tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35321139059276006172024-03-06T23:38:36.841-07:00fun with mark and bekMark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-76196432003846580852012-12-21T12:43:00.001-07:002012-12-21T12:43:20.638-07:00Last Friday I was on my way home from picking up Russell from pre-school when Mark called me and told me about the Connecticut shooting. I immediately began to cry. Russell was listening to my side of the conversation and concluded that some children had died. I was crying uncontrollably by the time we got home and suggested we pray for all those who were feeling pain and sadness.<br />
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Russell said he wanted to say the prayer and it went like this, "Dear Heavenly Father, please please please help those little kids be happy in heaven with Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen." <br />
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Later that day he told Mark and I, "I can't wait to go to heaven! Because I can't wait to play with Jesus." His desire to play with Jesus was so innocent, sweet and genuine that Mark and I just looked at each other and gave him a hug.<br />
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He quickly followed up with, "I don't think Lukey will like heaven though. Cause he's REALLY crazy." <br />
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I think Jesus would make sure that heaven would be the most wonderful place, even for rambunctious mischief makers like Lukey. <br />
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We are so grateful for each day we get with our boys, and are completely devastated for all those parents, family members, teachers and friends that lost loved ones last week. Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-1673286499939653722012-12-05T15:55:00.003-07:002012-12-05T15:55:59.348-07:00This week at our house...
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other night Mark looked into my eyes with the most
serious expression I have ever seen on his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was not even the slightest indication
of a smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staring straight into my
eyes he said, “Bekah, I need you to promise me that you will go get your oil
changed tomorrow.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>horrific request
with three wild, loud boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But with the
intense look he was giving me, I felt I would be a fool to even question
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, the next day the three boys and I were off to get the
oil changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hour we ran around the
waiting room was as bad, exhausting, humiliating as I had imagined it would be,
and I was relieved when the oil-change-man finally came walking through the door
with my keys in hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly grabbed
the keys, and the kids, and within minutes they were strapped into submission and
we were on our way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Mark got home from work I looked right at him with
pride and told him that I had indeed had my oil changed today, with all three
boys! I was very eagerly awaiting some good praise and admiration when he
asked, “How much did it cost?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I even remembered to bring along the coupon you showed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, I don’t think they even ran my
card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s weird, I wonder if they
have yours on file or something.” Said I. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the grin I could see forming I knew my praise was not
coming. “Yeah, they called me right after you left and said that my wife had
ran out without paying, and could I please pay for the services.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For some reason I find this very funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can just see those oil-change-guys watching
me snatch my keys sprint to the car, strap the kids down in record time and
peel away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also this week;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day I was in the family room talking to Mark on the
phone when I heard very loud banging coming from the laundry room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had that feeling. The one that says, “Run”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ran to the laundry room to see Luke, upside down,
in the dryer, which was on, going around and around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russell was standing guiltily with his finger
on the start button, screaming bloody murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Russ Russ was horrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
pretending to cry, but was really laughing hysterically. Lukey cried for a
total of ten seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lukey has been saying, “Lukey go’d in dryner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russo push a button. Lukey go roun an roun”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as he makes big circles with his arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time to start using the child lock option on our washer and
dryer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crazy mama who is losing her memory...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoeV2nnlgAPq6ogt9BmUJ0tJGRLPbZEhxrqHcusVBkbSDzPOufkwaneWsajJ3ff3rRRBH3msIp6mtKtbJ1OLJ7p_Hwxf_KMr7l3TmNn5opMM_k7a2o4zK3w5MjmwUCteiPa4ACeiKbtE/s1600/DSC00059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoeV2nnlgAPq6ogt9BmUJ0tJGRLPbZEhxrqHcusVBkbSDzPOufkwaneWsajJ3ff3rRRBH3msIp6mtKtbJ1OLJ7p_Hwxf_KMr7l3TmNn5opMM_k7a2o4zK3w5MjmwUCteiPa4ACeiKbtE/s320/DSC00059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two biggest little mischief makers around...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77OjBAUFnu8M-l0wyMKTQn5QLPdY8swUJ30gr5FvJV8_7M5rMKYJQnjNBXorDtdQ7RanSMUIHY_kXfI4PBFvAKeMZxPP7503b4OfFHy_xKudx9qXfuj111jCdr6L_KXOk_Qyac6wJ6ic/s1600/1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77OjBAUFnu8M-l0wyMKTQn5QLPdY8swUJ30gr5FvJV8_7M5rMKYJQnjNBXorDtdQ7RanSMUIHY_kXfI4PBFvAKeMZxPP7503b4OfFHy_xKudx9qXfuj111jCdr6L_KXOk_Qyac6wJ6ic/s320/1295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Grady eating dirt...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP9EGRUK_K8nmB_2ZHr6EZOtT0zW3SIimcfRAj0ite4mkPZ0XwuwhXOZ4NFxa95jMhvAO0-1Nj-TeFU5biRJ-mosQuNOYuxwsh4J_9pZ3P2GL2m8bqdabhx3pi-pyLqpQBx36UdLUZ-Y/s1600/1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP9EGRUK_K8nmB_2ZHr6EZOtT0zW3SIimcfRAj0ite4mkPZ0XwuwhXOZ4NFxa95jMhvAO0-1Nj-TeFU5biRJ-mosQuNOYuxwsh4J_9pZ3P2GL2m8bqdabhx3pi-pyLqpQBx36UdLUZ-Y/s320/1296.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-70445923979949030512012-11-29T13:23:00.002-07:002012-11-29T13:23:39.114-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our first big house project. Unfortunately I did not take more pictures of what the kitchen looked like before,but here it is.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypkyFYqxlF1RMQVN5e-wEGKUa4fj7aZvw9aLlIH9npyJkyfPXTiv1Q5P8nwA9Up7lAKnOsS7rkxatI8OF6Sfi-AJS_O85cZMc5vEELfDyq2K6G53m2HRxFNquefCSza4zH3tI6gD0kaU/s1600/1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypkyFYqxlF1RMQVN5e-wEGKUa4fj7aZvw9aLlIH9npyJkyfPXTiv1Q5P8nwA9Up7lAKnOsS7rkxatI8OF6Sfi-AJS_O85cZMc5vEELfDyq2K6G53m2HRxFNquefCSza4zH3tI6gD0kaU/s320/1392.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Mark and I worked our bums off, and about 45 hours of hard work later this is what we have.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgJQawbUpJMiDRZ9nGQP53ZT-DBRAP7FfZWznO2kpMIKr54op174JBk16MmNhq7OrY3zvFmNpiI78TIHMWG1WXsV1Suan5cX6x6BYCMDLJ9r7mAqUs4tjbSukT5ap2bsrjGasqzH4e-8/s1600/P1040735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgJQawbUpJMiDRZ9nGQP53ZT-DBRAP7FfZWznO2kpMIKr54op174JBk16MmNhq7OrY3zvFmNpiI78TIHMWG1WXsV1Suan5cX6x6BYCMDLJ9r7mAqUs4tjbSukT5ap2bsrjGasqzH4e-8/s320/P1040735.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We changed the cabinet color from a very dark brown to white, and the paint color on the walls from a pink/beige to a blue/gray.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1hhdvqe3pP9ftfU3UyTQSbxz3O-GGGeWEgNzpEVYsZL_5PoHPSf8mnpLxV13zHn593FXWfkpnsEFJaqCIRP0lAMXBYKXyXMSXqpmzuuwIbOwzRaFjyxeqluI5NMsvShE5xOFje10KYA/s1600/P1040740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1hhdvqe3pP9ftfU3UyTQSbxz3O-GGGeWEgNzpEVYsZL_5PoHPSf8mnpLxV13zHn593FXWfkpnsEFJaqCIRP0lAMXBYKXyXMSXqpmzuuwIbOwzRaFjyxeqluI5NMsvShE5xOFje10KYA/s320/P1040740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, it is still not completely finished. We have one more drawer and three more cabinets to put back up. I am very happy with how it turned out. It was such gratifying work and I enjoyed working alongside Mark in making our home our own.</div>
<br />Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-9956469358776202112012-11-27T22:21:00.003-07:002012-11-27T22:21:50.545-07:00Interview with Grady on his 10 month birthday
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me about what
you can remember from the beginning of your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried really
hard to break free at 32 weeks, but was not successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me another 6 weeks to perfect my second
escape plan, and this time it was executed with perfection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stuck my finger right through that sack of
water I had been living in, and whoosh, there was no turning back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soon I wished I was back inside.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, the first 2
days were a luxurious vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom and
dad and I just watched movies, snuggled, slept and drank warm sugar milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then they brought me home and these two
big, loud, wild boys could not keep off of me and they kissed and coughed all
over my face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I knew it I was not feeling so good and I was back in
the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was illness #1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kicked that, but it didn't take too long for me to realize
that I had the reflux, real bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
parents took a bit longer to figure out why the heck I could not stop
screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They got one thing right
though, I loved to bounce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would
sit on that red exercise ball, hold me close and bounce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, and only then would the blistering pain
subside enough for me not to scream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if this was not enough I got sick at least a dozen times
in the first four months, had a few ear infections, and broke out in huge hives
all over my body a couple of times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And to make matters worse, my mom and dad couldn’t even name me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They called me a new name
every few days and just as I started to connect with it they would change it
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daddy would come home from work
every night, bounce and bounce and bounce me, look down into my incredibly cute
face and ask, “What is your name little buddy?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grady. That is what we all finally decided, and boy am I a
Grady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took us two months, plus the 9
they were pregnant with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sheesh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mommy always knew I was an incredibly happy, joyful spirit
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember one night she looked
at me fondly and said, “Isn’t he so cute Mark?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is definitely the happiest baby we have had.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dad looked down at me in pure bewilderment and exhausted
confusion with an expression that clearly said, ‘Are you crazy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the saddest baby I have ever seen!’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I grew, and the blistering throat stopped, and I was so
happy to feel better that I have been pretty merry ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the first five months of my life I perfected my shriek,
sob, cry, snivel, whimper and weep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took the next five months to perfect my
giggle, guttural laugh, snicker, grin, chuckle and chortle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holy moly, I am adorable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is it like
being the third child?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you ever feel
like you are forgotten?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people think
that by the time the third kid comes around the poor little babe does not get
enough attention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They could not be more
wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of just having a mom and
dad admire and care for me, I have four people constantly adoring me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone in this family is quite lovesick over me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lukey never even purposefully hits, kicks or
throws toys at me anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you been
working on any skills?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look lady, I came
out as a helpless blob, and now I can crawl around with great agility, stand
up, and dance like nobody’s business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am beyond satisfied with my skills. That is why I can’t stop smiling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have also been working on a different skill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the last ten months I have watched the
one they call Lukey disassemble, destroy, shatter and break<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>many things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have learned a lot from my observations and the other day I saw my
chance to present myself as a true threat to the items in this home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lukey and I worked side by side in silent camaraderie
to completely take apart and take off the doors on the t.v. stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skills? I think so.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any particular
events in your life that have a special place in your memory?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have done
something that many have never yet had the chance to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to ride in an ambulance to the
hospital. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You see, I love to put things in my mouth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who doesn’t? It’s all the rage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also like to store them in my mouth for
long periods of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like a
chipmunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Long story short; found a button, went in the mouth, choked,
mom frantic, dad frantic, emergency room, ambulance to primary children’s
hospital, x-ray (most adorable bones anyone has ever seen), i.v., sleep,
bronchoscopy, home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well it sounds like
you have been able to lead a pretty exciting life thus far and we cannot wait
to see what the future has in store for you.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">G:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks, let’s meet
up again in another ten months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-24680258519570446252012-11-11T20:21:00.000-07:002012-11-11T20:21:12.552-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's all.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-2293669255717222382012-10-31T20:41:00.000-06:002012-10-31T20:41:14.089-06:00
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ladies, what about our men turns us on more than anything else?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We love when they do pushups and then immediately show us
how big their muscles are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really
love when they do the dishes and laundry, and sweep the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love when they grab our hand, or give us
a big smooch in public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love when
they hold us tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love when they
come home from work, ask us about our day, and look at us and are engaged while
we talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love when they cook
alongside us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But what do we love most of all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, I can’t really speak collectively here,
but what do I love most of all?</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I absolutely burst inside when I walk into the boys’ room
and see Mark leaning against the wall, reading with both boys on his lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I adore looking up from dinner prep to see Mark being
tackled and tackling two energetic giggling boys while Grady crawls around them
in circles.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I cherish the moments Mark presses his prickly man cheek
against Grady’s soft, chubby baby cheek and just sits there for a moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I eat up the moments that Mark teaches the boys about
catching fish, or treating women special, or telling the truth, or about Jesus,
and the look of complete trust in those boys’ eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nothing gets me like seeing my man be a great daddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that is SEXY!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since we moved to Utah and Mark began working for Rio Tinto
there have been some busy times, even a couple of months where he worked all
day and into the night, returning home long after the kids were asleep, but
overall his schedule has been so much better than any other time in our 6.5
years of marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so grateful for
his job, which allows him to see these three amazing boys and be a good daddy
to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am much more grateful for a
husband who loves his kids and also loves to play with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Russell speaks for all three boys when he says that Daddy is
the “strongest, most fun to play with, best daddy in our family.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know the competition of a dad, “in our
family” is not too strong, but to Russell it means the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The attribute of “handsomest in the family”
apparently goes to Lukey, and “smartest in the family” goes to Russell himself,
“cutest in the family” of course goes to Grady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-75217943765982757042012-10-26T21:03:00.002-06:002012-10-26T22:36:18.137-06:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few days ago I was hanging with my sister-in-law Becky, and
she asked how the house hunt was going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“It is kind of like dating all over again, without the kissing, which
makes it not nearly so fun”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know I have a tendency to relate everything to dating, but
hear me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What was dating like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Try to recall accurately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
mostly remember the fun times, but dig deep and reminisce over the times you
sat at Denny’s across from a boy who was no fun to look at, and you were bored,
and he made you feel a little uncomfortable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let me tell you, there are a homes-a-plenty that are not fun
to look at, and make me bored, as well as slightly uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember how you were so excited to finally be permitted to
date, and you were filled with butterflies and excitement at the dating
starting gates?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is precisely how I felt when we were off to see homes
for the first time.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember when you were out on a date wishing you were back
at your apartment in your comfy pants eating ice cream with your roommates and
working on a puzzle instead of spending those four hours on that date.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I almost always wish I was back at home in my comfy pants,
eating ice cream with my totally awesome roommate Mark, and working on a
puzzle, or rather, watching Downton Abbey instead of spending those hours house
hunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember how you would finally find one you liked and you
would go out with him one time, then two times, then three times, and then kiss
and kiss, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and it was such fun?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well it is the same with a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You finally find on you like and you go see
it once, then twice, then three times, and you introduce it to your friends and
family, but you don’t kiss it, cause that would be C-R-A-Z-Y, but it is
starting to be sort of fun.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then you would fall in love with this boy and imagine
your future together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And kiss some
more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Likewise, you look at this house and imagine yourself and
your family doing every day activities together, and it starts to feel so real
and magical.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then you break up and cry, and then make up and kiss a
lot, and then break up and cry again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have done our share of breaking up with houses and crying.
I do the crying, not Mark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And some aunt always said, “It only takes one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just have to find the right one once.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I keep saying that to myself over and over, and holy
cow, I wish I could just get married already and this waste of time house
hunting would be gone forever!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then all of your friends find the right one and get married
and you are just waiting and looking and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">See the parallel now?</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, after seeing somewhere between 40 and 50 houses and making
a handful of offers, I think we have finally found that special one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here in good old Sandy, Utah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We close on Nov 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> at which point it will be official.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hallelujah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Here she is. </span></span><br />
</div>
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Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-49545422063554168592012-10-02T21:39:00.000-06:002012-10-02T21:39:33.147-06:00The eggs that broke the mama's backLet's face reality square in the face... I will never catch up. But, I think I will start blogging again as it is my only form of family history. <br />
<br />
What better way to restart than an honest illustration of what the first few months of Grady's life were like. I wrote this in my journal in June:<br />
<br />
<br />
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When Russell was one, I occasionally watched one of his
little one year old friends for a few hours a week. Her name was Katie. She was the third child.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day her mama dropped her off and said, “Call me if she
starts to throw up. This morning I found
her sucking on raw eggs shells in the kitchen garbage. I don’t know how long she was doing it before
I found her.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was a little shocked by this statement. Do not misunderstand; I am not one to judge a
fellow mom. I personally think the moms
I know are truly trying their very best to parent their children correctly
while gripping to a bit of their sanity.
I was just having difficulty imagining a scenario where Russell would
have an opportunity to suck raw eggs shells in the trash for an unidentifiable
period of time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many times since I have chuckled at this thought. I mean, who doesn’t have an opportunity to
suck raw egg shells in the trash for an unidentifiable period of time? Honestly!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But on Wednesday God had the last laugh. We were getting ready to scoot our four
booty’s out the door and get to Russell’s swim lesson. I had dressed and fed Russ and Luke and myself
by 9 a.m. Grady was sleeping and as soon
as he woke up I would nurse him, change him strap all three kids in the Sonata
and be on our way. I heard Grady’s cry
and I ran into his room, picked his soft little body up, gave him a nuzzle, sat
in the glider and began feeding the little babe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I sat there peacefully adoring little Grady, deeply
appreciating the fact that Russ and Luke had not charged into the room, slammed
the door open, yelled, “Hi Grady! Hi Mommy! As loud as they could and climbed
all over me while I nursed. Ah, peace.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He finished nursing in a few minutes and I was off to change
his diaper and load up the kiddos. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked into the kitchen with Grady in my arms and my jaw
dropped. I was stunned. There stood Russ and Luke grinning from ear
to ear with forty eggs smashed all over the kitchen floor and Lukey’s
head. I do not exaggerate the
quantity. You know those 60 egg crates
from Costco? That was what they had
found. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the slimiest, gooiest, thickest mess I had
experienced in motherhood. They were
practically bathing in salmonella slime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started to laugh, which is my natural reaction to
uncomfortable or shocking situations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I heard that little head voice say, “You need evidence of
this. Grab the camera.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The kids were excited.
Russell seemed slightly apprehensive, but relaxed and laughed when he
saw me hold up the camera, smile and say, “Cheese.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I slammed the camera down and yelled, yes yelled, “NOW GO TO
TIME OUT!” The kids were confused. I was 1/3 laughing –it was funny, 1/3 yelling
–I was ticked, and 1/3 crying because I knew I had to clean it up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Wednesday there were tears at our house. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At night, when the mess was cleaned up, my tears were cried,
and Russell had spent the rest of the day being an absolute angel, Mark and I
lay in bed looking at the pictures and imagining how it happened. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We both had no doubt it was that mischievous little red-head boy who’s little mind sprung the idea. But we were trying to decide how the eggs were smashed on his head. I think they were just throwing them as high as they could and watching them crash on the floor. Lukey probably threw one up in the air and it came right down on his head. I can see both boys laughing hysterically as they did it again and again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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While I am thoroughly frustrated with my inability to locate the pictures of the boys and the egg mess, these other random pictures of my little mischief makers will have to do for now. </div>
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Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-59605933844139467312012-03-21T17:10:00.000-06:002012-03-21T17:10:27.571-06:00"Love" Veteran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXC9gY_AFn_ZdxnL1I0JOvusnaz8RGhT3Kep5Os7M3ZRZgAqihKzm3Pu_1kuo6fCtviVhqU61_rCsNwJT9gyNHnvOpqi9CIVoFmd1Oj02rkiKYnU-300s2zFenFUTxPhYDg-JhYHS39g/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXC9gY_AFn_ZdxnL1I0JOvusnaz8RGhT3Kep5Os7M3ZRZgAqihKzm3Pu_1kuo6fCtviVhqU61_rCsNwJT9gyNHnvOpqi9CIVoFmd1Oj02rkiKYnU-300s2zFenFUTxPhYDg-JhYHS39g/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is our family’s Buzz doll. He is well “loved” –note the missing legs, half an arm, and wings that have been crudely reattached with electric tape.<br />
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Sometimes I feel like this Buzz doll. I look into his eyes and am filled with fear that I might not survive the 70 pounds of “love” I am pummeled with all day long. <br />
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There are times when Grady, Buzz and I hold each other and make a run for my bedroom. We lock the door behind us and take a little time-out from all of this “love”.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-17484187288735290062012-03-10T05:56:00.000-07:002012-03-10T05:56:54.874-07:00Grady Beck Gardner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grady Beck Gardner. What?! Yes, we changed our baby’s name. Get over it. It took us two full days after his birth to scratch Joshua on the birth certificate. It didn’t fit. Poor Mark could never call him by the name Joshua. I got pretty good at it, but only if I called him Joshua Beck; every single time. Mark suggested we change his name. After a couple of days of thought I agreed. The poor kid went another four weeks without a first name, and was known throughout the house as Baby Beck. We tried on a few, and finally came to Grady. Stick. Success. Sweet. I am pretty happy and relieved, because I can now actually call him by his name and not cringe as I say it because it feels all wrong. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Russell is the most confused by this, and prays, “Please bless baby Joshua, no, I mean . . . baby Grady to never cry every again.” And two days ago he said to us, quite concerned, “Are we going to change my name?”<br />
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“Why do you want to?”<br />
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“No, I want to be Russell.”<br />
“Ok, we won’t change your name.”<br />
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Grady is a treasure and we love our little boy. He started giving us huge grins which makes melt my heart immediately. He can be pretty fussy, so we spend hours daily bouncing him on the exercise ball, to keep him from crying. But, by the third time around we know that this will pass.<br />
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Whenever Grady's "eyes are open" Russell insists on being in his view. If Mark or I are next to him, talking to him, Russell scoots right in between so he can have the number one spot. He is such a sweet big brother. <br />
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Sometimes when Grady is crying and I come in from another room to pick him up I see Russ trying to give him his binky saying, "It's ok baby, I'm here, shh, I'm here." <br />
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He also often squeals and says, "He's so cute!" <br />
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When Grady has a crying fit Russell says a prayer for him to stop crying, and as Russell's prayers are always answered, this is a great help. Except that prayer I mentioned above that "Grady would cry never again." We explained that babys have to cry because they can't talk yet and tell us what is wrong. Now Russell prays, "Please bless baby Joshua, I mean Grady, will walk and talk."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7cCQPxXBlgEuqAa20zmTOaz6k3lWx1d2bNKHR6X_IroweDs6Xa0VXcczQkG5QPjKBeOjYVBxT1MPOBo-P2pxnSjFMshKrR_7BYEzN3AgHhB9H2ri7NAKzOpXAURqBjcbp2SLqLUCObE/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7cCQPxXBlgEuqAa20zmTOaz6k3lWx1d2bNKHR6X_IroweDs6Xa0VXcczQkG5QPjKBeOjYVBxT1MPOBo-P2pxnSjFMshKrR_7BYEzN3AgHhB9H2ri7NAKzOpXAURqBjcbp2SLqLUCObE/s320/075.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-62817900276388091882012-02-06T21:58:00.000-07:002012-02-06T21:58:42.432-07:00we are home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtut4qV0Eshj6x8l5yAuSSpbm27_C5iWWO-jYiqPkoPFFkFnRXSNbojiZcqiRuxbxlA04BSZvlNI0CFfimOcwKZCh1XasUv_t3vUSpygXoH-CCKRc3hUHrRMfHjAbGX-l2iZGWRdONzOs/s1600/joshy+hospital+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtut4qV0Eshj6x8l5yAuSSpbm27_C5iWWO-jYiqPkoPFFkFnRXSNbojiZcqiRuxbxlA04BSZvlNI0CFfimOcwKZCh1XasUv_t3vUSpygXoH-CCKRc3hUHrRMfHjAbGX-l2iZGWRdONzOs/s320/joshy+hospital+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6BiTUdhHIZL2Xi7mX07L0hobTHfh_7OLRjTBHWVG4yDybL1Cqq1wEVN1CjMNTs14IJkDG0neG6l9vqpPJsOPLYYsIRFU7clpHdTtWJN0SUoeV1QAe_SzMM5CsfpXhm87haMpd_wcRi0/s1600/joshy+hospital+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6BiTUdhHIZL2Xi7mX07L0hobTHfh_7OLRjTBHWVG4yDybL1Cqq1wEVN1CjMNTs14IJkDG0neG6l9vqpPJsOPLYYsIRFU7clpHdTtWJN0SUoeV1QAe_SzMM5CsfpXhm87haMpd_wcRi0/s320/joshy+hospital+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfMYY3Obm-enoqqOX0O9oq9_uBBBKtlaoK3gvQvgKjp5mVcyKi4Z-qUXg6qID0-VfSDOO-0kt8cshBdnaSing-rzAxGwNlwpc3DZNKlTblItfzurVYuG8xs1yfNwpd5HRrkRN8pFjJVc/s1600/joshy+hospital+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfMYY3Obm-enoqqOX0O9oq9_uBBBKtlaoK3gvQvgKjp5mVcyKi4Z-qUXg6qID0-VfSDOO-0kt8cshBdnaSing-rzAxGwNlwpc3DZNKlTblItfzurVYuG8xs1yfNwpd5HRrkRN8pFjJVc/s320/joshy+hospital+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Baby Joshua and I got to come home from the hospital tonight. We are so grateful that he is doing so well. We feel very blessed and appreciate all the prayers we had for him.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-46989494138008623232012-02-04T14:19:00.000-07:002012-02-04T14:19:28.494-07:00Joshy update I am sitting here in a chair at the hospital looking at my beautiful twelve day old Joshua. He is lying on his back, sleeping peacefully in his crib with tubes in his nose, wires on his chest and cords on his feet. In my motherly opinion I think he is the most brave, most charming and most gorgeous little baby in the world. The nurses and doctors keep reaffirming this notion by constantly telling me how cute he is.<br />
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Yesterday morning my mom and I looked at his umbilical stump, which was bleeding and infected looking and grimaced. “That doesn’t look normal. Maybe we should call the pediatrician.”<br />
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Our pediatrician was out for the weekend, but his partner said to bring him in.<br />
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The umbilical area was treated, I was told to keep an eye on it, and home we went.<br />
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Around 2:00 Joshy’s breath was labored, and he was coughing and gagging on phlegm. <br />
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“That doesn’t sound normal. Maybe we should call the pediatrician.”<br />
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“Hi, I brought my baby in this morning, this is my third baby, and I swear I am not an overly paranoid mother, but…”<br />
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I was told to bring him in again, and after a ten minute examination the pediatrician told me I needed to head immediately over to the emergency room at Primary Children’s Hospital. Joshy was sick, having trouble breathing and needed immediate care. It could not wait until the evening. He said he would call the hospital right away and tell them I was on my way.<br />
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I was brave, but as I passed the receptionist on my way out, and saw the look of horrible pity in her eyes as she said quietly, “Good luck”, I started to cry.<br />
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I held this baby inside for nine months, and I loved him. But in the last eleven days I had fallen wholly and irreversibly in love with him. I held him close, adored his amazing little cleft chin, pronounced nose, chubby cheeks, long toes. I had watched my husband and boys adore their, “new baby”. Nothing could happen to this little angel. <br />
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I was relieved when after the third call Mark answered and said he would meet me at the hospital. I need him to be my side. He is my partner and my love and my strength.<br />
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We were admitted yesterday afternoon. Back in the hospital on the day he was officially “due”. <br />
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Joshua has a virus and bronchiolitis. His little body is having a hard time getting enough oxygen because of the mucus in his nose and his enflamed bronchioles. We have been blessed that he has not yet developed any fever, and is still nursing well and staying hydrated. Because of this he has avoided having an i.v, spinal tap and antibiotics. We pray he does not develop a fever and continues to nurse. They have been trying to wean him off of his oxygen, but he has not been able to maintain healthy levels on his own yet. <br />
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Because the symptoms of most of these viruses get worse over the first 5-7 days, before getting better, we will most likely be here at least a couple of days. Considering his age and sickness, I think he is doing very well. <br />
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I always know I love my little family, but events like this make the love I feel for Mark, Russ Russ, Lukey and Joshua so acute. These boys make my life so rich and meaningful and filled with love. Say a prayer for Joshy. Hopefully we will be home and healthy very soon.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-35925620142821728942012-02-02T22:07:00.000-07:002012-02-02T22:07:53.688-07:00Joshy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am so in love with this little man.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatpPoa4OXzqjxc2Cq4frqUpdwDOwuaM2zk7hnUwyTO5gYLw7NKp8pZraJWgruEiQsG1IvA47AKLRBGAGfxe2Nk0_gXzHOQV4hoBQzbrI3ERzaIY9cx2-OhyChdLrWa1D3nEeKXevZ0pw/s1600/P1020191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatpPoa4OXzqjxc2Cq4frqUpdwDOwuaM2zk7hnUwyTO5gYLw7NKp8pZraJWgruEiQsG1IvA47AKLRBGAGfxe2Nk0_gXzHOQV4hoBQzbrI3ERzaIY9cx2-OhyChdLrWa1D3nEeKXevZ0pw/s320/P1020191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YQhWeP7fqqs5WOBFl67xIDIZRE2qKxjAVVkZzaSpd16kmvUfro3uEkP8MMQvBmOd4cwyyBUP4SOjml2aAL1y-6JHeadH3UR2n9mu6lh_ypXwiaLqLPEehl2Mo8cR3Cc0LSkoYZQqniM/s1600/P1020188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YQhWeP7fqqs5WOBFl67xIDIZRE2qKxjAVVkZzaSpd16kmvUfro3uEkP8MMQvBmOd4cwyyBUP4SOjml2aAL1y-6JHeadH3UR2n9mu6lh_ypXwiaLqLPEehl2Mo8cR3Cc0LSkoYZQqniM/s320/P1020188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-13208453585526497932012-01-28T15:48:00.000-07:002012-01-28T15:48:01.268-07:00It's baby timeWe were excited and somewhat surprised when my water broke at 2 am Monday morning. Surprised because this baby was coming somewhere between 8 and 12 days early (we didn't think we could do early babys at our house), but only somewhat surprised because my body had been warning me for days. We were not entirely ready, but threw some things in a bag, called my sister to come over and stay with the kids -what a saint- and drove to the hospital. <br />
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The labor went smoothly and at 3:23 we met Joshua Beck Gardner. He was 19 1/2 inches long and 8 lb 15.4oz. Less than an ounce smaller than Russ Russ was. I was grateful he decided to come early and I did not have to give birth to a 10 1/2 pound baby!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz2ZXSSRPklRdtX6f8lV8JMzqcqqZkR2jUaihrpkoJ270FpS0fFUIxZguDzTZ5F6xqZAESG4QJrROupNI2xT-mbW6Ee6T7QBljM0229obbGAyQG5sN2oQGKMC-LZdEbgkkDsZrrjQfFs/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz2ZXSSRPklRdtX6f8lV8JMzqcqqZkR2jUaihrpkoJ270FpS0fFUIxZguDzTZ5F6xqZAESG4QJrROupNI2xT-mbW6Ee6T7QBljM0229obbGAyQG5sN2oQGKMC-LZdEbgkkDsZrrjQfFs/s320/028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Russell could not be more in love with his new brother. He sings to him, tells him, "It's ok baby, I'm here, I'm here" when the baby cries, and tells us about 100 times per day how cute the new baby is. <br />
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Lukey has been a good little boy and loves his baby brother as well. He has not yet thrown a heavy toy at Joshua's head or slapped him in the face, which we think is a positive sign.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So far we are adjusting well, but that is probably only because my mom is here being super-mom, and super-grandma, and super-cook, and super-cleaner woman. She had been planning on coming Friday afternoon, but when we called her at 6 am monday morning, she cancelled her clients for the week, changed her flight and was in Salt Lake by noon. We are so spoiled and so grateful to her!</div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-8378964934093857332011-12-30T18:17:00.000-07:002011-12-30T18:17:00.786-07:00Greased Pig ContestWhen I was seventeen our church organized a teen event for all of us in the area. A couple hundred of us trekked out of Las Vegas to a nearby ranch for a day and night of fun. The most memorable activity was the greased pig contest. <br />
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There was a fenced in area, and greased pink pigs–squealing and running around like crazy. There were a bunch of teenagers dressed in jumpsuits, sprinting and attempting to tackle the swine. The point of the game was to capture the greased pig in your arms. Looking back it seems like such a horrible form of animal cruelty, but the teenage brain is not exactly fully developed, and at the time it was incredible fun.<br />
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Fast forward ten years, and my little family has just moved to Utah. The climate is much more dry than Southern California. The children’s skin is suffering, and breaking out in horrible dry rashes. An addition to our daily routine has been added, and looks like this;<br />
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A fenced in arena – Luke’s room with the door shut.<br />
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Two pink naked boys --fresh from the tubby, squealing, giggling and running around in circles trying to escape me.<br />
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A determined mother, with lotion covering her hands sprinting and tackling the boys to lather them up from head to toe. <br />
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Every time we enter the room and close the door to begin the chase I am taken straight back to that greased pig contest.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">During the original competition there was this kid named Leo. He made a jump for the pig, threw his arms around the pig’s waist and grabbed tight. That poor kid got pooped on. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Let’s just say one of the other side effects of moving to Utah was a couple weeks of the flu, and yes, during one of our chases this poor mom made a jump, a grab, and got pooped on. I wish I was wearing a jumpsuit.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7q2ZW1VN8yjnuFDulqFat0cZhQNPAmBXplbQrCooQz7egUW8x6ZLHb1R4C0cL3pZ2k-KnBCQbrNq9-Kpbn6LkRrFF5F3Xy2YD_f7v3VW_EPUIIFk0xVFmJJcM6IkYAy4tg9Ha4dUQjYA/s1600/greased+pig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7q2ZW1VN8yjnuFDulqFat0cZhQNPAmBXplbQrCooQz7egUW8x6ZLHb1R4C0cL3pZ2k-KnBCQbrNq9-Kpbn6LkRrFF5F3Xy2YD_f7v3VW_EPUIIFk0xVFmJJcM6IkYAy4tg9Ha4dUQjYA/s1600/greased+pig.jpg" /></a></div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-22088070941542243542011-12-23T12:32:00.000-07:002011-12-23T12:32:15.001-07:00We may not be ready to turn in our California drivers licenses, or take the California plates off of our cars, but we have changed the presets on our radios.Leaving Los Angeles was like breaking up with that boy you knew you should not marry. We had been together for five years, and the familiarity of the place made the thought of leaving frightening, but exciting as well. It was time to start playing the field again. Time to see if we could find a better fit. But would the next boyfriend be better or worse? Would we look back in a few months and think, “I’m so glad I did that, this new place is such a better fit for us”? Or would we come crawling back to LA with our tail between our legs and beg him to take us back?<br />
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Once our decision had been made, and we knew the breakup was coming, there were many moments Mark and I looked at each other and said, “What the heck are we doing?” <br />
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There are so many reasons we fell in love with California. We had infinite opportunities for new and exciting adventures. We had a list of fun things we wanted to do, but the longer we lived there, and the more we crossed off, the longer our list became, because we just kept hearing about more places to see, things to do, restaurants to try, beaches and mountains to explore. We will miss the year-round hiking, camping, beaches, museums, daily walks to the park, farmers markets, amusements parks, tide pools and day trips. And it was hard to leave perfect weather, and friends we had come to love.<br />
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Los Angeles was almost all we knew as a married couple. We had lived there for most our marriage, and was the only place we had been parents. <br />
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But we had so many logical reasons to leave. The ever-growing expenses of our ever-growing family were making it difficult to get by, with me choosing to stay home and raise our kids. We were feeling pretty crammed in our 2 bedroom apartment, and dragging our mattress out to the family room every night for 15 months was getting a little old. Schools are always an issue there, and not having Mark at home before the kids were asleep was not ideal. If we moved to the school district and neighborhood where we wanted to settle, Mark would be gone an extra 2 hours a day. The reality that the majority of Russ and Luke’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins did not really know them also made us sad. <br />
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All in all, things have been much easier here. The best improvement is having Mark home before the kids are in bed. He has not had a job landing him home in the evenings before, and having him home around six is beautiful. I have to sacrifice sleeping in a little longer in the mornings, but it is completely worth it. Check with me in a couple months and we have a one-month old, I might be singing a different tune.<br />
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We have the opportunity to see family and friends much more. Loved ones have been incredibly helpful to us during our move, and over the last three weeks. We have been the recipients of so many services from family, friends and strangers. Yes, we have had about 15 families from our neighborhood bring us treats and dinners and welcoming us. Mark and I have been shocked by all the kindness. <br />
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Having a garage is a definite improvement. I can strap the kids in without first having to navigate through halls, stairwells, a pool and a parking lot. Having a washer and dryer comes close behind. <br />
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Yes, it is cold. But if you are going to move to Utah in the dead of winter, I recommend doing it when you are 8 months pregnant and your body's thermostat is a little out of whack anyway. The boys only took a few days to adjust, and now they want to play outside even in 30 degree weather.<br />
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Quick story; the boys and I have been used to walking to the park almost every day. The first day we were in our new house Russ said, "Let's go to the park". <br />
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'Why not?' I thought. 'It doesn't seem too cold, and they have coats. I bundled them up, loaded them in the double stroller and walked the four houses to the park. We got there, the boys just stood in the grass, unable to move, snot and tears were running down both of their cheeks. <br />
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"It's flippin cold at this park." Russ says, "Let's go to a biffrent park." Sorry kid, all the parks in Utah are going to be this cold.<br />
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He also recently told me, "Cars in Utah drive sloooooow."<br />
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But, if you ask him if he wants to move back to our home in California, he gives a loud, "NO!" He loves our new house. <br />
Back to the dating analogy- are we ready to accept a ring from Utah and make an eternal commitment? Give me a break, we have only been dating 3 weeks and we haven’t even had our first kiss yet. But I think we will try him out a little longer. We are quite happy here in our new home and environment, but let us not pretend that any of us know what the future will bring.<br />
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Merry Christmas everyone!Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-10647157015242275372011-11-03T14:07:00.000-06:002011-11-03T14:07:41.246-06:00While the nausea is away, the pregnant woman will play.<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">October has shined good health upon our family and we have celebrated by playing.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We finally checked out the canals in Venice. I have been wanting to see these for years, but with the never-ending list of things to do in Los Angeles, we finally made it there. We were very impressed with the beautiful homes, clear water, quaint boats, and cute duckies. It was such a serene and peaceful area, until we arrived, of course, with our two rambunctious boys running over bridges and chasing ducks and geese.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjatBIjMb6yy5IPgqGoTwIMVGcOZgxrt7z_ZCP3TMQIjgZhWyMnQFGmxjgLqDjtpUhWzfhlDBROwUzIvVKYzs2jkHpbIZIhcn1y_wcXj6W7EgsdksyrnZ7WtJLcyzWqu2O11WnsuulgN2d/s1600/IMAG0167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjatBIjMb6yy5IPgqGoTwIMVGcOZgxrt7z_ZCP3TMQIjgZhWyMnQFGmxjgLqDjtpUhWzfhlDBROwUzIvVKYzs2jkHpbIZIhcn1y_wcXj6W7EgsdksyrnZ7WtJLcyzWqu2O11WnsuulgN2d/s320/IMAG0167.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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The next weekend we headed to Vegas to spend time with my parents and see best friends. My parents completely spoiled us by taking us out for dinner for Mark's birthday, babysitting for us to go to the temple, letting us host a barbecue at their home with our friends, and taking us to the pumpkin patch. <br />
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Russell could not be more in love with Grandma. She put him to sleep every night and for every nap.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0bKm_1SWVnpPLCJA2jQa4jq_95lFlxYjV6RceJ5AbUluZVZiXiwHIpPhIIyokqfa6WDM_mk0yDmzp32OGH5oPN3UWvaCH5op4JossBZX20GsHxRUOJdJBfX0cOlVowk-RIwm4ESz3Pkd/s1600/057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0bKm_1SWVnpPLCJA2jQa4jq_95lFlxYjV6RceJ5AbUluZVZiXiwHIpPhIIyokqfa6WDM_mk0yDmzp32OGH5oPN3UWvaCH5op4JossBZX20GsHxRUOJdJBfX0cOlVowk-RIwm4ESz3Pkd/s320/057.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>At the pumpkin patch. Our kids could have moved into the petting zoo, and been completely happy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax2erUG-uU7jidVT-NJoVUeEYHLB6HYDI_lgJb9Qvpizk3BQWKcLdYIiUetFa_IwC2c0g0we7r3zSChJniZ4JGOGsmj2ofNUoiTBoTIO-_eO09cqPTpYZe2O0hKCfFnlnpMJWC7FYUHzN/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax2erUG-uU7jidVT-NJoVUeEYHLB6HYDI_lgJb9Qvpizk3BQWKcLdYIiUetFa_IwC2c0g0we7r3zSChJniZ4JGOGsmj2ofNUoiTBoTIO-_eO09cqPTpYZe2O0hKCfFnlnpMJWC7FYUHzN/s320/052.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuIDFld5qJ0UNdhOXQHkj2L3mWy7CJNfLaCbsoiNcrKeFnhL1XCPhIqtRHaQ_V9YSDabH9iEhJ30lpGPl06iCvfbb3BDL6yd8avr69lqenEl2jrNxPXL0KGIWM_SgOr286qJEWX7d_zqA/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuIDFld5qJ0UNdhOXQHkj2L3mWy7CJNfLaCbsoiNcrKeFnhL1XCPhIqtRHaQ_V9YSDabH9iEhJ30lpGPl06iCvfbb3BDL6yd8avr69lqenEl2jrNxPXL0KGIWM_SgOr286qJEWX7d_zqA/s320/054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Russ loved hugging the rabbits</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The following weekend we were visited by Britt, Aaron and their adorable kids. We spent the morning showing them the canals, and all the crazy sights Venice Beach has to offer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Kfp76f-_R8qc-7ESKve1q8ILZXIXf0_zH6XszyHX3ExfFgmCGva52gU-QG1R6MaxnmKIWsECR229GnsRBWwkWauFUDnVUx8gCzcGNfwa-PSvDwvVSVXqvlVrnZKSiLPrBCgrqnNkh-v7/s1600/077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Kfp76f-_R8qc-7ESKve1q8ILZXIXf0_zH6XszyHX3ExfFgmCGva52gU-QG1R6MaxnmKIWsECR229GnsRBWwkWauFUDnVUx8gCzcGNfwa-PSvDwvVSVXqvlVrnZKSiLPrBCgrqnNkh-v7/s320/077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">checking out some street performers</div><br />
The kids were most impressed with this pipe. They could have played on it all day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYoNDwc10HwJ_Bca9BFoo6lfqqq_x62B05vy6SGouARLyPdc_fTLPX_rDVU7YLBV0GrxuXrx4EV8dkFtFfczBshp7XyyDXKHJJIxEKEqNdkxlsW6aKITsLCkLyCUGPVPEqcTpcwLcs_8_/s1600/093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYoNDwc10HwJ_Bca9BFoo6lfqqq_x62B05vy6SGouARLyPdc_fTLPX_rDVU7YLBV0GrxuXrx4EV8dkFtFfczBshp7XyyDXKHJJIxEKEqNdkxlsW6aKITsLCkLyCUGPVPEqcTpcwLcs_8_/s320/093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHecSPwin-CPpcIVzG0oZyG57gnmwA8TosWizEd65n75YxagWwJsIw5GoQs0jPTh4_22k9Y2qRi2dJweCjnXrdV20KhcsxjKGFvvVddPOtGIf30b0jMQxTrvDzys9Sdj2PEnzSUpqTtnR/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHecSPwin-CPpcIVzG0oZyG57gnmwA8TosWizEd65n75YxagWwJsIw5GoQs0jPTh4_22k9Y2qRi2dJweCjnXrdV20KhcsxjKGFvvVddPOtGIf30b0jMQxTrvDzys9Sdj2PEnzSUpqTtnR/s320/101.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We then headed to Malibu Creek for a night of camping. It was great fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7iLCZOGOfYcscew4GBM0ruTNfmgD6aFvhKF2E_7bnFE22raCZ0uJz_JwwSHsCougNlQxIf-yYVhLxc3DyOaL_vjvGPM2N5lmm02v9488teZY0kF4T3bGCdASzwieqhXUAoyfw8CxcFEx/s1600/115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7iLCZOGOfYcscew4GBM0ruTNfmgD6aFvhKF2E_7bnFE22raCZ0uJz_JwwSHsCougNlQxIf-yYVhLxc3DyOaL_vjvGPM2N5lmm02v9488teZY0kF4T3bGCdASzwieqhXUAoyfw8CxcFEx/s320/115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are the kids enjoying Mark's birthday cupcakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBovBkh-Y3bvMDtquofeFi7fjy2gLGnEut2NVKayISQja5iRHThMvT2c0xhRgMX1vzu_W1gCZKe84_t8l-F_3kiI8evKfIKDlxPB3VVKj4C8KdYGOjUqsld3zAAl2r4sfdIxmEMfUdjULG/s1600/IMAG0214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBovBkh-Y3bvMDtquofeFi7fjy2gLGnEut2NVKayISQja5iRHThMvT2c0xhRgMX1vzu_W1gCZKe84_t8l-F_3kiI8evKfIKDlxPB3VVKj4C8KdYGOjUqsld3zAAl2r4sfdIxmEMfUdjULG/s320/IMAG0214.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyAQqAxtJYliNdK4kWcSvGT3NMzWx5TgUxOOCUukoORpt3fn3N1Xigx8ddE3l2nXtvFhJqghOwxa0_N-4ujdlPt9IUHKVjmFq-LskEWh05gz9FzYzFLCkyp4b6dAtqKWmF7Pr15BQiEWX/s1600/IMAG0224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyAQqAxtJYliNdK4kWcSvGT3NMzWx5TgUxOOCUukoORpt3fn3N1Xigx8ddE3l2nXtvFhJqghOwxa0_N-4ujdlPt9IUHKVjmFq-LskEWh05gz9FzYzFLCkyp4b6dAtqKWmF7Pr15BQiEWX/s320/IMAG0224.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OwRIVJel_rsRSZd0DLogceSxSVvUUXzFWqrxpwxCOhnIk2L7ug__l-rYIew1DB1HAJllTB5N7TKKQlEjNgrXL0gixdOnlNrRbIMzw-jBgkRmZlHRuDT6oA20oP4ot4wpwm5mXPPegH20/s1600/IMAG0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OwRIVJel_rsRSZd0DLogceSxSVvUUXzFWqrxpwxCOhnIk2L7ug__l-rYIew1DB1HAJllTB5N7TKKQlEjNgrXL0gixdOnlNrRbIMzw-jBgkRmZlHRuDT6oA20oP4ot4wpwm5mXPPegH20/s320/IMAG0237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Early morning in the tent</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also finally made it to Leo Carillo, another spot we have been meaning to visit for years. I was as excited as could be to check out the tide pools and show them to the boys.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G2TJKFN1hex8vB6cFH6G5Y8PaOcEXfBXPeIKB6ksvq2v4Put9JEznesRksJOh1trqfUwlrkFpp9T1CNvkxI1W8bpKlZN6QVzKeP_xSEaRB6mnFJA1Q-nReuFGg3dcsqgh1hSE4GzvfCj/s1600/IMAG0249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G2TJKFN1hex8vB6cFH6G5Y8PaOcEXfBXPeIKB6ksvq2v4Put9JEznesRksJOh1trqfUwlrkFpp9T1CNvkxI1W8bpKlZN6QVzKeP_xSEaRB6mnFJA1Q-nReuFGg3dcsqgh1hSE4GzvfCj/s320/IMAG0249.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We saw and touched many anemones, sea stars and crabs.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjxZ4w6NubCabYj2jxcPWXOHeUMPhWa0QZIwm9IAyrpwmF_RYIjNUULHjHQFNoV7dlqa5Vh6M8qZPIQmOGtIe1CZt7b936pae0DPDXexRhtL_oIndt9rJD1ftAufSosOweFDZNxZTG4LY/s1600/IMAG0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjxZ4w6NubCabYj2jxcPWXOHeUMPhWa0QZIwm9IAyrpwmF_RYIjNUULHjHQFNoV7dlqa5Vh6M8qZPIQmOGtIe1CZt7b936pae0DPDXexRhtL_oIndt9rJD1ftAufSosOweFDZNxZTG4LY/s320/IMAG0254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLve9u1b0a3N89OCyl-fMgB80rVg-j7izBxMXeAbmRKdgDS7oM97VlX-sgmzkWrpiLFbA7J5lYbeXHXkeTttCk0wnKb9WQ_5Cc_f6nOWbSLoUlqdVbD6znPJx0zLObDolLNTHOf7mzTKF/s1600/IMAG0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLve9u1b0a3N89OCyl-fMgB80rVg-j7izBxMXeAbmRKdgDS7oM97VlX-sgmzkWrpiLFbA7J5lYbeXHXkeTttCk0wnKb9WQ_5Cc_f6nOWbSLoUlqdVbD6znPJx0zLObDolLNTHOf7mzTKF/s320/IMAG0259.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Russ thought touching the anemones was so "tickly".</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQECp6I4jUjcxHrfs23UV4Pa-n3xi6dq2BILJf7kAxnkJ8nvybSkemj1WhhVbJUr15_nsAfJ8Pogk-qMj4MfBPh6WItvqLOnta0nd1ClHJno9ormUAtz4rUuDk_cBsmkeM7PQBX3MahE5/s1600/IMAG0264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQECp6I4jUjcxHrfs23UV4Pa-n3xi6dq2BILJf7kAxnkJ8nvybSkemj1WhhVbJUr15_nsAfJ8Pogk-qMj4MfBPh6WItvqLOnta0nd1ClHJno9ormUAtz4rUuDk_cBsmkeM7PQBX3MahE5/s320/IMAG0264.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lukey loved touching everything as well.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqXpqbBFKr-s8lg04lxIEGP8mZ-ZuBPPh2bJslx7sWYVmEG-aixvGFKd7OWM_GqbT62YLF6Dk-zUVOXH_Q64Z6_jqMYA1WhSOBs5Z3kXoz-iYhKXlXuvoUIkT5xiXD1igvhrCp__i4-ke/s1600/IMAG0270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqXpqbBFKr-s8lg04lxIEGP8mZ-ZuBPPh2bJslx7sWYVmEG-aixvGFKd7OWM_GqbT62YLF6Dk-zUVOXH_Q64Z6_jqMYA1WhSOBs5Z3kXoz-iYhKXlXuvoUIkT5xiXD1igvhrCp__i4-ke/s320/IMAG0270.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF_NCPnhYoWEBYp6iE7UbGzdOlTxeZMJYATOZLdwpeQyXfNU_fP4MOfEl-LH7DZKpA-BxTtKrGWTRtJbkrcWzSNFZBq1_0NUZ_VfkgZVH_PpLjNEqVJIIoomYmw6jAKAQgxTmeSDJBZ1W/s1600/IMAG0271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF_NCPnhYoWEBYp6iE7UbGzdOlTxeZMJYATOZLdwpeQyXfNU_fP4MOfEl-LH7DZKpA-BxTtKrGWTRtJbkrcWzSNFZBq1_0NUZ_VfkgZVH_PpLjNEqVJIIoomYmw6jAKAQgxTmeSDJBZ1W/s320/IMAG0271.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bekah copying Mark</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckwR6tXB5Ln8dzzCJrvxwTfF5s1xQd6o5wS4HNfn4s_RpISFGpZ9n4LhhZG-88JnLQW2Cvq2lcgT4wR6uFt8Zvmk6K0gSF9lpNSfHkTO6xxkC1s-T4MvwcTI2mUkU3EARvkxJghyphenhyphen4XzqC/s1600/IMAG0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckwR6tXB5Ln8dzzCJrvxwTfF5s1xQd6o5wS4HNfn4s_RpISFGpZ9n4LhhZG-88JnLQW2Cvq2lcgT4wR6uFt8Zvmk6K0gSF9lpNSfHkTO6xxkC1s-T4MvwcTI2mUkU3EARvkxJghyphenhyphen4XzqC/s320/IMAG0273.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This last weekend we were visited by my parents who needed a good Southern California vacation. We spent most of the day Friday at the Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. They were amazingly beautiful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQGepniiTWuihwAh4D6qTX5qC56IbkGHVHBUqzq51B4yAre4pdt6G7PxlcIvHOS6jTzLtT8e1VuLafX2egWq0oaieGUI6wF9IVqU8OMiS8C23DTg9abw4lkwacrROrYZG9lQ7VQobpKW1/s1600/EPSN7317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQGepniiTWuihwAh4D6qTX5qC56IbkGHVHBUqzq51B4yAre4pdt6G7PxlcIvHOS6jTzLtT8e1VuLafX2egWq0oaieGUI6wF9IVqU8OMiS8C23DTg9abw4lkwacrROrYZG9lQ7VQobpKW1/s320/EPSN7317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grandma and Grandpa surprised the boys with headlamps. What an exciting gift. Russell did not take his off all day.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraxwGHvdhmIlxo7N99T6593PemH-FqpaZUsqkFaMW9Dg2_slYHeyHpjPBAhsVf5P4dVsrfb4BoQXxC6WMMtr48ONyDPcrNFvuDA_ITwGbj9UnCl-WypTpYGt55VTLM4I_TuSbDWvID4S5/s1600/EPSN7311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraxwGHvdhmIlxo7N99T6593PemH-FqpaZUsqkFaMW9Dg2_slYHeyHpjPBAhsVf5P4dVsrfb4BoQXxC6WMMtr48ONyDPcrNFvuDA_ITwGbj9UnCl-WypTpYGt55VTLM4I_TuSbDWvID4S5/s320/EPSN7311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCRoMrd5ZaREEXf1CTq2fYEOu2PuINoco6tFNOfp7vDW2cfvw2P9jF909hYlLwkcJTKiYzSJcPWdF8CsLcHF3QYMdrZ7Et-M9zElk4M7_O6946fULcWXOs6FrHH5udWMhWcpa9mjkhU4I/s1600/EPSN7305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCRoMrd5ZaREEXf1CTq2fYEOu2PuINoco6tFNOfp7vDW2cfvw2P9jF909hYlLwkcJTKiYzSJcPWdF8CsLcHF3QYMdrZ7Et-M9zElk4M7_O6946fULcWXOs6FrHH5udWMhWcpa9mjkhU4I/s320/EPSN7305.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lukey has a special place in his heart for his "Papa". He must have said his name a thousand times over the weekend. This is them laughing in each other's faces.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlkIgH2JM0dyc4Ty9ekVnvY6qrVWIKZOrgq6FV3Kn_NlH63XzxX_3UMYRErHdmbtVAJxpJ54tMvfetxpjxpcBEFS52xlvwzEp1pn0Htl3QOYbmfwbWZa8e9yWyQ4q91ksX4qs7BrYi0lj/s1600/EPSN7302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlkIgH2JM0dyc4Ty9ekVnvY6qrVWIKZOrgq6FV3Kn_NlH63XzxX_3UMYRErHdmbtVAJxpJ54tMvfetxpjxpcBEFS52xlvwzEp1pn0Htl3QOYbmfwbWZa8e9yWyQ4q91ksX4qs7BrYi0lj/s320/EPSN7302.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YTPlhC-7ba_3BSHg0inI-Iqb638S3m-HPG95ai_St4zRoGyzBvPaq6We6ORzDMtY4VrSyk1vUT6l_f_9BsBmxJFkvy90MKbwlOzUujP_n0TJpfkzDg5EUKwe2xY20vq0vkhgc2XezkE7/s1600/EPSN7298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YTPlhC-7ba_3BSHg0inI-Iqb638S3m-HPG95ai_St4zRoGyzBvPaq6We6ORzDMtY4VrSyk1vUT6l_f_9BsBmxJFkvy90MKbwlOzUujP_n0TJpfkzDg5EUKwe2xY20vq0vkhgc2XezkE7/s320/EPSN7298.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxSh4Gp3_uy3bgE88vS54mth2eS0EyveHQRjcXJ_QzPCbdQmuT3_B-10zvofzvodIp9qpEhlRQCmo_6ZShG6Yfj7uOKoPGdty18rU_umy-TdogOo7_zEsIagfwIPUCHiMabxaJL632smw/s1600/EPSN7294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxSh4Gp3_uy3bgE88vS54mth2eS0EyveHQRjcXJ_QzPCbdQmuT3_B-10zvofzvodIp9qpEhlRQCmo_6ZShG6Yfj7uOKoPGdty18rU_umy-TdogOo7_zEsIagfwIPUCHiMabxaJL632smw/s320/EPSN7294.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Of course the kids could not resist chasing the ducks, geese and peacocks all over the gardens.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3AWsI0cNA0WA0a3j3NlrB32GYr0uZQBB1hOB2C3YQWjIVUS9becjLhjf_psIm5ZTWHo5deVZCVH2HR6eiJq6oQaTPs2JzlBJm2wm70BNRF5Aq14zndUC8bwSjtKAWclk7DfnCodgWz6s/s1600/EPSN7287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3AWsI0cNA0WA0a3j3NlrB32GYr0uZQBB1hOB2C3YQWjIVUS9becjLhjf_psIm5ZTWHo5deVZCVH2HR6eiJq6oQaTPs2JzlBJm2wm70BNRF5Aq14zndUC8bwSjtKAWclk7DfnCodgWz6s/s320/EPSN7287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIEt_LGGcz2ApU7MDLm0hMsJs6kvPyObo4l3v513iUR1zGzFcV_ZAxP4kdixqCai3vCUOKbVY41FMyKj8KrkZZ_k_UysTo_Q7V3taJB3l-3hsMlJTv9mk4JFYFIvsIoFVKPnbShOP7GSC/s1600/EPSN7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIEt_LGGcz2ApU7MDLm0hMsJs6kvPyObo4l3v513iUR1zGzFcV_ZAxP4kdixqCai3vCUOKbVY41FMyKj8KrkZZ_k_UysTo_Q7V3taJB3l-3hsMlJTv9mk4JFYFIvsIoFVKPnbShOP7GSC/s320/EPSN7290.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd289QMFJ95IYfrhF6P0vcuq0kIWQzW-8rWr3wkyq0MhCJv9UHF4BwP9QeIXsJjpjI6f7Ng7WODU3ZFj4OMaJfLG-Kb26OYLzFLqKGaYCmwSKSjRoCCz4QK7_3_gpjdZANZ0RQ9xFE1tb/s1600/076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd289QMFJ95IYfrhF6P0vcuq0kIWQzW-8rWr3wkyq0MhCJv9UHF4BwP9QeIXsJjpjI6f7Ng7WODU3ZFj4OMaJfLG-Kb26OYLzFLqKGaYCmwSKSjRoCCz4QK7_3_gpjdZANZ0RQ9xFE1tb/s320/076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSgQOA_yiKoOxrYpmmZLJi20EZHHz_Wg1kWJp1ua1vk6YXQ0aIaOnUmJg5kAsa8hCyqpFiCEEyLPtxyGzE43fKbvi8KoWN8P1HTIDzJmRu4ZSvSHtelJG2Fc8lC9qI9xDHmaQ_cAXmiY/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSgQOA_yiKoOxrYpmmZLJi20EZHHz_Wg1kWJp1ua1vk6YXQ0aIaOnUmJg5kAsa8hCyqpFiCEEyLPtxyGzE43fKbvi8KoWN8P1HTIDzJmRu4ZSvSHtelJG2Fc8lC9qI9xDHmaQ_cAXmiY/s320/033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8abvaPOHVFhRlThkwTIIFf_9Gp-dGMKvQWv_wApoynHYvlpd2X3HGmW2Pkt3X9XtyxRKU1STvSwZIrxbdpTmYvff37_pxHhs1MNKdNrQMOVAdU0i05d7v3at0cM1tboqhW_TPXFq6RVc/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8abvaPOHVFhRlThkwTIIFf_9Gp-dGMKvQWv_wApoynHYvlpd2X3HGmW2Pkt3X9XtyxRKU1STvSwZIrxbdpTmYvff37_pxHhs1MNKdNrQMOVAdU0i05d7v3at0cM1tboqhW_TPXFq6RVc/s320/040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">We also spent a day with them in Solvang- a Danish tourist town near Santa Barbara- and at night we left the kids at home with a sitter and went to the Griffith Park Observatory. We walked around the beautiful grounds, checked out the city views and stars, looked through a telescope at Jupiter, and watched a fascinating show in the planetarium.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">One Saturday afternoon when we were all feeling incredibly lazy Mark forced us to get our bootys to the store, buy some ingredients, and have a Halloween party. I was tired and less than enthusiastic at first, but we ended up having a great time, and I was glad he pushed it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">We made eyeballs, bones, a witches house and carved Russell's pumpkin.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TlNgbdqg85-CbLGjmBWrXl64yG7aY2VDgbHwqlPOM_OljD5QYsMHGEYWfiL75iKFGEQVv4_N1ZjVSOCclNxjHHgZzDB2uTSMjHzTbaxdb_glyzI50Cz6oy-06uxEWSm-yMY-vImh2eg/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TlNgbdqg85-CbLGjmBWrXl64yG7aY2VDgbHwqlPOM_OljD5QYsMHGEYWfiL75iKFGEQVv4_N1ZjVSOCclNxjHHgZzDB2uTSMjHzTbaxdb_glyzI50Cz6oy-06uxEWSm-yMY-vImh2eg/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A plate of our edible eyeballs</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5VHREsGeF9t5ieQSy1UCJucj4aW83MXzDCkqOo7vyqhHZr_OB6HOLy5IGmsmV6_f78rKmB9p9tFmOlyS5MEKBLPh1Hk6OiUAihveNKJl7_zrNOa10W71EW39S_A5fBNzfeQn9iU5P5s/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5VHREsGeF9t5ieQSy1UCJucj4aW83MXzDCkqOo7vyqhHZr_OB6HOLy5IGmsmV6_f78rKmB9p9tFmOlyS5MEKBLPh1Hk6OiUAihveNKJl7_zrNOa10W71EW39S_A5fBNzfeQn9iU5P5s/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">bones, Russell's pumpkin. He insisted that his pumpkin have a "spooky" face. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark and I had never heard him use the word before, so we thought it was pretty cute.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR3q55EbRFiHpvzF8E5Lcs1Fx2f06qna8ZxOFGRoF0nA9e7MaeNwV8ifJrWdBsRNCkS4ocbC0KO4RW5Z1L3-8J_KXQGFScG2us5s2sX6T413kpAOhsrlQTJ249vM6BoA8LkRA9ADtNcw/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR3q55EbRFiHpvzF8E5Lcs1Fx2f06qna8ZxOFGRoF0nA9e7MaeNwV8ifJrWdBsRNCkS4ocbC0KO4RW5Z1L3-8J_KXQGFScG2us5s2sX6T413kpAOhsrlQTJ249vM6BoA8LkRA9ADtNcw/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Russell wanted to be a pirate for Halloween, and was at our church party, but on Halloween day he insisted on trick-or-treating in his Woody costume. It was only fitting to then dress Lukey up as Buzz. They were such a cute pair.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURrWpzlb9aCNnEE25W76s1wjMjALxLNuGDoRjb1HSpQkdcZXLbf3rjKvXOASXI-RPcTEVPiewigPnPmTjaPOA9kZrDlMTL_8cTta4EvmWl4ersGBpyiJWxmHU8ob9ZInfsWr3DLD5JJs/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURrWpzlb9aCNnEE25W76s1wjMjALxLNuGDoRjb1HSpQkdcZXLbf3rjKvXOASXI-RPcTEVPiewigPnPmTjaPOA9kZrDlMTL_8cTta4EvmWl4ersGBpyiJWxmHU8ob9ZInfsWr3DLD5JJs/s320/063.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirLqMh5EAplXHZWAyl2enmh6g-lGdZp-LO_9fGPKLhlIO9f6eFP9fAby8I5cBqmHyCGAglhCRkkJ1DO4snZOGWk4305nnp_d5Jm_Vg8CY6rIoh4-Y8Bc2Ove8quHACPduXjt7ktJrndU/s1600/069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirLqMh5EAplXHZWAyl2enmh6g-lGdZp-LO_9fGPKLhlIO9f6eFP9fAby8I5cBqmHyCGAglhCRkkJ1DO4snZOGWk4305nnp_d5Jm_Vg8CY6rIoh4-Y8Bc2Ove8quHACPduXjt7ktJrndU/s320/069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXTt_ATHz-NIbwIq8sOyP3O6wMCxbg22cDXpc8PrJcrsL2gQh_VJ_8by9iZD0vttxVK5derHe7qFh-nAGHwudzSB-ZtzNN2AjZwcKv3I1McKe0n_TULNOpQ_xEkuPDG7O6rT41DUGh_U/s1600/070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXTt_ATHz-NIbwIq8sOyP3O6wMCxbg22cDXpc8PrJcrsL2gQh_VJ_8by9iZD0vttxVK5derHe7qFh-nAGHwudzSB-ZtzNN2AjZwcKv3I1McKe0n_TULNOpQ_xEkuPDG7O6rT41DUGh_U/s320/070.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEwKue_pO-O-CYLEysPKzcr7vBhHK0LcURBIGRsl_4OW8NhmEHjOvDmYzwyyHrooYggNKqfo4K7aP9Qf7ifGSUOkt0d0ts42sIk1wdJyR01OX6BFBF8dv0x0RYc8Gh0_4wN83x01v_20/s1600/086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEwKue_pO-O-CYLEysPKzcr7vBhHK0LcURBIGRsl_4OW8NhmEHjOvDmYzwyyHrooYggNKqfo4K7aP9Qf7ifGSUOkt0d0ts42sIk1wdJyR01OX6BFBF8dv0x0RYc8Gh0_4wN83x01v_20/s320/086.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Russell and Luke thought trick-or-treat was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to them. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark and I were pretty pumped about it too. Plus our kids are satisfied with the 'one candy a day rule' which leaves lots of candy for us when they are not looking.</div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-48113023636198984612011-10-26T23:30:00.000-06:002011-10-26T23:30:56.003-06:00Yesterday I had the audacity to take my kids to Target.Yesterday I had the audacity to go to Target with my kids. Why would one ever do such a thing? Well, the three of us have been running errands together for 18 months now, without too much trouble, but lately trouble has commenced. Or should I say, Lukey has commenced. Everything went relatively smooth for the first 60 seconds, at which point Lukey began to get a little fussy. Let me paint a picture of Lukey being “a little fussy” lately; screaming, writhing his body, and slamming his head into anything he can. If there is nothing available for him to slam his head into, he hits it with his chubby hands. <br />
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As I was saying, Lukey began writhing, screaming and slamming his head into the cart because he wanted to get down, so I grabbed a toy for him to play with, and started collecting groceries fast. <br />
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Russell was running around behind me asking, “What do tigers eat? Why? Why? Why?” <br />
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Eventually I got stuck, “I don’t know”. <br />
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“Tell me! Tell me!” he yelled frantically. <br />
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We were walking through, I was grabbing things we needed; bananas, bread, salsa, milk. Lukey was grabbing anything and everything he could reach and throwing it on the ground behind us. I was picking up some things, and leaving others in a trail behind us. Don’t judge me, my belly is getting big and bending all the way down to the ground is really difficult. <br />
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I stopped to look at the shoes because Russ desperately needs a bigger pair. Lukey started his little tantrum again, and I gave in. I placed him on the ground. He started running around throwing shoes and shoe boxes everywhere. <br />
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Okay, sorry Russell, we are not getting shoes today. Lukey got picked up, he screamed, and bonked his forehead into the cart. Maybe the back of the cart would be more enjoyable for him. <br />
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I stuck him in the back, started putting shoes back on the shelf, look up at Lukey to see he has stomped and sat on our two loaves of bread, bitten into a couple of bananas and notice that he and every other item in the cart is covered in yogurt.<br />
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Why did I leave my wipes in the car?!?<br />
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People were staring, or maybe they were not. I was too embarrassed to look up and see if there was disapproval in the eyes of fellow target-goers as they watched the pregnant woman with a 3-year-old, a cart full of destroyed groceries and a yogurt covered toddler hitting his head on the cart. <br />
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It was one of those parenting moments where you desperately pray to melt into the Target tile and wake up a couple of days later in your bed. One of those stressful moments that by the time you get everything and everyone back inside your home you have almost forgotten the episode even occurred, because it is not the first time people have stared at you, or your kids have been covered in yogurt. <br />
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But, today I was rewarded with a trip to my OB without Russ and Luke. Did you read that? Without Russell and Luke! It was a mini vacation. Peeing in a cup was so much more enjoyable without Russ trying to see what the heck I was doing, and Luke, trying to splash in the toilet, pulling down feet of toilet paper and spreading it around the bathroom, and trying to stick his hands in the toilet again and again. <br />
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This also happened to be my glucose screening test -when they make you come in and drink that nasty orange sugar water, wait for an hour and then take your blood- which means I had an entire hour to have a nice chat with my doctor, and sit and read. It was pure relaxation. And, as an additional bonus it was discovered that my belly is now only measuring one week early, as opposed to four. <br />
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What is with Lukey though?<br />
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Mark and I have seriously watched in awe lately as our incredibly easy, patient and peaceful baby has transformed into a demanding toddler with the emotional range that rivals his mama on birth control, or a woman going through menopause. Lukey Lukey Lukey! It is a good thing your cheeks are so chubby and soft and you give us really cute kisses. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOhmLeTog-WYGzsFPgzc7xOBvyAmBKzgWiTcY6HF0e6axR8GYEqlbyrl-1_NKAPl_XWQgk2HWOn60CU_0ncuSvryBFYTyvVxo2nzjOHubcBi8n_N0dBYXOSYGnbCBWY1atmBZQeaUjqtm/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOhmLeTog-WYGzsFPgzc7xOBvyAmBKzgWiTcY6HF0e6axR8GYEqlbyrl-1_NKAPl_XWQgk2HWOn60CU_0ncuSvryBFYTyvVxo2nzjOHubcBi8n_N0dBYXOSYGnbCBWY1atmBZQeaUjqtm/s320/058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ubaWjRggLzxORkzCq78CqZnW-qsXBD55kUAj1EqPKLAFhz2soMTYtneUo_hR1htHRN_1ofedM2nFydFIUGXiVrqgiw2ftc3z_ITnFFBurRTmaQwUKPC35ZmA8q_KiMW7Gf7HmvVGBNLD/s1600/118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ubaWjRggLzxORkzCq78CqZnW-qsXBD55kUAj1EqPKLAFhz2soMTYtneUo_hR1htHRN_1ofedM2nFydFIUGXiVrqgiw2ftc3z_ITnFFBurRTmaQwUKPC35ZmA8q_KiMW7Gf7HmvVGBNLD/s320/118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-78657144116548540842011-09-30T16:13:00.000-06:002011-09-30T16:13:18.514-06:00Just in case you were losing sleep at night<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Quick personal update; My birthday was Friday. Mark stayed home on Friday and the rest of the weekend, and I finally got the rest my body had been begging for. A nap, a massage, a much needed date with my hubby, a girl’s night, more resting and resting and resting did the trick. By Monday I was feeling remarkably better. It is so rare for moms to get to take a sick day. We usually have to work our little bums off no matter our physical condition. I was incredibly grateful to Mark for a weekend of rest, and recovered more in two days than I had in six weeks. </div><br />
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My sister was right, and now that I am feeling physically better all other worries seem much more manageable. Besides, who can stay too stressed when you have a three-year-old sweetheart constantly shoving cough drops in your mouth and ice packs on your ribs, and dropping spontaneously to his knees 20 times a day and praying for “mommy to feel all better”, and my favorite, “Please, bless Mommy’s rib to GO AWAY!”? <br />
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Who can stay too stressed when you have a chubby 17 month old, red headed toddler running around the house chanting, “Hakuna Matata” with a big grin on his face? <br />
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This little man is what I really wanted to write about today. So let me tell you a little about our man Lukey.<br />
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Lukey has a real zest for life. There is not a food he does not immediately shove in his mouth to taste, a song he does not dance to, an obstacle he does not climb, or a body of water he does not attempt to jump in. You can see the look of excitement and determination in his eyes when he sees something new that he just has to try. He is adventurous and fearless. Although he is coordinated and balanced for his age, his need for constant exploration and challenge lead to never-ending goose eggs on his poor little head. In actuality his head is not that little. It is in the 99th percentile, which is probably why it always takes the first hit. <br />
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He is such a joy and we sit around watching him and laughing at him constantly. I love his little thrill-seeking genes, partly because they remind me so much of myself. <br />
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Whenever we go hiking and I try climbing some rock wall, Mark and Russell both yell “Mommy, down!” but now I know I will have a little buddy to climb with.<br />
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Lukey loves balls and cars and bikes. He loves his teddy. He loves food. He loves climbing. He is completely in love with his Daddy, and chooses Dad over Mom 9 times to 1. <br />
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He says about 20 words, and is starting to put together simple sentences, “My ba” (my ball) “I wan wa wa” (I want water). My favorite word is “Bah-BOOOOL” which is ‘bottle’, and is so completely adorable. <br />
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Putting him to sleep for nap and bed is one of my favorite times of day. He asks for his “Bah-BOOOOL”, when he sees it in your hand he runs around the house to find his teddy, picks him up and sprints to his room. He climbs up on the bed, lies on his back and waits for his bottle –I know, he is almost 18 months and we really need to give up that thing. He polishes it off, folds his arms and bows his head for a prayer. I put him in his crib and he lays on his back, waves “bye bye” at me exuberantly, with a huge smile on his face. <br />
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It is interesting to see little personality traits and physical traits of Mark and I in our boys, but most of what I see are two unique individuals. They are just themselves. They have their own beautiful, crazy, determined personalities and I hope we are able to teach them and guide them through life in the way that is right for them. Good luck to us all in this parenting business!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXtiiWgbYs_cM4szuDDJuaabmx9cYS8H1QLqqWznaunkzbk48ypyUpNS2w2rCOlREpTabAV9iNcTt3jXf23w1fnYw5Y9ZwfS9HOGRhXhfrF_f5pWAbzzRBxwg5LcEkPdmg1H4Kouu1adu/s1600/P1010481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXtiiWgbYs_cM4szuDDJuaabmx9cYS8H1QLqqWznaunkzbk48ypyUpNS2w2rCOlREpTabAV9iNcTt3jXf23w1fnYw5Y9ZwfS9HOGRhXhfrF_f5pWAbzzRBxwg5LcEkPdmg1H4Kouu1adu/s320/P1010481.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"> What would I do without these three?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07OGIB2SeGlkFw-9AEI7dkKAGyL-BHlEyKWGhadC9fkmj7K0l1bZEWAwZ5ILYysti0BQzvqbK-YkO-AYd8lPJFJYvM4H6sImRmuI2RFRO-p4YFYznmt-Cd_oLheoGzP4JRjxLYXw7vEwY/s1600/P1010497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07OGIB2SeGlkFw-9AEI7dkKAGyL-BHlEyKWGhadC9fkmj7K0l1bZEWAwZ5ILYysti0BQzvqbK-YkO-AYd8lPJFJYvM4H6sImRmuI2RFRO-p4YFYznmt-Cd_oLheoGzP4JRjxLYXw7vEwY/s320/P1010497.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkS0YnJPR0a7bir1O6Bb6zphJgGxSno1ENRANS4MRXd9RoUW_eSKTF1J1nbejnnsshBrWB5IMETuIXQKE4QBDL-6jFUo3UoLzQFJ1HTFwe19AE1sBMQW4WW37P-1jwGemUi5kLG_vD25hN/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkS0YnJPR0a7bir1O6Bb6zphJgGxSno1ENRANS4MRXd9RoUW_eSKTF1J1nbejnnsshBrWB5IMETuIXQKE4QBDL-6jFUo3UoLzQFJ1HTFwe19AE1sBMQW4WW37P-1jwGemUi5kLG_vD25hN/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVPw5iDgHXEAhr7GI5x6PJjrLL_gB5c7Zs37G6pSfdwuwZWQ0yYtD-tfINE8bGjPfHH1UoW4SOZo67MYblJhFq45OjWtJD_1VFXnfWc2kLRBAJcN9xKOHEs_iIza55vOAVVkKsa7_tkh6/s1600/P1010478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVPw5iDgHXEAhr7GI5x6PJjrLL_gB5c7Zs37G6pSfdwuwZWQ0yYtD-tfINE8bGjPfHH1UoW4SOZo67MYblJhFq45OjWtJD_1VFXnfWc2kLRBAJcN9xKOHEs_iIza55vOAVVkKsa7_tkh6/s320/P1010478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26NNMZOPyxyJDC_3xVOG-AG4D-ip0g_Eq1GGPeHsvZMm9Pf6qGIytWQFJZMY1idynFYAbGGnYlmeKx7jj9P1jqpr9LqRBBEsS_kBSGJGaF0-xw5RP-oiKDU_5wyxIC6GVenJKvsdUPUzN/s1600/P1010456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26NNMZOPyxyJDC_3xVOG-AG4D-ip0g_Eq1GGPeHsvZMm9Pf6qGIytWQFJZMY1idynFYAbGGnYlmeKx7jj9P1jqpr9LqRBBEsS_kBSGJGaF0-xw5RP-oiKDU_5wyxIC6GVenJKvsdUPUzN/s320/P1010456.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The family doctor</div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-71081466591067973112011-09-24T10:28:00.001-06:002011-09-24T23:40:24.854-06:00Stressed? Me too.My life usually comes in 3 month increments; three good months, three hard months. Before this pregnancy I had a pretty enjoyable 8 months, and I knew a storm was brewing. <br />
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In the past 5 months I have felt that I carry my burdens alone, because I do. None of our experience is the same, nobody understands my personal struggles. Certainly not Mark, whose struggles are so different from mine and is rarely here to even see what I do. I do believe in a Savior who alone understands my experience, but sometimes I wish He would just be with me in my living room for an evening and we could really talk. <br />
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And always there is the loud voice that yells at me saying, “You should just be grateful that you have the opportunity to be pregnant” and I truly am.<br />
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“You should be grateful that your husband has a job at all.” And I truly am.<br />
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“You should be grateful it is you with pertussis and not one of your babies.” And I truly am.<br />
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“You should be grateful that at least you do not have to put your little children to bed with empty stomachs.” And I truly am. <br />
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And this voice is really saying, “There are so many people who have it harder than you, why can’t you handle this?” <br />
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But, in spite of me turning my thoughts to others who have it worse, the truth stands.<br />
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I still work like a horse, and am as physically beat up as a prize fighter, and as emotionally worn and confused as a BYU football coach on September 17, 2011. <br />
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There have been many times in the last five months where I have thought, “I cannot do this. I actually do not think I am capable of doing this.” Sometimes I have these moments in life. And it is that I do end up doing whatever “this” is, that makes me feel strong and powerful once I am on the other side. <br />
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Personally I never look forward to trials with much excitement, I quite enjoy and appreciate the moments when life is calm and makes sense, and my body feels healthy. But, times of struggle do bring powerful empathy to me as well as a sense of strength. <br />
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I am grateful for my sister who after hearing me lament about stresses I currently face told me that, “life is so much more difficult when you are sick and in pain, and it will all seem more manageable when you feel better”. I know she is right, and I needed to hear it.<br />
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I am so grateful for another sister who is apparently on the same page as I am, or at least I felt that way by reading her words tonight. I had just finished typing this out, when I read her blog and felt understood, which is as good as a long back massage right now. <br />
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I am grateful for my little sister who calls over and over rotating between my cell phone and the house until I finally pick up. I always feel so much better after our conversations. I really need to talk to her, and I am so grateful for her persistence.<br />
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I am grateful for my sister who always makes me laugh by telling me the craziness of her own children and life. Most recently she told me of her frustrations with her little boy has been violent lately and was strangling the boy next to him in primary. Every time this mental image flashes into my head I chuckle.<br />
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And there is no one with matched sweet parental worry and concern as my mom and dad. They love me as much as I love Russell and Luke, and it is wonderful to be loved that way.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-15620136868486110452011-09-24T10:47:00.000-06:002011-09-24T10:47:39.635-06:00okSo, the other day I posted the previous post. Which led to a discussion about how public or private a blog should be. I don't have a problem posting about the stresses and the joys of life, because that is just how life is. Sometimes it is quite stressful and it nice to know what other loved ones are going through.<br />
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The truth is, it is kind of weird that anyone can read it. I just always assume the only people interested in my life are my friends and family. <br />
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Lastly, I think it kind of sounded like Mark has left me alone to struggle. Which is so far from the truth. He easily shoulders as much as I do for our family. It is just that our stresses are so different. I will never have to endure his, and he will never have to endure mine. He has been working very hard lately, and is a wonderful husband. He is my angel.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-19379875443258560102011-09-10T22:25:00.001-06:002011-09-10T22:26:11.187-06:00Camping and then some.<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When Russ Russ is with me he never stops talking. He is constantly asking me questions. I usually do not have the answers for his inquisitive little mind. The other morning as I was packing up for a day with friends at the beach he was following me around as usual, continuously pestering me with questions I do not know how to answer. What kind of questions does a three year old ask that their mother would not know the answers to you ask? Well, do you know what color the germs were that gave you your cough?</div><br />
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“Were they orange?”<br />
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“I don’t know.”<br />
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“Were they purple?”<br />
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“I don’t know.”<br />
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“Were they blue?<br />
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“I don’t know what color they were Russ.”<br />
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“Were they yellow?”<br />
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“They were black.”<br />
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“Mommy, did you make a mistake?”<br />
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“What do you mean?”<br />
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“You said you not know their color.”<br />
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Oh yes, he LOVES catching me making, “istakes”.<br />
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Yesterday he just had to know whose car was parked next to us at Costco. “I don’t know whose car that is,” was absolutely not an appropriate response. I finally just said “George” to halt the questions.<br />
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“George is a monkey Mommy. That’s silly.”<br />
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Another funny thing about Russell is he loves me to wear my hair down.<br />
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“Is your hair going to be up or down today?” is a common question.<br />
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“I really yike it down mommy.” <br />
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He frequently asks me to put my hair down when it is up in a pony. Funny kid. <br />
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He really is a precious and tender little boy. He loves our family so much and tells us so throughout the day. He is very quick to pray for any problem he has or sees us having, and Heavenly Father is also very quick to answer his little prayers. He loves to take care of me, Mark and Lukey, and he helps me clean the house every day and really is as good a helper as he thinks he is. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5QNgI9UkBDHS_ZCQhdPwJzgQMHjeptG2R9WjuxxfdciGB5DTXOa2mGQqegvXZCuvC5sW4NJHANe7klDYhmx55irQgHieJmdPkDIIohS0rfpnVq0H3vXVA43qOt2nxgt-qgts6V7ChUsm/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5QNgI9UkBDHS_ZCQhdPwJzgQMHjeptG2R9WjuxxfdciGB5DTXOa2mGQqegvXZCuvC5sW4NJHANe7klDYhmx55irQgHieJmdPkDIIohS0rfpnVq0H3vXVA43qOt2nxgt-qgts6V7ChUsm/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"> SuperRuss </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"> </div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">We asked Russell if he would like to go to Disneyland, to the beach or camping over Labor day weekend. He immediately answered camping, which is what we wanted too, so we set up camp at Lake Arrowhead. The boys loved everything about it; setting up the tent, running around the campground, finding firewood, making the fire, roasting their hotdogs and marshmallows, laughing and playing in the tent together for hours while mom and dad sat by the fire and they were supposed to be sleeping. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2Ox9sgossXch3bfQJX_oSl5c1V81sQWWPFXdWb8ZqWlCl2P56wKw-lBjKbGwkb6CVsO1Lzrg9B5Riev97fQE-XShNfRQDC9BomnHgXfU06XMbpToBUhy1YtKaVfXrn_edwPc0foXCg3m/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2Ox9sgossXch3bfQJX_oSl5c1V81sQWWPFXdWb8ZqWlCl2P56wKw-lBjKbGwkb6CVsO1Lzrg9B5Riev97fQE-XShNfRQDC9BomnHgXfU06XMbpToBUhy1YtKaVfXrn_edwPc0foXCg3m/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0DFsKcSTxpZXhJID_ARYAXRqkLURhXQS0MEo9Mh00G7HNsvNQx_fQ7CpGkT5RJnoDetb2dNr9hCW2xHcnV1GpWnL5Gp16OGeeEOkxbyuT510nPo7KNNPACA-w2qU_PJOxizIkOOb2Sn_/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0DFsKcSTxpZXhJID_ARYAXRqkLURhXQS0MEo9Mh00G7HNsvNQx_fQ7CpGkT5RJnoDetb2dNr9hCW2xHcnV1GpWnL5Gp16OGeeEOkxbyuT510nPo7KNNPACA-w2qU_PJOxizIkOOb2Sn_/s320/020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJxbKKEGHVqZBgWxqgeDE7Y_deeOuoI08uqEoRKrd3JS9gZRkcok-lbOXMuZLvkTww-clclAblMfWnM0pnYYEJKZCMFPP0tKqZdVm1Ja9Lp8bfGfPG1kCHFc98f0m9eNpvAD02Lypc8ji/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJxbKKEGHVqZBgWxqgeDE7Y_deeOuoI08uqEoRKrd3JS9gZRkcok-lbOXMuZLvkTww-clclAblMfWnM0pnYYEJKZCMFPP0tKqZdVm1Ja9Lp8bfGfPG1kCHFc98f0m9eNpvAD02Lypc8ji/s320/039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcxy7cDMld38rvR1np8mtc9TtrK6C9Wi1rKONBNUBqn6AIs0ttW_zCe15bLd3kbBScGS4E9KfFSlzC9zs17NPsKNiJpwc1W4zXczjMwJ_9sR4hSxmlKwac3wdbQBGt2CCU5DzH36ksw3p/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcxy7cDMld38rvR1np8mtc9TtrK6C9Wi1rKONBNUBqn6AIs0ttW_zCe15bLd3kbBScGS4E9KfFSlzC9zs17NPsKNiJpwc1W4zXczjMwJ_9sR4hSxmlKwac3wdbQBGt2CCU5DzH36ksw3p/s320/028.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys serving their minute long time out sentence after Dad had asked them for the fourth time not to jump on the walls of the tent.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBkRON8MxgF3MaUdYvYAWKK5-Py__vu_pbSz7Zh1swTwImphoxFMdll1ZcvaTV7FqThffFYgHNpwV0jmtbV5UxfGHszxbCHeTx2HAtqIJe_ZVVNL4KqnV1-lvTl_j___qPyLX-XriHZ08/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBkRON8MxgF3MaUdYvYAWKK5-Py__vu_pbSz7Zh1swTwImphoxFMdll1ZcvaTV7FqThffFYgHNpwV0jmtbV5UxfGHszxbCHeTx2HAtqIJe_ZVVNL4KqnV1-lvTl_j___qPyLX-XriHZ08/s320/025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Lukey has a real love and excitement for life. Cute little camper.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9rMeM2jSrF-xBCV7bELAhVxzRn-yVPZyGfLeHW7UPzcnyW5nD_u5RvmCNWKeZMkEFtcFYg4O9iXBQnLRoFqjRoDCWE1h39_VsnCruOHmmzoHdix_VW7JwAQcykL0OwQEpcnC9z4CDJLl/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9rMeM2jSrF-xBCV7bELAhVxzRn-yVPZyGfLeHW7UPzcnyW5nD_u5RvmCNWKeZMkEFtcFYg4O9iXBQnLRoFqjRoDCWE1h39_VsnCruOHmmzoHdix_VW7JwAQcykL0OwQEpcnC9z4CDJLl/s320/051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Making pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVeednLAHho9NQLf2RuONlweD096VGvKyrE79FrmcHbMUMENIUDTJLGrIMKAnZPyQUwAu-MkyKbC-yS2feq9iXBUe1nvH45F4IImwE6Fdr8SIlyA0x3i3szir1LHnUNeG3KXj9qlgR6Xz/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVeednLAHho9NQLf2RuONlweD096VGvKyrE79FrmcHbMUMENIUDTJLGrIMKAnZPyQUwAu-MkyKbC-yS2feq9iXBUe1nvH45F4IImwE6Fdr8SIlyA0x3i3szir1LHnUNeG3KXj9qlgR6Xz/s320/045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Dinner</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1hTkumlAFLroMRAobFq2En9l2bAGxgnTQBa4HeOlBS96fT-CXNeP1duN30FZsP7L9fqeJQFDywpWdby2lx__rxWgn73NZFjyIT8UGRaf7hcXbjfIdbzXStTloHiCOcwXz85Z6BJHi_UJ/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1hTkumlAFLroMRAobFq2En9l2bAGxgnTQBa4HeOlBS96fT-CXNeP1duN30FZsP7L9fqeJQFDywpWdby2lx__rxWgn73NZFjyIT8UGRaf7hcXbjfIdbzXStTloHiCOcwXz85Z6BJHi_UJ/s320/065.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Me being pregnant is no longer picture worthy, but me wearing something other than a t-shirt is.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">20 weeks.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Actually that is a lie. I won't be 20 weeks for two more days, and this was taken two days ago.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">19 weeks.</div>Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-83278202087112977642011-09-06T20:24:00.002-06:002011-09-06T20:24:48.745-06:00Am I 26 or 86?The other day I took the boys to one of my favorite children’s museums. The Noah’s Ark exhibit at Skirball -for all you locals. <br />
<br />
<br />
It is a perfect museum for little boys. Everything is hands on, and can be touched and played with. There are experiments for kids to try, animals to climb on and instruments to make noise with. They can help build the ark with pieces of wood and upon entering “the ark” there is a system of rope ladders they can clamber up, and bridges and tunnels to run across and climb through up in the rafters. There is storytelling, puppetry, crafts and music time for those who are interested. My boys would be happy playing there all day. Luke walked around in awe looking and touching everything and saying, “oooo!” over and over again. It was a wonderful afternoon.<br />
<br />
This was not meant to be an advertisement so I’ll get back to the subject at hand. <br />
<br />
When Mark came home that night I was giving him my daily detailed synopsis, and I said,<br />
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“Luke wanted to climb up the rope ladders and into the rafters so bad, but they don’t allow the non-potty-trained kids to go up alone. So, I climbed up there with him.”<br />
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“So,” Mark says, “Basically you couldn’t cough up there.” <br />
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I guess he really does listen to everything I tell him. <br />
<br />
Yes, three pregnancies in four years have not been kind to my bladder.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-66017053555555565502011-08-17T16:09:00.000-06:002011-08-17T16:09:45.705-06:00Oh yeah,I thought I had included this exciting information,<br />
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IT'S A BOY! <br />
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We are so happy to add another cute little boy to our family. <br />
<br />
I am 16 weeks along. <br />
<br />
Mark and I argue over my dute date. Somewhere between January 31 and February 3.Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532113905927600617.post-58363411522695047052011-08-16T20:15:00.000-06:002011-08-16T20:15:51.151-06:00In the last four months...<br />
In the last four months;<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our apartment has not once been as clean as it should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have fallen asleep multiple times while my kids run all around me and our home. They occasionally stop by to hit me in the face and yell, “Mommy wake up”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I literally let Russell have oreos for dinner one night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I can count the acceptable dinners I have made on two hands. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have thrown up most every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have started crying almost every time I listen to 'The Lion King' or 'Tangled' soundtrack, which is every day because they are constantly playing in my car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have also cried in most every movie I have seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have made Mark get up with the kids almost every single morning while I go back to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have fallen asleep in Russell’s bed while putting him down a hundred times. </span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have done the worst hosting job for company I have ever done –I didn’t make them one meal, and remember the thing about not having a clean apartment, it really was not clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have not been able to accomplish the ordinary tasks I feel I should. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have lost two phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have been sick enough at night that while my kids are sleeping I have no choice but to lay flat on my back and read wonderful books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I have been growing a human being inside my body people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I am sure everybody is already aware of this, but in case you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing my rapidly expanding belly, and my popped out belly button, you are now in the know. </span></span></div><br />
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Despite the above whining, the first few months have not been as bad as the last two pregnancies. I am so grateful for that. <br />
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<br />
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Let the name battles between Mark and I commence. <br />
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Mark & Bekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11898912270576330432noreply@blogger.com4