVWTAgMljBBcn5qcfqAU50xG9ZVZkiiliuNMTpGyJPw6vRAshc5GwhF6v6ich7DWmDqOS5aY-j4uG4RcPDCxa3xtxmt_wYcWkePm2Lw9Yzzq6JBfrDHqReIYVAPM8csuItbwPRi9U6J5Q544TbZlp0qOwuzTGckc9-WC84z5q9tsA/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_192415881.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena asked why I like Beauty and the Beast so much. It's really a combination of Belle's love for books, the Beast's library, the sweet (albeit weird) love story, and pure childhood nostalgia! </td></tr></tbody></table><br />After the show, we took a kids' pic (minus Lainey, who was sleeping):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxO7lqbZj_wHFgdI07THjJ6bJISRWdcSUycYzfa3YJT55an3nX6yHgqsLWGDjAiT-qGIoDpFugEkKZOnoWzZs0FnQm5kTldMkf8XPaTWwn8zqvAn64UYhsRvrJYhT_UJrPCusZBICBB88LNIePy5vAagx0fH5FM6IpdTeAz3aaSZPVNMgwyhZmS7z9Vs/s1118/PXL_20240122_193318329.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxO7lqbZj_wHFgdI07THjJ6bJISRWdcSUycYzfa3YJT55an3nX6yHgqsLWGDjAiT-qGIoDpFugEkKZOnoWzZs0FnQm5kTldMkf8XPaTWwn8zqvAn64UYhsRvrJYhT_UJrPCusZBICBB88LNIePy5vAagx0fH5FM6IpdTeAz3aaSZPVNMgwyhZmS7z9Vs/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_193318329.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FGbaWpaD2Yyqyc31g7uDlH66PGX-_esKFPdjKYXntw3JzsHpujZ3WZMpf6Zj_KyB9O7n3sM7hBsOEEkEazBEWtolb-s_SlBCwfusyzQEeQ_zCX96OSd4hicE6N5IHw-F0BDcr2iHOhtqjcFfIw6ovLp0HCnHdlKHFSbiwpR3NY83VaxVoi2AYf_8ywE/s839/PXL_20240122_193745490.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FGbaWpaD2Yyqyc31g7uDlH66PGX-_esKFPdjKYXntw3JzsHpujZ3WZMpf6Zj_KyB9O7n3sM7hBsOEEkEazBEWtolb-s_SlBCwfusyzQEeQ_zCX96OSd4hicE6N5IHw-F0BDcr2iHOhtqjcFfIw6ovLp0HCnHdlKHFSbiwpR3NY83VaxVoi2AYf_8ywE/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_193745490.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi was chasing some birds and I got a couple adorable candids of him.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzScFfkpzRJp3p0_VKudY1AbaLWM_iuStGqmWBgevPi8x82T0inNbFeGIj3XvArVTBWEZGcTypEGILrmxWuP53Dl5EBPQSVewCY-PiG6fkGnAFRg6OiSGHJpQE_XaKZiCy_2xA3oZb8_rdp36TjMXDtEPCtZrrVU6cFzL9vuyZ8WY0c3QSoPRKIgdEtg/s839/PXL_20240122_193746854.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzScFfkpzRJp3p0_VKudY1AbaLWM_iuStGqmWBgevPi8x82T0inNbFeGIj3XvArVTBWEZGcTypEGILrmxWuP53Dl5EBPQSVewCY-PiG6fkGnAFRg6OiSGHJpQE_XaKZiCy_2xA3oZb8_rdp36TjMXDtEPCtZrrVU6cFzL9vuyZ8WY0c3QSoPRKIgdEtg/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_193746854.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at those dimples!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUa6yGahYFrp0_D6RGHLHyTo7zfqDgSATYt6hEHir3aCX_rX3Ot1pjZndQzGg4LzNCmXecUZuVW6npZ-xkj5slARc85i-whNP6cpeW16M1aVpCHeMX-lWHF1S3fcQNfnqYtJ9bgH5stBvwqMVl1LALfR-Ne5w3NmYMOnJQ7w_h_DMvmD6LC32l3zx9Cw/s839/PXL_20240122_195002844.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUa6yGahYFrp0_D6RGHLHyTo7zfqDgSATYt6hEHir3aCX_rX3Ot1pjZndQzGg4LzNCmXecUZuVW6npZ-xkj5slARc85i-whNP6cpeW16M1aVpCHeMX-lWHF1S3fcQNfnqYtJ9bgH5stBvwqMVl1LALfR-Ne5w3NmYMOnJQ7w_h_DMvmD6LC32l3zx9Cw/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_195002844.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKihi988TxnzeLGy7qqF5OktymXY2LMlGK3cyNHsMEMJ5worq5__tLJKyOSsRh0KA6wcLd4p3QCtTsQVeN6lARqZTCoqC128XZY-hW6wp_j2gFr6iYlA_7Jj-9YWserJbtfM9E3EC4W23F7UPg5_fKeVeUda-2mQiaGb2vRiYGtmpq12AcNhD8EiCRdRY/s839/PXL_20240122_201627575.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKihi988TxnzeLGy7qqF5OktymXY2LMlGK3cyNHsMEMJ5worq5__tLJKyOSsRh0KA6wcLd4p3QCtTsQVeN6lARqZTCoqC128XZY-hW6wp_j2gFr6iYlA_7Jj-9YWserJbtfM9E3EC4W23F7UPg5_fKeVeUda-2mQiaGb2vRiYGtmpq12AcNhD8EiCRdRY/w570-h640/PXL_20240122_201627575.jpg" width="570" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was kind of funny that Justin and Tayton were wearing their Lions gear that day, because they had just defeated a team from Tampa - not too far from where we were! Tayton got a couple of comments from people. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAqJVLLkPQuiqSKuFnQWw93_i4F1CxNg_r-d1PChiMygLEG4tFgebPufEWqfvsXyBYojRt1ePQDvhFDicVK8e78SpN0OMzoOplgi_KDN5Zt4pIwglZt3CAG5E7Dd6_Cucv66ZP7vB3K5ClxM1OUjzmULtGop_Fb7tpZB0Uc4QSh9HC5oSrsQ5BWL6bN8/s839/PXL_20240122_201915654.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAqJVLLkPQuiqSKuFnQWw93_i4F1CxNg_r-d1PChiMygLEG4tFgebPufEWqfvsXyBYojRt1ePQDvhFDicVK8e78SpN0OMzoOplgi_KDN5Zt4pIwglZt3CAG5E7Dd6_Cucv66ZP7vB3K5ClxM1OUjzmULtGop_Fb7tpZB0Uc4QSh9HC5oSrsQ5BWL6bN8/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_201915654.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niki got Lena this birthday pin since her birthday was the next day. Once Lena realized that Disney employees are super attentive to the pin and every one said "Happy Birthday" to her, she took it off. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0y9G11HEzmN7Bb_JpJDbhTe2FeLrHjaSEYRRM8pxO_IJHSrgqsNLHdbU6mEpM7N2Qdgk4iaoW22ySXe-S8lnhXf-z1KXiYWuD91P2ZCIXCm8wuulnVmDRc4GBayZFgdFtVcSkICe73FoJiIx-qsoDekzSNJOhJn4_ZhDgjf2xLNovXwtWJMTt7WnsIQ/s1118/PXL_20240122_205651163.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0y9G11HEzmN7Bb_JpJDbhTe2FeLrHjaSEYRRM8pxO_IJHSrgqsNLHdbU6mEpM7N2Qdgk4iaoW22ySXe-S8lnhXf-z1KXiYWuD91P2ZCIXCm8wuulnVmDRc4GBayZFgdFtVcSkICe73FoJiIx-qsoDekzSNJOhJn4_ZhDgjf2xLNovXwtWJMTt7WnsIQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_205651163.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Frozen Show. Definitely the best show we saw. The kids adored it, but there was a lot of humor that the adults enjoyed as well.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUZZUm5qOTDyJq1miM17qpdsMwUw4bTbSy0ZP6LFxZRwdbluOxSlo2KUIa4ptsPwWw9CjGPf00OsaHz9hmRl2VIXx2c6s09u4HvPl11wTy9ijN-gu5cNwchRzMmb-HMZGezuo_1_dvh9kj-vp__ZnffzqZH6bgk5u-lXivxf_w4WVpnJuk9j-_5B7U4/s1116/PXL_20240122_205842563.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJUZZUm5qOTDyJq1miM17qpdsMwUw4bTbSy0ZP6LFxZRwdbluOxSlo2KUIa4ptsPwWw9CjGPf00OsaHz9hmRl2VIXx2c6s09u4HvPl11wTy9ijN-gu5cNwchRzMmb-HMZGezuo_1_dvh9kj-vp__ZnffzqZH6bgk5u-lXivxf_w4WVpnJuk9j-_5B7U4/w640-h482/PXL_20240122_205842563.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUdO1H6LqwmvEALx_nSE2hkpnaOPnmtT_TBjPIY-F6rrAZgKL9G_5C0jL3uKFtalkxa-cFdXgTAm9mI9Tkt7QWugpp_AAr-_eht1YjsdDS3GnjyQ9_Aj06ogoM04tIDyEtz6YJFgxuuhgSmUTCCdwgb3liNiXbuTmOIhln5WJYPU7JOHnCII6pA5HvX4/s1116/PXL_20240122_205851506.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUdO1H6LqwmvEALx_nSE2hkpnaOPnmtT_TBjPIY-F6rrAZgKL9G_5C0jL3uKFtalkxa-cFdXgTAm9mI9Tkt7QWugpp_AAr-_eht1YjsdDS3GnjyQ9_Aj06ogoM04tIDyEtz6YJFgxuuhgSmUTCCdwgb3liNiXbuTmOIhln5WJYPU7JOHnCII6pA5HvX4/w640-h482/PXL_20240122_205851506.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaeuNbesyfjV_Z_Hwbr6mfmxN8XektnY-3cleCJ4E7T5PjhyV2TKwHbAO-WRYCyIzsWUxdcm3HzVnrwP0se5pt_kBpK1hEUkP2LVarbtv_ajBTXDi5fbqehTsuqWHs7j2qKKbuuBp0HYVEujlV8vRA-NesclA_h4u9T7PFJ1KIEK2yltMJ82C5hn1bEU/s1118/PXL_20240122_205859709.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaeuNbesyfjV_Z_Hwbr6mfmxN8XektnY-3cleCJ4E7T5PjhyV2TKwHbAO-WRYCyIzsWUxdcm3HzVnrwP0se5pt_kBpK1hEUkP2LVarbtv_ajBTXDi5fbqehTsuqWHs7j2qKKbuuBp0HYVEujlV8vRA-NesclA_h4u9T7PFJ1KIEK2yltMJ82C5hn1bEU/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_205859709.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowing in the theater!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPdSGbSd5IkfV3pWck6Vix3ZJwT_hnFpoJh0lZ67RjUF-B8_nqb-iwFwTwtNtr7fVfvPxFJFAdCJs4T038mMZs-sufSE-m0UKhKAIOv3xg7Zg9wXS4c47j7ivkEIMv2OjOG5QwaYClNywH4maa8os3UhzTMl2N-UkcIAx3Pg_LOgf9ig0A0QCf4q-B1c/s839/PXL_20240122_210300682.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPdSGbSd5IkfV3pWck6Vix3ZJwT_hnFpoJh0lZ67RjUF-B8_nqb-iwFwTwtNtr7fVfvPxFJFAdCJs4T038mMZs-sufSE-m0UKhKAIOv3xg7Zg9wXS4c47j7ivkEIMv2OjOG5QwaYClNywH4maa8os3UhzTMl2N-UkcIAx3Pg_LOgf9ig0A0QCf4q-B1c/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_210300682.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div>After the show, we split up for a while. Justin, Tristan, Nova, Lucy, and Levi went on the Slinky ride, but I could <i>not</i> convince Lena to try it. So she and I did the alien ride since it had a short wait:</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiaveLpvzyDNBHfo4gFR8rlX02qWDqUm8ylL8PfCdlX0Be8hpWyiPo-uK9sb38gb2M7J6rc72yAH7CHLACgJB4in5DRfs-dfpvhXn5nIR8PN7FYAUiJ-tIs-GQ_uOf5VliymFztTmctAuWMFdhrpS84DFKZhuPEWB56hXGROfNIj0zpNjKm7QMcl3zaQ/s839/PXL_20240122_213635301.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiaveLpvzyDNBHfo4gFR8rlX02qWDqUm8ylL8PfCdlX0Be8hpWyiPo-uK9sb38gb2M7J6rc72yAH7CHLACgJB4in5DRfs-dfpvhXn5nIR8PN7FYAUiJ-tIs-GQ_uOf5VliymFztTmctAuWMFdhrpS84DFKZhuPEWB56hXGROfNIj0zpNjKm7QMcl3zaQ/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_213635301.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQnxeX1mU6Z8dqWHp3x98z7RWChQPMfOsQDnU24qmvg-XcZ7IXWWNMunUfL10CN_-D1HRE2VMMjbmXdReKnWbnVs1qOMuxhFY6g8lsgbdcciqC8MQ21tl9kHBpL8abV4vP2dW-gHo1pNIb_5hTATk80geTcl3ra2YIYB5vA5sg3RS_7IWj6mGc4KpRDE/s1118/PXL_20240122_214046193.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQnxeX1mU6Z8dqWHp3x98z7RWChQPMfOsQDnU24qmvg-XcZ7IXWWNMunUfL10CN_-D1HRE2VMMjbmXdReKnWbnVs1qOMuxhFY6g8lsgbdcciqC8MQ21tl9kHBpL8abV4vP2dW-gHo1pNIb_5hTATk80geTcl3ra2YIYB5vA5sg3RS_7IWj6mGc4KpRDE/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_214046193.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary Slinky ride.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There was a long line for Slinky, so Lena and I decided to get in line for Toy Story Mania. The sign out front said "70 minute wait," but we didn't have anything else to do, so we got in line. 95 minutes later we actually got on the ride. 🤦 Up until that point, I was doing great. The weather was absolutely beautiful - 60s and cloudy, so not too hot or too cold. We hadn't had to wait longer than an hour for any ride yet. Plus, my back and feet barely hurt since we got to sit down at the shows between rides. But that hour and a half wait pushed me over the edge. The line just kept going and going and going. It twists and turns forever, and I kept thinking, "It'll be right around this turn," but I kept being wrong. Haha. My back started to <i>kill</i> from standing in line and holding two heavy backpacks (I took the one Justin was wearing so he didn't have to carry it on the roller coaster). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNitjJJdlbBbqpDj9XBW6bOrykHD9YBvLXIztcHh_xhkkKs89CUW1UugiFOAI4WI-5MV20-LyibI7qDZYlh-_T4KqVQOw0BlxKnZ6WH93eqxc33_ppqItZ32Krr9Onf2csTr5NuflnYzDoTkRoT_Kuvz59WkbSP16mhsL2spihwnNsx7MWky2sCJJHtSo/s839/PXL_20240122_221123396.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNitjJJdlbBbqpDj9XBW6bOrykHD9YBvLXIztcHh_xhkkKs89CUW1UugiFOAI4WI-5MV20-LyibI7qDZYlh-_T4KqVQOw0BlxKnZ6WH93eqxc33_ppqItZ32Krr9Onf2csTr5NuflnYzDoTkRoT_Kuvz59WkbSP16mhsL2spihwnNsx7MWky2sCJJHtSo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_221123396.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with the "L" block. At least the decorations were fun to look at!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AOE5vim-Cr-bkusmlfmqZQoCQnS6cFl5QuHuW77Iyezd-60icdrF8XMR6AOhhRgrYVXgt6OzYFoESR75jCukAJZMMpHd0ZtHcQ4RrThzPuah-sYC2KUJHzCaRhPW_Iy29T70N5x7EZ2AwGWexayREMIp7PkCRKF52owVBMVH8iC1JxYx6bvtpfk5TRo/s839/PXL_20240122_223643659.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AOE5vim-Cr-bkusmlfmqZQoCQnS6cFl5QuHuW77Iyezd-60icdrF8XMR6AOhhRgrYVXgt6OzYFoESR75jCukAJZMMpHd0ZtHcQ4RrThzPuah-sYC2KUJHzCaRhPW_Iy29T70N5x7EZ2AwGWexayREMIp7PkCRKF52owVBMVH8iC1JxYx6bvtpfk5TRo/w480-h640/PXL_20240122_223643659.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting bored.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpopLROSMrINCDjKZJo0i9IsSAMe09fxWh3vxkmSLY0idVN6M8T-HKdmaFaRRMiRSiyYr4OZ5NWOoc-hxkSaIZnALFbwD-5G7UN6A48GLTg2mXI0HVsRdKjKuecyLbbF1AlQJ_nceo7r3iJ5BEbW9K1Tm4jQIeXt-6aK0uqDGn5PB1PwJuIRrj3JK3dw/s839/Snapchat-728200022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpopLROSMrINCDjKZJo0i9IsSAMe09fxWh3vxkmSLY0idVN6M8T-HKdmaFaRRMiRSiyYr4OZ5NWOoc-hxkSaIZnALFbwD-5G7UN6A48GLTg2mXI0HVsRdKjKuecyLbbF1AlQJ_nceo7r3iJ5BEbW9K1Tm4jQIeXt-6aK0uqDGn5PB1PwJuIRrj3JK3dw/w360-h640/Snapchat-728200022.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it to the end of the line and got our glasses!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We finally got on the ride - which was fun, but I'm not sure it was worth the wait. Haha.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VBd6H_owPxI_Hq5HynW4WVRxmuOL_bFH6Xh_7DwNYuiM4vY7bDaHxdQUzMj4qUjRbz5W_eKTIFfQMA3FXDHm7_E9ujLL5S3Z8IpObLRuyvyb9bH2kOGXGNa3h3NgdD7BlFVet45weLAFCD63j8TKq-Z9VJy_jMrLKY2umxR1m39FQ9q7SS6USkna9OY/s1155/PXL_20240122_232646566.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1155" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VBd6H_owPxI_Hq5HynW4WVRxmuOL_bFH6Xh_7DwNYuiM4vY7bDaHxdQUzMj4qUjRbz5W_eKTIFfQMA3FXDHm7_E9ujLL5S3Z8IpObLRuyvyb9bH2kOGXGNa3h3NgdD7BlFVet45weLAFCD63j8TKq-Z9VJy_jMrLKY2umxR1m39FQ9q7SS6USkna9OY/w640-h464/PXL_20240122_232646566.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was yellow. Winner!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNS1TUHC_km7-DFjtM_8ipY00NRDBauR0xkDp7JJZK0zXXIEYgWdzfzZJzMQVC7I9wRp_PcdUM1UgBkc0T9HM99DSFSGElPQAMF9dAQ7vhF0WFGiDTIkO0Gf3c9qR-M_HzWWGI3A3plZ4a2fRD9dwxst_5qorBsHayJcFetQ4GXtAAl7d3fuLyCgblSc/s1118/PXL_20240122_232749835.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNS1TUHC_km7-DFjtM_8ipY00NRDBauR0xkDp7JJZK0zXXIEYgWdzfzZJzMQVC7I9wRp_PcdUM1UgBkc0T9HM99DSFSGElPQAMF9dAQ7vhF0WFGiDTIkO0Gf3c9qR-M_HzWWGI3A3plZ4a2fRD9dwxst_5qorBsHayJcFetQ4GXtAAl7d3fuLyCgblSc/w640-h480/PXL_20240122_232749835.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Finally, we met back up with Justin, Levi, and Lucy for dinner. I had packed us sandwiches and Lunchables for lunch, but we splurged and got dinner at Disney. Honestly, the prices weren't that bad. The five of us ate for just over $50. We had spent $45 on Culver's Saturday night. 🤷 Everything is expensive now. We're just used to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>We wanted to ride another of the Star Wars rides that we missed, but it had a two hour wait, so we knew we wouldn't make it before the big show. It's insane that we were there for over 12 hours, but still didn't have time to ride all the rides or see everything because the lines are just so incredibly long. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmpAE_m5JHXj8BkezjzxLlVTorK1VqbKlGfGO45A8wmaslHaj4WIZQo7Lm78_jUQGu4CryK5tqnX_-MzIjCnPrZ3XvHZYBGB0PrmwyLhe2aHNF3k4yEKT7fc3hR3N5XCaCSW39eV8vcqmEDWhx6BVbjIbZXlJCcrGNqlIOaepylvKFxIjSFEtHqWa-Xc/s839/PXL_20240123_014348911.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmpAE_m5JHXj8BkezjzxLlVTorK1VqbKlGfGO45A8wmaslHaj4WIZQo7Lm78_jUQGu4CryK5tqnX_-MzIjCnPrZ3XvHZYBGB0PrmwyLhe2aHNF3k4yEKT7fc3hR3N5XCaCSW39eV8vcqmEDWhx6BVbjIbZXlJCcrGNqlIOaepylvKFxIjSFEtHqWa-Xc/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_014348911.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the show to start.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqs2v60r96cucsbyCw8XWvi3wFBROkGa7c6QpnVbFWTe3La6eRusVENFZEFnuHu9apAXzjHKr02SC15-MTpQd84OPf56SbR4TQWYe7EisF_X0fU2LChU3xEqlVEcujf4d7m_9im2XxQqcXQauw7-894ZhlQBZHeWQJZwtbJL0E8s7xjG1GoPVz5M5Vjo/s1118/PXL_20240123_021032409.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqs2v60r96cucsbyCw8XWvi3wFBROkGa7c6QpnVbFWTe3La6eRusVENFZEFnuHu9apAXzjHKr02SC15-MTpQd84OPf56SbR4TQWYe7EisF_X0fU2LChU3xEqlVEcujf4d7m_9im2XxQqcXQauw7-894ZhlQBZHeWQJZwtbJL0E8s7xjG1GoPVz5M5Vjo/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_021032409.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi waving his flashlight in the crowd.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The final show was really cool and the whole day was really fun. The last time we went to Disney was 7 years ago, so it was fun to experience it with our kids at this age. Lucy is old enough to understand that Disney is cool and kind of a status symbol. And Lena and Levi are old enough to be tall enough for all the rides, and not require naps or diaper changes! Justin and I joked with the kids that we're not going back for another 10 years . . . and promptly realized Lucy will be 23 in ten years. We could have grandkids by then! 😨 Time is elusive, y'all. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. Tuesday was Lena's 11th birthday. She got to have her traditional cinnamon roll breakfast:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx11RfohVZ0tSBgF7R_wWbrwNYJMQghOhLFSHtlJzRUptNPydzMbAzLeWXUe5y6MWDthAtfBVNSxx6ypam06jkfGY6kSXKf6cI8lX47WhXKtoWDAVF_cLn7TuWPt42UuHZou7hNDiPrm0wHtpuYPz74N67l2QIZArkZebmT_LbXdDAqOzKcyInAgyUxo/s839/PXL_20240123_142901442.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx11RfohVZ0tSBgF7R_wWbrwNYJMQghOhLFSHtlJzRUptNPydzMbAzLeWXUe5y6MWDthAtfBVNSxx6ypam06jkfGY6kSXKf6cI8lX47WhXKtoWDAVF_cLn7TuWPt42UuHZou7hNDiPrm0wHtpuYPz74N67l2QIZArkZebmT_LbXdDAqOzKcyInAgyUxo/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_142901442.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgfgTFW6Fg5enJFvBLby7b_WExLbZ80K5GloeRdh1KYECPMATAAHjE-VKLYl1fG3GcTrVu9edBeShdIkM-bGJe7z7TZ5de-i6w-MgheLh5rbhyphenhyphendP23iXordowBkuai3elgOeQ5cGHn76k9h-8o88ea8yrnDEgcLjP-0rGsQvGErK_6XqKD6ub1_-3aBE/s839/PXL_20240123_152514580.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgfgTFW6Fg5enJFvBLby7b_WExLbZ80K5GloeRdh1KYECPMATAAHjE-VKLYl1fG3GcTrVu9edBeShdIkM-bGJe7z7TZ5de-i6w-MgheLh5rbhyphenhyphendP23iXordowBkuai3elgOeQ5cGHn76k9h-8o88ea8yrnDEgcLjP-0rGsQvGErK_6XqKD6ub1_-3aBE/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_152514580.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then she opened the presents we all packed for her. (With a few little helpers!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>By Tuesday, temps were in the 70s, so we decided to go check out the resort activities/pool a mile down the road.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFaj7T-hAzQmvq5PbexkMyIw_btnt7b_ceFLLO7rZ286Z65jBGNzRlvFHLfU_vNchqZyHI92QlAkSEEohwc9cYCbbseVdaY3awW1MtTDhF1Z1dWgxH9mAsaGFuYgpE_ArmG1Q-rhx0lRvnz7hEqUd36oI4Os3K2LVp_mOWzxygTQjMwaTGzdxpQSfyV4/s839/PXL_20240123_161938635.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFaj7T-hAzQmvq5PbexkMyIw_btnt7b_ceFLLO7rZ286Z65jBGNzRlvFHLfU_vNchqZyHI92QlAkSEEohwc9cYCbbseVdaY3awW1MtTDhF1Z1dWgxH9mAsaGFuYgpE_ArmG1Q-rhx0lRvnz7hEqUd36oI4Os3K2LVp_mOWzxygTQjMwaTGzdxpQSfyV4/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_161938635.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumbo Connect 4</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35vPT63DNWNyereGiFr9DCv0K0dS3cbJvp-7yjFUT3OruuTUr_wg-buiCM7aTuTugiHvOJceCNjj0vwKFWFzFvObQTcu0RWn1vnJge1aB_F5_3WG2DreKj0hHRAkhZH3AC6GgHFN2BU4XHwQkqcrkAuz4JTRdEgZ2-izbPnUjpWSTSUwclQS3fUaFblE/s1118/PXL_20240123_162104209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35vPT63DNWNyereGiFr9DCv0K0dS3cbJvp-7yjFUT3OruuTUr_wg-buiCM7aTuTugiHvOJceCNjj0vwKFWFzFvObQTcu0RWn1vnJge1aB_F5_3WG2DreKj0hHRAkhZH3AC6GgHFN2BU4XHwQkqcrkAuz4JTRdEgZ2-izbPnUjpWSTSUwclQS3fUaFblE/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_162104209.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock Painting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTbK_VIXtuVqK2XyEgxxE_eaoRuCP4XreUGTJAGOL6ZDxEo5hyphenhyphengo9sX09qEF0XUf5xzMEMTsXK8U61F699OiybdRtVgSJQiHt2rbe3Q9G-lQ1tnrKyWsRXQv122OioxyNjzKsYBmHoDF08gTCU6Ib_aCMzpWnts4vd86VsNZGFbFRJCj8uUFJwI0lfPc/s839/PXL_20240123_162341779.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTbK_VIXtuVqK2XyEgxxE_eaoRuCP4XreUGTJAGOL6ZDxEo5hyphenhyphengo9sX09qEF0XUf5xzMEMTsXK8U61F699OiybdRtVgSJQiHt2rbe3Q9G-lQ1tnrKyWsRXQv122OioxyNjzKsYBmHoDF08gTCU6Ib_aCMzpWnts4vd86VsNZGFbFRJCj8uUFJwI0lfPc/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_162341779.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__n43-b-vGHdQ5QGVzbXK1WePArCrV-ld9HfCesAsIXsnX4RvK_B-wNhm_abQqqWViSouooujQKOZKFiy-uxw5vHfMGYVg108tk2-E4oMJd1pc-ZDCXJS0w8_rhZmary3Sn9C1nw0TB9JrbOkh1jkJ-1n9FlRIGKNEGFo3GQM0woeXX2ix70-VS8e7Cs/s839/PXL_20240123_163801858.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__n43-b-vGHdQ5QGVzbXK1WePArCrV-ld9HfCesAsIXsnX4RvK_B-wNhm_abQqqWViSouooujQKOZKFiy-uxw5vHfMGYVg108tk2-E4oMJd1pc-ZDCXJS0w8_rhZmary3Sn9C1nw0TB9JrbOkh1jkJ-1n9FlRIGKNEGFo3GQM0woeXX2ix70-VS8e7Cs/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_163801858.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa getting in on the action.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAcVDApGEs3VSxBg7Al5_u3vBG1__MeQP8c-zTthbMTQnYh6DAvziJ9jgw_eqjc-3Mov7xhkGk3B9MEITedK-d4pnGYBf18YdIrX9awmOmKoU_ocJqBY3GoTtBix7AvEUT-bYNuPE2PO_DGcQ9U2RaMHoxBL03XW7tdU1Y_oPI7tWpFIOAR-e7ExhcP8/s1118/PXL_20240123_163816434.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAcVDApGEs3VSxBg7Al5_u3vBG1__MeQP8c-zTthbMTQnYh6DAvziJ9jgw_eqjc-3Mov7xhkGk3B9MEITedK-d4pnGYBf18YdIrX9awmOmKoU_ocJqBY3GoTtBix7AvEUT-bYNuPE2PO_DGcQ9U2RaMHoxBL03XW7tdU1Y_oPI7tWpFIOAR-e7ExhcP8/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_163816434.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma too!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5675C8Me-3p598rgegCND1cdSpSYnBWAI3SO1cFEwIr4DKAoiCoLxhku97mst5NBeRnMMUh5kZKqCFibrZoTuGM8irhv1auO8T30TuMnLkTjUYxxaPF3qbKi0rbONV50-ck8xfGlL9rtvoHCRWU8kec_pPsquTeY_rXySo4cDDGZrtoZDVbspRtOYvT0/s839/PXL_20240123_163921339.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5675C8Me-3p598rgegCND1cdSpSYnBWAI3SO1cFEwIr4DKAoiCoLxhku97mst5NBeRnMMUh5kZKqCFibrZoTuGM8irhv1auO8T30TuMnLkTjUYxxaPF3qbKi0rbONV50-ck8xfGlL9rtvoHCRWU8kec_pPsquTeY_rXySo4cDDGZrtoZDVbspRtOYvT0/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_163921339.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished work</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbszK8HfptnF7Bp78bx6cJPsz3ZYfYYnTejeml1tf3EydZsmR4osNYxP8dMNEDlm8hyphenhyphen8mpiLu13VsQ3QoEun_h1-8UiHosE7-RMTxrk4ZHrzrEUpH2OkyDi8DmVtrbSDKrQvfWT4-yTW4nGpGJJHpEAt9lq7-eMVoGvy3nc6xPp3ooz5eI8VuT9SCGys/s839/PXL_20240123_170147249.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbszK8HfptnF7Bp78bx6cJPsz3ZYfYYnTejeml1tf3EydZsmR4osNYxP8dMNEDlm8hyphenhyphen8mpiLu13VsQ3QoEun_h1-8UiHosE7-RMTxrk4ZHrzrEUpH2OkyDi8DmVtrbSDKrQvfWT4-yTW4nGpGJJHpEAt9lq7-eMVoGvy3nc6xPp3ooz5eI8VuT9SCGys/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_170147249.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching swimsuits and hair!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgjbRtFDaTkAYp15VVNR2TxHZ_sw5xUCPdR0gy6lnmexHr4qGAklmWKUQAdSRENqxBLsxMSv9wDGw_u4256yhCePx3BKSEojojhdop3WzvqanzeFO2GrDrl3k4Mo4N0M-edST5L1Ady-L8yFMbHs_n26PlGMAJc-F1G-WD4By2bo8TwIYCJjTHcWb6Go/s839/PXL_20240123_170243761.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgjbRtFDaTkAYp15VVNR2TxHZ_sw5xUCPdR0gy6lnmexHr4qGAklmWKUQAdSRENqxBLsxMSv9wDGw_u4256yhCePx3BKSEojojhdop3WzvqanzeFO2GrDrl3k4Mo4N0M-edST5L1Ady-L8yFMbHs_n26PlGMAJc-F1G-WD4By2bo8TwIYCJjTHcWb6Go/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_170243761.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let Ruby's face fool you. The pool was nice and warm!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mhwsEC0cycKHczf3w1NVAA5pD5_7fumtHx0KK-PYWnWmJWuLGzsjo0S7ocF6CMch7BSQhJH6rYhbHAnGrhcTP-V3QFrXBV-p8TX4GZhVo4-6UqB83rJoE0B3D_QC3PsGd35aHUAk0xx2HUAqNaBcjvbufEE7B6nGxGH_CVxnOb9PE8XwFNLnz2_cE1w/s839/PXL_20240123_170359924.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mhwsEC0cycKHczf3w1NVAA5pD5_7fumtHx0KK-PYWnWmJWuLGzsjo0S7ocF6CMch7BSQhJH6rYhbHAnGrhcTP-V3QFrXBV-p8TX4GZhVo4-6UqB83rJoE0B3D_QC3PsGd35aHUAk0xx2HUAqNaBcjvbufEE7B6nGxGH_CVxnOb9PE8XwFNLnz2_cE1w/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_170359924.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covey</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDwkVYH7YzQjF02yq7E1Jog5FJZT805EZ_ElYMZ89E8N8DuVODL0yLuLh9akPNwp-8DDTQYIXn1rEAwRLjXF0QUzUUnl9zub_C0gUwWN2ke6_KPU0dl3BwSI25D714mrufofHT2hEDNTIt4dFhMRmb3Raz7kTgu98CrunLv1zPm8-hCZnlDihzBPxc7A/s839/PXL_20240123_170538527.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDwkVYH7YzQjF02yq7E1Jog5FJZT805EZ_ElYMZ89E8N8DuVODL0yLuLh9akPNwp-8DDTQYIXn1rEAwRLjXF0QUzUUnl9zub_C0gUwWN2ke6_KPU0dl3BwSI25D714mrufofHT2hEDNTIt4dFhMRmb3Raz7kTgu98CrunLv1zPm8-hCZnlDihzBPxc7A/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_170538527.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterslide! Nova wasn't tall enough, so Lena didn't do it a ton, but Levi loved it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1reeClyGX9xtbsDHdvAdlL5Jl_IJOOJgxpGpdYetl-4QN1j2wgs1pi3BAIlP7A0i5JP7A7y-sKJSH6KZkg2Achi2iqYHhfo70ZKN-u_wzxlUSisAcNV1BY6Wm1C8I8blp6Xrw25FNcQdEdeU-1HC0rjYBGgHIzxqMUGIuQV6dJiF9dwy4Y0831d1t-I/s839/PXL_20240123_170646747.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1reeClyGX9xtbsDHdvAdlL5Jl_IJOOJgxpGpdYetl-4QN1j2wgs1pi3BAIlP7A0i5JP7A7y-sKJSH6KZkg2Achi2iqYHhfo70ZKN-u_wzxlUSisAcNV1BY6Wm1C8I8blp6Xrw25FNcQdEdeU-1HC0rjYBGgHIzxqMUGIuQV6dJiF9dwy4Y0831d1t-I/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_170646747.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Realized I don't have any recent pics with my dad, so snapped one at the pool.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrQy-HnE8uY_HaaIV-PBdWb1HGNqwAEMco8N8bNyJERLDYS6g2Zo3X6w5w8MJ5t9YmCJ3-SryGKc4NiDDHgYnTe69FWgdiojeuOj0GHjLdBM0yGGZkrtdBnrjQHv6f1Hi6T6StxXPdTbh5yO1mNa7uL4-krNJE1wNb1soOocsoyzxuiodnmgOasespAk/s1118/PXL_20240123_171602148.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrQy-HnE8uY_HaaIV-PBdWb1HGNqwAEMco8N8bNyJERLDYS6g2Zo3X6w5w8MJ5t9YmCJ3-SryGKc4NiDDHgYnTe69FWgdiojeuOj0GHjLdBM0yGGZkrtdBnrjQHv6f1Hi6T6StxXPdTbh5yO1mNa7uL4-krNJE1wNb1soOocsoyzxuiodnmgOasespAk/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_171602148.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group swimsuit pic! (Missing Lainey again - don't worry, we rectified that before the end of the week.) </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmiwpvNGA3iKrI7Sx-__DPjnDC1W7HluAA2R5MU1VSKxKIR79hkIVJo0cVzvMT0jYtcjshr_kfooWCmrgf1rM58QtM0qaN-Q2K_667-lZcfz4rgIgDlSQsJg7lgqw-7kKKwM40nbU-S47uObio6QRv8FyYI_yRRvbzQgCs4EYXNS0tnlAoFpA-BxCcww/s839/PXL_20240123_172130133.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmiwpvNGA3iKrI7Sx-__DPjnDC1W7HluAA2R5MU1VSKxKIR79hkIVJo0cVzvMT0jYtcjshr_kfooWCmrgf1rM58QtM0qaN-Q2K_667-lZcfz4rgIgDlSQsJg7lgqw-7kKKwM40nbU-S47uObio6QRv8FyYI_yRRvbzQgCs4EYXNS0tnlAoFpA-BxCcww/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_172130133.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">💓</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Mq7KdlqwHK03bhsTr73PQzlrrbpCjnWLJNGZ2aLgEpUDlEx-rulaBtvezIAO-0CjDnj0L3CGFQDJJ25EBh7YBHSmpMDg9ses6VPD9lObSu0bmEQZPjF0FOjrsrOUmjzwq4BhWZrQENnL81QuoHgo7YT35UcTanDe25oA5e2gU2psKEQuF8_ZcoOBvos/s839/PXL_20240123_173226309.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Mq7KdlqwHK03bhsTr73PQzlrrbpCjnWLJNGZ2aLgEpUDlEx-rulaBtvezIAO-0CjDnj0L3CGFQDJJ25EBh7YBHSmpMDg9ses6VPD9lObSu0bmEQZPjF0FOjrsrOUmjzwq4BhWZrQENnL81QuoHgo7YT35UcTanDe25oA5e2gU2psKEQuF8_ZcoOBvos/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_173226309.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RtUTTObQ9B4bplJaWdQGHZA6zNQXwVSgiRyAAbuuBbleYAG5Iu3jYoNd7tepvygsNusf9OW9YwQ4vRcnMuKKBMIwi09RXbuFHXLHCitAeZrgutBxUBkVxCXZBVhB3rZ2oH50eRPkfFw4g160rAbOMUCR1EolI5xw4quB-cNbwO9tw0dm9HTQz10PQTQ/s1118/PXL_20240123_184103533.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RtUTTObQ9B4bplJaWdQGHZA6zNQXwVSgiRyAAbuuBbleYAG5Iu3jYoNd7tepvygsNusf9OW9YwQ4vRcnMuKKBMIwi09RXbuFHXLHCitAeZrgutBxUBkVxCXZBVhB3rZ2oH50eRPkfFw4g160rAbOMUCR1EolI5xw4quB-cNbwO9tw0dm9HTQz10PQTQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_184103533.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday lunch (wearing one of her birthday presents!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInYToPxsb5mxK64SnQWHtP0Fxb44b1UDjcVziLM4mZHwa1DwS52VPAbyW6t7lkBOZME3gXiZjPozm7oBa1sSLZ4YYT0Jv5VjZn3PvjGa4c9jSAQ-YzT501Sg35b3pSZYDGQyLnPqvc4wZiMUsc56PMkGd5w2kCCoBL2z9YPZjh4qRuBe9A1xlvTlfCPA/s1118/PXL_20240123_192922769.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInYToPxsb5mxK64SnQWHtP0Fxb44b1UDjcVziLM4mZHwa1DwS52VPAbyW6t7lkBOZME3gXiZjPozm7oBa1sSLZ4YYT0Jv5VjZn3PvjGa4c9jSAQ-YzT501Sg35b3pSZYDGQyLnPqvc4wZiMUsc56PMkGd5w2kCCoBL2z9YPZjh4qRuBe9A1xlvTlfCPA/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_192922769.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poolside ping-pong. They made me play too. Let's just say we fished the ball out of the pool a LOT. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn3FwXX5bR5OiTqSqJnLV0iBu0U59_wrAxntwb448AvuIgmg8TXF246pnoViOcmBf7J3a6tMHU53CCAV8unc_MShRq_-IMiL0TwpGqq9j1tmAa5Vp-wPHROPJLLJU8IfRh3i0nYOeVY-bO91YClD5uXZn2LuIJk0fGfzjA5SOyX5-ONQ4cwVSoGkumrI/s839/PXL_20240123_193640913.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn3FwXX5bR5OiTqSqJnLV0iBu0U59_wrAxntwb448AvuIgmg8TXF246pnoViOcmBf7J3a6tMHU53CCAV8unc_MShRq_-IMiL0TwpGqq9j1tmAa5Vp-wPHROPJLLJU8IfRh3i0nYOeVY-bO91YClD5uXZn2LuIJk0fGfzjA5SOyX5-ONQ4cwVSoGkumrI/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_193640913.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poolside coloring with another birthday present.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlioSVNar13h6QwQ9wnBoBEWUjk3hfMrYAs7XgQkA1stYuMhiQnFhY6A9t4i5m8ZG3JsZa1t1gRMSH7k6eVIJ4MSP92HhnBApoc6ps7VUaVLTdkgcbCB6uEJM81qHzwE0jMUKa53omLG6iYuU_WN-M3OhQeN4JHzh4j1q80vH1LawAB1nAbrLHT_Te9B4/s839/PXL_20240123_193647215.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlioSVNar13h6QwQ9wnBoBEWUjk3hfMrYAs7XgQkA1stYuMhiQnFhY6A9t4i5m8ZG3JsZa1t1gRMSH7k6eVIJ4MSP92HhnBApoc6ps7VUaVLTdkgcbCB6uEJM81qHzwE0jMUKa53omLG6iYuU_WN-M3OhQeN4JHzh4j1q80vH1LawAB1nAbrLHT_Te9B4/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_193647215.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy did a ton of reading all week!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkqgVM05QX3yUfxMEIf3jS8Grw0DQ82P6wL-YGhRfDPOdVi6ysdQAuympU7q9EY-ZtMyD5LZHEKw6CPSqK4vlYxBeNRw7jYbJnqcHOXWIyFD7UMxdssPdjd4bbV5_iMwnYfvlCE7cYahZTwRsa8vROY3lKyuW2m8SWeG5LKYHJSqG9fGqo_ubDjrZCfI/s1116/PXL_20240123_194926377.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkqgVM05QX3yUfxMEIf3jS8Grw0DQ82P6wL-YGhRfDPOdVi6ysdQAuympU7q9EY-ZtMyD5LZHEKw6CPSqK4vlYxBeNRw7jYbJnqcHOXWIyFD7UMxdssPdjd4bbV5_iMwnYfvlCE7cYahZTwRsa8vROY3lKyuW2m8SWeG5LKYHJSqG9fGqo_ubDjrZCfI/w640-h482/PXL_20240123_194926377.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We played loooooooots of cards all week - mostly "Six-Person Euchre" and "Pig It and Hog It"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEwxUritIiBYub2ll5H8dWpQLFV9oqJVaJqbeFJHzZHSIvONu4BKgPBeIlKs6UoqxakJTC_lwcx4PveIBNCnkId8doZyJKB73oe1N0LMbzNz5PgAdfegyn9YWpJrKB1HlkAXC_WLSAoAblVthqqEijEtfoqzDhpjlm-KVlAzKfzOGhi9kyEHf0eLezOE/s1118/PXL_20240123_200018251.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEwxUritIiBYub2ll5H8dWpQLFV9oqJVaJqbeFJHzZHSIvONu4BKgPBeIlKs6UoqxakJTC_lwcx4PveIBNCnkId8doZyJKB73oe1N0LMbzNz5PgAdfegyn9YWpJrKB1HlkAXC_WLSAoAblVthqqEijEtfoqzDhpjlm-KVlAzKfzOGhi9kyEHf0eLezOE/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_200018251.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading, coloring, homework</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bT2zT04SufIvxm0WL2dNy5YPGH-g7gdNtf4mEwQeKS8f7msJmawXdhVCLCoTTe2Vw2Xjm1hHRu1YNQfwHIg65Z9nV1sazrdFMNaZ98fDaMDE_1N9cmv1_g8w3Cb9Dyzs6gFptF68eKp0SS35zjbrK-1cgdugVo7KpxrhXM1lHAroSqnaKkC9LG4ZWiE/s1118/PXL_20240123_205457404.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bT2zT04SufIvxm0WL2dNy5YPGH-g7gdNtf4mEwQeKS8f7msJmawXdhVCLCoTTe2Vw2Xjm1hHRu1YNQfwHIg65Z9nV1sazrdFMNaZ98fDaMDE_1N9cmv1_g8w3Cb9Dyzs6gFptF68eKp0SS35zjbrK-1cgdugVo7KpxrhXM1lHAroSqnaKkC9LG4ZWiE/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_205457404.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRJDL6NLD6hVusEwqDfW52HCZlO60wbyo-ZeXXWi77sV0CKd_2PW8Q5Pm3zpPedByGNikdm56vz9GGC2dPGC5OEH0ix7m5VR-uu3zryk58UAdUnesWY51c2Ij5jZu8cwWT8O5LyVGgh-XjtLwXnWgOxkQ9Y3XPSK03W58a43XKfUQy75SGTYzS6OWdsU/s1118/PXL_20240123_211738243.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRJDL6NLD6hVusEwqDfW52HCZlO60wbyo-ZeXXWi77sV0CKd_2PW8Q5Pm3zpPedByGNikdm56vz9GGC2dPGC5OEH0ix7m5VR-uu3zryk58UAdUnesWY51c2Ij5jZu8cwWT8O5LyVGgh-XjtLwXnWgOxkQ9Y3XPSK03W58a43XKfUQy75SGTYzS6OWdsU/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_211738243.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In honor of Lena's birthday, we branched out from cards and played a game she loves: Telestrations.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kIbkYm-J0V3PGn_KNhpz4GB5f94-lscmstpl1-CNb64mZL7klhLNFjPm8HDKgwHwGptcnFW01PaNj0gZnRkk97D4vWKyHI6W0kwd5N_ZMuZbMLTCEA9jFKbqlNoF6Saw5TVSOmERFZHrLbrPRaOFUZ2beqpY21PtGxqN4eNnzmuA3ieLm-Bdsm5HzAw/s897/PXL_20240123_213241128.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="897" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kIbkYm-J0V3PGn_KNhpz4GB5f94-lscmstpl1-CNb64mZL7klhLNFjPm8HDKgwHwGptcnFW01PaNj0gZnRkk97D4vWKyHI6W0kwd5N_ZMuZbMLTCEA9jFKbqlNoF6Saw5TVSOmERFZHrLbrPRaOFUZ2beqpY21PtGxqN4eNnzmuA3ieLm-Bdsm5HzAw/w640-h598/PXL_20240123_213241128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilarity ensued. Not even exaggerating. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8djJj46MARDak2xtMv_f3wJAgxgzhFi7g2lv8pP0mSOTiosNkmEuCjjLTDu3RFTrkwaLnBCNgJtigXM2NQuJT4fluzuMg05jMCYjaSD7fQCK_daEKDhgNY2WsH9GnELdtGB_OAFM7FlFUQ5o2JYW5GvY4ahPRE-oAqf76YmPm760uyzieN-6TmLXvZyA/s839/PXL_20240123_233951672.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8djJj46MARDak2xtMv_f3wJAgxgzhFi7g2lv8pP0mSOTiosNkmEuCjjLTDu3RFTrkwaLnBCNgJtigXM2NQuJT4fluzuMg05jMCYjaSD7fQCK_daEKDhgNY2WsH9GnELdtGB_OAFM7FlFUQ5o2JYW5GvY4ahPRE-oAqf76YmPm760uyzieN-6TmLXvZyA/w480-h640/PXL_20240123_233951672.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena chose KFC for her birthday dinner.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNixMdUh9QNzvsEJ3tQP7ky3Lxgv13pngApiYJYR8_pAxkZwNw_xKHAxVEVrX4b-dgYbdLDZLsC4XXnAYUvTUSAaqb5qv3lUpxd0Nb7KcB1yRQm6d2h_EPm7aiBIqeQ4mIKOG0Rqd-hCyeNjHOdRdf-Ph2goPDNOzFGDOtHSIFAtUWQEeZ65BuZFLEcc/s839/PXL_20240124_005056432.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNixMdUh9QNzvsEJ3tQP7ky3Lxgv13pngApiYJYR8_pAxkZwNw_xKHAxVEVrX4b-dgYbdLDZLsC4XXnAYUvTUSAaqb5qv3lUpxd0Nb7KcB1yRQm6d2h_EPm7aiBIqeQ4mIKOG0Rqd-hCyeNjHOdRdf-Ph2goPDNOzFGDOtHSIFAtUWQEeZ65BuZFLEcc/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_005056432.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family has a running joke that Lucy hates Mike and Tristan, so this picture is a big deal.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt-JmC1NWa-06OQsAhPxuOiER_Qd7-AmLdk7xxFQjAn2gzVPpn4C1LorplkxbMiE5BJBYyXpwwODpAWlNzfLWUSJux-Vlupup4uDhTwEIqEJMsuH0893rWpAvMi6M1Ij8-3BH8cTRfQ4I-CdV0b9VyPNYOGw_HLrUYT6jckNMDrpzDJdCpo7yC9m1ELg/s839/PXL_20240124_014318023.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt-JmC1NWa-06OQsAhPxuOiER_Qd7-AmLdk7xxFQjAn2gzVPpn4C1LorplkxbMiE5BJBYyXpwwODpAWlNzfLWUSJux-Vlupup4uDhTwEIqEJMsuH0893rWpAvMi6M1Ij8-3BH8cTRfQ4I-CdV0b9VyPNYOGw_HLrUYT6jckNMDrpzDJdCpo7yC9m1ELg/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_014318023.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not a birthday without cake!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwz_dughPVHLjUkdX6_GUQjK9aNPG6BUpohtqyZMElVoQS9k8YW0awZAkIuy3YmSXfiQUOFIcv2H4xcw8pevKnkVFxZPFzfVZH2Mj8WZIbIP0QdzH1PsHTPJ-j97LRs1Y7XBN1im4ggXpN-Yy6RrTtJw6ywO1g4Ym1pxNrf3PpUzq3VeX4jc9OmoP6bk/s839/PXL_20240124_014906408.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwz_dughPVHLjUkdX6_GUQjK9aNPG6BUpohtqyZMElVoQS9k8YW0awZAkIuy3YmSXfiQUOFIcv2H4xcw8pevKnkVFxZPFzfVZH2Mj8WZIbIP0QdzH1PsHTPJ-j97LRs1Y7XBN1im4ggXpN-Yy6RrTtJw6ywO1g4Ym1pxNrf3PpUzq3VeX4jc9OmoP6bk/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_014906408.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ending the evening with more cards.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>5. Wednesday was Justin's birthday and we celebrated by driving across the state to see his parents! While I was a little sad to leave my family, we couldn't miss the opportunity to see his parents since they've been in Florida since December and won't be home 'til the end of March! As an added bonus, they stay right on the beach, and the weather was <i>gorgeous</i>. Dave and Donna actually said the two days we were there were the best weather days they've had since they went down in December! So even though temps were in the 80s, the ocean was <i>coooooold</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp9Xns7mogwWLvufk08J-bxADwfqFUgkcuZWupbQdNLczW0GVZLlM1FAgpcpcypvNnOND7fo6AbNL4vOYS6rHD0fGEgHE5fCGXBLLHyzK5Fmv9EQqW0ZaPdxmStFfgpI1WD3jIoaoEM7-Xh12Myad_uD1_mvQO7owZT1N_HLO9JkMVDYaUB9LsarUVb0/s839/PXL_20240124_162354121.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp9Xns7mogwWLvufk08J-bxADwfqFUgkcuZWupbQdNLczW0GVZLlM1FAgpcpcypvNnOND7fo6AbNL4vOYS6rHD0fGEgHE5fCGXBLLHyzK5Fmv9EQqW0ZaPdxmStFfgpI1WD3jIoaoEM7-Xh12Myad_uD1_mvQO7owZT1N_HLO9JkMVDYaUB9LsarUVb0/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_162354121.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We briefly stuck our feet in on the beach by the condo, then drove down the coast to another beach so Justin and his dad could fish. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOWmE8vU1pIV3wm3jHI_sE71fZ3tGj5lRty29w1XFqZ6Xmx0EdAGwkscVM3kpUItwaADGiXIbAUrwpqxElSQndLLo9j_4-aW8cNmoZX9AvXQu1s6WiV4MGGikEuNeVzJB77d4qJlhzESyWAFAqikt7Enuv-y5eN8PBKWPLqH2PlKaA2I-0ukSuMvhhf4/s1118/PXL_20240124_185817751.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOWmE8vU1pIV3wm3jHI_sE71fZ3tGj5lRty29w1XFqZ6Xmx0EdAGwkscVM3kpUItwaADGiXIbAUrwpqxElSQndLLo9j_4-aW8cNmoZX9AvXQu1s6WiV4MGGikEuNeVzJB77d4qJlhzESyWAFAqikt7Enuv-y5eN8PBKWPLqH2PlKaA2I-0ukSuMvhhf4/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_185817751.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two braved the frigid water and had fun jumping in the waves.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyTo9-NWxhbQcUjbTlhdefsNi9FVU5ph-mlzb34yRsTNM76-Ik4W8dmmuZy4MSokQT4azbL_WtpESufruhpdRhkBgqzsFAwyhMLwzUbrsUJAAIvVZDWS00DWKHUBkkqOnmkGnfZroCQ957E2B_qXGV-O1Ba9PvM6ALyQpZmotBFF7ltZRWpSzA4qPlrc/s839/PXL_20240124_192117579.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyTo9-NWxhbQcUjbTlhdefsNi9FVU5ph-mlzb34yRsTNM76-Ik4W8dmmuZy4MSokQT4azbL_WtpESufruhpdRhkBgqzsFAwyhMLwzUbrsUJAAIvVZDWS00DWKHUBkkqOnmkGnfZroCQ957E2B_qXGV-O1Ba9PvM6ALyQpZmotBFF7ltZRWpSzA4qPlrc/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_192117579.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birthday boy. Last year in his 30s!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKa9yixTbKHqo7ZfcOZOful4CwwoYFp7_-PxzsT4Wx-fQsu4bad8F25BIz9flXNxZX9sw6csmLHlFuNR6Rlw02yleEY9zfBaZJkaSJn1Ghjvf-UTEuX7_sNGfItlMhJDgoAFyUdZBPq_jV7druxaIrDFCvKWzoO7Ujz8bn-Hjfqce866sb9wd8qPqnb4/s839/PXL_20240124_193037140.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKa9yixTbKHqo7ZfcOZOful4CwwoYFp7_-PxzsT4Wx-fQsu4bad8F25BIz9flXNxZX9sw6csmLHlFuNR6Rlw02yleEY9zfBaZJkaSJn1Ghjvf-UTEuX7_sNGfItlMhJDgoAFyUdZBPq_jV7druxaIrDFCvKWzoO7Ujz8bn-Hjfqce866sb9wd8qPqnb4/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_193037140.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite as willing to swim in the cold water.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5H1fN3KMrp7TwaiCsyTGYPxUR98mSG4nC9fvF8s_eokhAEnPFUYifPjpbewwquFfmRFqkkZgL8mq3XnOImiF4XjfR7n4CkaSogv6c3czlJd3YFgPdDe8SHpuJw1_k4cypleuWbt9oXrqy9YN4887LiT5lleSV9E3Bq0wGnGQBKOupB-DKYN74nfppMg/s839/PXL_20240124_195107769.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5H1fN3KMrp7TwaiCsyTGYPxUR98mSG4nC9fvF8s_eokhAEnPFUYifPjpbewwquFfmRFqkkZgL8mq3XnOImiF4XjfR7n4CkaSogv6c3czlJd3YFgPdDe8SHpuJw1_k4cypleuWbt9oXrqy9YN4887LiT5lleSV9E3Bq0wGnGQBKOupB-DKYN74nfppMg/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_195107769.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching for shells with Grandpa</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8Da2GnIVosevkTmYvcqW1v5pk1STrX75-NKLt5IL9YI7fJEW780dXZH0pWk53GZ6r4njKAInRyltjkAsxb4XMIJCuE0VsFP6ajkHC2B9atgZPO2fUPGSUye58YwFvsqURQTV6LYX_KDcik6OeZBNNlda2X7Zi7GoRSZQdUVcWe11uvalZpwRcHESfik/s1118/PXL_20240124_200643664.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8Da2GnIVosevkTmYvcqW1v5pk1STrX75-NKLt5IL9YI7fJEW780dXZH0pWk53GZ6r4njKAInRyltjkAsxb4XMIJCuE0VsFP6ajkHC2B9atgZPO2fUPGSUye58YwFvsqURQTV6LYX_KDcik6OeZBNNlda2X7Zi7GoRSZQdUVcWe11uvalZpwRcHESfik/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_200643664.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi talked Justin into swimming with him.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LheyXDkWL5WMDKKdQbzNy7ciIaE6_sWRuvOfb7fHogivE_tCQXvd_Ocs3hyphenhyphenwbnDtRSCmcLSqW2_jvF1EbCBKlqdA-XHcKOdluXkFcH6gKoXLhQGp4AWLiZaOA3jFnfPIq9ZJf3RxHpduQ89s1Xl7nmvf8TcTenwfvIQztGfPNdSkaA6YmSUbktFOjQI/s1118/PXL_20240124_202458805.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LheyXDkWL5WMDKKdQbzNy7ciIaE6_sWRuvOfb7fHogivE_tCQXvd_Ocs3hyphenhyphenwbnDtRSCmcLSqW2_jvF1EbCBKlqdA-XHcKOdluXkFcH6gKoXLhQGp4AWLiZaOA3jFnfPIq9ZJf3RxHpduQ89s1Xl7nmvf8TcTenwfvIQztGfPNdSkaA6YmSUbktFOjQI/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_202458805.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach gymnastics.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HJCyBxIbyrDdAni51HMRx8kMHV_8RbRGXy8g7PKShuCy1LrPO1-Z2eB2bEmC7c7f_R7KICV5Ih_IT-0HqN1lstV-WGVPZA5p63LK93yB7Dh1fuqZZADxWrZ-I0kuf21GDbi2Wj-mrNvv9nQdADYQN80Ki3RTxsDXL4AYlXZmF8tKnVfFxy5RYYN-KOE/s1118/PXL_20240124_204324989.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HJCyBxIbyrDdAni51HMRx8kMHV_8RbRGXy8g7PKShuCy1LrPO1-Z2eB2bEmC7c7f_R7KICV5Ih_IT-0HqN1lstV-WGVPZA5p63LK93yB7Dh1fuqZZADxWrZ-I0kuf21GDbi2Wj-mrNvv9nQdADYQN80Ki3RTxsDXL4AYlXZmF8tKnVfFxy5RYYN-KOE/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_204324989.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing catch</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We had pizza for dinner, then went back down to the beach to watch the sunset.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8-Il-PpJ0jQFD3m5pVSjG5a-_jHbocT5LyFuNHGUhOy6oDnDEHsCraPorTj6DUYI7ZlOldun7C5ixU8QeLVFKZZI-i8K1mGb5Cyo7DCVhEvAu08ZL4Oq_WEzW6o5-7NEAENzkOtw_BsevRuKiy9qWihIsS1f8il_p8MRueBzEH3nJcmw0jhbAQLWXW4/s1118/PXL_20240124_230216198.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8-Il-PpJ0jQFD3m5pVSjG5a-_jHbocT5LyFuNHGUhOy6oDnDEHsCraPorTj6DUYI7ZlOldun7C5ixU8QeLVFKZZI-i8K1mGb5Cyo7DCVhEvAu08ZL4Oq_WEzW6o5-7NEAENzkOtw_BsevRuKiy9qWihIsS1f8il_p8MRueBzEH3nJcmw0jhbAQLWXW4/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_230216198.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0x4c5TRflNG9xwqeUMOzJxZJ5xgzm0cogIMQjAakrfYRjWWy45mdkYHSy6fZYbi8J1QK1hIsiuqHMRbI4RfSTks1NZ-gp_cGrTsbz9vsY9kPcgmJV0FYkr5EPPCwuIe3YJi1f2_h-jff7U0x7r7xPAGIBhWxAVzvKtXkEyxjjxJY-__zSvCrIzVmzzE/s1118/PXL_20240124_230317879.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0x4c5TRflNG9xwqeUMOzJxZJ5xgzm0cogIMQjAakrfYRjWWy45mdkYHSy6fZYbi8J1QK1hIsiuqHMRbI4RfSTks1NZ-gp_cGrTsbz9vsY9kPcgmJV0FYkr5EPPCwuIe3YJi1f2_h-jff7U0x7r7xPAGIBhWxAVzvKtXkEyxjjxJY-__zSvCrIzVmzzE/w640-h480/PXL_20240124_230317879.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1vjdc26-XwSZD6iJAiuU2ZtOFN4rmXkITFxxqNxxeFkOU8J3jvY5cemoiaJzOJujKi9Hf3lIkqTWkk3gylwSIR_hvYP7PHVEe8o2twwjTOZmysxA6VLELyi659AALSilGaE0WDU11UzJdT0-WzPv5nRRxa7AQYFBsOXcrlUYgG8r0XfM8bNL3NhTV8w/s1118/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1vjdc26-XwSZD6iJAiuU2ZtOFN4rmXkITFxxqNxxeFkOU8J3jvY5cemoiaJzOJujKi9Hf3lIkqTWkk3gylwSIR_hvYP7PHVEe8o2twwjTOZmysxA6VLELyi659AALSilGaE0WDU11UzJdT0-WzPv5nRRxa7AQYFBsOXcrlUYgG8r0XfM8bNL3NhTV8w/w640-h480/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfHZFJ63q0-CPU8-NCEolUmR1CQuPUA9RrbhDqjN1HpW_pJg1V1j2Ym3XGdXdYAi7NiS3Iqxf9WTwcFnLAiV33YcSMYJfvX8Ip_xy00ivyWRKLkn7dA7YJ8py_UgiWjBBcP3MsiUApXN_6YI8TayQE4j2fdfelAgRFAsGI1euK8jPe7vP0XBLO3-hbQg/s839/PXL_20240124_231316311.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfHZFJ63q0-CPU8-NCEolUmR1CQuPUA9RrbhDqjN1HpW_pJg1V1j2Ym3XGdXdYAi7NiS3Iqxf9WTwcFnLAiV33YcSMYJfvX8Ip_xy00ivyWRKLkn7dA7YJ8py_UgiWjBBcP3MsiUApXN_6YI8TayQE4j2fdfelAgRFAsGI1euK8jPe7vP0XBLO3-hbQg/w480-h640/PXL_20240124_231316311.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday brownies for Justin and Lena</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We spent the night there. The next morning Dave, Justin, and Levi went fishing, the girls slept in, and I went for a walk on the beach by myself.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE77WSXmKupzooyg8zm4OgcolpGcGIipBdukcKeQPsB7WFHsLpSNbVgp-kBHpVwcHviAJ8DDdaDkQINXpaKEyr0UbmdjcDVBtP3FOyfRhOkwrxqamOv6hcMbba64lyB-BZKvhMGUlev_Oe7Lzsj9n0yH3Ni7f63ag_SnpmdU0rdKqLXkEH5fMWuG6bao/s839/PXL_20240125_155314382.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE77WSXmKupzooyg8zm4OgcolpGcGIipBdukcKeQPsB7WFHsLpSNbVgp-kBHpVwcHviAJ8DDdaDkQINXpaKEyr0UbmdjcDVBtP3FOyfRhOkwrxqamOv6hcMbba64lyB-BZKvhMGUlev_Oe7Lzsj9n0yH3Ni7f63ag_SnpmdU0rdKqLXkEH5fMWuG6bao/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_155314382.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunshine!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfK3kAx41Z7KEcu7gKSGv4XBXy5mlTlu_k-02abOo6wa4Zi8CvzAQxDM3VgqBYzfApGgKQ3H9p2df7ahLLw6l9QsFo5mH8FgvR2m1PKpCRSPEgi0K023EFuxlqTTIgweFI4kpMDRvxf17scbgW2D57gG_zXUfJ3blMFM6QXB7NNVpyxY8sRpRXLlAU3k/s839/PXL_20240125_163501637.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfK3kAx41Z7KEcu7gKSGv4XBXy5mlTlu_k-02abOo6wa4Zi8CvzAQxDM3VgqBYzfApGgKQ3H9p2df7ahLLw6l9QsFo5mH8FgvR2m1PKpCRSPEgi0K023EFuxlqTTIgweFI4kpMDRvxf17scbgW2D57gG_zXUfJ3blMFM6QXB7NNVpyxY8sRpRXLlAU3k/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_163501637.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more dip in the ocean.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrq5F2sDrC-YS1OiXz5Cf_y7oRSosB5WoTgvrVgPiLR4LLADHlGfmevytYcuFqAJLhkzv95YiGgRSisJ1D22o-DD9e7nihmCErPBGkrDC9vSXqFpNlQqBwyWgiwUKa24oq-4fUALb6SHA6WFRrgk8YCUC-1INbwS8_GDfjC82bLngYAJPtZbZfCVu2CU/s839/PXL_20240125_164350079.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrq5F2sDrC-YS1OiXz5Cf_y7oRSosB5WoTgvrVgPiLR4LLADHlGfmevytYcuFqAJLhkzv95YiGgRSisJ1D22o-DD9e7nihmCErPBGkrDC9vSXqFpNlQqBwyWgiwUKa24oq-4fUALb6SHA6WFRrgk8YCUC-1INbwS8_GDfjC82bLngYAJPtZbZfCVu2CU/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_164350079.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-T_hbMHWmh81-s-4Dipwvi9BcuIVGDcH9fPLJQkIE7d5YGn-iCtpXDvvvSJASRuvlJM3wdLJh881eEb25rWAJZ9jJGt9G1rSPX9eJkWL_Pma1nHS6lBIzk3TNA0aRTGYM9HPHdZe1rAY99WSr8zs0u1NxByYe5DPn6sSo7S47OazUus_uFXqaOb_q2k/s839/PXL_20240125_164720771.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-T_hbMHWmh81-s-4Dipwvi9BcuIVGDcH9fPLJQkIE7d5YGn-iCtpXDvvvSJASRuvlJM3wdLJh881eEb25rWAJZ9jJGt9G1rSPX9eJkWL_Pma1nHS6lBIzk3TNA0aRTGYM9HPHdZe1rAY99WSr8zs0u1NxByYe5DPn6sSo7S47OazUus_uFXqaOb_q2k/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_164720771.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriueOxDq6sKQLL2orixWIV5sDuMIPAd357ni4ayp9V21FYLWYfGJhCKPcDTflaaS-8wMelOwuLfjpc7WrY2-DD4KNdBzM7ObENyLrHXAxyFUtIuBsr4MC-kpAOq2LBGjkK7apJ_USRTwXcVPTzHGTH6uv-10_M676NXYTzQ6TBvXspr9xGqslwYQioqo/s1116/PXL_20240125_184727827.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriueOxDq6sKQLL2orixWIV5sDuMIPAd357ni4ayp9V21FYLWYfGJhCKPcDTflaaS-8wMelOwuLfjpc7WrY2-DD4KNdBzM7ObENyLrHXAxyFUtIuBsr4MC-kpAOq2LBGjkK7apJ_USRTwXcVPTzHGTH6uv-10_M676NXYTzQ6TBvXspr9xGqslwYQioqo/w640-h482/PXL_20240125_184727827.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family pic!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHE3wPeAywpixmlYGtVDX05BCcRZFPbtpaUr5Klv3qCtP8NBC6YnBwPPJoctOBClhYhmDeX8nD6_xMZvRVvc1KYwO2TJWrsr_eboN2JG8uwYH3iwUTlD-tJ-LVAHF5NrvNKdWGePE7i5onsnC4dR0LgpDQwpLuQjylGNqzEGlvxcSWy72i9FEA6OaqQpY/s1116/PXL_20240125_190356200.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHE3wPeAywpixmlYGtVDX05BCcRZFPbtpaUr5Klv3qCtP8NBC6YnBwPPJoctOBClhYhmDeX8nD6_xMZvRVvc1KYwO2TJWrsr_eboN2JG8uwYH3iwUTlD-tJ-LVAHF5NrvNKdWGePE7i5onsnC4dR0LgpDQwpLuQjylGNqzEGlvxcSWy72i9FEA6OaqQpY/w640-h482/PXL_20240125_190356200.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the car. So thankful for tablets, headphones, and Netflix downloads. It was supposed to be a two-hour trip, but took 3 hours between traffic and bathroom stops.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We got back just in time for steak dinner:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc4LpAkgX-2qsCwUMi4GIQe1betTqkcG4cEOGz2ayWLZDhbWvogP26kwrO3uQaoBOdVCuSeLiXQjfXtkcVpOeG5tiKOK8eq-_L-8xPNDlcZliomZXUPxYDyfQmJCEH_-AlCscjIRe4TSKuvookRcOzlFGiNmHC744VH-l3y9WbeyA44rfyJsmZ5xeRTE/s839/PXL_20240125_222908091.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc4LpAkgX-2qsCwUMi4GIQe1betTqkcG4cEOGz2ayWLZDhbWvogP26kwrO3uQaoBOdVCuSeLiXQjfXtkcVpOeG5tiKOK8eq-_L-8xPNDlcZliomZXUPxYDyfQmJCEH_-AlCscjIRe4TSKuvookRcOzlFGiNmHC744VH-l3y9WbeyA44rfyJsmZ5xeRTE/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_222908091.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIUkq-D5HgL24ZP8eVKBJpimJTdkthAYnJbEexhEzwkt9-z2bZYMNHUoXWGVlSznb7auUAAYzK4vfoSPjLUEak5qBhlt3Jej__W2bbVesZunfIfPqhxmc2Mzk2pfOkGL7OES3c0UAoYOBUWE5MkSdMC2jCRWWNsGo_Wwiao6bpIg0C0juFWY1x2Vv21o/s839/PXL_20240125_225125438.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIUkq-D5HgL24ZP8eVKBJpimJTdkthAYnJbEexhEzwkt9-z2bZYMNHUoXWGVlSznb7auUAAYzK4vfoSPjLUEak5qBhlt3Jej__W2bbVesZunfIfPqhxmc2Mzk2pfOkGL7OES3c0UAoYOBUWE5MkSdMC2jCRWWNsGo_Wwiao6bpIg0C0juFWY1x2Vv21o/w480-h640/PXL_20240125_225125438.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOuGDN7GkFa9iBTPjiyfWqhLuIeqrrBwIvcGk1GCGmQEc0Eu0_np-um7ZMT3O5HbNdROOpwU-W4JMeR5UcPJM9bsUPHItSRmnEN0fgVOKdYkBDf9cxnICDtDqSy3Cp1g1CW92RdQN_TDLQ2BaGcPYyj9SW0KNaAsjK7Aw6AS2j8zOPN6DkXxEM2Zt_H8/s839/IMG_4734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOuGDN7GkFa9iBTPjiyfWqhLuIeqrrBwIvcGk1GCGmQEc0Eu0_np-um7ZMT3O5HbNdROOpwU-W4JMeR5UcPJM9bsUPHItSRmnEN0fgVOKdYkBDf9cxnICDtDqSy3Cp1g1CW92RdQN_TDLQ2BaGcPYyj9SW0KNaAsjK7Aw6AS2j8zOPN6DkXxEM2Zt_H8/w480-h640/IMG_4734.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I took advantage of everyone sitting down for dinner together to give a toast. I thanked the two couples who paid the most to make it affordable for the rest of us, Luke and Esther for cooking, and Mom and Dad for their legacy of love. And for the record, that's Dr Pepper in my wineglass. 😂<br /><div><br /><div>That night we had a poolside dance party:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx23DmqF-xEP0NnhtlyBQZxWkCC3VdqTAQwSzIWmB3fKbo3PTHh4dMPZoi_jepsowkQ2q3L-099CNyAHZj5MQVNpvn3Vplt96IkVg14oSfouzokVGz_Ro8pFca6ah3KrBdMwlgDR0VQkxl9GJob8BFXr8gOucQiWwlTXcpuerqpHidxt6ZuVhFN20EyP8/s839/IMG_4746.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx23DmqF-xEP0NnhtlyBQZxWkCC3VdqTAQwSzIWmB3fKbo3PTHh4dMPZoi_jepsowkQ2q3L-099CNyAHZj5MQVNpvn3Vplt96IkVg14oSfouzokVGz_Ro8pFca6ah3KrBdMwlgDR0VQkxl9GJob8BFXr8gOucQiWwlTXcpuerqpHidxt6ZuVhFN20EyP8/w480-h640/IMG_4746.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJVi99YVDLJwNZd4g7D8rfkvZXZcEAcjm4zkPx-__ry3Fe2zwzpUenunfaGX6dF0C5GcGi-NJr5Tnh6gN3ChWFgsagI0la4acCsCzs-KSN2TPVImllzKR6uGRtjARffF9yzd46IkNC2s0GAwpUmDPMlxWCK19bYkOEIrmMOi7661Uk4rZko_qI_x1D9s/s839/PXL_20240126_002029309.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJVi99YVDLJwNZd4g7D8rfkvZXZcEAcjm4zkPx-__ry3Fe2zwzpUenunfaGX6dF0C5GcGi-NJr5Tnh6gN3ChWFgsagI0la4acCsCzs-KSN2TPVImllzKR6uGRtjARffF9yzd46IkNC2s0GAwpUmDPMlxWCK19bYkOEIrmMOi7661Uk4rZko_qI_x1D9s/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_002029309.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUTRGA92YzpBHtHgxPSU7EfPhwtaKgAWJmrP3918mSp2nS8sQcfEh4ZOvSHnxMVinvmiDblJMwDOd9EltbcbA_PXPs-PVUgu6PBcgUt8kzrZUYpHhB-93TVm_AWkPng4JOYRimUajmwgq-Cy13-fzeoK5yD5gN_KP2YAZ7BfhUFpaz62RD8p67oSP04Q/s1118/PXL_20240126_005659734.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUTRGA92YzpBHtHgxPSU7EfPhwtaKgAWJmrP3918mSp2nS8sQcfEh4ZOvSHnxMVinvmiDblJMwDOd9EltbcbA_PXPs-PVUgu6PBcgUt8kzrZUYpHhB-93TVm_AWkPng4JOYRimUajmwgq-Cy13-fzeoK5yD5gN_KP2YAZ7BfhUFpaz62RD8p67oSP04Q/w640-h480/PXL_20240126_005659734.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And more cards of course!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>6. Friday was our last full day, and another beautiful day with 80 degree temps. We went to the park in the morning before it got too hot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD67cVos00_AzL-LVit2IgnI8c2qnzTIjyc72y97D9DctCtd6iSYZXkTv2oB1KRbY5JhmI-CKR-zu4k1wvdEuo9BDg2lDZl9RRZytTmX0S66y8NzTeCXfzSWCAyKqfBPGM_KgtaZw_3Ho8RSJRKkB9pcMJYjn6nnddkcSkx2ShkVu3_ILFwSvcWtOq3Q/s839/IMG_4754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD67cVos00_AzL-LVit2IgnI8c2qnzTIjyc72y97D9DctCtd6iSYZXkTv2oB1KRbY5JhmI-CKR-zu4k1wvdEuo9BDg2lDZl9RRZytTmX0S66y8NzTeCXfzSWCAyKqfBPGM_KgtaZw_3Ho8RSJRKkB9pcMJYjn6nnddkcSkx2ShkVu3_ILFwSvcWtOq3Q/w480-h640/IMG_4754.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgphnrLAEVSBPaByh3ZIt8OuBwJnDut3ceGiUR_qtrTzv6vGkvAHq3ffLzWO-Tuvxxv1jHy4xY7kkj-pHzJf_EYALH7n-gHISTiJx_plzyhWyXw7YOhYdtDs2wyEkr9C9-KBX4nsWAZtumT4RpwYuIkwTHw-MzwVDFV4QY6iqfXAoO0Amn3aORJVN_uu8/s839/IMG_4766.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgphnrLAEVSBPaByh3ZIt8OuBwJnDut3ceGiUR_qtrTzv6vGkvAHq3ffLzWO-Tuvxxv1jHy4xY7kkj-pHzJf_EYALH7n-gHISTiJx_plzyhWyXw7YOhYdtDs2wyEkr9C9-KBX4nsWAZtumT4RpwYuIkwTHw-MzwVDFV4QY6iqfXAoO0Amn3aORJVN_uu8/w480-h640/IMG_4766.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FHl9G_yzDqQCOgVTtNZsUgZMlqZzkfkkN_goIJ3zUERAVPS1yFbRKDGqrZnsW21b7yf2RP0mpIY3BtvXHKP8v74SambvIZ8FZbyptr1HW36liTuhau9KoHxLDaCCxtjIX4rSeoq065BUqJ13hIg6PPyoswHzr5OFFmI66z2_YU1TZfYe9gAyCdGIuKk/s839/PXL_20240126_151830573.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FHl9G_yzDqQCOgVTtNZsUgZMlqZzkfkkN_goIJ3zUERAVPS1yFbRKDGqrZnsW21b7yf2RP0mpIY3BtvXHKP8v74SambvIZ8FZbyptr1HW36liTuhau9KoHxLDaCCxtjIX4rSeoq065BUqJ13hIg6PPyoswHzr5OFFmI66z2_YU1TZfYe9gAyCdGIuKk/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_151830573.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>This picture is taken from our driveway:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J4_rNYpdrzIMWfk7MvzIv5nz6d6sBkWu8DwygyV50axh2ozl1oCmWwkZ1AjSmQ5x4lJRB7GG2ekGRZciUvhEeopoCbqn4gS9_5EAuml7_HWDqK_eM57WfAvRQ7CPzLOFKn0pd2qy91mO3t8OIuqykyQTapRwjGF8sHd42JVdMUPCqYy153aDiw9x6Bg/s839/PXL_20240121_145824219.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J4_rNYpdrzIMWfk7MvzIv5nz6d6sBkWu8DwygyV50axh2ozl1oCmWwkZ1AjSmQ5x4lJRB7GG2ekGRZciUvhEeopoCbqn4gS9_5EAuml7_HWDqK_eM57WfAvRQ7CPzLOFKn0pd2qy91mO3t8OIuqykyQTapRwjGF8sHd42JVdMUPCqYy153aDiw9x6Bg/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_145824219.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue awning is the park. It was awesome having it so close by!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrqM44zEynAkf3WaQ5YpTeUVEz145oAlK0zlevA5iNwyksontH-Rxu3AL9HF2JlPh6z44LaVecznYER_Xd5IgcPKSYLr8mY8L4oHStHJ4bZIWZlLLSvoTNMFmNsANMJZSRq8NlgvqNyo-UhPIYU-fzLc7GVgKg6dj9pE2QlaH9B_bUVm5ckYtc2u1zjw/s1065/PXL_20240126_204444927.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1065" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrqM44zEynAkf3WaQ5YpTeUVEz145oAlK0zlevA5iNwyksontH-Rxu3AL9HF2JlPh6z44LaVecznYER_Xd5IgcPKSYLr8mY8L4oHStHJ4bZIWZlLLSvoTNMFmNsANMJZSRq8NlgvqNyo-UhPIYU-fzLc7GVgKg6dj9pE2QlaH9B_bUVm5ckYtc2u1zjw/w640-h504/PXL_20240126_204444927.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last matching swimsuit pic - with Lucy and Lainey this time!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpRlmPw36g4WbQHW3CqHj28q91uyK4qTxnKCPf_DGSCDBi7FMOZY79VFXe7cJoUuC51dM6KylcOFo8KnrmmOJNI90EtUCEMoLb0I-nrh829j9obBXE5iqLjmGSQfbevd0DMWEFoAqD8WHlp2oNkyb5FmJyLj9_gGg4R1ogTHzbfMFDT5b8UuNJqLKGsA/s1118/IMG_4829.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpRlmPw36g4WbQHW3CqHj28q91uyK4qTxnKCPf_DGSCDBi7FMOZY79VFXe7cJoUuC51dM6KylcOFo8KnrmmOJNI90EtUCEMoLb0I-nrh829j9obBXE5iqLjmGSQfbevd0DMWEFoAqD8WHlp2oNkyb5FmJyLj9_gGg4R1ogTHzbfMFDT5b8UuNJqLKGsA/w640-h480/IMG_4829.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25xBt-egbLrRHcXFjmERQLLzV8YooYk2wqvwogr5_W_-ZPL0vaDELdWxxD6SdYxOi15jVAtgxzxTcravyhWkNcX97p4JGFgd0YDvAWxMcRnEOXvSs4OUgXHbxiGbQqa2JIuv1nZCvsfcom4CsQdSQStRxcTiEe5DUQLPMesl4CVMaKzYUVQ0FxwhLf3k/s839/IMG_4793.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25xBt-egbLrRHcXFjmERQLLzV8YooYk2wqvwogr5_W_-ZPL0vaDELdWxxD6SdYxOi15jVAtgxzxTcravyhWkNcX97p4JGFgd0YDvAWxMcRnEOXvSs4OUgXHbxiGbQqa2JIuv1nZCvsfcom4CsQdSQStRxcTiEe5DUQLPMesl4CVMaKzYUVQ0FxwhLf3k/w480-h640/IMG_4793.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the Lazy River at the resort pool</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA3u2fmVY5hGgAjC3ogzt2RHwKJJmElaUZwJvpJXHCDaXA2Orzn_dGkzRwLoUr3ohs8II8ZqqssNL2pY4JBVGYhufyJO2evXALVEJXIZqfavtNbIwuXQLQcuf16WSYoXUX3FVQtVsCO52Gx7ppvWJtkGYxMZKQMKtTDjYZgkbld7_2HiqaEQHG9RWl1Q/s1118/IMG_4784%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA3u2fmVY5hGgAjC3ogzt2RHwKJJmElaUZwJvpJXHCDaXA2Orzn_dGkzRwLoUr3ohs8II8ZqqssNL2pY4JBVGYhufyJO2evXALVEJXIZqfavtNbIwuXQLQcuf16WSYoXUX3FVQtVsCO52Gx7ppvWJtkGYxMZKQMKtTDjYZgkbld7_2HiqaEQHG9RWl1Q/w640-h480/IMG_4784%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popsicles in January!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6eBFl12ZwQ6b0KIw2ke65wbqBHCf-llLGMYiqit69uiInBWxbT6BjWwn37X6mZymmFlW9ZmUGH6SQZEOwwgPgJoDbuIigF436OqIXACbXNVxnaBuvV6iyJL9oMSHrsFYX7ieKAV_lhUw2aR0DFS258RjC5DQCvRFO2xkZcQcLD1y5hocwvPc4AQ83y4/s839/PXL_20240126_205152792.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6eBFl12ZwQ6b0KIw2ke65wbqBHCf-llLGMYiqit69uiInBWxbT6BjWwn37X6mZymmFlW9ZmUGH6SQZEOwwgPgJoDbuIigF436OqIXACbXNVxnaBuvV6iyJL9oMSHrsFYX7ieKAV_lhUw2aR0DFS258RjC5DQCvRFO2xkZcQcLD1y5hocwvPc4AQ83y4/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_205152792.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more dip in the pool.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47klqVrMEYuhoTYsVqAwwl0Tm_oxuRE14bzYW-9kTv7TQ69FHNVZY2HK896lf7J4VkytDTTAyZ52Vj1dL2IeH4yZ3wQUFaYAMTWbKE8Ruxi44oamRZSWelRqUmjpjG-p2I8y1SSxlQGmuV3Jczbi5Ecoo8gvybLHnIHCWWDQk8YRjh4bC9Jfn4GFA4QM/s839/PXL_20240127_000903248.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47klqVrMEYuhoTYsVqAwwl0Tm_oxuRE14bzYW-9kTv7TQ69FHNVZY2HK896lf7J4VkytDTTAyZ52Vj1dL2IeH4yZ3wQUFaYAMTWbKE8Ruxi44oamRZSWelRqUmjpjG-p2I8y1SSxlQGmuV3Jczbi5Ecoo8gvybLHnIHCWWDQk8YRjh4bC9Jfn4GFA4QM/w480-h640/PXL_20240127_000903248.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last game of bowling.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuU675elGajbIUVOtIYOjipTvciQXu94SFG7ym8CX77LTHpSTunfW8U2a5DgPMZgEJTZ45fO1nxK8Q3lITP2l38b48FxTj-7P4eRWCoTUn_PaGtJOBK8nghD_MDKeDosZ65gwm3xcLPyNeX9jd5Q5qGbq7udkPGnlDpGVOkTX49BDNdDrd32p241NhXw/s1118/PXL_20240127_002046589.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuU675elGajbIUVOtIYOjipTvciQXu94SFG7ym8CX77LTHpSTunfW8U2a5DgPMZgEJTZ45fO1nxK8Q3lITP2l38b48FxTj-7P4eRWCoTUn_PaGtJOBK8nghD_MDKeDosZ65gwm3xcLPyNeX9jd5Q5qGbq7udkPGnlDpGVOkTX49BDNdDrd32p241NhXw/w640-h480/PXL_20240127_002046589.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That night, Niki set up a game for the kids the involved flinging a rubber dinosaur at a pile of cups. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIsVzY3fxccNRHoA4yJ5Lkj6_aFwJ28Zr5gFLE5hkp619-U-A8NsrnPKOAuLbdb0WSyNS5kCEmFukeO_MfBmmYY4nTrPo9OSTWIrg28r1IWMa7JsFPWLw8wMxKDij_ow7MNh0cW3VUuDrf5S-0U_tJzQpCtui7BmNaUJg0CSIVZ9u8g64zl4ZYSM5fzY/s1118/PXL_20240127_004449957.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIsVzY3fxccNRHoA4yJ5Lkj6_aFwJ28Zr5gFLE5hkp619-U-A8NsrnPKOAuLbdb0WSyNS5kCEmFukeO_MfBmmYY4nTrPo9OSTWIrg28r1IWMa7JsFPWLw8wMxKDij_ow7MNh0cW3VUuDrf5S-0U_tJzQpCtui7BmNaUJg0CSIVZ9u8g64zl4ZYSM5fzY/w640-h480/PXL_20240127_004449957.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids with their prizes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Then it was time to pack everything up and get ready to leave. 😭😭😭 The rental company asked that we strip our bedding and throw all bedding/towels in the laundry room. It resulted in quite the pile of laundry. 😂</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyHOcCR217yDPLAo1uxvERdbAXZnh-toY7ljQeZeNkfByPDJeje6OUgMj4RStxGH2ivwtmnmrZBWM9HxDiJZ8rGjbEDXcsDOUIUW9Al-vzVKW73N-OllM7aDnE8s4wg5_e9CJqyWCVxvWuMfbLA8AVwJ6f0T4FW_68OMq3vW-MTMrBO5yxf4J3PxhwP8/s839/PXL_20240127_131428621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyHOcCR217yDPLAo1uxvERdbAXZnh-toY7ljQeZeNkfByPDJeje6OUgMj4RStxGH2ivwtmnmrZBWM9HxDiJZ8rGjbEDXcsDOUIUW9Al-vzVKW73N-OllM7aDnE8s4wg5_e9CJqyWCVxvWuMfbLA8AVwJ6f0T4FW_68OMq3vW-MTMrBO5yxf4J3PxhwP8/w480-h640/PXL_20240127_131428621.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>7. The flight home didn't go <i>quite </i>as smoothly as on the way down. Justin and I were so confused about how and where to park/check our bags, then it took <i>forever</i> to get through security. Our flight got delayed half an hour because of fog in Grand Rapids, so at least I wasn't panicking about the time while waiting in line at security. And then the actual flight was pretty bumpy and Cove screamed almost the whole time. He literally fell asleep when the plane came to a complete stop on the runway in Grand Rapids. Lol. Poor kid. And poor Tyler and Rieley. And the other people around us. 😂🙉</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtulEQNZvv-VwMAJ1mHkWKHhUTaqB5dgJ-3rMtUKd8REYx-8XohN2z7rbA7jXSEQukc_82a70qe9SjZ8P1_8xN8gKbF_iF7M8R02l3PBHPhK958TwZjATaJLIRifpcS5VuEZkInmiwIZ9NijgbfYutA5YDlrHIl_zlu9kbbVvoADr3P5NY4eS9kNQsFU/s839/PXL_20240127_182428303.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtulEQNZvv-VwMAJ1mHkWKHhUTaqB5dgJ-3rMtUKd8REYx-8XohN2z7rbA7jXSEQukc_82a70qe9SjZ8P1_8xN8gKbF_iF7M8R02l3PBHPhK958TwZjATaJLIRifpcS5VuEZkInmiwIZ9NijgbfYutA5YDlrHIl_zlu9kbbVvoADr3P5NY4eS9kNQsFU/w480-h640/PXL_20240127_182428303.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So sad to be going home!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwTkNfykCOy570Z5ymIxQtnzk94rR3EWjNgwzXzRLqowBsa2lXXQpQauCZOeFUbJQl-OPWDHSCq8fRL49_HnbSAYQYAVnIfLZltk3lPPa7SB7A9QIhTAfAd2hpZlnM3qkqfvwXshgbKWrqQhGwrz8vSJWg9WxW9NiYRiJTli1bnYoK-ciPhncCy5w8xg/s839/PXL_20240127_182438444.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwTkNfykCOy570Z5ymIxQtnzk94rR3EWjNgwzXzRLqowBsa2lXXQpQauCZOeFUbJQl-OPWDHSCq8fRL49_HnbSAYQYAVnIfLZltk3lPPa7SB7A9QIhTAfAd2hpZlnM3qkqfvwXshgbKWrqQhGwrz8vSJWg9WxW9NiYRiJTli1bnYoK-ciPhncCy5w8xg/w480-h640/PXL_20240127_182438444.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BKy1WW44ZqCi3EEcHtH8lLOxgjpsTgKqo9OHWJfIL6aB6Vczjm55xg5Iv9bVsKoZpjlc_LDWlI5iHkF7bWykbJzbSDpLqVUTPECpON2-Gqh9CB_1zVC9BGoIIOttpt5u0qK_of_fVt7PtMf3du4NADdHCtHy05vRCxknmYbeIQQEsiR6WJ5HW1260Co/s839/PXL_20240127_184549994.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BKy1WW44ZqCi3EEcHtH8lLOxgjpsTgKqo9OHWJfIL6aB6Vczjm55xg5Iv9bVsKoZpjlc_LDWlI5iHkF7bWykbJzbSDpLqVUTPECpON2-Gqh9CB_1zVC9BGoIIOttpt5u0qK_of_fVt7PtMf3du4NADdHCtHy05vRCxknmYbeIQQEsiR6WJ5HW1260Co/w480-h640/PXL_20240127_184549994.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHWM45HyjMvDm98krcHp8itid70leOUW-R4aENFXONhg5O_EUEtcyDqCvp0KNFTqG5X1Ytk1q1ev-Y4QXM9IpUFMPK0-h0tm0FMR2PJarkmwmsYPQt9sSX0ZRjI5fdDd4cUd1cPYkh4mHDgAZnyCTkyJVkpMV0rsxMPaPbjwacXaxpi2NYEjlWLzCPTA/s1116/PXL_20240127_184715871.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHWM45HyjMvDm98krcHp8itid70leOUW-R4aENFXONhg5O_EUEtcyDqCvp0KNFTqG5X1Ytk1q1ev-Y4QXM9IpUFMPK0-h0tm0FMR2PJarkmwmsYPQt9sSX0ZRjI5fdDd4cUd1cPYkh4mHDgAZnyCTkyJVkpMV0rsxMPaPbjwacXaxpi2NYEjlWLzCPTA/w640-h482/PXL_20240127_184715871.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>8. The whole week was seriously the stuff dreams are made of. We all got along so well. I didn't get sick of anyone, and would've loved to stay for another week! The kids played so nicely together and love each other so much. The house and weather were perfect. We had so much fun playing cards, and eating, and snuggling babies, and staying up late talking and laughing together. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: God has blessed us so abundantly with this family and I don't take it for granted for a minute! Here are a few more pictures because you just haven't had enough yet . . .</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ymKIUmICoK67utfPY-cwKZt7G7zzCZ8BIGsBrIZvoIrygdI18Jo3OcrOMkWDNS_Wrr9Dr4aBeIoz_9Mc8pYNalBkw5SmeW6h681Zotv42RiTfOvVpcc6MpRrEeLiWag5EHHct0zTsF8x-5EKUR4uEq0n3-xHfpGPF0huu15QsVSOReca6AYr-KLcM_Q/s839/IMG_0601.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ymKIUmICoK67utfPY-cwKZt7G7zzCZ8BIGsBrIZvoIrygdI18Jo3OcrOMkWDNS_Wrr9Dr4aBeIoz_9Mc8pYNalBkw5SmeW6h681Zotv42RiTfOvVpcc6MpRrEeLiWag5EHHct0zTsF8x-5EKUR4uEq0n3-xHfpGPF0huu15QsVSOReca6AYr-KLcM_Q/w480-h640/IMG_0601.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa with two of his great-granddaughters.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAckTj-fySHwqCX4pH_aAFkVlE1g9vOcCWMpLkj78-Q99ybxDPIrbh5xtdZLsPKphB71EioFdkdnnCtVwXpfFhkdZn_6e2KmP_lH6bQQMo6VIaR_BRTHPXeHmn1lS2QiunM9_hxXAyud1ivAPvITBBUpsS-jJo3qZlYu1Vis3nEnZ9PsgeCMCS5VlIbFU/s839/IMG_4236.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAckTj-fySHwqCX4pH_aAFkVlE1g9vOcCWMpLkj78-Q99ybxDPIrbh5xtdZLsPKphB71EioFdkdnnCtVwXpfFhkdZn_6e2KmP_lH6bQQMo6VIaR_BRTHPXeHmn1lS2QiunM9_hxXAyud1ivAPvITBBUpsS-jJo3qZlYu1Vis3nEnZ9PsgeCMCS5VlIbFU/w480-h640/IMG_4236.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFddA9Ycix69u8EAJQSPKPYPlv6Uq37QtKhzXL0DZbP0YpXYTzac-oXzXbZNG3qOYgWIT8lbqdO0huS32FkHgMd0skYk9pBFIBUIxEr_3_MVl-mIUi0JalwYUCPtVbc7UqXtRbq9ABV3kkInSKYMNTdbzrt5NA4X3vBY8bXu_KLF2LAKBwSwuHxskbDiQ/s839/IMG_4628.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFddA9Ycix69u8EAJQSPKPYPlv6Uq37QtKhzXL0DZbP0YpXYTzac-oXzXbZNG3qOYgWIT8lbqdO0huS32FkHgMd0skYk9pBFIBUIxEr_3_MVl-mIUi0JalwYUCPtVbc7UqXtRbq9ABV3kkInSKYMNTdbzrt5NA4X3vBY8bXu_KLF2LAKBwSwuHxskbDiQ/w480-h640/IMG_4628.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidO6B7hWug9BqDt_Rfm29pP_KmZuZItGJKqnJ9rciS175Uup3h7QJunKS7JF2_2FBlpXBIB-aYWVO6HY2JIsKb-jQXwO-HFlXh1rrPNhKMCFAC-6z_Tp4526rFZe6zVJuhVeoo5xN5apOvq6hsp2O4rsSmUZYL2o13cnrMHQeENK0A1H8kXxzC0vIQndc/s839/IMG_4649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidO6B7hWug9BqDt_Rfm29pP_KmZuZItGJKqnJ9rciS175Uup3h7QJunKS7JF2_2FBlpXBIB-aYWVO6HY2JIsKb-jQXwO-HFlXh1rrPNhKMCFAC-6z_Tp4526rFZe6zVJuhVeoo5xN5apOvq6hsp2O4rsSmUZYL2o13cnrMHQeENK0A1H8kXxzC0vIQndc/w480-h640/IMG_4649.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Qk4ZkcXvA8UXTMZXHjMHCHztpls98pFg166nA4_Pl3_h6uTGhj-KhNtwhJ-0gX1yrWSr49ngjDgJty96jnD-KEL0Y9zcKLkmminzuKngeHhCyihNK3rhrdGK6VRmZn7DCxYo0UcQQnGGxmt_t3cR4hg4bh8haSy9HObPDByw6w8P2yMhSPRM2fbq6E/s839/IMG_4660.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Qk4ZkcXvA8UXTMZXHjMHCHztpls98pFg166nA4_Pl3_h6uTGhj-KhNtwhJ-0gX1yrWSr49ngjDgJty96jnD-KEL0Y9zcKLkmminzuKngeHhCyihNK3rhrdGK6VRmZn7DCxYo0UcQQnGGxmt_t3cR4hg4bh8haSy9HObPDByw6w8P2yMhSPRM2fbq6E/w480-h640/IMG_4660.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF5Iqg20h0Lw_1NPH7wTAOB2NolwIqDM8EyqvlkaL4BtA8KsaM9lUVTZQOkDU_Om2e_ONQdFzSPdmmpJvuwncmaDIywRENPGrrvbEW8cTzIx7FxlXrhl0Nf6y7SJxoEV_TztmPLE_XfATIz1tJk9hDKUGFVDRZdstYTxeSho0MaanMBvwHY8wKqBSxGw/s839/IMG_4673.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF5Iqg20h0Lw_1NPH7wTAOB2NolwIqDM8EyqvlkaL4BtA8KsaM9lUVTZQOkDU_Om2e_ONQdFzSPdmmpJvuwncmaDIywRENPGrrvbEW8cTzIx7FxlXrhl0Nf6y7SJxoEV_TztmPLE_XfATIz1tJk9hDKUGFVDRZdstYTxeSho0MaanMBvwHY8wKqBSxGw/w480-h640/IMG_4673.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tpK4tAlRqiTN7jI3Zl_2nQJypZg86NmKmOmb3I4KNPzGewdEMy8ZER5hHgWvByY1umX13k9kMp_23SoGxoYljCUtfMBF_me-xO_iH21DLfa6AEY8uuOPSfYCltrufAnj-rk4egQ5MSNhIEvvnl-v3vJHAbJ8c5DAoiJYdNSuAgubzjGTZGYl-750o4s/s839/IMG_4688.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tpK4tAlRqiTN7jI3Zl_2nQJypZg86NmKmOmb3I4KNPzGewdEMy8ZER5hHgWvByY1umX13k9kMp_23SoGxoYljCUtfMBF_me-xO_iH21DLfa6AEY8uuOPSfYCltrufAnj-rk4egQ5MSNhIEvvnl-v3vJHAbJ8c5DAoiJYdNSuAgubzjGTZGYl-750o4s/w480-h640/IMG_4688.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODzx1pRT11g3OA2kFUYSvC77Zui_0_94bpL4Wf3KI_hhVOHI2PePQZTKfIve5TW8lC6sEIaj9TxWNZQPNPrgUnbNjvbA65G-yI3Rx7aGlSlbOV-Wv4nQofqMQ2tEgzfuTgyw8rllApIj-JgzJ6flU-JyedFyMaIPi-9s6j2so24ttpIsdjfkVEZ-5lUI/w480-h640/IMG_5870.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiCV8v6DComaTMz5Zwv9x9GnJxTmVuvq1K1zIH7oyMwzEZNKbbeTRn4UsqDB5a1tvoMdyfsYxwWLP6_6hvUckEEnHOUpek45PhF88BhUG5XTz0eg6a8kPEOrvC9002xQLrwTF0jvuvg8HYKCvlHljaOCtOYSwig5VBJThLhT87A6nEbXZXNBbJbLRf0s/s839/IMG_5940.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiCV8v6DComaTMz5Zwv9x9GnJxTmVuvq1K1zIH7oyMwzEZNKbbeTRn4UsqDB5a1tvoMdyfsYxwWLP6_6hvUckEEnHOUpek45PhF88BhUG5XTz0eg6a8kPEOrvC9002xQLrwTF0jvuvg8HYKCvlHljaOCtOYSwig5VBJThLhT87A6nEbXZXNBbJbLRf0s/w360-h640/IMG_5940.JPG" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlYr4VSn709JyLD5D412lKJISlySEyLaakEwx2S_7s6ppgroCxHAWssnK_DiTE6VfGf-5Y0NRCvAJLTS3p9aDDlJRd9aAVO0eTA5W1jsBSyYYHwZdkJsNPLGBRLw1pNvvZIBQNDkkc0F9zWrDbD2xt7bqWUwzmhFGttujy09pxyefIIJXZtJAGJuiZUk/s839/IMG_5944.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlYr4VSn709JyLD5D412lKJISlySEyLaakEwx2S_7s6ppgroCxHAWssnK_DiTE6VfGf-5Y0NRCvAJLTS3p9aDDlJRd9aAVO0eTA5W1jsBSyYYHwZdkJsNPLGBRLw1pNvvZIBQNDkkc0F9zWrDbD2xt7bqWUwzmhFGttujy09pxyefIIJXZtJAGJuiZUk/w360-h640/IMG_5944.JPG" width="360" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXQT4Q3uSdy179d4LWvZ4aAAgG7ycLk_crlCom3oBr4BfdDzZSBmbZhCDlWdcYcJCSJ3_VJp2mNn7n5QfhKdBhyIjiNGfwyHqiZnzUgV7EaJhsFzNqoYz1gIitX_IJz9CkOHu5BUidJrsCQ14a6BMI2ChRqPpNdmDoZwnXrGQXHytlHdi8q5qkOlUzO8/s839/original_9ec22f5f-7ed0-4184-9e45-d1ed49018909_PXL_20240126_205329534.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="438" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXQT4Q3uSdy179d4LWvZ4aAAgG7ycLk_crlCom3oBr4BfdDzZSBmbZhCDlWdcYcJCSJ3_VJp2mNn7n5QfhKdBhyIjiNGfwyHqiZnzUgV7EaJhsFzNqoYz1gIitX_IJz9CkOHu5BUidJrsCQ14a6BMI2ChRqPpNdmDoZwnXrGQXHytlHdi8q5qkOlUzO8/w334-h640/original_9ec22f5f-7ed0-4184-9e45-d1ed49018909_PXL_20240126_205329534.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful teenager who hides when she sees me get the camera out.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4vLQCfKKjD0xnwYBj8pAtWM3Bfd9_oFv0z2WfLAjcDewlzvzaX4KlsUYD5ZVtKefru0CGBxbGW7g-Tvy2hm7UfmoL_Uin6BNBiCrH7RiB_6EI317_MKYzFRNwu75CWilfKlxxKXGGlKO3htvOgGF9gL0MJ9lFoiQyG_C4Sd8pQRmhrqEVpEQ2xuUMQI/s839/PXL_20240121_031134693.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4vLQCfKKjD0xnwYBj8pAtWM3Bfd9_oFv0z2WfLAjcDewlzvzaX4KlsUYD5ZVtKefru0CGBxbGW7g-Tvy2hm7UfmoL_Uin6BNBiCrH7RiB_6EI317_MKYzFRNwu75CWilfKlxxKXGGlKO3htvOgGF9gL0MJ9lFoiQyG_C4Sd8pQRmhrqEVpEQ2xuUMQI/w480-h640/PXL_20240121_031134693.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPgO_VoNKQmcAJP6SfAQVCe4_ld5DtilIHRlfLrSzZAE8GTe530mc6Rce1DKEIyxznb5jL7jtfPinR0ihzGfKivl191DdibtO0IcUf6am_ijLAvAzhJDY-gAj1-qThdM5In-Bx8uwrVnj6_Yjob55Irm2xJ-8y0Za5XV8p4lwSkL7Mfmb5U9429R2NxE/s1118/PXL_20240123_211754242.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPgO_VoNKQmcAJP6SfAQVCe4_ld5DtilIHRlfLrSzZAE8GTe530mc6Rce1DKEIyxznb5jL7jtfPinR0ihzGfKivl191DdibtO0IcUf6am_ijLAvAzhJDY-gAj1-qThdM5In-Bx8uwrVnj6_Yjob55Irm2xJ-8y0Za5XV8p4lwSkL7Mfmb5U9429R2NxE/w640-h480/PXL_20240123_211754242.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK_31A-JUWdQ5PGofRIFTHQtjoS5ZDUi80CGZa3J4DuwSRwwyM8WGH2_zM9Nn0Svc4lS-0JjPQ1jDnkFY8d748VKd7Ypi42HBfdOicWHvH-CuJx-77dUsYyTWyg-jGBe_EinBPfAqcpqzJx8u9vlj6QqEoPIr2z0gI_d_r2dR5g6z8Lu1fA35SKVqv00/s839/PXL_20240126_145327022.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK_31A-JUWdQ5PGofRIFTHQtjoS5ZDUi80CGZa3J4DuwSRwwyM8WGH2_zM9Nn0Svc4lS-0JjPQ1jDnkFY8d748VKd7Ypi42HBfdOicWHvH-CuJx-77dUsYyTWyg-jGBe_EinBPfAqcpqzJx8u9vlj6QqEoPIr2z0gI_d_r2dR5g6z8Lu1fA35SKVqv00/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_145327022.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBzCMIklvS37lhyphenhyphenDmEvH5vrxZLWg2TYDbj9-DcR0sbfpM3wwZmgczqrZiGxb0FVqC027setZAYBxQjj6xCEVi6YHC8cxtQmF47yHPGrinMkJswGb2gF-4P6jWnQfhSiH6b4CMLZyVFe29LNomxAdkjCQvJALfQ2WYEQ5xUSjEe1iXAqXWlHHb1e0vRyk/s839/PXL_20240126_225702474.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBzCMIklvS37lhyphenhyphenDmEvH5vrxZLWg2TYDbj9-DcR0sbfpM3wwZmgczqrZiGxb0FVqC027setZAYBxQjj6xCEVi6YHC8cxtQmF47yHPGrinMkJswGb2gF-4P6jWnQfhSiH6b4CMLZyVFe29LNomxAdkjCQvJALfQ2WYEQ5xUSjEe1iXAqXWlHHb1e0vRyk/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_225702474.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhrzgW53NBIFkN-XMfv7lKO22hRJojj-X0o0j2yCzGDB5ojA60Ft9ibgV7v7R8SrY6YD_hzzeQcBOboUZ3QkVcw298QlMUKq37LyhvQ7gJJkvp6NrKa-0L59CoS1hGfAHZLUInclk8dLIQdouCSaxH5TiGR-Rtg2oQ0hb9eOgJvUQkaVKYrm5D5mJJak/s839/PXL_20240126_232718612.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhrzgW53NBIFkN-XMfv7lKO22hRJojj-X0o0j2yCzGDB5ojA60Ft9ibgV7v7R8SrY6YD_hzzeQcBOboUZ3QkVcw298QlMUKq37LyhvQ7gJJkvp6NrKa-0L59CoS1hGfAHZLUInclk8dLIQdouCSaxH5TiGR-Rtg2oQ0hb9eOgJvUQkaVKYrm5D5mJJak/w480-h640/PXL_20240126_232718612.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VQADlMKLGPX2AUm3Zy-AoPzR2nJrs3a5v_W1rqal2LeQ0TaD6Fb7z0zPGzS2CUM4czVqRwbE30bDK3_1UIsFdmoLKGUcm1DNZzDu6JgY0fAdeAYL9y4ms8z437BFxRrQ3Cn1Tp8-e3cOrcbruqP50gjafxjyA8Rs3ybYO5T2thG0Y5YzE5AA_pLUEhU/s839/PXL_20240128_213658597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VQADlMKLGPX2AUm3Zy-AoPzR2nJrs3a5v_W1rqal2LeQ0TaD6Fb7z0zPGzS2CUM4czVqRwbE30bDK3_1UIsFdmoLKGUcm1DNZzDu6JgY0fAdeAYL9y4ms8z437BFxRrQ3Cn1Tp8-e3cOrcbruqP50gjafxjyA8Rs3ybYO5T2thG0Y5YzE5AA_pLUEhU/w480-h640/PXL_20240128_213658597.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin's brother Jesse was kind of enough to check in on Stella while we were gone. When we got home, she was afraid of us. Apparently cats have short memories. Haha. But she warmed up quickly and was back to snuggling with me by this afternoon.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you made it to the end of this post, you deserve a reward. 🏆 Thanks for reading! </div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-61625944688800968552024-01-19T21:43:00.005-05:002024-01-19T21:43:36.632-05:00The Saturday 7 - on a Friday!<p>We are leaving for Florida <i style="font-weight: bold;">tomorrow</i> so you get an early edition of this week's blog. Lucky you.</p><p>1. Well, I may have jinxed us last week by saying I hoped to wake up to my 15" ruler buried in the snow. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2c4cYCph-eHsdv3H-gm0p57jsIiwYVIUMJRazsKjao2uERe9brfen3QKfqcWaYNeT6eUiIZtdpQY_ut2cn4yPklYum8b_l4wLVjzmiKAc476dacnM5Uj7lNAtGCyu_AWdk8xDMWqNQLVo_n0yKpQTXT34ol18kDOcuPHkIEinFxgd4Flm3ulLcRtWBU/s839/PXL_20240114_143637237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2c4cYCph-eHsdv3H-gm0p57jsIiwYVIUMJRazsKjao2uERe9brfen3QKfqcWaYNeT6eUiIZtdpQY_ut2cn4yPklYum8b_l4wLVjzmiKAc476dacnM5Uj7lNAtGCyu_AWdk8xDMWqNQLVo_n0yKpQTXT34ol18kDOcuPHkIEinFxgd4Flm3ulLcRtWBU/w480-h640/PXL_20240114_143637237.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's under there somewhere! 🤷</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoejI4vP-0bYicK46S-ur_e3rX7WE8AGXYaQXc51jG-hds5tXbXCEVzb3-t2E0DCa41pWNjzMgLlG5WhP5Tp1OwsFg9XKwRjr-hscw2xAW73odskVOIoWbRCJO1jBUvwPdc2eoaGQ02xsh7XJLaqDVDYqA4a1vCjowumUzHewVrRTuC92qAN74lnY7fw/s839/PXL_20240114_143642325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoejI4vP-0bYicK46S-ur_e3rX7WE8AGXYaQXc51jG-hds5tXbXCEVzb3-t2E0DCa41pWNjzMgLlG5WhP5Tp1OwsFg9XKwRjr-hscw2xAW73odskVOIoWbRCJO1jBUvwPdc2eoaGQ02xsh7XJLaqDVDYqA4a1vCjowumUzHewVrRTuC92qAN74lnY7fw/w480-h640/PXL_20240114_143642325.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFISkvpklu6xLxHNG_e0ZzD7_4DtNHpsokdiQ5Ae7SD64REwVu-NtRSlXkUs8T_6B4LuYBtqQsuPn5CqsNUUIKAG1PQD7BttUECor1Z30s3VDKtziyze0E8ZVUc55ronFHtpmu1g5tPMtLARcXgwkDD4_sG_EV43iThzzaqA4O1XtyWLmYg8wmoYbB7d4/s839/PXL_20240114_144326140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFISkvpklu6xLxHNG_e0ZzD7_4DtNHpsokdiQ5Ae7SD64REwVu-NtRSlXkUs8T_6B4LuYBtqQsuPn5CqsNUUIKAG1PQD7BttUECor1Z30s3VDKtziyze0E8ZVUc55ronFHtpmu1g5tPMtLARcXgwkDD4_sG_EV43iThzzaqA4O1XtyWLmYg8wmoYbB7d4/w480-h640/PXL_20240114_144326140.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKMSQFrsLl_KYj61LkT_TSIVd_JPIlS4ylevp6xVSkAILP1Pq3iCTlakuIQZbGwl5j8mqt2pj2sDHaxTFnzPntXNKmZZek2dSrJn923I5shj068RO971XXeeYFe-C-1KREJBRCEiIFtgMc8B0nv7Ft-jif_KLg6vrxrGkjClnxmaGk_iCqWxQqjzXnxY/s1116/20240114_094950-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKMSQFrsLl_KYj61LkT_TSIVd_JPIlS4ylevp6xVSkAILP1Pq3iCTlakuIQZbGwl5j8mqt2pj2sDHaxTFnzPntXNKmZZek2dSrJn923I5shj068RO971XXeeYFe-C-1KREJBRCEiIFtgMc8B0nv7Ft-jif_KLg6vrxrGkjClnxmaGk_iCqWxQqjzXnxY/w640-h482/20240114_094950-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The difference between Saturday afternoon (left) and Sunday morning (right).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSt1LA10W52V-RrBcztB9mHHPhzMC7-YhTYUfKJt-k_HWGfZyPqDf4dBzEElegrWD9-b9VTJhIOnOkk7nV4bFS3EcbnYL41nkkAQ5zYzHKKkDi1ryP5SF8_jFkfjrBjBEYIdOa7mQIyZKb76sJKwRmsmKaDc-fOhr8gffTsvW0OiesKJVt7Gl32Ejbfqc/s839/PXL_20240114_151240962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSt1LA10W52V-RrBcztB9mHHPhzMC7-YhTYUfKJt-k_HWGfZyPqDf4dBzEElegrWD9-b9VTJhIOnOkk7nV4bFS3EcbnYL41nkkAQ5zYzHKKkDi1ryP5SF8_jFkfjrBjBEYIdOa7mQIyZKb76sJKwRmsmKaDc-fOhr8gffTsvW0OiesKJVt7Gl32Ejbfqc/w480-h640/PXL_20240114_151240962.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Oyb-y1wf34YqCTEfCbhPxPdLWGmVt5L7WQeZYVFe7_3gBQGAS-rmi-QGWAf-7olLjQOVJ7N7vCMYhwBEa5rsWkyDtTuxLxDsmx-T8XSE_v06ZXopgxMwqGkVJSym8Wf-8WpVWUDnO4KdLn3KQWBY6azK9pnpPQ03afDMikMIcC1mfwUtAOBcJqUFyfI/s839/PXL_20240114_151311536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Oyb-y1wf34YqCTEfCbhPxPdLWGmVt5L7WQeZYVFe7_3gBQGAS-rmi-QGWAf-7olLjQOVJ7N7vCMYhwBEa5rsWkyDtTuxLxDsmx-T8XSE_v06ZXopgxMwqGkVJSym8Wf-8WpVWUDnO4KdLn3KQWBY6azK9pnpPQ03afDMikMIcC1mfwUtAOBcJqUFyfI/w480-h640/PXL_20240114_151311536.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella checking out the shelf of snow that built up against our front door.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG49K9YnnFLphquU_diBYNeWXuts_bZjjQJeVgmMHlWbt0u2LkqsIrptt7Q30xapmk6uuTxs3yL0w3Mt8SODvP6Eimq2dQG-E2LJ-q0ZJid7fhetK0VSXDkjiC-vZXJ98wRbCcAOMLAmo7nHziVF6nNKCa-hib6Xv1B3MUkY2HtyMiK1IDJS20R6xJB0/s1118/PXL_20240114_153625979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG49K9YnnFLphquU_diBYNeWXuts_bZjjQJeVgmMHlWbt0u2LkqsIrptt7Q30xapmk6uuTxs3yL0w3Mt8SODvP6Eimq2dQG-E2LJ-q0ZJid7fhetK0VSXDkjiC-vZXJ98wRbCcAOMLAmo7nHziVF6nNKCa-hib6Xv1B3MUkY2HtyMiK1IDJS20R6xJB0/w640-h480/PXL_20240114_153625979.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The men hard at work clearing the driveway.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>According to the news, we got 24 inches over the course of 3 days. 😮 The crazy thing is that it kept snowing allll week. There wasn't a ton of accumulation, but near-constant snow falling from the sky for days! </p><p>2. Needless to say, we had a snow day on Monday. Nova came over to hang out with us, and the kids took a sudden interest in their Legos. They spent most of the day building a Lego town!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7hak-vvcCbT2HXPD4U3Zhz7YMUSxDG2eKmhpsnpGO2xCUeZAHGjWe9SVQOIWR_ltfmN1sMTnTrTNJc1hgI3jlQc9GjMGT1hx60S7TidE776eWGgGjFv3pZZu7aFUzRJtQvvL-vqkIKcMTSvI-R3Ggm2l0hW93e3tToh3cnXNqT1oyuR70tfCaWMWjoU/s1118/PXL_20240115_155639369.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7hak-vvcCbT2HXPD4U3Zhz7YMUSxDG2eKmhpsnpGO2xCUeZAHGjWe9SVQOIWR_ltfmN1sMTnTrTNJc1hgI3jlQc9GjMGT1hx60S7TidE776eWGgGjFv3pZZu7aFUzRJtQvvL-vqkIKcMTSvI-R3Ggm2l0hW93e3tToh3cnXNqT1oyuR70tfCaWMWjoU/w640-h480/PXL_20240115_155639369.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teeth are <i>jewels</i> not <i>tools</i>, Levi! C'mon!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi190ehqyYkK_Hahs2MydsoEfgrL8Vr-_an0u9KldwLWRNYKze5yX8C6MlwlSEeS4q9dsgLJVIioMKP6pK9ZF0x7ppT1SUoAWm-zJcIr3vs_XOpqQapRCJhMux-qev5I9TD6A3KXrWktKKcaspQfIBgjsaiTkTFH06PCIMT0LD-DgPyX7wmjupBQW5jl_A/s839/PXL_20240115_185300839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi190ehqyYkK_Hahs2MydsoEfgrL8Vr-_an0u9KldwLWRNYKze5yX8C6MlwlSEeS4q9dsgLJVIioMKP6pK9ZF0x7ppT1SUoAWm-zJcIr3vs_XOpqQapRCJhMux-qev5I9TD6A3KXrWktKKcaspQfIBgjsaiTkTFH06PCIMT0LD-DgPyX7wmjupBQW5jl_A/w480-h640/PXL_20240115_185300839.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked Levi to take a picture of me on the deck with the tape measure, and this is the best I got. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>3. On Tuesday the kids had school, even though I thought the roads were still treacherous. I don't think I went faster than 35 the whole way to school. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnZ09KfbcXNK9mF2wMslnUFjAm099xTzTN-N5xTzbHCZcWHLP027R1zNPeSkOgwVe7wCuVz20ipWvQJ2Gbpt4RobGZZ2lc3lms4s9N4E70nGxCEfQ5FHBA_b2q783x6jB2F5mGP2TZcf0_xLWPhqkadN5ZX7ITczYUpNQ-WdijzU9McqxXDhqDsZNOyE/s839/Snapchat-556062672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnZ09KfbcXNK9mF2wMslnUFjAm099xTzTN-N5xTzbHCZcWHLP027R1zNPeSkOgwVe7wCuVz20ipWvQJ2Gbpt4RobGZZ2lc3lms4s9N4E70nGxCEfQ5FHBA_b2q783x6jB2F5mGP2TZcf0_xLWPhqkadN5ZX7ITczYUpNQ-WdijzU9McqxXDhqDsZNOyE/w360-h640/Snapchat-556062672.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least it's beautiful treachery!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I had already taken Tuesday off from Once Upon because I had an afternoon meeting, so I decided to brave the roads and go to Meijer after dropping the kids off at school. Once I made it to the main road, it was totally clear! So then I decided to head down to Alpine, since it's a straight shot down the highway from there. I figured the highway would definitely be clear . . . I figured wrong. The highway was a sheet of ice. I got stuck in a traffic jam at one point, went super slow the rest of the time, and ended up doubling my normal drive time from Meijer to Alpine. Stinkin' winter. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. Tuesday night was the Once Upon Christmas party - at the bowling alley just down the road from my house. I am an abominable bowler. It's always my goal to hit 100, but I very rarely make it. So imagine my surprise, when I suddenly bowled better than I ever have! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINZa6Kbey1Yiomh_UVPXESbXzQM5sUWXb1L3nJXPu1zdQrQLK2aUI_PG_Os8fDFWWqgOW6jQIdQ3BKvG9LFMn1mZhBybmSub_OwPdazq9f3IZO7FE9Ju9_6dzAsU1EYhLIVdOecBNcowpgcUa5Az-TuU1YgQdCPyMRoKeJk0maBiQsrhTt9Kak0wLbXk/s1118/PXL_20240116_235841243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINZa6Kbey1Yiomh_UVPXESbXzQM5sUWXb1L3nJXPu1zdQrQLK2aUI_PG_Os8fDFWWqgOW6jQIdQ3BKvG9LFMn1mZhBybmSub_OwPdazq9f3IZO7FE9Ju9_6dzAsU1EYhLIVdOecBNcowpgcUa5Az-TuU1YgQdCPyMRoKeJk0maBiQsrhTt9Kak0wLbXk/w640-h480/PXL_20240116_235841243.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four strikes?! What the what?!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I got three more strikes in the second game we played, but Niki outdid me and beat me that time. The best part is that for every strike you bowled, you got $2 of Baby Bucks (money to use at the store). I ended up with $14 for all those strikes! 😂 I also won a $25 Olive Garden gift card from the raffle, so it was a good night for me!</div><div><br /></div><div>5. We had <i>another </i>snow day on Wednesday. High temps have been in the teens all week (with wind chills below zero!), so the snow never melts, and the salt put down by the plow trucks doesn't work. Thus the roads are covered in compacted snow and ice. Michigan is such a treasure. (#sarcasm)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHjNaXeXOrLlzfB05NfN-662WZYifBAyFtRD51ULKeztK1F4KVRlfZpZq4BJ8cQYPrx6afozAyT-5i-kfFNipumnGaex98ioXRD7Sqi8DyFvE4QTAIG4MVo-3XyE_pCz6b4pN0eTRCjCPhWlfBvEa5s_DdBeYlclkUzk2zhljzC5PLRd3u6rH5vMuqgM/s1080/Screenshot_20240115-111105.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1080" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHjNaXeXOrLlzfB05NfN-662WZYifBAyFtRD51ULKeztK1F4KVRlfZpZq4BJ8cQYPrx6afozAyT-5i-kfFNipumnGaex98ioXRD7Sqi8DyFvE4QTAIG4MVo-3XyE_pCz6b4pN0eTRCjCPhWlfBvEa5s_DdBeYlclkUzk2zhljzC5PLRd3u6rH5vMuqgM/w400-h214/Screenshot_20240115-111105.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I can not wait to get out of here and feel the warmth of the sun again! The weather in Florida is looking chilly (50s/60s) for the first couple of days we're there, but up to the mid 80s by the end of the week! Bring.it.on!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rp1B2gq-at-CRJQ22XWRc2fKq0r8c43Xae2ElueF1037siUx3D4LJ-ZUO4jtp1DqfdjiDcn6iHfnT8Atu-xiBaHDe4IIHk_c1uScYenaA8Oz0f4_5W94uph2C0r59sf1CUccsQNEB0PvuHEBRGcvEbGGrB7-reLGCdeE3k0R8bOxhLNUypPO4UoWBOA/s1080/Screenshot_20240119-211248.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1080" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rp1B2gq-at-CRJQ22XWRc2fKq0r8c43Xae2ElueF1037siUx3D4LJ-ZUO4jtp1DqfdjiDcn6iHfnT8Atu-xiBaHDe4IIHk_c1uScYenaA8Oz0f4_5W94uph2C0r59sf1CUccsQNEB0PvuHEBRGcvEbGGrB7-reLGCdeE3k0R8bOxhLNUypPO4UoWBOA/w400-h260/Screenshot_20240119-211248.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWoou9sbGOUYM-MBEPKPLUG5u5ETwjK0yWsn0B2ClXppXqpFDJ_6lKJuBmUb2JlwLcumrkAZGlLOCF5Q8Vtpp8cPg8rOWcxLW7kNmBB_YlsF9TYQWJQVz_T3k6bU-PV_iQO8X3PE48PwerDWnHV4eszUyf8TLfN5an-gY9nrE7oDI5wwVF6qSexKAOUQ/s1080/Screenshot_20240119-211304.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1080" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWoou9sbGOUYM-MBEPKPLUG5u5ETwjK0yWsn0B2ClXppXqpFDJ_6lKJuBmUb2JlwLcumrkAZGlLOCF5Q8Vtpp8cPg8rOWcxLW7kNmBB_YlsF9TYQWJQVz_T3k6bU-PV_iQO8X3PE48PwerDWnHV4eszUyf8TLfN5an-gY9nrE7oDI5wwVF6qSexKAOUQ/w400-h263/Screenshot_20240119-211304.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>6. I have spent alllll day today getting ready to leave. I had 32 things on my to-do list this morning. As of right now, I only have 8 more to go! And while I'm <i>thrilled</i> to leave Michigan behind for a week of warmer weather and leisure time with my family, I have been having terrible anxiety all week. My <i>brain</i> isn't actually that anxious. I know that flying is statistically safer than driving (especially considering some of the conditions I drove in this week!), and that thousands of people do it every day without issue. (Although some of the recent <i>notthebee</i> headlines are not helpful! Like <a href="https://notthebee.com/article/last-night-a-boeing-747-8-airliner-caught-fire-leaving-miami-and-someone-shot-a-video-" target="_blank">this one</a>, <a href="https://notthebee.com/article/this-man-got-stuck-in-the-bathroom-for-an-hour-during-his-flight-across-india" target="_blank">this one</a>, and <a href="https://notthebee.com/article/iphone-miraculously-survives-16000-foot-plunge-alaska-airlines-flight" target="_blank">this one</a>.) But my <i>body</i> is in full anxiety mode. My stomach has been killing me all week, and today my hands were literally shaking most of the day. 🤦 Mostly, I'm afraid of being stuck in the plane on the tarmac for a long time (the claustrophobia is the worst part of flying for me), or of having major stomach issues on the plane. (Like <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/delta-flight-diarrhea-biohazard/index.html" target="_blank">this</a> - I mean, could it <i>be</i> any more mortifying??) But I'm stocked up on xanax, gas-x, pepto bismol, and immodium, so hopefully I'll be good. The flight itself is only 2.5 hours. I can survive anything for 2.5 hours, right??</div><div><br /></div><div>7. I actually have a few memes for you today because we never did go back on our screen time ban. Maybe when we get home from Florida . . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6xUg4igKtqU4qH35J5WKjUUwTEjcrc54SArhaEffa2GyOQEeT64R6ozoCTJxT-ickFdQax_SW1lxKvut08Rr9_hxb3_ZpMfVZMZho3yx7pJu5WtrtJ6RQLjm_r-FGmHPSlhnAtM-HJVXKBpxU-VknSrV9wjb_41XvjYbtWifbi6QyQN9haXawk7O0bg/s839/Screenshot_20240118-214343.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="687" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6xUg4igKtqU4qH35J5WKjUUwTEjcrc54SArhaEffa2GyOQEeT64R6ozoCTJxT-ickFdQax_SW1lxKvut08Rr9_hxb3_ZpMfVZMZho3yx7pJu5WtrtJ6RQLjm_r-FGmHPSlhnAtM-HJVXKBpxU-VknSrV9wjb_41XvjYbtWifbi6QyQN9haXawk7O0bg/w524-h640/Screenshot_20240118-214343.png" width="524" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAo_7ihSxTKLVFWtwrqfkU6WlWtfIMAfkAYxbW8XdWmn5kaw4C0SILCCb3_Vjb1EgAsvrw8GwiwD_EfcMAOJwBD8y1XZG0cWNZs_d9EvgE-03MO8GGUgn0c_XUyKMed8-DZwE7iOy8fl2__25XQU-OzzsgWAV0aHOyCtTGco7i_ae3cAgQAzuCEQjIsE/s839/Screenshot_20240118-220233.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="609" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAo_7ihSxTKLVFWtwrqfkU6WlWtfIMAfkAYxbW8XdWmn5kaw4C0SILCCb3_Vjb1EgAsvrw8GwiwD_EfcMAOJwBD8y1XZG0cWNZs_d9EvgE-03MO8GGUgn0c_XUyKMed8-DZwE7iOy8fl2__25XQU-OzzsgWAV0aHOyCtTGco7i_ae3cAgQAzuCEQjIsE/w464-h640/Screenshot_20240118-220233.png" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm going to start using that line!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKhyoTOz_sEsek6It2YdbECiw_88-mpVYa0fYZ1IUQhSQtBJHJR9M6NaPk8PDW2tQDRQODMLSwnIQXzzmlieZq35D_tsIPTehB3su2wtvTYyxAQhWn-_vJQbtZ_L77thjW8tf3QfUnOQMxqXtyrxqrfpoi8fcao4kQ8gMnLxQ38nktTMvdY6TnHicrdc/s839/Screenshot_20240118-222320.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKhyoTOz_sEsek6It2YdbECiw_88-mpVYa0fYZ1IUQhSQtBJHJR9M6NaPk8PDW2tQDRQODMLSwnIQXzzmlieZq35D_tsIPTehB3su2wtvTYyxAQhWn-_vJQbtZ_L77thjW8tf3QfUnOQMxqXtyrxqrfpoi8fcao4kQ8gMnLxQ38nktTMvdY6TnHicrdc/w360-h640/Screenshot_20240118-222320.png" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm always more amused by myself than Justin is.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErWsWEK_Q_Fa1Y-__zjgOsLztbE05dG5ANjtOPHsBnhsbMuTQnd0N8p4IopfjWyW0eGsmRmrbXs_Ud4nzChMQamOn5Qa40WeqIINQdFC1mwO-f009Tx3mcJodeh_auYlS6bJeCD4AxZR-7CX7h9gzX9ItaJSaWoBXBWxcI-wHApOe2jVTZSHqSG2beyE/s672/2eeab1fd1c06200f2cebdd16485f1033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="563" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErWsWEK_Q_Fa1Y-__zjgOsLztbE05dG5ANjtOPHsBnhsbMuTQnd0N8p4IopfjWyW0eGsmRmrbXs_Ud4nzChMQamOn5Qa40WeqIINQdFC1mwO-f009Tx3mcJodeh_auYlS6bJeCD4AxZR-7CX7h9gzX9ItaJSaWoBXBWxcI-wHApOe2jVTZSHqSG2beyE/w536-h640/2eeab1fd1c06200f2cebdd16485f1033.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a little something to haunt your dreams tonight!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5w-MCxmgVzFuHNVtgmjVy4gxLDF6wGYVJJUBEOc7mUz-vcSbur16TwxQk3aV2y53K01WyNwr2i8Xyt12Yp0_2_tSwLLQwTFIxGNgZh-AMRNi1s9i6b81NUsbwaSvgvVIY0ylNwTlN0L6AoyQMjP3Rx5kXwc8aPQhk_cPgWzOecF3Rut_HKM0vTFVLU/s563/ab2db6fd8d8ded1b1bb60512f5467d7a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="563" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5w-MCxmgVzFuHNVtgmjVy4gxLDF6wGYVJJUBEOc7mUz-vcSbur16TwxQk3aV2y53K01WyNwr2i8Xyt12Yp0_2_tSwLLQwTFIxGNgZh-AMRNi1s9i6b81NUsbwaSvgvVIY0ylNwTlN0L6AoyQMjP3Rx5kXwc8aPQhk_cPgWzOecF3Rut_HKM0vTFVLU/w640-h338/ab2db6fd8d8ded1b1bb60512f5467d7a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qOjYO8EgOBFDz7N4PZTnU2nOTtn2F_2RNTdl1ZtnfkCWpSswsEZ2T63UmzyE5GW3YwkWVf9DcrudE6nzEicVI9mXm484WIIzIHKPHRofMd6jceKZn0R64fDQgF9Kp_5qo4AktiL3xovrh_1bN5eVhwRRyQVp9uIad04Xag4GqbqE89dLXWsphP_J4Jc/s564/ac6b91acc166f10dcb2e155ee4396d8d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="564" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qOjYO8EgOBFDz7N4PZTnU2nOTtn2F_2RNTdl1ZtnfkCWpSswsEZ2T63UmzyE5GW3YwkWVf9DcrudE6nzEicVI9mXm484WIIzIHKPHRofMd6jceKZn0R64fDQgF9Kp_5qo4AktiL3xovrh_1bN5eVhwRRyQVp9uIad04Xag4GqbqE89dLXWsphP_J4Jc/w640-h560/ac6b91acc166f10dcb2e155ee4396d8d.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-38417853599895967692024-01-13T22:01:00.003-05:002024-01-13T22:01:52.045-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. Could I have picked a worse two-week period to do a screen fast?? Lol. Well we officially made it one week with no screens by Wednesday, despite two snow days. I worked at school on Monday. On our first snow day - Tuesday - I sent the kids to Niki's so they could play with Nova, Thea, and Cove while I was at Once Upon. I've left them home alone while working before, but they literally watched TV the entire time I was gone, and I didn't think they could handle being home alone with no screens. My hero Niki took them instead, and kept them off screens all day. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsDJnWI2-sNQQNzj3_FWgC-yyZPWqPqNNqUkQVvoosDMQe7HUYd_LE6n5o7JDJz8fEPx2FXLyMiV189SApShc1ilgDOCio6CYEuMfnFklwcY5Ll4GxLahFM1PvEwRmhqQ2d7fCBCtXCVsW-k29p_dacvD8uVTDNPprhux-cizW-8n3RBaNmYzXYbriX4/s839/received_190304147499902.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsDJnWI2-sNQQNzj3_FWgC-yyZPWqPqNNqUkQVvoosDMQe7HUYd_LE6n5o7JDJz8fEPx2FXLyMiV189SApShc1ilgDOCio6CYEuMfnFklwcY5Ll4GxLahFM1PvEwRmhqQ2d7fCBCtXCVsW-k29p_dacvD8uVTDNPprhux-cizW-8n3RBaNmYzXYbriX4/w360-h640/received_190304147499902.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqzbyie0Vq0r526jehhtoOacjB4avs1tjP0hp7GXsaIgxaAqJRrkNKmO-j9QIiCNZGPpkcReUEmqJZoYvqsM5uAD7MrbJLf_dzjREL8ovw7QvzS-C6lE4BMXyexTURvzoqjb25_-WndXyUFYiCi58DBXtESRExrWxI7YVD8G9SLcN0g4EwEERDwOM0_o/s839/received_1015855516150288.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqzbyie0Vq0r526jehhtoOacjB4avs1tjP0hp7GXsaIgxaAqJRrkNKmO-j9QIiCNZGPpkcReUEmqJZoYvqsM5uAD7MrbJLf_dzjREL8ovw7QvzS-C6lE4BMXyexTURvzoqjb25_-WndXyUFYiCi58DBXtESRExrWxI7YVD8G9SLcN0g4EwEERDwOM0_o/w480-h640/received_1015855516150288.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDUlmWjFZLyywAri34EoPijLZWbFGsnDpNZ2Mhmv4vQtAvhY5VwCXEImaCkVe5LRfizk6Uu2OIY8J1ebVkiYxBttYu7NYQ8egIZpXXDmXS7a4EzUNlmwEHyNKuM9w5AV1fm9iF83bJ1WhyphenhyphenlnQl6HD54GlpNvgpsmzEliNWgmvU2AYvMb0LWrGDESlQrU/s839/received_1448216195800855.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDUlmWjFZLyywAri34EoPijLZWbFGsnDpNZ2Mhmv4vQtAvhY5VwCXEImaCkVe5LRfizk6Uu2OIY8J1ebVkiYxBttYu7NYQ8egIZpXXDmXS7a4EzUNlmwEHyNKuM9w5AV1fm9iF83bJ1WhyphenhyphenlnQl6HD54GlpNvgpsmzEliNWgmvU2AYvMb0LWrGDESlQrU/w480-h640/received_1448216195800855.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Wednesday was our second snow day of the week, and I was scheduled to work at Once Upon, but so was Niki. So I called in and stayed home with the kids while she went to work. </p><p>2. Honestly, the screen time fast was going pretty well. Levi continued to be obsessed with audiobooks/podcasts that keep him entertained, Lucy was plowing her way through books (she read the first <i>Hunger Games</i> book in two days), Lena spent a lot of time with Neighbor-Girl-Kylee, and I continued to be bored and ornery. Despite the lack of blatant complaining, though, I've been mildly disappointed not to see the drastic changes in behavior and temperament that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Detox-Two-Week-Tech-Reset/dp/0764238760/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MHLJ0D75W6MS&keywords=digital+detox+book&qid=1705197703&sprefix=digital+detox%2Caps%2C480&sr=8-1" target="_blank">the book I read</a> promised. DeFrank insists that the kids she's coached through this detox have dramatic behavior changes that are almost immediate. I guess I shouldn't judge after only one week, but Levi is still willful, disobedient, lazy, and impulsive. Lucy is still withdrawn. Lena is still driven to frustration and rage by Levi. And none of them had any gratitude about giving up their screens like the kids in DeFrank's book did. Not a single one told me, "I'm so glad you took away our screens" like DeFrank's did. 🙄🙄🙄 Stinkin' ungrateful kids! I also have yet to see a sudden boon of boredom-induced creativity. I wonder if Levi's not truly bored enough since he's still listening to stories all day. I still have to initiate almost every activity we do - whether it's drawing, playing a game, doing a puzzle, or baking together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYeXYxyyW8NeoW8SpdwH7rETrcdxyfqZsNxAG8TuIvm9fGUuUWLjG9u7rw0BbkS1Yo-c_e5gXCUwtIQlLbNl_WY3i7E8MsgQCtHD_X0IaCmf-aDt55dygAaY7LghKmMyDS9OLWTwo7hSqpwpNKopU0oQL2CsYC9aXvgD8_-jwkXhAziKh1gRLtMmHjS0/s839/PXL_20240107_225952481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYeXYxyyW8NeoW8SpdwH7rETrcdxyfqZsNxAG8TuIvm9fGUuUWLjG9u7rw0BbkS1Yo-c_e5gXCUwtIQlLbNl_WY3i7E8MsgQCtHD_X0IaCmf-aDt55dygAaY7LghKmMyDS9OLWTwo7hSqpwpNKopU0oQL2CsYC9aXvgD8_-jwkXhAziKh1gRLtMmHjS0/w480-h640/PXL_20240107_225952481.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNfJZHmKgDGANGNGKDmd0mXLHrg3nFZquGWChuFX2jCaGLyEQxwCLKiUw4Pkyt3169NDqBtCyv7t7wu1I0C0HBH6oP6xHWot-n931ysOs2UGQ99cXldMS-bX886tqpJOJFyTcANmYXM7syJXJx0MpX71Xnok0ONjXxQBvuHD55M1rFL12Qp1FTG7SzFo/s839/Snapchat-679327122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNfJZHmKgDGANGNGKDmd0mXLHrg3nFZquGWChuFX2jCaGLyEQxwCLKiUw4Pkyt3169NDqBtCyv7t7wu1I0C0HBH6oP6xHWot-n931ysOs2UGQ99cXldMS-bX886tqpJOJFyTcANmYXM7syJXJx0MpX71Xnok0ONjXxQBvuHD55M1rFL12Qp1FTG7SzFo/w360-h640/Snapchat-679327122.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOlwboXOYsRPIhHWrmDxDIweYKO0V7SkV-rjpfF5LzoADhY3NRDtUrOWaHsB6_kPqKFDrcrr2K-VCtImLehLS3r223-IBQh6RGv0rCpORoh7dBEgSABRJ-G7QvZHdtHZB1cHReWL47h-TGYRjMF2cjGdbWZxFG-iTgiOBKDBzAitfADyv4Q31nZ5QxGg/s1118/PXL_20240108_002041534.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOlwboXOYsRPIhHWrmDxDIweYKO0V7SkV-rjpfF5LzoADhY3NRDtUrOWaHsB6_kPqKFDrcrr2K-VCtImLehLS3r223-IBQh6RGv0rCpORoh7dBEgSABRJ-G7QvZHdtHZB1cHReWL47h-TGYRjMF2cjGdbWZxFG-iTgiOBKDBzAitfADyv4Q31nZ5QxGg/w640-h480/PXL_20240108_002041534.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvrLdVOyi0d_AQK-uIINvwa7M7F8yTU9kNosowgaSMWQwaWZ0tGGs96AOf0BjZ8s0D8keciEPXs8HnoTQ0SIpLGzQYN9XVGSS_4d1O-Pg8Dvze2k9eTYHFGtpag7ok89e1u8m-INhiBmfEyltXNzZ16dFW367p62j-9-niMyRHdM5Put9kpwHbyJ7dCI/s240/Snapchat-1252775899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="135" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvrLdVOyi0d_AQK-uIINvwa7M7F8yTU9kNosowgaSMWQwaWZ0tGGs96AOf0BjZ8s0D8keciEPXs8HnoTQ0SIpLGzQYN9XVGSS_4d1O-Pg8Dvze2k9eTYHFGtpag7ok89e1u8m-INhiBmfEyltXNzZ16dFW367p62j-9-niMyRHdM5Put9kpwHbyJ7dCI/w360-h640/Snapchat-1252775899.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He did do some of this puzzle by himself, but only because I got it out for him and challenged him to finish it (only 100 pieces) before I finished cleaning the house. I still had to help him complete it when I was done. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I'm not saying I never want to play with my kids, I'm only feeling misled by the book that made me think they'd be so grateful to be freed from their devices that they'd voluntarily dive into new and exciting endeavors. I know - how could I be so naive? Obviously it's going to take more than a week to undo years' worth of bad habits. <div><br /></div><div>3. So it is with some shame that I have to admit we broke the fast early. Another blizzard swept in on Friday, which meant our 3rd snow day in one week, and was forecasted to continue all weekend. The thought of another weekend of no screens while being trapped inside was too daunting for me to bear, so I gave them the new Wi-Fi password on Friday. And they immediately fell back into their old ways. 🤦 They have absolutely no self-control on their own, and will not stop consuming media until I make them. Today, I was much stricter and only let them use their devices for a short amount of time. But it's showed me that I can't trust them to make good choices on their own. Haha. I don't know what next week will hold. We're leaving for Florida on Saturday, and I'm going to let them use their devices on the plane and in the car. I'm thinking that barring another snow day on Monday, I'll probably change the Wi-Fi password again and go back to the total ban. I just hate having to make all these decisions, and I wish we could land on a reasonable happy medium without my constant oversight. But that is apparently wishful thinking.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. I will say, the one thing Lena and Levi have done on their own volition this past week is play in the snow. On Tuesday, they sledded (slided? slid?) for at least an hour at Niki's. On Wednesday, they sledded with Nova and Nash for close to two hours, then begged Justin to take them to the sledding hill that night - whereupon they sledded for another hour. On Friday, Niki met us at the sledding hill with Nova and Thea, and they spent another two hours sledding! Levi has been so sore from all the physical exertion. 😂 They've also been playing in the snow with NGK and helping Justin shovel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_P3sXvGqAyabPWaO1a7Ypt9uniruhLo5MTEQTqombyXUNapsbpIZhVcfBOD6G6aIeah8zAVXRaMRaMs8FaDOz8IcoMTUbS7kb2DR5iiTpAhnrnaP0lWS86aWa2SxWQrAY5lidn9qFCp5jonT7boG-ME9Mw7I5RnzSqGDvB9Zfru7aspDqbPaZcsH0L8/s1118/PXL_20240112_163913098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_P3sXvGqAyabPWaO1a7Ypt9uniruhLo5MTEQTqombyXUNapsbpIZhVcfBOD6G6aIeah8zAVXRaMRaMs8FaDOz8IcoMTUbS7kb2DR5iiTpAhnrnaP0lWS86aWa2SxWQrAY5lidn9qFCp5jonT7boG-ME9Mw7I5RnzSqGDvB9Zfru7aspDqbPaZcsH0L8/w640-h480/PXL_20240112_163913098.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqrqhnsESbrMgqNk_ZE6Y849ASB5AiuRzZ8JEGJHjvXlgB3GDeq6FDTo50L7v2ufl-SSFEX9u1LQH-dUiIkPHkGEg3WIy5eFF4g6JCPkzVch5GbFAHuPcRh3b4VbtoM28U1aEj7gq4QCpriGDNvQY2mwRH-0bzCJzeJWg36qiI5QHKLNqJhlokJjVyl8/s1118/PXL_20240113_010817317.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqrqhnsESbrMgqNk_ZE6Y849ASB5AiuRzZ8JEGJHjvXlgB3GDeq6FDTo50L7v2ufl-SSFEX9u1LQH-dUiIkPHkGEg3WIy5eFF4g6JCPkzVch5GbFAHuPcRh3b4VbtoM28U1aEj7gq4QCpriGDNvQY2mwRH-0bzCJzeJWg36qiI5QHKLNqJhlokJjVyl8/w640-h480/PXL_20240113_010817317.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAkZSnKhVy5qqosVvtxuT4Lc96zY8g9bKrBWcyR2gZzttBWDLJOpZSbWPef8u9aPV5QEBCCvxWjpRxHNpL0YAFc5PQGuXf38WpZqatpc12gTRlf-tPjjvxastOcFzhNvSoKOhA2TbT59qZ7VcV3OI0oSvYbnhks6gNJ1zYXi3Ic3hFTx3K7D61BG041c/s839/received_1327305277928207.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAkZSnKhVy5qqosVvtxuT4Lc96zY8g9bKrBWcyR2gZzttBWDLJOpZSbWPef8u9aPV5QEBCCvxWjpRxHNpL0YAFc5PQGuXf38WpZqatpc12gTRlf-tPjjvxastOcFzhNvSoKOhA2TbT59qZ7VcV3OI0oSvYbnhks6gNJ1zYXi3Ic3hFTx3K7D61BG041c/w480-h640/received_1327305277928207.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went down with Levi once, but it's too much work to climb back up the hill, and I'm afraid of hurting myself before going to Florida. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFj5PwOAQzHthX9PXaWGEhkPf0QQa-b9U07WTms7UUVXNltjAlB7ct1EHTS5gMNgBBHlr9kRKfHldcGV5qf6-pxtL8pEmB0Y9Q1XoK6J8mA1uARolLFQWyX81KKN3E43MAr7nLyonIsTjObvEkfTT4p7jPlWmDdZB_u7yyNvC6_kMnvsloAsVBInpSYQ/s1118/PXL_20240113_170436730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFj5PwOAQzHthX9PXaWGEhkPf0QQa-b9U07WTms7UUVXNltjAlB7ct1EHTS5gMNgBBHlr9kRKfHldcGV5qf6-pxtL8pEmB0Y9Q1XoK6J8mA1uARolLFQWyX81KKN3E43MAr7nLyonIsTjObvEkfTT4p7jPlWmDdZB_u7yyNvC6_kMnvsloAsVBInpSYQ/w640-h480/PXL_20240113_170436730.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>5. For the record books . . . I stuck this 15 inch ruler in the snow on top of the kids' picnic table on Friday morning. It reads 4.5 inches from our previous snowfall. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IXV3Gcf6GLp-fUtVsRdIutLtboKUxiUTFTkBOXUzs54V4lZR3bTotwjltfc6LhpbmbgwPEXdXsbA6QN3MmexNy0C7i3SNb0_-uXVNsD7h4-FWXRDBeTBn0DcYATg5Zln4Wx4VDcXhMxths9HuccmrUHP7-cGwfOoN-0EElvOckHRn28Iprrn-IEM1co/s839/PXL_20240112_182739691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IXV3Gcf6GLp-fUtVsRdIutLtboKUxiUTFTkBOXUzs54V4lZR3bTotwjltfc6LhpbmbgwPEXdXsbA6QN3MmexNy0C7i3SNb0_-uXVNsD7h4-FWXRDBeTBn0DcYATg5Zln4Wx4VDcXhMxths9HuccmrUHP7-cGwfOoN-0EElvOckHRn28Iprrn-IEM1co/w480-h640/PXL_20240112_182739691.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>By this morning at 10:00 a.m., we were up to 11.5 inches - so 7 inches in 24 hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1rpb41xax-gB1V88FVwRzq2CjYrzJR4ar7uDqrEkrgTFMvzyt8BTenyCva-AmprKGyH5lLORxW2SP9frBeFqTSKLFj18-JDAIQ400EeuLnJUquN8KrrsCDzbjHquvGBUigafaxvczuumYv0_ZJq3p6SFrSyVfVzjnbpSiSXy7RYAVwfOBrTQtQ_dP7k/s839/PXL_20240113_151726125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1rpb41xax-gB1V88FVwRzq2CjYrzJR4ar7uDqrEkrgTFMvzyt8BTenyCva-AmprKGyH5lLORxW2SP9frBeFqTSKLFj18-JDAIQ400EeuLnJUquN8KrrsCDzbjHquvGBUigafaxvczuumYv0_ZJq3p6SFrSyVfVzjnbpSiSXy7RYAVwfOBrTQtQ_dP7k/w480-h640/PXL_20240113_151726125.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BjCNAgZgDCdMYZna7UPVMKKxF7Ii4MTYCeqKIXi8-ZGEYb9VpwC8JMa8Lt-qXFlfsSr4Iy8dHZ5Hy67Vas55rilaRZrk9y3A2jQq9M98TmGHgY1BVeIq6dH4CTvEXreZcKMnnnH2JuaivZEAr8rG7uyc7HNjZlzuU5be098oT9-0bvYzw6fHQfrhynM/s839/PXL_20240113_151721168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BjCNAgZgDCdMYZna7UPVMKKxF7Ii4MTYCeqKIXi8-ZGEYb9VpwC8JMa8Lt-qXFlfsSr4Iy8dHZ5Hy67Vas55rilaRZrk9y3A2jQq9M98TmGHgY1BVeIq6dH4CTvEXreZcKMnnnH2JuaivZEAr8rG7uyc7HNjZlzuU5be098oT9-0bvYzw6fHQfrhynM/w480-h640/PXL_20240113_151721168.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>The last time I checked it a few hours ago, it was just over 13". But it's still snowing, and they're calling for another 3-6" overnight. I'm hoping the ruler will be buried by the time I wake up tomorrow! </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>6. And now for a meandering treatise on the book I'm reading: <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Remaking-World-1776-Created-Post-Christian/dp/1433580535/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RKMO091C51AJ&keywords=remaking+the+world+andrew+wilson&qid=1705199601&sprefix=remaking+the+world%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West</a></i> by Andrew Wilson. An apologetics podcaster I follow recommended it in an episode I listened to about a month ago. I immediately added it to my To-Be-Read list on Goodreads. When we decided to start this screen time detox, I canceled my Kindle Unlimited subscription and subscribed to <a href="https://www.everand.com/home" target="_blank">Everand </a>instead (because they have a much larger selection of children's audiobooks). I was excited to see that <i>Remaking the World </i>was available and added it to my list of things to read during detox. I hadn't gotten to it yet, when my pastor posted it on facebook a couple days ago, saying it may be the best book he's read in the past ten years! That propelled me to move it up the list, and when I was feeling bored and restless yesterday, I finally started it </div><div><br /></div><div>All that's to say, it is totally fascinating. As explained last week, I've taken a sudden interest in history. And this book has history in spades. I'm actually astonished by Wilson's breadth of interests and knowledge. He quotes <i>Parks and Rec</i>, but knows Chinese philosophy and ancient French literature. I'm figuring out that I love to study "the big picture." I love stepping back from our current culture and biases to see the grand scheme of things, and that is what Wilson attempts through this work. He explains through great detail and meticulous research how our history makes us - how Christianity is so ingrained in our culture and reasoning that today's strongest secular humanists use Christian terminology and ideals (love, justice, compassion, etc.) to tear down the very institutions that gave rise to those virtues in the first place. But it's about <i>so</i> much more than that. It's about the beginning of civilization and why civilizations flourished in some areas over others, about science, philosophy, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, economics, Romanticism, individualism, the founding of America, and more! The book is, at times, too cerebral for me, but Wilson's tone is conversational and his love for acronyms and alliteration has a special place in my heart. Lol. I'm only 2/3 of the way through, but I'm loving the parts that I understand. 😂</div><div><br /></div><div>7. A few more pics:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbRbIQzHQn3neGl44L54xxGVjKJS78BpuYOUJXSyWCy4sbhl2ixSW-XKzPZCVmr8C0TXFPpWm-6BOw_LFYSauwL2efTnrtmaJwlXEAAMw66cC5yEYO4EmKsgFIMayixZhEnnpafU9CxHQKLPQjqPvlrrCj8s9rdYei_qsOp4VOkBDcSHbgmcpSVmX6UE/s1118/PXL_20240110_012920649.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbRbIQzHQn3neGl44L54xxGVjKJS78BpuYOUJXSyWCy4sbhl2ixSW-XKzPZCVmr8C0TXFPpWm-6BOw_LFYSauwL2efTnrtmaJwlXEAAMw66cC5yEYO4EmKsgFIMayixZhEnnpafU9CxHQKLPQjqPvlrrCj8s9rdYei_qsOp4VOkBDcSHbgmcpSVmX6UE/w640-h480/PXL_20240110_012920649.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi made himself this cage, then laid in it to listen to his audiobook. Haha. (He's been listening to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R2XWSB1?binding=hardcover&qid=1705201097&sr=8-2&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_thcv" target="_blank">Horace and Bunwinkle</a></i> this week.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs78BvzXF8iObAd5HH-JX6VXnQWQt4jTyRYbzq5Qwfo6AwwY-XbHEb2N8-IIxlYBTowdmGsJ3rycPYqy9VMaBu1a9KjoebcfHDZ6roOirl1bT_7zeKfQFbqeu95nOlinO6QFprNRQm0XWCiDN9aRi2jRfMIoaUqsCOX7el_XLOn4Rw6KrjJ3hyswWgmvg/s839/PXL_20240110_141952955.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs78BvzXF8iObAd5HH-JX6VXnQWQt4jTyRYbzq5Qwfo6AwwY-XbHEb2N8-IIxlYBTowdmGsJ3rycPYqy9VMaBu1a9KjoebcfHDZ6roOirl1bT_7zeKfQFbqeu95nOlinO6QFprNRQm0XWCiDN9aRi2jRfMIoaUqsCOX7el_XLOn4Rw6KrjJ3hyswWgmvg/w480-h640/PXL_20240110_141952955.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow days call for monkey bread. I actually made it twice this week because it's so snowy, and so delicious. 😁</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LiRgJWXxNgHR_t53W5qaEz98HidPLLD5Kls1HkC8W8dEJ2RJV_Ad11hBcgqk2BPrDdRGU-Ar6DN3kyK-Z40w4axDYhMFJFshRh_iUZwvdTYpFJuxdjpCPeyc7egZIrp8dSbKE7Ot_tdta75w7B7nA9732zKzhJxe_3Ta46EEBuqfFEIHA-zjsvh8BW4/s839/PXL_20240110_222928925.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LiRgJWXxNgHR_t53W5qaEz98HidPLLD5Kls1HkC8W8dEJ2RJV_Ad11hBcgqk2BPrDdRGU-Ar6DN3kyK-Z40w4axDYhMFJFshRh_iUZwvdTYpFJuxdjpCPeyc7egZIrp8dSbKE7Ot_tdta75w7B7nA9732zKzhJxe_3Ta46EEBuqfFEIHA-zjsvh8BW4/w480-h640/PXL_20240110_222928925.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finally did the taste test. I could tell the difference . . . but I actually liked Pibb Extra more. 😲🙊😬 I don't even know who I am anymore!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gOfVRVqJdoxj4XFE6yB4Civq6IqyYdD90tGnThGRmXONJWbodwixuzo9xT0aDVWcFH71CtbVb8mooA2RVLhYys-fvXA0HG__2zGliwTbo9PE3UW4C0yP9bYRWxlcbPHBqViX5bWbl8MmybvLFiTUjcBorbmQMieYrAzwfqbPVkX_b5JAgG0Q2VwDusk/s839/PXL_20240113_004111319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gOfVRVqJdoxj4XFE6yB4Civq6IqyYdD90tGnThGRmXONJWbodwixuzo9xT0aDVWcFH71CtbVb8mooA2RVLhYys-fvXA0HG__2zGliwTbo9PE3UW4C0yP9bYRWxlcbPHBqViX5bWbl8MmybvLFiTUjcBorbmQMieYrAzwfqbPVkX_b5JAgG0Q2VwDusk/w480-h640/PXL_20240113_004111319.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggle buddy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII9zLXDtk6mTLqXti1leClPjoW3fnGlUc7CwglbLO2Qi-CYkq-3EBqbRJ5_1l8dzUxNEo-z0eeU1Wok6oVMzZFc4v9PtbNQalLh-T-4FobQcQWLrivUnay_vnM4i5w_i9nb1bumiRrl-ZrQlD0El5pMT85IvYBgH2tsqbs5DZ8O-Vho2_rUtmR51ZILw/s1118/PXL_20240113_154200560.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII9zLXDtk6mTLqXti1leClPjoW3fnGlUc7CwglbLO2Qi-CYkq-3EBqbRJ5_1l8dzUxNEo-z0eeU1Wok6oVMzZFc4v9PtbNQalLh-T-4FobQcQWLrivUnay_vnM4i5w_i9nb1bumiRrl-ZrQlD0El5pMT85IvYBgH2tsqbs5DZ8O-Vho2_rUtmR51ZILw/w640-h480/PXL_20240113_154200560.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella does not appreciate sharing her perch with Taco Tail (That is what Levi named him. I have no idea why. Lol.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-58755309808114345082024-01-06T20:32:00.003-05:002024-01-06T20:32:36.049-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. We rang in the new year together at home. Levi got to stay up 'til midnight for the first time "to see the ball drop." It was anti-climactic to say the least. 😂 We toasted with sparkling grape juice and took this very grainy snapchat picture:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGHvhIki1KZfW8tO9pUjeP_ND42sdyb9NzCX9ni5WpFej_SBl-GdqZKoDVaXbQDnJDKdyNbuoQN3jgeCaEEOb6gy6LFx_bAqqaDblTasBrPjCyboBNRECZaqHz3k3Mpr7fyDz0wGCwbeOPYJAL9B9MwVf3mIyuenXFjAWtedKOOeewJIXVkH088T9TrM/s839/Snapchat-790522530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGHvhIki1KZfW8tO9pUjeP_ND42sdyb9NzCX9ni5WpFej_SBl-GdqZKoDVaXbQDnJDKdyNbuoQN3jgeCaEEOb6gy6LFx_bAqqaDblTasBrPjCyboBNRECZaqHz3k3Mpr7fyDz0wGCwbeOPYJAL9B9MwVf3mIyuenXFjAWtedKOOeewJIXVkH088T9TrM/w225-h400/Snapchat-790522530.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>The girls both set reading goals for the year. Lucy wants to read 100 books (last year she read something like 65) and Lena wants to read 25. Now if only I could spark Levi's love for reading!<div><br /></div><div>2. On Wednesday we officially started our 2-week digital detox. We broke it to the kids on Monday. Levi cried, but the girls hardly batted an eyelash! I let them download music and ebooks to their tablets ahead of time, then late Tuesday night I changed the wi-fi password so no one can use the Internet or TV. I did put the new password in for Alexa, since that's how Lena listens to music and Levi listens to audiobooks/podcasts. I also have the Internet connected on my laptop because I use it for work and for some of the marketing stuff I do for church - and blogging of course! Justin and I deleted the social media apps, games, and YouTube off our phones, but we have unlimited data, so we can still use them for stuff we need like email and calendars, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. The first couple of days were hard for Levi - he did a fair amount of whining "What can I doooo?" that left me wondering what kind of dummy does a digital detox in the dead of winter when I can't just send him outside. But he's adjusting. Mostly he's surviving on podcasts. Anytime he doesn't know what to do, he'll ask me to turn it on and then lay on the couch and listen for hours. Sometimes he'll start playing with his Hot Wheels cars while he listens, but he really does sit still and listen for long periods of time. His podcast of choice this week has been <i>Snoop and Sniffy: Dog Detective Stories</i>. There are a lot of seasons, so he has plenty of material to work through. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. I had high hopes that turning off the Internet would force Lucy out of her room, but she has yet to emerge. She's been reading like crazy, listening to downloaded podcasts, and doing puzzles alone in her room. Lena has no problem coming up with things to do. She's gotten really into Cat's Cradle, she's been deep-cleaning her room, drawing/coloring/reading, face painting, and of course playing games with whoever will play with her.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4iZqNbH7Nb-EOzeij9BG0ARFKFq4InD-ZZJVQd3bxeKLHutxT1QMFoRYnMaLALQdTwtiFhcB6VMC1b9hV5Z4xpdx9wTmbAFA4hEPVbmyj19iqoiB3qWZD8uE1uSfYGb1HxrSA6gLwAp1334AVhxFIR8wuH7IWroN_gUqkdmfDpBYUnT-JX8ekG-yfBw/s839/PXL_20240103_210601774.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4iZqNbH7Nb-EOzeij9BG0ARFKFq4InD-ZZJVQd3bxeKLHutxT1QMFoRYnMaLALQdTwtiFhcB6VMC1b9hV5Z4xpdx9wTmbAFA4hEPVbmyj19iqoiB3qWZD8uE1uSfYGb1HxrSA6gLwAp1334AVhxFIR8wuH7IWroN_gUqkdmfDpBYUnT-JX8ekG-yfBw/w480-h640/PXL_20240103_210601774.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headbanz </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZEGMYSbLTU9NY5KdV4i8sHMmHJRglJcYDDG0iWTswppI5VZCNKzzNBjRGJ-Lv6F2RaDDf8v-C0B-kYATDM6SgZ0RtVM92tlQG18Pye1Z8M4VolkviWjxDe3RBM8lu9ZjboCkyjfwiFdaTbzPNTTQZ1QIGsP10oFLcJIFGm0xkf8zMnyEGePaGv7FPVs/s839/PXL_20240103_230019035.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZEGMYSbLTU9NY5KdV4i8sHMmHJRglJcYDDG0iWTswppI5VZCNKzzNBjRGJ-Lv6F2RaDDf8v-C0B-kYATDM6SgZ0RtVM92tlQG18Pye1Z8M4VolkviWjxDe3RBM8lu9ZjboCkyjfwiFdaTbzPNTTQZ1QIGsP10oFLcJIFGm0xkf8zMnyEGePaGv7FPVs/w480-h640/PXL_20240103_230019035.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena painted that giraffe on her face herself!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqT_QFk2QPAB0Wdn_7MP7kkUjFyQAGwfAJyET6GGlqIahWy_ZsWyoUMiVDFiKtwzIbAhvfmL8ojBAxk04Cu9P3zcNh9NtOOOrdZjC_PAG82TO2Smn4BhtVwxo4XzNDQueVqBIC7wijruwaU66vak6qrhcTqXiLcIvzgu-8m06ZdM_AOJOOdutdoNI0Vc/s839/PXL_20240103_233752763.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqT_QFk2QPAB0Wdn_7MP7kkUjFyQAGwfAJyET6GGlqIahWy_ZsWyoUMiVDFiKtwzIbAhvfmL8ojBAxk04Cu9P3zcNh9NtOOOrdZjC_PAG82TO2Smn4BhtVwxo4XzNDQueVqBIC7wijruwaU66vak6qrhcTqXiLcIvzgu-8m06ZdM_AOJOOdutdoNI0Vc/w480-h640/PXL_20240103_233752763.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess Who</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBnOBG-lauNMb9qK7akyi-1pxP42r6x4rXBv8ibYKosWlPFNadkPn8OphVNnx8BCIeuQA0Yv2jrXQbeQBpWz2n0NYuZnIRjL2GCsRhSzwnXS7ZU2lBeNRxDKmE126xbxUnL1iGW2ls_w9uVknswKC899upbyv0Q7wGS1dmRzmNYSpbfHRbOorD5YhqP4/s839/PXL_20240104_001542800.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBnOBG-lauNMb9qK7akyi-1pxP42r6x4rXBv8ibYKosWlPFNadkPn8OphVNnx8BCIeuQA0Yv2jrXQbeQBpWz2n0NYuZnIRjL2GCsRhSzwnXS7ZU2lBeNRxDKmE126xbxUnL1iGW2ls_w9uVknswKC899upbyv0Q7wGS1dmRzmNYSpbfHRbOorD5YhqP4/w480-h640/PXL_20240104_001542800.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading time</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySfRahAzsDMJ_NqwSFRF9vCGrJQ5i8iNnO-sr3V1YftKxBC0IRtYbD5DUcPuhkMnXFreSdrHv01i5HTxo3AeULbCSeXvcBf4N1itqDXDGw6kKOvRp279exqJinuZldSz7G9mwrxyBGii4YW2sDybeEXi3Kn286fN9jTXa26F-L5CIoN31vGHe0mALGVI/s839/PXL_20240104_012605920.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySfRahAzsDMJ_NqwSFRF9vCGrJQ5i8iNnO-sr3V1YftKxBC0IRtYbD5DUcPuhkMnXFreSdrHv01i5HTxo3AeULbCSeXvcBf4N1itqDXDGw6kKOvRp279exqJinuZldSz7G9mwrxyBGii4YW2sDybeEXi3Kn286fN9jTXa26F-L5CIoN31vGHe0mALGVI/w480-h640/PXL_20240104_012605920.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi pushed our couches together so we could snuggle while listening to his podcast.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPrjmqC47O0TxYsv23rKebeHuXu_cBABZNiUtVPGDpHqOxPvhXj8J8KvqSZd01t4OpxqdnGuSJThc5YRAQ_egJsKIcdwYfgNqW4nr3skqKyaFQsn1RtcMz4cpnozLVcgyDc-7QO5gyljTSgoTnxMLA3-eeq09dcimuwnj1yjv2ZfH9dUeXn-py2UwrqA/s1118/PXL_20240104_223945844.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPrjmqC47O0TxYsv23rKebeHuXu_cBABZNiUtVPGDpHqOxPvhXj8J8KvqSZd01t4OpxqdnGuSJThc5YRAQ_egJsKIcdwYfgNqW4nr3skqKyaFQsn1RtcMz4cpnozLVcgyDc-7QO5gyljTSgoTnxMLA3-eeq09dcimuwnj1yjv2ZfH9dUeXn-py2UwrqA/w640-h480/PXL_20240104_223945844.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing catch with a stuffed animal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1eidc5dA05RgesXciWXMCPSkRf5pb5Pkhm2FzTQ0qZ1lLNaXlyCo0-MP8Gpkv8zQ58mQSUBYC-WtDQhTLiYQ19XLYF2YkhDsAn2rTAX4XO9XuaVv87nYFiDr1s9tlMGnsvl-BndVj_tYTniX8Ja6QIrtppSavWKR3EWRPSw6eAcWOCHIRoNN4tUG2eg/s839/PXL_20240104_231934885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1eidc5dA05RgesXciWXMCPSkRf5pb5Pkhm2FzTQ0qZ1lLNaXlyCo0-MP8Gpkv8zQ58mQSUBYC-WtDQhTLiYQ19XLYF2YkhDsAn2rTAX4XO9XuaVv87nYFiDr1s9tlMGnsvl-BndVj_tYTniX8Ja6QIrtppSavWKR3EWRPSw6eAcWOCHIRoNN4tUG2eg/w480-h640/PXL_20240104_231934885.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin and Levi spent a few days putting together a Lego Technic car, while I got sucked into another puzzle.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq28i0UjjBDtaNdkjBOf7nwTNM-wbtalQQmPHdBBOV2gqgOboG5Ei5_6TReyTN39dlwruCJNaFu9IBACTT_RKq_wGTEOLuJ90KJN-jBwnIJrYpX1_RAJgvwk7ZhgbVPvdQJTJKyNGNYQyL2JLkgoOFohpFTdccyxmXlz1AoibWNoLhnZKYqRLVv6BCEHs/s839/PXL_20240105_000436875.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq28i0UjjBDtaNdkjBOf7nwTNM-wbtalQQmPHdBBOV2gqgOboG5Ei5_6TReyTN39dlwruCJNaFu9IBACTT_RKq_wGTEOLuJ90KJN-jBwnIJrYpX1_RAJgvwk7ZhgbVPvdQJTJKyNGNYQyL2JLkgoOFohpFTdccyxmXlz1AoibWNoLhnZKYqRLVv6BCEHs/w480-h640/PXL_20240105_000436875.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My turn to have my face painted - "I'm a beautiful butterfly!" (Name that movie!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFpFwiMuDBs7MBSuVEwH8IQCMR0yxNJ66OWF7Vwhhymy-3XpWa3Q_MiCiTEz_C9L3FIPBD7FtfxennBDmvDeHyXsH4vKcrXP0nhhx27tzzUBR10kFmMrnzCqfTxocbzcqQkc83ruo4i_5uylWzL6I8GM9CZnaMx_LNoz0oYJaygSQiAcgRL0gE-3BcG8/s839/PXL_20240105_004413009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFpFwiMuDBs7MBSuVEwH8IQCMR0yxNJ66OWF7Vwhhymy-3XpWa3Q_MiCiTEz_C9L3FIPBD7FtfxennBDmvDeHyXsH4vKcrXP0nhhx27tzzUBR10kFmMrnzCqfTxocbzcqQkc83ruo4i_5uylWzL6I8GM9CZnaMx_LNoz0oYJaygSQiAcgRL0gE-3BcG8/w300-h400/PXL_20240105_004413009.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then Levi painted Lena's face. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNhyslRLZwxIuCsM0hxgQY1eheGCFBvUmoan475zCzTNqrMpP-XKmvRiv2DBtJNrrD-H5i70qKs2IQneqJrhDyY1eAq1yKW5rQTQwA-dmqJgRry9Jrzwe2M7l4Dqc6PTrpckN980yMXLVXKeD7RbwCgmKKGgGjvjaaplbUehEmq-3zTOWjoWnfkzxyuo/s839/PXL_20240105_022953002.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNhyslRLZwxIuCsM0hxgQY1eheGCFBvUmoan475zCzTNqrMpP-XKmvRiv2DBtJNrrD-H5i70qKs2IQneqJrhDyY1eAq1yKW5rQTQwA-dmqJgRry9Jrzwe2M7l4Dqc6PTrpckN980yMXLVXKeD7RbwCgmKKGgGjvjaaplbUehEmq-3zTOWjoWnfkzxyuo/w300-h400/PXL_20240105_022953002.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella loves Cats Cradle.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNTgAi9Hg5BsIc4V4d5e1VnkK7-rV7-tAq28fCRlwrnB6F5fp73TArPHSQ6g6f_qH-VeJOGrQ1SBXr4PYeC9EcwfUrkol0dF78jL_fWiX-_dg-80RqrTyEmV-jhY670bnFbppTULvBEDzWaglpgWrx52k5aYrOOD0SJjQrP8S3KIq7NWLuFuAD5ZdR2Q/s839/PXL_20240105_204512925.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNTgAi9Hg5BsIc4V4d5e1VnkK7-rV7-tAq28fCRlwrnB6F5fp73TArPHSQ6g6f_qH-VeJOGrQ1SBXr4PYeC9EcwfUrkol0dF78jL_fWiX-_dg-80RqrTyEmV-jhY670bnFbppTULvBEDzWaglpgWrx52k5aYrOOD0SJjQrP8S3KIq7NWLuFuAD5ZdR2Q/w480-h640/PXL_20240105_204512925.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More reading. I got a "cat encyclopedia" from the library and Levi spent a good fifteen minutes flipping through the book saying "awww!" on each page. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9scx543e9U8Psvi6zyVnxR9JX4UMwoGkOGOSdlYonrEIKuGnRIbZ8GlRHqj544LEeij3Xxlp6j9H1fl_YzYv8jh4G3IXFCjRI5LT_IqhOdKPFA1dCKMKWS8PaJk4B2sQkTQEjXWo97xFHskx01Z5_6ACLLQph8mF2QBlh0c46KMZ-Z_qtF3IBkt8pscM/s839/PXL_20240105_233318752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9scx543e9U8Psvi6zyVnxR9JX4UMwoGkOGOSdlYonrEIKuGnRIbZ8GlRHqj544LEeij3Xxlp6j9H1fl_YzYv8jh4G3IXFCjRI5LT_IqhOdKPFA1dCKMKWS8PaJk4B2sQkTQEjXWo97xFHskx01Z5_6ACLLQph8mF2QBlh0c46KMZ-Z_qtF3IBkt8pscM/w480-h640/PXL_20240105_233318752.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's also spent a fair amount of time torturing the poor cat.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-cjzPTVqpcULeCelT7zeXxzxycNUQNsz08FOW_Sw0xeJGZWDAHNR-jBRxGK0DTmlHwUg3VVuaF8iM9TfZWUCuP9sWGvW49H1ooeXDiYPQ9WtksxuPmBvTwO6tGaDBxrBUiz0_7R6ihs-4cOatweWmRk5IJ-gfUDDFenFGYbz0JTq2ly5vzZYQCmzHZc/s1116/PXL_20240106_001613470.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-cjzPTVqpcULeCelT7zeXxzxycNUQNsz08FOW_Sw0xeJGZWDAHNR-jBRxGK0DTmlHwUg3VVuaF8iM9TfZWUCuP9sWGvW49H1ooeXDiYPQ9WtksxuPmBvTwO6tGaDBxrBUiz0_7R6ihs-4cOatweWmRk5IJ-gfUDDFenFGYbz0JTq2ly5vzZYQCmzHZc/w640-h482/PXL_20240106_001613470.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couch snuggle time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGv_nChCt-hLqdZrZMWvRDz8mRALT1TJHMIeFvu2gCLZRsbN4c2jY8LQ3fflY2aKh7vdp55IO5XFwUiJBi4FDiJPla3361vzL0zQE11VL303xgZnCk7cMCExBc3bP1SBSPDvozgEI9aSU0BbvAn_9kwROjKRTdO2pPlgDhqzTqaVjFcDYHkSx3N18Qa4/s839/Snapchat-329464185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGv_nChCt-hLqdZrZMWvRDz8mRALT1TJHMIeFvu2gCLZRsbN4c2jY8LQ3fflY2aKh7vdp55IO5XFwUiJBi4FDiJPla3361vzL0zQE11VL303xgZnCk7cMCExBc3bP1SBSPDvozgEI9aSU0BbvAn_9kwROjKRTdO2pPlgDhqzTqaVjFcDYHkSx3N18Qa4/w360-h640/Snapchat-329464185.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snapchat may be cheating, but we did it together and it entertained us for a long time. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvojmK9_y-CuGzKIxP3Pdl_GXaCxhVAY3K6WxPelCK1CFtazAnLkT7jZnGtdoBjDNoGYy8VGxg3K5ZoSr9SnaPCGin9uFnxibxTop9Okktmr319T-p1KvhbVUlt6B7YkT2enfxaEPkawwuyVFxjATxWXL3xFBJ56C3ZUXgwZNZO-wjkWxJJvPY_MNj7g/s839/Snapchat-1848480973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvojmK9_y-CuGzKIxP3Pdl_GXaCxhVAY3K6WxPelCK1CFtazAnLkT7jZnGtdoBjDNoGYy8VGxg3K5ZoSr9SnaPCGin9uFnxibxTop9Okktmr319T-p1KvhbVUlt6B7YkT2enfxaEPkawwuyVFxjATxWXL3xFBJ56C3ZUXgwZNZO-wjkWxJJvPY_MNj7g/w360-h640/Snapchat-1848480973.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61zXUB3WzGwYl_zI-aGz58zAb87e8fhdjjND14yeIHYB06tUp5hRUHnraAbSKKzXjgRPqkMKJaR29V-unllqRt5ujThX-uVMnmBr43GBosPCAMAQDuj-BGoirZ0LVaF1Puyut6XswCubk5_e_JhXj7uvlgYiXrnDRbnRyamAFkLX3ldLiqYAujdXwCiQ/s839/Snapchat-1883662637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61zXUB3WzGwYl_zI-aGz58zAb87e8fhdjjND14yeIHYB06tUp5hRUHnraAbSKKzXjgRPqkMKJaR29V-unllqRt5ujThX-uVMnmBr43GBosPCAMAQDuj-BGoirZ0LVaF1Puyut6XswCubk5_e_JhXj7uvlgYiXrnDRbnRyamAFkLX3ldLiqYAujdXwCiQ/w360-h640/Snapchat-1883662637.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr8j1hFCumkewbalWnrm4SBW3OzzOpK79OQ3d47hcwxpFiuuhSLpeSyM-jAs54EviQW2yTh4kip7NKVIQs4hXFg-GQByR4GkD_TRilVaX-_W_h3wjRzsEJr4Ws9mF7LzuAlxzSyB60FoIFgXa69lLqyVrxZVZCs0JKE5B4T5Rbcu-80gss553hU5IN8s/s1118/PXL_20240106_143237109.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr8j1hFCumkewbalWnrm4SBW3OzzOpK79OQ3d47hcwxpFiuuhSLpeSyM-jAs54EviQW2yTh4kip7NKVIQs4hXFg-GQByR4GkD_TRilVaX-_W_h3wjRzsEJr4Ws9mF7LzuAlxzSyB60FoIFgXa69lLqyVrxZVZCs0JKE5B4T5Rbcu-80gss553hU5IN8s/w640-h480/PXL_20240106_143237109.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>5. So today is day four . . . and my resolve is flagging. In an unexpected twist, the kids are handling it way better than I am. Lol. Don't get me wrong - they would <i>gladly</i> go back to binging their dumb tv shows, but they've done a good job of finding things to do. I knew today would be the biggest challenge since it's the first day without school/work to keep us busy most of the day. Levi was up at 6, and when I'd normally just hand him my phone I made him lay back down and listen to music. He drifted off and on for a while, and I finally got up with him at 8. Way too early for me on a Saturday morning. Neighbor-girl-Kylee came over late morning and helped entertain Lena and Levi for a few hours. That helped a ton, and I was impressed that Lena let Levi play with them. Then Justin took Levi to a roller skating birthday party from 4-6. So the kids did a great job today, but I have been bored and restless and ornery. I read two books earlier this week, but I just didn't want to read today. I want to scroll facebook and play games on my phone. I'm questioning why the Internet is so bad and wondering how it's any better that I'm flipping through magazines and wandering aimlessly around my house. Haha. Justin misses watching football (although we're making an exception for the Lions' game tomorrow). I think my biggest problem is that I like my leisure time. There are a thousand productive things I could do around the house, but I don't want to spend my Saturday doing any of those. I want to veg. And without the Internet, I can't veg <i>and</i> be entertained at the same time. Classic millennial problems that reveal my addiction and my need for the detox in the first place. 🤦 I do still believe in the benefits of reducing our screen time, so I just keep repeating them to myself. If nothing else, I'm getting more sleep because I'm so bored in the evenings when the kids go to bed that I usually just go to bed too!</div><div><br /></div><div>6. I got this book from the kids' section of the library, but I picked it out for myself. I've been working my way through it for a couple days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ55e6P6RevLVtn02Bl8HrVDxlDGhKavAPBC5XPv7suXL8V2BTu6liTtNGB8vHjotFBRQ7WLK9ypCzmrV7nZ2z-7CvCfqxk-C_si1ZgvFco6WzlewHuL5Eeg6w9I5MXQbPFti03zmXSFWNT5T5xvLMbkBjqto2pJgzheOa-6d-rf5bugzxHlX-BWhQPUU/s839/PXL_20240105_220821381.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ55e6P6RevLVtn02Bl8HrVDxlDGhKavAPBC5XPv7suXL8V2BTu6liTtNGB8vHjotFBRQ7WLK9ypCzmrV7nZ2z-7CvCfqxk-C_si1ZgvFco6WzlewHuL5Eeg6w9I5MXQbPFti03zmXSFWNT5T5xvLMbkBjqto2pJgzheOa-6d-rf5bugzxHlX-BWhQPUU/w300-h400/PXL_20240105_220821381.MP.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's fascinating and mind-boggling. I love reading about how the first people spread out from Mesopotamia to settle the rest of the world. Can you even imagine leaving behind what you know to walk thousands of miles to a place where humans have never been? Or worse - to get in a boat and set off, not knowing if or when you'd find land? Our 21st century minds can't imagine what it was like to have so much unknown about the world. I'm also amazed by the ingenuity of mankind. So these people trek into a new land and then they have to figure out how to survive there! For some reason they decide to dig and they find metal. For some reason they decide to heat it up, and they discover it's moldable. So now they can make tools and weapons. And then they figure out how to grow crops and create irrigation systems and waste systems, and all these important things that contribute to their survival. After hundreds of years, they've developed religions and governments and art, but then another country swoops in, wipes them out, and takes over! It's crazy to look at the dates and see these empires that existed for hundreds of years. They probably felt invincible and enlightened. But they all eventually crumbled. It's weird to realize that the United States is less than 300 years old. I feel like we think of our world today as so civilized. All of the land has been discovered and claimed. Boundaries are in place. We don't just decide to take over other countries anymore, right? But history proves that's probably not a guarantee for the stability of our future. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. I have a confession to make: Meijer was out of Dr Pepper this week, but Pibb Extra (formerly Mr. Pibb) was on sale, so I bought that instead . . . and I'm not sure I could tell the difference between DP and Pibb in a blind taste test. 🤯 I need to get a can of Dr Pepper and try it this week. Stay tuned.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3dltgD3EOg1kAp2gPHerDx_gx-U9bnzlBw1H5zo3TO4YQS-ZD_Xp7jFWwbJSG0FRafu11dHrcFPzPlJtaUmYFKVCa9P3fG4rAO5RC2GD6elrqx16QCtxLZLkYK1igYWPb54mpKhgibp-3ZkifaFBdDzoMPUWVRyRdY-DHM8T0Fz81V4AJUUOTJYMGvk/s839/Snapchat-158668108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3dltgD3EOg1kAp2gPHerDx_gx-U9bnzlBw1H5zo3TO4YQS-ZD_Xp7jFWwbJSG0FRafu11dHrcFPzPlJtaUmYFKVCa9P3fG4rAO5RC2GD6elrqx16QCtxLZLkYK1igYWPb54mpKhgibp-3ZkifaFBdDzoMPUWVRyRdY-DHM8T0Fz81V4AJUUOTJYMGvk/w225-h400/Snapchat-158668108.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-30083376096237406752024-01-01T17:36:00.000-05:002024-01-01T17:36:04.087-05:002023 in Review<p>It's that time of year again where I look back on the past 12 months and share some highs and lows.</p><p>1. I started out 2023 weaning myself completely off Zoloft. It was the first time in 16 years that I wasn't on any kind of mood-stabilizing medication. At first, I felt amazing and didn't miss it at all, but as the year went on, that began to change. </p><p>2. Justin and I went on an epic vacation to Arizona. It's the first big trip we've gone on without our kids since our honeymoon, and it totally gave me the travel bug. We had a blast exploring the Grand Canyon and other random Arizona sights together, and ate some of the best Mexican food we've ever had. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo859eXd0SvDJGWDE0YvV6D_mSdEQ-nUzpbQLd12UeR9B_2HKGAp3UGwnIxWTPfIuxbfi7Vjq4v79fRtUxEyZtORL8LlyaPZOjmDU71uYJM69C4eoxVB7oAEqbk4DM2WGpJ-ZswDdnsCWXpFwPartXLCkznUNTvx3HJJEgn9zCyWIDGTPhOzvjXvqlT4/s1038/PXL_20230125_164652064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1038" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo859eXd0SvDJGWDE0YvV6D_mSdEQ-nUzpbQLd12UeR9B_2HKGAp3UGwnIxWTPfIuxbfi7Vjq4v79fRtUxEyZtORL8LlyaPZOjmDU71uYJM69C4eoxVB7oAEqbk4DM2WGpJ-ZswDdnsCWXpFwPartXLCkznUNTvx3HJJEgn9zCyWIDGTPhOzvjXvqlT4/w400-h300/PXL_20230125_164652064.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>3. I had strep throat on Easter, which was way more miserable as an adult than I remember it being as a kid. <div><br /></div><div>4. Stinkin' Stella severed her tail and we paid a cringeworthy amount of money to have the tip amputated. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5ArDnfbCI0U9Yur3Jzv9UCMu5CI25kU8dlrMVhqvKBSZfwMUiovk1HM7dbwQhzdgYOwFOvjc-t9E7H8x8M6WL5Tmf4jJ-0O8zDtdVTEeJdTnLmtyCCbawPGrvnWbyoqMcK8LBDmxR63nyfhSOfFyBy8EVSNoJRQgHqI5tUzMEXNeh0qfGT_Q1r7r80I/s786/PXL_20230422_144142846.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="786" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5ArDnfbCI0U9Yur3Jzv9UCMu5CI25kU8dlrMVhqvKBSZfwMUiovk1HM7dbwQhzdgYOwFOvjc-t9E7H8x8M6WL5Tmf4jJ-0O8zDtdVTEeJdTnLmtyCCbawPGrvnWbyoqMcK8LBDmxR63nyfhSOfFyBy8EVSNoJRQgHqI5tUzMEXNeh0qfGT_Q1r7r80I/w640-h636/PXL_20230422_144142846.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>5. I joined a group from church and read through the entire Bible in 90 days. It was a daunting endeavor, and I'm glad I did it, but I'm not sure I'll do it again that way. I slacked off on Bible reading the rest of the year because I felt like, "I just read all this." </div><div><br /></div><div>6. After years of eating whatever I wanted without repercussions (except weight gain), I battled with all kinds of stomach issues most of the year. I have yet to pinpoint what kind of food causes the flare-ups, but I've lost 19 pounds since last April because my stomach hurts most of the time and I'm scared of overdoing it and paying for it later. I was diagnosed with IBS and tried one prescription medication and a few OTC options that haven't really helped. Eventually, I went back on Zoloft - partly to deal with the anxiety my stomach issues were causing me, and partly because IBS can be the result of a serotonin deficiency. As of a couple weeks ago, I'm back up to the max dosage of Zoloft. Being drug-free was nice while it lasted, but apparently my body needs that artificial serotonin boost. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. Levi played soccer again in the spring and actually scored a couple of goals for the first time - largely thanks to the bribe of McDonald's for a goal. 😂</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSP7K_bQEQK1H9OIgGOR1Hwhyphenhyphen6h-yCw4tPrD6Rmh3i2yOyPKwUZEhCrxGvCJZ51D1P1QIbIEtbadhvhx-ZCOIEwTc_UZqqDb2Ar8SCvBQFBUe1IQcwte21G6hN-fKI2KCGaD-anZZOB7z2xC7kv7XR4owk4HNDvLR10eAKh1QFAI8oJa5rA1r5nuX_y4/s866/PXL_20230422_152943125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSP7K_bQEQK1H9OIgGOR1Hwhyphenhyphen6h-yCw4tPrD6Rmh3i2yOyPKwUZEhCrxGvCJZ51D1P1QIbIEtbadhvhx-ZCOIEwTc_UZqqDb2Ar8SCvBQFBUe1IQcwte21G6hN-fKI2KCGaD-anZZOB7z2xC7kv7XR4owk4HNDvLR10eAKh1QFAI8oJa5rA1r5nuX_y4/w480-h640/PXL_20230422_152943125.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>8. Lena and Levi both took up a new hobby this year: playing tennis with Justin. I never tagged along and he doesn't take pictures, so there's no photographic proof, but they loved it. And Justin says they were starting to get the hang of it by the end of summer . . . unlike their mother. My dad tried to bond with me over tennis one summer. He eventually decided that wasn't my gift. Lol.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. I went to an alpaca farm in Indiana with my cousins for one crazy night. We had a blast with each other . . . and the alpacas.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYK-pWmlOEH_YVWD7ja0Is_yp_M2TKWEY9cnwFMHOF6a1J6szU1eJispm_fFiY-Wj7WQtlR3VBRylRiZE6ZRie-xF0HzDAQqbGBXJvwvw0jUccjyrKLzx1jxr0Ez2NIJnTRbQjMoXaIxhUZbYPnlW-fLfESzr0H6W9Pfj6tJXqLLbCnsHfLLzXI2WcMU/s866/PXL_20230520_195205729.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYK-pWmlOEH_YVWD7ja0Is_yp_M2TKWEY9cnwFMHOF6a1J6szU1eJispm_fFiY-Wj7WQtlR3VBRylRiZE6ZRie-xF0HzDAQqbGBXJvwvw0jUccjyrKLzx1jxr0Ez2NIJnTRbQjMoXaIxhUZbYPnlW-fLfESzr0H6W9Pfj6tJXqLLbCnsHfLLzXI2WcMU/w300-h400/PXL_20230520_195205729.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />10. Thanks to inflation and grocery prices and my obsession with restaurant food, I had to leave my life of leisure and get a second job. I started working at Once Upon a Child at the end of May. Once school was out for the summer, I worked the evening shift three days a week. And during school, I work two days in the library and two days at Once Upon. I would much rather just do the library, but I'm thankful that OUAC is so flexible and I'm able to get in a few hours and make a little extra dough. At first, it was really rough on my back to be on my feet so much, but my back has toughened up a lot and it's become much more bearable!</div><div><br /></div><div>11. Levi finally learned how to ride a two-wheel bike. He loves the freedom it has afforded and zoomed up and down our street all summer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJhGTBpz7Z5rHllZIXr62AaHu6VlaqjCWeve4V6JFEi0DDR4VItbtPn3Clueg8BP9fN2UCKJ6Rhps6JHwwHMQtMCEreZP6_4oZBwamZacXDW9Ws6Pi98i4tE3LSL9ANx3jww_Isip-th14xbLVYvG_F2pY31F3RqPbVq3J5QNAwxSF9-2Iw5aJa5eW_0/s780/PXL_20230526_234334917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="585" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJhGTBpz7Z5rHllZIXr62AaHu6VlaqjCWeve4V6JFEi0DDR4VItbtPn3Clueg8BP9fN2UCKJ6Rhps6JHwwHMQtMCEreZP6_4oZBwamZacXDW9Ws6Pi98i4tE3LSL9ANx3jww_Isip-th14xbLVYvG_F2pY31F3RqPbVq3J5QNAwxSF9-2Iw5aJa5eW_0/w480-h640/PXL_20230526_234334917.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>12. We enjoyed four Cousin Fun Days over the summer - well Lena and Levi did. Lucy didn't come to a single one for the first time. She definitely became a full-fledged teenager this year. She barely left her room, got really into music and makeup, and wasn't interested in the "kid activities" anymore. The rest of us had fun at Lewis Farms, Hager Park, Deer Tracks Junction, and Millennium Park. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b2oM_ccuI47ciprQatABbtBqSL7fiMxvMI0Nxjqs85dvOqVyHQ2Y2GhZl1nbMcFMl0_OOteowjElmIVBRkwFiM_hQa0i6QxWdgIpUuyhHXPyNTXXTqSMT_sr89fdcTnEwyr8i5R99kOiWuaO932o2PsG7zanCnv-SboKRFi6fv3bGMkPByFzpgALF20/s866/PXL_20230620_131949196.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b2oM_ccuI47ciprQatABbtBqSL7fiMxvMI0Nxjqs85dvOqVyHQ2Y2GhZl1nbMcFMl0_OOteowjElmIVBRkwFiM_hQa0i6QxWdgIpUuyhHXPyNTXXTqSMT_sr89fdcTnEwyr8i5R99kOiWuaO932o2PsG7zanCnv-SboKRFi6fv3bGMkPByFzpgALF20/w480-h640/PXL_20230620_131949196.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>13. Levi got really into listening to audiobooks on Alexa this year. I wish I would've kept better track of everything he listened to. That's going to be one of my goals for 2024. According to the Libby app (where we get most of our audiobooks), this is what he listened to this year: Ruff vs. Fluff (Spencer Quinn), Dog Diaries (James Patterson), Aces Wild (Erica S Perl), Boxcar Children: The Robot Ransom, The Trouble with Chickens (Doreen Cronin) Boxcar Children: Mystery at the Dog Show, the entire Two Dogs and a Trenchcoat series (Julie Falatko), Boxcar Children: Mystery of the Midnight Dog, a bunch of Mr. Lemoncello books (Chris Grabenstein), Fortunately the Milk (Neil Gaiman), Ribsy (Beverly Cleary), Boxcar Children: Mystery of the Missing Cat, Dog Squad (Chris Grabenstein), The Wild Robot (Peter Brown), and most of Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family Children series. I didn't screen any of these, so listen at your own risk. </div><div><br /></div><div>14. Part of the reason Levi listened to so many books is because of our 5-day screen fast in July. I think he listened to 8 books that week alone. Haha. It was a bit of a rough week, but we survived and it made me realize we can do it long-term as long as I'm willing to put in the work of entertaining Levi and cracking down on the girls. </div><div><br /></div><div>15. We started leaving the kids home alone with Lucy for a few hours here and there. So far, they haven't killed each other or burned the house down!</div><div><br /></div><div>16. We took a family trip to Michigan's Adventure (without Lucy 😔). It was Levi's first time and he surprised me with his bravery!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJTD-3CtyL9lU8ggCNN-zOdBQ2-XzrneDOmYp5BIFgilq90Mvpj0xME488PU_T4Mp8XP-pLgBRYB5yjS_wJZlNMyMhlfskjDhRrAMtg8LM22Cpc-HadKBas6tKdWX5PBWKd1oJoM_DixnyWV0HoZdhS-qi0McAAH5p-NOmI-JxaopTXXy_JHiw1SNht8/s857/PXL_20230822_160445674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJTD-3CtyL9lU8ggCNN-zOdBQ2-XzrneDOmYp5BIFgilq90Mvpj0xME488PU_T4Mp8XP-pLgBRYB5yjS_wJZlNMyMhlfskjDhRrAMtg8LM22Cpc-HadKBas6tKdWX5PBWKd1oJoM_DixnyWV0HoZdhS-qi0McAAH5p-NOmI-JxaopTXXy_JHiw1SNht8/w480-h640/PXL_20230822_160445674.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>17. Justin had a successful third year of coaching soccer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7fVJ_16rIj99Sp95NFkJVVp4wpn3-eoLeQtvwgk38sGechFLzRVdcGHT2xpianoCSMnPcR_wlKI9_eg6Xty_g5hiCeQhdT2JVlVIWe3As3P12CZAdwShV2b23qKP5W5ONUlr34JWzs8bbZT6s9tPjo92pAsZLNZi95PpFFDK899m19HT-NNR31mBohI/s1080/392896473_10168305295465235_7226628764790660582_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7fVJ_16rIj99Sp95NFkJVVp4wpn3-eoLeQtvwgk38sGechFLzRVdcGHT2xpianoCSMnPcR_wlKI9_eg6Xty_g5hiCeQhdT2JVlVIWe3As3P12CZAdwShV2b23qKP5W5ONUlr34JWzs8bbZT6s9tPjo92pAsZLNZi95PpFFDK899m19HT-NNR31mBohI/w640-h426/392896473_10168305295465235_7226628764790660582_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>18. We had a snowy, cold Halloween.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoD8Dzf5ecu2P0Veq_wdf-N0NJThumSBZusd5SFMaf1kR7ps5GvavWOH5HTdapgmvON2SibV1uYca1WYE2U3w7XDfoZOTlYnmrRE5jOEci1-XuEE1QAdSxmg5E84due-gAkVLywj5l7s8qwHwubmb4Ioqtah_EAne7-Kten3oDkZ1VNUOuSwbr5-qfzM/s4032/371517506_197009596774099_6756964989929274329_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoD8Dzf5ecu2P0Veq_wdf-N0NJThumSBZusd5SFMaf1kR7ps5GvavWOH5HTdapgmvON2SibV1uYca1WYE2U3w7XDfoZOTlYnmrRE5jOEci1-XuEE1QAdSxmg5E84due-gAkVLywj5l7s8qwHwubmb4Ioqtah_EAne7-Kten3oDkZ1VNUOuSwbr5-qfzM/w480-h640/371517506_197009596774099_6756964989929274329_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>19. I became a great-aunt <i>again</i> when sweet Lainey Nicole was born to my nephew Tayton:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8C1Gb9uGNmRXLrOhllh9jDR9-Ip5CnmnpKWg-0pG8H2U7F77QJXGZTS4HU_DVwbJeED0S4pQF2sq8szZTanA0xn9CbOTqO_v2hlQLRUNFH-XPDuHIbO_E2gMS4BEbnxyM6hWTjstuANFo4lE-Yh6R2ExZYoGJwOV5h8UH73yok-7axf_YdK8i-Fmqrg4/s839/Screenshot_20231216-114927.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="632" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8C1Gb9uGNmRXLrOhllh9jDR9-Ip5CnmnpKWg-0pG8H2U7F77QJXGZTS4HU_DVwbJeED0S4pQF2sq8szZTanA0xn9CbOTqO_v2hlQLRUNFH-XPDuHIbO_E2gMS4BEbnxyM6hWTjstuANFo4lE-Yh6R2ExZYoGJwOV5h8UH73yok-7axf_YdK8i-Fmqrg4/w301-h400/Screenshot_20231216-114927.png" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div>20. I didn't accomplish my reading goal. 😭 But in fairness, I set my goal of 100 books before I knew I'd be working two jobs this year. I still read a respectable 79 books. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVURIQ0jyWC2Rvt3T1XD0WAHj4Hea_KNEJeOgjBVkD8e2fLKimgaQZqJJmSu_4kd2jWR55KuWYeFTbecKK0hXrkMDqJaKICDjRAbRBvNvB5vVSgkdMpDFXfB3f89gr-4JYfhyphenhypheniRbrmia2UWEle8vpk0Lm-lUTrLU6mRZonVaFKAIGMV_T6XDev6rkZA10/s839/Screenshot_20240101-171635.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVURIQ0jyWC2Rvt3T1XD0WAHj4Hea_KNEJeOgjBVkD8e2fLKimgaQZqJJmSu_4kd2jWR55KuWYeFTbecKK0hXrkMDqJaKICDjRAbRBvNvB5vVSgkdMpDFXfB3f89gr-4JYfhyphenhypheniRbrmia2UWEle8vpk0Lm-lUTrLU6mRZonVaFKAIGMV_T6XDev6rkZA10/w348-h400/Screenshot_20240101-171635.png" width="348" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had seven 5-star reads this year:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Aw2u8JsJMRh6v07zT9FQRQQ_Mg_UIRtc4Q9f8PQAksv6-jpv76yPnRghjKUUiIWBYrM-UgICCOmduWtWuFWkKQidFlqy2BMxXU6SuRf8spqx_xjPNVVV_jVC_D2rRSgo4Shi9MONEOl7ZY-cgJpAhF8s8QzT-MEU6ab21TebOQXjGuuxQm34X44zBho/s1599/Black%20White%20Photo%20Collage%20Happy%20Mother's%20Day%20Instagram%20Post%20(Mobile%20Video).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Aw2u8JsJMRh6v07zT9FQRQQ_Mg_UIRtc4Q9f8PQAksv6-jpv76yPnRghjKUUiIWBYrM-UgICCOmduWtWuFWkKQidFlqy2BMxXU6SuRf8spqx_xjPNVVV_jVC_D2rRSgo4Shi9MONEOl7ZY-cgJpAhF8s8QzT-MEU6ab21TebOQXjGuuxQm34X44zBho/w270-h400/Black%20White%20Photo%20Collage%20Happy%20Mother's%20Day%20Instagram%20Post%20(Mobile%20Video).png" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-09bbbd48-7fff-6fd3-01e2-583f3f7086c0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Faith-My-Fathers-Chronicles-Kings/dp/0764229923/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TXULFZL5R2CC&keywords=faith+of+my+fathers+by+lynn+austin&qid=1704147548&sprefix=faith+of+my+fathers%2Caps%2C653&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Faith of My Fathers</a> by Lynn Austin (Biblical fiction, book 4 in a series, should be read in order, but so worth reading all 5 books!)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Household-Practicing-Everyday-Rhythms/dp/0310362938/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IXWUT301FXNC&keywords=habits+of+the+household&qid=1704147596&sprefix=habits+of+the+househol%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Habits of the Household</a> by Justin Whitmel Earley (Christian parenting)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/City-Ember-First-Book/dp/0375822747/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1I4BY4Y8YZEZ9&keywords=the+city+of+ember&qid=1704147640&sprefix=the+city+of+ember%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The City of Ember</a> by Jeanne DuPrau (middle-grade fiction)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Island-Innocent-Cheney-Duvall-M-D/dp/1556616988/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PLWGFJYC6B4T&keywords=island+of+the+innocent+lynn+morris&qid=1704147703&sprefix=island+of+the+innocent%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Island of the Innocent</a> by Gilbert and Lynn Morris (Book 7 of an old favorite series. Should be read in order.)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Comes-Timeless-Gabrielle-Meyer/dp/0764239740/ref=sr_1_1?crid=18HRNJQY9CKPV&keywords=when+the+day+comes+timeless+book+%231&qid=1704147758&sprefix=when+the+day+comes%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1" target="_blank">When the Day Comes</a> by Gabrielle Meyer (Christian historical fiction with a fantasy twist)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Million-Little-Choices-Tamera-Alexander/dp/1646070550/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2G8OIDOBA4V0S&keywords=a+million+little+choices+tamera+alexander&qid=1704147802&sprefix=a+million+little+choi%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1" target="_blank">A Million Little Choices</a> by Tamera Alexander (Christian contemporary fiction)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Detox-Two-Week-Tech-Reset/dp/0764238760/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PHXP4DUP56ZZ&keywords=digital+detox+molly+defrank&qid=1704147838&sprefix=digital+detox+moll%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Digital Detox</a> by Molly Defrank (parenting book specifically about screen time)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I also read a few duds this year. Not including the books I didn't finish, these are the ones I only gave two stars to:</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Thistle-Laura-Frantz/dp/080074067X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FJ7SD8SUE5L0&keywords=the+rose+and+the+thistle+laura+frantz&qid=1704148048&sprefix=the+rose+and+the+%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Rose and the Thistle</a> by Laura Frantz - I usually love this author, but this book fell flat for me</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Horseman-Paullina-Simons/dp/006185414X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37E053SKOROFH&keywords=the+bronze+horseman&qid=1704148086&sprefix=the+bronze+horseman%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Bronze Horseman</a> by Paullina Simons - this made tons of Goodreads lists for "best romance book ever," but I hated it. Very dirty and very depressing.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e1e03c53-7fff-044a-39af-d09df0c1dcee"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Twist-Bethany-Turner/dp/0785244484/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E3KV2R8I8RMX&keywords=plot+twist+bethany+turner&qid=1704148124&sprefix=plot+twist+bethany%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Plot Twist</a> by Bethany Turner - lots of people in the Christian fiction world loved this one. I was not among them. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to keep my reading goal at 100 for 2024. I have big plans to do less screen time, so I anticipate filling some of those hours with reading instead. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last year my resolutions were to read through the Bible and lose weight. I did both! Although I shouldn't get any credit for the weight loss since that was unintentional. 😂 I'm not making any resolutions for 2024. Come what may!</span></p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-54498061055652213162023-12-30T22:49:00.003-05:002023-12-30T22:56:07.784-05:00The Saturday 7: Christmas Edition<p>1. Another Christmas come and gone. It was wonderful as usual. After finishing my blog last week, Justin helped me put all the presents under the tree. We don't do Santa, but I like there to be a big reveal on Christmas morning. Well our "Christmas morning" is actually Christmas Eve morning . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQW6lG5MB7E5j_FzyqjIkyZNDtD5lsG3S2skV3xNdy7xiz86SHd_DLfTukwEDdNl2c5RfKCfNqLQ9FTrcLgEn3adISbXVoeJP-mjrorpOgCozWzzWTQMkrmQenyh1nQgFYn2Lq7-CYDtfOvitFnq7ZleRAge3f7rYegGvOpRjBb66EVVyZm6loN1KMHU/s839/PXL_20231224_140409508.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQW6lG5MB7E5j_FzyqjIkyZNDtD5lsG3S2skV3xNdy7xiz86SHd_DLfTukwEDdNl2c5RfKCfNqLQ9FTrcLgEn3adISbXVoeJP-mjrorpOgCozWzzWTQMkrmQenyh1nQgFYn2Lq7-CYDtfOvitFnq7ZleRAge3f7rYegGvOpRjBb66EVVyZm6loN1KMHU/w480-h640/PXL_20231224_140409508.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiPGFEas6BkWdlDMQ1j3l90xtC7fTL9NdiRWMsO30PfIMowyvMOFM6Am8kj_rkFNOjcP256zjhksDkdgJKGF6FxRzuwKxgeNNLFqrX4JQUwd5RNuNMJAHe-KrbV1tUxD4Rk0CmDfHdxBhg101GKVxjRJPwMRMPBVt8wkzjU63ttSRGFu-hRYzFAH9w6Q/s839/PXL_20231224_140746013.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiPGFEas6BkWdlDMQ1j3l90xtC7fTL9NdiRWMsO30PfIMowyvMOFM6Am8kj_rkFNOjcP256zjhksDkdgJKGF6FxRzuwKxgeNNLFqrX4JQUwd5RNuNMJAHe-KrbV1tUxD4Rk0CmDfHdxBhg101GKVxjRJPwMRMPBVt8wkzjU63ttSRGFu-hRYzFAH9w6Q/w480-h640/PXL_20231224_140746013.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi got really excited about pretty much everything he opened.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPq7dpmQkIJbIhi7T3YvYi0oSRq55ugMqDZjXLURmahJoBCXDDgYvuyoyU_YjI-nMyRe21LmaKMETf6jxgCN4-tMmmKSw4vtUFbPeu_uAzfpOe1WIX0DKm0Fhbj4P84amQKOZ8nV9dB4PPvUS73ngU1OtoL0zLfxwcYeNDItwBZZUhcorX09RBDe4tUI/s839/PXL_20231224_140947806.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPq7dpmQkIJbIhi7T3YvYi0oSRq55ugMqDZjXLURmahJoBCXDDgYvuyoyU_YjI-nMyRe21LmaKMETf6jxgCN4-tMmmKSw4vtUFbPeu_uAzfpOe1WIX0DKm0Fhbj4P84amQKOZ8nV9dB4PPvUS73ngU1OtoL0zLfxwcYeNDItwBZZUhcorX09RBDe4tUI/w480-h640/PXL_20231224_140947806.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSXphkPYg7gtPl9CvZc5iko0MfMSvR8y6d_cM4RnxySXxqKGeSRxtaD8MK6rLgxXF4JVxr0PwAashxFyrhsePloqJwL64zE9UDOXcu76F0DpZ1Nwy9NY1hnoLq2OIXf3hev1ELspqyRY50BnDfufjil9DrUcH8-9fMYuDZvSI_uaX5JhcbMi4Bfrr0ZI/s839/PXL_20231224_141214855.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSXphkPYg7gtPl9CvZc5iko0MfMSvR8y6d_cM4RnxySXxqKGeSRxtaD8MK6rLgxXF4JVxr0PwAashxFyrhsePloqJwL64zE9UDOXcu76F0DpZ1Nwy9NY1hnoLq2OIXf3hev1ELspqyRY50BnDfufjil9DrUcH8-9fMYuDZvSI_uaX5JhcbMi4Bfrr0ZI/w480-h640/PXL_20231224_141214855.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9jqqUp2UvHhwzom7E3F0Y8_J2K8_c5wS3T0xDMT0W3BHewOwAScjw1eFA1sf1IvmZYKaQ4_KgagFS2KXz_BYA_zHPpAbFnNyb0Ge8-DkCwANjqjlcCH3Eaz2iDD4EbUTeIv1MpyxL5X7QHdIFiLGNuRedHbLSkW_SqDDn6UFwXfBDk90XlsunPpvahY/s839/PXL_20231224_142222588.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9jqqUp2UvHhwzom7E3F0Y8_J2K8_c5wS3T0xDMT0W3BHewOwAScjw1eFA1sf1IvmZYKaQ4_KgagFS2KXz_BYA_zHPpAbFnNyb0Ge8-DkCwANjqjlcCH3Eaz2iDD4EbUTeIv1MpyxL5X7QHdIFiLGNuRedHbLSkW_SqDDn6UFwXfBDk90XlsunPpvahY/w300-h400/PXL_20231224_142222588.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since my overnight cinnamon rolls failed, I got up early on Christmas Eve morning to make these "<a href="https://www.kindlyunspoken.com/one-hour-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/" target="_blank">Easy One Hour Cinnamon Rolls</a>." The failed almost as miserably. I'm thinking my yeast was too old. We ate them anyway. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYPlWSn0gz3posi6qcAMS_d6BswnYFmE5jwISNGc5Lfotli7kX4wAF5zEbzeD-pW5NmO8OLCFNyyWYvKPdd369oBJt3Kfbr5DmFbgSxdqAnsuWWNUtRY_bybd7FoKt4UTYJHajK_tqhPlzOTkXxfhV5SqxPXaRy8D_nl6iR7SC1ZCrV-3df8hQTsfyOY/s839/PXL_20231224_142746084.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYPlWSn0gz3posi6qcAMS_d6BswnYFmE5jwISNGc5Lfotli7kX4wAF5zEbzeD-pW5NmO8OLCFNyyWYvKPdd369oBJt3Kfbr5DmFbgSxdqAnsuWWNUtRY_bybd7FoKt4UTYJHajK_tqhPlzOTkXxfhV5SqxPXaRy8D_nl6iR7SC1ZCrV-3df8hQTsfyOY/w300-h400/PXL_20231224_142746084.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella got a couple presents too!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We actually only opened a few presents in the morning because we had to get to church. We're heathens, and usually skip church if it interferes with our Christmas plans, but Justin had to teach Sunday School this year, so put a pause on present-opening and went.<div><br /></div><div>But we jumped right back into it when we got home. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU2QzixdzR9cbbfltZ69PY7i4oaVe0WV5Ox1s4nOUOnA9d21QppMplF_ur9dl1_dbPWaCtQgqTz4VPSzio5LV58vKQE83ZK3m1FmqG0AqbeFNYIq9opJH0LmWWKI6QDAOCxatk4rJJFo630-75-Vk2zIaO0KSHiUs2mqU72KqKfRWda20OrF-yapDyv4/s1118/PXL_20231224_182943310.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU2QzixdzR9cbbfltZ69PY7i4oaVe0WV5Ox1s4nOUOnA9d21QppMplF_ur9dl1_dbPWaCtQgqTz4VPSzio5LV58vKQE83ZK3m1FmqG0AqbeFNYIq9opJH0LmWWKI6QDAOCxatk4rJJFo630-75-Vk2zIaO0KSHiUs2mqU72KqKfRWda20OrF-yapDyv4/w640-h480/PXL_20231224_182943310.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aftermath</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The big hits this year were all the remote controlled vehicles for Levi: truck, drone, airplane - plus a hoverboard. Lena was most excited about her Osmo Kit and gymnastics bar. And Lucy pretty much just wanted clothes, perfume, make-up stuff, and books. <br /><div><br /><p>2. It was nice spending Christmas Eve afternoon at home, opening all the new stuff, napping, and preparing for the next day. That night kicked off Christmas with my family with the Christmas Eve service at church:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxB8C4p2q0CWUIAZKu2UqPE6G3TN-kchEWYoZU2umZ6GxbRpFIC6-NIfWAlaGfgbwaT9ao-WztSDlSEtI2hyqo0MrPSzL0p8kp67mntVlD6NXtAFcA4Ahamwo0ZPC7FlEJ7b2DM2MWU-c7oMIX8ROTTZsj4qNw7rpK0Lapskt2zwIoP4yO7MTQAwQHCo/s839/PXL_20231224_234320260.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxB8C4p2q0CWUIAZKu2UqPE6G3TN-kchEWYoZU2umZ6GxbRpFIC6-NIfWAlaGfgbwaT9ao-WztSDlSEtI2hyqo0MrPSzL0p8kp67mntVlD6NXtAFcA4Ahamwo0ZPC7FlEJ7b2DM2MWU-c7oMIX8ROTTZsj4qNw7rpK0Lapskt2zwIoP4yO7MTQAwQHCo/w480-h640/PXL_20231224_234320260.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Then it was off to Niki's house for appetizers and hang-out time. This year, Niki made each couple tell how they met, how they started dating, and where they went on their first date. It was fun to hear everyone's stories - and interesting to see how things have changed. With my parents and us old siblings, we had to physically talk to the person - or at least call them on a landline phone - to ask them out. For the nephews (and my cradle robbing brother), it was done largely through text. #kidsthesedays</p><p>My kids and I spent the night at Niki's, per tradition. And per tradition, Levi didn't fall asleep until almost midnight. 🤦 He was up at 5:00 asking if it was morning, but I convinced him to go back to sleep until 8:00 at least. </p><p>3. On Christmas morning, everyone arrived around 8:30, the kids found their stockings and explored their loot, then we made the kids assemble for the yearly Christmas tree pic. I love how this group gets bigger every year! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-lWLV25400R2WOtuvPssZGeqBmgx0Xc1gqAMAhPmqFFPWdZshpCwVmOJsog-LvI-DagguNquTNJ3LVUoxdREZ3u4vUlSc7O_gFGJkvXB3Dea4v7vxcRDfmMaDvL_179W4bDStdHx82Smndq8Ibl4SUus3GQUw1OGjpg4WWYoP15WLKcdqSiswr2Ewuc/s1118/PXL_20231225_141223540.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-lWLV25400R2WOtuvPssZGeqBmgx0Xc1gqAMAhPmqFFPWdZshpCwVmOJsog-LvI-DagguNquTNJ3LVUoxdREZ3u4vUlSc7O_gFGJkvXB3Dea4v7vxcRDfmMaDvL_179W4bDStdHx82Smndq8Ibl4SUus3GQUw1OGjpg4WWYoP15WLKcdqSiswr2Ewuc/w640-h480/PXL_20231225_141223540.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No criers this year!! Although, I didn't get a very good one of everyone looking at me. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Then Dad did a retelling of the Christmas story with his handy dandy flannel board (which I apparently didn't get a picture of.) But Niki got this cute video of Levi. Each family had to read a small portion of the story. Levi wanted to read ours, and did better than I expected him to!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/shJ5kV-GWSQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="shJ5kV-GWSQ"></iframe></div><p>We spent the rest of the day opening presents . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmUqDTk36m5C1t3PEOcNqTvG_1ohXVUrQ9xyW3ukY2NEIAGJllwrMQeKOfGrUWuZdyrmoEfBzv3wduDc6c4taRNQlrxv-Xw2W-e0fB00yqlcX2JpUtDoK79lZINBVuMWy9vFR-xw3o2TRsEk0PVR4KSFFqHLmjLp6McBoJ5iG99JDh_sfL_n0eYZ8tIw/s839/received_738514595001060.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmUqDTk36m5C1t3PEOcNqTvG_1ohXVUrQ9xyW3ukY2NEIAGJllwrMQeKOfGrUWuZdyrmoEfBzv3wduDc6c4taRNQlrxv-Xw2W-e0fB00yqlcX2JpUtDoK79lZINBVuMWy9vFR-xw3o2TRsEk0PVR4KSFFqHLmjLp6McBoJ5iG99JDh_sfL_n0eYZ8tIw/w480-h640/received_738514595001060.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Looking for the pickle in the tree (Nash was the big winner this year!) . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsM55Wg-N9vZd7VkaN0oXto7TAW-BEat6JAY5zuHbLYLyF6o3xMxqkcKCkuYrhq6tsVGQhRPmnrjkrxGM0gAB95ns7rt5Imt0HGSzDzWI9xQAChJCdumHTr4OC11-vwNletlzM-wzg04pWCEVaMLCVVnCJBnWw7HHnQfIiYxIGUAM2u-jMyDi11odgb8/s839/received_702060475398797.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsM55Wg-N9vZd7VkaN0oXto7TAW-BEat6JAY5zuHbLYLyF6o3xMxqkcKCkuYrhq6tsVGQhRPmnrjkrxGM0gAB95ns7rt5Imt0HGSzDzWI9xQAChJCdumHTr4OC11-vwNletlzM-wzg04pWCEVaMLCVVnCJBnWw7HHnQfIiYxIGUAM2u-jMyDi11odgb8/w480-h640/received_702060475398797.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Playing games . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHq_nNqjepq1SwU3c4fu2aWPkhQZpCd_yxAymrc4YMf7L_Ff3JZsYspF_pABMmMGHAOtsQ1wV0D3kJqTmGWoMQKnWzvQrhbkdpih3OjI9lzMaLO_plIlPPU1YeObA-NwRC6kHpddQr3p5PgQXrYbD8nZYY9NXMOkwfyfjWjpBeYHqA73Fn2IvuEQCfXk/s839/received_383694250694556.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHq_nNqjepq1SwU3c4fu2aWPkhQZpCd_yxAymrc4YMf7L_Ff3JZsYspF_pABMmMGHAOtsQ1wV0D3kJqTmGWoMQKnWzvQrhbkdpih3OjI9lzMaLO_plIlPPU1YeObA-NwRC6kHpddQr3p5PgQXrYbD8nZYY9NXMOkwfyfjWjpBeYHqA73Fn2IvuEQCfXk/w480-h640/received_383694250694556.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Holding sweet babies . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQojuvC3_wJKIGX433dmo3NBoKTXLXzTuL32vSOhpzvVdHrjPhT-3Wsa3rkL9JGoMFMly3V3-e7TGLvzGgRWqwqrGeDmbzfwxgeCA1nCQGM4Mel4wSUSTRHj55XQv7yje4paJMltpCek3BxBjfqwEJP95wNjr3PzgXWFqBAru1gJCCu4NNJXK5rKI8FZg/s839/PXL_20231225_161445256.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQojuvC3_wJKIGX433dmo3NBoKTXLXzTuL32vSOhpzvVdHrjPhT-3Wsa3rkL9JGoMFMly3V3-e7TGLvzGgRWqwqrGeDmbzfwxgeCA1nCQGM4Mel4wSUSTRHj55XQv7yje4paJMltpCek3BxBjfqwEJP95wNjr3PzgXWFqBAru1gJCCu4NNJXK5rKI8FZg/w480-h640/PXL_20231225_161445256.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And even doing sidewalk chalk on this unseasonably warm Christmas Day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DihCSigwTZZhKmZ_7lLxvUyaGKRBH2QvF9eMDUJ_vOqAxJMEqUJV9fF4mkk4WdJrBc4I-s2Ir9TaJNOm8uFQXIzWuh-JAvEkujS2wvAYY8KGfD3uU_pqcumLmzgkqOxYGSaUnS5dBpbRckQf77RBHTSNioG7Cd-6ZVE66xBDVKdv04iQD9HFKbiTj0g/s839/received_1033903564571456.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DihCSigwTZZhKmZ_7lLxvUyaGKRBH2QvF9eMDUJ_vOqAxJMEqUJV9fF4mkk4WdJrBc4I-s2Ir9TaJNOm8uFQXIzWuh-JAvEkujS2wvAYY8KGfD3uU_pqcumLmzgkqOxYGSaUnS5dBpbRckQf77RBHTSNioG7Cd-6ZVE66xBDVKdv04iQD9HFKbiTj0g/w360-h640/received_1033903564571456.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div>We stuffed our faces with delicious food all day, I won three games of six-person Euchre, and we finally tried out Lucy's Escape Room game. She got it from Justin's parents a couple weeks ago, but it's best played with a large group, so she saved it. My mom, Niki, Libby, Brandy, Lucy, Lena, and I took on the challenge . . . and conquered with 12 minutes to spare! It was a lot of fun!</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude on Christmas - for my little family that I love so much, for my big family that brings me such joy, for Niki who is an incredibly gracious and generous hostess, for my parents and siblings and nephews who spoil our kids, for my husband who hangs out with my family for an entire day without complaining, and for Jesus who left heaven to come rescue us . . . and then blessed me with grace upon grace by putting me in this family. I cherish the moments we have together and the way we get along and enjoy each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. The rest of the week has been the typical limbo land of "what day is it?" and "what are we supposed to do with all this trash that won't fit in our trashcan?" Justin and I both had Tuesday off, so it was nice to lay around, play with new toys, and start cleaning up the Christmas messes. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa-AQr7xtzx2IbWnZh2Gi2JbCVqHBMNFFiO1TaVGLo-wMPqqINjUePn1DMpVza3GskinxpWwE0X9hyphenhyphen6-S4wIP2bEth2Q5tp8CTYDRfYnX0nYJKNt3FpNgxModIRFSuOhx7ugtB7VPK2aMPSz3G7W-juhZzksMx56x06g7GRgU7A-SzMDWIWLonWIrmwQ/s839/PXL_20231226_001931090.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa-AQr7xtzx2IbWnZh2Gi2JbCVqHBMNFFiO1TaVGLo-wMPqqINjUePn1DMpVza3GskinxpWwE0X9hyphenhyphen6-S4wIP2bEth2Q5tp8CTYDRfYnX0nYJKNt3FpNgxModIRFSuOhx7ugtB7VPK2aMPSz3G7W-juhZzksMx56x06g7GRgU7A-SzMDWIWLonWIrmwQ/w480-h640/PXL_20231226_001931090.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out the new drone (it's flying in front of the blue curtain by the window.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnOF64vFBGkhDcAIITBD2z-NNg4C0CUlnHQpAQmCdHbculEbtlGBJi0X58FHd-Am0MViKIUAh0EM8M7OmOU3L_r9mloaqUERyuHSCsvRJ9reAS2ZNK_E4gwM5tQTcH_-CUWUgQkfDWkaPYlibcnXPCvrAnlrZwXZRbgiwl6tuLWA8emgYCMKIsEtyZXY/s839/PXL_20231226_170625147.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnOF64vFBGkhDcAIITBD2z-NNg4C0CUlnHQpAQmCdHbculEbtlGBJi0X58FHd-Am0MViKIUAh0EM8M7OmOU3L_r9mloaqUERyuHSCsvRJ9reAS2ZNK_E4gwM5tQTcH_-CUWUgQkfDWkaPYlibcnXPCvrAnlrZwXZRbgiwl6tuLWA8emgYCMKIsEtyZXY/w480-h640/PXL_20231226_170625147.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl has some serious strength and skillz</td></tr></tbody></table><br />5. One of the gifts I bought myself this year is one of those <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WJFD87S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1" target="_blank">electric scrubber tools</a>. (I'm obviously nearing forty when this is something I get excited about.) Our bathtub is disgusting and my traditional method of all-purpose Lysol and paper towel wasn't cutting it. I also bought a tub of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pink-Stuff-Miracle-Purpose-Cleaner/dp/B00DU5SRIY/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=JEZRUDD0NZKU&keywords=pink+stuff&qid=1703993475&s=home-garden&sprefix=pink+stuff%2Cgarden%2C147&sr=1-4" target="_blank">pink stuff</a>" to really up my game. Yesterday, I finally decided to break them in. The first problem, though, is that the drain was seriously clogged by all the hair it has to contend with from Lucy, Lena, and me. Historically, I've always made Justin clean clogged drains, but he doesn't even use this shower, and I was feeling all "I am woman - hear me roar," so I determined to do it myself. Never have I regretted a decision so strongly. That is the nastiest thing I have ever done. Because it's not just hair! There was so much black slimy, squishy gunk that smelled like death. Levi came in to see what I was doing at one point, and literally fled the bathroom gagging. *shudder* Anyway, once I sufficiently scrubbed my hands after removing pounds of hair and sludge, I started in on the tub. Two hours later and it was like new! Haha. I took breaks. And I let the pink stuff set a bunch of times. It didn't get <i>all</i> the hard water stains out, but it did a remarkable job, and I was thankful for the electric spinny brush that saved me from exerting too much elbow grease. </div><div><br /></div><div>6. Today, I finally took all the Christmas stuff down. It's nice to have the living room back in order. We have one more party tomorrow, and then it's officially on to the new year. Stay tuned for my year-in-review blog post. </div><div><br /></div><div>One more thing . . . I finished the book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Detox-Two-Week-Tech-Reset/dp/0764238760/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KBVDOM0FX6JX&keywords=digital+detox+molly+defrank&qid=1703994907&sprefix=digital+detox+molly+defrank%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Digital Detox</a></i> about detoxing kids from screen time, and we're going to start on Wednesday. For two weeks, we're going cold turkey with digital devices. I'm going to let them listen to music they've downloaded or can get on Alexa, but I'm changing the wi-fi password, so they can't sneak any other Internet-related activities. The book was really eye opening and convicting (it was one of only seven 5-star reads for the year), and I just feel like it's something we need to do. So we're going to attempt it for two weeks, and then add screens back in sparingly. 😬😬😬 Pray for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. A few more pictures, and a couple memes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFr6T5rma4jHuiHm9AuRnzsLOn-ht4WqX6DycHqNS4xySax8sO7nBHvy5bE5WBTvmavVJPevGNiBBVdbRKzoGEx__BYd8iQIJJRizTbCJ9UgtaXhLk1vXF4JcAMWWT3Sztm_CxQyNcWh7zabuekLhYCwnAd1TWjYS7esdQYCoct7RyDZ3O3Q_0OTZ7Pk/s839/PXL_20231228_031338202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFr6T5rma4jHuiHm9AuRnzsLOn-ht4WqX6DycHqNS4xySax8sO7nBHvy5bE5WBTvmavVJPevGNiBBVdbRKzoGEx__BYd8iQIJJRizTbCJ9UgtaXhLk1vXF4JcAMWWT3Sztm_CxQyNcWh7zabuekLhYCwnAd1TWjYS7esdQYCoct7RyDZ3O3Q_0OTZ7Pk/w300-h400/PXL_20231228_031338202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2fX98ShgBhMQAIrGhFOEAoRmQs4fhJpWS-8Fp_0Jqbu3NR4U4rfPGlfTT7LdsQMH2dUmzZcYv_ITumTIAmy2Vt95wxSkFwo36OpXcY4nDC4ycHCEP-EfbOPLAOp3jThWGnL7Gklf2w8sQP-ExKR8zRyh68m4cyH0z9wXEGCVA_7HhLDknCvZBGQGKZs/s839/PXL_20231228_172548700.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2fX98ShgBhMQAIrGhFOEAoRmQs4fhJpWS-8Fp_0Jqbu3NR4U4rfPGlfTT7LdsQMH2dUmzZcYv_ITumTIAmy2Vt95wxSkFwo36OpXcY4nDC4ycHCEP-EfbOPLAOp3jThWGnL7Gklf2w8sQP-ExKR8zRyh68m4cyH0z9wXEGCVA_7HhLDknCvZBGQGKZs/w480-h640/PXL_20231228_172548700.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLKTwhn4CWVDPFcQc6Ri-TNYlRQj8WQl6_9svhR0gtAiA5r8lPc9pnj31Dyahs_4enn1aUwIxwsBoqKPEprydiMdFZTdt2V_7RaieTVffI9DvDidy1xNUqurN5DC8Vpt2LhN7IXzeUgES2OMNq9RCrGRnWtCCEkv5qpSxl0VWPjtan86EyaUFjpNjRp8/s839/PXL_20231229_200033216.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLKTwhn4CWVDPFcQc6Ri-TNYlRQj8WQl6_9svhR0gtAiA5r8lPc9pnj31Dyahs_4enn1aUwIxwsBoqKPEprydiMdFZTdt2V_7RaieTVffI9DvDidy1xNUqurN5DC8Vpt2LhN7IXzeUgES2OMNq9RCrGRnWtCCEkv5qpSxl0VWPjtan86EyaUFjpNjRp8/w480-h640/PXL_20231229_200033216.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The library hosted a "meet the sled dogs" event, and Levi was in his glories!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BqQbZJmWDL9MvmlbmbxI5ePontfW0t9LsMSfgOnXdPEJ4zk5g1BVg9bhPLN2uCMtHmia9R1MP9tjMDmYtnH-P35p85aDNzXZf8Bm_45c_SorvQYXGKBkDx7M_o2TM3IN9nlmK8qNTEpNKivWBt1QDzpycDol3YTw85ioUpL-GlzgyyihyGs6Q52-eAw/s839/PXL_20231229_200203908.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BqQbZJmWDL9MvmlbmbxI5ePontfW0t9LsMSfgOnXdPEJ4zk5g1BVg9bhPLN2uCMtHmia9R1MP9tjMDmYtnH-P35p85aDNzXZf8Bm_45c_SorvQYXGKBkDx7M_o2TM3IN9nlmK8qNTEpNKivWBt1QDzpycDol3YTw85ioUpL-GlzgyyihyGs6Q52-eAw/w480-h640/PXL_20231229_200203908.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSangJ6EAuSgQWDMzJ9wEq60ZvLp_ZiykZzDzJkp3_eRbLft9Kawnpz8elbbtBgdxXitbflPdKuod2s8ps0NsyhS0vOxhPX6HKdZSWchGM7hXQJB9jmIZ4D9dz475pEMUPhdsCHeM2ZH3m7GKA7FPy-H3PnhP0jFvTUIrEV7OlhTnKEeCipRlM3xsltP0/s839/PXL_20231229_200230530.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="690" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSangJ6EAuSgQWDMzJ9wEq60ZvLp_ZiykZzDzJkp3_eRbLft9Kawnpz8elbbtBgdxXitbflPdKuod2s8ps0NsyhS0vOxhPX6HKdZSWchGM7hXQJB9jmIZ4D9dz475pEMUPhdsCHeM2ZH3m7GKA7FPy-H3PnhP0jFvTUIrEV7OlhTnKEeCipRlM3xsltP0/w526-h640/PXL_20231229_200230530.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvS8nAftq9Mlj0wr3pZSAQH0dyGrL3cPjPedsogvV7jnmBWkcALSk-etaMmq6QvPOqNQU3138gk5c9NMA0F8uh0Hukx9rbL3MTHMpgfV44HXjHYqjc_tOCVdQ9oikqwvRXlaJKEn_AE00UCs-nVcmFGMaV0vwAbdJxEmhVc2JG8WsjbsmHTbDQtlLV94/s839/PXL_20231229_202627321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvS8nAftq9Mlj0wr3pZSAQH0dyGrL3cPjPedsogvV7jnmBWkcALSk-etaMmq6QvPOqNQU3138gk5c9NMA0F8uh0Hukx9rbL3MTHMpgfV44HXjHYqjc_tOCVdQ9oikqwvRXlaJKEn_AE00UCs-nVcmFGMaV0vwAbdJxEmhVc2JG8WsjbsmHTbDQtlLV94/w480-h640/PXL_20231229_202627321.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc2b6_T_Eb_JLoJMuxUhQ_uGVfU2xlR042gDcDakiwO0uP9a6qiTAiZDREmqlI5qLsRwFoMX4L1zEKzNyXdpcTJyo7yfOvnweSdHahexiNTT5aZ4R_G343_x0J-s20Hp7gTmECIjP8VFveREtQ5AfVms8xr_CCs41iMTuRcqJFk1hu0DxxS25M83FpT8/s839/Screenshot_20231225-214957.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc2b6_T_Eb_JLoJMuxUhQ_uGVfU2xlR042gDcDakiwO0uP9a6qiTAiZDREmqlI5qLsRwFoMX4L1zEKzNyXdpcTJyo7yfOvnweSdHahexiNTT5aZ4R_G343_x0J-s20Hp7gTmECIjP8VFveREtQ5AfVms8xr_CCs41iMTuRcqJFk1hu0DxxS25M83FpT8/w288-h640/Screenshot_20231225-214957.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new obsession - thanks a lot, Tyler!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi9ogUwU0Ps02U2E3gKyIqcZDVjD_cVjo-TRen0Q3uuQ7bkSTQZqYJKBJoF1EqNIt3t1vxeG3s7fyDqQ1cehQDyw3gz9EEFMyn33Af7jD556jgiTZ4MzlcHykN3SydKtXX7yp_vfqpH5tbxD0-3c8BBi3OQ2ySgtYvIEjLILeIKJX_Weyjanl2Y9lCvA/s932/Screenshot_20231225-194006.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="932" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi9ogUwU0Ps02U2E3gKyIqcZDVjD_cVjo-TRen0Q3uuQ7bkSTQZqYJKBJoF1EqNIt3t1vxeG3s7fyDqQ1cehQDyw3gz9EEFMyn33Af7jD556jgiTZ4MzlcHykN3SydKtXX7yp_vfqpH5tbxD0-3c8BBi3OQ2ySgtYvIEjLILeIKJX_Weyjanl2Y9lCvA/w400-h360/Screenshot_20231225-194006.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is only a slight exaggeration. We had more snow on Halloween than we did on Christmas!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufw9cS7W745eVKVmNjkUHnQv6z91-aVF72ukHHQuXWnUdDeYLJTwFPnA32wY7XFSjkBeg3-QDJc0vgTGB3kmoSWsRZ-y9u2b76WwhC7uwGP0zNoCZpg0fyjSf15SSJZGPywH8p4XBD3Knn4wWiQjXbEbNyurP6VBKN9j_OAlCv42W6AcpU36WUwe3FeE/s960/414478435_845518914033745_9213272766484987167_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="960" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufw9cS7W745eVKVmNjkUHnQv6z91-aVF72ukHHQuXWnUdDeYLJTwFPnA32wY7XFSjkBeg3-QDJc0vgTGB3kmoSWsRZ-y9u2b76WwhC7uwGP0zNoCZpg0fyjSf15SSJZGPywH8p4XBD3Knn4wWiQjXbEbNyurP6VBKN9j_OAlCv42W6AcpU36WUwe3FeE/w400-h399/414478435_845518914033745_9213272766484987167_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously. I'm still not done taking care of stuff.</td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-27146333159967125122023-12-23T22:27:00.001-05:002023-12-23T22:27:51.382-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. We had a fun week filled with festive activities. Unlike all the public schools in our area, our Christmas Break started on Monday. I still worked at Once Upon a couple days, but I was thankful to have my days off of library so I could get stuff done! I had somewhere to be every night this week, so I was glad to have the day to finish up shopping and clean my disastrous house.</p><p>2. To kick off Christmas Break, our Advent Activity for Monday was ice skating . . . and Lena was the only one interested. 🤦 Lucy and Levi stayed home, while Lena and I trekked out to the indoor ice skating rink. We're both abysmal skaters, but we had fun trying!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCn0jikXKM0Kj-X3lN2ccHxqIxy5OC3bcag1Y6gES56pNgdswa-bkt6fqlTpcmGnrq6xc1CC0XWYBkkZjPv2j-VkM8xtJEmgVAAKYTulLq6Gd5gpeUVKLKr_QC_RGINDAnueWzyWNUOn7w0ch_WF4r_GCp0cYfrbcHo1ZdBtYcanZ9gnEvP8YyR2NiJuE/s839/Snapchat-2114679788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCn0jikXKM0Kj-X3lN2ccHxqIxy5OC3bcag1Y6gES56pNgdswa-bkt6fqlTpcmGnrq6xc1CC0XWYBkkZjPv2j-VkM8xtJEmgVAAKYTulLq6Gd5gpeUVKLKr_QC_RGINDAnueWzyWNUOn7w0ch_WF4r_GCp0cYfrbcHo1ZdBtYcanZ9gnEvP8YyR2NiJuE/w360-h640/Snapchat-2114679788.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2ILlU7cy0sGdpM60Ehq9jiLUuobB9xwkjk2_edy-Limg4uk7ZxRW2Dr4pBA3ew5CjiSGcGwdP7GP57o1mkfS1aw7kE7rR-prlyMs3kygSRpiCz6dSblV30ZgJ3KTf6jn0yR3EJnrAlLDqIjALWOINvWVKDCkUHY7dFSiLrAMctanGSM5lRH1XWYhKKs/s839/PXL_20231218_175331630.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2ILlU7cy0sGdpM60Ehq9jiLUuobB9xwkjk2_edy-Limg4uk7ZxRW2Dr4pBA3ew5CjiSGcGwdP7GP57o1mkfS1aw7kE7rR-prlyMs3kygSRpiCz6dSblV30ZgJ3KTf6jn0yR3EJnrAlLDqIjALWOINvWVKDCkUHY7dFSiLrAMctanGSM5lRH1XWYhKKs/w480-h640/PXL_20231218_175331630.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52VxaNpXOjyh5kNm_LZkEVy9LpFB8q0yuVt6OamvEl91uZT18BuRftlf6azsH3LD0VuJ9W-hbzYrqteXzOWURaHrnAPDhsQBNOtsuYqGIhJ1QSixjh-pU4dtm3K03ttpJhfIa3BPPnE008kmEeRJaoMRah-z7Uvk2b972goqBu72pSrWtrxy_3OYue_Y/s839/PXL_20231218_180553187.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52VxaNpXOjyh5kNm_LZkEVy9LpFB8q0yuVt6OamvEl91uZT18BuRftlf6azsH3LD0VuJ9W-hbzYrqteXzOWURaHrnAPDhsQBNOtsuYqGIhJ1QSixjh-pU4dtm3K03ttpJhfIa3BPPnE008kmEeRJaoMRah-z7Uvk2b972goqBu72pSrWtrxy_3OYue_Y/w480-h640/PXL_20231218_180553187.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Truthfully, I didn't do that much skating. The ice skates hurt my bunion <i>so bad</i> I didn't last long. But Lena was happy to skate laps while I sat on the bench and watched.<div><br /></div><div>2. That night we got to meet Baby Lainey! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3SJZ8bZzI1YqdwUjhti6mO4ukzfjBWbdnbu0IYUbaOaAFbuRk42eoWF37sK-RNFYiBZChvsj7c6_gAA5epu7ulBMw6YSON3sKImkzF-0jW9qd9-EOXdLHfy-ZwDVTGmmn4qUuwkU8RV-zHltNSDtaHhGIyLgwqJjYSe8vKsDIM6800Fl1tqCBvv_jB0/s839/PXL_20231218_223618130.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3SJZ8bZzI1YqdwUjhti6mO4ukzfjBWbdnbu0IYUbaOaAFbuRk42eoWF37sK-RNFYiBZChvsj7c6_gAA5epu7ulBMw6YSON3sKImkzF-0jW9qd9-EOXdLHfy-ZwDVTGmmn4qUuwkU8RV-zHltNSDtaHhGIyLgwqJjYSe8vKsDIM6800Fl1tqCBvv_jB0/w480-h640/PXL_20231218_223618130.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF9cmn_kfFnMhF9DhBjo_VqhgLWxw9yWelIGq_yFlV1TGRoCK7SkY5nv4dX5Vnyrl2QYgrMW9DaD3nF7iedoN-2cexGkNZGB3Nv3t8qf9azQzrlDtoVUIIcy3YbwcMqiDjcy0c-ARbGONtJnWXEEVh6EjY8Gz0onfrSxkKNqDnYeFHtI72f16O8s_3EA/s839/PXL_20231218_224023755.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF9cmn_kfFnMhF9DhBjo_VqhgLWxw9yWelIGq_yFlV1TGRoCK7SkY5nv4dX5Vnyrl2QYgrMW9DaD3nF7iedoN-2cexGkNZGB3Nv3t8qf9azQzrlDtoVUIIcy3YbwcMqiDjcy0c-ARbGONtJnWXEEVh6EjY8Gz0onfrSxkKNqDnYeFHtI72f16O8s_3EA/w480-h640/PXL_20231218_224023755.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Middle name twins!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>She's so adorable, and she ignited my baby fever something fierce. Unfortunately mean ol' Justin won't get his vasectomy reversed, so I'll just have to be content with the babies my nieces keep popping out. <div><br /></div><div>3. We crammed all kinds of fun into Tuesday afternoon/evening, starting with the annual Jesus Birthday Party. I was a little off my game this year, so it wasn't as extravagant as past years have been. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBQq-b1apVwcltKXsRKQzLZBqWgJRpFPGzqjT-SYwfnuyyb6G6m_FhlXfRVGftkA4Oo-xlQaVmzmzvr1Op84FJoZpUtZD6wXVFwpGoPF5JTKhZgetz5Yn31Ft5CTQHC8HjaIy4DeDKp0mMIXV90SUVs07V1DMsFAsAVkznsM0JS_ae97aTj8iwrEpg3I/s4032/411260633_336778289151874_3465565036392383749_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBQq-b1apVwcltKXsRKQzLZBqWgJRpFPGzqjT-SYwfnuyyb6G6m_FhlXfRVGftkA4Oo-xlQaVmzmzvr1Op84FJoZpUtZD6wXVFwpGoPF5JTKhZgetz5Yn31Ft5CTQHC8HjaIy4DeDKp0mMIXV90SUVs07V1DMsFAsAVkznsM0JS_ae97aTj8iwrEpg3I/w480-h640/411260633_336778289151874_3465565036392383749_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did one little activity and I shared the Christmas story. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62HTLYmAWQ2MaQ4gowJerQslOiNC3B3C9i3ZAKeGxve7KkZVqzgBmv5dJ-O2QI436FcMdInmyjkmikcpBg91ms2-jUfyDrP8rOwzwjXfLkLo1jcneWYFO_TnGQcuy25F5XDOdZKMC_1M_KdYrGYYwBZWdaeNYOsoCx4tTcIsMal1ibVSB-eu2vgftUdQ/s4032/406770693_1549324025834074_3496185787502547882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62HTLYmAWQ2MaQ4gowJerQslOiNC3B3C9i3ZAKeGxve7KkZVqzgBmv5dJ-O2QI436FcMdInmyjkmikcpBg91ms2-jUfyDrP8rOwzwjXfLkLo1jcneWYFO_TnGQcuy25F5XDOdZKMC_1M_KdYrGYYwBZWdaeNYOsoCx4tTcIsMal1ibVSB-eu2vgftUdQ/w480-h640/406770693_1549324025834074_3496185787502547882_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also talked about why Jesus' birth was such a big deal, and what he means to us today.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Then the real fun started with everyone's favorite Reindeer Game.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-iRcv6TUCzs-FwBScD2-DMVzeev2mMFtSySklT-E_btXltT1YLSoS-j_CPXv-mwswVw-cvGOTsLAqtfpQ0U0sbkXzl_-_MPuFA4hSYpcHTcuf7_MhXQkLupB7ALInG6IQ1F-i188A2D1AuwL_eVF2cbnCa2iLW_zLCtD-M7jtDCQU7zoXUevuTexvBQ/s1118/PXL_20231219_211625846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-iRcv6TUCzs-FwBScD2-DMVzeev2mMFtSySklT-E_btXltT1YLSoS-j_CPXv-mwswVw-cvGOTsLAqtfpQ0U0sbkXzl_-_MPuFA4hSYpcHTcuf7_MhXQkLupB7ALInG6IQ1F-i188A2D1AuwL_eVF2cbnCa2iLW_zLCtD-M7jtDCQU7zoXUevuTexvBQ/w640-h480/PXL_20231219_211625846.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrL80cTV-CXYwvfp5TPVPOmpSPILB6nCSgIsrL0asCl1_NP8kpFgiIoD6Fn46oYubDH9LiUBI-Y_0QgstPIljvQqAXAniwGG9Xe1u156HnhOsOpL4TkjyrCHWmZwMpA4xTHHilolYy7mF_OlIDXDszQcsgSY1sH3Lhyphenhyphenx82-J0TTCYCkPgrdpMVPOuXhU/s4032/385525590_1063715371439417_7604891397723823205_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrL80cTV-CXYwvfp5TPVPOmpSPILB6nCSgIsrL0asCl1_NP8kpFgiIoD6Fn46oYubDH9LiUBI-Y_0QgstPIljvQqAXAniwGG9Xe1u156HnhOsOpL4TkjyrCHWmZwMpA4xTHHilolYy7mF_OlIDXDszQcsgSY1sH3Lhyphenhyphenx82-J0TTCYCkPgrdpMVPOuXhU/w480-h640/385525590_1063715371439417_7604891397723823205_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc6jqsGPWx9k5xsmcM2Qv9GvbWlqG1Zv8tRNEchMmrPs4L-c82Sk_FqaNd0EX26_cyBAjt8mTtrPQBYsFUFStJk3O9TqHlSIPH5ovZujIVbzVn1ovuUWhJvwSlwexFiaC4t6hgbfFhOMGR2oMgPovqjZ4usnTyNzSyYpB4zivnkx63CukzRVMxaPs-Ng/s1332/Screenshot_20231223-214749.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1332" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc6jqsGPWx9k5xsmcM2Qv9GvbWlqG1Zv8tRNEchMmrPs4L-c82Sk_FqaNd0EX26_cyBAjt8mTtrPQBYsFUFStJk3O9TqHlSIPH5ovZujIVbzVn1ovuUWhJvwSlwexFiaC4t6hgbfFhOMGR2oMgPovqjZ4usnTyNzSyYpB4zivnkx63CukzRVMxaPs-Ng/w640-h404/Screenshot_20231223-214749.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus too!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzR-j_WzsBBULByQPWHdJJXNxwvn0qGbbH3LwAzlWSeoAPjg9K-A6A94G77s1UNfT6dWW4h7fr2iINnbRYNi0KaELLxQCDLPPFRNQUNFZQFXcQgJJBUgX0S0qeXlOJ3Kpu3Tb_CHf76Q42RDrzV7f008hJTamQ5M9j0CAyrUS3T5JJf0x-RbGCPCuPKA/s839/PXL_20231219_211821299.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzR-j_WzsBBULByQPWHdJJXNxwvn0qGbbH3LwAzlWSeoAPjg9K-A6A94G77s1UNfT6dWW4h7fr2iINnbRYNi0KaELLxQCDLPPFRNQUNFZQFXcQgJJBUgX0S0qeXlOJ3Kpu3Tb_CHf76Q42RDrzV7f008hJTamQ5M9j0CAyrUS3T5JJf0x-RbGCPCuPKA/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_211821299.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>4. Once the birthday party portion of the evening was over, we moved on to cookie decorating! Mom makes the dough, Niki provides the space and the sprinkles, and the kids destroy the kitchen and get hopped up on sugar!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK9YVPDVmiL86MLJtiTDolP6puDx_OOvSrtck7JPEWiqrwolGyklgSCcnlZ-imc2GJI_PUj0eonB4hUxW76KYf09121KrQ_l5Ao_1dlyPu7LJ51nhmaY-cluwHB5NeUBsDvmfNkNyeL4vw7WWObLUZcEOTG1d_ZUaCISydLWprerhb9IYhOeOVE8ux8k/s839/PXL_20231219_224202010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK9YVPDVmiL86MLJtiTDolP6puDx_OOvSrtck7JPEWiqrwolGyklgSCcnlZ-imc2GJI_PUj0eonB4hUxW76KYf09121KrQ_l5Ao_1dlyPu7LJ51nhmaY-cluwHB5NeUBsDvmfNkNyeL4vw7WWObLUZcEOTG1d_ZUaCISydLWprerhb9IYhOeOVE8ux8k/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_224202010.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEHMBuZNLOl3qtzg-RdGwbdhIq6y0hQv3SDvQNuaqQ0Qj59YiHtngqJj8OUb6nB9fGPlpsYCjefmQPdNHO7I8AWht7wPXGFXMr3ApXAabt6AuzWBomexr7wYsWefjFTMug6Y6o5NbfYX8bEAZoDoZDm1wk0jfTKPUdaS8XKD_8HI48dU0N_A6Z4Qfj0g/s839/PXL_20231219_224511491.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEHMBuZNLOl3qtzg-RdGwbdhIq6y0hQv3SDvQNuaqQ0Qj59YiHtngqJj8OUb6nB9fGPlpsYCjefmQPdNHO7I8AWht7wPXGFXMr3ApXAabt6AuzWBomexr7wYsWefjFTMug6Y6o5NbfYX8bEAZoDoZDm1wk0jfTKPUdaS8XKD_8HI48dU0N_A6Z4Qfj0g/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_224511491.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lainey's first cookie decorating party!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrhb59isW5lYRnvpRawglC7sWQmQzXKKg5R9-oYK1eclYHx5KjZzcbPOXlz4GuPIXx6XsmjMyiGtVB2oY-tNUp6CPCli4s7L7x88UOzN7MOdqija6kOOw3Gkd4C3Q1w4Syb59Zd9ggmP6lQ46-ulQ3X593hoVNShyPXDIZc9SstYPW2K1tiUTssifLrc/s839/PXL_20231219_224641002.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrhb59isW5lYRnvpRawglC7sWQmQzXKKg5R9-oYK1eclYHx5KjZzcbPOXlz4GuPIXx6XsmjMyiGtVB2oY-tNUp6CPCli4s7L7x88UOzN7MOdqija6kOOw3Gkd4C3Q1w4Syb59Zd9ggmP6lQ46-ulQ3X593hoVNShyPXDIZc9SstYPW2K1tiUTssifLrc/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_224641002.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1usoaNsA2bpeEivzDK9oSRRSRe6HxE15IVT9S1qJJh9iy5FnbCQJE2Ym1epJw7keE8PcBpPb4Hopp5hEegSGDEf-W8FHUclM0WPjH9wVONxHBRTg3wla7MwmYEUm7aOKxra6OfD8NHzeDRQZD1dH-YwNxkBC35bd3hpSIchyphenhyphenUXZihCNAtOu_Qwvf6voU/s839/PXL_20231219_224727413.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1usoaNsA2bpeEivzDK9oSRRSRe6HxE15IVT9S1qJJh9iy5FnbCQJE2Ym1epJw7keE8PcBpPb4Hopp5hEegSGDEf-W8FHUclM0WPjH9wVONxHBRTg3wla7MwmYEUm7aOKxra6OfD8NHzeDRQZD1dH-YwNxkBC35bd3hpSIchyphenhyphenUXZihCNAtOu_Qwvf6voU/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_224727413.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YQjRfwj-0TULKp0Jnft0hj6YImyqcbGts0JVyd-muK9mh2I8iav4lt0yJsO7ejS8TphWD7nwHwxkcX8P53MqgMNIzIbUsTo8_MORyH2F11kCwZqesp_17wMa6cMFvvyfDaqOy2n0gdjeKP4w8TtRW6EVRQBnaaSNbJ0f7c5gHRmVB9eWJDhwxI1lADk/s839/PXL_20231219_225457082.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YQjRfwj-0TULKp0Jnft0hj6YImyqcbGts0JVyd-muK9mh2I8iav4lt0yJsO7ejS8TphWD7nwHwxkcX8P53MqgMNIzIbUsTo8_MORyH2F11kCwZqesp_17wMa6cMFvvyfDaqOy2n0gdjeKP4w8TtRW6EVRQBnaaSNbJ0f7c5gHRmVB9eWJDhwxI1lADk/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_225457082.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUBzTgbqDTsjF9QDQPxui934LhOwHDIxwHchYCeTcP-kfev68KOEqVXEw6RsDVpGuhj7Fc1xKEcXYde2gKDp0mQLooYAfyUd5gz0hSVp9tNLE6hWnYKRhDZXaEuUCOJxcdcQL_YX8h5qOdOtE5iIIfalrPtgjRGPpdcZdCDA-8et2qYDsEhZIsqUajhc/s839/PXL_20231219_225630808.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUBzTgbqDTsjF9QDQPxui934LhOwHDIxwHchYCeTcP-kfev68KOEqVXEw6RsDVpGuhj7Fc1xKEcXYde2gKDp0mQLooYAfyUd5gz0hSVp9tNLE6hWnYKRhDZXaEuUCOJxcdcQL_YX8h5qOdOtE5iIIfalrPtgjRGPpdcZdCDA-8et2qYDsEhZIsqUajhc/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_225630808.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVijKEvcXsWGa3ZBNcvnDI1p0F5Vkc-_dG8tde8tUffw6vNCNXmphBBRP5ilRPGtXBdN0-q-jpI9rDQ7bvYqZiliClq8O_dT6YtFcvq6qjKAsas2JYTV_IknJO3KPDH7KVP5gwH5HnJ5UXAKj-Dk7uBJS2D-uB9qNAL-_zuKQp_9qDoECI6nNpsCVg7PY/s1118/PXL_20231219_225854958.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVijKEvcXsWGa3ZBNcvnDI1p0F5Vkc-_dG8tde8tUffw6vNCNXmphBBRP5ilRPGtXBdN0-q-jpI9rDQ7bvYqZiliClq8O_dT6YtFcvq6qjKAsas2JYTV_IknJO3KPDH7KVP5gwH5HnJ5UXAKj-Dk7uBJS2D-uB9qNAL-_zuKQp_9qDoECI6nNpsCVg7PY/w640-h480/PXL_20231219_225854958.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAHUxhc5jlV8zU5FB7Tx-qs0WngE_rMK0_fQ9vwTKInTgsr-kWFcqofTv0ICjB8k-QmXovszmBrSY2gFni4Vr1qMEqpMDFvMxMcCOU2VfYBB3dj6NoUaLj-5wPQxQFKHDq2cqpXCjpSDK2q5vyRnxhdSqMNwIsCuJdk0_GvJRlQxWbjLvAwQxOZm1Zbw/s4032/406011320_1048576473090537_5446099361930910459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAHUxhc5jlV8zU5FB7Tx-qs0WngE_rMK0_fQ9vwTKInTgsr-kWFcqofTv0ICjB8k-QmXovszmBrSY2gFni4Vr1qMEqpMDFvMxMcCOU2VfYBB3dj6NoUaLj-5wPQxQFKHDq2cqpXCjpSDK2q5vyRnxhdSqMNwIsCuJdk0_GvJRlQxWbjLvAwQxOZm1Zbw/w480-h640/406011320_1048576473090537_5446099361930910459_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdubVtsqC40XdllPjV67w5HCIoBVUCvhNT0kC6cvTRAauNZF53iy1qHCW4bZM_IrgCi9FQzCaGa9luShMkTLVG-i6IgpWWJS2HG4UZXMBMlUQzRJ9ZSIudz4OQxbz6M4elS12FdlMs71Az3WhfIUxRIkcJJzJRHhkd8G4KJdV6_Gue5RDaTL4Jb0YkeZ0/s4032/406538893_1509834253134024_884355164512265902_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdubVtsqC40XdllPjV67w5HCIoBVUCvhNT0kC6cvTRAauNZF53iy1qHCW4bZM_IrgCi9FQzCaGa9luShMkTLVG-i6IgpWWJS2HG4UZXMBMlUQzRJ9ZSIudz4OQxbz6M4elS12FdlMs71Az3WhfIUxRIkcJJzJRHhkd8G4KJdV6_Gue5RDaTL4Jb0YkeZ0/w480-h640/406538893_1509834253134024_884355164512265902_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>5. That night was the first time most of the cousins got to meet Lainey. She is one well-loved little girl. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZiT1Dj2eMciJ1NlfwriOG8iUjthSUloSh4sf1tPtxDB6vUxtl6cS23zyUD6UgbnVgk1GF1ulmn6q5X8lKZ1_J-NHQy47MJsvsMPmvdHrwkvFmN8OEH8t9FF1TMlBVTLqRsT6c8qNZ8CWz97gjsNUww9uW4izbPpOnUOoMiXOd2maSd_J5QCTJ_2ViSQ/s839/Screenshot_20231219-180311%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="596" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZiT1Dj2eMciJ1NlfwriOG8iUjthSUloSh4sf1tPtxDB6vUxtl6cS23zyUD6UgbnVgk1GF1ulmn6q5X8lKZ1_J-NHQy47MJsvsMPmvdHrwkvFmN8OEH8t9FF1TMlBVTLqRsT6c8qNZ8CWz97gjsNUww9uW4izbPpOnUOoMiXOd2maSd_J5QCTJ_2ViSQ/w454-h640/Screenshot_20231219-180311%20(1).png" width="454" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVepymhuwqspbG8vfPHiLDMoy-9tHuF3QmZhlT3cQI_EsxHVXl48LJFeOjJZtsGXf9P5Yt8nJPkPSTBky-xRWfjVcZJLT-yMZ6YBHprwt5ka3e9uWOQpc5YSmtWj8HE8Qs51sF7Yue3kgFAcj1uwxlrnBhcb0mNSclJNS0etH7xPSytlSzP5QRTZjFs/s839/PXL_20231219_215530983.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVepymhuwqspbG8vfPHiLDMoy-9tHuF3QmZhlT3cQI_EsxHVXl48LJFeOjJZtsGXf9P5Yt8nJPkPSTBky-xRWfjVcZJLT-yMZ6YBHprwt5ka3e9uWOQpc5YSmtWj8HE8Qs51sF7Yue3kgFAcj1uwxlrnBhcb0mNSclJNS0etH7xPSytlSzP5QRTZjFs/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_215530983.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO8wRMRMTT3htjkH1ytBBmMMN4NTXxgNZwrksUDxBts_byxRT5A8TfIlwou45H8AZPMmO3LQX14U80g5ihULYt26o0rM3uNW3slxjxgWSbyrKk-bXKpY4BZX_cqB7zEBxDODRjp1tkgnYNkM1yqwQnp2qgpEInZkDFfK8lKjgNAjsUr6UDH2PrTeXZ3o/s839/PXL_20231219_222439864.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO8wRMRMTT3htjkH1ytBBmMMN4NTXxgNZwrksUDxBts_byxRT5A8TfIlwou45H8AZPMmO3LQX14U80g5ihULYt26o0rM3uNW3slxjxgWSbyrKk-bXKpY4BZX_cqB7zEBxDODRjp1tkgnYNkM1yqwQnp2qgpEInZkDFfK8lKjgNAjsUr6UDH2PrTeXZ3o/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_222439864.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xnSJetO9B1_Ry7jiqwb1X6Im4w3Wrzu9LnCva50p88wHQ7BfK5ytGtHG5qOweleHdYVtUysO5dBaoxR0WaBMJyS4463CeDMbp03aOejals3dzI4JbFnQeerjQZ0iMzayQVrzkX0wprRazljEJ_bQ7p9M4QWKYtt_T6D9Z3tHRjh7ueLw6eKltf6H6uA/s839/PXL_20231219_222546782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xnSJetO9B1_Ry7jiqwb1X6Im4w3Wrzu9LnCva50p88wHQ7BfK5ytGtHG5qOweleHdYVtUysO5dBaoxR0WaBMJyS4463CeDMbp03aOejals3dzI4JbFnQeerjQZ0iMzayQVrzkX0wprRazljEJ_bQ7p9M4QWKYtt_T6D9Z3tHRjh7ueLw6eKltf6H6uA/w480-h640/PXL_20231219_222546782.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saylor is completely enamored with her. 💓</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjcx9-EcdTML8Vy30wWWJxd-cTLJtXmwzgO6E_qn-kvCsLkBrvvib3BptitMdD0oIkTLy8r2UtNOOh9SU4k0boYEWy2rIKa73nHFR4GE_gTlWrq7QJlj3hs9SCpj2oc0GxSnaRVVgXL8RoWc6OqOfmSnz3F3VTxln1SQVnD7dp8YOsGX3YUBAszcn1qQ/s4032/406156595_1107523603754298_751771389974986280_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjcx9-EcdTML8Vy30wWWJxd-cTLJtXmwzgO6E_qn-kvCsLkBrvvib3BptitMdD0oIkTLy8r2UtNOOh9SU4k0boYEWy2rIKa73nHFR4GE_gTlWrq7QJlj3hs9SCpj2oc0GxSnaRVVgXL8RoWc6OqOfmSnz3F3VTxln1SQVnD7dp8YOsGX3YUBAszcn1qQ/w480-h640/406156595_1107523603754298_751771389974986280_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>5. Wednesday night was Christmas at Arise</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LDo7JONVFKZ-lu-QZfCvFIxw-gfnJMQqFFajs63CKwFPLq51uj8PGhSx_A2LeROodxt1PR8ReVidAorb6kL0GftWqU7i2zUjMEgs6pZuTyYS5sOcVVJiPzDrTl5m8X1qhLIR7a52A4yMqQdt9MdlFlv8TzFMRCGvro0LcnvDpwnCiB3QIjQ5zKke72M/s839/PXL_20231220_224835852.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LDo7JONVFKZ-lu-QZfCvFIxw-gfnJMQqFFajs63CKwFPLq51uj8PGhSx_A2LeROodxt1PR8ReVidAorb6kL0GftWqU7i2zUjMEgs6pZuTyYS5sOcVVJiPzDrTl5m8X1qhLIR7a52A4yMqQdt9MdlFlv8TzFMRCGvro0LcnvDpwnCiB3QIjQ5zKke72M/w480-h640/PXL_20231220_224835852.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>Thursday, I spent all day doing this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiestX1OnYQlm3fz9tbKHfNzWxlcW6TktdEPMVsZ8S44r3fgTt-JmeLDRj9HDOZ4xTgUG4Tv-KZ214DPBme1S1h_N01-qUbnAXsez9LaL7BgNTL9jPf2OYjY2qB8upmclv3spSCdJVSWiSLjYVK59siKx49X-k4R7PNNzitvRn88UdK3_RylSOtolrlfxQ/s839/Snapchat-300152964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiestX1OnYQlm3fz9tbKHfNzWxlcW6TktdEPMVsZ8S44r3fgTt-JmeLDRj9HDOZ4xTgUG4Tv-KZ214DPBme1S1h_N01-qUbnAXsez9LaL7BgNTL9jPf2OYjY2qB8upmclv3spSCdJVSWiSLjYVK59siKx49X-k4R7PNNzitvRn88UdK3_RylSOtolrlfxQ/w360-h640/Snapchat-300152964.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmk76PTi45VfakF_6dfX6ZawBfgjoYiloOaSDL7oqp03Ej-OSnV48l0WEclKu1Aly2Vvy2oRKvPcRSs4fRHJJZQt94NqeeXaNlMZxa6W63ko_-KCkKwXv-anMhE0YseR8Uo9HnZj9MRuvrhYC5hb7yOuDEkgW3zPBoxwUmoke2kpvGpibw_dE4RIY648/s839/Snapchat-1693856470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmk76PTi45VfakF_6dfX6ZawBfgjoYiloOaSDL7oqp03Ej-OSnV48l0WEclKu1Aly2Vvy2oRKvPcRSs4fRHJJZQt94NqeeXaNlMZxa6W63ko_-KCkKwXv-anMhE0YseR8Uo9HnZj9MRuvrhYC5hb7yOuDEkgW3zPBoxwUmoke2kpvGpibw_dE4RIY648/w360-h640/Snapchat-1693856470.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thereciperebel.com/white-lasagna-soup/" target="_blank">White Chicken Lasagna "Soup"</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Thursday night was book club, and Friday night was small group. We did a white elephant exchange, and I came home with Borsht and Fireworks. Lol. We also sang Christmas carols together, which is my fave. </div><div><br /></div><div>6. We also did a lot of this throughout the week:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtE0C1DSYVMI38LYEkBgWSZkxrUDHqxeNqe6OdAvkxxUKOFao83ctawvp90HkH0WT5nJ_TpoCzJde69VOUlzxqqXJn8CEv7sK712Qj1be7CglJZf0YAAGkj1karjHKXAykkYbO0yWZNVDZGbNEI2F2j4efZr_VJyNRrnapF_CHwpbn1zNfuXVdIKo09E/s839/PXL_20231221_174906120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtE0C1DSYVMI38LYEkBgWSZkxrUDHqxeNqe6OdAvkxxUKOFao83ctawvp90HkH0WT5nJ_TpoCzJde69VOUlzxqqXJn8CEv7sK712Qj1be7CglJZf0YAAGkj1karjHKXAykkYbO0yWZNVDZGbNEI2F2j4efZr_VJyNRrnapF_CHwpbn1zNfuXVdIKo09E/w480-h640/PXL_20231221_174906120.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbOJfgGdQB9cytUwQCyQZ2outrcKDtNcuDnWkdJPFv16qqSyVxy9xSj3rDO7uj8F35HSjC5FdIjbA1sRzFZcH0cVqu4IBy3hl8McvIwI-2h1R2VCY-rERI4sLv4OIer5sILoew0UeMau7NIU-69HLX_v99DViJWiBY2Sna_MPdv2bIhWjc7D2wMiEUq4/s839/PXL_20231223_045524111.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbOJfgGdQB9cytUwQCyQZ2outrcKDtNcuDnWkdJPFv16qqSyVxy9xSj3rDO7uj8F35HSjC5FdIjbA1sRzFZcH0cVqu4IBy3hl8McvIwI-2h1R2VCY-rERI4sLv4OIer5sILoew0UeMau7NIU-69HLX_v99DViJWiBY2Sna_MPdv2bIhWjc7D2wMiEUq4/w480-h640/PXL_20231223_045524111.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>I realized that I have a love/hate relationship with puzzles. I usually start them in an attempt to get my kids interested in something other than TV. But then it kills me to leave them unfinished, and I end up spending way too many hours laboring over them. I did that ice cream one almost completely by myself. Probably not the best use of my time this week. Haha.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. Today I spent two hours locked in my wrapping room wrapping presents and watching The Great British Baking Show. Nothing like waiting til the last minute! The kids helped me make cookies and puppy chow for our neighbors. And I attempted to make dough for overnight cinnamon rolls, but it didn't rise at all, so that was a fail. Tomorrow morning we'll do our presents at home, then spend Christmas day at Niki's. It's the most wonderful time of the year, and I can't wait to soak it all in!</div><div><br /></div><div>7. I'm off to watch a movie with Justin . . . and eat leftover puppy chow. Have a wonderful Christmas!! <br /><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-49937155229608997702023-12-16T21:15:00.004-05:002023-12-16T21:15:52.491-05:00The Saturday 7<p>9 days 'til Christmas!! Can you believe it??</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhperUuJIy9lbOcOeUO26UmRGPajzIkp8t_D3lnnN16x9rL6ZDruxIz0OER7T7hvRh0Dn1s-aT0me43nK1STbZZ_1WXpgz9LyJW2vZYmKfgNzKpOSU8o6XoeRrDYtKMLLhkEng7rj6LpRr4JMDawVCETizmvmmST_4vgNfSrbijlB2TWNOq6Encf6EamAk/s839/Snapchat-1478768000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhperUuJIy9lbOcOeUO26UmRGPajzIkp8t_D3lnnN16x9rL6ZDruxIz0OER7T7hvRh0Dn1s-aT0me43nK1STbZZ_1WXpgz9LyJW2vZYmKfgNzKpOSU8o6XoeRrDYtKMLLhkEng7rj6LpRr4JMDawVCETizmvmmST_4vgNfSrbijlB2TWNOq6Encf6EamAk/w225-h400/Snapchat-1478768000.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>1. We had a fun week filled with birthdays and parties and babies! On Sunday, we celebrated sweet Ruby at my parents' house.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIantGnSIntk0orDNLgCY5nrMFy4fzueHohm_GtCyGp39ASby6Fu_7cdp2MpFcIkah5JRnYa_qCkTFAkDYOCsyXVrfUa9y1ZcbmLLiF_Of0fQdqPoA7R0nwjiq-LUeFZYLno5t9sg7F8rd2sGmNbaCRP8aMeo2wGJeu1QM6Y-ALOHNRY6ns2V0EZiOTn8/s839/PXL_20231210_180639247.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIantGnSIntk0orDNLgCY5nrMFy4fzueHohm_GtCyGp39ASby6Fu_7cdp2MpFcIkah5JRnYa_qCkTFAkDYOCsyXVrfUa9y1ZcbmLLiF_Of0fQdqPoA7R0nwjiq-LUeFZYLno5t9sg7F8rd2sGmNbaCRP8aMeo2wGJeu1QM6Y-ALOHNRY6ns2V0EZiOTn8/w300-h400/PXL_20231210_180639247.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And on Monday after school, Lena got to go to a fancy tea party at Ruby's house.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7C_6O50v7xRUgQn-ith1QerJshZ6NyXWWMze3qCP9iM6zAp4uSS1BKedpSa98FUTzOfy-LKOzLpEkhhij1i1nAMVU3aU7atHcMKIsKxvULJojz07kOQBm-NDbP6XPkteAaf_d3IYnW20jLeepB4yPD6_tTIK27KaMbcWS-L86Bm9p0pvl-rTOiZA5As/s4032/405985729_3524540724541875_6183268417980934930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2177" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7C_6O50v7xRUgQn-ith1QerJshZ6NyXWWMze3qCP9iM6zAp4uSS1BKedpSa98FUTzOfy-LKOzLpEkhhij1i1nAMVU3aU7atHcMKIsKxvULJojz07kOQBm-NDbP6XPkteAaf_d3IYnW20jLeepB4yPD6_tTIK27KaMbcWS-L86Bm9p0pvl-rTOiZA5As/w216-h400/405985729_3524540724541875_6183268417980934930_n.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlRNvYMSqu5iSk6-hRspCdRZ0xZcvP5t-7ds3ILm8Y6gRLNnE_qYIj4V2LfJVtqnBCvR91ROylNvjI0_H9MlrzYWI-I4k4iuqRVW_FSVv9kZH6ScEnhN_mh4LMkT1RiwU7dz8osndWP2HysIWB_Z4NFs8AMHzPVF7aOR_tCnXhyphenhyphenMKxX4aHhp9zL4Cru4/s1792/406208773_895687698936924_1843659899499608592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="1008" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlRNvYMSqu5iSk6-hRspCdRZ0xZcvP5t-7ds3ILm8Y6gRLNnE_qYIj4V2LfJVtqnBCvR91ROylNvjI0_H9MlrzYWI-I4k4iuqRVW_FSVv9kZH6ScEnhN_mh4LMkT1RiwU7dz8osndWP2HysIWB_Z4NFs8AMHzPVF7aOR_tCnXhyphenhyphenMKxX4aHhp9zL4Cru4/w225-h400/406208773_895687698936924_1843659899499608592_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby's going through her "princess," "Fancy Nancy," "all things girly" phase. I miss that with my girls!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>2. This was our last week of school before Christmas break, so we had class parties to attend. I was thankful that Lena's and Levi's were on different days and I wasn't working at Once Upon. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcRLoBT_xj80qCYpyAY1kXehHl9wGG30-gkj5AM4MCMUPN1S5qFCg4ZpKrgBp-uELiJXTrRC1CyBxtAjvNAkxYB4Fofz8YYG0f3qKKgeB35-Q4kaCp7eab9UieRgWjhyphenhyphentALpnOfcxIFH2X4hxl6DsGoMDIuDZrXhyphenhyphen4KqWBb4y70ePCI84-knL09QzedY/s839/PXL_20231214_153621308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcRLoBT_xj80qCYpyAY1kXehHl9wGG30-gkj5AM4MCMUPN1S5qFCg4ZpKrgBp-uELiJXTrRC1CyBxtAjvNAkxYB4Fofz8YYG0f3qKKgeB35-Q4kaCp7eab9UieRgWjhyphenhyphentALpnOfcxIFH2X4hxl6DsGoMDIuDZrXhyphenhyphen4KqWBb4y70ePCI84-knL09QzedY/w300-h400/PXL_20231214_153621308.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twinning in our "oh snap" gingerbread man shirts.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5RsOaW6XHUR6aKyMLC4Cbmy9m5DEqGZo_pY8lEuhM6OimWgugIHv-ospPirnY3Unk-oJZ4aczcnhnZ-Lk16YAxITqs_FmKhR5vRDbfpaNrFQMyN5nQWaOi4uYKQ7r8pAOu63NHoZJvVkBCU1wb_0sC5Xwy5DdmQkzAALh0pHkjLxXvW9eZw0fPthQkc/s839/PXL_20231214_154026041.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5RsOaW6XHUR6aKyMLC4Cbmy9m5DEqGZo_pY8lEuhM6OimWgugIHv-ospPirnY3Unk-oJZ4aczcnhnZ-Lk16YAxITqs_FmKhR5vRDbfpaNrFQMyN5nQWaOi4uYKQ7r8pAOu63NHoZJvVkBCU1wb_0sC5Xwy5DdmQkzAALh0pHkjLxXvW9eZw0fPthQkc/w300-h400/PXL_20231214_154026041.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her last Christmas party! 😭</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9Oa0kndNSEJ5OpJxY5FBGmVpwk2Dkfeni83f4vKhDcXpWlfYYirfbJe688cYtY0xVBd3lO4B5QTUqRi-lBnFyorph99m1h-ebFQf4tWl_SHCQhjiAEYCjeq91PtSTiWNDi9jhyphenhyphenrjwoS9zBbGe3bueCcBGTkc1sGNmsOZ_LAJIfQe9qjTBRW4KLoltCQ/s839/PXL_20231215_180957632.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9Oa0kndNSEJ5OpJxY5FBGmVpwk2Dkfeni83f4vKhDcXpWlfYYirfbJe688cYtY0xVBd3lO4B5QTUqRi-lBnFyorph99m1h-ebFQf4tWl_SHCQhjiAEYCjeq91PtSTiWNDi9jhyphenhyphenrjwoS9zBbGe3bueCcBGTkc1sGNmsOZ_LAJIfQe9qjTBRW4KLoltCQ/w300-h400/PXL_20231215_180957632.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIyHveilCWqsdFVk8AiV1syNLmB4lhyphenhyphen0QRNHdVibn4-M2mL9xfXQtAglV3Wc3HVkvU07A4rgfSZ2fGHWi9a0ovCFx8qGgYClHNmfPs5k9Gv1XCK5fmKCDQ6IvUnpCVmgS3xzHyB_62uvCWmx2CkQegh8PkCJPx8NOEA_h-hT2nGTdFVxUu7d9CDXIGWI/s839/PXL_20231215_190905155.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIyHveilCWqsdFVk8AiV1syNLmB4lhyphenhyphen0QRNHdVibn4-M2mL9xfXQtAglV3Wc3HVkvU07A4rgfSZ2fGHWi9a0ovCFx8qGgYClHNmfPs5k9Gv1XCK5fmKCDQ6IvUnpCVmgS3xzHyB_62uvCWmx2CkQegh8PkCJPx8NOEA_h-hT2nGTdFVxUu7d9CDXIGWI/w300-h400/PXL_20231215_190905155.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>For the first time in years, I didn't have to do <i>anything</i> for the parties. No room mom duties, no planning anything, I didn't even have to bring food! I could get used to this!<div><br /></div><div>3. Our Advent activities this week included gingerbread man waffles, special ornaments, buying each other presents at Five Below, and the big taste test. Last year, we did a blind soda taste test that the kids loved. When I asked what kind of activities they wanted to do this year, "taste test" was high on their list. So this year I stepped it up and did a french fry taste test. I drove to 6 different restaurants that were all very close together and ordered one small fry from each place. I had to wait in line everywhere except Burger King, and their fries were the most expensive! I don't know how that place stays in business. The other options were Culver's, Arby's (crinkle, not curly), McDonald's, KFC, and Wendy's. Then we blindfolded the kids and tested them individually.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismFpbnV9FZPIlqGqKtAo6WgaZy-crCw3VXh7tiAtO2HXLmqfeEou1ihJMKMA3u36NADLsSisVPzkFqGrVYe9lLAxPLXebyM7r27lubXjxJemkwZ67P4EEd_vyHJFVNYG8-pM0QcqFufkhHWJ0KJSKF2OKCWJ61YT32p28u6WYwwYJbQjP7v-iJkgO944/s839/PXL_20231214_232511800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismFpbnV9FZPIlqGqKtAo6WgaZy-crCw3VXh7tiAtO2HXLmqfeEou1ihJMKMA3u36NADLsSisVPzkFqGrVYe9lLAxPLXebyM7r27lubXjxJemkwZ67P4EEd_vyHJFVNYG8-pM0QcqFufkhHWJ0KJSKF2OKCWJ61YT32p28u6WYwwYJbQjP7v-iJkgO944/w300-h400/PXL_20231214_232511800.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>Levi got zero right, Lena got two right, and Lucy got all six right!! Girl knows her fries I guess!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq4DMPwW1kT5Opq_HJpcoQ19i-RHjk1IW8FW0Qtb-X_MegB4CJv3lz5WGmJQR7VCrOjYQBsbbxhiU_liVPT5xjh4OUdccZ9f4-GdGT3Jt1g6geIt49x905Do_q62QdssIjnT1EVWGn0DTel5e8cjmAMCbRHHH87SI_-262t3opgkkyZuUof9Psmu8BG4/s1118/PXL_20231214_233541814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1118" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq4DMPwW1kT5Opq_HJpcoQ19i-RHjk1IW8FW0Qtb-X_MegB4CJv3lz5WGmJQR7VCrOjYQBsbbxhiU_liVPT5xjh4OUdccZ9f4-GdGT3Jt1g6geIt49x905Do_q62QdssIjnT1EVWGn0DTel5e8cjmAMCbRHHH87SI_-262t3opgkkyZuUof9Psmu8BG4/w400-h300/PXL_20231214_233541814.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>4. Last night Justin and I cashed in one of my birthday gift cards and went to Olive Garden for a quick date. I'm astonished every time we go out to eat by how much everything costs. When we were first married, we could each get a meal and pop for $25. It's literally double that now. Ugh. Anyway, after dinner we went home for our annual family viewing of Elf. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmfnjon0icCdiCjsz94Kt2N2Tr7HduOxgXAwIhmCODMj9Tj48s9nwBa9zEkZ7h_zjw37l1Y1Nqx37dzNIGfIomCDmC00g5cUSw2kknv-i18l_r76iTTF9itMDSq7ZMN9R3J63ZpAMiP3EkcsIk_eTMWPfT1OEvPm8Z2gnpJZo75wNdNhMAP5cfk1-8rc/s1116/PXL_20231216_011744445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmfnjon0icCdiCjsz94Kt2N2Tr7HduOxgXAwIhmCODMj9Tj48s9nwBa9zEkZ7h_zjw37l1Y1Nqx37dzNIGfIomCDmC00g5cUSw2kknv-i18l_r76iTTF9itMDSq7ZMN9R3J63ZpAMiP3EkcsIk_eTMWPfT1OEvPm8Z2gnpJZo75wNdNhMAP5cfk1-8rc/w400-h301/PXL_20231216_011744445.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Stella enjoyed the show.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>5. Early this morning, I became a Great-Aunt again! Tater and Madi finally had their baby girl.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJ-VM4EMq5dTLxiq5lEG0R8UJcZhQep4z0LBbt49KLx6mMUOsh5-yE2sszi4Yxmu9F7cc7DzzeRaCRDJ0jZN2q08gYQmYHrecDR7uwMhSLcARLgy4oBONr9z4a5ufninUOaREzCf-KguB9p6IPQGMd5RWxQ3FSjR8_Aqb-Tmihfs-Rx7m12veiNqN6AI/s839/Screenshot_20231216-114927.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="632" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJ-VM4EMq5dTLxiq5lEG0R8UJcZhQep4z0LBbt49KLx6mMUOsh5-yE2sszi4Yxmu9F7cc7DzzeRaCRDJ0jZN2q08gYQmYHrecDR7uwMhSLcARLgy4oBONr9z4a5ufninUOaREzCf-KguB9p6IPQGMd5RWxQ3FSjR8_Aqb-Tmihfs-Rx7m12veiNqN6AI/w301-h400/Screenshot_20231216-114927.png" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">💓💓💓</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHOnXlfcqgdsmBsPra71Rn1uguAkS3O_ZsB6MyQSAkbESo1iIs-yWxPBHcyR47HKjWNAJv3jp-uuis5blIl1C5SPY2DoOqoTIf2JDfHJ22-bSw-RnGgTaN7K_8vXtl7ecN9O-h7RtK5G_7pF_2mXs5fp3P0yVT9tp-tRWywyT3yjxb6S_01dwhUbte34/s640/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHOnXlfcqgdsmBsPra71Rn1uguAkS3O_ZsB6MyQSAkbESo1iIs-yWxPBHcyR47HKjWNAJv3jp-uuis5blIl1C5SPY2DoOqoTIf2JDfHJ22-bSw-RnGgTaN7K_8vXtl7ecN9O-h7RtK5G_7pF_2mXs5fp3P0yVT9tp-tRWywyT3yjxb6S_01dwhUbte34/w300-h400/image.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-gBfv_874MFOp3OHrZ3ilT527KhH4uSJ_kYRiowIiYhqutNivLVAB_Pn00AngIqvEkaOIJhap71zXHEMrjMDzrRGUbmIp_lfX1QV8trLptijyAoh8XPQVRoL_fZMel9mD8T32i_B4C4OBVzRYqSgceDA08SYzaQe_5YqWhyR2JgewrNlTx6ukU-3Joc/s1116/20231216_163609-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1116" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-gBfv_874MFOp3OHrZ3ilT527KhH4uSJ_kYRiowIiYhqutNivLVAB_Pn00AngIqvEkaOIJhap71zXHEMrjMDzrRGUbmIp_lfX1QV8trLptijyAoh8XPQVRoL_fZMel9mD8T32i_B4C4OBVzRYqSgceDA08SYzaQe_5YqWhyR2JgewrNlTx6ukU-3Joc/w400-h301/20231216_163609-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think she looks a little bit like Lucy - but significantly less hairy and Asian looking. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We're so excited for Tater and Madi, and can't wait to meet little Lainey! </div><div><br /></div><div>6. That's all I have this week. I don't even have any memes. 😭 We haven't started our screen time fast yet. We probably won't until January, but I've been avoiding scrolling - and I've been busy between work, school parties, and Christmas prep. No time to troll for memes. Sorry for failing you. Enjoy this picture of Lena as consolation:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyaILAobl-j_LqeT7FDyiUMT_oLpCZUgx4tXYz6Kmfh8qxV9EFKV91gbmV_jjbTxj8fASBGbXSTzh9ee5dbgfslVRuS1COrWN3LBewQ6U7cjfY9pl_Ivy3IuwkcbAwE4I6IghY_06pNucCJomr6h8abvuDwPhChs4-2SVkcwus68CFvITQ64yit4QLLo/s839/PXL_20231211_010047616.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyaILAobl-j_LqeT7FDyiUMT_oLpCZUgx4tXYz6Kmfh8qxV9EFKV91gbmV_jjbTxj8fASBGbXSTzh9ee5dbgfslVRuS1COrWN3LBewQ6U7cjfY9pl_Ivy3IuwkcbAwE4I6IghY_06pNucCJomr6h8abvuDwPhChs4-2SVkcwus68CFvITQ64yit4QLLo/w300-h400/PXL_20231211_010047616.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching with her stuffed lamb "Lannabelle"</td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-89165699528363084742023-12-10T22:02:00.006-05:002023-12-10T22:19:03.951-05:00The Sunday 7<p>Sorry for the delay. Yesterday was crazy. </p><p>1. Last Sunday we did one of my favorite Advent Activities to date. We "jingled" the cousins. I had gone to the dollar store earlier in the week and stocked up on candy, jingle bell necklaces, cookie decorating kits, and some supplies for a craft. Then on Sunday, the kids helped me assemble them. Lucy even participated!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8WY5kKgl9EBAstgtksti8jPdIQLNt0JHgHNhlIN_42-oGNa-xw-d1EBHlafNjib1GTiJr1aEg6Wt8wL6xSxCzBS6ZEHs9gVIjI_hpXob1ediHM1Qnwi988CluX9PxMHgTlU01Mp6OLh-qgsRyHby3iloNqT_flVeqNqI-JhNXKso8J7sLrd8dzvMcjg/s857/PXL_20231203_180100100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8WY5kKgl9EBAstgtksti8jPdIQLNt0JHgHNhlIN_42-oGNa-xw-d1EBHlafNjib1GTiJr1aEg6Wt8wL6xSxCzBS6ZEHs9gVIjI_hpXob1ediHM1Qnwi988CluX9PxMHgTlU01Mp6OLh-qgsRyHby3iloNqT_flVeqNqI-JhNXKso8J7sLrd8dzvMcjg/w480-h640/PXL_20231203_180100100.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ9yr33oktmXbQpL7-Cx5y8eOyWc4zYm1rgvB8FmIqfaUNaLPhkqVVMNvfUkxljVOvr7odlA7UpU52rkQCWOs7zb76Q0Srg_0zPykhHv15eiCforTbl1u9o3jyLx94tK-15f7MLMburhPsffGhekmSUOidEVlHcUU31F8tQZcQz2OXcEpez1Vwi5Rl1Q/s1142/PXL_20231203_184501116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ9yr33oktmXbQpL7-Cx5y8eOyWc4zYm1rgvB8FmIqfaUNaLPhkqVVMNvfUkxljVOvr7odlA7UpU52rkQCWOs7zb76Q0Srg_0zPykhHv15eiCforTbl1u9o3jyLx94tK-15f7MLMburhPsffGhekmSUOidEVlHcUU31F8tQZcQz2OXcEpez1Vwi5Rl1Q/w640-h480/PXL_20231203_184501116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiu_4iEBTEKOE5DOF1_jc-FPt8kVOUYXoEfK3UMo5jtmu2iQFvwf7bjFCXXKp616P7OJWZwRGCDXGetapB49N3E5x-6O8-kMf4XyAZ3mno0Sx7GAqke9qZ6h8Ykv8na07FsJGTYeJ4iPej2juQZIr2pYnk51BnzgToJIFag_H1F1LehS2nocloUPpcLbg/s857/PXL_20231203_185046420.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiu_4iEBTEKOE5DOF1_jc-FPt8kVOUYXoEfK3UMo5jtmu2iQFvwf7bjFCXXKp616P7OJWZwRGCDXGetapB49N3E5x-6O8-kMf4XyAZ3mno0Sx7GAqke9qZ6h8Ykv8na07FsJGTYeJ4iPej2juQZIr2pYnk51BnzgToJIFag_H1F1LehS2nocloUPpcLbg/w480-h640/PXL_20231203_185046420.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The craft we made was an "I Spy" ornament. I bought large plastic ornaments from Dollar Tree and then walked around the Christmas section trying to find things small enough to fit through the hole on top. Haha. I found erasers, bows, and jingle bells. I also bought a strand of lights with large-ish bulbs and just cut individual bulbs off the strand, and I cut wire brush Christmas trees off of an ornament that was a truck with a tree on top. We filled the clear ornaments with epsom salts to look like snow and hide the objects, then I hot glued the tops on and tied the list of things to find on with a cute ribbon. So fun and easy, and relatively cheap! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbXkOVTdsyfnyDU8107WhZJ3YHoXmapFlEZZ_UKJhRycWYfdG7f2xBTOJoLukPvr0ExlbzD5l3DTIViw04VkYS67Q__j-cM1017ro-pEHGC-7loQgqIMNb20NQWM8kn45OL_QvBtRykff3mPJVcbIij3msALfFM163XCfKotb6-SGHIHO9TzPP-XzID8/s857/PXL_20231203_185051249.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbXkOVTdsyfnyDU8107WhZJ3YHoXmapFlEZZ_UKJhRycWYfdG7f2xBTOJoLukPvr0ExlbzD5l3DTIViw04VkYS67Q__j-cM1017ro-pEHGC-7loQgqIMNb20NQWM8kn45OL_QvBtRykff3mPJVcbIij3msALfFM163XCfKotb6-SGHIHO9TzPP-XzID8/w480-h640/PXL_20231203_185051249.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got the rhyme from <a href="https://kerraftycreations.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-spy-ornament.html" target="_blank">this lady</a>. I made the tags in Canva. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P2wFGk9s7f83FS_Pmv_YVHup0sXiCiZbHENpK2JOQuof4ftofvfvo0FfRnIcmZZfY_x6gHE_jmtnKse2Fo31X6Oj5fjUelmK6nTWZUSwqJ77MAvGMfbl5gH5JJSLOHT6Fkck0N3iryB6FN-GGng1h7F3d6JfuOs97c1AFr3Rl4wIvYRE9gbt6mP9g3A/s1142/PXL_20231203_185415370.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P2wFGk9s7f83FS_Pmv_YVHup0sXiCiZbHENpK2JOQuof4ftofvfvo0FfRnIcmZZfY_x6gHE_jmtnKse2Fo31X6Oj5fjUelmK6nTWZUSwqJ77MAvGMfbl5gH5JJSLOHT6Fkck0N3iryB6FN-GGng1h7F3d6JfuOs97c1AFr3Rl4wIvYRE9gbt6mP9g3A/w640-h480/PXL_20231203_185415370.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusZl5g6ps9bOl4-XspKjNAXRt6T_ZZ-5fBE3FRRpQAVAL-ufgWg1KtuAU8tMiz6uDib4CIWnsYzdfaUzHmU0NiC1hlOceHhBChzHCVLgv5QAHDYofrQhMt2O6e7GVd1XSOKoO9IOAyYvsd90x3T0f19gSoHWwY90-FbWR0vqufYQn6SNcdQ0nHGjwodE/s857/PXL_20231203_185437696.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusZl5g6ps9bOl4-XspKjNAXRt6T_ZZ-5fBE3FRRpQAVAL-ufgWg1KtuAU8tMiz6uDib4CIWnsYzdfaUzHmU0NiC1hlOceHhBChzHCVLgv5QAHDYofrQhMt2O6e7GVd1XSOKoO9IOAyYvsd90x3T0f19gSoHWwY90-FbWR0vqufYQn6SNcdQ0nHGjwodE/w480-h640/PXL_20231203_185437696.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got the phrasing from <a href="https://sunshineandrainydays.com/youve-tinseled-printable/" target="_blank">this lady</a>. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wpc1nN38kxLz8HO1owgflM3GHESjwGfq/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Here's </a>the printable I made.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Then came the fun part: delivering them! Lucy wasn't interested in that portion of the evening, but Lena and Levi had great fun running up to everyone's door, dropping the bag, knocking on the door, then running back to the car. I personally would've appreciated if my siblings/nephews lived a little closer to each other. Haha. It took us over an hour to do the loop to each of their houses, but it was worth it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOg7pBlc_bie6HbEClNGNClxLxQ2dn-dC3Ce6XxwkGiN2GGsgjFantnsJU66b0SZGMHRxlu3gxWuFrVbGB4kZb35943Il2QfBzVCpuyXyfl16HzPmVYsrmKJgMo0c0PmPpNla2lF2EP9JF6kzrqnydocidmvhj_yNpkqTH3VHDnyirSr13C9C__0TMPo/s1800/no%20address.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOg7pBlc_bie6HbEClNGNClxLxQ2dn-dC3Ce6XxwkGiN2GGsgjFantnsJU66b0SZGMHRxlu3gxWuFrVbGB4kZb35943Il2QfBzVCpuyXyfl16HzPmVYsrmKJgMo0c0PmPpNla2lF2EP9JF6kzrqnydocidmvhj_yNpkqTH3VHDnyirSr13C9C__0TMPo/w426-h640/no%20address.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5HJfWvNvHSJHdaQDoEYiFzJhc6WlE_S0H5miji6QPfanQgodE0ZcJQhwvVscLaNYRhG3QMcfrlBOAvOxYRO8-XeFKhHTHxJ8YAoSr_yTxopd6ETBxiDx4dsZ-PkUEjtx6YkS09LWD9UChRkbK74osdFxDAcEPr7yVFf81O-nGDnkfWxGEiQCSl4i6H4/s857/PXL_20231203_194300655.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5HJfWvNvHSJHdaQDoEYiFzJhc6WlE_S0H5miji6QPfanQgodE0ZcJQhwvVscLaNYRhG3QMcfrlBOAvOxYRO8-XeFKhHTHxJ8YAoSr_yTxopd6ETBxiDx4dsZ-PkUEjtx6YkS09LWD9UChRkbK74osdFxDAcEPr7yVFf81O-nGDnkfWxGEiQCSl4i6H4/w480-h640/PXL_20231203_194300655.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>2. On Monday, we went to a movie immediately after school. We saw the new Trolls movie and there wasn't another soul in the theater with us!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzWYbuK_SUU6GFW7En-Z2oohwx4WcncXoByBnisF7kpeo6PALFJa_grRQCKMeCZTzjA2qM1x767EHLng3v-58gekc6f2WevbX7-FCKL44pz1LuLlDqHaNrp8oAfpqcMoNl7xmF1nSQsK8nNy3_2y3Suu6j75Xiw3ZD4AdW_vgWHWa0Dl4eGKrmTIz96U/s857/Snapchat-94696350.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzWYbuK_SUU6GFW7En-Z2oohwx4WcncXoByBnisF7kpeo6PALFJa_grRQCKMeCZTzjA2qM1x767EHLng3v-58gekc6f2WevbX7-FCKL44pz1LuLlDqHaNrp8oAfpqcMoNl7xmF1nSQsK8nNy3_2y3Suu6j75Xiw3ZD4AdW_vgWHWa0Dl4eGKrmTIz96U/w360-h640/Snapchat-94696350.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I thought the movie was very dumb, but I don't know N'Sync enough to feel any nostalgia. I'm sure I also missed a few references that boy-band-fans would know. The kids were entertained by it and enjoyed dancing in the theater. Lucy decided to stay at school to watch the basketball games instead of coming with us. <div><br /></div><div>3. On Tuesday, Lucy had a band concert. Middle school band concerts are not my favorite thing. Lol. At our school, all 6th through 8th graders are required to take band, so this was our third Christmas concert (they also have one in the spring), and just as I was starting to rejoice to myself that it would be our last, I realized that I had my kids 3 years apart. Lena will start band next year, and the year she's done Levi will begin! It's non-stop band concerts for 9 years!! Lol. Anyway, we usually send Levi to my parents' for band concerts, because he cannot sit still and be quiet that long. But my parents were busy this year. And then at dinner, Lucy announced that she didn't want <i>any </i>of us to come, and she'd be happier if no one was watching her. I took that as permission to stay home with Levi, and let Justin and Lena take one for the team. Lucy is actually fairly talented, and made it into honors band this year, but it's not like I could pick her clarinet out of the cacophony anyway. Haha. Sorry band people. </div><div><br /></div><div>Levi and I worked on a Christmas puzzle and listened to an audiobook the whole time they were gone. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT5SHtz0xGqh9cjluwUIlLsP6M_3m5HqBXFrfc4_4GJyP02yvsFVJL4Nbbk3JH3E4eVLifvlFcj_j5W-xvTq7vJ7JGUi9JE9lpFXMMx55cF8f8QvcBAqKdmnRW13XHShZRQPHnlNjqPTM5k6whXHGSn9Pwrl1PAdc7XPztDy7m2QMT0GoCLYNyYPCXok/s857/Snapchat-1477437168.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT5SHtz0xGqh9cjluwUIlLsP6M_3m5HqBXFrfc4_4GJyP02yvsFVJL4Nbbk3JH3E4eVLifvlFcj_j5W-xvTq7vJ7JGUi9JE9lpFXMMx55cF8f8QvcBAqKdmnRW13XHShZRQPHnlNjqPTM5k6whXHGSn9Pwrl1PAdc7XPztDy7m2QMT0GoCLYNyYPCXok/w360-h640/Snapchat-1477437168.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /><div>4. Good news, everyone. I have arrived. I finally have a room in my house devoted to wrapping presents. Kind of . . . 😂</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxmmkJqHrHVRwDy8gtKKLucvRNJjOn3xoS_5cfJSV_R52pHYWdkn7lKer9cc6pFolnUHkdA885SJipV6ZZ95vNVpBchsg5bXRJ78BCuBmnXyFq8Mz7aOvqtmFE8TDn5PxfD5aL9F0ELNZpncCrtoDTrvXmxAxYZVBs_RbvdZ3dmlKL80e62fQfaStIJ4/s857/PXL_20231208_214107734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxmmkJqHrHVRwDy8gtKKLucvRNJjOn3xoS_5cfJSV_R52pHYWdkn7lKer9cc6pFolnUHkdA885SJipV6ZZ95vNVpBchsg5bXRJ78BCuBmnXyFq8Mz7aOvqtmFE8TDn5PxfD5aL9F0ELNZpncCrtoDTrvXmxAxYZVBs_RbvdZ3dmlKL80e62fQfaStIJ4/w480-h640/PXL_20231208_214107734.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>When we bought this house 4 years ago, this little room off the laundry room was technically considered a bedroom because it has a window and a closet, but it was mostly unfinished and scary-looking. I referred to it as the dungeon room for a while. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpUzqfoSTLktuBEcT6yjKbC6kY-0DQI_y_0Kn5xcW0V59UoMZ8LeVZ59N7tYfNVMOW1Q7134Jniebeoa8swvzXipRZt9VD0TK_j8KQGF2N7QHYFw6Ew2qf18dF23QcQcaMAXVwIQjGuyoyIO4E-RIzGVfOq-_fSmec7SlI2rkMm6lhbszMjJGuBnERFU/s1142/IMG_20190317_151136324_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpUzqfoSTLktuBEcT6yjKbC6kY-0DQI_y_0Kn5xcW0V59UoMZ8LeVZ59N7tYfNVMOW1Q7134Jniebeoa8swvzXipRZt9VD0TK_j8KQGF2N7QHYFw6Ew2qf18dF23QcQcaMAXVwIQjGuyoyIO4E-RIzGVfOq-_fSmec7SlI2rkMm6lhbszMjJGuBnERFU/w640-h480/IMG_20190317_151136324_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As we've had time and money we've slowly been working on updating it (and by "we," I mean Justin). We got it drywalled and had the electrical fixed. Justin dug a hole outside of the house to fix the crack in the wall that leaked every time it rained. He even painted and hung up a Michael Scott TV. But then we started filling it with junk and it became a catch-all. A few weeks ago, he finally hauled everything out of it and poured self-leveler on the floor, so we're one step closer to putting down real flooring and finishing this bad boy up! In the mean time, I'm making use of the empty room. I stored all the kids' presents in there and told them to stay out. They will because they like the anticipation and surprise of Christmas morning. This week I sorted everything and started some wrapping! I think eventually it will be Justin's exercise room/fishing supply closet. But for now I'm enjoying pretending to be a rich person with a wrapping room. 😁</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Yesterday was a full day of VanderKodde Christmases. First we celebrated with the extended family at "the gym" (as Levi calls it). Levi's been really into doing his hair the past few days, and insisted on sporting a mohawk for the party:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4Ctp1C5EzoDSMxBYwVe7-AKoILVhthOxT6IS4UCo5Q-45gTySeu0SsWclbQCiHuuA4K6lMlN0F990gVtF8rQV-MqhRoulH8W8zETEznChonrNs4PwvNwBTdCJk9IhwFBabFAlKIiIX72e7H8iBT2eVJAEcyayqnICbe4XkehK1eh5sLNf5BR-JadJAs/s857/PXL_20231209_163140939.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4Ctp1C5EzoDSMxBYwVe7-AKoILVhthOxT6IS4UCo5Q-45gTySeu0SsWclbQCiHuuA4K6lMlN0F990gVtF8rQV-MqhRoulH8W8zETEznChonrNs4PwvNwBTdCJk9IhwFBabFAlKIiIX72e7H8iBT2eVJAEcyayqnICbe4XkehK1eh5sLNf5BR-JadJAs/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_163140939.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>We ate lots of yummy food, caught up with long-lost cousins, opened presents, played in the gym, and played Bunco.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3p3kVhxcOvi0ZGMs_HFI_DThsTDJyoCIDK_-jgtTe3ajbwC-K6Z7xHitT-62cJw81cgBGLH4qsaUjQv0g69_I6qe7N0DET38ZVPsa0TA-AON5WPgUeWFK8OlMpQ-QgfRbEl7Jtdl36_AwWB2-65mP_uEkM9PjvWI1IQcVrJJAnuQgCRaXuwoeFAcQEw/s857/PXL_20231209_190038889.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3p3kVhxcOvi0ZGMs_HFI_DThsTDJyoCIDK_-jgtTe3ajbwC-K6Z7xHitT-62cJw81cgBGLH4qsaUjQv0g69_I6qe7N0DET38ZVPsa0TA-AON5WPgUeWFK8OlMpQ-QgfRbEl7Jtdl36_AwWB2-65mP_uEkM9PjvWI1IQcVrJJAnuQgCRaXuwoeFAcQEw/w322-h640/PXL_20231209_190038889.MP.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls have graduated from gifts and got money this year! Sweet Great-Grandma still gives gifts to all the littles.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisqfo6MXWUDYE1zhUFoSFUYIdwruM05QMMfBV9cgTduPnffZCC6wIDBHogUGba-WbH1HTT4NMnzhChjCoOSBVOc7luaO6oR61cVlmQkWypcLRGhMbpF0Mvn0eWl07Isq-2QlZ6_AGMe1-vTi7F2QJN_dpq-u-41UJ8MH49pCvUsntBKSFKu6eQNB-ZDM/s1673/409769627_10159535035456604_3878203861042110035_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1673" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisqfo6MXWUDYE1zhUFoSFUYIdwruM05QMMfBV9cgTduPnffZCC6wIDBHogUGba-WbH1HTT4NMnzhChjCoOSBVOc7luaO6oR61cVlmQkWypcLRGhMbpF0Mvn0eWl07Isq-2QlZ6_AGMe1-vTi7F2QJN_dpq-u-41UJ8MH49pCvUsntBKSFKu6eQNB-ZDM/w640-h464/409769627_10159535035456604_3878203861042110035_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7hFhFe5RzpWmb-_8fEbFah68ldvOkbQG51Kw_Fy873UKpDhv8r6NKZv-AbqMY5R-HqcML2wO7JmVbDmkE3llkgMJVSvas0P69I2uU0Va3CnPvuvNpt-dWpNji5dOzzczpC36k1dh1TogHTr-0MsiUoABGufDRgjE5iYHErlPxn_1bDUVOOHwUFn6ZzY/s857/PXL_20231209_202606096.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7hFhFe5RzpWmb-_8fEbFah68ldvOkbQG51Kw_Fy873UKpDhv8r6NKZv-AbqMY5R-HqcML2wO7JmVbDmkE3llkgMJVSvas0P69I2uU0Va3CnPvuvNpt-dWpNji5dOzzczpC36k1dh1TogHTr-0MsiUoABGufDRgjE5iYHErlPxn_1bDUVOOHwUFn6ZzY/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_202606096.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena was the Bunco queen!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>6. After that party wound down, we ran home to get our food for the next party, only to discover that we didn't have power! It was super windy all day yesterday, so I'm sure that was the issue. Honestly, though, it was the best day to lose power. We were gone most of the day, and it was unseasonably warm, so our house didn't get super cold. So we headed off to Justin's parents' for our immediate family Christmas. His parents are leaving soon to go be snowbirds in Florida, so we get to have early Christmas with them. We also got to see cousin Persephone, which happens very rarely now that she moved away. It was a delightful evening of more food, more games, and more presents!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufDqeaJ6hyCBu3OJWHNA8eUGuNygS3HNgS6iPNVl3aETyIFgKSSoHCuTiJCddFGtCa1t41KQQLL7HnZzd4XvFzPjRF4hc4E9Bwqet4dWXyNX2_DVq0Rw7ICvGpI5kpxeVUxJPceylifHXf3Bl4yIufrw3Upoyqj_ilPEx_zRDbAOLd4posedUTW7qSBE/s1142/PXL_20231209_220950829.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufDqeaJ6hyCBu3OJWHNA8eUGuNygS3HNgS6iPNVl3aETyIFgKSSoHCuTiJCddFGtCa1t41KQQLL7HnZzd4XvFzPjRF4hc4E9Bwqet4dWXyNX2_DVq0Rw7ICvGpI5kpxeVUxJPceylifHXf3Bl4yIufrw3Upoyqj_ilPEx_zRDbAOLd4posedUTW7qSBE/w640-h480/PXL_20231209_220950829.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These three know how to have a good time!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sb8TmwEr51AfKEAaydVd7LOCQP4fiJf_BHyjAe_uDPinNn3-Q9vzJKnQFW9xvAPJibDAabA3gbAOWaNKKTATwncCDhLDV2nPFBeF31boi193Pg98K9oAqIllof3rg76e_dykt28Ob2hJuV1yEK5YZQxg-kWXEe98EPPHvoomdc47vzGjnE9cg5Xkgcw/s857/PXL_20231209_221416288.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sb8TmwEr51AfKEAaydVd7LOCQP4fiJf_BHyjAe_uDPinNn3-Q9vzJKnQFW9xvAPJibDAabA3gbAOWaNKKTATwncCDhLDV2nPFBeF31boi193Pg98K9oAqIllof3rg76e_dykt28Ob2hJuV1yEK5YZQxg-kWXEe98EPPHvoomdc47vzGjnE9cg5Xkgcw/w486-h640/PXL_20231209_221416288.MP.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmykb6I2ji-pSzV2HQrXL1UAfARodNNAAe4g1kI8_-7LK8Q-RelUZpNAKzPHAW1QRqa1Nz-L_WeJK7Uitr5QHmALcZa3VSpDh0OTGS_V9dErXhnfjM8jkAXiR-7doXLWhHbfNjg-vceppKvZNQ55pGgp0690dumwSfY73R8XM7eop1UReVz_-SzSULHU/s857/PXL_20231209_222704138.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmykb6I2ji-pSzV2HQrXL1UAfARodNNAAe4g1kI8_-7LK8Q-RelUZpNAKzPHAW1QRqa1Nz-L_WeJK7Uitr5QHmALcZa3VSpDh0OTGS_V9dErXhnfjM8jkAXiR-7doXLWhHbfNjg-vceppKvZNQ55pGgp0690dumwSfY73R8XM7eop1UReVz_-SzSULHU/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_222704138.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQuTvFFd6PS0PdXJX21ruRL_r4YSTbQHvqSPgIdgSr-wGxmP1WZ3Hz7Eu-DlRjISJv7XFhgQrTXX3eMbpjgy5mQcoVYgcHiGubhCqpWZtgmo2rxx6PisbSa62jOJzTlP_aHbutctNTgZdhDr4lyPwwu9BTNP_pGxIQqHlGOap8xeg11kaT5y8kMGpCvo/s857/PXL_20231209_222830707.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQuTvFFd6PS0PdXJX21ruRL_r4YSTbQHvqSPgIdgSr-wGxmP1WZ3Hz7Eu-DlRjISJv7XFhgQrTXX3eMbpjgy5mQcoVYgcHiGubhCqpWZtgmo2rxx6PisbSa62jOJzTlP_aHbutctNTgZdhDr4lyPwwu9BTNP_pGxIQqHlGOap8xeg11kaT5y8kMGpCvo/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_222830707.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI7_gEvk1cO15BmPa9vikh0xWLZFnj7_swXpgg6AzlmwORBW4wpUHyAvOZV6u6eeLgL6yvJh7r436kYNj8bDtsUEuOat6_7Rf5Iu7XQRdsMOtM8PAkUZ6H-6c67IZBZs14MyAb2e05bTl62IugdAA7lwpaUHk7UvvNdRMkCvz5b53cX1qO6BG0IDoGxU/s857/PXL_20231209_223945374.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI7_gEvk1cO15BmPa9vikh0xWLZFnj7_swXpgg6AzlmwORBW4wpUHyAvOZV6u6eeLgL6yvJh7r436kYNj8bDtsUEuOat6_7Rf5Iu7XQRdsMOtM8PAkUZ6H-6c67IZBZs14MyAb2e05bTl62IugdAA7lwpaUHk7UvvNdRMkCvz5b53cX1qO6BG0IDoGxU/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_223945374.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy has been begging for new earbuds for a couple weeks. In fact, hours before this party she was telling me that if she didn't get earbuds for Christmas she'd be really sad. So this was her reaction when she opened earbuds that night. Haha.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ifRtncp7-m9FHldbd8ZP1iweP6gxpKFKwgNtxlXsPg0UXI669LjfC1arDtU9eXLxyAp5ZBGytbhmNISv7T27pjlWabbjgui4WbClC58WlTmEHzJQFHGtiPV3pAkc-aQSkVSuWpiPhwU2BV47Wp0L5DZ3ClwCjrPuIqI55XcEDfqSXZtbaRBEXhAO67s/s857/PXL_20231209_225917687.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ifRtncp7-m9FHldbd8ZP1iweP6gxpKFKwgNtxlXsPg0UXI669LjfC1arDtU9eXLxyAp5ZBGytbhmNISv7T27pjlWabbjgui4WbClC58WlTmEHzJQFHGtiPV3pAkc-aQSkVSuWpiPhwU2BV47Wp0L5DZ3ClwCjrPuIqI55XcEDfqSXZtbaRBEXhAO67s/w480-h640/PXL_20231209_225917687.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi's still all about the cars - especially anytime he can race them.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0z3NxUA4mQUppVtyst7BrQXqnescd-wk4bZ29gQxFcLcNpkAurDxVoy5xZfoimpgfJoqOYpOLghgQ7zjGIYhb5jFkw-5jXuKjQCpJO9UB_xGz2Ic9wLphix1NigCK-bm_QOH_38YDpB-Qofs-ibe4ou2hsSkZ51cy68srHYP00jVyEkNLCLfsi-BM-o/s857/PXL_20231209_230113884.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0z3NxUA4mQUppVtyst7BrQXqnescd-wk4bZ29gQxFcLcNpkAurDxVoy5xZfoimpgfJoqOYpOLghgQ7zjGIYhb5jFkw-5jXuKjQCpJO9UB_xGz2Ic9wLphix1NigCK-bm_QOH_38YDpB-Qofs-ibe4ou2hsSkZ51cy68srHYP00jVyEkNLCLfsi-BM-o/w300-h400/PXL_20231209_230113884.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storytime with Jesse.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We didn't get home until 9:30 (and our power was thankfully back on!), then it took me an hour and a half to get Levi to fall asleep, so I didn't even attempt the Saturday 7. So sorry for my tardiness. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. And now for a bit of bad news . . . Justin and I are taking a hard look at our screen time usage and considering making some big changes. Last February, I was really convicted about how much screen time I do and how much I let my kids do, but I prayed that Justin would be on the same page before I made any drastic decisions. And then of course I kind of forgot about it. Well last week, he came home from his men's Bible study fired up after watching a video about how screen time is destroying us and our kids. We're going to pray about it for a while, but we've both been trying to cut back on our mindless scrolling, and I just got this book in the mail:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGD9ROi4oqX3Zds0q4-r8rT16qWxJjGCmfnnbbIDfg2-Jx4PNFX-5ws7g8KJYmuBaCh89h85GW_XENihlHdMTFnO7o_-V71eWnAsJYNcAedV2q7uJSmSR8R379HetMUMUYnAVdryG8TQcFphznTRsbYGZiwcUscsopwNnCC_gsQ_vnk-fcEXFBvItAvo8/s1500/71szSx+xX5L._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="971" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGD9ROi4oqX3Zds0q4-r8rT16qWxJjGCmfnnbbIDfg2-Jx4PNFX-5ws7g8KJYmuBaCh89h85GW_XENihlHdMTFnO7o_-V71eWnAsJYNcAedV2q7uJSmSR8R379HetMUMUYnAVdryG8TQcFphznTRsbYGZiwcUscsopwNnCC_gsQ_vnk-fcEXFBvItAvo8/w259-h400/71szSx+xX5L._SL1500_.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><div>All that's to say, I have a paltry amount of memes to share this week because of said cutting back. So enjoy these few while they last . . .</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg1Q5NMs_hTwna2BYu_dSGHP0ylkaQCTBy9qq823g8GvRyHqzcNzJZ9l7bvuFySwMyZMNVzgXBs_Frx0PO49x4aGIhM0qy0MpR9NtaIAHho86oJ0LRdSojRbIw_bJfOSfXHYC4H53gCLAlVuPMZ7m45FgHJ18Kj87AnjKxXtXwI68tAOtov9ALC0_0PU/s1262/406394453_316087964577986_8285699443267412207_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg1Q5NMs_hTwna2BYu_dSGHP0ylkaQCTBy9qq823g8GvRyHqzcNzJZ9l7bvuFySwMyZMNVzgXBs_Frx0PO49x4aGIhM0qy0MpR9NtaIAHho86oJ0LRdSojRbIw_bJfOSfXHYC4H53gCLAlVuPMZ7m45FgHJ18Kj87AnjKxXtXwI68tAOtov9ALC0_0PU/w343-h400/406394453_316087964577986_8285699443267412207_n.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tell this to Stella pretty much every day.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLa8gbzQ147BRipPmGlq8WiqQhy55Oduqvg3Vlq7KG-6_bcENO-mkXqBBNTI6LqjkDFM4C0iGHdYvkBvTjDr5fg1Vj0d2GGqnZCUwz55YF9S5pGKzPJlOEjwXvUIqiIuSnQzRS1VqFtMned-oKwv5jldQ0oNYSusAa8n1t4nLw1JKX6wfMRQRVG8MKho/s1325/406872893_754958230009188_6241526461945397102_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1325" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLa8gbzQ147BRipPmGlq8WiqQhy55Oduqvg3Vlq7KG-6_bcENO-mkXqBBNTI6LqjkDFM4C0iGHdYvkBvTjDr5fg1Vj0d2GGqnZCUwz55YF9S5pGKzPJlOEjwXvUIqiIuSnQzRS1VqFtMned-oKwv5jldQ0oNYSusAa8n1t4nLw1JKX6wfMRQRVG8MKho/w326-h400/406872893_754958230009188_6241526461945397102_n.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This made me laugh. Poor Zacchaeus.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_nnz4sRolOuwqEFM77vrMhlrQh7NR3SYY44jDzhhli2DtZ4PRk2OKcofqtavcdwgLLJuawxg-Idf-RRTIrA2El3-3ghInleLs_4juy6V9VT7wVr2wg8Ece8k9aDs4cCYlz0-2kvkOwXWmoP2hDbj4FMTN9fXsUHkr6OOI8YaazG3wROO42a2DLt19eI/s960/408244427_898890824935888_1366725527370955397_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_nnz4sRolOuwqEFM77vrMhlrQh7NR3SYY44jDzhhli2DtZ4PRk2OKcofqtavcdwgLLJuawxg-Idf-RRTIrA2El3-3ghInleLs_4juy6V9VT7wVr2wg8Ece8k9aDs4cCYlz0-2kvkOwXWmoP2hDbj4FMTN9fXsUHkr6OOI8YaazG3wROO42a2DLt19eI/w400-h400/408244427_898890824935888_1366725527370955397_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I knew it! Kid after my own heart. I always said that I couldn't be an English teacher because I can't stand classic literature and searching for subtext in every stinkin' book. </td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-16464559325828336752023-12-02T22:53:00.003-05:002023-12-02T22:53:34.769-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. While we were putting up our tree last week Stella was largely uninterested. By that night, though, when all the wild kids were in bed and she was free to explore, she discovered that she loves it and has a strong instinct to climb it. 🤦</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSHb5V37VBqI0fJTas9ruXCez7Nr82hVAnYkQ_lb-8kmawaS-Z6DInNL6Cv5NR1mg980AZPfX1eQJV6S0TEJzOaLmQMvc4fo8LWlbiICi9zvoUOZb5TUjlGwTR8jrVqZXcpZ6mnEl63aldZWVb2Ig6sjpsv_2XejaSZI3rNhfYMKRkapjSBztAO2rXQc/s857/PXL_20231126_043153744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSHb5V37VBqI0fJTas9ruXCez7Nr82hVAnYkQ_lb-8kmawaS-Z6DInNL6Cv5NR1mg980AZPfX1eQJV6S0TEJzOaLmQMvc4fo8LWlbiICi9zvoUOZb5TUjlGwTR8jrVqZXcpZ6mnEl63aldZWVb2Ig6sjpsv_2XejaSZI3rNhfYMKRkapjSBztAO2rXQc/w300-h400/PXL_20231126_043153744.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We've spent all week pulling her out of it, and re-hanging the ornaments she knocks down. We actually put some ten pound weights on the base of the tree so she won't knock the whole thing over. But she has bent a bunch of the branches and left big holes. I seriously don't know how to keep her out of it. <div><br /></div><div>2. I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping already. Justin and I agreed not to buy each other gifts since we're going to Florida in January. And I spent all my budget on the kids during November's Black "Friday" sales. So now I just have to organize and wrap everything. I don't mind wrapping. The hardest part is just making sure the kids get an equal number of gifts. Lucy was the easiest this year because she had a list a mile long. Levi was the hardest, because he doesn't actually play with toys. 🤷</div><div><br /></div><div>3. We started our "Advent Activities" on Friday. I started this with Lucy 11 years ago, and didn't realize I was locking myself in for life. Haha. Truly I wouldn't change it, though. This is one of those ways I can use my gifts in motherhood. I love planning and preparing and coming up with creative ideas. We don't do Santa or the Elf on the Shelf, so Lena always begs me to move the Wise Men every night. I write a little note explaining what that day's activity will be to put with them in their various locations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIx1pRXGNCeULA-_24D-vmF6Kt1TzSYAX1Fl8s-8Q94DcZlvJx4x2QpEA10L-YM1I91ErI3oP9YvGEMfw4EuTBH0PbfnNMOiWKcmvpvQbcevhCRqUqjZfvLLctnYRMUsGC3TFgOlbhKvIAzUlwgBPo0Us7lrggv4hTFFKkIdLG3IXXaEKJxtDNkA-ep8/s857/PXL_20231201_040420222.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIx1pRXGNCeULA-_24D-vmF6Kt1TzSYAX1Fl8s-8Q94DcZlvJx4x2QpEA10L-YM1I91ErI3oP9YvGEMfw4EuTBH0PbfnNMOiWKcmvpvQbcevhCRqUqjZfvLLctnYRMUsGC3TFgOlbhKvIAzUlwgBPo0Us7lrggv4hTFFKkIdLG3IXXaEKJxtDNkA-ep8/w300-h400/PXL_20231201_040420222.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>4. Our first Advent Activity was a two-in-one. First up was Levi's Christmas program at school:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilit_JVuoFQe0N1x8OQBKKa_5PHcu6dRTn9Rehtp0QxrUgfrHURlwPBunH0LlG3jLLle6uFV4Pa2Q15abACgQQG-9vQF1ionSaBZE2wTOWQzJUJPb19KHw7A8gUAj4DOUZivi7Xof1eNKbya0jwgYNE1wAsa-N_BKP-gW2w7Q6OuOoXCirPzyOKtIUJNs/s1142/PXL_20231201_224117526.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilit_JVuoFQe0N1x8OQBKKa_5PHcu6dRTn9Rehtp0QxrUgfrHURlwPBunH0LlG3jLLle6uFV4Pa2Q15abACgQQG-9vQF1ionSaBZE2wTOWQzJUJPb19KHw7A8gUAj4DOUZivi7Xof1eNKbya0jwgYNE1wAsa-N_BKP-gW2w7Q6OuOoXCirPzyOKtIUJNs/w640-h480/PXL_20231201_224117526.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's on the top row - middle/left</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After the show we tried out the new pizza place in town. It was <i>ridiculously</i> expensive, but the food was decent. We probably won't go again just because of the prices. Sorry, kids. Only Little Caesar's for you. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD9ddQ_X8iUb6QC1zJ_X61xS4OlQLbBwYxZ9hdloRytyoIfEBlxH4Ba1V33JBFsuRoljDVqXsZRc9ScHhb8OErueNXJQ3zI42u9ik_owVITbU_Ydr6c-jK0fqTAcGqom3aSw6kx94BHSPB0iMzUjfpJ3oL1viDN2Zxr7sYo9wqVKt-StWcdXBl5hFSOw/s1142/PXL_20231202_000508147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD9ddQ_X8iUb6QC1zJ_X61xS4OlQLbBwYxZ9hdloRytyoIfEBlxH4Ba1V33JBFsuRoljDVqXsZRc9ScHhb8OErueNXJQ3zI42u9ik_owVITbU_Ydr6c-jK0fqTAcGqom3aSw6kx94BHSPB0iMzUjfpJ3oL1viDN2Zxr7sYo9wqVKt-StWcdXBl5hFSOw/w640-h480/PXL_20231202_000508147.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is probably one of the only activities Lucy will voluntarily join in on. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>5. Today we watched Nova for a few hours, and I pulled out the gingerbread house kits I bought on clearance last year. Nova got bored quickly, but Lena and Levi loved it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUVlmFOjoro3izaNiBjVtcrrn4huJtj1lAF4ooJW-ka2gyDrfmbOyiWo8LahyphenhyphenvrfI8rqWrsVzm3TLGmdw3qk-k-RlF1yTSNL_JBJ6igenhpDAfTytc0vTljFWjaTyMFBMB8cS4v6qUO61KMbVYiOWa71GUD5SwcQNwkN82aBF2xuFY_hXFJdOqvFFcc4/s857/PXL_20231202_210940401.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUVlmFOjoro3izaNiBjVtcrrn4huJtj1lAF4ooJW-ka2gyDrfmbOyiWo8LahyphenhyphenvrfI8rqWrsVzm3TLGmdw3qk-k-RlF1yTSNL_JBJ6igenhpDAfTytc0vTljFWjaTyMFBMB8cS4v6qUO61KMbVYiOWa71GUD5SwcQNwkN82aBF2xuFY_hXFJdOqvFFcc4/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_210940401.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Os45-mKYj-Cpm_VwKku_jLrEIy3h-HixXzNMy76cPaJDF-nUjIwG95lRThT8ii6gKFeLoaDrpx9IDGBJ3TS8iVd-sa_JxBpvwUhpOFnNpxA5_wtmBt-wTBSBzAw4P2j0tisoAvvQWZ0BeEZJwGFjZniC0zhUtzJJ-Khwan-I8XVv8koV3LBi6DWnpJg/s857/PXL_20231202_211145555.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Os45-mKYj-Cpm_VwKku_jLrEIy3h-HixXzNMy76cPaJDF-nUjIwG95lRThT8ii6gKFeLoaDrpx9IDGBJ3TS8iVd-sa_JxBpvwUhpOFnNpxA5_wtmBt-wTBSBzAw4P2j0tisoAvvQWZ0BeEZJwGFjZniC0zhUtzJJ-Khwan-I8XVv8koV3LBi6DWnpJg/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_211145555.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSgt1mQWotIAymuiEaNPVJgz2rMBmTGrGPhuQ4g7w75J5gVALr-yad_l5ryWLZGrOOd8w8JkeyLeNZNfiXEG3zAjuu47bcJ7dg4K8ZoV7vmUgnLjYWSj2LIMmNziRTVsoNPj-MJdahOnA2XN2XDq4-nKZDCI8maThDY7IWgjeCLYvcERrDqnPBfdtqFw/s857/PXL_20231202_211923278.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSgt1mQWotIAymuiEaNPVJgz2rMBmTGrGPhuQ4g7w75J5gVALr-yad_l5ryWLZGrOOd8w8JkeyLeNZNfiXEG3zAjuu47bcJ7dg4K8ZoV7vmUgnLjYWSj2LIMmNziRTVsoNPj-MJdahOnA2XN2XDq4-nKZDCI8maThDY7IWgjeCLYvcERrDqnPBfdtqFw/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_211923278.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I seriously don't understand how he ended up so covered in frosting. He's talented.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Fts9Ag_FL_HQXlpmnd1gsApyVe2Lb0mUa8OXSawu1A2-289U9Nx7tdLg8QcVFKKKIsj2PjuqQeZXftmYQcnsIT-KQPh3FjcvNR77L0pX92Iso-1QRboZLoJC5D4An5EMBJu-5BB-HVkGWWO8lAJ5sKZXaVAIyn5cDzLc8gDeoklIb0DX5fzA93gGWM/s857/Snapchat-1574265753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Fts9Ag_FL_HQXlpmnd1gsApyVe2Lb0mUa8OXSawu1A2-289U9Nx7tdLg8QcVFKKKIsj2PjuqQeZXftmYQcnsIT-KQPh3FjcvNR77L0pX92Iso-1QRboZLoJC5D4An5EMBJu-5BB-HVkGWWO8lAJ5sKZXaVAIyn5cDzLc8gDeoklIb0DX5fzA93gGWM/w360-h640/Snapchat-1574265753.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtlmp1Y76cOtX72KanyONxUbUEWBZ3zQ5RhZ7ZAqnxFgWAD3r6nCW_4XIbOhW_raO5o51UyX8bha1X2KBYl2lYksAwZ47PTAOxehTXGZ3twOsUYWKRhcFiDr1_x4RfgqsNK-07tXU4JcuJsAJ6Wdbt7sZvsijSpaTyq2dEkr8ob3rtbAueUqL2MqZ3fY/s857/PXL_20231202_215113483.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtlmp1Y76cOtX72KanyONxUbUEWBZ3zQ5RhZ7ZAqnxFgWAD3r6nCW_4XIbOhW_raO5o51UyX8bha1X2KBYl2lYksAwZ47PTAOxehTXGZ3twOsUYWKRhcFiDr1_x4RfgqsNK-07tXU4JcuJsAJ6Wdbt7sZvsijSpaTyq2dEkr8ob3rtbAueUqL2MqZ3fY/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_215113483.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can NOT get him to smile naturally lately.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1y9MUo76Bh91ARVaD56ou4dctHjWEibnFqOyQy3-wMg97qCM_s0DYW5yWnPJ6hmY58W3F0rMbOJsKSMdtsC75SKlHVRrLRBkxtlzR-feRdfRTYRLn-h2TILAen-FXuMSNIMV7GhqXx5JmLVcd9yQhIur3ytf6F3g_B7RKAM1R29GiK8X8aURNmpAsbU/s857/PXL_20231202_215704388.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1y9MUo76Bh91ARVaD56ou4dctHjWEibnFqOyQy3-wMg97qCM_s0DYW5yWnPJ6hmY58W3F0rMbOJsKSMdtsC75SKlHVRrLRBkxtlzR-feRdfRTYRLn-h2TILAen-FXuMSNIMV7GhqXx5JmLVcd9yQhIur3ytf6F3g_B7RKAM1R29GiK8X8aURNmpAsbU/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_215704388.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PsC9ZFKFMM18aqI9SoeU9Y64UGaF_GmfYk6s303pt5pZPshl9rOE90PfiX4RpM_a5WJGsO_afnZteagvjvo9MjpMbltl0XHU9EJSpLm-5yFDh-VuzgSLhw1xnblwqngS4e7mvyzT_yfjMcaODxtdidKo-4LqIhmJ_WKkOh36KicCphXhpIJbRZpCqWc/s1142/PXL_20231202_220552266.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PsC9ZFKFMM18aqI9SoeU9Y64UGaF_GmfYk6s303pt5pZPshl9rOE90PfiX4RpM_a5WJGsO_afnZteagvjvo9MjpMbltl0XHU9EJSpLm-5yFDh-VuzgSLhw1xnblwqngS4e7mvyzT_yfjMcaODxtdidKo-4LqIhmJ_WKkOh36KicCphXhpIJbRZpCqWc/w640-h480/PXL_20231202_220552266.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>6. After the houses were complete, they decided to try some "three person yoga poses." Lol. It was entertaining for all involved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjVFF9nspdd_Zas8I3px1Fz_ZnwBxOynsni4ocgA3pNT9nLgHtOO2RGZmXltrOxV9VwpKmXw1ixuoTCxf4EnQUrbl9GtzGcB7EY71Cn0TukufCb7rPCoCnN2mCfBjpxj9ML-bxw0ZBFUrE3kQ-IEYaq077CmlmIjBjcZHHJENd5z6Tr9pELFNBqwfv94/s1142/PXL_20231202_224826366.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjVFF9nspdd_Zas8I3px1Fz_ZnwBxOynsni4ocgA3pNT9nLgHtOO2RGZmXltrOxV9VwpKmXw1ixuoTCxf4EnQUrbl9GtzGcB7EY71Cn0TukufCb7rPCoCnN2mCfBjpxj9ML-bxw0ZBFUrE3kQ-IEYaq077CmlmIjBjcZHHJENd5z6Tr9pELFNBqwfv94/w400-h300/PXL_20231202_224826366.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wD_H2TkyAWsiOrVR85MLN2SDS46qHRdrfjC282W4cOokI4yJ1OXjGNvISRG6Gp2Ni7Wp-ylTKiATOQUvR1TzSL8KdZzzvFi-eA49KC7eeiJcOyPPLeVnI_SPtKy4PboJ-TQcQjNkSUnLgZRf1FKYgQphNcUn2bxLwOrz75fZ_06GpAC7fO1BEBEwt7A/s1142/PXL_20231202_225224645.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wD_H2TkyAWsiOrVR85MLN2SDS46qHRdrfjC282W4cOokI4yJ1OXjGNvISRG6Gp2Ni7Wp-ylTKiATOQUvR1TzSL8KdZzzvFi-eA49KC7eeiJcOyPPLeVnI_SPtKy4PboJ-TQcQjNkSUnLgZRf1FKYgQphNcUn2bxLwOrz75fZ_06GpAC7fO1BEBEwt7A/w400-h300/PXL_20231202_225224645.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6EWLTNmMZhMMo1GREEWQ_vM_h1sO1eQweYsu5TxkEyOe2cl0V6gdU7y06y0O7oCL3RL0Wx0woyIYVRzlzNREPjKROTBsWRAw5ZvLQIouY5acYCfDzXgjBFB8U8QsNSMg8GqxQ9L4k1sl9NZNtB08CchYoujJ_wBCQgMn1RQdw-gaT3gnWHRj3F64b9Y/s857/PXL_20231202_225831862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6EWLTNmMZhMMo1GREEWQ_vM_h1sO1eQweYsu5TxkEyOe2cl0V6gdU7y06y0O7oCL3RL0Wx0woyIYVRzlzNREPjKROTBsWRAw5ZvLQIouY5acYCfDzXgjBFB8U8QsNSMg8GqxQ9L4k1sl9NZNtB08CchYoujJ_wBCQgMn1RQdw-gaT3gnWHRj3F64b9Y/w300-h400/PXL_20231202_225831862.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>7. Pics and memes. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBVtXkIISy5DiZuhx2dkYrgkxp7-bcQBjpJt5hnqRnGexv7yztt_uTt_YVG6W23wuQBtjfbLq6-mmYz69fDOkEL7q5ovMpkvglbH2iHHTMlLT4_yKdWmNQ5tgTImxf3pTRWFVVkKLu3ubFW29f54OVP9A6Uev9CA6rHXO1btLrxNZardK6G5FLW1Lxh4/s857/PXL_20231128_015548658.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBVtXkIISy5DiZuhx2dkYrgkxp7-bcQBjpJt5hnqRnGexv7yztt_uTt_YVG6W23wuQBtjfbLq6-mmYz69fDOkEL7q5ovMpkvglbH2iHHTMlLT4_yKdWmNQ5tgTImxf3pTRWFVVkKLu3ubFW29f54OVP9A6Uev9CA6rHXO1btLrxNZardK6G5FLW1Lxh4/w480-h640/PXL_20231128_015548658.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet sister had a couple extra mini-trees that she donated to Lena and Levi. They're in love.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLN3e0ESbhz0uUu5kWUeIMgUYgJhkS5QyDpGU-ylyIYXWj3_119h2tda-8cpQHIdjRD8O-p8z5kWfWU2MHEizfJ04E9WIOwHFpG0wjg5nD0PRYsvGL693aTY5Ljpy0dPpAgoD_DEWOTu4hc06aLfBiYmK8-PiQyIwZJFCTDdKZm9_5BY-tybpVvzbvqus/s857/PXL_20231130_221534532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLN3e0ESbhz0uUu5kWUeIMgUYgJhkS5QyDpGU-ylyIYXWj3_119h2tda-8cpQHIdjRD8O-p8z5kWfWU2MHEizfJ04E9WIOwHFpG0wjg5nD0PRYsvGL693aTY5Ljpy0dPpAgoD_DEWOTu4hc06aLfBiYmK8-PiQyIwZJFCTDdKZm9_5BY-tybpVvzbvqus/w480-h640/PXL_20231130_221534532.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a normal night at our house.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oPDMh0ZJBeQZHMihsIytWo_iCgp18g8IndCr_M7h3aLvWRq324GBnjr3FIP_OU0QhU98CUtFWztMVbQ1Jg1wYCESrk8PK8hV-wkPtCwj1-f1LzS5JB7yg6ju_-lFy6PBGnnlXX2Mu2yRltXW8F_fVvNwmv1Xsw7G_Ad9kuTo-5js5Kv19h-q5pbUkZE/s473/72a466bd5519a899a111d21375a241c8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="473" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oPDMh0ZJBeQZHMihsIytWo_iCgp18g8IndCr_M7h3aLvWRq324GBnjr3FIP_OU0QhU98CUtFWztMVbQ1Jg1wYCESrk8PK8hV-wkPtCwj1-f1LzS5JB7yg6ju_-lFy6PBGnnlXX2Mu2yRltXW8F_fVvNwmv1Xsw7G_Ad9kuTo-5js5Kv19h-q5pbUkZE/w400-h356/72a466bd5519a899a111d21375a241c8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was timely because of the facebook post I screenshotted earlier this week:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P_O_ZiNiZ1E3Dzci2i41ygcAzT20_Be1ZC-9dfhlCOSB_JuMQ-bWTGlndA2drf5kHu2UsM-Lf8GiT5wefD9JbbEOiw8tDN727eZxeK_sGfEFbrSzlbzYzzXTw7dnaz3iIyayJzQkfF5uZvOfoOUm-DroCNk92Xz25yTnQATLllsVWXk6B5oB2TXUA7s/s857/Screenshot_20231202-224627.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="653" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P_O_ZiNiZ1E3Dzci2i41ygcAzT20_Be1ZC-9dfhlCOSB_JuMQ-bWTGlndA2drf5kHu2UsM-Lf8GiT5wefD9JbbEOiw8tDN727eZxeK_sGfEFbrSzlbzYzzXTw7dnaz3iIyayJzQkfF5uZvOfoOUm-DroCNk92Xz25yTnQATLllsVWXk6B5oB2TXUA7s/w305-h400/Screenshot_20231202-224627.png" width="305" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDNZPTLrmqI0ZLgpuiBJN0IDe6ckhF7VDXz4bly-s94i8Qwx6U7Vcp34a5mp6pUKAmojBO7BbjkAPDsSzeitazkQpSnBFxB72E5azQZaRgFCRXUeWHkb0CL8nNpedLsTWcqA9t4nae2jCRQ-j_Xzb5OEBd2e-cXZBzfTRkgPNLHQSdHMmJhfTYp6xG3Q/s473/090c2ed7675bb0eddd6257bb903d71a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="473" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDNZPTLrmqI0ZLgpuiBJN0IDe6ckhF7VDXz4bly-s94i8Qwx6U7Vcp34a5mp6pUKAmojBO7BbjkAPDsSzeitazkQpSnBFxB72E5azQZaRgFCRXUeWHkb0CL8nNpedLsTWcqA9t4nae2jCRQ-j_Xzb5OEBd2e-cXZBzfTRkgPNLHQSdHMmJhfTYp6xG3Q/w400-h331/090c2ed7675bb0eddd6257bb903d71a3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made me chuckle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGJQdlIF-NVbwX6rh3Nt1NTvpV6emAASsPpQGYVXwZ1hFdZl7svVMEY35rr5JtIYVl-0GLuq2yLh4auLAyAVU52cfucRxNY0RYJAsaY2RpTsyiwOuBLs-Prc4_zLXH4ddCWnYLCUGK7Ghc8RlpLPaRDWTmFnlMTX35eH5BXRBwO2Dv4d0bAxAIMQIts8/s1080/404339744_772423014926427_417848525332426580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1080" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGJQdlIF-NVbwX6rh3Nt1NTvpV6emAASsPpQGYVXwZ1hFdZl7svVMEY35rr5JtIYVl-0GLuq2yLh4auLAyAVU52cfucRxNY0RYJAsaY2RpTsyiwOuBLs-Prc4_zLXH4ddCWnYLCUGK7Ghc8RlpLPaRDWTmFnlMTX35eH5BXRBwO2Dv4d0bAxAIMQIts8/w400-h398/404339744_772423014926427_417848525332426580_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my cousin Steph<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-9P8JW0WCKIdhyphenhyphenbEqEn15M6Jd3rjrnJIh3WHF9USW3c9RhqDTeUgQnohCDWEAg_2soJYlX1-_sDCNS2WrmVem1dEx05ulyKNKXZXTFpkMWaKPVTqy3dVIA4jxzyHXrTaQM17BXhH42wiPxZ_QxJ3QwP6y1PeuGGS9l0QJlUPDi3SnQOOqcrWSI_vy6g/s937/404402266_1349005942395957_525804802456198323_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-9P8JW0WCKIdhyphenhyphenbEqEn15M6Jd3rjrnJIh3WHF9USW3c9RhqDTeUgQnohCDWEAg_2soJYlX1-_sDCNS2WrmVem1dEx05ulyKNKXZXTFpkMWaKPVTqy3dVIA4jxzyHXrTaQM17BXhH42wiPxZ_QxJ3QwP6y1PeuGGS9l0QJlUPDi3SnQOOqcrWSI_vy6g/w333-h400/404402266_1349005942395957_525804802456198323_n.jpg" width="333" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another random one that made me laugh</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2duWEIw8mO9NhVzzsoMyu36b1dVmq8FgbnTiVtSNxfaC_ffo8Wn3BieVUMfXcFJgkYTFUZSo2DbrsOLABToxN9YPXhtIh4gaRctle_mHs9vc4VoVGiPeL0B_RWYe6QbcFGld0uO2Y9nnwebZrF8Oqw1vf87i4r8qzYWB5undwd17sXSe83Xjr3_RYVwo/s473/a8cece00bc1129e1e60a737ab16a7a4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="473" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2duWEIw8mO9NhVzzsoMyu36b1dVmq8FgbnTiVtSNxfaC_ffo8Wn3BieVUMfXcFJgkYTFUZSo2DbrsOLABToxN9YPXhtIh4gaRctle_mHs9vc4VoVGiPeL0B_RWYe6QbcFGld0uO2Y9nnwebZrF8Oqw1vf87i4r8qzYWB5undwd17sXSe83Xjr3_RYVwo/w400-h359/a8cece00bc1129e1e60a737ab16a7a4b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUjynkSO1pK-WSP5FyDHryrgbP1kvA0gMGkAuPcMY6rDNId3J_ek8IgK7wU4BDi09NQJ7OVqdSvKipIa5UZq8tD72kPII0bOBmsYFwUQCbE5SOMh-BG5moCVUJ8sVBkts9mq1XaPYHDAYGWVdaI8VAfklK4CylJUYza5vylPtVL7Eri7H9t_NNiHZY4k/s473/e3af8e500cf323d7e1565945084b9996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="473" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUjynkSO1pK-WSP5FyDHryrgbP1kvA0gMGkAuPcMY6rDNId3J_ek8IgK7wU4BDi09NQJ7OVqdSvKipIa5UZq8tD72kPII0bOBmsYFwUQCbE5SOMh-BG5moCVUJ8sVBkts9mq1XaPYHDAYGWVdaI8VAfklK4CylJUYza5vylPtVL7Eri7H9t_NNiHZY4k/w400-h351/e3af8e500cf323d7e1565945084b9996.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCsWjvlE5RE4DXA4-Ye1k_bOxWR-1B6I62-xA8g3DEaedfckcI9k1R9yAGmGh29Giv979OPAb7YNjTbQrXdmMupf_zWesrwdkh5uKm9Olb082e-zhzjxGfbn_NbliCOIScn2X5OyU3NRzM4kqScriwmvFctyYrfLx3VF11WsKvhPGzjeyuMNgUGJ3EqE/s857/Screenshot_20231126-214629.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="797" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCsWjvlE5RE4DXA4-Ye1k_bOxWR-1B6I62-xA8g3DEaedfckcI9k1R9yAGmGh29Giv979OPAb7YNjTbQrXdmMupf_zWesrwdkh5uKm9Olb082e-zhzjxGfbn_NbliCOIScn2X5OyU3NRzM4kqScriwmvFctyYrfLx3VF11WsKvhPGzjeyuMNgUGJ3EqE/w373-h400/Screenshot_20231126-214629.png" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I happened to catch her performance live and I was just waiting for this meme to come out!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdifz8oYUdZhKBPV1BKLnzhnYhQnk03WRYFsuLE1saVk-r9WKeJOm5EdICOxr0piq54CYAQeNPgdd69QAj0ZPKRxg0vzOkkP4V71cvvQFYE_a6bVtxAPSlpmXmYtQJSlAwAfJ8uZM5M6K5voZvLBOMTBhVmvuCkJcXyK_G98porcSmL4mqiWi7Po8tnM/s1080/Screenshot_20231126-222920.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1080" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdifz8oYUdZhKBPV1BKLnzhnYhQnk03WRYFsuLE1saVk-r9WKeJOm5EdICOxr0piq54CYAQeNPgdd69QAj0ZPKRxg0vzOkkP4V71cvvQFYE_a6bVtxAPSlpmXmYtQJSlAwAfJ8uZM5M6K5voZvLBOMTBhVmvuCkJcXyK_G98porcSmL4mqiWi7Po8tnM/w400-h244/Screenshot_20231126-222920.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi62MHw3zMHh6IY9-nlsDH9tUPLkJqQV9w1BdQKxVtSbXDnX5W5eCyl1_12izFDKNDkG34WAP0ocdics29cXU22JJHWBSg1GoTVm82WiqvS-oYieZcJG0L3mOlD3rnbriuN6Sv8KQW8w8bGWTHiW5Y0_F7NIxdDWNVfZ0VQvm7BTqUQVwfwaVjleSrHZI/s1038/Screenshot_20231129-220330.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1038" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi62MHw3zMHh6IY9-nlsDH9tUPLkJqQV9w1BdQKxVtSbXDnX5W5eCyl1_12izFDKNDkG34WAP0ocdics29cXU22JJHWBSg1GoTVm82WiqvS-oYieZcJG0L3mOlD3rnbriuN6Sv8KQW8w8bGWTHiW5Y0_F7NIxdDWNVfZ0VQvm7BTqUQVwfwaVjleSrHZI/w400-h330/Screenshot_20231129-220330.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except our pizza cost way more than $33. 🤦</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-58689884710118037742023-11-25T23:21:00.000-05:002023-11-25T23:21:03.056-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Justin's family. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE7kbbYAnwicM0Ni43r-kTe5kB6IuPsYKI8xVqCm9uCi5RR4SoJFADd4n0QMeO06i3qxlKUiPX2rek8R3ptqtbswlqyVgDz1M-NdyTlgayCDYYpqG6qku3LGD8Kh29jCuh4lgRgWPErEVI0BC4nkZXyythD7bbhx9ByjSHGzZe4aWZSFfww-NXUSgqGU/s857/PXL_20231123_174445654.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE7kbbYAnwicM0Ni43r-kTe5kB6IuPsYKI8xVqCm9uCi5RR4SoJFADd4n0QMeO06i3qxlKUiPX2rek8R3ptqtbswlqyVgDz1M-NdyTlgayCDYYpqG6qku3LGD8Kh29jCuh4lgRgWPErEVI0BC4nkZXyythD7bbhx9ByjSHGzZe4aWZSFfww-NXUSgqGU/w480-h640/PXL_20231123_174445654.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: center;">Justin's mom has the gift of hospitality, making these beautiful tablescapes I can only dream of. Not to mention her cooking ability! I stuck with what I knew for my contribution this year: thaw, rise, and bake rolls. 😂 The food was all amazing, but I could hardly eat everything on my plate. I wanted to go back for more stuffing, but I'm so afraid of upsetting my stomach that I held back. I really think that's why I've lost weight this year - all the times I hold back from eating when I previously would've. I guess eating less really does help you lose weight. Who woulda thunk it? </span><div><p>We had a two-game Wizard tournament that I won, then we moved on to dessert. I enjoyed a decadent piece of pumpkin pie with copious amounts of whipped cream. Lena created her own dessert: a plate of whipped cream with fruit. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl6sRb7uPj83NXE-9HgmrL0OvkEhSrvV1DkLhlmvbY4CMlvO6LPy0n5S_iS6UehnHYcue5vszW6u00IF6lj0PyjESdKcLOIFDnTOBC06M2p8Dn2mf1OOR_ukL1UtVBBJ2FxR0rbyLSw_dHrZcwXd5se3WT16B0wSnmOXEDn44jOtsAUWlZ__20PZ58G0/s857/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="477" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl6sRb7uPj83NXE-9HgmrL0OvkEhSrvV1DkLhlmvbY4CMlvO6LPy0n5S_iS6UehnHYcue5vszW6u00IF6lj0PyjESdKcLOIFDnTOBC06M2p8Dn2mf1OOR_ukL1UtVBBJ2FxR0rbyLSw_dHrZcwXd5se3WT16B0wSnmOXEDn44jOtsAUWlZ__20PZ58G0/w356-h640/image.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind her evil face. She's an odd duck . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>2. I've been doing "Black Friday" shopping all weekend. I miss the days of true Black Friday shopping when all the sales were on one day. I always feel like I'm missing something when they stretch the sales out over days - and I feel like I'm tied to my computer searching for deals for days. But I do appreciate being able to shop from the comfort of my couch! After the past few days I'm almost done with my shopping! I chose the "no-rush" shipping option on Amazon so I can get 6% cash back, so I'm going to have quite the haul arriving next Saturday. I better dig out my wrapping supplies . . .</p><p>3. Lena has been begging to set up the Christmas tree for a week, but Justin has a strict "No Christmas Before Thanksgiving" rule, so I made her wait 'til yesterday. And as much as I loooooove Christmas, and love the ambience those white lights bring to my living room, I dread the work that goes into making room for the tree each year. Our house is small and packed to the gills with stuff (because I'm a hoarder), so it's a long process to rearrange furniture and clear a spot for the tree. And then when I move the couches that only get moved once a year, I have to spend an hour cleaning everything that was under them. 🤦 I made the kids help a lot, but my back was still killing me by the time we got everything in place. This year we hit a very sad milestone: Lucy refused to decorate the tree with us. I'll admit that I spent a few years being a moody teenager, but my love for Christmas and my strict adherence to tradition always outranked any teenage disdain. I hoped the same would be true of Lucy, but no such luck. Anyway, I can't dwell on it or I'll be a basket case, so on to the pictures of the kids who <i>did</i> take great delight in decorating. Neighbor-girl-Kylee (henceforth to be referred to as NGK) joined in the fun, so she inadvertently replaced Lucy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTrakZJzdMOIrq1hhb2QptWOQM2H5HoKV-JqzekQygCbID8OiqELJSGAlSFAM9zNRzfs8k9wnH_UstlkMqyTuHoBt1j5DqzBjbWUuxAC1TjHa1dSxX45XpfEUODELy4ixah_-TvsyYDHujAP621fOEgDjagmUO8kgY1AX5_bHOfTe99CKr0jboJ9PmqU/s857/PXL_20231124_200647893.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTrakZJzdMOIrq1hhb2QptWOQM2H5HoKV-JqzekQygCbID8OiqELJSGAlSFAM9zNRzfs8k9wnH_UstlkMqyTuHoBt1j5DqzBjbWUuxAC1TjHa1dSxX45XpfEUODELy4ixah_-TvsyYDHujAP621fOEgDjagmUO8kgY1AX5_bHOfTe99CKr0jboJ9PmqU/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_200647893.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVpodCVLdhOKrtZ_B3xtZTwk7-g2LFoqBtWAbx1FMpP6HJNf5bUQtA4Oe4ZeB0ZVCNCmzcefTEUHl0m_TsDhBqtz3BEQq_i8Q8cAt1LP_hrGQU8_BC8XsUFIzaF1PAX_3U3X9iD7ZhozMK5yuDeAotCE-k-s88RiIDyBBfo1a_3OlOtjAsVmMCHmgVko/s857/PXL_20231124_201035742.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVpodCVLdhOKrtZ_B3xtZTwk7-g2LFoqBtWAbx1FMpP6HJNf5bUQtA4Oe4ZeB0ZVCNCmzcefTEUHl0m_TsDhBqtz3BEQq_i8Q8cAt1LP_hrGQU8_BC8XsUFIzaF1PAX_3U3X9iD7ZhozMK5yuDeAotCE-k-s88RiIDyBBfo1a_3OlOtjAsVmMCHmgVko/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_201035742.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdlDbdh72gVPK3h6iv6jpm7Wtm39a0HxQwTuq0rkslYfMGll7b45zzSFibKoZ_HI6z_Lz_V_x17XwK9QTxqr4v6Iplzq3Ei1Yw4puVenK4d3oJ2_5J-FIqVr7Q4xLJNryKKv49c1NdnKxJoaqCVdnFgGikEw55RivOab9FErtK99e6aTj_LMXeRv9yJ4/s857/PXL_20231124_201114343.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdlDbdh72gVPK3h6iv6jpm7Wtm39a0HxQwTuq0rkslYfMGll7b45zzSFibKoZ_HI6z_Lz_V_x17XwK9QTxqr4v6Iplzq3Ei1Yw4puVenK4d3oJ2_5J-FIqVr7Q4xLJNryKKv49c1NdnKxJoaqCVdnFgGikEw55RivOab9FErtK99e6aTj_LMXeRv9yJ4/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_201114343.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv713ckfOWURW5qJA3FU0z1MA9S5JLZYUbJTy7i_eHQvh2DWtjnZLqZgfq6xj-C1vc48BAPHmR1ZA94CpAb2-9Ih_JzY-r8YlERwHzgu4SuHoJDbG-59Thqql9yIVeYDEArUsF90YZqHe9FByP5yPZiPe6FYMLSZByLfFxwWl-V-C3DZxYaOx6KdJI2EQ/s857/PXL_20231124_203238777.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv713ckfOWURW5qJA3FU0z1MA9S5JLZYUbJTy7i_eHQvh2DWtjnZLqZgfq6xj-C1vc48BAPHmR1ZA94CpAb2-9Ih_JzY-r8YlERwHzgu4SuHoJDbG-59Thqql9yIVeYDEArUsF90YZqHe9FByP5yPZiPe6FYMLSZByLfFxwWl-V-C3DZxYaOx6KdJI2EQ/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_203238777.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhtFA03-kL4bmonfdgN5M6Y7iPrA0RRm3LqH7pU8RzNP-j-OVKd1FIgcwvoiN7Do0DQmJcEG-G-u8dw9mm9Xee_j1IDqC_U29Xv5c7IB4sOInMQ1xx5emDvshWbr9Jijc02e5eC-UC0bys98CLlfa5Qa_UShK9K8hM17WxtieYmwM8jJbGB1kkuFnzlY/s857/PXL_20231124_220530475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhtFA03-kL4bmonfdgN5M6Y7iPrA0RRm3LqH7pU8RzNP-j-OVKd1FIgcwvoiN7Do0DQmJcEG-G-u8dw9mm9Xee_j1IDqC_U29Xv5c7IB4sOInMQ1xx5emDvshWbr9Jijc02e5eC-UC0bys98CLlfa5Qa_UShK9K8hM17WxtieYmwM8jJbGB1kkuFnzlY/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_220530475.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUmcAEIlxAW6FdwEdmQ8i4VIUllzfsjS4xbWMBgsSvtEK7VsoHL00jalk5enkU__njt4g3tiErDlrDy8ow1m2OdqTWTwd0CTdfCyErBg9OKNgLYcrExZK7s7sN1U5CYkutgQWz004YUA8f9HnWaRBUbBG8-qYHdNgr4hONwZZgIJAOWQiRsh9Z8MAFow/s857/PXL_20231124_221349369.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUmcAEIlxAW6FdwEdmQ8i4VIUllzfsjS4xbWMBgsSvtEK7VsoHL00jalk5enkU__njt4g3tiErDlrDy8ow1m2OdqTWTwd0CTdfCyErBg9OKNgLYcrExZK7s7sN1U5CYkutgQWz004YUA8f9HnWaRBUbBG8-qYHdNgr4hONwZZgIJAOWQiRsh9Z8MAFow/w480-h640/PXL_20231124_221349369.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>4. I read two books this week: one fiction and one non-fiction. The fiction book was <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Million-Little-Choices-Tamera-Alexander-ebook/dp/B0BX128G9R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2P1I2BTK8OUNL&keywords=a+million+little+choices+tamera+alexander&qid=1700970025&sprefix=a+million+little+c%2Caps%2C360&sr=8-1" target="_blank">A Million Little Choices</a></i> by Tamera Alexander. I went into it totally blind, knowing only that it's brand new and getting huge buzz in the Christian Fiction community, and ended up giving it 5 stars. It's masterfully written and tackles a few really hard subjects really well. That said, it has a plethora of trigger warnings (that aren't all represented in the "back of the book blurb"), so message me if you want to prepare before reading. </p><p>5. The non-fiction book was a parenting book called <a href="https://www.christianbook.com/parents-expectations-embrace-reality-discover-parenting/dave-wilson/9780310362173/pd/362171?event=ESRCG" target="_blank">No Perfect Parents</a> by Dave and Ann Wilson: the hosts of Focus on the Family's <i>Family Life Today</i>. I heard them discussing their book on a podcast over a year ago and marked it as "To Read" on Goodreads, but kind of forgot about it. Last week I was Christmas shopping on Christian Book Distributor's website and needed something cheap to get me over the free shipping threshold. When I saw that book for $3.50 I added it to cart, not really that excited about reading it. Haha. I've kind of avoided parenting books for a while because they just make me feel overwhelmed and inadequate. I wouldn't say this book was earth shattering, but I appreciated its premise, and enjoyed the writing. Something that stuck with me is the idea that God gave me my specific kids knowing my specific strengths. So I should lean into the things I enjoy that come naturally to me in parenting - using the gifts and interests he's given me. Of course, that's not permission to say, "Sorry kids, I don't enjoy sports so I'm never going to sign you up for soccer or watch any of your games." But it does mean I should think about how I can use my gifts in parenting instead of just "out in the world." This is about to get long . . .</p><p>I went to a baby shower last week where all of the gathered women were encouraged to give a piece of parenting advice. A lot of the attendees have grown children, and almost without fail their advice is to "cherish every moment because it goes so fast." If I didn't think it would be considered snarky, I'd have made my advice to the new mom to be almost the opposite: "It's ok not to cherish <i>every</i> moment." And then, funnily enough, one mom (of young kids) gave a devotion along the same lines! I know that I personally feel a <i>lot</i> of guilt when I feel like I'm not cherishing every moment, especially because I <i>do</i> feel the ache of my kids growing up already. Which brings me back to that parenting book. I've never read a parenting book that made me think, "Aha! This is the secret I've been missing!" because, of course, it doesn't exist. But I make myself keep reading them, because it renews my desire to be the mom I want my kids to remember, to make memories I want them to think of fondly, and to create the kind of home they want to come back to as adults. </p><p>I guess I'm going to give you a spoiler about that fiction book: a little boy dies of a terrible accident, and part of the story is about his parents navigating that grief even many years later. So between that and the parenting book when Levi saw two animated characters square dancing on TV tonight and asked me to do it with him, I put down my book and danced with him. He was almost hysterical with giggles, and we collapsed on the couch together where I kissed his chubby dimpled cheeks and had to practically swallow back tears as I reminded myself that this is so fleeting - which is what those old ladies at baby showers mean when they say to cherish every moment. They mean that we shouldn't be consumed with our jobs or houses or chasing after that perfect Instagram moment, but we should have the perspective that these years we have with our kids are temporary even when they don't feel like it. Soon, Levi will roll his eyes when I ask him to dance with me. Soon, Lena will refuse to leave her room to decorate the tree (although if I can rely on any of my kids to cling to traditions and sentimentality, it's her). I thought I'd have a lot more years with Lucy than I did. She's already so independent and so eager to get out from under my wings. I keep praying that she'll come back at some point, that we can be friends as adults, but I'm going to cling a little tighter to my younger two while I can. Honestly, this panicky feeling of my kids growing up makes me want another baby, so it's a good thing that's medically impossible for us. My body can't handle that again. Lol.</p><p>6. That's probably enough for one night. On to pics and memes:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3lOSm-ay_VarvpdxLPPexyb6JM9rXOru2ITHVZ66gG9uSa4FpB9pii1YBMBIuRpQlB_RwUrLlZr4dVoyD2oFyIp3HDfSZEBygfRoQzDCHvkZcLf8MZjRp6SuHRGdt_-aef3IRx1QTBaMJFBYPcQ6BJ32S27atAqvDwxFj_vF31u9ljlDOvVqSJ3ZkOg/s857/Snapchat-889160196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3lOSm-ay_VarvpdxLPPexyb6JM9rXOru2ITHVZ66gG9uSa4FpB9pii1YBMBIuRpQlB_RwUrLlZr4dVoyD2oFyIp3HDfSZEBygfRoQzDCHvkZcLf8MZjRp6SuHRGdt_-aef3IRx1QTBaMJFBYPcQ6BJ32S27atAqvDwxFj_vF31u9ljlDOvVqSJ3ZkOg/w360-h640/Snapchat-889160196.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought <i style="font-weight: bold;">another</i> contraption that's supposed to make hair-curling soooo easy, and breezy. (I really should count how many contraptions I have that have promised the same thing.) This was the result.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-HneqWWkBTlTFP6-j0sNOsaSKOlmLi7ApPBv9x3KOxGBKddhxArodwHzJ2VuYz0-YpphEFO8ITCciQKvKin6Keh4ZIErX6ZOC9mld4mc7bwUyxTG6wQUlTdWAKSfgCHNIVQo1efhnOOz5Knv3goWiCAWWpa5RZ8WXvnuBtfI8eKNtrXcaqTmmTxghbw/s857/Snapchat-963230577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-HneqWWkBTlTFP6-j0sNOsaSKOlmLi7ApPBv9x3KOxGBKddhxArodwHzJ2VuYz0-YpphEFO8ITCciQKvKin6Keh4ZIErX6ZOC9mld4mc7bwUyxTG6wQUlTdWAKSfgCHNIVQo1efhnOOz5Knv3goWiCAWWpa5RZ8WXvnuBtfI8eKNtrXcaqTmmTxghbw/w486-h640/Snapchat-963230577.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the archives . . . This would've been 1996. When it was still politically correct to let schoolchildren dress up as Pilgrims and Indians. Lol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78a3QxZcoACJofEthB80bBH4eg-AxXKaalvMnT8f7aOPQ60Ho0SUjWPGeYi8bI9TyLU1hBQVBOO5rJL1wE-YGhm5Dq7r1rIUB0PCRMF8N_cYY0bzKKMiJe8Px_InKZ6JIoluEJA_Ho07hYnWgllZJWF0kYFX3yAG3_aDymQbkBbxO0AXOiFCUyeh2Af0/s857/PXL_20231125_225630401.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78a3QxZcoACJofEthB80bBH4eg-AxXKaalvMnT8f7aOPQ60Ho0SUjWPGeYi8bI9TyLU1hBQVBOO5rJL1wE-YGhm5Dq7r1rIUB0PCRMF8N_cYY0bzKKMiJe8Px_InKZ6JIoluEJA_Ho07hYnWgllZJWF0kYFX3yAG3_aDymQbkBbxO0AXOiFCUyeh2Af0/w480-h640/PXL_20231125_225630401.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This fatty isn't going to fit in her favorite spot much longer!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc6HfByHO1kRvNfJFchblrTz6eHYlWATDTH-yF3cfuaC5ZvrASXuckDNTeXuQVLdWPhw1SRZ1r99X68lQ6Ue_OI5eq2iRzE9YNJBEiMH3ErdEiIxM2Mupijgsrv3j71mJ0DD6ljjAUqmN4_TgmBRmZAxnWsAtUMG-5S2WdPvXMGQ1S5JCL7yu8hbyYEs/s857/Snapchat-784471364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOc6HfByHO1kRvNfJFchblrTz6eHYlWATDTH-yF3cfuaC5ZvrASXuckDNTeXuQVLdWPhw1SRZ1r99X68lQ6Ue_OI5eq2iRzE9YNJBEiMH3ErdEiIxM2Mupijgsrv3j71mJ0DD6ljjAUqmN4_TgmBRmZAxnWsAtUMG-5S2WdPvXMGQ1S5JCL7yu8hbyYEs/w360-h640/Snapchat-784471364.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good ol' Lena teaching Levi to tie his shoes at the dinner table. Justin and I have dropped the ball on that one (one of those moments I <i>don't</i> cherish).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8dYrRWYyjiYQNpuWzakSygtQ6TcGRpAIBPcKEw0N41j8VtiDul1U7kB3lEpBAM5bc_6BlCIrUrwej0Yvqo-KnpKiZSxGL491X1UQZMgY8MU0j_eE4EucS7Cq4C6lUtt1vxP1W1XJ0MZJiduJ7Ruj2N6ZLqpYGWkcbdKq7Ryknu80WTks1QjZ2ynNDcg/s857/Snapchat-1053888001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8dYrRWYyjiYQNpuWzakSygtQ6TcGRpAIBPcKEw0N41j8VtiDul1U7kB3lEpBAM5bc_6BlCIrUrwej0Yvqo-KnpKiZSxGL491X1UQZMgY8MU0j_eE4EucS7Cq4C6lUtt1vxP1W1XJ0MZJiduJ7Ruj2N6ZLqpYGWkcbdKq7Ryknu80WTks1QjZ2ynNDcg/w360-h640/Snapchat-1053888001.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best part is that after I sent this picture to my sisters, Levi turned to me and exclaimed, "Everything is so expensive! I understand how you must feel all the time now!" Lol. Vindication!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywQgNjtR7mGUl7CSmhTgvEkKjQwVF_xh4FI-paURiFI-9Il2Tv6B3SwlcJ2IObOmWT_u39E56WZ4XHAxQEQCVCLLktG12CzdhEJARrjXwTQNlWWGXWymreCY2LxSKwu_t8St3QNcpu4B8w3G62ps_oNR6oSBPtoBNDijWhvd0dn3wSB0GeLy1NV-1_Xg/s857/image%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywQgNjtR7mGUl7CSmhTgvEkKjQwVF_xh4FI-paURiFI-9Il2Tv6B3SwlcJ2IObOmWT_u39E56WZ4XHAxQEQCVCLLktG12CzdhEJARrjXwTQNlWWGXWymreCY2LxSKwu_t8St3QNcpu4B8w3G62ps_oNR6oSBPtoBNDijWhvd0dn3wSB0GeLy1NV-1_Xg/w480-h640/image%20(1).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today I snuck away with some friends to do some "Small Business Shopping." This pic was at the Amish store where we taste tested jam samples and voted for our favorite.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBFbw770XM9T5UYMy-e6JuN2QnFSloE3Ng4Qee-8cesLXeo3he9j5unQ2AfbuBXtu6qqOv86MxiwgudfF4yjgis-ithcTf6ZQZuqSgbf9Q4_As0cQe26FUiQURYytFoQZ4Jkdu2oSh8UsyhPGKQin0IkhGLpQybVLWPNNbAoSMuDCsuMo-jdTvJBM1zg/s857/Screenshot_20231121-172404.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="585" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBFbw770XM9T5UYMy-e6JuN2QnFSloE3Ng4Qee-8cesLXeo3he9j5unQ2AfbuBXtu6qqOv86MxiwgudfF4yjgis-ithcTf6ZQZuqSgbf9Q4_As0cQe26FUiQURYytFoQZ4Jkdu2oSh8UsyhPGKQin0IkhGLpQybVLWPNNbAoSMuDCsuMo-jdTvJBM1zg/w436-h640/Screenshot_20231121-172404.png" width="436" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My niece sent me this picture the other day and said that her 2 year old insisted that brunette was me. As I told Rieley, "I can see it, but talk about a glow-up!" Lol. Really, it's just the eyes, eyebrows and hair color. That's certainly not what my nose looks like . . . or my muscles! Sidenote: that is what I <i>want </i>my hair to do when I curl it. 18 miracle tools later and I still haven't mastered it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I don't have very many memes this week. Forgive me. I was busy <i>cherishing</i> my kids. 😂</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLQQ4bZeN3J2yycNImrxWepZRHgIZHJyNqwWbbBzYeU-TdGUZ2yeWPbVScre9WQV3hiLpSkIQMdLsYKbw0Ud2xvxxNRksPiR5uwJrqz0TMNh5lCt0jPesWeGvl8s5K60DPO7ogUKExcTBhF8BM6iJHvp-hLM31aFCAtEpA7PgEDndPpi2NEYNjejRBXc/s563/8364ac30fc948e59b79a8d322103095f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="563" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLQQ4bZeN3J2yycNImrxWepZRHgIZHJyNqwWbbBzYeU-TdGUZ2yeWPbVScre9WQV3hiLpSkIQMdLsYKbw0Ud2xvxxNRksPiR5uwJrqz0TMNh5lCt0jPesWeGvl8s5K60DPO7ogUKExcTBhF8BM6iJHvp-hLM31aFCAtEpA7PgEDndPpi2NEYNjejRBXc/w640-h422/8364ac30fc948e59b79a8d322103095f.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQtkvFyjwNEtE0cW1H4Mb8QhzE3BDNIpcsmmK9CmgMh-D27s-frjdXEV6Oioe2WT9gcjtAzt4-PxXcSlI5ns9TkMvFLLcQOOIJOGjAMNmUag5exMrKFkC_dN6w5V3vEURnq5burV8I5fyHebR8wIXhlpOj1SAUzm2qBAgEfW5sG4wz7-sCrr9CcJrlcc/s857/Screenshot_20231118-225506.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQtkvFyjwNEtE0cW1H4Mb8QhzE3BDNIpcsmmK9CmgMh-D27s-frjdXEV6Oioe2WT9gcjtAzt4-PxXcSlI5ns9TkMvFLLcQOOIJOGjAMNmUag5exMrKFkC_dN6w5V3vEURnq5burV8I5fyHebR8wIXhlpOj1SAUzm2qBAgEfW5sG4wz7-sCrr9CcJrlcc/w434-h640/Screenshot_20231118-225506.png" width="434" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm surprised I haven't gotten one of these yet!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OpmENoK5osY2la9ukg9iyBJ_FvSQCm4ZYF2bhkdReBepnNh0lACIGv9jZs9ci3aXZdLorQB-0StsPh1TuZJWvY10_9utoh6au6MPQCE-L1f3nzPnroVzgONGaXdwI8L5hyphenhyphend3SX0Wcfb4k_3ENcliGu5TO-lvxAExjeiqTMQYOlEYNmEljYRC5VeCCbw/s857/Screenshot_20231118-225808.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="827" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OpmENoK5osY2la9ukg9iyBJ_FvSQCm4ZYF2bhkdReBepnNh0lACIGv9jZs9ci3aXZdLorQB-0StsPh1TuZJWvY10_9utoh6au6MPQCE-L1f3nzPnroVzgONGaXdwI8L5hyphenhyphend3SX0Wcfb4k_3ENcliGu5TO-lvxAExjeiqTMQYOlEYNmEljYRC5VeCCbw/w618-h640/Screenshot_20231118-225808.png" width="618" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had one! Did you?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nX3olV3sScUVhYn8m6uokHK7kZiIznFogJ65fh_-wgdQlP3LPm6EA2dyChZgUc_6jIoYk9s-m6B758gvWXrxSpF7lsLGdWX01YqrRmAjXJi1e5xYGcHncqaUeWUlmsJQZIIL22iqySGtc2POg7RmibubYnh9pgQt6sF_JL2qlN6gn5a3OkEFLlDkUYs/s1080/Screenshot_20231122-195655.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="1080" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nX3olV3sScUVhYn8m6uokHK7kZiIznFogJ65fh_-wgdQlP3LPm6EA2dyChZgUc_6jIoYk9s-m6B758gvWXrxSpF7lsLGdWX01YqrRmAjXJi1e5xYGcHncqaUeWUlmsJQZIIL22iqySGtc2POg7RmibubYnh9pgQt6sF_JL2qlN6gn5a3OkEFLlDkUYs/w640-h464/Screenshot_20231122-195655.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IjGz7JToCUOGAvplZYxIOBHlxfpje1Gffm4_GJ_nPpgAHh_M3GD8Pon0RGQf2n1yfMSGp2Y9t3FGjp-5qo5OWIB462SKfnHzNOTZlzfPJM8JIjuUyAT0HxKWCiHTjkBcEHwLDF_VSe5LbeumhyphenhyphenOuNv5DMRlQPYqhvDzJlOr6BE0Bc3TsxAH9QjCLbfI/s857/Screenshot_20231122-195741.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="626" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IjGz7JToCUOGAvplZYxIOBHlxfpje1Gffm4_GJ_nPpgAHh_M3GD8Pon0RGQf2n1yfMSGp2Y9t3FGjp-5qo5OWIB462SKfnHzNOTZlzfPJM8JIjuUyAT0HxKWCiHTjkBcEHwLDF_VSe5LbeumhyphenhyphenOuNv5DMRlQPYqhvDzJlOr6BE0Bc3TsxAH9QjCLbfI/w468-h640/Screenshot_20231122-195741.png" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's what I get for marrying "Mr. Fitness" who casually announced that he was going to run a 10k today!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrogwou9nhgBJZVVQhyphenhyphen_AZP8QCn-tVFzeX__ADpl80wpwV6_M2N_3CXB8I9nXxwy0775pgeY3e75rImOQGGhX2jgkrk9Ohd9UQ3IJA1pAdmvxODYTPvE2_jI1yB5hffGSbf5SS8VSA8x1LWppFYlcSsxJDoSHzJ5GHkJWm5Eaa4VkQ8lZTBx9CoVy7_E/s857/Screenshot_20231123-221650.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="690" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrogwou9nhgBJZVVQhyphenhyphen_AZP8QCn-tVFzeX__ADpl80wpwV6_M2N_3CXB8I9nXxwy0775pgeY3e75rImOQGGhX2jgkrk9Ohd9UQ3IJA1pAdmvxODYTPvE2_jI1yB5hffGSbf5SS8VSA8x1LWppFYlcSsxJDoSHzJ5GHkJWm5Eaa4VkQ8lZTBx9CoVy7_E/w516-h640/Screenshot_20231123-221650.png" width="516" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I was telling my sisters that I left the thyme out of that chicken and gnocchi soup and replaced it with cheese, Libby responded, "Good choice. Cheese always trumps thyme." Pretty sure that's my new life motto.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-375161773038835752023-11-18T20:10:00.005-05:002023-11-18T20:10:44.691-05:00The Saturday 7<p>1. Levi came down with some kind of sickness last weekend: fever, body aches, cough that inevitably led to puking. He ended up missing two days of school because the fever lingered and he was so miserable. On Monday, I shuffled him between his Uncle Jesse and my parents. But on Tuesday I didn't have anyone to watch him, so I called in to Once Upon for the first time. The next day, one of my coworkers said, "When I saw your name crossed off the schedule I thought they called you off, and I thought 'that's the worst person to get rid of!'" Aww, they like me! I'm still not sure I'm the best at everything, but I'm trying, and I show up on time and have a good attitude. Really the bar is quite low. Hopefully I won't have to keep calling in because of sick kids, though. That'll lower their opinion of me right quick!</p><p>2. Of course Levi missing two days of school meant he had two days' worth of work to catch up on. And I remembered why I don't homeschool. Lol. Our one ill-fated year of homeschooling was when Lucy was in third grade. Levi's in 2nd now and it was like Lucy 2.0. I think I could homeschool Lena in a heartbeat, but Lucy and Levi are too much alike. They're both very smart but neither of them appreciates having to show their work or prove that they know something through writing. 🤦 </p><p>3. Because the school library is small (and seems to be getting smaller every year) and I like to expose the kids to new books, I rely on the public library a lot. I order huge stacks of books every week through inter-library loan so I can do themed read-alouds. The way our library system works, if I have books delivered to my location and return them to my location, they are re-shelved there and stay until someone from another location requests them. This week I actually had time to peruse some of the shelves and I was amazed how many of the books on the shelf are ones I ordered! I'm suddenly feeling quite power-hungry! I'm going to stock that library with so many good, conservative, agenda-free books! Lol. </p><p>4. Good news, guys. I finally made a decent meal: <a href="https://www.smalltownwoman.com/chicken-gnocchi-soup/" target="_blank">chicken gnocchi soup</a>. It was the one I bought that fresh thyme for, but when it came time to add the thyme, I hated the smell and chickened out. Lol. I only put a tiny sprinkling in and couldn't taste it at all, so that was a waste of $2! The recipe doesn't call for any cheese, but when I tasted it I felt like it was missing something (probably thyme), so I added shredded parmesan and that made all the difference. It was delicious and I ate it as leftovers for a couple days afterward! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfFbwYExHIRHToGeQFjmiMlCXnprTXycEQB4V9xJK5YMep6yWGAQtlhONj_yozSPeCK7jCUrCU3v542S9WmVM2pX2hcHr5pCkmNr_20W_Pm2f0XQ_0HVF-Jq-0Xw3BVg3LHi9akOatyvR7tsKuY3OAIzSSxphWu9wKQYiZMI6mQ5CO-S3HYo0odLSwm4/s1142/PXL_20231114_230402136.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfFbwYExHIRHToGeQFjmiMlCXnprTXycEQB4V9xJK5YMep6yWGAQtlhONj_yozSPeCK7jCUrCU3v542S9WmVM2pX2hcHr5pCkmNr_20W_Pm2f0XQ_0HVF-Jq-0Xw3BVg3LHi9akOatyvR7tsKuY3OAIzSSxphWu9wKQYiZMI6mQ5CO-S3HYo0odLSwm4/w400-h300/PXL_20231114_230402136.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>5. This week the seasons collided. It was warmer than usual most of the week, so we took advantage of the warm weather on Thursday and made cider with my dad. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYA5FP8fr5UZ_hk-ilhgRgr2XDYM9O_B5RNItZRD6ZBoJ1WkjsW6gPXGicUP1QFKh3xUx90oClBrGnEj3gFCuythxnahYqCIHkX7GBjoqGFd4xG0EHdo-vLTohStKmxN2VCTetsYjNoEDViV-vzCQi1fj7WJBxV6woJ0GGNV_2TZYZ6tgsl3fhkcPbrs4/s857/PXL_20231116_202555277.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYA5FP8fr5UZ_hk-ilhgRgr2XDYM9O_B5RNItZRD6ZBoJ1WkjsW6gPXGicUP1QFKh3xUx90oClBrGnEj3gFCuythxnahYqCIHkX7GBjoqGFd4xG0EHdo-vLTohStKmxN2VCTetsYjNoEDViV-vzCQi1fj7WJBxV6woJ0GGNV_2TZYZ6tgsl3fhkcPbrs4/w480-h640/PXL_20231116_202555277.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCX-rk3_NpI-AvhN_UAMe5yf2qjWdGTtyoek2D40BDISbCd0aeui8daTvw0cum8GaWlUr6XSlL5ihCjbFK4y2DM5QjFRqVmkZMfleMPUqFLNRvJ0TSVGiwz_3SUAXPIRFAxvgs33mbm1sXemg-wZJsmTI0vyZUPXvtqoJsgCNWpbsjJeCJ7mPj9Bj3EQ/s857/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCX-rk3_NpI-AvhN_UAMe5yf2qjWdGTtyoek2D40BDISbCd0aeui8daTvw0cum8GaWlUr6XSlL5ihCjbFK4y2DM5QjFRqVmkZMfleMPUqFLNRvJ0TSVGiwz_3SUAXPIRFAxvgs33mbm1sXemg-wZJsmTI0vyZUPXvtqoJsgCNWpbsjJeCJ7mPj9Bj3EQ/w480-h640/image.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodNGwHML6Soa8MmmkF6q-qbZeVitA2CcJROzhZpIfMuOkRG0-Zl8iyz-7RjEo9pCtNNLyPQyfyTEH0hU3tgWjHxwhzstjqgBrKcIgy9DecCcH4jejTMSa4p1T0PoeJhbwwzoXNagEKKAb_rmp3nrOKsroEJY90krrMst4lRm3S_1lyinvXtsq1Ce0_nQ/s857/PXL_20231116_203848060.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodNGwHML6Soa8MmmkF6q-qbZeVitA2CcJROzhZpIfMuOkRG0-Zl8iyz-7RjEo9pCtNNLyPQyfyTEH0hU3tgWjHxwhzstjqgBrKcIgy9DecCcH4jejTMSa4p1T0PoeJhbwwzoXNagEKKAb_rmp3nrOKsroEJY90krrMst4lRm3S_1lyinvXtsq1Ce0_nQ/w480-h640/PXL_20231116_203848060.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Then on Friday the temps cooled considerably - just in time for our small town's Christmas tree lighting. I don't even watch Hallmark movies, but I love the little Hallmark moment we have every year as we line the street for a parade, then count down as Santa and Mrs. Claus light the huge tree. Last year there was a literal blizzard, which lent itself nicely to the Christmas ambience. But I definitely preferred this year's 40 degree temps. Haha. Unfortunately, so did the rest of the town - and the outlying areas - because there were <i>thousands </i>of people crammed together downtown. We met up with Tristan, Brandy, and Nova for the parade, but as we weaved our way through the crowd afterward we completely lost them. I was mostly focused on keeping track of my own kids! Haha. We wanted to do some of the other activities they had set up - marshmallow roasting, free hot chocolate, etc., but it was so crowded that I just took the kids through a quick tour of "Candy Cane Lane," stopped at the Civic Center for a free cookie, then went back home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBLocISAMfAOAoR8xCvy7hyphenhyphenMcMvhNW-FIbEYTq44V6gJkHVZneHHOWo4Ok5KzUcpnm7R_6mS6j5iVegJV_54htWALBu5uWiRWUMebfTCewlQqL2Nxpd1cUB8W2atdpa3Uih7RlWOIXbZVwUy30Xx3r2FGDMbMx0JtfzTFQTMaKPwJAPEwaBhnqHH1wLk/s1142/PXL_20231117_224723298.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBLocISAMfAOAoR8xCvy7hyphenhyphenMcMvhNW-FIbEYTq44V6gJkHVZneHHOWo4Ok5KzUcpnm7R_6mS6j5iVegJV_54htWALBu5uWiRWUMebfTCewlQqL2Nxpd1cUB8W2atdpa3Uih7RlWOIXbZVwUy30Xx3r2FGDMbMx0JtfzTFQTMaKPwJAPEwaBhnqHH1wLk/w640-h480/PXL_20231117_224723298.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJKt7Hu4ItF8WuZ5U6Bcl8rTWn9NKNiOHh9lfQORAAmegEVNItcqVDjTmbKm_9aWuKdfQ4cmP9ob9F86XTbthrG36az8KGKIaAAVDEqZ-pdfHCws7B6qUzG6AM7bLtL6gNoJbA60HTyh4YgkzdYQdLQW5Zy1mb0npOhwXVLWA0zHn0-MbiH_A8yFU6VQ/s857/PXL_20231117_232900891.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJKt7Hu4ItF8WuZ5U6Bcl8rTWn9NKNiOHh9lfQORAAmegEVNItcqVDjTmbKm_9aWuKdfQ4cmP9ob9F86XTbthrG36az8KGKIaAAVDEqZ-pdfHCws7B6qUzG6AM7bLtL6gNoJbA60HTyh4YgkzdYQdLQW5Zy1mb0npOhwXVLWA0zHn0-MbiH_A8yFU6VQ/w480-h640/PXL_20231117_232900891.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K-wRfNWKuKbxjb1YypdY2Sj05Xk7yknoGehvAEr6C81laUqwovf4PFN8fS_EukfwlJ93AfJJDhYAdbM5X3FqeV8ZGOGank_YmS6G_gpm4gFBEgKvmUMXyxOzf4a-uAyjMRfgUwCRCsnZwCU8BRcYVJNthl6iVRpWp5GQrHT0g9gUh5ZZoitxcp2jUog/s857/PXL_20231117_233551353.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K-wRfNWKuKbxjb1YypdY2Sj05Xk7yknoGehvAEr6C81laUqwovf4PFN8fS_EukfwlJ93AfJJDhYAdbM5X3FqeV8ZGOGank_YmS6G_gpm4gFBEgKvmUMXyxOzf4a-uAyjMRfgUwCRCsnZwCU8BRcYVJNthl6iVRpWp5GQrHT0g9gUh5ZZoitxcp2jUog/w480-h640/PXL_20231117_233551353.MP.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vp9qBsqZ6C45GsuJTkiHeB782LMI3TsjWprYTKc-s_gSBz6t2KgEK224NQmB8WhqshXjghQQQ5X_xgZ2ex2pcm5blVqipmnXlKN9KkY0tdNrSVfTRqdkreExGu8m08LTQ2NbcqeaNQ99dsfBNcc1qR7lAqAUk_WKL0B6Dq3M2NaCwTn0UsH5y-hiWYY/s857/PXL_20231117_234106030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vp9qBsqZ6C45GsuJTkiHeB782LMI3TsjWprYTKc-s_gSBz6t2KgEK224NQmB8WhqshXjghQQQ5X_xgZ2ex2pcm5blVqipmnXlKN9KkY0tdNrSVfTRqdkreExGu8m08LTQ2NbcqeaNQ99dsfBNcc1qR7lAqAUk_WKL0B6Dq3M2NaCwTn0UsH5y-hiWYY/w300-h400/PXL_20231117_234106030.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I once read a series of books set in a small rural town. They had "jam sessions" at the community center every weekend. That's what this band in the Civic Center made me think of.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP_tLrvEBtA5wrudxfxSnrQqQoPDGJnr7_Dias2P0J-cV_YJl44bM9MAZtdYG5BrhObnw9PCjfYvAeC7d3x-7l2TFuWVSX9vOdCjlC6Wge2Ne2CiSL7CGCA2VBN026OhWWuH0d7mlzaT6cX5zq7bkhGughRCqio5nKJqOpHVlxI-9bUcRR8gb6aPW-Dg/s857/PXL_20231117_234111776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP_tLrvEBtA5wrudxfxSnrQqQoPDGJnr7_Dias2P0J-cV_YJl44bM9MAZtdYG5BrhObnw9PCjfYvAeC7d3x-7l2TFuWVSX9vOdCjlC6Wge2Ne2CiSL7CGCA2VBN026OhWWuH0d7mlzaT6cX5zq7bkhGughRCqio5nKJqOpHVlxI-9bUcRR8gb6aPW-Dg/w300-h400/PXL_20231117_234111776.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running train set, complete with an engineer!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>6. So I have a question for y'all. Something I've noticed in my past few years of working with kids is their utter disregard for authority. Even at the Christian school, kids are not afraid of me. They don't respect me. That's partly because I'm a "specials" teacher, they don't get a grade in my class, and I'm not particularly authoritative. But I don't speak only for myself. Teachers of all grades and income levels across the nation have horrendous stories of blatant disrespect and downright abuse that just <i>never</i> would've happened when I was a kid. (Or did it and I was blind to it?) My question is, "What's driving this lack of respect toward adults?" How did we get to this point? And how do I prevent it with my own kids?! </p><p>7. On that light note, here are the week's pics and memes:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErO46BdmBWAipaYsMNAaavvZcBcN3U9K5dScjWHttTJRbhLzryArH_egIwL9VfUueOh194BjlWl1wOwKxMu9gCU63j0XQjQ72ojeCF6vZaoq-g1BPuROl8qXbbiWqyGwkHNlIPwdXY_v8Cc_XSdTY7Wbc1Fq9lMP9W8MD45xKxOk7sTv8Ri0m6rf7cWo/s857/PXL_20231117_161750870.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErO46BdmBWAipaYsMNAaavvZcBcN3U9K5dScjWHttTJRbhLzryArH_egIwL9VfUueOh194BjlWl1wOwKxMu9gCU63j0XQjQ72ojeCF6vZaoq-g1BPuROl8qXbbiWqyGwkHNlIPwdXY_v8Cc_XSdTY7Wbc1Fq9lMP9W8MD45xKxOk7sTv8Ri0m6rf7cWo/w300-h400/PXL_20231117_161750870.MP.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind my messy bedroom. Just admire the cute kitty who sleeps on me like this all the time now.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvvQ0F495fJtn-rn5SaCC3j8lNKe6xGbVgQpcyDea0GnfgZ9KNehNbSbgP9JDQd8GTb1IIH9V3R5w2FDIOCaxQJNM5yQp0tiVH8l3wlOpUVBfxa4AYtYqjC4heH_URAwuk3nXy8WsHw6DjSUuI4w964X-3Z3fUhxf-iU3p1pb3t1ZoyA600Elf-lUqIQ/s857/Screenshot_20231116-131158~2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="386" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvvQ0F495fJtn-rn5SaCC3j8lNKe6xGbVgQpcyDea0GnfgZ9KNehNbSbgP9JDQd8GTb1IIH9V3R5w2FDIOCaxQJNM5yQp0tiVH8l3wlOpUVBfxa4AYtYqjC4heH_URAwuk3nXy8WsHw6DjSUuI4w964X-3Z3fUhxf-iU3p1pb3t1ZoyA600Elf-lUqIQ/w288-h640/Screenshot_20231116-131158~2.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was flabbergasted when I got this picture from Amazon. Despite the claim at the top that my package was left near the front door or porch, that package is on our back deck. The driver had to walk along the side of our house, walk through the gate (which is admittedly left open), through our backyard, and up the stairs to the deck. Why on earth didn't he just leave it at the front door like every other delivery person ever has??</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9QvNIOYAp2pEA-TtSekYxX6m5E_NzX1V1p2D8DbLGzGPgxNJ5nFJoHxpPMIJYpCSKeXp62EseD5y63OzzwGgXUe2hPCL3sXlVnjz4FKD8UoNReI2z72GkilQMJkJyDlkNHL4JV94_0gUFlDySKpP-6t1wsD_MKHb65dUCBcBQTTKftcbvQp4XlPTjuA/s473/15fda723c35b9f5d51dc6d5e18777991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="473" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9QvNIOYAp2pEA-TtSekYxX6m5E_NzX1V1p2D8DbLGzGPgxNJ5nFJoHxpPMIJYpCSKeXp62EseD5y63OzzwGgXUe2hPCL3sXlVnjz4FKD8UoNReI2z72GkilQMJkJyDlkNHL4JV94_0gUFlDySKpP-6t1wsD_MKHb65dUCBcBQTTKftcbvQp4XlPTjuA/w400-h323/15fda723c35b9f5d51dc6d5e18777991.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBvtNYzBZcMVzr4PHvyZ1Fg4JIE_qDHWkc92VsrpAw-5zKSdZpLN0fM034WKzreuG-z3xiH8Mi6MqrFpguVkI0PVN1TMZv7WxYeD6Hr2VCXa-79dV1f-lS8q6P_w9_cOl08eaG296aWaK4s3FeP3STNhcL2CZUwlq2-XcckoAzCJV3HfOjsMoMBHB6uo/s474/21ef0285944b8d2c58577fa6008a1058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="474" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBvtNYzBZcMVzr4PHvyZ1Fg4JIE_qDHWkc92VsrpAw-5zKSdZpLN0fM034WKzreuG-z3xiH8Mi6MqrFpguVkI0PVN1TMZv7WxYeD6Hr2VCXa-79dV1f-lS8q6P_w9_cOl08eaG296aWaK4s3FeP3STNhcL2CZUwlq2-XcckoAzCJV3HfOjsMoMBHB6uo/w400-h326/21ef0285944b8d2c58577fa6008a1058.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This makes so much sense to me. All day I'm plagued by constant guilt that I need to be cleaning or cooking or doing something. But once it gets dark, I feel like the day is over and I'm off the clock until tomorrow. That's not great when it gets dark at 5:30 . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2L2_Ox1fwmdi0OHkyvrW04S_vZPYwF9DfdLr5jWC-YW2RioeStUZM0QSOgbO9hJ-bl89swqQ0f-jHVaQk2wW2yLnDqybQwGqe3zAzYefOTMejJed7ymVJv-SYV6eJeZqP2HpOcIhLFLtiRHFrw4-XfFDkiw24yAbvg-Z6fphfB5DWq3Sw26r-DHB2Jw/s474/94d2d587e1cfca13b534f1276958b0b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="474" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2L2_Ox1fwmdi0OHkyvrW04S_vZPYwF9DfdLr5jWC-YW2RioeStUZM0QSOgbO9hJ-bl89swqQ0f-jHVaQk2wW2yLnDqybQwGqe3zAzYefOTMejJed7ymVJv-SYV6eJeZqP2HpOcIhLFLtiRHFrw4-XfFDkiw24yAbvg-Z6fphfB5DWq3Sw26r-DHB2Jw/w400-h349/94d2d587e1cfca13b534f1276958b0b9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See above</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyE_m7MBplw87jUBnMU10V8W9L5-c1vVe1XZG3CaEuLReEEXVGHwfsu_j-cACUO4etqluLhkSfaB5zhHnvV1QTvWZCk5ZaW3lj0wP2s701WiOF08FO46hPeh1ZWMV8dZLfIRQqSrPVFiNUXosnROcGX3S33wG0f8gtJZwtibOPMsRqFwPIgTg-pKm44I/s474/201bc2a46321620ce0b6fc6226b424f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="474" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyE_m7MBplw87jUBnMU10V8W9L5-c1vVe1XZG3CaEuLReEEXVGHwfsu_j-cACUO4etqluLhkSfaB5zhHnvV1QTvWZCk5ZaW3lj0wP2s701WiOF08FO46hPeh1ZWMV8dZLfIRQqSrPVFiNUXosnROcGX3S33wG0f8gtJZwtibOPMsRqFwPIgTg-pKm44I/w400-h379/201bc2a46321620ce0b6fc6226b424f3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2JaYv0AEXaNc1mDh9zGMmeKhIpveix_mYsZEIrOrcbZfljAr4oK4vICzhBuAY9ngjevFovLUXtP4CZ5hAcRAVNodFFjQ5f2I5dALHAm4nYRDJ8KUiuuKgCfuWEFjBjUEOI3WTFXqV0iSC9IQ_yOITsaUOqQC8PEFYJIsTgMmXKBz6ligSY5XHQadV6s/s526/739e1e4e4ef35b78753c406e5d5eb775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2JaYv0AEXaNc1mDh9zGMmeKhIpveix_mYsZEIrOrcbZfljAr4oK4vICzhBuAY9ngjevFovLUXtP4CZ5hAcRAVNodFFjQ5f2I5dALHAm4nYRDJ8KUiuuKgCfuWEFjBjUEOI3WTFXqV0iSC9IQ_yOITsaUOqQC8PEFYJIsTgMmXKBz6ligSY5XHQadV6s/w360-h400/739e1e4e4ef35b78753c406e5d5eb775.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2E8O7NaNS6Btpq2eIdd4qEWY5uPwDEoFE-rE4rnbdFYOZ03YH7-2xUnqxDBT_kFT0FyWQeMYi29TXJruOh89V2M6jgBpwYVCBQzEmSXPeQHDinRdyVWJltlEGAMTkmPhyphenhyphenicFUJtYwlcbDYgvJwNrUhlwVSjRbQC9ZYw1HE7XkU7aTvDOOU5uS9IqgNE/s473/804a74a15649879a04b847d683c0da39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="473" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2E8O7NaNS6Btpq2eIdd4qEWY5uPwDEoFE-rE4rnbdFYOZ03YH7-2xUnqxDBT_kFT0FyWQeMYi29TXJruOh89V2M6jgBpwYVCBQzEmSXPeQHDinRdyVWJltlEGAMTkmPhyphenhyphenicFUJtYwlcbDYgvJwNrUhlwVSjRbQC9ZYw1HE7XkU7aTvDOOU5uS9IqgNE/w400-h323/804a74a15649879a04b847d683c0da39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops. Didn't even make it to 40.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuknCMkQKCL-4nIKTNW96JAJz_R3_nJwotLnzOYtxZqxOmY7y1wRap76lp2bachAwu5DdoAAuV6rECDmJggTtPKWpfszHgHMbbk2s5S2aoIrcu0-4jbgmi3XwTY-qxxWkJE1cBA9RLt_oiygNhZJspcgbrsChVq7IertOVOE6mMeIu09QHCNVCj8Ys7U/s473/a949fd64ddf390e3f7282f0ad3a6017b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="473" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuknCMkQKCL-4nIKTNW96JAJz_R3_nJwotLnzOYtxZqxOmY7y1wRap76lp2bachAwu5DdoAAuV6rECDmJggTtPKWpfszHgHMbbk2s5S2aoIrcu0-4jbgmi3XwTY-qxxWkJE1cBA9RLt_oiygNhZJspcgbrsChVq7IertOVOE6mMeIu09QHCNVCj8Ys7U/w400-h293/a949fd64ddf390e3f7282f0ad3a6017b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg5_hqg3LaosEBKDffjKDx9KI3MhdJ9f16aFQ1DGp38i5jXJrvT14ldnVOpa1fDwrCqhnufTH8cozXWD7F9puuJTkdQkpC1NjHQscgtVU-Q_rHg_pUQJwjbeNb9RuYHwb9iA65ni9kZYpECNOo-RG3_L_jJi3SaoH-pBTkYXX2Cs-xwffV10WdL3u9IA/s474/c6d8016729b999c4e6df8f29fadc2e0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg5_hqg3LaosEBKDffjKDx9KI3MhdJ9f16aFQ1DGp38i5jXJrvT14ldnVOpa1fDwrCqhnufTH8cozXWD7F9puuJTkdQkpC1NjHQscgtVU-Q_rHg_pUQJwjbeNb9RuYHwb9iA65ni9kZYpECNOo-RG3_L_jJi3SaoH-pBTkYXX2Cs-xwffV10WdL3u9IA/w400-h400/c6d8016729b999c4e6df8f29fadc2e0d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyitAVnmkihn_qYUMusB0dQjSztwBunaql3mEXKKpusXx4rapubYiZKyp_MZwrskqleiezoctjoKimeF6a9U4d1bCTpz7-Ds_B6Iyp7DGM2IBTaJcz_LQXuYBqhP7lX0cbsM5XbwTtfOW69HjSKbp1YG54t4U6k6LO-1KIkYS4XZ3NCIH_M9C3DKe_ikI/s473/d56fe7d4be05f5391f1345f4269b6a1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="473" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyitAVnmkihn_qYUMusB0dQjSztwBunaql3mEXKKpusXx4rapubYiZKyp_MZwrskqleiezoctjoKimeF6a9U4d1bCTpz7-Ds_B6Iyp7DGM2IBTaJcz_LQXuYBqhP7lX0cbsM5XbwTtfOW69HjSKbp1YG54t4U6k6LO-1KIkYS4XZ3NCIH_M9C3DKe_ikI/w400-h274/d56fe7d4be05f5391f1345f4269b6a1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY3p094dia-23I7OLr4LSgC-5eRDtITFHRA1v8fviyGmTK6nWoF8AFpRObbNVH7XgDFygCyDyXdqXN_Bvc3JWuYzWkgBFgYMahrCrImSCxwILcaBIJMXn3bjb7puiPeg3bvN3t1uyKERbT9tANPp-3THqGxWuh37OaLebNyuNrXcCjeuISyHcpCC2ctk/s857/Screenshot_20231112-193019.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY3p094dia-23I7OLr4LSgC-5eRDtITFHRA1v8fviyGmTK6nWoF8AFpRObbNVH7XgDFygCyDyXdqXN_Bvc3JWuYzWkgBFgYMahrCrImSCxwILcaBIJMXn3bjb7puiPeg3bvN3t1uyKERbT9tANPp-3THqGxWuh37OaLebNyuNrXcCjeuISyHcpCC2ctk/w314-h400/Screenshot_20231112-193019.png" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my sisters has literally done this. I'll let you decide which one it was. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfRuKT1r86Aei_CsM0AURg5qCVwfNfPHJdg1fePE3_DhJ0oJZtXtrRkhasXmbS2g6CS2jrZdPJ9x6ye2Y9dAZ5Gq_joUTNgujmjYvjirHo2YnIgg7mBnBMDwk4rL83i1md2zhq9HhVDW5R1r4q_fh0pp-toAItbD4mQUfGHNrXe_nLKsg4sOvRyeWVp8/s857/Screenshot_20231112-193832.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="711" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfRuKT1r86Aei_CsM0AURg5qCVwfNfPHJdg1fePE3_DhJ0oJZtXtrRkhasXmbS2g6CS2jrZdPJ9x6ye2Y9dAZ5Gq_joUTNgujmjYvjirHo2YnIgg7mBnBMDwk4rL83i1md2zhq9HhVDW5R1r4q_fh0pp-toAItbD4mQUfGHNrXe_nLKsg4sOvRyeWVp8/w331-h400/Screenshot_20231112-193832.png" width="331" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bam! Irrefutable.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuvJc259zHc9J_qUGYIWk5honv7bcmvjmc8q6aOnEnD7hsB8dVO1e2G9HaGjt73Mpl5nhhKfdmN99aUf5Yp5BajWQOePuYFwt1NoL5OXJWGVU3y6YeM7nc5yLWYK1Pdnq5IkHiF2qooBPWfrBVW9nhIlfmdd-KPISFBkDAizvdUFneZc9JjMIlj6tRo4/s857/Screenshot_20231112-200114.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="516" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuvJc259zHc9J_qUGYIWk5honv7bcmvjmc8q6aOnEnD7hsB8dVO1e2G9HaGjt73Mpl5nhhKfdmN99aUf5Yp5BajWQOePuYFwt1NoL5OXJWGVU3y6YeM7nc5yLWYK1Pdnq5IkHiF2qooBPWfrBVW9nhIlfmdd-KPISFBkDAizvdUFneZc9JjMIlj6tRo4/w241-h400/Screenshot_20231112-200114.png" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White lights FTW</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxdFlaw1XH4aDcSQBxoXC0c-esuBgfdwd3YagZ5cIRuMxNMPtvkSvwRmDYnTcy9pwYlWvuC1XbyX3RTh2suZ3ItwNhfUlNY5fBMPSBY3zkUrIc9vL8zEIEqOvHrpZ4p8kdGERooq2m5RNAcHZ94qHjtTkPhvn3sG1j83bOlKoBuJWNn_qDfiKT2GE6mU/s945/Screenshot_20231112-201053.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="945" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxdFlaw1XH4aDcSQBxoXC0c-esuBgfdwd3YagZ5cIRuMxNMPtvkSvwRmDYnTcy9pwYlWvuC1XbyX3RTh2suZ3ItwNhfUlNY5fBMPSBY3zkUrIc9vL8zEIEqOvHrpZ4p8kdGERooq2m5RNAcHZ94qHjtTkPhvn3sG1j83bOlKoBuJWNn_qDfiKT2GE6mU/w400-h363/Screenshot_20231112-201053.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin's grandma (who is over 90) is always talking about how she needs to diet or lose those last ten pounds, and I want to tell her to enjoy her life!! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJhBy9MtqquYCYx1hHslRoyuXPywTz9_t8jpN6iN66ayWX0T6jCWt78rlcJkwYaD_r95O4l_jXGpq9nbcSUy6XhGIjuKMIYL3SOtSblXB63xa0X2DwaeZqvjOGI-6kwXroUo7eg1rT_wk1_kN2gLiWDhn5UOFPnj4AUDo6_pV8FqZm2DnDB3Zgx0mGu8/s986/Screenshot_20231118-141058.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="986" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJhBy9MtqquYCYx1hHslRoyuXPywTz9_t8jpN6iN66ayWX0T6jCWt78rlcJkwYaD_r95O4l_jXGpq9nbcSUy6XhGIjuKMIYL3SOtSblXB63xa0X2DwaeZqvjOGI-6kwXroUo7eg1rT_wk1_kN2gLiWDhn5UOFPnj4AUDo6_pV8FqZm2DnDB3Zgx0mGu8/w400-h348/Screenshot_20231118-141058.png" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-50219469238260080032023-11-11T22:11:00.002-05:002023-11-11T22:11:24.463-05:00The Saturday 7<p>Let's see if I can come up with more than I did last week . . .</p><p>1. Lena and Levi had dentist appointments on Tuesday. Neither of them had cavities, which always continues to amaze me. Lena at least brushes her teeth. But then there's Levi . . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvanLLt7w7HsxA9zBTUHUDwEvAKuK-CugjvOJw3AbqF_0zaOkzX6Uk-ko75OPvoU33D7MYW7EghyO9lwiYfoxzhtWA3GmdhCRNj91I1j_WJo-2nDI0sIbEBdbSeP9QzuBcJZfuDl5MtNOtu1tTZGXpQejkq_nza5dnMRCyNLFu2bGklgg-WPKLKlrIYU/s857/Snapchat-78923199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvanLLt7w7HsxA9zBTUHUDwEvAKuK-CugjvOJw3AbqF_0zaOkzX6Uk-ko75OPvoU33D7MYW7EghyO9lwiYfoxzhtWA3GmdhCRNj91I1j_WJo-2nDI0sIbEBdbSeP9QzuBcJZfuDl5MtNOtu1tTZGXpQejkq_nza5dnMRCyNLFu2bGklgg-WPKLKlrIYU/w360-h640/Snapchat-78923199.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p>2. Monday night we had parent-teacher conferences. Levi's teacher said he's smart but lazy (in much nicer terms), and he struggles with being respectful and staying on task. Ugh. She also said he's very good at making persuasive arguments and she can see him excelling as a lawyer someday. Lol. Lena's teacher said she wants to adopt her and bring her home. 😂</p><p>3. We didn't have school on Friday, and Nova had a half day, so we met up with the cousins to pack shoeboxes for <a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child?utm_source=Ggl&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=m_YGOC-B23V&utm_content=Pack_A_Shoebox&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA6byqBhAWEiwAnGCA4BDqE7DAcxKOeFhJnab43XNS4dqNwRsz6VZRmQbnUYUHtrbAEKfPsRoCv5kQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Operation Christmas Child</a>. Niki's actually on vacation, but we used her house since it has the best space. Haha. We lay all of our purchases out on the counter, then let the kids make their way down the line to fill their boxes. Lena, especially, <i>loves</i> this tradition and has been looking forward to it for weeks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KLHkCn8duSJ-htGE2RG1jzlzaA_sYnHo658S7kgG_tQyP6pM0yn-sAcl9P86Yu2uZ-pOY6KOhXZOGD5r-BH3kQmeJ8S2IFECDwn-Txcia834lLWcx1LCjvr65RZxR5DumRRr6ry94E-vVsGaFL3BOoBfJMthpwdJBTCoM26c9KSy-X75TDkhE6NZ4K8/s857/PXL_20231110_171623176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KLHkCn8duSJ-htGE2RG1jzlzaA_sYnHo658S7kgG_tQyP6pM0yn-sAcl9P86Yu2uZ-pOY6KOhXZOGD5r-BH3kQmeJ8S2IFECDwn-Txcia834lLWcx1LCjvr65RZxR5DumRRr6ry94E-vVsGaFL3BOoBfJMthpwdJBTCoM26c9KSy-X75TDkhE6NZ4K8/w300-h400/PXL_20231110_171623176.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieVfwVe_84CTbz40Ae6Jfj-Di9EOSXXgekLJDUaC45Z8cMEIfa6147KwBZxt9VGBDSZuXRksYTXGiSm51dCkTyhn9A4UtprQPYchZ3BtmwtBcR-GTQOCQrTGfCfmL_I5vcBsnPZgYbxhKpRUpp1winL40vXsGMIwCCzy88abED6sCm-4U9qj3qduJqWo/s1142/PXL_20231110_174129423.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieVfwVe_84CTbz40Ae6Jfj-Di9EOSXXgekLJDUaC45Z8cMEIfa6147KwBZxt9VGBDSZuXRksYTXGiSm51dCkTyhn9A4UtprQPYchZ3BtmwtBcR-GTQOCQrTGfCfmL_I5vcBsnPZgYbxhKpRUpp1winL40vXsGMIwCCzy88abED6sCm-4U9qj3qduJqWo/w640-h480/PXL_20231110_174129423.MP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn9Z5g5K3NhZ2oJtu0jWP04omBzAD-SebHWXPhrJa0W1lQ_5Cu8hfnLzfEyLiO6pcHc5NfIN0p_C7Gcqy5jRPn5BwavT5K_587tzq3jfEw5vENtL3bed4550vFDe3aUfbfM8wABJIW32BYNfGubTdmsBYgWRJnwLtrwNiTykaQO44deGMux6FkEq7zrk/s1142/PXL_20231110_174612606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn9Z5g5K3NhZ2oJtu0jWP04omBzAD-SebHWXPhrJa0W1lQ_5Cu8hfnLzfEyLiO6pcHc5NfIN0p_C7Gcqy5jRPn5BwavT5K_587tzq3jfEw5vENtL3bed4550vFDe3aUfbfM8wABJIW32BYNfGubTdmsBYgWRJnwLtrwNiTykaQO44deGMux6FkEq7zrk/w400-h300/PXL_20231110_174612606.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRTMdzgSJwR3FPkjtNQENvwEM-7pR4j20gIoX_G7Hp954Sz77ZIcPgZT5ypAHdxdljh2StohZmBFiFp8KxRXWmJ-MC2k1Mfd7BmAR4Bms5El9iLohCYExXAOq_r1Zvvy3lJ8SMB8TM5lZk2HZewFIgBwPGxQUoi1JQhLMJNiesh5T1ZyS51J-i0Kz3qI/s1142/PXL_20231110_182821221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRTMdzgSJwR3FPkjtNQENvwEM-7pR4j20gIoX_G7Hp954Sz77ZIcPgZT5ypAHdxdljh2StohZmBFiFp8KxRXWmJ-MC2k1Mfd7BmAR4Bms5El9iLohCYExXAOq_r1Zvvy3lJ8SMB8TM5lZk2HZewFIgBwPGxQUoi1JQhLMJNiesh5T1ZyS51J-i0Kz3qI/w400-h300/PXL_20231110_182821221.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing pictures to add to their boxes. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>4. Levi was up at 3:00 this morning. I've been giving him the expensive magnesium gummies for a month now, but I don't think they're helping his tics or his sleep issues. 🤦 Last night, he agreed to go back to his bed if I would sleep on the couch in the playroom instead of my bed. Desperate for sleep however I could get it, I took him up on it and slept on the couch the rest of the night. Stella enjoyed this new development and laid on me for hours. Who needs a weighted blanket?</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaer63xGbhn_69SuIIp2ZCWhJZCJMNfO-TMBucd5X7gp-S3PTszwlajV260HSjCu8lCPeseuVKUsjQ8FHK6ZpOc_gZs7v6NgrqNSit8ZmoMr9SmeCBSWdq-PoEjKe-NuEFhX9A6zB0e7q-T9CmFvew48jartMfoTIwKnSpK8Xo1ZrSOOJnPQRXMgrUY_I/s857/PXL_20231111_141715383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="690" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaer63xGbhn_69SuIIp2ZCWhJZCJMNfO-TMBucd5X7gp-S3PTszwlajV260HSjCu8lCPeseuVKUsjQ8FHK6ZpOc_gZs7v6NgrqNSit8ZmoMr9SmeCBSWdq-PoEjKe-NuEFhX9A6zB0e7q-T9CmFvew48jartMfoTIwKnSpK8Xo1ZrSOOJnPQRXMgrUY_I/w323-h400/PXL_20231111_141715383.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And apparently my RBF game is strong even in my sleep!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>5. Today I went grocery shopping. I've been really stressing about money with Christmas and our vacation coming up, so I've been trying to find ways to cut back on groceries. At the same time, I've been trying out new recipes in an effort to eat at home more often, and invariably my attempts are always bland and meh. I'm sure the main reason for that is that if I don't have a spice the recipe calls for, I just omit it. So when I made my meal plan this week, I added those random spices to my grocery list. It kills me to spend money on something I'm not sure I'm going to like - especially something tiny like this that will only last one meal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15Y64kNAjZvG6-V0g-lYJyeiuc4wxCDYDBmuyjrorkdD7_04eXooqeOyS4MsfPt_RTPjElV50NXfB8xK6F8yX7cLiUdBaCM0vC50icGeJed87hCa-eR_KGFi6GsJR7CYUC9OAGpVUpubXya0tCBPr5RPjLGuWF13g9IatR88CDM9wm0H0sfQoYqgbtsE/s857/Snapchat-2078734189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15Y64kNAjZvG6-V0g-lYJyeiuc4wxCDYDBmuyjrorkdD7_04eXooqeOyS4MsfPt_RTPjElV50NXfB8xK6F8yX7cLiUdBaCM0vC50icGeJed87hCa-eR_KGFi6GsJR7CYUC9OAGpVUpubXya0tCBPr5RPjLGuWF13g9IatR88CDM9wm0H0sfQoYqgbtsE/w225-h400/Snapchat-2078734189.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div>Fortunately, the fresh thyme was only $1.99, but dang that pile of groceries was expensive. I still spent more than I wanted to. And I didn't even buy any good snacks . . . which I'm regretting now. </div><div><br /></div><div>6. I read a good book this week: <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57592914-where-grace-appears" target="_blank">Where Grace Appears</a></i> by Heidi Chiavaroli. It was free on Kindle Unlimited and is the first book in an 8 book series. I love series where each book is about a sibling or member of the family. But I was appalled to discover that the subsequent books in this series aren't on Kindle Unlimited and my library doesn't have them! 😭 Those tricksty authors. That's how they get you - make the first book free to whet your appetite, but then leave you hanging for the rest. I guess I'm going to have to request my library to buy them and wait weeks for them to respond to my request and then purchase and process them. I'm up to 72 books for the year, but it's not looking like I'm going to make my goal of 100. #failure </div><div><br /></div><div>7. Pics and memes:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1fnNTySlDCgUWPxHPIief-6-90B_jfnRu2p8o-I4y4pUEMu00TZF99ET-7SI_iqYz3j94JY3JSAST6mtXUfLnwbNaASyfTZqPN-kBitmq3l0oSNjZgYooTaGgwf9VBZa-tjKV2cMRm2KgiieVVqe_STnEVx_nqB14Az-XE42qfdr8Ajluu1LjEB0bUQ/s1142/PXL_20231111_162607167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1fnNTySlDCgUWPxHPIief-6-90B_jfnRu2p8o-I4y4pUEMu00TZF99ET-7SI_iqYz3j94JY3JSAST6mtXUfLnwbNaASyfTZqPN-kBitmq3l0oSNjZgYooTaGgwf9VBZa-tjKV2cMRm2KgiieVVqe_STnEVx_nqB14Az-XE42qfdr8Ajluu1LjEB0bUQ/w400-h300/PXL_20231111_162607167.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got a gift from the soccer team parents! 💗</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR6dOiMiwdh-gSHE8Mux64b83Zzvdd7I27LU4oPjo_qwl6Qa21EUgZ6iRwLj8pogbr8aA_Yy1_y_11oLPJlm5jW05m2wVvvg598JTpm-R0O9xGnF1O-qOqTBOuEOsZkdx0XgeWsw5ebKRR3AzivAgYVLnGBI1JlmDwVJwS45l4B7m7sJ8L_VRZrSkMvk/s563/2b364c9510074bccf183eba98207759b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="563" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR6dOiMiwdh-gSHE8Mux64b83Zzvdd7I27LU4oPjo_qwl6Qa21EUgZ6iRwLj8pogbr8aA_Yy1_y_11oLPJlm5jW05m2wVvvg598JTpm-R0O9xGnF1O-qOqTBOuEOsZkdx0XgeWsw5ebKRR3AzivAgYVLnGBI1JlmDwVJwS45l4B7m7sJ8L_VRZrSkMvk/w400-h219/2b364c9510074bccf183eba98207759b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4K7cgLJo4rDr13kQ_cAes6h2U7TKQIyVz9vIyOXiFrRu8aaxRHuZtpmbuWlsVf8OCZXVJK3XLsU0YokjUUtOf0a68O7XEZwCnZqJPEsfwYQmPJya7scfOE-2VjnYqHCUztVENMWRIIOB6XVIlCjgDfYv2NE5BJlQn-vRVOObNRddBKGEFAs6tJUSRa8/s564/05c04774b4232099b004f3a9170a1ae4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="564" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4K7cgLJo4rDr13kQ_cAes6h2U7TKQIyVz9vIyOXiFrRu8aaxRHuZtpmbuWlsVf8OCZXVJK3XLsU0YokjUUtOf0a68O7XEZwCnZqJPEsfwYQmPJya7scfOE-2VjnYqHCUztVENMWRIIOB6XVIlCjgDfYv2NE5BJlQn-vRVOObNRddBKGEFAs6tJUSRa8/w400-h361/05c04774b4232099b004f3a9170a1ae4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously. So stupid.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnA7slc5GBz0kd4cRKWF_G44uvNxq6GJ3TcVTpimWemiHx9D5k47XTXqQ2LDz6WU9OoZHaWAzOCk5VBX2x9et04imv4vUmnSkoWkKa8PnATQ-UqL5zPtTLEmknyMMCewdeXosqTXcL_3tvxt8wIktAtWNdmIgvT-q0pzwhNY6sETKwUtfY5y7JVdWjGGQ/s736/07dbde3281bce2b47fe67701aaf014b5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnA7slc5GBz0kd4cRKWF_G44uvNxq6GJ3TcVTpimWemiHx9D5k47XTXqQ2LDz6WU9OoZHaWAzOCk5VBX2x9et04imv4vUmnSkoWkKa8PnATQ-UqL5zPtTLEmknyMMCewdeXosqTXcL_3tvxt8wIktAtWNdmIgvT-q0pzwhNY6sETKwUtfY5y7JVdWjGGQ/w400-h400/07dbde3281bce2b47fe67701aaf014b5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LGdqnrBZAbdVMUItDnwSobpGfbjNSAEDQWR58osh9oYwHEF5dt5ehp5TFQp1_y_6o68hMz2pRIlUMDjKgcgPqI8ENkg0nU3-0IRUlTAtO84tJSDQMiaPjvvWZxDNRYjA-u_bgKK_tQZFGiJMMpgyJ_18xqgEqG7GATxTqDiSnHceB6ICVFG7a7Uhx_c/s564/25d167cad7a7e58a97cd64948f40fabd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LGdqnrBZAbdVMUItDnwSobpGfbjNSAEDQWR58osh9oYwHEF5dt5ehp5TFQp1_y_6o68hMz2pRIlUMDjKgcgPqI8ENkg0nU3-0IRUlTAtO84tJSDQMiaPjvvWZxDNRYjA-u_bgKK_tQZFGiJMMpgyJ_18xqgEqG7GATxTqDiSnHceB6ICVFG7a7Uhx_c/w400-h400/25d167cad7a7e58a97cd64948f40fabd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JJoWfQ4xi4wZ9jXBdkB1Qka6blOgd58iKeMpbhaA3LGVRF6CfBjvDkkGclD6o4-_nf3iKsJqjxaM-mW3PSYQ2ZReVSIXoUitIyob2UTXo7QyJ3KGLogmR4Oc-u2XviEuaN-TXDqM04DERYpDy2hYxgm4OcVMlSVr36wVnkaOKzMoUJV5SD_g9qdrbvw/s564/55b730d3c0c075cae6b668816da4706c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="564" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JJoWfQ4xi4wZ9jXBdkB1Qka6blOgd58iKeMpbhaA3LGVRF6CfBjvDkkGclD6o4-_nf3iKsJqjxaM-mW3PSYQ2ZReVSIXoUitIyob2UTXo7QyJ3KGLogmR4Oc-u2XviEuaN-TXDqM04DERYpDy2hYxgm4OcVMlSVr36wVnkaOKzMoUJV5SD_g9qdrbvw/w400-h294/55b730d3c0c075cae6b668816da4706c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every time</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLCBUOekr_-Q9prG3QNGdrRQhg97uENAA4yjXETlukykgUqWILQkrJtCtWMdRnz-Iq742qMaseyx8K5lP-6WCnSBWVnqQOiUTvAcDZz92LJOAzsGdkKPiT97Cw3RPBNX9XgN4wI3x-ciwTqZJwZmq9hFXX_4UgkTL8bRx7korFsDopSXPI2OnK3CK8Wk/s563/6448046a7e4d9b4a4b71b2df4c1b00a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="563" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLCBUOekr_-Q9prG3QNGdrRQhg97uENAA4yjXETlukykgUqWILQkrJtCtWMdRnz-Iq742qMaseyx8K5lP-6WCnSBWVnqQOiUTvAcDZz92LJOAzsGdkKPiT97Cw3RPBNX9XgN4wI3x-ciwTqZJwZmq9hFXX_4UgkTL8bRx7korFsDopSXPI2OnK3CK8Wk/w400-h281/6448046a7e4d9b4a4b71b2df4c1b00a3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAg37sNuKxGg011iemPkfA9PFLxI8EtJ9PXTLUxjazYyePUHqTCPXx5dvfi1uwnZFFgGnVif5uN4efs46FHDoKgXQUPESCxbN8SET-VIrvY8NzIQ0naLmazD60re4pZwGRZBov0QTWn-oCSUBk3Qx9opM3B0NtFfD4qQway_AJkjzrovud3HKpmTlLtUM/s960/398998983_304283769120138_7044509846679965623_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAg37sNuKxGg011iemPkfA9PFLxI8EtJ9PXTLUxjazYyePUHqTCPXx5dvfi1uwnZFFgGnVif5uN4efs46FHDoKgXQUPESCxbN8SET-VIrvY8NzIQ0naLmazD60re4pZwGRZBov0QTWn-oCSUBk3Qx9opM3B0NtFfD4qQway_AJkjzrovud3HKpmTlLtUM/w320-h400/398998983_304283769120138_7044509846679965623_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-08EN9tFcTH7CsRJ5L-h4Wf3KzinqDFu97g56rUZMijO5HeqWQ-9VEljmGvKmTtVZD9cYX8fGWRitQFp8wnjI7O5O-n4Txe6TS_wsoTFFTpxC_erSwjGzJxJA5B-0ABENqyaeTzBc_J-Ayc17EvX0G9W1tBBfOgtriQhmeUsSiaDNdwVqKMNsxY3K3hc/s563/aba1111e5d16e72260067662c393675a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="563" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-08EN9tFcTH7CsRJ5L-h4Wf3KzinqDFu97g56rUZMijO5HeqWQ-9VEljmGvKmTtVZD9cYX8fGWRitQFp8wnjI7O5O-n4Txe6TS_wsoTFFTpxC_erSwjGzJxJA5B-0ABENqyaeTzBc_J-Ayc17EvX0G9W1tBBfOgtriQhmeUsSiaDNdwVqKMNsxY3K3hc/w400-h216/aba1111e5d16e72260067662c393675a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CFjcedJFfCdHiOkUZ_H7S4EV6OthsQCBhbJMK8HaQ2Gxl2Hi3xLbTPGmD4B2bejAWsGhP4wJgr5qpXjqsAHR43udv67IvuV9CD9YGCAymO9kQfrR867Nn8AuX9UnI1yMG08EwIkTBlCUkrqaZBmWKuAiXy8ti_7bPfhkB_G6rFHUeq8KtZFzHcrYuDg/s564/c2b26b65e8df622fdf02bd72dc02420d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="564" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CFjcedJFfCdHiOkUZ_H7S4EV6OthsQCBhbJMK8HaQ2Gxl2Hi3xLbTPGmD4B2bejAWsGhP4wJgr5qpXjqsAHR43udv67IvuV9CD9YGCAymO9kQfrR867Nn8AuX9UnI1yMG08EwIkTBlCUkrqaZBmWKuAiXy8ti_7bPfhkB_G6rFHUeq8KtZFzHcrYuDg/w400-h309/c2b26b65e8df622fdf02bd72dc02420d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I literally did the math, because I didn't believe this could possibly be true. 😳</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNebFflToEXy62Nb8fB4eeRF5GdeJVF5XbroYiwaiwYVzEo8ncXzLkf6Aa-BodyzH9uM-rhNJM_PbdcLw868BH9E8Jsp_jN-lBWQ-9P2289VUKbn3iNsYxkoBa8JpI6VuVMA7tDTLRXLjdjmKghYlXRd8xmjxFNp-Zq0DZqFQljtAgTPnBwrAE73t5bo/s563/d374ab9b2409b430a5159cfdef70393f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="563" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNebFflToEXy62Nb8fB4eeRF5GdeJVF5XbroYiwaiwYVzEo8ncXzLkf6Aa-BodyzH9uM-rhNJM_PbdcLw868BH9E8Jsp_jN-lBWQ-9P2289VUKbn3iNsYxkoBa8JpI6VuVMA7tDTLRXLjdjmKghYlXRd8xmjxFNp-Zq0DZqFQljtAgTPnBwrAE73t5bo/w400-h321/d374ab9b2409b430a5159cfdef70393f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbQSKTLMrJuFt_3qZPHLR2_67qfIK2KjcJvG1yWTjvaKiUJDAVYdxJKEmXjCu0MraBAXped9TpkEsQuBN9DEf9kQHwTLcplUx0IkEhTWNHipE6KFNCNyjsGvV7OOwbnnaYZY9wozInICZcbIIAKav81dklWVYWXgMiHnVzeoy1Ieu5HrAjb-0DEMvWiw/s563/dd531d6b4fc23dca14ffec58edd2fcd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="563" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbQSKTLMrJuFt_3qZPHLR2_67qfIK2KjcJvG1yWTjvaKiUJDAVYdxJKEmXjCu0MraBAXped9TpkEsQuBN9DEf9kQHwTLcplUx0IkEhTWNHipE6KFNCNyjsGvV7OOwbnnaYZY9wozInICZcbIIAKav81dklWVYWXgMiHnVzeoy1Ieu5HrAjb-0DEMvWiw/w400-h399/dd531d6b4fc23dca14ffec58edd2fcd3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtbjXdu9lLXnhPxALnxEE5zw6fi4MclbelOMoYq24hpD07N3JCCxmotjqcWLuwCkE3BmBrCYM0SsZ1RjCjQJaHzWk-cWTzW_8YcvGewKVRrFA667ge_CiXsMpsyhjpR1F4fpQ8gZ7_ni4z0RsEqGuVUpoyfr6J11V1YgsbcNqzMsmlb2LLdRwDIdFOAQ/s564/e744baf95da6bab9cffdef630d591467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="564" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtbjXdu9lLXnhPxALnxEE5zw6fi4MclbelOMoYq24hpD07N3JCCxmotjqcWLuwCkE3BmBrCYM0SsZ1RjCjQJaHzWk-cWTzW_8YcvGewKVRrFA667ge_CiXsMpsyhjpR1F4fpQ8gZ7_ni4z0RsEqGuVUpoyfr6J11V1YgsbcNqzMsmlb2LLdRwDIdFOAQ/w400-h251/e744baf95da6bab9cffdef630d591467.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-G0ae8oGzUbyclh54ZxAFfnQoDcH0Zy7BpeYrUNr_bTJ12ZAE3OqcsNNl4C8h_9g1ehFxkga-OblRHIJ9jjp0oqnVt3B5Ixbz7A6-L7ThRTFdiLRofi-p-uH811-FOXFcQ4NkeHDhzGr_L46GYy-9Wl16or2vSHMVs_t2uQutEOiY99uaHv8d1jCi5hA/s563/f987d007a97a71d0f60ae9b0afdc9092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="563" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-G0ae8oGzUbyclh54ZxAFfnQoDcH0Zy7BpeYrUNr_bTJ12ZAE3OqcsNNl4C8h_9g1ehFxkga-OblRHIJ9jjp0oqnVt3B5Ixbz7A6-L7ThRTFdiLRofi-p-uH811-FOXFcQ4NkeHDhzGr_L46GYy-9Wl16or2vSHMVs_t2uQutEOiY99uaHv8d1jCi5hA/w400-h236/f987d007a97a71d0f60ae9b0afdc9092.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7oFvR97ZReUkAlsT-bXAYBQBg2cyfSabpgOm2-jE8MORwQHYA9q52DObd5pf8CCk8A8hXjYX1IchOLdJfbvBeYn3pfkYRrFNuiLnEiic8iTjWLiFKq1uZot8v6MB7ndVjm9H6CuQQAbfWQTSKZTxrqz2en5Un1AwbxleyU4LlS-VwFyhu8sx4LDCkLI/s857/Screenshot_20231107-215029.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="620" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7oFvR97ZReUkAlsT-bXAYBQBg2cyfSabpgOm2-jE8MORwQHYA9q52DObd5pf8CCk8A8hXjYX1IchOLdJfbvBeYn3pfkYRrFNuiLnEiic8iTjWLiFKq1uZot8v6MB7ndVjm9H6CuQQAbfWQTSKZTxrqz2en5Un1AwbxleyU4LlS-VwFyhu8sx4LDCkLI/w290-h400/Screenshot_20231107-215029.png" width="290" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbl5rqqciGjdi6uI4kbnT2-Yk9t83poQCwN2SUTO1096kG9H5kr0qIdu7jb7y4dYIrPxrtDHQSWCKY0Z-RCQsMR9ttalRmZjuxrmQ6b7Zeb-8a6FZvoIyADa6Avq-yqyFigamq_op61EBGUrrVoI-MTtVD6PcpasTQmtG7CVLcqEBlpLgrMShZGFi1Iw/s857/Screenshot_20231107-215221.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbl5rqqciGjdi6uI4kbnT2-Yk9t83poQCwN2SUTO1096kG9H5kr0qIdu7jb7y4dYIrPxrtDHQSWCKY0Z-RCQsMR9ttalRmZjuxrmQ6b7Zeb-8a6FZvoIyADa6Avq-yqyFigamq_op61EBGUrrVoI-MTtVD6PcpasTQmtG7CVLcqEBlpLgrMShZGFi1Iw/w323-h400/Screenshot_20231107-215221.png" width="323" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoPymP0vdQ-XW_ru8tUF8VbDsQvHJkFV0HlmUkSw0tAPWEkqOwshd274l0fHeMTyIaxuu9WpbT_GiUjwwEVCuGrt64DLuE04LcMa_Y4s6yjnkKEBFKhz5zIrcTqTKySGwpCztx-gfzXA5UbAUUhI2_Q-eCWMT4KUDaVQqA2j84k0WbjNv_83WNazgJqk/s857/Screenshot_20231110-232022.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="708" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoPymP0vdQ-XW_ru8tUF8VbDsQvHJkFV0HlmUkSw0tAPWEkqOwshd274l0fHeMTyIaxuu9WpbT_GiUjwwEVCuGrt64DLuE04LcMa_Y4s6yjnkKEBFKhz5zIrcTqTKySGwpCztx-gfzXA5UbAUUhI2_Q-eCWMT4KUDaVQqA2j84k0WbjNv_83WNazgJqk/w330-h400/Screenshot_20231110-232022.png" width="330" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-32176569941336099592023-11-04T19:55:00.006-04:002023-11-04T19:55:39.903-04:00It's Saturday<p>Just pics and memes this week.</p><p>1. Halloween: it snowed and was in the 30s. We met up with the cousins at Niki's for obscene amounts of candy (y'all really need to trick or treat at her house if you're in the area!) and snacks. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPco7IAVyn_fSXIuNPz5FrOuliV4wRCDXYKJTWWRKzW6N0i89W-DjC4mDn7-5hqFqHcThy-fuP-b9x_tBLCI9z3W7B1DRlJMwWI80BfwrMzu_QbdgqJmxnVge0vZhbTo4ljGjollEA2TU0o4MxJnfJVRdgsJGkzZEDVElC25NyrytnR9UNi21KRA9QsaQ/s4032/371517506_197009596774099_6756964989929274329_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPco7IAVyn_fSXIuNPz5FrOuliV4wRCDXYKJTWWRKzW6N0i89W-DjC4mDn7-5hqFqHcThy-fuP-b9x_tBLCI9z3W7B1DRlJMwWI80BfwrMzu_QbdgqJmxnVge0vZhbTo4ljGjollEA2TU0o4MxJnfJVRdgsJGkzZEDVElC25NyrytnR9UNi21KRA9QsaQ/w480-h640/371517506_197009596774099_6756964989929274329_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy's officially too old for trick or treating, but she was a good sport about joining the kids for a picture at least.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Then we trick or treated on our street with the cousins who wanted to brave the weather.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbPy_CP78ovqibcYDaer2qwOBXghVqN0YOYYTcqFfOkQ0xzKFHQaf0s1-406FAJ3_4Mwqh0AmCWNpXM6rfB9G641_jHa8wEAjptoreB3FiK_qxf3PACTgW3vv9aoRCiH40uL17x2ezKnZNlcmQVQzxM5hjsdHDF1zQRtayudjYLoYcB5ma6eMfXThlqc/s857/PXL_20231031_215712935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbPy_CP78ovqibcYDaer2qwOBXghVqN0YOYYTcqFfOkQ0xzKFHQaf0s1-406FAJ3_4Mwqh0AmCWNpXM6rfB9G641_jHa8wEAjptoreB3FiK_qxf3PACTgW3vv9aoRCiH40uL17x2ezKnZNlcmQVQzxM5hjsdHDF1zQRtayudjYLoYcB5ma6eMfXThlqc/w300-h400/PXL_20231031_215712935.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Then we met up with Jesse and hit up trunk or treat at a church in town for hot dogs and more candy. We went around the block, but Lena was freezing and <i>done</i>, so we called it a night and went home. Levi immediately enlisted Jesse to help him organize his haul.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkNPgD-8pGdD4BzVRh-Km9Xy6nlDHfYOLGG-ru6YtDLx8DLAneplrj8R8PMX7PMbTxZJJbCumoR1yljPuX0p7R4RHHCntm_mFpinkZRxgymm9dvALcHY35wo3LQTGs4cCwqbA5gdschlJBsS7CDF4rUcNrOb7wJRQNQAE6q-mRjsLLPmAr_QqwyahWRQ/s1142/PXL_20231031_232057428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkNPgD-8pGdD4BzVRh-Km9Xy6nlDHfYOLGG-ru6YtDLx8DLAneplrj8R8PMX7PMbTxZJJbCumoR1yljPuX0p7R4RHHCntm_mFpinkZRxgymm9dvALcHY35wo3LQTGs4cCwqbA5gdschlJBsS7CDF4rUcNrOb7wJRQNQAE6q-mRjsLLPmAr_QqwyahWRQ/w400-h300/PXL_20231031_232057428.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>That's all I've got for this week, so enjoy these pics and memes:</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to Red Robin for lunch on Sunday to stack my birthday burger with a birthday gift card. A little snapchat fun to keep the kids entertained while we waited for our food . . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkL76NeP6LhH2cFN28GAVTYrArZbn535zeb3D8JDAO2Af9gunsccQXTptznCUwsRpS-jRcXrWUt3S6Oj8AeT0mxL_Ok-gHNUVWqnP2pX4Eo5yVJPbjDsbF9K-I09fl5UkiDgIQ_P533PYSiz1wOXIEN-II_8K47couGD1OFgvm9OTvgT2yPaRRBbHNTA/s857/Snapchat-301664131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkL76NeP6LhH2cFN28GAVTYrArZbn535zeb3D8JDAO2Af9gunsccQXTptznCUwsRpS-jRcXrWUt3S6Oj8AeT0mxL_Ok-gHNUVWqnP2pX4Eo5yVJPbjDsbF9K-I09fl5UkiDgIQ_P533PYSiz1wOXIEN-II_8K47couGD1OFgvm9OTvgT2yPaRRBbHNTA/w225-h400/Snapchat-301664131.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsQTGNVWGbJhcyKyNDe0etJ_CVFQSCupucCtxrUt1e1qzIdwfYQtHkteS2VeiL52l5gNyjE8SNUI-0mWSC-saqt9UZ1JtU_g0cpbe9bfVezIbqf98_Vn6-4leQZU_Z8nP9zUlJG1IiGnopIqNJxsZJiSNU5MD9ksF6CjibYx8mTO-t8a7xxhlBSyQQ4o/s857/Snapchat-923112619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsQTGNVWGbJhcyKyNDe0etJ_CVFQSCupucCtxrUt1e1qzIdwfYQtHkteS2VeiL52l5gNyjE8SNUI-0mWSC-saqt9UZ1JtU_g0cpbe9bfVezIbqf98_Vn6-4leQZU_Z8nP9zUlJG1IiGnopIqNJxsZJiSNU5MD9ksF6CjibYx8mTO-t8a7xxhlBSyQQ4o/w225-h400/Snapchat-923112619.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8sJGz0oM9XDu7700sY0EYHsB1xMbnBb3edEiPxx2pXmerCTpgGvBPwXTbXSpTY2olBBzMyIjIwxJLUnHBRWX4Z6sLCczya8Nfsun-fgZI7CdyIKfE7camiZ2n9EvqLYtdWoffYRpQd4HVUpkllblF9KDSAGcThCY3Ce08qd6I1H9P68NcmMeYKKHJcY/s857/Snapchat-1047089824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8sJGz0oM9XDu7700sY0EYHsB1xMbnBb3edEiPxx2pXmerCTpgGvBPwXTbXSpTY2olBBzMyIjIwxJLUnHBRWX4Z6sLCczya8Nfsun-fgZI7CdyIKfE7camiZ2n9EvqLYtdWoffYRpQd4HVUpkllblF9KDSAGcThCY3Ce08qd6I1H9P68NcmMeYKKHJcY/w225-h400/Snapchat-1047089824.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAZX9_aPMM8rBJn8u8poCytrj_QyAsx0juqAOBGeeV_UyW6YM9sV2YmK9BJxyraKKfSEqC_beF8d0todES82ZIAFxy_okH3TCYoRJUueMrEr6bR8JAYheS4iT0CuWjcz31bC2K61FRmDinXLQRXYHe_ssNtJJMHsr0xTQyn0erdf-VEPf5YjT80RV3YM/s857/PXL_20231030_115623681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAZX9_aPMM8rBJn8u8poCytrj_QyAsx0juqAOBGeeV_UyW6YM9sV2YmK9BJxyraKKfSEqC_beF8d0todES82ZIAFxy_okH3TCYoRJUueMrEr6bR8JAYheS4iT0CuWjcz31bC2K61FRmDinXLQRXYHe_ssNtJJMHsr0xTQyn0erdf-VEPf5YjT80RV3YM/w300-h400/PXL_20231030_115623681.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi with my library cart</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eAdYbD9DvvYPFUK_fpMfFaFKmJyr7DgJi6P-ixJuORxd6DtnFpaAVAjW_OLnwLkpS-nU-7rLW5nXjvRYCJmvonK1yZ8o0omS-P1WYUGITYbw09U1kwISTxnhcF0eCclA6rBxoaZU3jw-gKDWQuZkRa64VVTkYQ5uAiUrFTo_BNbu0B4l3c-NYlJqeEU/s857/PXL_20231102_220552193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eAdYbD9DvvYPFUK_fpMfFaFKmJyr7DgJi6P-ixJuORxd6DtnFpaAVAjW_OLnwLkpS-nU-7rLW5nXjvRYCJmvonK1yZ8o0omS-P1WYUGITYbw09U1kwISTxnhcF0eCclA6rBxoaZU3jw-gKDWQuZkRa64VVTkYQ5uAiUrFTo_BNbu0B4l3c-NYlJqeEU/w300-h400/PXL_20231102_220552193.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that soccer's done, I've been trying to make dinner more often. This was a new recipe that was <i>meh</i> as usual.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX01CboI_C3oDZU8ZE3Jbm_2ipterC8wVlBl200krn8XIm7x8ipd2x6hQpFfPf8xf6SygMbDaVCefxlCBp35UdBJOJYxajQ6xxljZnpwLtearhbmWyNqvrUxUdqqnF8GwsgTlrG8OF_2Iv0G1zFkFLxV2k_hz37cSLuSp199SRpOLG-1VQ63HJXVReoI/s857/Snapchat-1865125737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX01CboI_C3oDZU8ZE3Jbm_2ipterC8wVlBl200krn8XIm7x8ipd2x6hQpFfPf8xf6SygMbDaVCefxlCBp35UdBJOJYxajQ6xxljZnpwLtearhbmWyNqvrUxUdqqnF8GwsgTlrG8OF_2Iv0G1zFkFLxV2k_hz37cSLuSp199SRpOLG-1VQ63HJXVReoI/w360-h640/Snapchat-1865125737.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5FFV13zOeT52PHniRp8jx-DuybLlEnVAote92wesYjciLXgOy2njZwgzAIk0YGkOWcx88CEXn_Q6Hmsjp3HNuriud9Fx7ZNcz25ybbG2r76hFXahOMJbt1L38ud7r4VjuDR1LwGzNwMfJvD0z5S0ktCSN9AVYKEnnSCx5NliBG8cqkZbNCm0I2JEMgU/s473/4df360f5a9d6ea913160ca7bfb8f592a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="473" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5FFV13zOeT52PHniRp8jx-DuybLlEnVAote92wesYjciLXgOy2njZwgzAIk0YGkOWcx88CEXn_Q6Hmsjp3HNuriud9Fx7ZNcz25ybbG2r76hFXahOMJbt1L38ud7r4VjuDR1LwGzNwMfJvD0z5S0ktCSN9AVYKEnnSCx5NliBG8cqkZbNCm0I2JEMgU/w400-h276/4df360f5a9d6ea913160ca7bfb8f592a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICRaMA6MOrOIJu6CoxRADYzIok4Sntoiq3Z_kunmKFPILtnLRTp16zQsOosLLZ2SQCxjWThjtszC-TW8QP2_wyw6jf3Y_UArbV_awM7VIX_YR1UpkH7bKsqGVlnBE76DoHWSSYlPApr6iOhdgJpZIBYS_8Aazi5vr8jBsjYdN9rJusWrPdRmogE6eCQA/s473/4eeda747ee78c064e838d455083e2c15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="473" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICRaMA6MOrOIJu6CoxRADYzIok4Sntoiq3Z_kunmKFPILtnLRTp16zQsOosLLZ2SQCxjWThjtszC-TW8QP2_wyw6jf3Y_UArbV_awM7VIX_YR1UpkH7bKsqGVlnBE76DoHWSSYlPApr6iOhdgJpZIBYS_8Aazi5vr8jBsjYdN9rJusWrPdRmogE6eCQA/w400-h224/4eeda747ee78c064e838d455083e2c15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2IyHOsruzAPcWRE55XaAkpD624p8YlIbQSDwIfnHyrsaIlnZKGHyD7OQMEmtJ39Zw7pF7Cx9hOcmQ86-gzfWN94y1-5bADbpPPpj-nP_WNGVMm-8Jp9tqS9OqM0aBj1_LzpWzr2u0qFhulsXYEbhoCKzE8-VVcqMJRvn6yZ5yx-4hDxxGr08Y1Z6r7w/s473/28d4d80afa9edbf590f68b0565928e99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="473" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2IyHOsruzAPcWRE55XaAkpD624p8YlIbQSDwIfnHyrsaIlnZKGHyD7OQMEmtJ39Zw7pF7Cx9hOcmQ86-gzfWN94y1-5bADbpPPpj-nP_WNGVMm-8Jp9tqS9OqM0aBj1_LzpWzr2u0qFhulsXYEbhoCKzE8-VVcqMJRvn6yZ5yx-4hDxxGr08Y1Z6r7w/w400-h304/28d4d80afa9edbf590f68b0565928e99.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqJopHSvbclqznbRkP2cRGnTTZ9q77n8BDTht25t8zEnXteUCkBPXyKYxu672yT81vQ8EyWfhCarknLdPec_Bx6aWY2_ykdVwz7KyWXv6thzWqItFFE7-EYvDVtkuY7U3YME_FnEGTn_2X2Rc_HoIXWAKAYmUNB7Wh-LxuCyc6Jt5m5T1VsxBZ4b0jEM/s474/0090db2b231726a6ab910d0035c00f73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="474" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqJopHSvbclqznbRkP2cRGnTTZ9q77n8BDTht25t8zEnXteUCkBPXyKYxu672yT81vQ8EyWfhCarknLdPec_Bx6aWY2_ykdVwz7KyWXv6thzWqItFFE7-EYvDVtkuY7U3YME_FnEGTn_2X2Rc_HoIXWAKAYmUNB7Wh-LxuCyc6Jt5m5T1VsxBZ4b0jEM/w400-h325/0090db2b231726a6ab910d0035c00f73.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOu4MJh3nals5-CJ3jK5C_D0yujsMpvLLzWRlSZXOo2u0ri-mdRkx1_nQzjI8WSwQ3mQiQB_J8Im3QlqaReBFs6082l8TZhjeL3nLMeLzRtHwkW-2tV8z6oj4gUlqJMhfgJz8aEnuS34I8A-WNzsUb1pSJveZv1nnr2VDdAH3-iQPDPayPVK0zrj2HKs/s474/148d200364607429491e5b90fa1dbd0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="474" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOu4MJh3nals5-CJ3jK5C_D0yujsMpvLLzWRlSZXOo2u0ri-mdRkx1_nQzjI8WSwQ3mQiQB_J8Im3QlqaReBFs6082l8TZhjeL3nLMeLzRtHwkW-2tV8z6oj4gUlqJMhfgJz8aEnuS34I8A-WNzsUb1pSJveZv1nnr2VDdAH3-iQPDPayPVK0zrj2HKs/w400-h284/148d200364607429491e5b90fa1dbd0a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnDmU2iKm_4kiMXy0V4cySPf-_R1uBW7JVQp5rlxBzOGjmV1lQv_dg0FPHl2G2Wz-VNYc4-1tdCfnvO62iR4_TWofoZQMvDu9Nh0S-FlSSzaalS25keOP36wolF30QAvvjJ_Fmdx8J2OdtBrBQFAuAWzLjiWwQxRElJ7IifrEXfVRFTlUHU6jpm8_oeE/w373-h400/8694984039283ce34eaa89b99b78c0ed.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubQWNgnv44PUEYZfvUlomolxfPvZVOLuf2QGKnnEBH_XoXhPHPDKecI-Ajty1-tf87SxaFv6_zShi9OZkORd9WQQGupUXr5A1-wUVo7sehGf_ZsPIAZIbrYOrehQYIMxen6RVIj3HE2WYIT7sriW8nAuIxGKJgkyvkds6T6ZEJ85NBwvqhcGcmwfBQNE/s473/b3e3a0d2a75f6af9a7bbf31391f0b99a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="473" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubQWNgnv44PUEYZfvUlomolxfPvZVOLuf2QGKnnEBH_XoXhPHPDKecI-Ajty1-tf87SxaFv6_zShi9OZkORd9WQQGupUXr5A1-wUVo7sehGf_ZsPIAZIbrYOrehQYIMxen6RVIj3HE2WYIT7sriW8nAuIxGKJgkyvkds6T6ZEJ85NBwvqhcGcmwfBQNE/w400-h226/b3e3a0d2a75f6af9a7bbf31391f0b99a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="609" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaezxEXGuPfyZW06SAHfq3mKGo1BenNvFGgTP2hbiw8sqnR0sNhtS8feu2DUXjTinPj7gu6h0VjW4xoW4Tl9Fq4ApmMTr3OPodahCkxAOS_1YTctexnO-m4zEYnIvGwRQkAZPzPGAFK3R3UNAbKMPV-JxMNmogyaAAjfdoRDL9Y7PbUL_d9n2TphRvtKQ/w284-h400/Screenshot_20231031-191253.png" width="284" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfldMki8eyJz6EPQ0AInWuTpjv_cV0izE8rdvsQoNvDj8_kU7-O6G6jlSku33wT-KP-HyTYBKcmBnaBV5Ja3TSGNfI_vwHy4Pu9mMIvWLpeyNwFjqMAkyaP76ee2gUiVn157YzNSzA5dA5zJiizeggAqjCIxiFah5nv1_ohdMXTB4U_iAyc25k28FZWGo/s857/Screenshot_20231031-225727.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="633" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfldMki8eyJz6EPQ0AInWuTpjv_cV0izE8rdvsQoNvDj8_kU7-O6G6jlSku33wT-KP-HyTYBKcmBnaBV5Ja3TSGNfI_vwHy4Pu9mMIvWLpeyNwFjqMAkyaP76ee2gUiVn157YzNSzA5dA5zJiizeggAqjCIxiFah5nv1_ohdMXTB4U_iAyc25k28FZWGo/w295-h400/Screenshot_20231031-225727.png" width="295" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4f9_j5mmfD40qouTumcRwzjFisyFO4TYAlj4_ylgr50biVzsxix77xZGTpZDueeg3BGCLT_6o8WnkHF7uUZAxqp3stityaA65Bb0oid7w7BdIzb9M0-T47sXon10v6E0sC0FP3OmNQOirMqn3v3wFq2m1ksOQSYrp10sj6IEUhDtUPrj7hM6Xy3pc0/s857/Screenshot_20231104-190740.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4f9_j5mmfD40qouTumcRwzjFisyFO4TYAlj4_ylgr50biVzsxix77xZGTpZDueeg3BGCLT_6o8WnkHF7uUZAxqp3stityaA65Bb0oid7w7BdIzb9M0-T47sXon10v6E0sC0FP3OmNQOirMqn3v3wFq2m1ksOQSYrp10sj6IEUhDtUPrj7hM6Xy3pc0/w309-h400/Screenshot_20231104-190740.png" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will only be funny if you know your <i>Song of Solomon</i>. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-9663415585849399862023-10-28T22:36:00.002-04:002023-10-28T22:41:54.216-04:00The Saturday 7<p>What a miserable week. </p><p>1. I obviously spoke too soon last week when I declared my cold "better already" and "fast moving." It was just playing me. I felt off on Sunday, and then woke up Monday with almost no voice and the beginning of a cough. It was a long day in the library, trying to read aloud to three classes when I could hardly talk above a whisper. I worked at Once Upon on Tuesday with the help of cold medicine. By Wednesday, though, I was feeling really awful. I seriously considered calling in to Once Upon, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I could function. I wasn't puking or feverish. So I chugged some cough medicine and went to work. That night the cough really hit me full force. I was up for two hours in the middle of the night hacking my guts out. Again, I considered calling in to work on Thursday morning, but again I couldn't bring myself to inconvenience anyone. It was honestly a brutal day, and I counted down every minute until I could go home and get back in my bed. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMl_meGa2VQNumTULrWT6vhXfPHF51229ndu9ibVBcNV5Strw_z1f1dSKB44fYiOLGC7GBd9uy-b957Wx-5bRPUOKecAhqoRIdt0V08Vr5dN4zA7X7olCKxuB9_0ETPAFe2DjuZW1dkJm7D0lV1K_W60LB4c5OjT0LhEjuLqROSLgFop3pSZcdHcD1n_o/s857/Snapchat-267742781.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMl_meGa2VQNumTULrWT6vhXfPHF51229ndu9ibVBcNV5Strw_z1f1dSKB44fYiOLGC7GBd9uy-b957Wx-5bRPUOKecAhqoRIdt0V08Vr5dN4zA7X7olCKxuB9_0ETPAFe2DjuZW1dkJm7D0lV1K_W60LB4c5OjT0LhEjuLqROSLgFop3pSZcdHcD1n_o/w225-h400/Snapchat-267742781.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>Finally, we had Friday off of school and I was able to sleep in and spend the day resting! I still have a lingering cough. It's not the worst I've ever had, but it's annoying and disruptive. </p><p>2. To compound my misery, Justin left Tuesday afternoon for his soccer tournament in Ohio and didn't get home 'til 8:00 last night, so I was single-momming it all week. I held it together until Thursday. I was so exhausted and so looking forward to parking Levi in front of the TV after school so I could collapse into bed for a couple hours. Imagine my dismay when Levi got sent to the office at school that day for being disruptive/disrespectful in class. This is not the first time it's happened, so he already knows that his punishment for being sent to the office is no screen time for the rest of the day. 😭 Why must his punishments punish me as well?? I seriously considered caving, but disrespect toward teachers is a major pet-peeve of mine and I want him to know that particular behavior has painful consequences. I turned on an audiobook for him when we got home and lay down on the couch. Someone was praying for me, because he ended up finding something to do while I dozed off for a while. He created a whole carnival that Lena and I played with him after my nap.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTep4vBDkUxM7UrqsptldFTWtB6XarZLen89selUu3CFZPDNR6KavSwVu8cI__pQDLDYyrzX0OTxJ38e2CZ3rakoDHXIBa9qePgw65MRR0Z_gzgQDvRVoq93MonJZ8gc_0n27-HbtgSCjpsLTrLXyKfPU7lF7wx1u-xbIJyNph4KFKTyVpkH7bKdHunU/s1142/PXL_20231026_222608695.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTep4vBDkUxM7UrqsptldFTWtB6XarZLen89selUu3CFZPDNR6KavSwVu8cI__pQDLDYyrzX0OTxJ38e2CZ3rakoDHXIBa9qePgw65MRR0Z_gzgQDvRVoq93MonJZ8gc_0n27-HbtgSCjpsLTrLXyKfPU7lF7wx1u-xbIJyNph4KFKTyVpkH7bKdHunU/w400-h300/PXL_20231026_222608695.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoon racing lanes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QWLzRPP_E02uIOJJ1vp1Zwi5iEF9B8Ec83QZAmvet5lRC1Kp2iDNgSh5D8y55WDkAaOA_8KJXxbfKTo2ASGPil55nnNmvtXidB2NkgFoZJYfySKW4IbPavzzxKyg6-vCamdSmwQ03v0jkSUimb0LoVPq0WaBhswLieVduOUDpsRj6eVk9dcgYUjlvvg/s857/PXL_20231026_222621736.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QWLzRPP_E02uIOJJ1vp1Zwi5iEF9B8Ec83QZAmvet5lRC1Kp2iDNgSh5D8y55WDkAaOA_8KJXxbfKTo2ASGPil55nnNmvtXidB2NkgFoZJYfySKW4IbPavzzxKyg6-vCamdSmwQ03v0jkSUimb0LoVPq0WaBhswLieVduOUDpsRj6eVk9dcgYUjlvvg/w300-h400/PXL_20231026_222621736.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bucket bonanza</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQAmTipSLKcApqd3ImprASM0vLzN_bZUh_EkGJdf8Vj5mVQAE1z3XDqFr6Gt7rNLIKuScvnyw2lJcMLRV3R9hebAUNOxovmRvhqQGsYw0WEabmnbFnBZC0duZpXfqsdIEjz8s390C7jtGZ52XTzFYTq7OPY6y4y8i-Ge_3By8C7MevyVNWsQ87JkmiLE/s857/PXL_20231026_222827528.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQAmTipSLKcApqd3ImprASM0vLzN_bZUh_EkGJdf8Vj5mVQAE1z3XDqFr6Gt7rNLIKuScvnyw2lJcMLRV3R9hebAUNOxovmRvhqQGsYw0WEabmnbFnBZC0duZpXfqsdIEjz8s390C7jtGZ52XTzFYTq7OPY6y4y8i-Ge_3By8C7MevyVNWsQ87JkmiLE/w300-h400/PXL_20231026_222827528.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Target practice</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>3. This one may be controversial, but all week while I was sick and dreading going to work, I kept thinking, "Seriously? This is what feminists fought for? I'd take being a 50s housewife over this any day!" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTyB0iReg6szebxGE89nSPoeofD94LJAuiZe9cvOPpypYnTV0Y3Na9fVMo2IWG-aN0ewAGy-Ro1oUSy2TdZ7VN8Xc0LjfJd1Of4SccohkiItCt-_etYSyOH7CFPXzbI7fS1nfnB2ucigjV5GRNWEb6ZISe0vP_qGj-ol8kgEJXuBfO1QYf0UqKoRnYX4/s473/455bf310ef7dfdd235db344a12afe212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="473" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTyB0iReg6szebxGE89nSPoeofD94LJAuiZe9cvOPpypYnTV0Y3Na9fVMo2IWG-aN0ewAGy-Ro1oUSy2TdZ7VN8Xc0LjfJd1Of4SccohkiItCt-_etYSyOH7CFPXzbI7fS1nfnB2ucigjV5GRNWEb6ZISe0vP_qGj-ol8kgEJXuBfO1QYf0UqKoRnYX4/w400-h361/455bf310ef7dfdd235db344a12afe212.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Feminism didn't do us any favors. Now, not only do we have to do the cooking, cleaning, household errands, etc, but we also have to work to contribute to the household income!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MHUzmJbUbN4brPcwhBUrNGOABPuRauj1i71n_AT3EuUUzArupdRXjIGehwo7My86ailhD0MZM39BsbaGW3-BU5eLeHxUj74f_ogzXrPFpYQ4Iz4x4G5kyugYvk_kk4sSR9oaZg3QlLbyTItOPSWGQhY7J4UPaDFAVYDkBWLQFEIrZjlUsSQboK5MM5U/s561/d99cb8ba3679eef11be98038cbe2aba2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MHUzmJbUbN4brPcwhBUrNGOABPuRauj1i71n_AT3EuUUzArupdRXjIGehwo7My86ailhD0MZM39BsbaGW3-BU5eLeHxUj74f_ogzXrPFpYQ4Iz4x4G5kyugYvk_kk4sSR9oaZg3QlLbyTItOPSWGQhY7J4UPaDFAVYDkBWLQFEIrZjlUsSQboK5MM5U/w338-h400/d99cb8ba3679eef11be98038cbe2aba2.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br /><p>I don't even work full time, and I've decided it's for the birds. Last week I got so behind on the laundry that Levi and I both ran out of clean underwear and socks. 🤦 I clearly need to work on my time management skills.</p><p>4. And now that I've come out as an anti-feminist, let me solidify it with this bit of wisdom for the teenage boys reading my blog (as I'm sure there are many). Are you looking to snag a wife? I've got a foolproof 3-step plan for you:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Get married young. Real young, while your wife is still unrealistically skinny. Buy her a tiny little ring to fit those tiny little fingers.</li><li>Knock her up a few times so she gains a whole bunch of weight. (Copious amounts of Dr Pepper and a kicker of Zoloft can expedite this.) </li><li>Even if she randomly loses 15 pounds due to IBS/potential colon cancer, she'll never be able to get that tiny little ring off her now significantly less tiny finger, and she's yours for life! </li></ol><div>This may or may not have been inspired by a true story. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS-11YsOsQcfjg8vCK7Ty8u0ReZ1Hri8vPi8wEp4ZN8_AQgbBN60WkR6aiGgbKhUErqU4wAb1Q4sBwMKbO1A8EDxmXB2JGVYwl_iW62wm2B2O6adrVkXW__NmI_O3z9cPtlh3h_jFuPoCMLpElvFMGrybIo8v7KeyfkMr3hBhyP6TrNeCGqi7RNFimxM/s857/PXL_20231029_015309904.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS-11YsOsQcfjg8vCK7Ty8u0ReZ1Hri8vPi8wEp4ZN8_AQgbBN60WkR6aiGgbKhUErqU4wAb1Q4sBwMKbO1A8EDxmXB2JGVYwl_iW62wm2B2O6adrVkXW__NmI_O3z9cPtlh3h_jFuPoCMLpElvFMGrybIo8v7KeyfkMr3hBhyP6TrNeCGqi7RNFimxM/w300-h400/PXL_20231029_015309904.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That baby ain't never coming off.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>5. All of this feminist talk is likely a reaction to my sudden guilt over abandoning my children and outsourcing their education. Lena had a field trip to Lansing this week. I went with Lucy four years ago when she went on the same trip, but I couldn't go for Lena because I had to work. But also, Pinterest has been randomly targeting me with homeschooling content. Like to the point that I'm starting to ask God if he's preparing me for something. The more I work outside the home, the more I long for the greener grass of staying home whatever the cost. But I'm self-aware enough to realize that's unfounded optimism. Haha. I hated homeschooling. It's like baby fever. I only remember the good parts, conveniently forgetting the terrible stuff. And truly, I wouldn't want to give up my job in the school library, which I would have to if I homeschooled. So Pinterest is just going to have to work harder on their algorithm. I'm not falling for their tricks.</p><p>6. Have you seen the forecast for Halloween? It's not looking pretty. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO93O6bBzrqiyVRsjiOeqUvwZG260kxIlYfgGVK7IciI32IHzc00EtPJ5rM20SviJ7Pw0mNNnELQcxbk8DhXOb1s53VWxjicOeqfXltkInjrx-SzGXnhVlXjjWpz-1ER_z9gu2ygBvBWCeCZgOm_one11Lo8DWJacYhHD7tywbgFxNxrGlZL_-Gey7kd4/s1080/Screenshot_20231028-215431.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1080" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO93O6bBzrqiyVRsjiOeqUvwZG260kxIlYfgGVK7IciI32IHzc00EtPJ5rM20SviJ7Pw0mNNnELQcxbk8DhXOb1s53VWxjicOeqfXltkInjrx-SzGXnhVlXjjWpz-1ER_z9gu2ygBvBWCeCZgOm_one11Lo8DWJacYhHD7tywbgFxNxrGlZL_-Gey7kd4/w400-h251/Screenshot_20231028-215431.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqZNdgeGB7fdeJh5sGIjhfn8ZgOPR2EUNX0zva-4BoBXJ18ogSDKOIThs15hbZD9abGs7hJmM7MougCKSip80uRQ7T_aAumBBV1mKoxkVBQRrM0YGvnIx8IagIu_VlfXiMMc_2YLFwArMuINwYZ3jSL-BQ09GlGmL-VwLshPjDVGDQbYEHnyLuSubCRk/s1177/395280624_885089619639900_8522596576806156515_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqZNdgeGB7fdeJh5sGIjhfn8ZgOPR2EUNX0zva-4BoBXJ18ogSDKOIThs15hbZD9abGs7hJmM7MougCKSip80uRQ7T_aAumBBV1mKoxkVBQRrM0YGvnIx8IagIu_VlfXiMMc_2YLFwArMuINwYZ3jSL-BQ09GlGmL-VwLshPjDVGDQbYEHnyLuSubCRk/w368-h400/395280624_885089619639900_8522596576806156515_n.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><p>So today, some of the Cousin Crew decided to take advantage of this weekend's nice weather by hitting some Trunk or Treats in our area. I took Lena and Levi costume shopping weeks ago and was so excited when they voluntarily chose matching costumes for the first time ever! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21Ux1I8yQYcQG6H5Ol-WoGUdttsoADLg6Ne5-Jw2q5LItvNpQwHtuqbE23_UhfMLU5gQ6RcF5hu7Zp6DAipDakCUSyRGzXtLCz-WjjyOj4rO1TlmhYfpTlMll4cNUONzmX1vKhIl8JVRPOfGd1ShnhVJsppUWCGDRtk9NT-kpp0sxtXQiR7teXG2G9-0/s857/image.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21Ux1I8yQYcQG6H5Ol-WoGUdttsoADLg6Ne5-Jw2q5LItvNpQwHtuqbE23_UhfMLU5gQ6RcF5hu7Zp6DAipDakCUSyRGzXtLCz-WjjyOj4rO1TlmhYfpTlMll4cNUONzmX1vKhIl8JVRPOfGd1ShnhVJsppUWCGDRtk9NT-kpp0sxtXQiR7teXG2G9-0/w538-h640/image.jpg" width="538" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's Woody and Jessie!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ehaRhf3r0CX3duSLLZvgDDc_GA6RrLFFf1M67uSHAS-yKUHakZe_BzW3qFh-a7Bp-xs-IR8Gov6_WS4JR4yzwX-pnAgxzAWfAbRTO7xitsCuwyCqRJCt-KY7lIGK05P63cEMo8C3LLQxv1Qoi8Es2thRtDH84Yh_OPKtUACONEtMDgD_p9Geq9fJMFQ/s1142/PXL_20231028_202759484.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ehaRhf3r0CX3duSLLZvgDDc_GA6RrLFFf1M67uSHAS-yKUHakZe_BzW3qFh-a7Bp-xs-IR8Gov6_WS4JR4yzwX-pnAgxzAWfAbRTO7xitsCuwyCqRJCt-KY7lIGK05P63cEMo8C3LLQxv1Qoi8Es2thRtDH84Yh_OPKtUACONEtMDgD_p9Geq9fJMFQ/w640-h480/PXL_20231028_202759484.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next year we'll have two more cousins in the Halloween picture! 💓 (Two of my nephews are expecting babies.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>7. Sorry for the negativity today. I'll make up for it with some pics and memes:</p><p>Halloween is my least favorite holiday, and I refuse to buy decorations or really embrace the whole "creepy/scary/evil" theme. But so many of the houses on our street go all out, and Levi has been <i>dying</i> to decorate. He and Lena finally took matters into their own hands this week and created their own decorations. While they were setting up, our next door neighbors were putting out their own display and they gave the kids some of their leftovers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkRdNVJ2t_zuG74ikExMEhgqWHercluRM8esR0hBLhluusr6A3zpcIWVmMwm9fkFZMjRmYS_o6GzJ9ckYP29zOKocuBor2yscsRtMauycWFQw7bwnUIg_qVk21OzPgICm2Y5XF6DIHXhKBcISZl2ppV_TJBXGEhzW9XP-6ipSoLGTYvVP65y5HWQGQbc/s1142/PXL_20231024_192232578.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkRdNVJ2t_zuG74ikExMEhgqWHercluRM8esR0hBLhluusr6A3zpcIWVmMwm9fkFZMjRmYS_o6GzJ9ckYP29zOKocuBor2yscsRtMauycWFQw7bwnUIg_qVk21OzPgICm2Y5XF6DIHXhKBcISZl2ppV_TJBXGEhzW9XP-6ipSoLGTYvVP65y5HWQGQbc/w640-h480/PXL_20231024_192232578.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A graveyard. Lena came up with funny causes of death, transcribed them on paper headstones, then laminated them all to protect them from the elements.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQEiYlFDWDs-9CGUiF6NDE945Fx3_z6Qc9T8Uw5M2svHJ5QdxrSSMR8OHzlL9ABlUNp295B-1BsNECb7lseEajfh6cjZi8swcS04b_jx2ZjlQWIN5qN2KOHT1KQNhPvUVnXWyO1E_Jd_mQuxpJ-73ErELsDHCgVe_iFF7uvAbjOrcVKQCv0IE7m2di_w/s1142/PXL_20231024_192259516.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQEiYlFDWDs-9CGUiF6NDE945Fx3_z6Qc9T8Uw5M2svHJ5QdxrSSMR8OHzlL9ABlUNp295B-1BsNECb7lseEajfh6cjZi8swcS04b_jx2ZjlQWIN5qN2KOHT1KQNhPvUVnXWyO1E_Jd_mQuxpJ-73ErELsDHCgVe_iFF7uvAbjOrcVKQCv0IE7m2di_w/w640-h480/PXL_20231024_192259516.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An elaborate spider web made of yarn, with Barbies caught in it. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3N3dDIRffFVJGZmQm5jNHwPAEUWRS2c0WSDAv4v35048W8w7Bgqa3i_bJ99l_0xjtOtQQI9t3YtlPI3R1h_1pb0l6zC8Pfiv5Zd9z0r94NykxYR_KdmxfiB4he3Lh8jQ3i_M_xTV8pXFTOD3dWnkyypPP7pF8XijcquphtAU3osKVIITCUyFbO812HY/s857/PXL_20231027_190401335.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3N3dDIRffFVJGZmQm5jNHwPAEUWRS2c0WSDAv4v35048W8w7Bgqa3i_bJ99l_0xjtOtQQI9t3YtlPI3R1h_1pb0l6zC8Pfiv5Zd9z0r94NykxYR_KdmxfiB4he3Lh8jQ3i_M_xTV8pXFTOD3dWnkyypPP7pF8XijcquphtAU3osKVIITCUyFbO812HY/w300-h400/PXL_20231027_190401335.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bonfire? Again with the laminated paper fire. Haha.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6IDRcylLJsIdqmjBHZ0QEflM3dBeEhtINtOWPp9JFC_dWETUjD6zrTe6fYm0Q9OvaX6NtMIRzkWdDMR8brkzGNN79dt3EdFGkDM8rxuuSEXbdhJuENOPQeNdxiyEp7rixmxNTJB3jYLqrczY8QQN5729O7SqWRcbOR-bAeNtXA7WMgrKoWZ5hIDsKWY/s857/PXL_20231027_004653605.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6IDRcylLJsIdqmjBHZ0QEflM3dBeEhtINtOWPp9JFC_dWETUjD6zrTe6fYm0Q9OvaX6NtMIRzkWdDMR8brkzGNN79dt3EdFGkDM8rxuuSEXbdhJuENOPQeNdxiyEp7rixmxNTJB3jYLqrczY8QQN5729O7SqWRcbOR-bAeNtXA7WMgrKoWZ5hIDsKWY/w300-h400/PXL_20231027_004653605.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The couch eating Stella</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCjxUv-ZT6d7M4iM5F4FkTLwrmFEek3PZN5YuBSdv5KSI60i7gZ7gV37YWCql-QM8w_STkHHKV7SHZmJo3fMD8HgWfGg8ZrHoBUjJ8hKs3HMYvsiuIJfpUQ5I4AruLMXwS2m4NYXHLfmvxQuemenONQfXYdTUwHpH2n1CZImMcUNqzx_kaxSY89ymz3o/s1142/received_1075903533576725.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCjxUv-ZT6d7M4iM5F4FkTLwrmFEek3PZN5YuBSdv5KSI60i7gZ7gV37YWCql-QM8w_STkHHKV7SHZmJo3fMD8HgWfGg8ZrHoBUjJ8hKs3HMYvsiuIJfpUQ5I4AruLMXwS2m4NYXHLfmvxQuemenONQfXYdTUwHpH2n1CZImMcUNqzx_kaxSY89ymz3o/w400-h300/received_1075903533576725.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena and the girl-gang at their field trip</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhwzQbkDPuOUX7D-GcDLEjY_jH5uyorz3LcdwA4Z1u_8q_8Tb4aOIZAALvnQ7TNUyZyvRV1VOXOmlGEx9GwvgDYoxoQlihmjhox0E36W0QQcCV40GyQo6VLCpQHuRRnwjRwa3hw5tRbQT_cKpq7Eq6Qq9RQ2PuCV7qDae0RFYLpYlorj_13ZbrTdadls/s857/Snapchat-913731704.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhwzQbkDPuOUX7D-GcDLEjY_jH5uyorz3LcdwA4Z1u_8q_8Tb4aOIZAALvnQ7TNUyZyvRV1VOXOmlGEx9GwvgDYoxoQlihmjhox0E36W0QQcCV40GyQo6VLCpQHuRRnwjRwa3hw5tRbQT_cKpq7Eq6Qq9RQ2PuCV7qDae0RFYLpYlorj_13ZbrTdadls/w225-h400/Snapchat-913731704.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrible snapchats</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2e3WrjOU9DGxvPDVLka6LiHhnmwLgIXkCDkOwWrUOfxjLS3Ecj2HgTHY8KRG7k94WJXQm0e23uABjZLzT0j_LyKEwsT34KHwhmy9LQ2GRbaDDU6WU3MBD7ImA0S4AS-nKU8FqK2BLOA8ToKBx7PZgce-x674BeEBHj_34Xab1XScBJd8_P9wdxqvKxM/s857/Snapchat-2022035854.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2e3WrjOU9DGxvPDVLka6LiHhnmwLgIXkCDkOwWrUOfxjLS3Ecj2HgTHY8KRG7k94WJXQm0e23uABjZLzT0j_LyKEwsT34KHwhmy9LQ2GRbaDDU6WU3MBD7ImA0S4AS-nKU8FqK2BLOA8ToKBx7PZgce-x674BeEBHj_34Xab1XScBJd8_P9wdxqvKxM/w225-h400/Snapchat-2022035854.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little something to lift my spirits this week. 😁</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYprKkFQkQS-t4cM7r8tzt6o_I6v3zV3CWRaHFH1NTPPi56bw5E0qt-meM5JLmNqY-3T00FgqQSqsuDYGai20SmRENWNgHiPODUFsnnkB_AC2EhzyQt1mLU4v4v8C21DbZ0NnjJxREu4g2iYI-ESJIJvido0DsXYZUAr8ZvY-80SaKphLSvPqqIcIteQY/s474/3a39c39e4a795f9be3acea7129739610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="474" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYprKkFQkQS-t4cM7r8tzt6o_I6v3zV3CWRaHFH1NTPPi56bw5E0qt-meM5JLmNqY-3T00FgqQSqsuDYGai20SmRENWNgHiPODUFsnnkB_AC2EhzyQt1mLU4v4v8C21DbZ0NnjJxREu4g2iYI-ESJIJvido0DsXYZUAr8ZvY-80SaKphLSvPqqIcIteQY/w400-h328/3a39c39e4a795f9be3acea7129739610.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT4YEHriD7n3cLySTMBjdx8eAE7gIdNv3-LEGQZqz4gxNaNsH-VQbZEsi7WzHVfg-FwLViK2RDQdeSEuP75wmZVj3oZCeX405uH4qaDTmAFu2mlz2t4Cy6llWS6ykF6_0wIo_u72Z_7v132hK5mh4uT_jk9ilE_nh3cE76axoAtu-qD7sbhRtox2HyZA/s474/67ae25fe287a2ca1df23657e6aefe572.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="474" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT4YEHriD7n3cLySTMBjdx8eAE7gIdNv3-LEGQZqz4gxNaNsH-VQbZEsi7WzHVfg-FwLViK2RDQdeSEuP75wmZVj3oZCeX405uH4qaDTmAFu2mlz2t4Cy6llWS6ykF6_0wIo_u72Z_7v132hK5mh4uT_jk9ilE_nh3cE76axoAtu-qD7sbhRtox2HyZA/w400-h380/67ae25fe287a2ca1df23657e6aefe572.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjUTLCamPleC2Kf6TlnI8MNhgG7UtoCeVrLhQlvH_JS28b9lgFJufxJufFzBCjPMDmOEF8U7Il03zEH9WrYfQWIez9EpoHUqPFZ4H-paZSTEh4wbpi3jXhis4ZrpVm72TMLTQR_yONIFvCLLRiV-hT6VmeIG1DeyC48SlsG6JZgtz75zKjtJ_OEX-fWE/s473/161d9dc2b9a216c438c6dba236a3e538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="473" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjUTLCamPleC2Kf6TlnI8MNhgG7UtoCeVrLhQlvH_JS28b9lgFJufxJufFzBCjPMDmOEF8U7Il03zEH9WrYfQWIez9EpoHUqPFZ4H-paZSTEh4wbpi3jXhis4ZrpVm72TMLTQR_yONIFvCLLRiV-hT6VmeIG1DeyC48SlsG6JZgtz75zKjtJ_OEX-fWE/w400-h229/161d9dc2b9a216c438c6dba236a3e538.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwtwy_39GUrmePc4zjdWDh4lqo83MTDwtIL1KfkaoScTHYDvVQLTin0JkUk_xZBDZVn0mEue65htnx1EmWhX-5osNcwAOUYj9tgHQqdk1C12MRPnHDua-JH0ljunO9xZHWvdO6B_7Z4R2B-lhHE1L5JsoYNDmK-58ETm-ydVLpOUUkmkluKKYwFffjHo/s563/454e6b24a7bc65f53606bf21f072da01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="563" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwtwy_39GUrmePc4zjdWDh4lqo83MTDwtIL1KfkaoScTHYDvVQLTin0JkUk_xZBDZVn0mEue65htnx1EmWhX-5osNcwAOUYj9tgHQqdk1C12MRPnHDua-JH0ljunO9xZHWvdO6B_7Z4R2B-lhHE1L5JsoYNDmK-58ETm-ydVLpOUUkmkluKKYwFffjHo/w400-h297/454e6b24a7bc65f53606bf21f072da01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIFvFP73pKJjvUBjn0iruN69cevgtxU0ZM0FZTIlBFghdCBuLUqebtUHEj6KUXwmYCQ-ou03ZZlW17i_b7639npSvhK96zxktZ3RJQdYs6Ai7rEd84zh9vRIK4zMaXBIZqxDmsOfgdmh7k8RH66oOToO5Cz6wc0lQA8jNcXzaX3TRfaSgBV49xWUbBbE/s473/924be8d0353755a7cbb503c2b3bb8f43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="473" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIFvFP73pKJjvUBjn0iruN69cevgtxU0ZM0FZTIlBFghdCBuLUqebtUHEj6KUXwmYCQ-ou03ZZlW17i_b7639npSvhK96zxktZ3RJQdYs6Ai7rEd84zh9vRIK4zMaXBIZqxDmsOfgdmh7k8RH66oOToO5Cz6wc0lQA8jNcXzaX3TRfaSgBV49xWUbBbE/w400-h260/924be8d0353755a7cbb503c2b3bb8f43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0KjDXL8-fDEcdw-jlhEtPkZE_aMwFsiawFFRH1_AZOXHgGduo9yrDTvvWdoVrNmPRZOsttvj10xTIX2tHdV0jZXdZevlDEO2S5g1ThRfafB1HMVsEXmlJgxmIA4XltKgXBSJCumkmCGZLUz-k1-3IQIbngdEMyDQFbkoSLAgNBEoZCD7bVUkp19avqw/s474/900561559243263552c2a836f383e8f0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="474" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0KjDXL8-fDEcdw-jlhEtPkZE_aMwFsiawFFRH1_AZOXHgGduo9yrDTvvWdoVrNmPRZOsttvj10xTIX2tHdV0jZXdZevlDEO2S5g1ThRfafB1HMVsEXmlJgxmIA4XltKgXBSJCumkmCGZLUz-k1-3IQIbngdEMyDQFbkoSLAgNBEoZCD7bVUkp19avqw/w400-h205/900561559243263552c2a836f383e8f0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgAwHeSB3Sm_W1T1EyGqBjhC2KFpbXLu0GpeB42h1LzFjo8X9WhAcwLK5kW3hPghFMHbRuLTvBIzNNgxdyucbFSVyY3t1A-ADXdhlfW8gXc29aKHBN5kqgDDZauPLs_5OE8IepYlmzYqJldUQv7VJ9sejgoFIeVH14bmx5Ko95M14ZRwv2rxZaDFcAao/s473/a8a066873f9094055a04b37cf4d0f5de.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="473" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgAwHeSB3Sm_W1T1EyGqBjhC2KFpbXLu0GpeB42h1LzFjo8X9WhAcwLK5kW3hPghFMHbRuLTvBIzNNgxdyucbFSVyY3t1A-ADXdhlfW8gXc29aKHBN5kqgDDZauPLs_5OE8IepYlmzYqJldUQv7VJ9sejgoFIeVH14bmx5Ko95M14ZRwv2rxZaDFcAao/w400-h346/a8a066873f9094055a04b37cf4d0f5de.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_7PY4O7emuagKOFG-FS0BB6kOMBQNpPGQGuunw6lWEzGbLFTEHjSxf0bcTK46LxWvnvNqR9MPPFpUOjj99wM9jYP0iSHNradbMV-ZOmhr1jLMQvZIMEoeToEVca4Q1fhSr9Rhok6wD4tgnIqnIAWNfPpm5Sf_zBxvhUSKG-I_g9Dv3XIIt006W0fxvI/s473/a87e8ceaa8b8dcf6ded0d634a41bb6b3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="473" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_7PY4O7emuagKOFG-FS0BB6kOMBQNpPGQGuunw6lWEzGbLFTEHjSxf0bcTK46LxWvnvNqR9MPPFpUOjj99wM9jYP0iSHNradbMV-ZOmhr1jLMQvZIMEoeToEVca4Q1fhSr9Rhok6wD4tgnIqnIAWNfPpm5Sf_zBxvhUSKG-I_g9Dv3XIIt006W0fxvI/w400-h255/a87e8ceaa8b8dcf6ded0d634a41bb6b3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_h7Ra5dTQaw1YcWlAqenLk4kNYUiWJOVY0Nvs2fQ2crPffoFPciDUz-fetO0PIRL8qEiRoV_kHExO8SJNskbCILn9ujIZW3kQDGVG1c196ifiGfB4QppxxyQtvfvcXhw-DPC2ySJdMUk0Pgg9qJ5aQrbLYQXwsCFhhizSaLabgo-fl76biQRSMKa-2Y/s473/b86b1820613b239937a59c4110743b57.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="473" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_h7Ra5dTQaw1YcWlAqenLk4kNYUiWJOVY0Nvs2fQ2crPffoFPciDUz-fetO0PIRL8qEiRoV_kHExO8SJNskbCILn9ujIZW3kQDGVG1c196ifiGfB4QppxxyQtvfvcXhw-DPC2ySJdMUk0Pgg9qJ5aQrbLYQXwsCFhhizSaLabgo-fl76biQRSMKa-2Y/w400-h389/b86b1820613b239937a59c4110743b57.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't let Levi do YouTube, but he has hundreds of games on my phone. I literally saved this meme last night and then woke up this morning to Levi handing me my phone and saying, "I think you missed some messages." I had 44 missed texts from my sisters making plans for Trunk or Treat today. 😂 Also, they know my sleep habits and Levi's phone habits:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7UeXCIvfMU_mxzJDAqEh7iaF18dTFz4uyXwdB6VObnrVCs6fdGcKr-oGPSW92OuYvS6qXui4ySsvpSVZ1hasr4FqvUKfzKIotrTGPtNNX8zXbqMH3hz8jM-vd1N-z54QuoBI3O4t9qxXaiCUFeNLVDBqvy-oRYGhO-vKWpK_waNETj9ZWtfASJAqoMY/s1079/Screenshot_20231028-222614.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="1079" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7UeXCIvfMU_mxzJDAqEh7iaF18dTFz4uyXwdB6VObnrVCs6fdGcKr-oGPSW92OuYvS6qXui4ySsvpSVZ1hasr4FqvUKfzKIotrTGPtNNX8zXbqMH3hz8jM-vd1N-z54QuoBI3O4t9qxXaiCUFeNLVDBqvy-oRYGhO-vKWpK_waNETj9ZWtfASJAqoMY/w400-h156/Screenshot_20231028-222614.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiSqFBSqByZ27b98HPyBaeKpqOp0UqQqtmszljGG5sH165_MmX7ygnV2MDVHzUXwjd1iWYcdYt3lTEZGRh2YNqfGkKUEdqDhyphenhyphenYeluOTjwQegoxmXD9AU9l43YSe7_yPa-Xxq95-CxrKAC7XaYSkK1K0ywKLD_D5WQ5Cn7-Mib1hJ1SfDzjdfayJkLbOw/s474/cf5ba21dec3998f53515f8b11964f4e4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiSqFBSqByZ27b98HPyBaeKpqOp0UqQqtmszljGG5sH165_MmX7ygnV2MDVHzUXwjd1iWYcdYt3lTEZGRh2YNqfGkKUEdqDhyphenhyphenYeluOTjwQegoxmXD9AU9l43YSe7_yPa-Xxq95-CxrKAC7XaYSkK1K0ywKLD_D5WQ5Cn7-Mib1hJ1SfDzjdfayJkLbOw/w400-h400/cf5ba21dec3998f53515f8b11964f4e4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ixSU1nGaSVjPneOavsW0CHhIkR2MSmQwF3jljqaEss1o72HffQIRV2ByroyKEtYoJmWRPt9N0bgtaZBpOj_HVkCSGEyUB4h9v-bOPi8aCWwmuVQW4NxWyhPNwri9TJw1ZGbTJhyIx4maD0RzYQYZocIaCz9zg5vorSDQvwI7p6uH0s43mYHUT4r2FH0/s474/d245b5e8895f0bdfd7abb1dc419aae44.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ixSU1nGaSVjPneOavsW0CHhIkR2MSmQwF3jljqaEss1o72HffQIRV2ByroyKEtYoJmWRPt9N0bgtaZBpOj_HVkCSGEyUB4h9v-bOPi8aCWwmuVQW4NxWyhPNwri9TJw1ZGbTJhyIx4maD0RzYQYZocIaCz9zg5vorSDQvwI7p6uH0s43mYHUT4r2FH0/w400-h400/d245b5e8895f0bdfd7abb1dc419aae44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is for my brother</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwKtQ0PvzoT2C4PS41FU4DwT73GigmSN6ztS4avuU1qYC8scgNCa2eSnSOriYnv0SL1FXBElcqiJ5X75xH1-cLAlMTEMmEX1l5mhgaKGOwIFSuCwHe6wuUYzJ0tv8xk_ObvUZtrlDDJLnM19xYYa-RJiTIkSBuVCNk0L3TcSbcf4N3diZz-6Cz4aAIQU/s473/d886464ae5612983c9e293ac871e8717.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="473" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwKtQ0PvzoT2C4PS41FU4DwT73GigmSN6ztS4avuU1qYC8scgNCa2eSnSOriYnv0SL1FXBElcqiJ5X75xH1-cLAlMTEMmEX1l5mhgaKGOwIFSuCwHe6wuUYzJ0tv8xk_ObvUZtrlDDJLnM19xYYa-RJiTIkSBuVCNk0L3TcSbcf4N3diZz-6Cz4aAIQU/w400-h315/d886464ae5612983c9e293ac871e8717.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo8nlpoE4Z-0VpnNrrh5sufoue450Xp0LX7onLO4Puxq9rGdNz6MJaMvgtvtlmB9uxjysnFTnZkJyJepUiv6-k-s0nBQCq8cu-LC4mzY9hAYwB7oFgsfM8LXCTbfokKhfIJOeyXW7MuDiRNWJShe_FTM0WFJBEZHb_f_lAsNWwFPJ2PmDUHEZmGpXtTU/s828/image.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="828" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo8nlpoE4Z-0VpnNrrh5sufoue450Xp0LX7onLO4Puxq9rGdNz6MJaMvgtvtlmB9uxjysnFTnZkJyJepUiv6-k-s0nBQCq8cu-LC4mzY9hAYwB7oFgsfM8LXCTbfokKhfIJOeyXW7MuDiRNWJShe_FTM0WFJBEZHb_f_lAsNWwFPJ2PmDUHEZmGpXtTU/w400-h351/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is one <i>from</i> my brother. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf4pxUGGRdobyzV1CDrVaLFjvbDubholps4ZYLMu2opxl9pjV5PoDIK9A0H3QdDtTo3UZO0v9r-wpCzyySrDF08KAiXigaQnS0uNxGP5XFQrTjDkDxGMcpdPeOc6VLcwMb2K7ByZ7GFlwcXdfH02waMOKsYx3wEXqUF0QNAHN9Ta6pBziOOnHXIQZm9E/s857/Screenshot_20231021-231033.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf4pxUGGRdobyzV1CDrVaLFjvbDubholps4ZYLMu2opxl9pjV5PoDIK9A0H3QdDtTo3UZO0v9r-wpCzyySrDF08KAiXigaQnS0uNxGP5XFQrTjDkDxGMcpdPeOc6VLcwMb2K7ByZ7GFlwcXdfH02waMOKsYx3wEXqUF0QNAHN9Ta6pBziOOnHXIQZm9E/w249-h400/Screenshot_20231021-231033.png" width="249" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EmnOhXYk-Vrx08gbyuNTclU3W9kkJIYLV_rUukaO3pK6sOfEzsT8qkv-ODaRTSvz7_CS5QU0XkPWip14Kxqqkc4B6TpBxOQfr3E7y3tYUrSU4CULjK1l-c5J59GluZSj8Ykg_0bXBBBKqlG2VSpGk3dhYcBCtmszP3_-cAWSPFv8YNMUd2ZztD1gZMk/s857/Screenshot_20231024-153515.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="573" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EmnOhXYk-Vrx08gbyuNTclU3W9kkJIYLV_rUukaO3pK6sOfEzsT8qkv-ODaRTSvz7_CS5QU0XkPWip14Kxqqkc4B6TpBxOQfr3E7y3tYUrSU4CULjK1l-c5J59GluZSj8Ykg_0bXBBBKqlG2VSpGk3dhYcBCtmszP3_-cAWSPFv8YNMUd2ZztD1gZMk/w268-h400/Screenshot_20231024-153515.png" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIktgmIdbaOEWlErZeuRdo6KhLfk8DRzYscwAXUHHMv1ExUW3n4qPPahj7PHSw6ckYWDisxlBQ7XRTx5st7FUPMtKBPh_sQMahyphenhypheneYoL9Rn57SNmOHSPxEL79PA8cHUeK0b8LfHOE26hxWV6zn1Mb_HGF-gKpMPdungck_AXF9ENh60GD0-qn9n8qhNip4/s992/Screenshot_20231025-214732.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="992" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIktgmIdbaOEWlErZeuRdo6KhLfk8DRzYscwAXUHHMv1ExUW3n4qPPahj7PHSw6ckYWDisxlBQ7XRTx5st7FUPMtKBPh_sQMahyphenhypheneYoL9Rn57SNmOHSPxEL79PA8cHUeK0b8LfHOE26hxWV6zn1Mb_HGF-gKpMPdungck_AXF9ENh60GD0-qn9n8qhNip4/w400-h345/Screenshot_20231025-214732.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHpaOPmJ5ogA9M7Kg7-VcVFeGDVIZsreWjprjflYqTuZS2e4J7fU1iLjGIyGlN1y0onAtltKo7fD8Z4VhhSoD5KAsGMmhp_xktHIRlJM8ftA29KTB6rYpDWd_zFDDVkaVQ3D27Jb0ZjRTyAZNsLizIUWFyB5f4qjZ4thNbE0aKsAX7LCs8LKJEB77aYQ/s857/Screenshot_20231025-215814.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="773" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHpaOPmJ5ogA9M7Kg7-VcVFeGDVIZsreWjprjflYqTuZS2e4J7fU1iLjGIyGlN1y0onAtltKo7fD8Z4VhhSoD5KAsGMmhp_xktHIRlJM8ftA29KTB6rYpDWd_zFDDVkaVQ3D27Jb0ZjRTyAZNsLizIUWFyB5f4qjZ4thNbE0aKsAX7LCs8LKJEB77aYQ/w361-h400/Screenshot_20231025-215814.png" width="361" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously. I have seven years to get my hair cut, acquire some pearls, and stock up on sweater sets. </td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-64557363576774051292023-10-21T20:56:00.005-04:002023-10-21T20:56:37.654-04:00The Saturday 7ish<p>1. Let me tell you the story of the time I freaked out at the dentist. I've actually told this story before, but it was six years ago, and I doubt those of you who have been following me for that long actually remember my dental escapades. Plus I have new readers who need to hear this riveting tale. </p><p>I have never feared the dentist. I'm genetically predisposed to good teeth, and when I had my first cavity as an adult, the filling was super easy. When I had to get another cavity filled a few years later, I expected to have the same experience. They hook you up to the gas and you start to feel warm and sleepy. They rub some numbing gel on your gums, give you a shot you can't feel, make some loud noises with a drill, then send you on your way. The worst part is having a sore jaw afterward. But that fateful day in 2017, the gas wasn't as strong as it was my first time. And the numbing shot didn't take effect as easily as it had before. So the poor, unsuspecting dentist gave me <i>another</i> shot to get me good and numb . . . and I lost my mind. Started sweating and shaking and trying to take my clothes off because I was so hot. Started freaking out that I was choking on the wedge they put in my teeth, exclaiming that I was going to pass out. I was a real delight. They turned off the gas, helped me get my sweatshirt off, gave me some oxygen, and set up a fan. After a few minutes I calmed down and they proceeded as normal, but since then I've definitely developed a fear of dental procedures. </p><p>Funnily enough, I had a very similar reaction during my epidural with Levi. The anesthesiologist gave me the numbing shot, but I jumped when he tried to start the epidural, so he gave me a second numbing shot and I freaked out. I've since learned that most of the time, when lidocaine is used as a local anesthetic, epinephrine is added to it. And apparently I have a low threshold for epinephrine.</p><p>This big long story is all to say that I had more cavities to get filled this week - four in fact, because apparently those "good genes" can only withstand so many years of a Dr Pepper obsession and lackadaisical dental hygiene. Because of my past experiences, I was nervous about having so many teeth filled at once. But I popped a xanax on my way to the dentist and reassured myself that I would just have a nice, nitrous-oxide induced rest while they went to town on my sugar-laden teeth. This is the first time I've ever had dental work done at my new dentist, however, so imagine my surprise when the assistant told me I couldn't have the gas because I didn't specifically request it ahead of time! Cue the panic. </p><p>I warned her that I was feeling anxious and have had issues in the past, so she put the heavy x-ray vest on me, told me to imagine it was a weighted blanket, shoved that wedge in my teeth, and basically said, "Suck it up, buttercup. Raise your hand if you're going to freak out." Lol. The numbing gel didn't work super well, so I felt the needle every time he stuck me with the anesthetic. It was a lot of times. And then, I could still feel my teeth so he said, "I'll just give you another shot," and I thought, "Here we go again . . ." Lol. But the xanax must have been working, because I held it together. I mean, my heart was definitely racing above its recommended BPM, but I kept taking deep breaths and counseling myself to "get a grip." It was an uncomfortable half an hour without the comfort of an intoxicating substance, but I kept my clothes on and didn't create a scene. I'd call that a successful trip to the dentist.</p><p>2. Justin's soccer team played in the district(?) championship this week and won for the second year in a row!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84IU4sPr1CQnV2tqQPEWlUhm0l2Ma3IRjXE9zMqg92_i5pS60k2sMtmMDarIMGbrsqhbJ0drUU6ob7WFDou7gvvP8P60UDNeQwDBvFUqzBUFdD4UjmTr87IQiFZRfD9cGdg37SvedjdkKJZJ7qpsyJb4ttnyCfsTxvNraBPOlgEXroN8xCk_xfZISY0w/s1080/392896473_10168305295465235_7226628764790660582_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84IU4sPr1CQnV2tqQPEWlUhm0l2Ma3IRjXE9zMqg92_i5pS60k2sMtmMDarIMGbrsqhbJ0drUU6ob7WFDou7gvvP8P60UDNeQwDBvFUqzBUFdD4UjmTr87IQiFZRfD9cGdg37SvedjdkKJZJ7qpsyJb4ttnyCfsTxvNraBPOlgEXroN8xCk_xfZISY0w/w400-h266/392896473_10168305295465235_7226628764790660582_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>We went to the game, but I watched from my van, because I'm a literal "fair weather fan," and it was a little too cold for my comfort. The kids thought it was <i>hilarious </i>that I honked the horn every time our team scored. And Justin got drenched with cooler water afterward, which was a delight to watch from my warm, dry vehicle. 😁 They have one more tournament next week, and then soccer is <i>done</i> for the year, and we can try to be a normal family who eats dinner at the table together for the first time since last spring (since I was working evenings all summer). We did have one late dinner this week where I made everyone come to the table, and Levi insisted on having candles with our meal. Last year, Lena went on a field trip where she made a candle, but it had to cure for a full year. We broke it out this week, but couldn't find a candle holder small enough to support it . . . enter the marshmallow wedge. #genius</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjCAE0sPq9Q0fbnbZuv_3iJ4-ooS205wPuiQPbHDx1zm3aAGyl-VgyRed_4Fg5NYp5_o7oWhJiwCeNRp06vmYLnCOKHnLi3mitl3iHjuQPS5aEx7aIf-OS6ZWdUZ1xyQeyXL_Tc_4JDJ8zRLoIQMVfFAn_bhWhZnIFDPPTy6swEEk4JOTllfEehsZ7bQ/s857/PXL_20231020_224948021.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjCAE0sPq9Q0fbnbZuv_3iJ4-ooS205wPuiQPbHDx1zm3aAGyl-VgyRed_4Fg5NYp5_o7oWhJiwCeNRp06vmYLnCOKHnLi3mitl3iHjuQPS5aEx7aIf-OS6ZWdUZ1xyQeyXL_Tc_4JDJ8zRLoIQMVfFAn_bhWhZnIFDPPTy6swEEk4JOTllfEehsZ7bQ/w300-h400/PXL_20231020_224948021.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>3. I saw a facebook post this week that said, "What trend are you totally over?" I know it probably meant fashion trends like skinny jeans or Birkenstocks, but I immediately thought of Taylor Swift. I will never understand people who "fangirl" over celebrities. She's just a person who happens to be a talented performer. I am so over the "Swiftie" thing, people spending thousands of dollars on concert tickets, and the obsession with her love life. Facebook and Instagram were all abuzz with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's joint appearance on SNL last week. "News" sources were sharing hard-hitting reports about how "Swift and Kelce appear holding hands leaving SNL," and I even saw one article from a "body language expert" about the "truth behind the hand holding." Seriously, people! Enough!! I try to scroll past those posts as fast as possible, so the all-powerful algorithm doesn't think I'm actually interested. </p><p>4. Lucy and Lena both stayed home sick on Tuesday. Lena was visibly ill Monday evening, and had a fever over 101. I think Lucy was probably over-exaggerating/playing me, but since I had to go to the dentist on Tuesday anyway, I let Lucy stay home so she could watch Lena. Lol. (#momoftheyear) However, I'm sure you can imagine how Levi felt about being the only one going to school that day. He made me take his temperature three times before we even got out the door. And then I got word that he went to the school office four times throughout the day begging to have his temperature taken and insisting that he didn't feel good. 🤦 He never had a fever, though, so he just had to tough it out. Everyone was healthy enough to go back to school on Wednesday, and it wasn't until yesterday that I started to get it. Just a mild cold - throat scratchiness/head stuffiness. I'm already feeling better today than I was yesterday, so at least it's fast moving. Here's hoping Levi doesn't get it for real next week and I have to take off a day of work to stay home with him!</p><p>5. I read two books this week: <i>A Convenient Fiction</i> by Mimi Matthews (clean historical romance) and <i>A Ceiling Made of Eggshells</i> by Gail Carson Levine. The latter was a pre-read for the school library. It's marketed as a middle grade novel, but is set during the expulsion of Jews from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. 😬 Honestly, I didn't know such a thing even happened. In fact, I have very little knowledge of the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition. But I had no idea that the Jews were forced to leave Spain during the time of Christopher Columbus. I thought their oppression was limited to Biblical exiles and the holocaust. Shows what I know. Anyway, it was a clean read, but kind of slow and depressing. I can't imagine 4th, 5th, or 6th graders being interested enough in the subject matter to slog through to the end. The author did a good job of treading lightly around the horrors of war, Inquisition, and expulsion, but she did hold true to historical fact where she could. I was shocked to read that Jewish kids as young as 12 were getting married and having babies. I physically could not have gotten pregnant at that age. I wonder how many 12 year old girls thought they were barren, when they just hadn't gone through puberty yet! There's also a part of the story where just before the Jews were expelled from Spain, fathers were marrying off their daughters to anyone they could to afford them protection of a man in case the father died. For some girls that meant marrying old men. For some older girls who hadn't gotten married for whatever reason yet, it meant marrying 12 year old boys. (#awkward) Anyway, I don't think I'll recommend it for our elementary library. I think it would just gather dust. And certain parents would probably be angry that the Christians are the bad guys throughout the whole story . . . even though that's technically historically accurate. The Crusades weren't our proudest moment. </p><p>6. Well, this is already quite long, and I don't have anything else to pull out of the dregs of my brain, so I'll leave you with everyone's favorite part of my blog entries: the memes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMtTdH1Cexa3IgcOd0pTPr1X_w9PQuSHAEmb30fpcbes6SNyKRWLbBxgPV3sRH-XM6aST9-hE9FOENWHPO3d_kB_oVchuc9Bm91xXhTg0JsPSy262F8Ld996Ywr_21dGTJK49de69d6S4LVoWQo0IzTnjEu08YMqbRsHtn1e9WuRQpKcTu7EqcZYrwJo/s491/0ef6c5448df12a5b8bc4162478950270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="491" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMtTdH1Cexa3IgcOd0pTPr1X_w9PQuSHAEmb30fpcbes6SNyKRWLbBxgPV3sRH-XM6aST9-hE9FOENWHPO3d_kB_oVchuc9Bm91xXhTg0JsPSy262F8Ld996Ywr_21dGTJK49de69d6S4LVoWQo0IzTnjEu08YMqbRsHtn1e9WuRQpKcTu7EqcZYrwJo/w400-h271/0ef6c5448df12a5b8bc4162478950270.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could tell you the middle name and birthdate of every person I graduated with literally twenty years ago. But I couldn't tell you what I just wrote on my grocery list three hours ago.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdrdBiCaffIX3pcVPkup0FIZipen1y87yRXHOzIaIRSCMtOwtbKFPS4zVowXfU7oqDTbt8WlURv7dFErCUMMRfSjnv3d2ekaKbn8yx9h3Zf785t1aJvLPzLRnIuxC9SIvHGuyOsqDALWFirConBq9w_fMBRYFLYA2T3FqatIImt538ekvQICnGhbzZ9s/s473/00b938c74cf840358439ea9a6ec2ea60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="473" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdrdBiCaffIX3pcVPkup0FIZipen1y87yRXHOzIaIRSCMtOwtbKFPS4zVowXfU7oqDTbt8WlURv7dFErCUMMRfSjnv3d2ekaKbn8yx9h3Zf785t1aJvLPzLRnIuxC9SIvHGuyOsqDALWFirConBq9w_fMBRYFLYA2T3FqatIImt538ekvQICnGhbzZ9s/w400-h205/00b938c74cf840358439ea9a6ec2ea60.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHAfRejZxKrJ_HtdL0_V7nRK2Q_u7Rd8f7iEQs0rrTqpFXfrJYreNzOZM8Aod4Cv8r6k41w-Hvo6vvIaDp5FlNlIYUhQxYOstFY3dlc9pp0mN3N7DjOl39UX7M4zgdTAnwQd_eHv9B2QCv4TBt5AIQkwunTYbkCZt6cdOfv-buP_IbTLudQlItsVJgUY/s473/7d9f674d1bbeb8500065ab23b884dd39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="473" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHAfRejZxKrJ_HtdL0_V7nRK2Q_u7Rd8f7iEQs0rrTqpFXfrJYreNzOZM8Aod4Cv8r6k41w-Hvo6vvIaDp5FlNlIYUhQxYOstFY3dlc9pp0mN3N7DjOl39UX7M4zgdTAnwQd_eHv9B2QCv4TBt5AIQkwunTYbkCZt6cdOfv-buP_IbTLudQlItsVJgUY/w400-h354/7d9f674d1bbeb8500065ab23b884dd39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least Dr Pepper gives me pee and joy . . . and cavities . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjX98oHSkTd7sDhJXGQ8gCljsEx6IVNzsQa8WRnkOF0ThBZapGV1BcAIi3__aqAcW1o2w-SaM09uKYXBikbyXBZ1RuAB6VnieZlhrsT7qhuHgWQM2pOqgVbqhMi8nrmwV_5sx2hZ_CQwALE-V7fPN-UijmUlKTROMDKulcq9yqMKvipPtFtb_wMVMU7JM/s473/09c7af6d3405773613cbfe909819e7ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="473" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjX98oHSkTd7sDhJXGQ8gCljsEx6IVNzsQa8WRnkOF0ThBZapGV1BcAIi3__aqAcW1o2w-SaM09uKYXBikbyXBZ1RuAB6VnieZlhrsT7qhuHgWQM2pOqgVbqhMi8nrmwV_5sx2hZ_CQwALE-V7fPN-UijmUlKTROMDKulcq9yqMKvipPtFtb_wMVMU7JM/w400-h381/09c7af6d3405773613cbfe909819e7ee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIeFgPqAIOP9QU64pDWv09xh4m_LD94zfaGJFtP9Mk2NY8m9d-2pv0yT5vdEpMLLZd8at1dAoDMImAS3cGPkVEuZ11uC68T3A8XEsSWU4EPy4v_UguXf3bFSJInSnAO8MMk2457l0K3dDT_-gVQe1HkbWJDoscsOEs2VWlcznAafCC1eb1FPWPHvnm0Y/s473/9b7f3e39d30354114db72aa7031d78a4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="473" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIeFgPqAIOP9QU64pDWv09xh4m_LD94zfaGJFtP9Mk2NY8m9d-2pv0yT5vdEpMLLZd8at1dAoDMImAS3cGPkVEuZ11uC68T3A8XEsSWU4EPy4v_UguXf3bFSJInSnAO8MMk2457l0K3dDT_-gVQe1HkbWJDoscsOEs2VWlcznAafCC1eb1FPWPHvnm0Y/w400-h343/9b7f3e39d30354114db72aa7031d78a4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have I told you about my depression? Or my stomach issues? 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKp09WXLjmiJMQ43ATJIzDmyK-Fbps8AX5sFjDMhy6j9pytWNRmVuQ4HoyN1FZev0VfXpt_xmhP4bUkoFNPO-hRVPAYLg1b9zXZbWLjlSgUuCTMW1mLjAw4oS27H5gUXNzh54bDPn73dHO9xgyL3VCJd7a1okC6jT7RGoPRctvZGtLmjiUXh0VxtTAqU/s473/0120f43c47d327253f947528bfc9bca6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="473" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKp09WXLjmiJMQ43ATJIzDmyK-Fbps8AX5sFjDMhy6j9pytWNRmVuQ4HoyN1FZev0VfXpt_xmhP4bUkoFNPO-hRVPAYLg1b9zXZbWLjlSgUuCTMW1mLjAw4oS27H5gUXNzh54bDPn73dHO9xgyL3VCJd7a1okC6jT7RGoPRctvZGtLmjiUXh0VxtTAqU/w400-h398/0120f43c47d327253f947528bfc9bca6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbAwg3VGglgda4QRPsJxUaUVd95R-yJW4Xmq_8q6MBD8Nm5aEuIu8Yi1D9e7YCzWMq-2Ooc_nAfC_g4EzOzMwlirNZ-qRqykBqz8JY39IlnSrOyXQVAp2_gD8apdgKM2yGA6QGfcuQf8loj7HuJ-bCS1L1arWdAzY0ePtq8HLpdEjFnqbEFhn1ZeYvcE/s474/212e81cb2c15379f90115f464ffd3cd5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="474" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbAwg3VGglgda4QRPsJxUaUVd95R-yJW4Xmq_8q6MBD8Nm5aEuIu8Yi1D9e7YCzWMq-2Ooc_nAfC_g4EzOzMwlirNZ-qRqykBqz8JY39IlnSrOyXQVAp2_gD8apdgKM2yGA6QGfcuQf8loj7HuJ-bCS1L1arWdAzY0ePtq8HLpdEjFnqbEFhn1ZeYvcE/w400-h251/212e81cb2c15379f90115f464ffd3cd5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not 38, so far</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYSlbHbayRpXxZdkp73Eue_JQvAMHGvXSYDTuPpj_oAVzLwVuG70vypdOyUgsgM0Jhf-7Z27zRnohLekhF3WloWWBUN6e-nvU_ygTs7oYnpLXcN7OQFvF2v_I5tEplev-qiPdlltllA0vfLl9u3to40ACHseLXrlRsjl4oBVLyYckJsGbqSgVsApJwO0/s474/680c646728dc46820377dc8942981c84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="474" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYSlbHbayRpXxZdkp73Eue_JQvAMHGvXSYDTuPpj_oAVzLwVuG70vypdOyUgsgM0Jhf-7Z27zRnohLekhF3WloWWBUN6e-nvU_ygTs7oYnpLXcN7OQFvF2v_I5tEplev-qiPdlltllA0vfLl9u3to40ACHseLXrlRsjl4oBVLyYckJsGbqSgVsApJwO0/w400-h374/680c646728dc46820377dc8942981c84.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one kills me. Someone actually "bit her lip" in that romance book I read this week, and all I could picture was the character biting her upper lip. 😂 (P.S. I know you just tried it.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgI0MvrXUASeoqGiNxYaFp0M5m9ksq6HVYrZNYXU-6ydrDfAAJYJB2rqrYKYJ7wUqkurU35wVHstokI7WWtvaaW0JrnaSTLuQhrJxugQpgvuYCSAiOYSPTO99tgX9eRCcBV5T1cDnAzgrn7ZJ8LM_sf7_ww28sKLCCQgkOiDsAysazOcHc0FS0PjbtSg/s473/996afee9422341cb4acbd0fa013c7757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="473" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgI0MvrXUASeoqGiNxYaFp0M5m9ksq6HVYrZNYXU-6ydrDfAAJYJB2rqrYKYJ7wUqkurU35wVHstokI7WWtvaaW0JrnaSTLuQhrJxugQpgvuYCSAiOYSPTO99tgX9eRCcBV5T1cDnAzgrn7ZJ8LM_sf7_ww28sKLCCQgkOiDsAysazOcHc0FS0PjbtSg/w400-h339/996afee9422341cb4acbd0fa013c7757.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgDQZshzo-tSZ6ru6UcR9hHZqYF6rSg78tltQZfH_ekB410ULs9SDetbheWpcPWzpFcAS9yKDXkDMc_0fVTjjqBL2YOMU7XmSOQJnLQgkk7ViMrU1NGV2vKDWytMK1Wh5a0hf4Iig52-VgwMCSVfQ632twtTHuluNn2CiCC4UiZbse67dR2Ry_17hQqw/s474/82822def48deef35b981537b624f8f82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="474" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgDQZshzo-tSZ6ru6UcR9hHZqYF6rSg78tltQZfH_ekB410ULs9SDetbheWpcPWzpFcAS9yKDXkDMc_0fVTjjqBL2YOMU7XmSOQJnLQgkk7ViMrU1NGV2vKDWytMK1Wh5a0hf4Iig52-VgwMCSVfQ632twtTHuluNn2CiCC4UiZbse67dR2Ry_17hQqw/w400-h311/82822def48deef35b981537b624f8f82.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNhEQSiujKS193nhqgdKU5hHds_Gk5aSWRuhgtHTsMURxzcYqgRkW9mH8FN-vDZ5vyRHlbfk9YUZVRfgwwI0sv7NGMKYXeM-iLS51FLd8vqKlqhPCtVTl1Q2L-CPMi9HtfKUFqq_J5ym4-y16LBIJpf6w2eqh1K-eTiw_4kLiVVQoq1c7RwNGbybeCxM/s563/926758aae6e3481a1ee0146b3ad23b96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="563" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNhEQSiujKS193nhqgdKU5hHds_Gk5aSWRuhgtHTsMURxzcYqgRkW9mH8FN-vDZ5vyRHlbfk9YUZVRfgwwI0sv7NGMKYXeM-iLS51FLd8vqKlqhPCtVTl1Q2L-CPMi9HtfKUFqq_J5ym4-y16LBIJpf6w2eqh1K-eTiw_4kLiVVQoq1c7RwNGbybeCxM/w400-h339/926758aae6e3481a1ee0146b3ad23b96.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUz2307C5A65ayFid8At0R12_baQORxuMoCXIwmazbanTnxwLTZsGTsrVOdW5VkIH_MEQQzd0Zem-Ws6QcG42MahHeYn_W525zZkgT2PiGPCGNu96jgXQnubyDihau4CcnAQ0i-f6oCKMCjqxsduR2bhZ8xfMZ7LyQp4K3d0xoUivGhPexlpi5J9JQcf4/s1080/391745778_716111673886397_5026242067124727131_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUz2307C5A65ayFid8At0R12_baQORxuMoCXIwmazbanTnxwLTZsGTsrVOdW5VkIH_MEQQzd0Zem-Ws6QcG42MahHeYn_W525zZkgT2PiGPCGNu96jgXQnubyDihau4CcnAQ0i-f6oCKMCjqxsduR2bhZ8xfMZ7LyQp4K3d0xoUivGhPexlpi5J9JQcf4/w400-h400/391745778_716111673886397_5026242067124727131_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, though. What is this from? I'm thinking either Taco Bell or Tasty Treat's cups.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxctNhnvrrCkdKg4Oz8IP4R3U8t0-cB6jyOscXXyj6J57xB3XDIoVcd33fLCjOhMW7yHWxHEI9SFnb9mh1hu7W2ZBFhyphenhyphen8zO-9jlRnQh4Z-Mg11wuxRbv0sU2O1OUcun6hZrXxk_bNZRm__wMWq7D_pCI3dLv0rmdonlKEl-75gqGdBucej9S1BJjsGyY/s473/a096efba64ad1d1c189944b79f6ca895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="473" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxctNhnvrrCkdKg4Oz8IP4R3U8t0-cB6jyOscXXyj6J57xB3XDIoVcd33fLCjOhMW7yHWxHEI9SFnb9mh1hu7W2ZBFhyphenhyphen8zO-9jlRnQh4Z-Mg11wuxRbv0sU2O1OUcun6hZrXxk_bNZRm__wMWq7D_pCI3dLv0rmdonlKEl-75gqGdBucej9S1BJjsGyY/w400-h235/a096efba64ad1d1c189944b79f6ca895.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry about the swear word, but my IT brother just gave us a spiel about how October is "Cybersecurity Awareness Month" and this is all I could think of.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ih6gTy1J177oGcppixzJVfmR_SLysgYHeDK-_fyVgLfrIr2b-8O-WSztV5_7VAyNBoG5H2Jl4Bv-XX508NVE7onus4CQRt8wkwfLiZSSQMGvuhvOoK4kIZyQZLLamVFSD6pXuIB4iLxPc_MsasXZGhTUQ1Jd1FWqfLz6VRU-ZqKYlf0et8RGUgY2fzc/s474/a962a144b9b5041a56d3c8d82ae42f5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="474" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ih6gTy1J177oGcppixzJVfmR_SLysgYHeDK-_fyVgLfrIr2b-8O-WSztV5_7VAyNBoG5H2Jl4Bv-XX508NVE7onus4CQRt8wkwfLiZSSQMGvuhvOoK4kIZyQZLLamVFSD6pXuIB4iLxPc_MsasXZGhTUQ1Jd1FWqfLz6VRU-ZqKYlf0et8RGUgY2fzc/w400-h386/a962a144b9b5041a56d3c8d82ae42f5a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r1-WF4J9ypc3ZaXZKmyKD9p6zaAVF8vLStYs5vcJ0MinFrm7O-e8vQtoLJ5rAz7bUpC0GwiZ11NmhNrpyGcRPqD_DPNdbm8g4YRik5vah3R0XgNliRvAhPRM2MSix6Ka61MpWPoG4VUp2AtyU3p4tLjMY_mG-c2mT2fb7zgKK8J5ez2rHvXIPXf296Q/s474/ae2e857a22e509b9d5278c437d4f3363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="474" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r1-WF4J9ypc3ZaXZKmyKD9p6zaAVF8vLStYs5vcJ0MinFrm7O-e8vQtoLJ5rAz7bUpC0GwiZ11NmhNrpyGcRPqD_DPNdbm8g4YRik5vah3R0XgNliRvAhPRM2MSix6Ka61MpWPoG4VUp2AtyU3p4tLjMY_mG-c2mT2fb7zgKK8J5ez2rHvXIPXf296Q/w400-h365/ae2e857a22e509b9d5278c437d4f3363.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">100% Levi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYBqb1p8Pdplbt_UKNHxIOQhUOAtNeINyewJAoJCJglhllqtAmKV6QAi-IWg9UJS2WMgb-DPW6q1Bm5MOBHrQmY-VCYeWkvlbCL74L1F35A1tz7NUvhxuTl_SVqqOnXVX9U87hhyphenhypheng5K3sZVf4qaN228fU4HgMcdHN62P8ewBF9I0CHI7u2qqr9b9Z6_Q/s474/d4d67526db41661d6af6a84b437facef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="474" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYBqb1p8Pdplbt_UKNHxIOQhUOAtNeINyewJAoJCJglhllqtAmKV6QAi-IWg9UJS2WMgb-DPW6q1Bm5MOBHrQmY-VCYeWkvlbCL74L1F35A1tz7NUvhxuTl_SVqqOnXVX9U87hhyphenhypheng5K3sZVf4qaN228fU4HgMcdHN62P8ewBF9I0CHI7u2qqr9b9Z6_Q/w400-h199/d4d67526db41661d6af6a84b437facef.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it magic? 🤷</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3QIIbgMIqoxMw-J4-xqXJMlCdXBRKqSOsQEbzEM57MXM3MFXtUuPcDd-bBSydYQcZbtFnMkFmpBeRpFkpwyDguHFUn_X8jtq8k2lMGGryEjrpomOWrEqphdTbu6j-lqqzUmxG_PUAkKsIAXEZnOP2L-tnI3RKhOmnJZjbS0aFG_nG18E-CAGW3DeACc/s474/faf646252a7a4167e10ce58ca0797b86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3QIIbgMIqoxMw-J4-xqXJMlCdXBRKqSOsQEbzEM57MXM3MFXtUuPcDd-bBSydYQcZbtFnMkFmpBeRpFkpwyDguHFUn_X8jtq8k2lMGGryEjrpomOWrEqphdTbu6j-lqqzUmxG_PUAkKsIAXEZnOP2L-tnI3RKhOmnJZjbS0aFG_nG18E-CAGW3DeACc/w400-h400/faf646252a7a4167e10ce58ca0797b86.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-33848241098795006662023-10-14T22:21:00.000-04:002023-10-14T22:21:37.579-04:00The Saturday 7<p>Birthday Week!</p><p>1. My birthday was on Tuesday, and I celebrated with my favorite thing: food. I actually reeled myself in a little this year because we're broke and can't afford to go out for every meal all week. But we did get Arby's for lunch on Sunday.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsE8RStznAq2ZSmgNlP09v4W-xHk249EDEKeI5ELJlnmMtNOELVlTSIbxq4d3Y3Mec8nPukxpAU-7EKx5zcygnUM4Md7W_QVYYRhCpJmhEjuDpwLs64SUS5OWbEJL_44bMB3d-01JUnBK7UPqxiC3sC-WIhF3TO4j_4JndTRng2poySUEv28uZEu0zr-c/s857/Snapchat-1525856753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsE8RStznAq2ZSmgNlP09v4W-xHk249EDEKeI5ELJlnmMtNOELVlTSIbxq4d3Y3Mec8nPukxpAU-7EKx5zcygnUM4Md7W_QVYYRhCpJmhEjuDpwLs64SUS5OWbEJL_44bMB3d-01JUnBK7UPqxiC3sC-WIhF3TO4j_4JndTRng2poySUEv28uZEu0zr-c/w225-h400/Snapchat-1525856753.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div><br /></div>On my actual birthday, I had to work at Once Upon. But I got Biggby on the way in, then I had Qdoba delivered to me at work. That night Justin took me to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. The way to my heart is truly through my stomach. And my stomach was surprisingly accepting of all that food! There is no rhyme or reason to my stomach madness.<div><br /></div><div>2. Lena made me this adorable card all on her own:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcwa6t2fDbkH9L0MwTq0feja37euEVQkM4fk2Re4w460wJs1Q5oBJgroPWfwGcvCEuts7cv37SRQpWMK_O1wAL4kthOPwu7JHNIcNRpowhnMBt7CelYhA3uqwvpfjOe6V_tLhJJ_KzBVjgMzY639SqfjdihfYlMOp8HCpRC9D7tOlJlLnjH8n2ZzDdgM/s857/PXL_20231011_193919634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcwa6t2fDbkH9L0MwTq0feja37euEVQkM4fk2Re4w460wJs1Q5oBJgroPWfwGcvCEuts7cv37SRQpWMK_O1wAL4kthOPwu7JHNIcNRpowhnMBt7CelYhA3uqwvpfjOe6V_tLhJJ_KzBVjgMzY639SqfjdihfYlMOp8HCpRC9D7tOlJlLnjH8n2ZzDdgM/w300-h400/PXL_20231011_193919634.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF6a2nb6SZjIX-y-qYa97-a8isuZdrL2zvPOWpSYY5jJHBD_3L7QOB6spc5I6nO9iFNXeFBTlo-Pr1MbzVXS_SFB8iYxZyNWJrzJoYF_e9jS2RkVzGXtus1VPsvy4ugQX0WVSp4eBn_1zYP8cILK-hjpImBYVurV9Xgii-YzLaIFNldwdeWmb4ClDi9E/s857/PXL_20231011_193926422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF6a2nb6SZjIX-y-qYa97-a8isuZdrL2zvPOWpSYY5jJHBD_3L7QOB6spc5I6nO9iFNXeFBTlo-Pr1MbzVXS_SFB8iYxZyNWJrzJoYF_e9jS2RkVzGXtus1VPsvy4ugQX0WVSp4eBn_1zYP8cILK-hjpImBYVurV9Xgii-YzLaIFNldwdeWmb4ClDi9E/w300-h400/PXL_20231011_193926422.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>It was a good day. Bring on 38. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. I finished a good book this week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMKZr70wBjeMiNAQOcf1tYkR7MjWqQaIDT7dGt9Ou59JNhaBhYtj2KIWg73DfygbOw9cd00D48wyARDcZBNJ78oA2xSEjYLf9hfIi79gRwL-GprtBx_sQ_2R8IW88SBheDfmdt2QRNlgNpm8bHoPCxZeHCJChv7puoXKjwoofVV7xa7Fo7bYg_PFEZ-c/s500/57626871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMKZr70wBjeMiNAQOcf1tYkR7MjWqQaIDT7dGt9Ou59JNhaBhYtj2KIWg73DfygbOw9cd00D48wyARDcZBNJ78oA2xSEjYLf9hfIi79gRwL-GprtBx_sQ_2R8IW88SBheDfmdt2QRNlgNpm8bHoPCxZeHCJChv7puoXKjwoofVV7xa7Fo7bYg_PFEZ-c/w260-h400/57626871.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div>I'm really starting to like Dane Ortlund. I read another book by him earlier this year (<i>Gentle and Lowly</i>), and this one kind of builds on that. His premise is that real change and growth in the Christian life doesn't come by "trying harder" or "building better habits" or any of those buzz words we've grown up with. Instead <span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;">"the Spirit changes us by making Christ wonderful to us" (167). That's still hard for me because I struggle to understand the balance of responsibility between the Spirit and me, but he said that it's something we should pray for. Ask the Holy Spirit to make Christ wonderful to us. It reminds me of a prayer that Paul prayed for his disciples and I try to pray for my kids.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;"> He prays that they "may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:18-19) It wasn't necessarily an easy read, but it was good. I recommend it!</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;">4. On Friday, Lena and I both had doctor appointments. Lena's was easy peasy. She's pretty much perfect, except for a tiny bit of scoliosis that we have to watch - but I had the exact same thing at her age and it never got worse. My appointment was a bit longer, though. When I went in for my stomach problems this summer, I just saw the PA, so I haven't talked to my actual doctor about all my issues. The medicine the PA prescribed me did not help, so I stopped taking it. I've been feeling better, but still not perfect. My stomach low-grade hurts most of the time. And earlier this week I was thinking I was looking a little thinner than usual, so I stepped on the scale for the first time in a long time . . . and realized that I have lost 15 pounds since I went to urgent care for strep in April. 😬 While I'd love to celebrate that spontaneous weight loss, my dietician sister has made it abundantly clear to me that unintended weight loss is never a good sign. I mean, I <i>have</i> been eating less since my stomach hurts all the time. And I've been on my feet more than usual since working at Once Upon. But I'm not sure that adds up to 15 pounds worth of weight loss. So my doctor is sending me in for a colonoscopy/endoscopy. Yay. 🤦 I'm trying not to assume that means I have colon cancer, but my anxiety meds are working overtime to keep me from spiraling. </span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;">5. Speaking of anxiety meds, though . . . My doctor also said something very interesting. Apparently IBS can be caused by a serotonin deficiency. You know what else is caused by a serotonin deficiency? Depression. And you know what treats both of those things? Zoloft - the drug I weaned myself off of over the past year! The timing coincides perfectly with my stomach issues. And even my feeling better the past few weeks may be because I upped my dose again! So, I'm much more inclined to think that's the issue instead of colon cancer. But the weight loss is still a little concerning. Also, we have Medicaid, but we're getting dangerously close to making too much money to keep it, so I'm going to go through with all the free testing I can now! I'm sure I'll keep you posted. 😁</span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;">6. In less depressing news, my sisters and I hosted a baby shower for my niece Madi today. She's adding a baby girl to the cousin crew in December, and we had so much fun celebrating! We're shower pros, and it's getting difficult to come up with fresh themes and games, but I think we pulled it off. My nephew's name is Tayton, but we've called him Tater since he was just a little tot (see what I did there?), so we went with a "growing/garden" theme. Look how cute it turned out:</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWE-Kzm5aoMK0IuK7nPhKTh6gtAhoM2rNyL4mn0LZsqoU0dTEbX3WDN7MlJp4o-fE1NMHrjhxDiPQT-YjNTqHpzDN2oUtBUhVfmgfMPs868sdB1HUyRcLO83nHQcciVdXz_k8NK1bHFCkpumZH3A94s_tcSSP5wi5B9sms8EDVtovYUm0HfX3dohrjx4/s857/PXL_20231014_145717562.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWE-Kzm5aoMK0IuK7nPhKTh6gtAhoM2rNyL4mn0LZsqoU0dTEbX3WDN7MlJp4o-fE1NMHrjhxDiPQT-YjNTqHpzDN2oUtBUhVfmgfMPs868sdB1HUyRcLO83nHQcciVdXz_k8NK1bHFCkpumZH3A94s_tcSSP5wi5B9sms8EDVtovYUm0HfX3dohrjx4/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_145717562.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggXrABGS-xyVT3Htw5TbqCFKGVWHvFMyLO8jlJNbo8F_2sxPFRtgYLAC0CoGXN1cPIEAl8pHtdKzTuw87he7CMk9v58PIpglk5CoMKGjQfj81OZFv_SNIVetgU4uJtM81nqH3KoOFQSuCGPZqT_IhA7MNcwQ_eYKGdBhSooh7izyz5LYb0AWzXR2fZb4/s1142/PXL_20231014_151124291.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggXrABGS-xyVT3Htw5TbqCFKGVWHvFMyLO8jlJNbo8F_2sxPFRtgYLAC0CoGXN1cPIEAl8pHtdKzTuw87he7CMk9v58PIpglk5CoMKGjQfj81OZFv_SNIVetgU4uJtM81nqH3KoOFQSuCGPZqT_IhA7MNcwQ_eYKGdBhSooh7izyz5LYb0AWzXR2fZb4/w640-h480/PXL_20231014_151124291.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMehUzDBST3cecWqvHtvh53bGAvmAx7xnmjpXFR0LkC87nNOORN_im33if5raPZsAvQo51nRArXNNVMhnzCNkLRF8aZ8W3Kw5juoLW4aIs-xgcfb7p15wAxVIAaWDdzDkYumpvmoE7abtuJW5wtFHuaObyx49UOvqH3jIfowdKR5mC-oCXt41HjMWA4XQ/s857/PXL_20231014_145552866.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMehUzDBST3cecWqvHtvh53bGAvmAx7xnmjpXFR0LkC87nNOORN_im33if5raPZsAvQo51nRArXNNVMhnzCNkLRF8aZ8W3Kw5juoLW4aIs-xgcfb7p15wAxVIAaWDdzDkYumpvmoE7abtuJW5wtFHuaObyx49UOvqH3jIfowdKR5mC-oCXt41HjMWA4XQ/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_145552866.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a bunch of these with Canva. There are a lot of verses that refer to "growing!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUareHeBQe88DEgJrTAN0xu4lBUSmF3kb7vSj9vx85pyU5t6wQ3PpoRbJ-6OH352bdFraBCwCLXIqcATdxxRk7rsRx8UhvuR2v_RmMLs3VWr0PBv9gy1jUPpkmXTqvE0pwoP14rZZaFyj08Ai7XHbVWmcnURepZ0TLNrmhYaQBLjkZG-eFt4do68pKCPA/s857/PXL_20231014_145546969.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUareHeBQe88DEgJrTAN0xu4lBUSmF3kb7vSj9vx85pyU5t6wQ3PpoRbJ-6OH352bdFraBCwCLXIqcATdxxRk7rsRx8UhvuR2v_RmMLs3VWr0PBv9gy1jUPpkmXTqvE0pwoP14rZZaFyj08Ai7XHbVWmcnURepZ0TLNrmhYaQBLjkZG-eFt4do68pKCPA/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_145546969.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't resist the little Baby Potato Heads 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntZJEwxFypJxHm7zn0PVArGfX1fOrmxsf1P-QBf6VjbArFiSuebSH_eYRLhCC6DVaarqi33T3T5LZJwsCvC2NuipK_LX4SMbrTDWm-F6dTDz4FLXMIPmtOfACn_vvOulP8diAWdGDZCPlcPy857xxfCVcbsZHpxioomrcaOJOjC1gnDZcjgumlgH_N84/s857/PXL_20231014_145539785.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntZJEwxFypJxHm7zn0PVArGfX1fOrmxsf1P-QBf6VjbArFiSuebSH_eYRLhCC6DVaarqi33T3T5LZJwsCvC2NuipK_LX4SMbrTDWm-F6dTDz4FLXMIPmtOfACn_vvOulP8diAWdGDZCPlcPy857xxfCVcbsZHpxioomrcaOJOjC1gnDZcjgumlgH_N84/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_145539785.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUcM99B74kZi9Z_h12omkX0BnstkadKRji8aL0xsusVNy5x2GYPRKhMK6uh-Me-Q81ypTBWEPRD6DAGmYPgNWRfcG0s5K-FbwxeN-BC9gDy8in1A-nL0XajkaLUiDWSd_f2r-nHhyphenhyphena0eJJPXe9v90fXL-Imc-tAJ1eUFTW-8mdlgLekPJ8_dhweOBOZ8/s2048/391751224_3577782112483649_6746794961319246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUcM99B74kZi9Z_h12omkX0BnstkadKRji8aL0xsusVNy5x2GYPRKhMK6uh-Me-Q81ypTBWEPRD6DAGmYPgNWRfcG0s5K-FbwxeN-BC9gDy8in1A-nL0XajkaLUiDWSd_f2r-nHhyphenhyphena0eJJPXe9v90fXL-Imc-tAJ1eUFTW-8mdlgLekPJ8_dhweOBOZ8/w640-h480/391751224_3577782112483649_6746794961319246_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFapcIGSGsFfVmhMMvuPgQXXyC5JyVOYzxaBAO4gYvsYsktlDaUribAxalragnXIXpm0TbVGw5E_6cYUP8zEBBk9YixGb7k7fe-XnErTUuMJqZmyiFo1jbI3Y6XOmnoRInhP7wMbr83Ad8opHuD9bgKyfW5oVRJYbjUhGS9jHiX7Vh40EukeV4s2M2M0/s1142/PXL_20231014_145621162.PORTRAIT%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFapcIGSGsFfVmhMMvuPgQXXyC5JyVOYzxaBAO4gYvsYsktlDaUribAxalragnXIXpm0TbVGw5E_6cYUP8zEBBk9YixGb7k7fe-XnErTUuMJqZmyiFo1jbI3Y6XOmnoRInhP7wMbr83Ad8opHuD9bgKyfW5oVRJYbjUhGS9jHiX7Vh40EukeV4s2M2M0/w640-h480/PXL_20231014_145621162.PORTRAIT%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther made this adorable vegetable garden!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGkeKmiytx_0CDk865HAvNFzpUoqbG0yIAER6dTtQhlzNKzpM57wqffb-SJCYAK2iuiI7O_R3G9NTt3ohnyh1zNpjhbKV3woRj51IvKF4JRcIW4BnuLnh9lYd2SrT9cc2W6x7s9TBUWxVQ4QE_qt1Mb-8eOEmbhv-0jnDNSnKzTCWKyih1cPSv9KbCTI/s857/PXL_20231014_145600058.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGkeKmiytx_0CDk865HAvNFzpUoqbG0yIAER6dTtQhlzNKzpM57wqffb-SJCYAK2iuiI7O_R3G9NTt3ohnyh1zNpjhbKV3woRj51IvKF4JRcIW4BnuLnh9lYd2SrT9cc2W6x7s9TBUWxVQ4QE_qt1Mb-8eOEmbhv-0jnDNSnKzTCWKyih1cPSv9KbCTI/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_145600058.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niki's charcuterie game is <i>strong</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAByB4SuaDe6JKHs_jaKKOuS6q9OxKnXrnrC3FRXUFijzZQw7RVj52hVnY4Fc8UNja6EI4x1iejl6vjYhCo-icuUMS8bAjjF-y4HiY68c3E_69nioGLLFDPYREmj_3xrTSXJrzlyCASov9aM4Ok67KYjai3WlRC95uZUyDkdHhXANWvkA-9na1ewqxAXc/s2048/391691785_3577782229150304_687536948226251591_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAByB4SuaDe6JKHs_jaKKOuS6q9OxKnXrnrC3FRXUFijzZQw7RVj52hVnY4Fc8UNja6EI4x1iejl6vjYhCo-icuUMS8bAjjF-y4HiY68c3E_69nioGLLFDPYREmj_3xrTSXJrzlyCASov9aM4Ok67KYjai3WlRC95uZUyDkdHhXANWvkA-9na1ewqxAXc/w640-h480/391691785_3577782229150304_687536948226251591_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVpkN-jXSF0VHUE5NTmOKECq9D51qs2aMcquHo6fDrOpOEoDnr2BSxbbmFHwB1eUept4Uz9bfLBsWkhBO9CaKx5lhMK9EjMeVIcp4cLNjEkNc7Yp1Cx3HKBNnJ4ZCtHZN4MluCtpCDYPspEejTbdoPclVFB3xgULzeIeXncx_y6AAqVG0IY8JAE4qpQM/s857/PXL_20231014_143634358.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVpkN-jXSF0VHUE5NTmOKECq9D51qs2aMcquHo6fDrOpOEoDnr2BSxbbmFHwB1eUept4Uz9bfLBsWkhBO9CaKx5lhMK9EjMeVIcp4cLNjEkNc7Yp1Cx3HKBNnJ4ZCtHZN4MluCtpCDYPspEejTbdoPclVFB3xgULzeIeXncx_y6AAqVG0IY8JAE4qpQM/w480-h640/PXL_20231014_143634358.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we looked up inspiration pictures on Pinterest, we saw this exact watering can with a bouquet in it. I knew my dad owned that watering can and grew flowers, so I asked him to contribute this feature, and he came through!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-25jU38H883fSGCh1kWLISzehkOrINh4X18LYvgdfu13UtjQRctyU7RLSfcaGOaU12KDy1XgCQr2FadzIeGTqJrfLjxwppqajFB8zWGnnlDlIw5iWI4AWzZ7toh21lHflrv9dWJgQuSL9-7qaxjP3cDQvd8v5i-WZ9d8QdaPan4JXCC9FNrFoN47btM/s2048/391727217_3577782035816990_246270285835695852_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-25jU38H883fSGCh1kWLISzehkOrINh4X18LYvgdfu13UtjQRctyU7RLSfcaGOaU12KDy1XgCQr2FadzIeGTqJrfLjxwppqajFB8zWGnnlDlIw5iWI4AWzZ7toh21lHflrv9dWJgQuSL9-7qaxjP3cDQvd8v5i-WZ9d8QdaPan4JXCC9FNrFoN47btM/w480-h640/391727217_3577782035816990_246270285835695852_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9-MH9_Xn1KHTDnqusZpgnP4dJ0JLE3kq4wKkQZuadq2Ers-BqtB2nEKPQM9n_PtkfIHegk8SLA_Sy8c1NbHfYcarsFp5fHjk2hJyCs_QLWZiGcf__JIEP-eOmUgfq32AaBDvRSPpKPClDg5id_wgfuffjPd8gfJOSapbmA6IzMj8tELQhW03asI8VdY/s857/received_272727775116957.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9-MH9_Xn1KHTDnqusZpgnP4dJ0JLE3kq4wKkQZuadq2Ers-BqtB2nEKPQM9n_PtkfIHegk8SLA_Sy8c1NbHfYcarsFp5fHjk2hJyCs_QLWZiGcf__JIEP-eOmUgfq32AaBDvRSPpKPClDg5id_wgfuffjPd8gfJOSapbmA6IzMj8tELQhW03asI8VdY/w480-h640/received_272727775116957.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">💓</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>7. A few more pics and memes:<div><br /></div><div>I wasn't the only one who celebrated a birthday this week. These two each had their first birthday on Friday:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPd0dzGJ0Md0Z8PFUX0vKzQKuU9XHhcGB3142jhna7Dc8l5n8x0aaNGYJiyUT4SbJNumLbe5u4fFbsfRLRQefXTPaauXG9OLFUSyAukkpKzcIPAFumIGSqq31puD4YauVUW5VO2AhU6s6ln76iB91In3teqEJQJxQrCuaicCojcsnZChrY8xpJR4HYa0/s857/PXL_20231013_143708067.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPd0dzGJ0Md0Z8PFUX0vKzQKuU9XHhcGB3142jhna7Dc8l5n8x0aaNGYJiyUT4SbJNumLbe5u4fFbsfRLRQefXTPaauXG9OLFUSyAukkpKzcIPAFumIGSqq31puD4YauVUW5VO2AhU6s6ln76iB91In3teqEJQJxQrCuaicCojcsnZChrY8xpJR4HYa0/w480-h640/PXL_20231013_143708067.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cove with his birthday donut</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0iYlI8_JJowyFeQ6FvgA8kKfz1A2Q0w8Y-v4T9IY5hGH5UK3Vtv2YzA1xgufIi5KMi6SXiHyz3kuELvoz61qJubW4RN-sxeIA6Dr5JJ0sENzRgO14BXzEDhsm-3aWRKCfhpKoJIgwTO3KiERMFPviXd9xy8iHk4ivwGZ90Liw7PSmsPCpojSVw9SEZM/s857/PXL_20231013_210313484.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0iYlI8_JJowyFeQ6FvgA8kKfz1A2Q0w8Y-v4T9IY5hGH5UK3Vtv2YzA1xgufIi5KMi6SXiHyz3kuELvoz61qJubW4RN-sxeIA6Dr5JJ0sENzRgO14BXzEDhsm-3aWRKCfhpKoJIgwTO3KiERMFPviXd9xy8iHk4ivwGZ90Liw7PSmsPCpojSVw9SEZM/w300-h400/PXL_20231013_210313484.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella with her birthday tuna! 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And now a whooooole bunch of memes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2vP4cTf1D3DOnfXUkzrJ-VtFs4Kjd8OzYm-o33bmqTxIsq8nCCIuTflfjir3a06NaLg1h_3U7us3jq1RLPSNrrbHk_d9Eezvkd0N6UzyDCvrKjFBgdZ-PSCks_TMi1177OVwGkAfwNMeep_ugKgHog0Z2Ym9Qbb8Xcr93SQGViGFgpeDk9XMspgZolw/s564/0cb01b31856a29b2a1a503cc337b38e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="564" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2vP4cTf1D3DOnfXUkzrJ-VtFs4Kjd8OzYm-o33bmqTxIsq8nCCIuTflfjir3a06NaLg1h_3U7us3jq1RLPSNrrbHk_d9Eezvkd0N6UzyDCvrKjFBgdZ-PSCks_TMi1177OVwGkAfwNMeep_ugKgHog0Z2Ym9Qbb8Xcr93SQGViGFgpeDk9XMspgZolw/w400-h361/0cb01b31856a29b2a1a503cc337b38e7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFV4xuOhND0bRbCTRAtgcJUGuoCf45D7kC0hInaFuH8MNov7h2q39-Y1BaEPKE9FCfg37xBM0UoD6dLJDll_KDcB3Goygc9Yf2xNMB-6RBZKPZR4TfPk2w8M1yYaJaYRg-S7cF1zyROT1r_DYPDec1W9W2x-4-Eo8GRkf7vmWvd5CgdNEntFLtkrJGcg/s563/44ac14df2a1ec618f18c633a29e4bac6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="563" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFV4xuOhND0bRbCTRAtgcJUGuoCf45D7kC0hInaFuH8MNov7h2q39-Y1BaEPKE9FCfg37xBM0UoD6dLJDll_KDcB3Goygc9Yf2xNMB-6RBZKPZR4TfPk2w8M1yYaJaYRg-S7cF1zyROT1r_DYPDec1W9W2x-4-Eo8GRkf7vmWvd5CgdNEntFLtkrJGcg/w400-h315/44ac14df2a1ec618f18c633a29e4bac6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD33Uwv9OpsYWy598tskI9VYqPn3dUu6aAWTTNnoIkNC5nCbFA4EfzLZU-vqEtS2pSJ3S9R3lcYx_1_HDDmc6KMKnvXVLRKgu-GxVYZdcvC0-ZBZTybh4e0-SHVviyCLs5_sC0Ao6G3Jjpt2okusz9pgUSP35AQ4VhmQriDCfKxT23SnzA1SuC0UeZumg/s643/76faeda4a279813f833d68052edb2c29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD33Uwv9OpsYWy598tskI9VYqPn3dUu6aAWTTNnoIkNC5nCbFA4EfzLZU-vqEtS2pSJ3S9R3lcYx_1_HDDmc6KMKnvXVLRKgu-GxVYZdcvC0-ZBZTybh4e0-SHVviyCLs5_sC0Ao6G3Jjpt2okusz9pgUSP35AQ4VhmQriDCfKxT23SnzA1SuC0UeZumg/w350-h400/76faeda4a279813f833d68052edb2c29.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLaN8tUYxUDoQBwcmop9Wnp7ORJimgeXlq_uySA70oURCvNIDrN8pPza5lK4WwCczXu6FnRXMxEPo7FtOszHiPLOponvi9hVqsHCamWjdISvSgfmer8b8caEE7rc8HvNz0oSbMNU4-ZLUuUJY_e7hjjkAdiIK5RyhqeenDhdn072caVzjr0QFq-NClTw/s687/79c157110ffca5b946bc432c80384edd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLaN8tUYxUDoQBwcmop9Wnp7ORJimgeXlq_uySA70oURCvNIDrN8pPza5lK4WwCczXu6FnRXMxEPo7FtOszHiPLOponvi9hVqsHCamWjdISvSgfmer8b8caEE7rc8HvNz0oSbMNU4-ZLUuUJY_e7hjjkAdiIK5RyhqeenDhdn072caVzjr0QFq-NClTw/w329-h400/79c157110ffca5b946bc432c80384edd.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxMBrfgQ8USg2UvnrC39jVbfDXR9eDarpUK037l5-21sB1joS-C4wZyQ7nUr148fbraIbPySTeWyYWWvlwpdK5QfJpwnblWtIDX2op6NfNxXdMgUmTWnxG4FVT_KPIbiDf3uf8lvdmJ6vaHmjY_pLQtg_JMRLn6IGewpqq5msNumpKAMprZ47FuEz84g/s758/8958efc5cc937d54901669cc6c50aa3e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxMBrfgQ8USg2UvnrC39jVbfDXR9eDarpUK037l5-21sB1joS-C4wZyQ7nUr148fbraIbPySTeWyYWWvlwpdK5QfJpwnblWtIDX2op6NfNxXdMgUmTWnxG4FVT_KPIbiDf3uf8lvdmJ6vaHmjY_pLQtg_JMRLn6IGewpqq5msNumpKAMprZ47FuEz84g/w298-h400/8958efc5cc937d54901669cc6c50aa3e.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdxu44eNSLwdApTuEmDm4Y3UOwhYQqPqeAY7phegXysKTXWAFVy7WxkZlhL3GDnEpRRvPE6DMf-5mqT-d96q9dh0bVaRLA8xfqRlHQy3l1U3MAvUwsJ2JonM8wmsKLmAAGjZNqzf33lsl6B3J3RlEjEwZhUkSVYxyP5KeBq784iLznt17am0kacmonCs/s564/69060fac84daa7bdc24f73e0b68f0708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="564" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdxu44eNSLwdApTuEmDm4Y3UOwhYQqPqeAY7phegXysKTXWAFVy7WxkZlhL3GDnEpRRvPE6DMf-5mqT-d96q9dh0bVaRLA8xfqRlHQy3l1U3MAvUwsJ2JonM8wmsKLmAAGjZNqzf33lsl6B3J3RlEjEwZhUkSVYxyP5KeBq784iLznt17am0kacmonCs/w400-h274/69060fac84daa7bdc24f73e0b68f0708.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8glxhBirtHOdRmzeJMOz4mgyU0-LYURx13qWibm-C9ojOrJJi0ZuRviXdXIrTIETyPoKhmKei-kytYVulPrUeP8oUpjh4JhTf7NbS6Db4KK4yhwHFXULUBjP7jNY3MBFs_-pQ3MsjYot9XG4PweiamZ5qpGLxSGWuXoK_tt-2KGUJgqvMu74Sn6SUDhc/s563/907515fa8676695625a1db4896a00518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="563" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8glxhBirtHOdRmzeJMOz4mgyU0-LYURx13qWibm-C9ojOrJJi0ZuRviXdXIrTIETyPoKhmKei-kytYVulPrUeP8oUpjh4JhTf7NbS6Db4KK4yhwHFXULUBjP7jNY3MBFs_-pQ3MsjYot9XG4PweiamZ5qpGLxSGWuXoK_tt-2KGUJgqvMu74Sn6SUDhc/w400-h354/907515fa8676695625a1db4896a00518.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5up2jKZ5x2WjO15W6Ekj1PGSdLr0DWJhznXnfNXApGMOZ_h_gguD_aVnBl6Osuqgsdc9VScqMpOMOGyfiXlq8qJ9YUKchrM28OhmZyhWCxRN9tzYeimidajEbClEVBOkje7VDBFfUaIf_XqIusirSUtFXrFdrED2yZi4MR4poHB8vvJywGrXcC1CkTvc/s564/80251566a176e39c979ed90ab3c3bf05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="564" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5up2jKZ5x2WjO15W6Ekj1PGSdLr0DWJhznXnfNXApGMOZ_h_gguD_aVnBl6Osuqgsdc9VScqMpOMOGyfiXlq8qJ9YUKchrM28OhmZyhWCxRN9tzYeimidajEbClEVBOkje7VDBFfUaIf_XqIusirSUtFXrFdrED2yZi4MR4poHB8vvJywGrXcC1CkTvc/w400-h329/80251566a176e39c979ed90ab3c3bf05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_B5jUs6dY3RFnNt_Cd66wsL7IhJrOVVL-ex1Yi-F15y2xnaUkJTaBqb5iiBPSEn6Uxz2URcNhI1396sHCZieOqfMqm9ldxXx5aIYLYVJWXBbAvC-sSgvIzI35C9F92ZXtr3LyZ601E-GxKyqbLB3Z43v9RZRYDo5wv0f6CmV4XkYpXF10D_6mDFBxZ4/s960/384995669_707314028090768_4774742990379295907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_B5jUs6dY3RFnNt_Cd66wsL7IhJrOVVL-ex1Yi-F15y2xnaUkJTaBqb5iiBPSEn6Uxz2URcNhI1396sHCZieOqfMqm9ldxXx5aIYLYVJWXBbAvC-sSgvIzI35C9F92ZXtr3LyZ601E-GxKyqbLB3Z43v9RZRYDo5wv0f6CmV4XkYpXF10D_6mDFBxZ4/w320-h400/384995669_707314028090768_4774742990379295907_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, though . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5j93TYG3ZO1khj2TcczkCZKw_uzxpVUDa6ao0T43KD6GkDN_ehyphenhyphenzV5ofXrAK-fjWkYTUz7t0T-T8dS6LiRBVBGjxZaDu3x1_4vqdHNZYKPJv4t7OIaTJQoQkcyQK8xc5_xCI9Y4kG8PYGnBD5OG3LBFJKlhFq_Lj7n6R4n7uxioSCeJ9nHBEqwrvXNw/s843/387839517_721549240016754_1553251674644094215_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="843" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5j93TYG3ZO1khj2TcczkCZKw_uzxpVUDa6ao0T43KD6GkDN_ehyphenhyphenzV5ofXrAK-fjWkYTUz7t0T-T8dS6LiRBVBGjxZaDu3x1_4vqdHNZYKPJv4t7OIaTJQoQkcyQK8xc5_xCI9Y4kG8PYGnBD5OG3LBFJKlhFq_Lj7n6R4n7uxioSCeJ9nHBEqwrvXNw/w400-h396/387839517_721549240016754_1553251674644094215_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Calvinist jokes always get me 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH72CXvuI06uzMKZAR4rF2Ed-N3f9sbXSGI09pb4ggXM7yJkhCpJehB03gOfNvkQRY-EMQRrwL7P7EFQtpKq7aGiqY3lNYKEK5WO5p4UCVUPJPiTq7SxgJ1ilKsrxfqMWBhFhfopFXb2t8X2qXkASjLLknYxuhPzH6mzaWIfPnfxpkpqN5aoIKi82b9Vk/s959/391731470_10226850845670623_7237862350273708900_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="959" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH72CXvuI06uzMKZAR4rF2Ed-N3f9sbXSGI09pb4ggXM7yJkhCpJehB03gOfNvkQRY-EMQRrwL7P7EFQtpKq7aGiqY3lNYKEK5WO5p4UCVUPJPiTq7SxgJ1ilKsrxfqMWBhFhfopFXb2t8X2qXkASjLLknYxuhPzH6mzaWIfPnfxpkpqN5aoIKi82b9Vk/w400-h295/391731470_10226850845670623_7237862350273708900_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOO4it4ErJCisO32gEoAxz8ve_LcOR8n9O4m2bopE9XPmnr30s-GQMzA9PQezgCAkwIZVEawpTn3wdVUnBwgYlkMVumCkSajVwg36o_Y8k8J8mByuuHz_RKHxIbW-69tZ9TTlR7COKczBItjJWUKHpmnQDta19hW1CXTmFLkpJ7fAKaoTVK19d3hh5ZU/s564/b44a482400bb84b4f5bb7c1544e68231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="564" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOO4it4ErJCisO32gEoAxz8ve_LcOR8n9O4m2bopE9XPmnr30s-GQMzA9PQezgCAkwIZVEawpTn3wdVUnBwgYlkMVumCkSajVwg36o_Y8k8J8mByuuHz_RKHxIbW-69tZ9TTlR7COKczBItjJWUKHpmnQDta19hW1CXTmFLkpJ7fAKaoTVK19d3hh5ZU/w400-h341/b44a482400bb84b4f5bb7c1544e68231.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYoibAggC9dz8-nvPTH9pogb5y_rp1i_gyP9wIPTBejPy7A2ZkyoProhhGWULoO-WwZDBmfK235iCHrs-HuYmzEd7XhwsB2aIa4p7QmftP2hlfqQEOeYVUrSReEhUBxRXjW_LpJQ6pYsUK1pFRNl_5aHws0QKrgyKH6PwtSriSYpcFi9PIMqvjDANwCo/s563/bf8a13c5f5882faef6216cf9e30d8372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="563" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYoibAggC9dz8-nvPTH9pogb5y_rp1i_gyP9wIPTBejPy7A2ZkyoProhhGWULoO-WwZDBmfK235iCHrs-HuYmzEd7XhwsB2aIa4p7QmftP2hlfqQEOeYVUrSReEhUBxRXjW_LpJQ6pYsUK1pFRNl_5aHws0QKrgyKH6PwtSriSYpcFi9PIMqvjDANwCo/w400-h248/bf8a13c5f5882faef6216cf9e30d8372.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8GjcIyj2Ja4vUNRRznZSU73yD02iVOOedT64Oq4PwR1hmKdNvpgMvc7Kk1oVRPtyD3XClGSjHhs-7YDl6YCoIZt4dke3rPaOaVl1WN0ErPnD27pMryBfxVVOWeS9raBHo3PPJgeKwsRvbB8FivKHZPwj20WbcAuNjrdUuO9l2jdem-0OazJVUCMd-Fo/s564/c4869b073663ab6f82828cfb10c08e9c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8GjcIyj2Ja4vUNRRznZSU73yD02iVOOedT64Oq4PwR1hmKdNvpgMvc7Kk1oVRPtyD3XClGSjHhs-7YDl6YCoIZt4dke3rPaOaVl1WN0ErPnD27pMryBfxVVOWeS9raBHo3PPJgeKwsRvbB8FivKHZPwj20WbcAuNjrdUuO9l2jdem-0OazJVUCMd-Fo/w400-h400/c4869b073663ab6f82828cfb10c08e9c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2raSLZgzCDufIZvFUnoghWKg_6SYTNW9yOCpYz_OZmNeE5QHlUpZxoeK144VL8diXATc1Mqqt7gx4fRn19Zuf79ItPw3QLaY2cwuNifwIHLdkwWLz0Npj36N8Qym84Y1HbeR8qOOXgtmheUcfD2yWtV5oc4K6Tumvd7Lbgq5Cs3ZIsgDXuFrTnjTuuW8/s564/cf10091bb63eae1e8a3d7e5aaccdba82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2raSLZgzCDufIZvFUnoghWKg_6SYTNW9yOCpYz_OZmNeE5QHlUpZxoeK144VL8diXATc1Mqqt7gx4fRn19Zuf79ItPw3QLaY2cwuNifwIHLdkwWLz0Npj36N8Qym84Y1HbeR8qOOXgtmheUcfD2yWtV5oc4K6Tumvd7Lbgq5Cs3ZIsgDXuFrTnjTuuW8/w400-h400/cf10091bb63eae1e8a3d7e5aaccdba82.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8k1Lf3hSPE7LxKak40zw-WIQe831i2XgS4Qzpx5eu5pMM0xCnZ7r-SG066NWUpazXMDme6h_pnRgCw0RJRD0Rm5IL7AM52ZWHgNSgMK4N3qIi9Zso3_efZ5J2x2OgCVQgFgNKMV1nRQXRDZ73Ytad3z8dY_uNSwF2ZXbWOv0iqxzl4NITStjHJccFNY/s564/ec2804c18c599b386c8fa1f33965a798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8k1Lf3hSPE7LxKak40zw-WIQe831i2XgS4Qzpx5eu5pMM0xCnZ7r-SG066NWUpazXMDme6h_pnRgCw0RJRD0Rm5IL7AM52ZWHgNSgMK4N3qIi9Zso3_efZ5J2x2OgCVQgFgNKMV1nRQXRDZ73Ytad3z8dY_uNSwF2ZXbWOv0iqxzl4NITStjHJccFNY/w400-h400/ec2804c18c599b386c8fa1f33965a798.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin is the former, and my brother is the latter. You know it's true.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5P-QLpyum4zIXOIQjBxAnWQVzdu-6HhyphenhyphenYfGVbYqocFbMBM2abpAL-AjRATowUXJPUJL8ClwkqZ6N7gCUUlOpsK8KHfrNUW7HdMQKqlXW5tJcsg5AnW4ngRQGAw2eoeFdGuWZ2Ba5wGxVrs2CP3_8KQeRjmnSjEOLqiYMekFAs-lF34IBtqkRXv8qpWM/s857/Snapchat-1847604797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5P-QLpyum4zIXOIQjBxAnWQVzdu-6HhyphenhyphenYfGVbYqocFbMBM2abpAL-AjRATowUXJPUJL8ClwkqZ6N7gCUUlOpsK8KHfrNUW7HdMQKqlXW5tJcsg5AnW4ngRQGAw2eoeFdGuWZ2Ba5wGxVrs2CP3_8KQeRjmnSjEOLqiYMekFAs-lF34IBtqkRXv8qpWM/w360-h640/Snapchat-1847604797.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted in the wild. That's a bumper sticker I could get behind. </td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-6558178223318700692023-10-07T22:23:00.002-04:002023-10-07T22:23:35.287-04:00<p>1. Well, fall is here I guess. Last Sunday, we were swimming in Niki's pool and cranking up the AC at home. This morning, six days later, I turned the heat on for the first time. Honestly, I'm thankful we made it to October before using the heat. But I'd be ok if we never had to use it again. (#Iliveinthewrongstate) </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4id4_94ZJzvlyLbofczrtsAKy09Kd7GRdsaI8yjkSrNHciCGssmVNZBA5jsc2EcMN2nUBn10XbqEmTPYgMYqqOhv52tUjToRoPQtPCUAeDwf-BveN9XCXsUL3ScBLfed3BusxskTT78PjojzN82S1Ab3m-KGUTd0poDvu76-TyPv1Vx2fLdIaIDsfnqo/s857/PXL_20231001_172841299.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4id4_94ZJzvlyLbofczrtsAKy09Kd7GRdsaI8yjkSrNHciCGssmVNZBA5jsc2EcMN2nUBn10XbqEmTPYgMYqqOhv52tUjToRoPQtPCUAeDwf-BveN9XCXsUL3ScBLfed3BusxskTT78PjojzN82S1Ab3m-KGUTd0poDvu76-TyPv1Vx2fLdIaIDsfnqo/w300-h400/PXL_20231001_172841299.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday: last swim of the year. 80s and sunny.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnODjWUJ4A4FxAEtAVEIIHKRTK-DYmXZcbiVEmiAIT58vC0L-ttKmceNOD2nNM3-lY6lZlmx9Wovhf5n0PyuO3JUgwiRUFU_oN9kOlvN6hX5ph46Do1TKOctoTIfDOTP44dRWqx-0Bxp5jCNwuJzbO36Fn19dnzN9EM8ET1GZwBDdFRtOj9E9pMrXZmJE/s857/PXL_20231006_221923077.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnODjWUJ4A4FxAEtAVEIIHKRTK-DYmXZcbiVEmiAIT58vC0L-ttKmceNOD2nNM3-lY6lZlmx9Wovhf5n0PyuO3JUgwiRUFU_oN9kOlvN6hX5ph46Do1TKOctoTIfDOTP44dRWqx-0Bxp5jCNwuJzbO36Fn19dnzN9EM8ET1GZwBDdFRtOj9E9pMrXZmJE/w300-h400/PXL_20231006_221923077.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yesterday: beef stew and homemade bread for a rainy day in the 50s</td></tr></tbody></table><p>2. If nothing else, the cooler weather makes me excited to start thinking about Christmas! We did our family name draw this week and I bought the first present for one of my kids yesterday. The money situation is looking quite dismal lately, so I need to stretch out the Christmas spending. I'm also probably going to have to start working at Once Upon on Fridays. Life is expensive. I saw a facebook post this week from a national deals website (Hip2Save) that said, "If you had $150 to spend on dinner this week, what would you make?" And sooooo many people responded, "Ramen. Canned soup. Nothing." I get that I live in a low cost of living area, but that seems crazy to me! I try to stay under $150 a week for all groceries - including paper products, health and beauty products, cat food, and all meals/snacks. I don't always achieve that. Honestly, I'd say my monthly groceries fall more around the $1000 range. But even that seems out of control to me. I've considered donating plasma to make extra money, but if my last blood draw is any indication, I don't think I could handle that. #thanksBiden</p><p>3. We had a random day off of school on Thursday. We were already up and getting ready when I got the text that there was no water at school, so it was cancelled for the day! Of course, that's one of my two work days, so I'm out that money. But I'm not going to lie, it was nice to just chill at home. Lena talked me into taking her and Levi to Once Upon to pick out Halloween costumes. For the first time ever, they're doing a coordinated costume! I couldn't believe Levi agreed to it. I hope he doesn't change his mind between now and Halloween. Haha. </p><p>4. On Friday, I cleaned the basement playroom. No one ever actually plays down there because it's become a catch all. But I turned on a podcast and cleaned/reorganized/purged for two solid hours. And lo and behold, Lena and Levi have been hanging out down there! Levi was even inspired to clean <i>his </i>room! 😲 Remember those car tracks that I was going to sell until Levi suddenly took interest in them again? They were spread all over my living room floor for days. The clutter drives me crazy, but Levi won't play with anything unless it's in his face. I finally cleaned it all up and put it in the basement, because now I'm unsure about selling it, and he hasn't touched it since. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45tscgH6l5_nyJdrx1YAIQiuWuEQiswkSslsdMQnEF1fMeXZI60i7Dy4beHAy6IPcsmcYzMNZ-QfVL4smk-XPoL9pEvJnKIlWTcoA8aXlI9GbZ3d3_Q9rNm0TNrhrjnC8ySGs9a4NR7P5AIReqW89Wy996ZNk-MkKRi9QNtKa7D5LlE1hXJ2tGnKrXOE/s857/PXL_20231001_230856011.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45tscgH6l5_nyJdrx1YAIQiuWuEQiswkSslsdMQnEF1fMeXZI60i7Dy4beHAy6IPcsmcYzMNZ-QfVL4smk-XPoL9pEvJnKIlWTcoA8aXlI9GbZ3d3_Q9rNm0TNrhrjnC8ySGs9a4NR7P5AIReqW89Wy996ZNk-MkKRi9QNtKa7D5LlE1hXJ2tGnKrXOE/w300-h400/PXL_20231001_230856011.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>5. I've been thinking a lot lately about how so many people are struggling with such major things that we don't know about. So many broken relationships, so many adult children walking away from their faith, so much conflict within families. Social media has convinced us that everyone's life is great, when in reality, almost everyone has <i>something</i>. And it's not always appropriate to broadcast your issues. It's one thing to say, "I have cancer. Pray for me." It's another thing to say, "My husband cheated on me, but we want to make this marriage work." Some things aren't meant for public consumption. Especially when they involve other people. So it's easy to assume that because people aren't talking about it, their lives are easy peasy. . . . Now, don't read into this. I'm not saying I have anything major going on in my life, and the examples above are made up. They don't necessarily represent anyone I actually know. Just something I've been thinking about, and reminding myself of when I start to despair that everyone else has it better than me. </p><p>6. Levi had a well-child appointment this week. The doctor said he looks great and she doesn't have any concerns. But I realized when I got home that I <i>do</i> have some concerns I should've brought up. Haha. I'm the worst at that. All of my kids have had minor tics at his age, but I feel like his aren't going away, and he's actually adding more. Someone said it may be a magnesium deficiency, and when I looked that up there were a few other symptoms he has that could be attributed to that - namely his sleep issues. Last night he woke up at 3:40 a.m. and never went back to sleep. It's not happening a lot, but enough that it's annoying! So I'm asking my crunchy friends (and there are a lot of you) for a magnesium supplement recommendation. It'll have to be a gummy of some kind, because he won't swallow a pill. Does such a thing exist? </p><p>7. Meme Time</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusuINfG84CYLftZuwEOqnGPF720JEQalBnxFbIPusYKys6C2OhhNmpbk9DjOWq63vpdWo-di93eY2CB0RyPnRxsiavHNXMhp7GmMuIaJxiOXnqMDFVinRQ6rSbMqB1R1aXRbeOStqHdIrb7SXEUlWNfvmY_lNKjva3wX_Tj-DNz7FiDWrTabM4qwcKiU/s564/5dc216928754561c2ebb9821452b6ca4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="564" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusuINfG84CYLftZuwEOqnGPF720JEQalBnxFbIPusYKys6C2OhhNmpbk9DjOWq63vpdWo-di93eY2CB0RyPnRxsiavHNXMhp7GmMuIaJxiOXnqMDFVinRQ6rSbMqB1R1aXRbeOStqHdIrb7SXEUlWNfvmY_lNKjva3wX_Tj-DNz7FiDWrTabM4qwcKiU/w400-h194/5dc216928754561c2ebb9821452b6ca4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy9Y8yWGhV-IHuYcwgMC6PMao8MhR3dB5Ll7yFoui8cTcyWR1A8aSIuAfhsfMO_KWlBhTPWuQ2UggqsDjH92kTLKFW-Za1UA5pTkrjNkk-xp14UrMSzESIWVf8Dzqa5eRb9f_wyaxMLihUW6U7Pldpq-63BVQkF5R1YhMu8d1QJjfM9jVBLIWpzT_yUM/s564/6c37d94ff3de711709b30de05b047c08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy9Y8yWGhV-IHuYcwgMC6PMao8MhR3dB5Ll7yFoui8cTcyWR1A8aSIuAfhsfMO_KWlBhTPWuQ2UggqsDjH92kTLKFW-Za1UA5pTkrjNkk-xp14UrMSzESIWVf8Dzqa5eRb9f_wyaxMLihUW6U7Pldpq-63BVQkF5R1YhMu8d1QJjfM9jVBLIWpzT_yUM/w400-h400/6c37d94ff3de711709b30de05b047c08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqfmDwcYXcxA7C51_n8whINgIN1H12oj9uNchN0bOhNta3_R0l5_kZzLn8QMoZk1W3PAO80Bcn2EVDBjQllKuoTxdoXsDEjrqsCO7c-qF-U7CTwaVZ87OTv-HxRTwp4y3PWZAbcejE9GqsVm6RP4jLBuPuQD-KiCpHGSSI5GocqX-G2oFBUieobuQO98/s564/74f4eb0f01c8e61bfaa9f0e2466bd958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="564" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqfmDwcYXcxA7C51_n8whINgIN1H12oj9uNchN0bOhNta3_R0l5_kZzLn8QMoZk1W3PAO80Bcn2EVDBjQllKuoTxdoXsDEjrqsCO7c-qF-U7CTwaVZ87OTv-HxRTwp4y3PWZAbcejE9GqsVm6RP4jLBuPuQD-KiCpHGSSI5GocqX-G2oFBUieobuQO98/w400-h239/74f4eb0f01c8e61bfaa9f0e2466bd958.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE647v7Umz5h3-Qmg88hGHUh34uGzRIFSgBsth8bStWtw-oonb6CIeWLqrJbRZg3Eu8SmY2LouNh1_gLbrEHuGbjC1fLZngEgFdBxtlmMDkwNi1cxOWr924bT-WUOgRlDlk6GRC6TbXBOq2CW-bhlkucB9Pi4OKN6Wbk_iFMNBEYLUsCQAl124DMjSVQI/s843/385507285_864511645040100_2692922387885864560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE647v7Umz5h3-Qmg88hGHUh34uGzRIFSgBsth8bStWtw-oonb6CIeWLqrJbRZg3Eu8SmY2LouNh1_gLbrEHuGbjC1fLZngEgFdBxtlmMDkwNi1cxOWr924bT-WUOgRlDlk6GRC6TbXBOq2CW-bhlkucB9Pi4OKN6Wbk_iFMNBEYLUsCQAl124DMjSVQI/w400-h400/385507285_864511645040100_2692922387885864560_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We may never know . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi308X5OP60rO4WtBG6zimpevcrSl7P8g5VEdvi56PIIXaJK6Zlrqg4fPN0imMTT_RQt3UISdRJXxPik3qpW2VnoFvZCyJQqxdJilMNWZhWNuRVQQTy9itMii6T1BT4Iwu6WA_OAuu59DSpvchI349W5LpYJtkCRI8HSrYEWcqQe4F2Fkw4471iHOIxe9E/s591/385902422_871329651022243_4312368242149594535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="591" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi308X5OP60rO4WtBG6zimpevcrSl7P8g5VEdvi56PIIXaJK6Zlrqg4fPN0imMTT_RQt3UISdRJXxPik3qpW2VnoFvZCyJQqxdJilMNWZhWNuRVQQTy9itMii6T1BT4Iwu6WA_OAuu59DSpvchI349W5LpYJtkCRI8HSrYEWcqQe4F2Fkw4471iHOIxe9E/w400-h369/385902422_871329651022243_4312368242149594535_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixImQ9kWapkl_tD4TOnHJ5lFVcOrl8zJpeSxqJFC3tAlJkdoHlwkwWX7wzfIIxypzAisRooV2_Iki-qs7bzTchJPYwEBOwZm2olz8NH4uYhFPBVOoqAfbEc7jtGFcD2HfTJxggY4X1tKs1MKzjo3IrorqHCjHfjVycR3e8d0kAMz9zgdRNYBivk_AYYrY/s563/8230420519dd36cf9b7ec25eaab97ca9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="563" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixImQ9kWapkl_tD4TOnHJ5lFVcOrl8zJpeSxqJFC3tAlJkdoHlwkwWX7wzfIIxypzAisRooV2_Iki-qs7bzTchJPYwEBOwZm2olz8NH4uYhFPBVOoqAfbEc7jtGFcD2HfTJxggY4X1tKs1MKzjo3IrorqHCjHfjVycR3e8d0kAMz9zgdRNYBivk_AYYrY/w400-h364/8230420519dd36cf9b7ec25eaab97ca9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm gonna start saying this. 😂</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstWVnLTU3qwx-CqJh6Sej54GT_5ZbsMMsiJAP4f9SymxfcIpI0wdqzZw7Q8tlPCXfWbGU6ilmn4Bqle-ybv3G-WKK70GHuP2MpECQYRwF4OO4FagQbvH68C_5fAWuSd84wQAwqiSySgdVJKyog7flsjtOCsyQEcOt5w4lCezv8jundMMrJJPzjGyeX88/s563/cae536a2f1a304b4586a7fc5c46e8b36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="563" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstWVnLTU3qwx-CqJh6Sej54GT_5ZbsMMsiJAP4f9SymxfcIpI0wdqzZw7Q8tlPCXfWbGU6ilmn4Bqle-ybv3G-WKK70GHuP2MpECQYRwF4OO4FagQbvH68C_5fAWuSd84wQAwqiSySgdVJKyog7flsjtOCsyQEcOt5w4lCezv8jundMMrJJPzjGyeX88/w400-h380/cae536a2f1a304b4586a7fc5c46e8b36.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did this today!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7mK97KLo55guIW6XceB_LBSbV9G9ZNTPVAXgFoJkueIj4pasyH2Odnzy681NfTiAGTVqQxApjC6qtKS1mhCQZzfUIyG8CZ9VVqJzA16e-rrfXoJkOK9Y8RXj9IbeKXErG_A3bkVvPAtcJab9tdGBdgYbZIKxfze9tzJ1p6855xZrMgCIMJ2zBe4QlDA/s473/d414b818151c1cd4749c45f16dd02acb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="473" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7mK97KLo55guIW6XceB_LBSbV9G9ZNTPVAXgFoJkueIj4pasyH2Odnzy681NfTiAGTVqQxApjC6qtKS1mhCQZzfUIyG8CZ9VVqJzA16e-rrfXoJkOK9Y8RXj9IbeKXErG_A3bkVvPAtcJab9tdGBdgYbZIKxfze9tzJ1p6855xZrMgCIMJ2zBe4QlDA/w400-h210/d414b818151c1cd4749c45f16dd02acb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRqy1srX2T9lNiOGXMjZGNZ0wNem9lwrImGqMdnLmyll0Wv_OKREeSB2aftrxpMjDwQReOITRsMnqZ_MLRbV0Tkl6l6DimYsV6DFh65v0_LfcKxbYsHFC43kZ6C1BaaJqSS7gpyAVMmGfHDBkTELj5jY3qQLvOmA6f3dWBuybmobCHMYy-ojYD_-0CGg/s540/d465c27191376feebe69369f4f579e74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRqy1srX2T9lNiOGXMjZGNZ0wNem9lwrImGqMdnLmyll0Wv_OKREeSB2aftrxpMjDwQReOITRsMnqZ_MLRbV0Tkl6l6DimYsV6DFh65v0_LfcKxbYsHFC43kZ6C1BaaJqSS7gpyAVMmGfHDBkTELj5jY3qQLvOmA6f3dWBuybmobCHMYy-ojYD_-0CGg/w400-h400/d465c27191376feebe69369f4f579e74.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaSwMA5F85K1hkpHK9G3wyb2lITzzhqX03xuMwL3dEBOMC04lFCzcxOHGU45aLzowiUfZQ4TXdQqxe99b-gCxwKLXeg9XXTaT09nzQ-_BIXfhZsnKrWE5XNgi7HGJ_wspciKEEENs67Oim1OgnSZMBPxBm0qMicC8NPO1GWWKP8lxjPomWYyv-mXb3TQ/s500/f8d355b27a23f8ab11af5e3853d25002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="500" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaSwMA5F85K1hkpHK9G3wyb2lITzzhqX03xuMwL3dEBOMC04lFCzcxOHGU45aLzowiUfZQ4TXdQqxe99b-gCxwKLXeg9XXTaT09nzQ-_BIXfhZsnKrWE5XNgi7HGJ_wspciKEEENs67Oim1OgnSZMBPxBm0qMicC8NPO1GWWKP8lxjPomWYyv-mXb3TQ/w400-h350/f8d355b27a23f8ab11af5e3853d25002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00HzLtHR-6VBeDZHn3nCyUPxCK3Fj1fVlXLSe1E5aFkA1oZY-IQLQmv972J8g7EYNIys_uNS_IkVg4jghY_NJhwH4JW0I8O8ILzExVdhoU-N3Z3mWovzMppp-35me6S5_lnVLcSxn80pHdIoOODrkS1LWie0CeioRXMaGnGVM77VlVA7XDqyPw0HUpI0/s912/Screenshot_20231007-193207.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="912" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00HzLtHR-6VBeDZHn3nCyUPxCK3Fj1fVlXLSe1E5aFkA1oZY-IQLQmv972J8g7EYNIys_uNS_IkVg4jghY_NJhwH4JW0I8O8ILzExVdhoU-N3Z3mWovzMppp-35me6S5_lnVLcSxn80pHdIoOODrkS1LWie0CeioRXMaGnGVM77VlVA7XDqyPw0HUpI0/w400-h376/Screenshot_20231007-193207.png" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-40782318582510249382023-09-30T22:09:00.006-04:002023-09-30T22:09:54.495-04:00The Saturday 7<p>Well folks, it's Saturday again. Or should I say . . . Caturday? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmjEZutAMjP7wy_tnXC3HFGT_oPVxqGyPSSpFqVUIES_eGigpD5b6MjbAvRPJz_4f5HHsF62wjde7OwkwqsuMAfbeNo4hnrN7RTNfi3SpxEgqefWRphm6cjI-ylgq9zecz0_vQz1G3CHeoxK8IDe7bLWprAB50s6aHixhE8vS19Av2iHMiyNphVnpdj4/s857/PXL_20230924_231833559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="513" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmjEZutAMjP7wy_tnXC3HFGT_oPVxqGyPSSpFqVUIES_eGigpD5b6MjbAvRPJz_4f5HHsF62wjde7OwkwqsuMAfbeNo4hnrN7RTNfi3SpxEgqefWRphm6cjI-ylgq9zecz0_vQz1G3CHeoxK8IDe7bLWprAB50s6aHixhE8vS19Av2iHMiyNphVnpdj4/w240-h400/PXL_20230924_231833559.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm hilarious.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>1. This week I only had to work three days instead of four and it was glorious. Lucy had to get a tooth pulled on Wednesday, and it didn't make sense for me to go into work for just three hours so I took the whole day off. With my time off I've been watching training videos to become a buyer at Once Upon a Child. It's quite the involved process and took a good chunk of time. I had to laugh when this slide came up: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2j1o4OQPfnr_Ye9TnBe5rtt9F0TNrtrHH0dMSAt_nDChZNKYlo66F0f8QTyPDMjKrauqUeDvYaSUThbvepq0lu_bTPKKnQb-eog0C7RtHDUqOdygIYc4bZ1JRKDn1CtGbUKfQtDvf_3chsTXg3tThyphenhyphenlK5sj4khV4xxcRMnD0UpSWq_5VBHAhzTI5IJtY/s1142/PXL_20230930_232638674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2j1o4OQPfnr_Ye9TnBe5rtt9F0TNrtrHH0dMSAt_nDChZNKYlo66F0f8QTyPDMjKrauqUeDvYaSUThbvepq0lu_bTPKKnQb-eog0C7RtHDUqOdygIYc4bZ1JRKDn1CtGbUKfQtDvf_3chsTXg3tThyphenhyphenlK5sj4khV4xxcRMnD0UpSWq_5VBHAhzTI5IJtY/w400-h300/PXL_20230930_232638674.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Remember the meme I just shared last week?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs7qii_nHWeMJQGg3SeV9gz2mHhqyAX8VSDSz_k29YhwfZcpKC4SnH-3h9L43Ch1e34tg3es_ti-eQSo0zrQTcMRlcADWkN5KAtinktmE0y4Q5lWBr64UsTanFlGQERVaGX1N5Cba570s8avYEDmdtvlxFDut5SIji5n2h-owK12VFRaAAWx9xoHSZcs/s1080/Screenshot_20230915-205143.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1080" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs7qii_nHWeMJQGg3SeV9gz2mHhqyAX8VSDSz_k29YhwfZcpKC4SnH-3h9L43Ch1e34tg3es_ti-eQSo0zrQTcMRlcADWkN5KAtinktmE0y4Q5lWBr64UsTanFlGQERVaGX1N5Cba570s8avYEDmdtvlxFDut5SIji5n2h-owK12VFRaAAWx9xoHSZcs/s320/Screenshot_20230915-205143.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>2. Want to see something gross?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFBNJm9uVUxs4EfvkRjoiIrSKc5qP7d2UBA_xprC0LuEJvYbU3x231uyRxHlIZE17qr8YGN2hTNjP3yVGWPVeb_RN21RbLbPpPF1yAOjFq1h70sPaJFxOVPnwfW4Oy1T0ToILBWrt34n91FvNEm8tIZXTJIfbK-dtUtNSSzvAcj3fWy9AfCI_HgMNU9g/s857/PXL_20230926_005845420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFBNJm9uVUxs4EfvkRjoiIrSKc5qP7d2UBA_xprC0LuEJvYbU3x231uyRxHlIZE17qr8YGN2hTNjP3yVGWPVeb_RN21RbLbPpPF1yAOjFq1h70sPaJFxOVPnwfW4Oy1T0ToILBWrt34n91FvNEm8tIZXTJIfbK-dtUtNSSzvAcj3fWy9AfCI_HgMNU9g/w300-h400/PXL_20230926_005845420.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(That's Lena giving the thumbs up. My hands aren't <i>that</i> small.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I woke up one day last week with a ton of spider bites. These ones on the back of my arm look the worst, but I also have a cluster in my armpit and some on my chest. They itch <i>so bad</i>, and it's been at least ten days since I got them! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OsQbT0KihwqpzaWU5hj8ES7tYV9UeY1gPjOrPK7bZkTEjDJkREQ33jlln7ss30ZFX3yUjYcAOreHQLkgA-fb_s5mGI5fRTHx1yWyR31_IbVZwc9HyeVaz58Y7Ns_hRL68oA8DZglr63SYwZtyDXZlkzzKj2Yzx98z5thdz8CXD0eJJu4OjZTQBpkB8c/s857/PXL_20230930_193308910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OsQbT0KihwqpzaWU5hj8ES7tYV9UeY1gPjOrPK7bZkTEjDJkREQ33jlln7ss30ZFX3yUjYcAOreHQLkgA-fb_s5mGI5fRTHx1yWyR31_IbVZwc9HyeVaz58Y7Ns_hRL68oA8DZglr63SYwZtyDXZlkzzKj2Yzx98z5thdz8CXD0eJJu4OjZTQBpkB8c/w300-h400/PXL_20230930_193308910.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>I just don't understand what happened while I was sleeping. One spider just munched his way down my arm and then across my chest? Do spiders even eat that much human flesh in one sitting? *shudder* My cousin said I probably swallowed it in my sleep, and I said, "I hope so! That's what he deserves for feasting on me!" </div><div><br /></div><div>3. I realized something this week as I was scrolling through Instagram in search of epic memes for y'all. I wish I could filter out certain types of Instagram posts - namely the homesteaders and the Indians. Lol. That sounds bad. By "Indians" I mean, posts in the Indian language. Why do I get so many of them??? I know I'm targeted for the homesteaders because I follow a lot of "Christian woman" content, and homesteading is the new Proverbs 31. I don't have anything against anyone who wants to go dye-free or make their own sourdough bread. A lot of my friends actually fall in that camp. But I have zero interest in any of it, and all the reels of women in their aprons just make me feel guilty. I'd like to apply a filter to Instagram that only allows funny videos and wholesome Christian content. Is that so much to ask? </div><div><br /></div><div>4. You know what I haven't been doing on my days off lately? Reading. Ever since school started I've fallen out of the habit of reading for pleasure - partly because I don't have as much leisure time, but also just because nothing seems to hold my interest. I've started and abandoned three or four books in the past month. That's so unlike me! My Goodreads goal for the year is 100, but I'm only at 64. Think I can zip through 36 books in three months? 😬 I mean, I do work best under pressure, so I'm not totally ruling it out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgyPRGQdqw-uxsO3RiptSA4gJpSR32OYXPtxlmu0RIbfRBC1Ya6DrNS0oZbWKgsvZrJerUysGlATNOrISiQSPiNGHvvTo9GGqY7ZODXX2jwru1rn7LnPTDUUJFyA06evi6bqGVNii-DVgKk2qqdH9JqKiAJPAGPLhuimdyQM_1O5_2pmS_Bn5OoDqHYg/s425/39c49cbc88ee0a2493758c2d1b00e1b5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgyPRGQdqw-uxsO3RiptSA4gJpSR32OYXPtxlmu0RIbfRBC1Ya6DrNS0oZbWKgsvZrJerUysGlATNOrISiQSPiNGHvvTo9GGqY7ZODXX2jwru1rn7LnPTDUUJFyA06evi6bqGVNii-DVgKk2qqdH9JqKiAJPAGPLhuimdyQM_1O5_2pmS_Bn5OoDqHYg/w376-h400/39c49cbc88ee0a2493758c2d1b00e1b5.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br /><div>5. That's all I've got for today. Sorry for being so lame. Please enjoy these pics and memes as consolation.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA54ELLT0HxmSNjwqVi9DrhKf4tJtO-JLg-9NvCHaNXkJ4eV9hk8Zta6tdxX5QI0UwvGgwELU80R9d9X5m2Zd7xV3p-2u6MLZ67zXO8AABEhDKh6Y72n_BOpsSsapBAp7KNBHEtNIeJGJ3SOMj984USjnER1ESigcbOijb1KZR2Q6zLIjX2LsREqDHno/s857/PXL_20230926_001706682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA54ELLT0HxmSNjwqVi9DrhKf4tJtO-JLg-9NvCHaNXkJ4eV9hk8Zta6tdxX5QI0UwvGgwELU80R9d9X5m2Zd7xV3p-2u6MLZ67zXO8AABEhDKh6Y72n_BOpsSsapBAp7KNBHEtNIeJGJ3SOMj984USjnER1ESigcbOijb1KZR2Q6zLIjX2LsREqDHno/w300-h400/PXL_20230926_001706682.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found on my phone</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9OpbYXL2uu1HgehToiNw8R2vb5ctDrzX5RO6jJW9Kcn0nRxOH-NigRyk_P5-tsunRG3kHkxq2i4jI5K5PQYn5K2Iblyjlj62FjxvZhf4tjb4o2SVNsgo8V7A-GYV8GxwsYgVVvP5SuRLrvlPsurnSRb_ru_CL9uYhTx80ESLYngRMOtd17PRVy633EY/s857/PXL_20230929_154507873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9OpbYXL2uu1HgehToiNw8R2vb5ctDrzX5RO6jJW9Kcn0nRxOH-NigRyk_P5-tsunRG3kHkxq2i4jI5K5PQYn5K2Iblyjlj62FjxvZhf4tjb4o2SVNsgo8V7A-GYV8GxwsYgVVvP5SuRLrvlPsurnSRb_ru_CL9uYhTx80ESLYngRMOtd17PRVy633EY/w300-h400/PXL_20230929_154507873.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My snuggle buddy is back. She always used to lay on me like this, but she hasn't in months. I don't know if she's back at it because it's colder, or because I was wearing a fleece sweatshirt and soft blanket, but I enjoy it. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsOpd1cgCTPR4isBrhJLOKk-mpw0nqYsBacZYn6dvO6Lmq_CGBvIgqfephQXS0p6Usd-VUyBTp_Yuq1TVtk7dHJaN_nGGmwrDhAlLvhFH1PVM70jJAGTVi53cLdDiiNx69EbC1OOqWxfNCCtHWNjStWzdnE-33UH-IpIjtqWOnOHT8IBea0LSprDxnos/s857/PXL_20230930_172051539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsOpd1cgCTPR4isBrhJLOKk-mpw0nqYsBacZYn6dvO6Lmq_CGBvIgqfephQXS0p6Usd-VUyBTp_Yuq1TVtk7dHJaN_nGGmwrDhAlLvhFH1PVM70jJAGTVi53cLdDiiNx69EbC1OOqWxfNCCtHWNjStWzdnE-33UH-IpIjtqWOnOHT8IBea0LSprDxnos/w300-h400/PXL_20230930_172051539.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paw Patrol movie! (Lucy's just in it for the popcorn)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar3fIKdF9oGWzxFeLYdOhu8QPcIRb4SSovV80CD4P6eDRayjvZWrKeeJfaPU2FsdWqkCTbx1JPYDwcGYR27YLggFB1GGXW5wavoQ5IBtb5B7oIBQZm0fKv9teUBSyCyukGtIaqBLNljQMOCvM8TOYdhajhCY6pt2h6NZbpL3XqyXP55aiLHzeG6jJsMw/s1142/PXL_20230930_205023812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar3fIKdF9oGWzxFeLYdOhu8QPcIRb4SSovV80CD4P6eDRayjvZWrKeeJfaPU2FsdWqkCTbx1JPYDwcGYR27YLggFB1GGXW5wavoQ5IBtb5B7oIBQZm0fKv9teUBSyCyukGtIaqBLNljQMOCvM8TOYdhajhCY6pt2h6NZbpL3XqyXP55aiLHzeG6jJsMw/w400-h300/PXL_20230930_205023812.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This car track has been sitting untouched in Levi's room for years. I hauled it out for the garage sale, but it didn't sell. So it's been sitting in the garage for over a month. I got it back out today to take a picture for facebook marketplace, and look who suddenly spent an hour playing with it! #neverfails</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABo7hgd7jPr5lBO3OZIFHsw0s1LlOgHV_e-nx2OusyswqPlCV6AmDweeubF8Lro4IuizNm6ILH_bPlF1OHIijG4OQ2nItqBDNVCHmGWEHXg6wxLRNScS5KfdvLZk-A9ipTig9b2Xt4tfgGlCZ0DPg8yk4rhiWpyPSx4s1wFggzAb8m863riyasDj1EQE/s587/3e42b5c89e3c24525246b181b4037c28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABo7hgd7jPr5lBO3OZIFHsw0s1LlOgHV_e-nx2OusyswqPlCV6AmDweeubF8Lro4IuizNm6ILH_bPlF1OHIijG4OQ2nItqBDNVCHmGWEHXg6wxLRNScS5KfdvLZk-A9ipTig9b2Xt4tfgGlCZ0DPg8yk4rhiWpyPSx4s1wFggzAb8m863riyasDj1EQE/w323-h400/3e42b5c89e3c24525246b181b4037c28.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IgtBzQRtElCaVfCwf__aZO8oJsobaNWJwI1H7t6LcdNkR61zBR5-5ue0ZHLiICzsMncdM21Nk-_8NgMI2M7pEZ_gMxDffFQGdAQy9tqbCRwyyGKZLUZlI2EwQw8e4nljSFTxOnZvFnnCQ3pAV58m-4PKXFW93jzsCUP1fYgbHh5l7WmkfPcisQyUhAs/s807/31017501452d8efd7b5d2c3b9f331fba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IgtBzQRtElCaVfCwf__aZO8oJsobaNWJwI1H7t6LcdNkR61zBR5-5ue0ZHLiICzsMncdM21Nk-_8NgMI2M7pEZ_gMxDffFQGdAQy9tqbCRwyyGKZLUZlI2EwQw8e4nljSFTxOnZvFnnCQ3pAV58m-4PKXFW93jzsCUP1fYgbHh5l7WmkfPcisQyUhAs/w280-h400/31017501452d8efd7b5d2c3b9f331fba.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTr0d_C4QOsDg-hwI2xu3E0fYXO6UJAoGXRZbfGaME2VO0s0VOYwwXslE5ZMZagebDWs9xMpYTsJbqK61K0gB14Q_VsXoicfYMUXtYD6DvDo3835UEcLsnPRGJjLXAB2BuCzBe_iAek_omfsSR9ZVow4qcg1Nl-0w5rC9wtxsnNjBPx6hZkd1ElJesXo/s473/81541514269c5938a951d3544abddea3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="473" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTr0d_C4QOsDg-hwI2xu3E0fYXO6UJAoGXRZbfGaME2VO0s0VOYwwXslE5ZMZagebDWs9xMpYTsJbqK61K0gB14Q_VsXoicfYMUXtYD6DvDo3835UEcLsnPRGJjLXAB2BuCzBe_iAek_omfsSR9ZVow4qcg1Nl-0w5rC9wtxsnNjBPx6hZkd1ElJesXo/w400-h318/81541514269c5938a951d3544abddea3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUOAEeT-urcTp0Rq42tESnTFAWzV0n8SFmfUhcbPpLO6M3R8QWQgZ5eUsxiM061zl6fjynBV2L7BNaV4eFbIomHD2l_LKwVOoPgWw2G4vikDVQzHzDv2lpF_gTP153u89gPKb-cYaDkgKSmSevPkIT1BzsAiguMVJq4DnuSjIMDJaI1-OIBXv9-wLok/s474/c71ade3764952c71c65c6691e4dc08bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="474" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUOAEeT-urcTp0Rq42tESnTFAWzV0n8SFmfUhcbPpLO6M3R8QWQgZ5eUsxiM061zl6fjynBV2L7BNaV4eFbIomHD2l_LKwVOoPgWw2G4vikDVQzHzDv2lpF_gTP153u89gPKb-cYaDkgKSmSevPkIT1BzsAiguMVJq4DnuSjIMDJaI1-OIBXv9-wLok/w400-h251/c71ade3764952c71c65c6691e4dc08bf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today I said something to Levi about going to the movies when I was a kid, and he responded, "There were movie theaters when you were a kid?!" 🤦</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaVkY83t15loH_Fjo6x3Jl1YSbFBZjOCLGRDnfo4QKFRUysjvAeDUvc-Xx-c8_89DPuaZ_OnapZZnEYLvfYJLgZMVCXAtiy7Fk9fGmJJod1ReUR6-4AJq8DRJbd985YM0_1WSLxtO4KzRohjT4ofu_ggEwcMpZaNnXV25utTSZcMp749D8Zb7OzvsDOA/s857/Screenshot_20230928-210431.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaVkY83t15loH_Fjo6x3Jl1YSbFBZjOCLGRDnfo4QKFRUysjvAeDUvc-Xx-c8_89DPuaZ_OnapZZnEYLvfYJLgZMVCXAtiy7Fk9fGmJJod1ReUR6-4AJq8DRJbd985YM0_1WSLxtO4KzRohjT4ofu_ggEwcMpZaNnXV25utTSZcMp749D8Zb7OzvsDOA/w286-h400/Screenshot_20230928-210431.png" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo9TuLyBNIIhXUmMc5lq-3eGELMFs3u0fJ0fPpuqiTILtT7ZhtdBwZZMOHFyIZUawjYjo8kOGLMg3XZ21VMbUppud4yJd6UO92Sy_b8XkPjdcXTU3iou7_XlDRRu7TZ6QMqwMxbF_nSnDChjbZX4ZzsgGgeVQPteGzzsVsUiDtLxafmT6KgjbwkJr90Q/s882/there-a-cucumber-in-a-shower-because-he-took-a-shower-and-now-needs-to-find-his-hairbrush-obviously.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo9TuLyBNIIhXUmMc5lq-3eGELMFs3u0fJ0fPpuqiTILtT7ZhtdBwZZMOHFyIZUawjYjo8kOGLMg3XZ21VMbUppud4yJd6UO92Sy_b8XkPjdcXTU3iou7_XlDRRu7TZ6QMqwMxbF_nSnDChjbZX4ZzsgGgeVQPteGzzsVsUiDtLxafmT6KgjbwkJr90Q/w580-h640/there-a-cucumber-in-a-shower-because-he-took-a-shower-and-now-needs-to-find-his-hairbrush-obviously.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXI5fqb3RLTDUIK2hgscD85idHz9J3cc_YK6oTE-wMp8TZbAmaJx6TaQ8Y_NJULSEH2lvtKdzK-LeE9f-IULFiPpldzTmCPRiFm_EeT8uNI_51yO8iikCT8nVMiGp1CkHcGgbuTcqXhSZQ8Xd8fPJ1H1xoXz_UJMa-ubhkhZZ0bQiA-9XpZXoPBqT5Lxs/s564/375740144_723099829830676_7447229213387479767_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXI5fqb3RLTDUIK2hgscD85idHz9J3cc_YK6oTE-wMp8TZbAmaJx6TaQ8Y_NJULSEH2lvtKdzK-LeE9f-IULFiPpldzTmCPRiFm_EeT8uNI_51yO8iikCT8nVMiGp1CkHcGgbuTcqXhSZQ8Xd8fPJ1H1xoXz_UJMa-ubhkhZZ0bQiA-9XpZXoPBqT5Lxs/w400-h400/375740144_723099829830676_7447229213387479767_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zGylbI-E9WD2Lvf0Fa3Dm2WeUzfMOPxYKv6PzlCPy686VTeT6_iPOCylRLknRUYBcfu17zrE-DSzV-G0R6o0i6Zy3oIcKgYtuKcFwH2TZ-yJNlJygh9zaGufmi930X-gFszoAT5Vs-viyryJKvgQC_IN0gSJ9keUlriOoAqhxgixPX9l3N-kLegZNVQ/s1350/383416945_896461221843136_6308930638603557089_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zGylbI-E9WD2Lvf0Fa3Dm2WeUzfMOPxYKv6PzlCPy686VTeT6_iPOCylRLknRUYBcfu17zrE-DSzV-G0R6o0i6Zy3oIcKgYtuKcFwH2TZ-yJNlJygh9zaGufmi930X-gFszoAT5Vs-viyryJKvgQC_IN0gSJ9keUlriOoAqhxgixPX9l3N-kLegZNVQ/w320-h400/383416945_896461221843136_6308930638603557089_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ19kLFQJa0HXyX93sfA9oGzx4UkfCKiWoZCtgiCrmnQTn2i-YbL4ImqhtuXKaDhMxZw19DN_qHa7gkeCuQJwmOUFEYgTuebX02joBQnCeqsVZYTnRXZvbnrFYGTz52KdZqZ_MhAsZycaZzKI3PYQPHXwNPUbpYrf6hEqWeAHyXk9hmMfp6N-j1vjFoI/s861/Screenshot_20230930-215450.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="861" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ19kLFQJa0HXyX93sfA9oGzx4UkfCKiWoZCtgiCrmnQTn2i-YbL4ImqhtuXKaDhMxZw19DN_qHa7gkeCuQJwmOUFEYgTuebX02joBQnCeqsVZYTnRXZvbnrFYGTz52KdZqZ_MhAsZycaZzKI3PYQPHXwNPUbpYrf6hEqWeAHyXk9hmMfp6N-j1vjFoI/w400-h399/Screenshot_20230930-215450.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>And finally, a couple of posters I'm highly considering adding to my library decor . . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnu5CnfQUFURoo-zmGoaPG2QGFS1Lajz9_u4U2bxYk0MNrfFIMan4H8d8Icfxsldm_j5PtCXDj5Ddgrt-U2x78huntvBhK7o5-yQXkILM_QkQlpQl9flhGF1w7T44eBeyUxk6McWNN1-QEbg9qFvS8uXdciyczuowfG22HkhYmCmUyrGnH8gUwzENUpU/s474/7703048faffe4a3e6a421c58afa60769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnu5CnfQUFURoo-zmGoaPG2QGFS1Lajz9_u4U2bxYk0MNrfFIMan4H8d8Icfxsldm_j5PtCXDj5Ddgrt-U2x78huntvBhK7o5-yQXkILM_QkQlpQl9flhGF1w7T44eBeyUxk6McWNN1-QEbg9qFvS8uXdciyczuowfG22HkhYmCmUyrGnH8gUwzENUpU/w400-h400/7703048faffe4a3e6a421c58afa60769.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHyXEvmMuka1P1Z7tS4pYd_pqe8pmm1IpMmFaoW0Z8JeCV4_-enfGk2ygJ-1EvfM7CPRVvNWjYkJH-YaCyb3gWBpwrWFQYyTm0L3gMs70e464ElCCLv5QtUubSLRdb0e8dki_SemmomA5wwK5ciW_pb9GmYSUnNiPxbc-5Q4rq4U_txQin26inadODvE/s474/c563014345642c12f4f0ce6e54637459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHyXEvmMuka1P1Z7tS4pYd_pqe8pmm1IpMmFaoW0Z8JeCV4_-enfGk2ygJ-1EvfM7CPRVvNWjYkJH-YaCyb3gWBpwrWFQYyTm0L3gMs70e464ElCCLv5QtUubSLRdb0e8dki_SemmomA5wwK5ciW_pb9GmYSUnNiPxbc-5Q4rq4U_txQin26inadODvE/w400-h400/c563014345642c12f4f0ce6e54637459.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638160822379341183.post-16685415647407716932023-09-23T22:03:00.003-04:002023-09-23T22:06:22.084-04:00The Saturday 7<p>I didn't post last weekend because I didn't feel like I had anything to say . . . which also rings true this week, so I'll see what I can come up with . . .</p><p>1. In good news, I feel like I'm settling into my new work schedule, and the work/life balance has been a little more bearable. Although I did only make dinner once this week . . . maybe once soccer is over, I'll put in more of an effort. That's another month at least - and birthday month, at that. So I'm off the hook. 😜</p><p>2. Let's see. What else have you missed? We've enjoyed a few fun fall events, like the school carnival and Apple Fest in town. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9reMjVxs4Y9eJZoQD6-CQ7zuEvLPaB70LoJ0WKRU0VKK-Sz_SD0pCikWfVze8441x1EexBoWzscrR8WCRCnNLczfcUZIN1iJ-vk-Sg7eT7SPt4bTmw--mokF6oVLLiJOPbHLR-CZ4ohSsbL0pSETcaRLeHI5P568ZSmhWOTJkuFai0pcU3aJdvytnSNI/s857/PXL_20230915_232610262.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9reMjVxs4Y9eJZoQD6-CQ7zuEvLPaB70LoJ0WKRU0VKK-Sz_SD0pCikWfVze8441x1EexBoWzscrR8WCRCnNLczfcUZIN1iJ-vk-Sg7eT7SPt4bTmw--mokF6oVLLiJOPbHLR-CZ4ohSsbL0pSETcaRLeHI5P568ZSmhWOTJkuFai0pcU3aJdvytnSNI/w300-h400/PXL_20230915_232610262.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half dalmation, half cat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHQYEGtjMvhV2F89iwcOJ0cOIDPwI0O1ZDqv2w3lOdl6yk5ZMf1M9S8aDHp2nTQDMFYubO9OIcADOvXijqDa1c9hlAgrgY-2m9TsS4aBdxumfHJGopawRx-3wFHjHf-Z9XKRu00xKGjNBgnRArNt9d3v5_iBID3NKYN3q56Q-kMdZ_rFWDc_EmXKTC9g/s857/PXL_20230915_221917481.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHQYEGtjMvhV2F89iwcOJ0cOIDPwI0O1ZDqv2w3lOdl6yk5ZMf1M9S8aDHp2nTQDMFYubO9OIcADOvXijqDa1c9hlAgrgY-2m9TsS4aBdxumfHJGopawRx-3wFHjHf-Z9XKRu00xKGjNBgnRArNt9d3v5_iBID3NKYN3q56Q-kMdZ_rFWDc_EmXKTC9g/w300-h400/PXL_20230915_221917481.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena with a new look-alike friend</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaofivnoZoxqhS4mYpkdCqfwL6WC9CdZkJ8bvZEHH8-kb-miXf3eKIpdtRzGCsSIjPNZp_P_lVlkCHe1cCEgZvBkwOldkhoQSwBU-CbxC6cOULg37cEhrJg16ARAJtXmDigwQc829nehPOUhezra7BsElviLkfnIiNFNjOUyZ1o_Xo_TeQQK1DYhRY8Kg/s857/Snapchat-416471033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaofivnoZoxqhS4mYpkdCqfwL6WC9CdZkJ8bvZEHH8-kb-miXf3eKIpdtRzGCsSIjPNZp_P_lVlkCHe1cCEgZvBkwOldkhoQSwBU-CbxC6cOULg37cEhrJg16ARAJtXmDigwQc829nehPOUhezra7BsElviLkfnIiNFNjOUyZ1o_Xo_TeQQK1DYhRY8Kg/w225-h400/Snapchat-416471033.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChfZ10bZ-7ZVA3vCrfpr5d8lzb9kHm3j2uQVbl1m6d9l7FeH25zrJcUw3F9M62RgaI0L6KWMYfUKXpvlvqnsViiX3HTamlRgGl1b46btVuDsk9VFNAne4B0J1ozK1JaMWNTRnWvKXgojGnkMopCmeTsUr3ZnsN35HGjwLAjJ32vyOGvv62y6g2kVlYz4/s857/PXL_20230916_164832048.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChfZ10bZ-7ZVA3vCrfpr5d8lzb9kHm3j2uQVbl1m6d9l7FeH25zrJcUw3F9M62RgaI0L6KWMYfUKXpvlvqnsViiX3HTamlRgGl1b46btVuDsk9VFNAne4B0J1ozK1JaMWNTRnWvKXgojGnkMopCmeTsUr3ZnsN35HGjwLAjJ32vyOGvv62y6g2kVlYz4/w300-h400/PXL_20230916_164832048.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eeFdO5WA5JicoBB-fGAUEjLPZTqiVCnAmVwYoFJ8J4pAZI6XKjpLlZ0-JRz5wEHPJWFZLaTRxfoiCniRCZ_DX3Th7bRTHYos6ocLPY_fyw7fK5F4q3AewBqA4y4885iI9xPMN6nVrWYAN6FuAulKbQHTew2g8xG2KcDvzi_hByNgtbV38UkT4N_fl5Y/s857/PXL_20230916_165308626.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eeFdO5WA5JicoBB-fGAUEjLPZTqiVCnAmVwYoFJ8J4pAZI6XKjpLlZ0-JRz5wEHPJWFZLaTRxfoiCniRCZ_DX3Th7bRTHYos6ocLPY_fyw7fK5F4q3AewBqA4y4885iI9xPMN6nVrWYAN6FuAulKbQHTew2g8xG2KcDvzi_hByNgtbV38UkT4N_fl5Y/w300-h400/PXL_20230916_165308626.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqBPaW9zxZ83VzylAJMHQCg7yhXiZreYjEOCv_31McFfwskma_x4MaoZ5GOnZbz1GkDCmy6U_4_uNrcnJkJDH956LBSvIg7Ob3IBpbkubYPmPRdl7DFLCDVyuKNYed7ZK4wd1D4lxCXB-EL8gfGumoo8X6zu81tUTDn3Ll2_EvXsEOyw0YhGyX9ZBqTs/s857/PXL_20230916_173519902.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqBPaW9zxZ83VzylAJMHQCg7yhXiZreYjEOCv_31McFfwskma_x4MaoZ5GOnZbz1GkDCmy6U_4_uNrcnJkJDH956LBSvIg7Ob3IBpbkubYPmPRdl7DFLCDVyuKNYed7ZK4wd1D4lxCXB-EL8gfGumoo8X6zu81tUTDn3Ll2_EvXsEOyw0YhGyX9ZBqTs/w300-h400/PXL_20230916_173519902.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>3. I'm never one to get excited about fall, but I do love our small town's fall events. It makes me feel like I'm living in Stars Hollow (from <i>Gilmore Girls</i> for you uneducated few). One thing my kids look forward to every year is the hay bale decorating contest (you might be a redneck if . . .). They're lined up in front of businesses in town, and we pass a good chunk of them on our way to and from school every day, so we love watching the progress as they're decorated. There were some good ones this year! These were our favorites:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_JI9ocrv3r3ChaDqcY86O_fiKRL1_hVg0QlWfAdjMbv8QBB9jJhLOdGqONtjPxNrHl0uHggIMbvy_y6ZshauG2MBqff645pHw-vtdt3meUux0Obldnqk9-cZzPITTpmRgyXf4_UWpqIN0ZkilOLUAmwneV5q4v9wUvMLqnl3EW-sDzoKZfDkUN1-E88/s2048/376201119_712770040895400_4078062201480053885_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_JI9ocrv3r3ChaDqcY86O_fiKRL1_hVg0QlWfAdjMbv8QBB9jJhLOdGqONtjPxNrHl0uHggIMbvy_y6ZshauG2MBqff645pHw-vtdt3meUux0Obldnqk9-cZzPITTpmRgyXf4_UWpqIN0ZkilOLUAmwneV5q4v9wUvMLqnl3EW-sDzoKZfDkUN1-E88/s320/376201119_712770040895400_4078062201480053885_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85ODSGtO4c16tUYetNqStmpz9_pD3sBNx0eCThRx084_cA4iOCFAxWjAN2tK4pWUyq7qggNT5s_4G_ogbB2LYP1JjFZOp8EozPNkCq0M09i9dJkvEuCcsNTAot0I_jhRLR5LgF_ATTw6Zxyu64xLolRzV4gbrh7zCGTcddbNCzdaUIBqtMvA0gLSEgJU/s2048/376240664_712770220895382_8486769706259011884_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85ODSGtO4c16tUYetNqStmpz9_pD3sBNx0eCThRx084_cA4iOCFAxWjAN2tK4pWUyq7qggNT5s_4G_ogbB2LYP1JjFZOp8EozPNkCq0M09i9dJkvEuCcsNTAot0I_jhRLR5LgF_ATTw6Zxyu64xLolRzV4gbrh7zCGTcddbNCzdaUIBqtMvA0gLSEgJU/s320/376240664_712770220895382_8486769706259011884_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWG0KpV7QjtufIH37a-yhp-FGHMCHobCgW9IubxSQkqaHjeXosasJPzM5C6h3e7MOI0DPrx2Qx-lMY8ujkr8IM2PlzQfHWEtK_VtzBYWaBJJalFjKw1Wsd_e9wkbHt1VCLug7oaUkYbk_9YPya8Y7HD9RLiLliNn_j9iHNWRlmJt2S3t0RZGIydEU1Xaw/s2048/376244294_712769954228742_2357838911334514258_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWG0KpV7QjtufIH37a-yhp-FGHMCHobCgW9IubxSQkqaHjeXosasJPzM5C6h3e7MOI0DPrx2Qx-lMY8ujkr8IM2PlzQfHWEtK_VtzBYWaBJJalFjKw1Wsd_e9wkbHt1VCLug7oaUkYbk_9YPya8Y7HD9RLiLliNn_j9iHNWRlmJt2S3t0RZGIydEU1Xaw/s320/376244294_712769954228742_2357838911334514258_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDHvLfVfUjSGPU-pRKfHelMulsWW9u5VPdlwN98pSsUulpy6qbUMFUh2L0hJ6kodeQu8pUNtjeppsP5fxAw_e8tCIfNTBnQETJof4TLzjQXE08baDwc1Cqf9ZHbr4hs7_TPxObLC73dmP5fi0HtMKVsZbzrHge52cCszGO6OBar3rZsV-qu9xRtgZmfQ/s2048/376246356_712770424228695_5252507124358481288_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDHvLfVfUjSGPU-pRKfHelMulsWW9u5VPdlwN98pSsUulpy6qbUMFUh2L0hJ6kodeQu8pUNtjeppsP5fxAw_e8tCIfNTBnQETJof4TLzjQXE08baDwc1Cqf9ZHbr4hs7_TPxObLC73dmP5fi0HtMKVsZbzrHge52cCszGO6OBar3rZsV-qu9xRtgZmfQ/s320/376246356_712770424228695_5252507124358481288_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YZrquxTiIvFp7fenSViZyGrq9FuKt_QU7DNYiO7tz2iulJpk-3UxwwQGC8ElQtTbZ3Lh3l8HxQSm9IIFRnD997atTnoWTp-kJ4ZAod9kyiaBMG4fCsF04ZePdVbFgGQYpYbSwJB4nhLBlbbDnvnPbx7evQ4slTRZ2g8FUOnPeKlJGM9RNnBTHM-V1ec/s2048/376272793_712770704228667_7251110885022153870_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YZrquxTiIvFp7fenSViZyGrq9FuKt_QU7DNYiO7tz2iulJpk-3UxwwQGC8ElQtTbZ3Lh3l8HxQSm9IIFRnD997atTnoWTp-kJ4ZAod9kyiaBMG4fCsF04ZePdVbFgGQYpYbSwJB4nhLBlbbDnvnPbx7evQ4slTRZ2g8FUOnPeKlJGM9RNnBTHM-V1ec/s320/376272793_712770704228667_7251110885022153870_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNovPwb_oGwLc8cqX_SQVkpwInC4KP9er6rpmLZM3aVhYPJu2SaKMIyJj2Dsmp2pl_SMvi9mJnLcbbkemyl7ntaX1g1Wp8xJLgmhyBcpTPSO45AOQtubVG8GrbRd5lORRrMnAqbGPnPy8PUXTZ9UyFD96hUTDBZyJ1_5yKmIkPr-cY0PUJAlxkXdNXHU/s2048/378120435_712770164228721_1929834391808361657_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNovPwb_oGwLc8cqX_SQVkpwInC4KP9er6rpmLZM3aVhYPJu2SaKMIyJj2Dsmp2pl_SMvi9mJnLcbbkemyl7ntaX1g1Wp8xJLgmhyBcpTPSO45AOQtubVG8GrbRd5lORRrMnAqbGPnPy8PUXTZ9UyFD96hUTDBZyJ1_5yKmIkPr-cY0PUJAlxkXdNXHU/s320/378120435_712770164228721_1929834391808361657_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjOcFWeca-LloAJfyAA4h3w3lzMMdUGSiEW7ZIf35tWu56KBWl_5csfYJX8ceqPUpOxIkHGXfHe2EgwPCIBz1x9KpxHuraTenDSJMucpxicZmAVtfvhr6DbxpYOZV4HDjynvSdZLF9cY9SQEMW0iYKfbGzPXqhoeiTEyMD7ZZ7H1HoDx10Vwz1Esaepw/s2048/378134628_712770937561977_8246320948519572740_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjOcFWeca-LloAJfyAA4h3w3lzMMdUGSiEW7ZIf35tWu56KBWl_5csfYJX8ceqPUpOxIkHGXfHe2EgwPCIBz1x9KpxHuraTenDSJMucpxicZmAVtfvhr6DbxpYOZV4HDjynvSdZLF9cY9SQEMW0iYKfbGzPXqhoeiTEyMD7ZZ7H1HoDx10Vwz1Esaepw/s320/378134628_712770937561977_8246320948519572740_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>4. We celebrated Nash's 5th birthday with a pinata and swimming in Niki's (heated) pool.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_khcWIUsdGI6nIYW2e3ptJI55iNXDTuEX4sbnK-x98ebl-7LvPfEA1bNWDAMRx6VuRAryTGXEP6XMHF32IEpTI_DoK7vxXScPXh4GJb04tWh_M-okZK2u4nirAc1XSkyRQ7uZ1CLbL7wm8A5UJeFWyAlFLmtIenrx1AF5BMGEKwINv--TkjhxuVOHX4/s857/PXL_20230917_171958965.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_khcWIUsdGI6nIYW2e3ptJI55iNXDTuEX4sbnK-x98ebl-7LvPfEA1bNWDAMRx6VuRAryTGXEP6XMHF32IEpTI_DoK7vxXScPXh4GJb04tWh_M-okZK2u4nirAc1XSkyRQ7uZ1CLbL7wm8A5UJeFWyAlFLmtIenrx1AF5BMGEKwINv--TkjhxuVOHX4/w300-h400/PXL_20230917_171958965.MP.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jO8g4h_2Amw4Rl1UGQi9ACFn5vSFJMBybe56SMBb0Y_gAmV4Rujqsd3NpDQQCUwL9fR5csyVCsj5nv0NobDpA3DF6wvF5DKvHG3OXolQWTun5dI0datbr2CM2q1Loh59eG-q2nhCyC_ZMCg72Gv7E-eq6iS1SxDM6nVTyY8h3CaER-3Ke6OujG1i2rE/s857/PXL_20230917_173345357.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jO8g4h_2Amw4Rl1UGQi9ACFn5vSFJMBybe56SMBb0Y_gAmV4Rujqsd3NpDQQCUwL9fR5csyVCsj5nv0NobDpA3DF6wvF5DKvHG3OXolQWTun5dI0datbr2CM2q1Loh59eG-q2nhCyC_ZMCg72Gv7E-eq6iS1SxDM6nVTyY8h3CaER-3Ke6OujG1i2rE/w300-h400/PXL_20230917_173345357.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_Df92yBirZWflo0fD02eeIt6VpkodHs85YQUjZ30B_ujZQqohasMlIVIa4dX_HxUXqbnuWo5VCXo6JCEStQJT6TF5d_cQSF_bQyabSdtVFriFANVBQTou-tVi8kcqMaZZWLMN0nDTpPCtDpvU_oVXMxxrnYH16fek6jgKyiWEyvrI2wCjmKQAPk1R5s/s857/PXL_20230917_175800953.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_Df92yBirZWflo0fD02eeIt6VpkodHs85YQUjZ30B_ujZQqohasMlIVIa4dX_HxUXqbnuWo5VCXo6JCEStQJT6TF5d_cQSF_bQyabSdtVFriFANVBQTou-tVi8kcqMaZZWLMN0nDTpPCtDpvU_oVXMxxrnYH16fek6jgKyiWEyvrI2wCjmKQAPk1R5s/w300-h400/PXL_20230917_175800953.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWGY9kFIRARoi0PZHYONUVUxTk5CjedzowPadZMrecaBRg0992iN64i01_Wg9naF3yh6pj8pS1ilg1pOqioagpb-60zYirQDLoWoaz293IMidZlxhqCiuikY4VbnP2HCkV4ki8CNuknoOE8KaPwQBmOxp0Z0FCSNWLTg2DXq5VMrh1xjhceGDlGS5ThU/s857/PXL_20230917_195606536.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWGY9kFIRARoi0PZHYONUVUxTk5CjedzowPadZMrecaBRg0992iN64i01_Wg9naF3yh6pj8pS1ilg1pOqioagpb-60zYirQDLoWoaz293IMidZlxhqCiuikY4VbnP2HCkV4ki8CNuknoOE8KaPwQBmOxp0Z0FCSNWLTg2DXq5VMrh1xjhceGDlGS5ThU/w300-h400/PXL_20230917_195606536.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We'll be celebrating this little guy's first birthday soon!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>5. Levi did not have any caffeine at the party, and no more sugar than usual, but he absolutely could <i style="font-weight: bold;">not</i> sleep that night. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQtQko_fhTpihPS6xDhrjoOP7D5lP6HhmgiUIa0368P8wn11KMdo6fRpyl0vTV-aFxqk0BR011YC3Sadsl9W91V-lESckNq4cJtIEje9aSOo3uToiG3fV-dZUUnLABtjfIrKV2B37FpdOEjcO3UVVpguy9hYVR3ZMbImV3Cbo0qu4iGxmcU6WXHHsFqU/s857/Snapchat-459439824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQtQko_fhTpihPS6xDhrjoOP7D5lP6HhmgiUIa0368P8wn11KMdo6fRpyl0vTV-aFxqk0BR011YC3Sadsl9W91V-lESckNq4cJtIEje9aSOo3uToiG3fV-dZUUnLABtjfIrKV2B37FpdOEjcO3UVVpguy9hYVR3ZMbImV3Cbo0qu4iGxmcU6WXHHsFqU/w360-h640/Snapchat-459439824.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div>He ended up laying on my floor listening to his audiobook and asking me when it would be morning for two solid hours. At 1:00 Justin got up with him again and laid on his floor until he finally fell asleep at 3:00! The next morning, Levi came bounding up the stairs at 7:00 as usual. Who is this kid, and why doesn't he need sleep??? One of my facebook friends posted something about her son not sleeping during the full moon, so I looked up the moon cycle - not even close. Levi's just special.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. I'll be 38 in 17 days and I'm really feeling my age. At Once Upon this week a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoD8JEFjAE" target="_blank">song </a>came on that I hadn't heard in years. I was just thinking, "This makes me think of high school" when the kid next to me said, "What is this music? I've never heard this song in my life!" 🤦 Then tonight, Levi randomly said, "What would we do without the Internet?" I said, "We'd survive. I didn't have the Internet when I was a kid." His eyes got as big as saucers and he exclaimed, "What did you <i>do </i>all day?!" Lol. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. Pics and memes:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ThoaZJkXGZsQpr-P5GHhOCpmCVvrWF9q7dbBVU38A6-XnyHfqL_yacqPHR6DUtBd-40jrqXiIbbtXJZzYboey3SXz5RwWEFrbmamttzQUA29NBWfwdjFxERvwOoJ0apaEtMXB5mR1BTLHIun5dtULTQfLnfywL_sD-5fb8wfwu1jtA6WiVpf6oQizo0/s857/PXL_20230912_023024315.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ThoaZJkXGZsQpr-P5GHhOCpmCVvrWF9q7dbBVU38A6-XnyHfqL_yacqPHR6DUtBd-40jrqXiIbbtXJZzYboey3SXz5RwWEFrbmamttzQUA29NBWfwdjFxERvwOoJ0apaEtMXB5mR1BTLHIun5dtULTQfLnfywL_sD-5fb8wfwu1jtA6WiVpf6oQizo0/w300-h400/PXL_20230912_023024315.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutie-pie Stella</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiyF3oftqbD64cow_TypdgY8QaRrcgTLdS6nscZlvJjr9cyMAmeYa3q87GDd6js4iNZOING-c3i2E30-y3F2btB-IUrsqjmF2mMogdgpUwhQ17RPiLVlXhHhCmSxTTr-x8sIIxwiRThwGbuBPwtinNzEtf49gmsj5E6yRvJmUPUDn7gX3Hc_qYaJewps/s1142/PXL_20230917_155159114.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1142" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiyF3oftqbD64cow_TypdgY8QaRrcgTLdS6nscZlvJjr9cyMAmeYa3q87GDd6js4iNZOING-c3i2E30-y3F2btB-IUrsqjmF2mMogdgpUwhQ17RPiLVlXhHhCmSxTTr-x8sIIxwiRThwGbuBPwtinNzEtf49gmsj5E6yRvJmUPUDn7gX3Hc_qYaJewps/w400-h300/PXL_20230917_155159114.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin teaching Nash and Levi how to be real Christian men who stack chairs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4i9OjfqQLo6EhHghhZ5cycuArqxpff2xdTvtuG1ZrcB_qCnqWTG1XQ5EcdVXxrd9nVgSMiHvbt8fKiomnwOwHTCQn_jiV9B_y1_KC5S0bfoG35LsEr17CihW8ZGFtDhrewhfY4GTDrnPgdY1mFhby6M2pIlkXURTjPvvfIH-_MwY9LDlJHTLSZ7p6Kw/s857/PXL_20230923_191149856.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4i9OjfqQLo6EhHghhZ5cycuArqxpff2xdTvtuG1ZrcB_qCnqWTG1XQ5EcdVXxrd9nVgSMiHvbt8fKiomnwOwHTCQn_jiV9B_y1_KC5S0bfoG35LsEr17CihW8ZGFtDhrewhfY4GTDrnPgdY1mFhby6M2pIlkXURTjPvvfIH-_MwY9LDlJHTLSZ7p6Kw/w300-h400/PXL_20230923_191149856.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a pool party today</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gi6qK2xjBdVnrVoWxKs-Jjf76bakJx4OY0KLx_P32zUhHl1NLd0GHE_NU-jKZPJXC2livf59Yv2yGuzYUUld2EroKjIM07GTCY3HJX5hGxCRpPk-SGmLdm4C-YRTVOpTT03vo53uLgewedZanQwoRgKZ6-wJ5rahqo7ZyCZ0cCrwy6Bb1O4POYHvzcQ/s857/PXL_20230923_191430838.PORTRAIT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gi6qK2xjBdVnrVoWxKs-Jjf76bakJx4OY0KLx_P32zUhHl1NLd0GHE_NU-jKZPJXC2livf59Yv2yGuzYUUld2EroKjIM07GTCY3HJX5hGxCRpPk-SGmLdm4C-YRTVOpTT03vo53uLgewedZanQwoRgKZ6-wJ5rahqo7ZyCZ0cCrwy6Bb1O4POYHvzcQ/w300-h400/PXL_20230923_191430838.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi was there too, I just didn't take his picture apparently. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And now to the memes. I have a bunch since I've been collecting them for two weeks!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDojpQiqQuOz0yofXdtGH0auVGZYHl-ASXMwr-WuGXpyLdA3teAmjeOILHJ0QS1Fe66petEaywaQF0NtGV80c01VkOvQmHuxWtBZatgnH7uc-KB8SYLSypRNDdNvZsUHHfqopHSVrR38lw7RfdNHnDQFoWA3wmv2IeoSOepB6L7uSifVHEBp-yHb3RBY/s843/378171441_706263468210854_3018115050480501767_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDojpQiqQuOz0yofXdtGH0auVGZYHl-ASXMwr-WuGXpyLdA3teAmjeOILHJ0QS1Fe66petEaywaQF0NtGV80c01VkOvQmHuxWtBZatgnH7uc-KB8SYLSypRNDdNvZsUHHfqopHSVrR38lw7RfdNHnDQFoWA3wmv2IeoSOepB6L7uSifVHEBp-yHb3RBY/w400-h400/378171441_706263468210854_3018115050480501767_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tis the season! Every morning the kids are crying that they're cold, so I crank the heat. Then we get in the car after school and they freak out on me asking why the heat is on. 🙄<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_nTqlms4C6mMBOWw--9jJEvY7lXiq0nBeAizf-WVPv3EAj6ZdaBIMyJjPtXyV_qf3EMVWTrKmiW7CbsQ41Go6t3oJAveVGAEhSe6gWJFbMMLyEe3OHYPa9LkH68JuLqQbkDjNffxyeep5dTaIeCH3Ql0gV2SVT_ssjoItqCknbmFRaWanYKlKKoWqmo/s936/379291585_763908108872460_6759138517112713203_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_nTqlms4C6mMBOWw--9jJEvY7lXiq0nBeAizf-WVPv3EAj6ZdaBIMyJjPtXyV_qf3EMVWTrKmiW7CbsQ41Go6t3oJAveVGAEhSe6gWJFbMMLyEe3OHYPa9LkH68JuLqQbkDjNffxyeep5dTaIeCH3Ql0gV2SVT_ssjoItqCknbmFRaWanYKlKKoWqmo/w360-h400/379291585_763908108872460_6759138517112713203_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Think this would deter a bear? 🤔</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00odwnXwSabewbOTAtP09AfSkOHI0us8PWnktQTHCdtu7dZOTWYiXEUC8vnSLHW6nVhaI-YWi5ujKi4vcXaM3eC7YY5hts-SQ6MGbBm24irQwF1aXInAmjickohcztOKkRlN--DnTA7H4Je3djYRL6L8_3uIN5b4BM1dkUTi-GSvfNt9DrpFza6X_8xY/s736/ecf5f885b96ce64959c4870295192a2e.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00odwnXwSabewbOTAtP09AfSkOHI0us8PWnktQTHCdtu7dZOTWYiXEUC8vnSLHW6nVhaI-YWi5ujKi4vcXaM3eC7YY5hts-SQ6MGbBm24irQwF1aXInAmjickohcztOKkRlN--DnTA7H4Je3djYRL6L8_3uIN5b4BM1dkUTi-GSvfNt9DrpFza6X_8xY/w400-h400/ecf5f885b96ce64959c4870295192a2e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My stomach has actually been a bit better lately! At first, I thought it was because I stopped taking the supplements and prescription pills that were supposed to be helping. But then I realized it started to feel better right around the time I upped the dosage of my depression/anxiety meds . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pmeBzZIJhQ_GBtx8amruTxEQdjxN2aQRBytELkhyuK-zvYIwzDnba7jJnowy6RGlfDXJZUlt8PpN0a-Ad0TKMiHgdlC5tiKIsIGbOZ8hv1tRayJLh1bpZcyXW2n-9LPoBpqvZ9IGIulvVxPG_Id6FrYcOoyV9Ak-1khfdC6nAL4sU4kbE9NYdHLv1oc/s977/Screenshot_20230910-200640.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="977" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pmeBzZIJhQ_GBtx8amruTxEQdjxN2aQRBytELkhyuK-zvYIwzDnba7jJnowy6RGlfDXJZUlt8PpN0a-Ad0TKMiHgdlC5tiKIsIGbOZ8hv1tRayJLh1bpZcyXW2n-9LPoBpqvZ9IGIulvVxPG_Id6FrYcOoyV9Ak-1khfdC6nAL4sU4kbE9NYdHLv1oc/w400-h351/Screenshot_20230910-200640.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">😁🐬</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i9MfNl_UrUHewiI-ZoqEc5xij6wOkOy46_0d422HmfoAf6M2zMcnfV_ThZMjgQ5dIvGNFK3Fk25Sn0rJYcWqcEqwdNs-t2zqkhzLWl4VW-VD2KOQhWXfeocjhvpWXqOxgh16ipeK8nFM6ui0JhjAjFslc6gC-JHNy9gT76-TyRc93hBerKW9aDHs2wk/s1005/Screenshot_20230911-161930.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1005" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i9MfNl_UrUHewiI-ZoqEc5xij6wOkOy46_0d422HmfoAf6M2zMcnfV_ThZMjgQ5dIvGNFK3Fk25Sn0rJYcWqcEqwdNs-t2zqkhzLWl4VW-VD2KOQhWXfeocjhvpWXqOxgh16ipeK8nFM6ui0JhjAjFslc6gC-JHNy9gT76-TyRc93hBerKW9aDHs2wk/w400-h341/Screenshot_20230911-161930.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr6z-bBWKyxbUe8icSFJKDibBoe0EAIxIoWJcznJ4936B3jIZkrDU1KelLWChZHQc5qP7vG8yZ3l6D7rNH4mdf6xZX80CMfOsIVelNChfC8RUClJs379Y96E24e253tI0sBjkkUiXfqeQrVpKSs7gh9PECkddm5mTl_0uYrd7xLvYPbS9EZEu6WGhRsc/s857/Screenshot_20230911-214540.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="762" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr6z-bBWKyxbUe8icSFJKDibBoe0EAIxIoWJcznJ4936B3jIZkrDU1KelLWChZHQc5qP7vG8yZ3l6D7rNH4mdf6xZX80CMfOsIVelNChfC8RUClJs379Y96E24e253tI0sBjkkUiXfqeQrVpKSs7gh9PECkddm5mTl_0uYrd7xLvYPbS9EZEu6WGhRsc/w356-h400/Screenshot_20230911-214540.png" width="356" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8g49_-o4H1yyQ88seUrFI_r5NLFGGAFvLrw2cnhr2_MkHY_DjeC1BCnD_efIF4f7hpkKDPwAJiwhbJUGSecbhbu1w5iF_8ukoBm0IWeJf_cWymRFZ3YJ722-tDQ3GqjFhHmIOOBLQdqQmIdDeqOVCSaoZKvkmFP1RyIenDXGlmzsBr6RierYAf3Upjg/s1080/Screenshot_20230914-222949.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1080" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8g49_-o4H1yyQ88seUrFI_r5NLFGGAFvLrw2cnhr2_MkHY_DjeC1BCnD_efIF4f7hpkKDPwAJiwhbJUGSecbhbu1w5iF_8ukoBm0IWeJf_cWymRFZ3YJ722-tDQ3GqjFhHmIOOBLQdqQmIdDeqOVCSaoZKvkmFP1RyIenDXGlmzsBr6RierYAf3Upjg/w400-h276/Screenshot_20230914-222949.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously though . . .</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMPPV5ULjwX82O0mKqXazjKBUqDBv8_KpcboGLg8q3AV0AIPLoGZSSBLfbML-8WXFJE_tA3oH-5QkewyzkKR1P2QcEoYWy798v8N95-0eDcOdP9tRX6vYGQ7esi1mgmzelu6VIV72tDbjyU1F5cFQ2DTCH_w68I33E94PU5k_nxAnJtvfHZ7X8h6wVjc/s857/Screenshot_20230915-203735.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="855" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMPPV5ULjwX82O0mKqXazjKBUqDBv8_KpcboGLg8q3AV0AIPLoGZSSBLfbML-8WXFJE_tA3oH-5QkewyzkKR1P2QcEoYWy798v8N95-0eDcOdP9tRX6vYGQ7esi1mgmzelu6VIV72tDbjyU1F5cFQ2DTCH_w68I33E94PU5k_nxAnJtvfHZ7X8h6wVjc/w399-h400/Screenshot_20230915-203735.png" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture elicits an emotional reaction</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2w45aKHvsRxmow0JPjD3ivnfZXjUfyetEBq60vFbYBdWGllj55AZO2ytLDpCl96zyrlJPuohVUWHdawKQo0ZsiACEzC2lGmsDsP2lz0xBEyvoB6AmRoDbpt587ZHRMUsPRnQSwIUd0qC18zGSndjTPqtFzevnVB-tfYxcF_B6xM-n_0po2zMyjL7oD4/s1080/Screenshot_20230915-205143.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1080" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2w45aKHvsRxmow0JPjD3ivnfZXjUfyetEBq60vFbYBdWGllj55AZO2ytLDpCl96zyrlJPuohVUWHdawKQo0ZsiACEzC2lGmsDsP2lz0xBEyvoB6AmRoDbpt587ZHRMUsPRnQSwIUd0qC18zGSndjTPqtFzevnVB-tfYxcF_B6xM-n_0po2zMyjL7oD4/w400-h308/Screenshot_20230915-205143.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwLRPKg_6uj2lfU3YAjviTmddoCHjnSI3HYWeg00YycBkUhIpMdiutTKe5ZOpDuo7MSlc24EvYC2z-IF-eedSQV8prY5eaFzQjQzGhehgl0g29_ChC2Cw8KURiIIHiZDVyyVIfPWQo6FCG2osUYY6TaNThmKYvK_fBsfedlk9bPw2d-1gd1SDafQc75Y/s857/Screenshot_20230916-104345.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="755" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwLRPKg_6uj2lfU3YAjviTmddoCHjnSI3HYWeg00YycBkUhIpMdiutTKe5ZOpDuo7MSlc24EvYC2z-IF-eedSQV8prY5eaFzQjQzGhehgl0g29_ChC2Cw8KURiIIHiZDVyyVIfPWQo6FCG2osUYY6TaNThmKYvK_fBsfedlk9bPw2d-1gd1SDafQc75Y/w353-h400/Screenshot_20230916-104345.png" width="353" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvP6MChhYC5GXSxfHwy2Y-rcIiDqGj4P0JBEuuihpl7rjMA4ff4tN_2h5dX7_hR9NIaCFcgxWpjC5sHFT0CP2S6oWHH_6aEvzMRbwgpD0-E-rEpmDq5ElRcYL3IIlegxerWoSyqr_Sq3p_J98__SVU4_gNciOajdkoSGa9sfWeDee8yWBy3fqXFzHUsM/s1080/Screenshot_20230917-154053.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1080" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvP6MChhYC5GXSxfHwy2Y-rcIiDqGj4P0JBEuuihpl7rjMA4ff4tN_2h5dX7_hR9NIaCFcgxWpjC5sHFT0CP2S6oWHH_6aEvzMRbwgpD0-E-rEpmDq5ElRcYL3IIlegxerWoSyqr_Sq3p_J98__SVU4_gNciOajdkoSGa9sfWeDee8yWBy3fqXFzHUsM/w400-h311/Screenshot_20230917-154053.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhivsHhSNafL3E7Dpi2pXpbGxTUiZ9DQsyNjMZbwByRjySS-b-adJezfPf3NNFAZHpPXn2-vtBdEFSKSWgsQPe3oselQ6APuCZq9R9VPW_HXM6rVzHKzyBURtweAAAHIyhC0sBNILN5M4zBPMGD2WUxEj7YITJ_MbCUh_r4p0VSoXwAQcj4gqbLvr-8xU/s857/Screenshot_20230917-211735.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="791" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhivsHhSNafL3E7Dpi2pXpbGxTUiZ9DQsyNjMZbwByRjySS-b-adJezfPf3NNFAZHpPXn2-vtBdEFSKSWgsQPe3oselQ6APuCZq9R9VPW_HXM6rVzHKzyBURtweAAAHIyhC0sBNILN5M4zBPMGD2WUxEj7YITJ_MbCUh_r4p0VSoXwAQcj4gqbLvr-8xU/w369-h400/Screenshot_20230917-211735.png" width="369" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvwWPiXGGms0zcM8WohXfeqAvQe5LHgPo407ReXmuAFQVLPjRkvqUyoseXLfatCkB5VeR93XV5DnflfylHzDJd35iPJA0hI_P1OK708ZWWaZiXJTLAuFqD5KUv6qGu7CwmN8AUYb5APgdit3-i-E4eCQQwllOlVjXes9ynLL9En3cEM2zvgQYipEGdFA/s1080/Screenshot_20230920-145013.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1080" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvwWPiXGGms0zcM8WohXfeqAvQe5LHgPo407ReXmuAFQVLPjRkvqUyoseXLfatCkB5VeR93XV5DnflfylHzDJd35iPJA0hI_P1OK708ZWWaZiXJTLAuFqD5KUv6qGu7CwmN8AUYb5APgdit3-i-E4eCQQwllOlVjXes9ynLL9En3cEM2zvgQYipEGdFA/w400-h304/Screenshot_20230920-145013.png" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0