tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117917149628676332024-03-04T20:25:02.115-08:00Mia Bella Vida.....My Beautiful Lifeginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-35948533766540464772016-10-25T09:13:00.003-07:002016-10-25T09:17:34.086-07:00A "Legendary" Halloween<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kWHS9msGuKY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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We rocked the legends this year and had a rockin' good time doing it!</div>
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Thank you for all the support and likes and shares! As if things couldn't get any better we were featured in a Huffington Post article. We're giddy! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-family-slays-with-group-costumes-every-halloween-we-want-to-see-yours_us_57f27a81e4b082aad9bc376a?section=us_parents</div>
ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-8747890192983576862016-09-26T23:09:00.001-07:002016-09-26T23:11:06.413-07:00'Tis The Halloween SeasonI've raised my freak flag pretty high again this year as I'm working hard to put together another great family costume. In the meantime, I'd like to share some of the pictures from last year's family Halloween costume theme....Shrek<br />
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As you know, we go all out over here for Halloween. It started four years ago with Toy Story<br />
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Next came Dr. Seuss<br />
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then Willy Wonka<br />
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Alice in Wonderland<br />
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and Beauty & The Beast<br />
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Here's the details---all costumes except for the Belle dress were assembled/hot glued/sewed from scratch or existing clothing items. Since I do not sew (but plan to learn) I hit up the local childrens consigment shops where I can inexpensively turn a nothing into a something. Take for example, Chance's beast coat--it was originally a size 10 girls blue blazer, that we cut and trimmed and bedazzled it up to look like just like the beast.<br />
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The Cogsworth costume was made from foam with wood looking material glued to it! It's amazing what can be done without actually sewing. I made the top of the clock out of foam and felt and glued it to a brown sweatshirt he wore underneath.<br />
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Here's the video from our photo shoot:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ED4q3-3OGg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Last year we kicked it up a notch and did the cast of Shrek!</div>
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This theme was so much fun!</div>
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I mean, can you even with his hoofs? So funny!</div>
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While I look forward to the years when our themes can be wild and crazy, I think I'll always cherish these magical childhood years when my kids are still young and so full of imagination.</div>
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<i>This</i> is what Halloween is all about. </div>
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Here's our video from the Shrek Halloween shoot--you've got to see it:</div>
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If you have any costume questions please leave a comment and stay tuned to see what we've got up our sleeves this year!<br />
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Happy Halloween!ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-11716202681416322802016-09-26T22:44:00.001-07:002016-09-26T22:44:35.499-07:00My Addiction<br />
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(deep breath. deep breath. here goes)</div>
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I <i>finally</i> realize it's a problem. It's always been there, for as far back as I can remember, it's been there. I'm sorry if this seems very unlike me and straight forward but I just need to get it out.</div>
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See, I've learned not to blame anyone but myself. What was so easily typed out just now, was actually a difficult and often painful realization. And the sad truth is that it's getting worse. I'm getting worse. And now I've got kids who watch me. Who watch my <b>every</b> move.</div>
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How do I look them in the eyes and tell them their mother is an addict? How do I admit that I can't seem to get enough? Of the candy corns and the pumpkin muffins. The acorns and the gourds. Don't even get me started on the mums, man.</div>
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<i>Duuuuuuude, can you pass the Autumn? Mama, needs another hit. </i></div>
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I AM A FULL FLEDGED FALL JUNKIE!</div>
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Eugene and I, in what can only be described as an all-out bender, got the ultimate autumnal high by taking the kids to Door County, Wisconsin for the annual Sister Bay Fall Fest.</div>
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It don't get any Fall-er than this!</div>
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We discovered <a href="http://miabellavida.blogspot.com/2010/10/door-county-in-fall.html">Door County three years ago</a> and vowed to come back again. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We rented a two bedroom, one story townhouse that had the perfect amount of hiding spaces to keep the kids intrested. </span><i style="text-align: left;">Can I jump on the bed Mom? </i><span style="text-align: left;">Sure, why the hell not, it's not <i>my</i> house. God I love vacation me--so cool, so laid back. </span><i style="text-align: left;">Can we make a fort Mom? </i><span style="text-align: left;">Of course you can! Here's 43 blankets and an hour of time, go! </span></div>
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The Fall Fest was just as we remembered, crisp fall air, warm apple cider, brats on the grill and corn on the cob.....</div>
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Zombie marching bands</div>
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and parade loot.</div>
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After the parade was over we got ourselves some local pumpkin beer (which was delicious) and took the kids to the park, which was smack dab in the middle of the fest. </div>
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The sun was shining, Indy was sleeping quietly and cozy in the stroller, Mia was searching for ladybugs, Bella was lost in her imaginary world, Chance was lovin' the slide and Eugene and I just sat back, relaxed and got on the <b>most amazing buzz.</b> The kind of buzz that keeps you laughing. The kind of buzz that feels so wrong when it's 11AM but yet so, so right. It was hilarious. And fun. And it felt like college again. I, of course, got so paranoid that all the other parents were totally judging us, but we didn't care. Our kids were having the time of their life! It's not often that I take the kids to the park for an <i>unspecified</i> amount of time. They kept looking over at me, with a sad and desperate look like <i>now mom, are we leaving now? </i>only to find me smiling and laughing, a reassurance that playtime can commence. They played in that park FOR OVER 2 HOURS, which for us is like a playground eternity. And Eugene and I just sat back and watched it all.</div>
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Speaking of sitting, everywhere in Sister Bay benches are dedicated in someone's honor--a detail that I found so endearing. For a brief moment I wondered who John Anderson was, since he "supported" us and all our goofyness that afternoon. Was he a father or even a grandfather? Did his family chose the bench facing the park for a reason? It was also facing Lake Michigan, which isn't a shabby view either. These benches say more about this town than any tourism brochure could ever do-- sit, relax and remember. </div>
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Mark my words family, I want a bench someday.</div>
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I love that our weekend getaways have become almost a necessity for us. Getting away from our comfort, isolating ourselves, tuning out and turning off is just what our family needs. </div>
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Jeez, I've spent 5 minutes typing about family and I'm already jones-in' to write more about Fall. <i>First stage is admittance, Gina.</i> Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Truthfully, there just isn't enough time to APPRECIATE the fall season. If I were in charge I'd take an entire week (or 2) and just escape with my family like we did this past weekend and spend our days baking, and hiking and taking in every blessed color around us. It's a sin not to enjoy it. Until the leaves have fallen and the sky turns gray, I'm going to ride this high for as long as I can.<br />
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And sure, in two months when my buzz is killed and the snow brings on irritability, cold sweats and restlessness, I'll be comforted in knowing that my detox will <i>eventually</i> get better. I may have to wait 10 months, but the score will be worth it.<br />
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Note to my children-- if you're reading this years from now I hope to god you know what a metaphor is. If not, here's our vacation video to distract you:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9uMEiZirgHE" width="640"></iframe>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-51275400703721183742016-09-26T22:43:00.001-07:002016-09-26T22:43:39.761-07:00A Mother's PromiseEight years ago I began a journey that I had waited for since I was 5 years old. Those 1980 adventures of cradling, hugging, burping and singing to my dolls gave me a blinded confidence of motherhood that I've carried with me always.<br />
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There are certain moments in life that are so completely crystal clear that it becomes impossible to forget them. Trust me, some I'd like to forget but can't and then there's some moments that I cling so tightly to when I find myself questioning my strength. Here's one--February 27th, 2006, the eve before I became a mother. I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned and not just because I was a swollen mess but because I knew this was it. The moment I had waited for. I laid there next to Eugene, the absolute love of my life and realized that though he and I rely on each other for pretty much everything, <i>only I can be her mother</i>. I had spent the last 9 months reading every book published on taking care of children-yet not one of them taught me how to be a good mother. Sure, I could recite the step by step instructions to getting rid of a nasty diaper rash but how to be a mother your children would respect was freakin' foreign to me. Still is, sometimes.<br />
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I laid awake for hours that night, my last remaining moments as a care-free, irresponsible adult wondering what type of mother I wanted to be. And as nervous as I was about my c-section scheduled only hours away, the excitement started to build. The excitement that had been suppressed for so many years. This was my time. This was what I was going to kick ass at. I had no idea how, but I knew that I would.<br />
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That following morning, my new journey began.<br />
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On my last day in the hospital I met a woman who lead a new mom's group and she encouraged me to attend once I was released. I politely thanked her and stuffed her card among all the other breastfeeding pamphlets and postpartum fact sheets into the plastic hospital bag that laid on my bedroom floor for a week after I returned home.<br />
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After feeling an overwhelming sense of cabin fever I searched for her card and attended my first class. It felt great to get out of the house and it felt reassuring to hear that other moms felt the same way I did. We laughed, we confessed and we were given a homework assignment. What the hell?! As if waking up every three hours wasn't enough HOMEWORK, I needed to add this to my to-do list. I think I even rolled my eyes when I heard it.<br />
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<b><i>Write a promise to your new child, a motherhood mission.</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b>As the days followed after that meeting I knew that I would regret it if I didn't write it down. This was my chance to put it in writing. So on March 9, 2006 I did--and I'm forever grateful for that woman who made me do it because it has kept me grounded ever since--well, for the most part. And in case our house goes up in a nasty flame and I lose the frame these words are held in, here they are...<br />
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<b>A Mother's Promise</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Right now I am your leader. I believe that leadership is more important than friendship. But rest assure Bella, we will be friends one day. The very best of friends.</b><br />
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<b>I believe the biggest form of punishment is stifling a child's freedom of expression. I want to support you in all that you do and help guide you to make the best decisions for yourself.</b><br />
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<b>I believe that laughter is essential to having a happy family. I hope that we laugh every day.</b><br />
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<b>I believe that helping others helps yourself. Bella, be thankful for what you have and know how important it is to share your wealth with others.</b><br />
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<b>Respect yourself. I believe this just may be my undying quest for you. Always, always, always respect yourself. And your mother :)</b><br />
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<b>Integrity. Live everyday with integrity Bella. This is such an important quality to have. This is why I fell in love with your father.</b><br />
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<b>Right now you are my only child. Therefore, my focus everyday is on you. However, there will come a time when you are not my only focus, when I have to focus on my other children. You should not feel hurt. I will love all of you equally. But I will never forget how we went through this for the first time, <i>together.</i></b><br />
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<i><br /></i><i><br /></i><b>Bella, I promise to show you the world. We will travel.</b><br />
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<b><br /></b><b>I also promise that one day you can see the world on your own. <i>It will change your life.</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>Love,</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Your Mother</b><br />
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Three children later and a file full of mothering experiences--I try everyday to live up to the ideal mom I wanted to be. Some days I do and some days I don't. And that's okay. As long as I know which direction I'm headed in!<br />
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Trust me, it's never too late to write your mission.<br />
<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-6113538315056693912016-09-26T22:42:00.002-07:002016-09-26T22:42:26.492-07:00I Had My ChanceIt is with thrill, joy, love, adoration and a pinch of excitement that I welcome our newest family member, Chance Narciso.<br />
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Born on July 16th at 8:13 AM, weighing 6lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 19 inches in length, we watched as our daughters proudly shouted<br />
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WE HAVE A BABY BROTHER! YIPEEEEEE!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfx9E5OCm0lJaYbc5zjV_fMlYZe8EnZTzoSolvYAh8FE40MYL9DAD7PfydP3obnKnvFhJCsaAl2Y6_DAvHrxhjKNoi4WcA5D-qmVmi8IoEOWO-0j6Yg26iqq8eI4kgFb2mBXRnhJdANHJ/s1600/EEN_3785.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497151941400433298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfx9E5OCm0lJaYbc5zjV_fMlYZe8EnZTzoSolvYAh8FE40MYL9DAD7PfydP3obnKnvFhJCsaAl2Y6_DAvHrxhjKNoi4WcA5D-qmVmi8IoEOWO-0j6Yg26iqq8eI4kgFb2mBXRnhJdANHJ/s640/EEN_3785.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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I couldn't have agreed with them more.<br />
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Many of you might be wondering why we chose the name Chance? Well to put it simply, Eugene and I both feel that life is about taking risks. And how much we can grow and learn from challenging ourselves. Our hope for Chance is that he realizes how short life is and choses to make the very best of it. That, and frankly, we thought the name was kinda badass.<br />
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In my life, I've taken many chances that led me here.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Like the time I fell in love with a guy that I knew we'd be forever perfect.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4qckJyTG7BFuHv0mmZN2QKOjGOcaeUnV3kE7AD9CKTKX_O-K0E4P0uBokT_4mnMBs71QWKT44w6F8nPvs3Ggc3pyys9Bf2Q3sfH2PP9d6zL4kZn2kY1-yf5iOuW0gLeGFhgSFjt1q8ct/s1600/EEN_4005.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497155575011772658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4qckJyTG7BFuHv0mmZN2QKOjGOcaeUnV3kE7AD9CKTKX_O-K0E4P0uBokT_4mnMBs71QWKT44w6F8nPvs3Ggc3pyys9Bf2Q3sfH2PP9d6zL4kZn2kY1-yf5iOuW0gLeGFhgSFjt1q8ct/s640/EEN_4005.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKN6bDNBRe0VQ8gd466i9sVTKlHpyhSe2N_msz8Qm3uCzp8B66isKBXnHfhFeESbaoGKW2PdU3GZRAPdN5U6z9TsjGi1lcw0yk-R7k56gjCKCjP99ug9tiZMIO4_0J0pMMm1ICzdUthkCY/s1600/EEN_3311.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498075449252494946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKN6bDNBRe0VQ8gd466i9sVTKlHpyhSe2N_msz8Qm3uCzp8B66isKBXnHfhFeESbaoGKW2PdU3GZRAPdN5U6z9TsjGi1lcw0yk-R7k56gjCKCjP99ug9tiZMIO4_0J0pMMm1ICzdUthkCY/s640/EEN_3311.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Or how I blindly entered motherhood, after unsuccessfully taking care of several hamsters, a few fish, a cat and about 4 random dogs that our family adopted over the years.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1zJTjhuqjpFJuBKrcwgrt4q3JWc4XLjvoPE7g6o1az39etVJZ-r85_TeTP_jxnKSYcZZ-AKEIZ7G0I-xdGZoT4TM3qoiuEuyGuAMloE4ct9zPCaDHPjLBNOwMYCSuBiZQAmNx4AVGUN5/s1600/EEN_3024.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497162023116820962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1zJTjhuqjpFJuBKrcwgrt4q3JWc4XLjvoPE7g6o1az39etVJZ-r85_TeTP_jxnKSYcZZ-AKEIZ7G0I-xdGZoT4TM3qoiuEuyGuAMloE4ct9zPCaDHPjLBNOwMYCSuBiZQAmNx4AVGUN5/s640/EEN_3024.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNvA-1nsMsRnWVlgVjOBfuKiFp44L99y8RN9hkKFYRAdefDQ19XSPGHU3hykvf3BUX4soHEgCYSb7wD7P7GGv850ejKYBmotyE8eblLdCUtEWKAc5B_MGJUYNvmjFeRhGaWFv-dKr4yV7/s1600/EEN_3046.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497114558587051186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNvA-1nsMsRnWVlgVjOBfuKiFp44L99y8RN9hkKFYRAdefDQ19XSPGHU3hykvf3BUX4soHEgCYSb7wD7P7GGv850ejKYBmotyE8eblLdCUtEWKAc5B_MGJUYNvmjFeRhGaWFv-dKr4yV7/s640/EEN_3046.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbx36jYkDnQilLDS9jim9wvvK5gbePK5kcxOrvV37PYl-1Bg6qe5c9UuBIpoKz9DXKvA78Z39T2moLjYkhieandDv-uYh4u42F0cQm16xmEScxkk-lY-tl-ur6rSkupVtjzl6KYDsw0LY/s1600/EEN_3704.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497150205797905474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbx36jYkDnQilLDS9jim9wvvK5gbePK5kcxOrvV37PYl-1Bg6qe5c9UuBIpoKz9DXKvA78Z39T2moLjYkhieandDv-uYh4u42F0cQm16xmEScxkk-lY-tl-ur6rSkupVtjzl6KYDsw0LY/s640/EEN_3704.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Or how my precious and dedicated yet sometimes destructive relationship with my sister would be passed down to a new generation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_79jryAuDncj9G7qLkFnXtC39ym3V26rsvBXKSEdSTWoEKi2y2QmUYOjx1xlINq5WjcLg4HVsZfk0SUhZB-A5lT0oID-9zAylDDPqn3WF6B9Sn2KDIEE2q8LgS0xWmpl3WMGEpP2fZwRy/s1600/EEN_3057.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497117242356626978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_79jryAuDncj9G7qLkFnXtC39ym3V26rsvBXKSEdSTWoEKi2y2QmUYOjx1xlINq5WjcLg4HVsZfk0SUhZB-A5lT0oID-9zAylDDPqn3WF6B9Sn2KDIEE2q8LgS0xWmpl3WMGEpP2fZwRy/s640/EEN_3057.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX-ONtsP_fMpTw13KXMRwf7Bt6Ntdw8oLNST0_0KkfAZu6XxU5Doxl1qn7yH8uBC1qJctN2SOQ8mAy8xJQKgM68yU9U24fNw0_t6MA4GiHl1WRSnGV91QcYn6i3Qt98lawNpRpWUW027_/s1600/EEN_3387.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497119226652452162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX-ONtsP_fMpTw13KXMRwf7Bt6Ntdw8oLNST0_0KkfAZu6XxU5Doxl1qn7yH8uBC1qJctN2SOQ8mAy8xJQKgM68yU9U24fNw0_t6MA4GiHl1WRSnGV91QcYn6i3Qt98lawNpRpWUW027_/s640/EEN_3387.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8DyaUmqY3WKHYv-YcImUD2UvyfR9qa7jNvnSvcbQ22hXrZhN_995yVC3vpxes2hpZQcHCorD2R6wfJwrgAL6ukt0XJON93tZ2u9UknaqeXrZzqG6GRw8MFokzmnZZUacQ2uD_LXUbh1j/s1600/EEN_3568.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497148523779244018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8DyaUmqY3WKHYv-YcImUD2UvyfR9qa7jNvnSvcbQ22hXrZhN_995yVC3vpxes2hpZQcHCorD2R6wfJwrgAL6ukt0XJON93tZ2u9UknaqeXrZzqG6GRw8MFokzmnZZUacQ2uD_LXUbh1j/s640/EEN_3568.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Or when I assisted the special needs classroom in my grade school, giving me first hand experience on how to be patient while simultaneously teaching me to be grateful for what I have.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4SiSuRpF-OjS3fgWFuRIbGwC26tIIenUxwgyn1ArzVjB2B8ESHimEflMbGldQNAsB3pm8nyUWcKiKIRYo-ldqzdehgOyvnLrG7d0NQi7WGgHaQM8sjz97n4bs_tpbpPQoWDCAigl070A/s1600/EEN_3501.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497147656322968786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4SiSuRpF-OjS3fgWFuRIbGwC26tIIenUxwgyn1ArzVjB2B8ESHimEflMbGldQNAsB3pm8nyUWcKiKIRYo-ldqzdehgOyvnLrG7d0NQi7WGgHaQM8sjz97n4bs_tpbpPQoWDCAigl070A/s640/EEN_3501.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3w51g0tuLEGr2mYrx4eDJSZV94D_0Ce7yLAq1qYdFceiQBOFtTadcXh_C4x2R9WEJRql088OVy_TJsHEv_zr1lB2fE6DuHGeVnpcHY-pXAiV4VErgn56MjeUTAGWjXwH-U3qGt_zmcTu/s1600/EEN_3069.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497117592849434770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3w51g0tuLEGr2mYrx4eDJSZV94D_0Ce7yLAq1qYdFceiQBOFtTadcXh_C4x2R9WEJRql088OVy_TJsHEv_zr1lB2fE6DuHGeVnpcHY-pXAiV4VErgn56MjeUTAGWjXwH-U3qGt_zmcTu/s640/EEN_3069.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcvxi7dnTAY1R4H4bD-F3kn_J_bbBiHOYeChHG8OEM9SxVEVFE1bM3XwwLljVdv37AZ-nyAEW9WUfvLKbn4ca-2B5YUirZJPRFxv05ZEdrCPW9njusSY6l19Ted2NfV1zv7kjl7ChbHbB/s1600/EEN_3347.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497118843378708594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcvxi7dnTAY1R4H4bD-F3kn_J_bbBiHOYeChHG8OEM9SxVEVFE1bM3XwwLljVdv37AZ-nyAEW9WUfvLKbn4ca-2B5YUirZJPRFxv05ZEdrCPW9njusSY6l19Ted2NfV1zv7kjl7ChbHbB/s640/EEN_3347.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Or when Eugene and I decided that our definition of family meant sharing our lives and experiences with many kids.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKK7j128-0q-c75iqU92DemH7XmFdXOlVQfbzT2FsFtIO5vvthhJEAIzdnLc_hRAmU-MQIGegwMDE83nGvmARFpuL4p_kOTu2D2K2PBBqJ3BWR-11tW0DCoOvs8PUBSY5ooMGb3lLaTVI/s1600/EEN_3102.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497117934410526850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKK7j128-0q-c75iqU92DemH7XmFdXOlVQfbzT2FsFtIO5vvthhJEAIzdnLc_hRAmU-MQIGegwMDE83nGvmARFpuL4p_kOTu2D2K2PBBqJ3BWR-11tW0DCoOvs8PUBSY5ooMGb3lLaTVI/s640/EEN_3102.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4GZ7dEKexB0UVdGF4aV_feYb0sa94jyLU4my91zHzbmcUT-LwD2J51bZCSeMj8h_z30MBCW7gLAQW9nB7e-AcxjqbUmgbwuiVv3UQB23iWmNHRwNCngkBfPXWKmL4oTlv7N-B2K2kJX0/s1600/EEN_3643.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="424" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497149143543893026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4GZ7dEKexB0UVdGF4aV_feYb0sa94jyLU4my91zHzbmcUT-LwD2J51bZCSeMj8h_z30MBCW7gLAQW9nB7e-AcxjqbUmgbwuiVv3UQB23iWmNHRwNCngkBfPXWKmL4oTlv7N-B2K2kJX0/s640/EEN_3643.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pOpiVnDn1HgQZRo3T7Un8mCdAVBnTrvLQLohUtZgtIC-7xy5AM2X9OcxDgFeV5x8bQuyMWWZVPdIBjbSNf6IsP0OApuSAzQyHviyrqPdhEFpO-ns5FE4cjIDjlCzhN6r2BIJtC2Ka4OL/s1600/EEN_3575.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497148842665046594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pOpiVnDn1HgQZRo3T7Un8mCdAVBnTrvLQLohUtZgtIC-7xy5AM2X9OcxDgFeV5x8bQuyMWWZVPdIBjbSNf6IsP0OApuSAzQyHviyrqPdhEFpO-ns5FE4cjIDjlCzhN6r2BIJtC2Ka4OL/s640/EEN_3575.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Or when we agreed to teach our children how important it is to always take care of, look out for and indelibly love and respect, <span style="font-style: italic;">eachother</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Always.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya4b8bXA-MylOideaZQ7Ugh7Oh0k0x6ZuVxa0nXg8Tw2-yVNYVMHDIWhFclU1zRUiYbV8jfqJ4Nv6rdJ4E-2_zkY6-ZplWXB7dT_xlTWMOGXrp4GM8DMA-BVw0nG8M39_HROxd1Z6aoZ1/s1600/EEN_3341.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497118563076150914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya4b8bXA-MylOideaZQ7Ugh7Oh0k0x6ZuVxa0nXg8Tw2-yVNYVMHDIWhFclU1zRUiYbV8jfqJ4Nv6rdJ4E-2_zkY6-ZplWXB7dT_xlTWMOGXrp4GM8DMA-BVw0nG8M39_HROxd1Z6aoZ1/s640/EEN_3341.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGu_fDRUIk7jbjdrHqK-EyY003Ks_lRhhWYzwX6AvyOkYsFi1ZWcEucAr4feYVRqtOM3DBiPLmGNAn182lEQ3HbvUZ9_1Oip4TgxkUrLPkdZkuDSjx6Y5osZ5dl4EDENV1yS9e2Zl3CCI/s1600/EEN_3399.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497119716623045906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGu_fDRUIk7jbjdrHqK-EyY003Ks_lRhhWYzwX6AvyOkYsFi1ZWcEucAr4feYVRqtOM3DBiPLmGNAn182lEQ3HbvUZ9_1Oip4TgxkUrLPkdZkuDSjx6Y5osZ5dl4EDENV1yS9e2Zl3CCI/s640/EEN_3399.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5MP5Jr6UqVqc2ZBdOyxpTinETk81FUAc66ijdzSKNJQEhCI5zAm57jbfRpZWJwxrudEK7R8pKuWZhGRHS8pfNiCZuzZwXIduzdU7vV_R_Fy1VXTaDwYYnFv7dRoPfyYI7ervPGPD59pT/s1600/EEN_3410.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497120015274606722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5MP5Jr6UqVqc2ZBdOyxpTinETk81FUAc66ijdzSKNJQEhCI5zAm57jbfRpZWJwxrudEK7R8pKuWZhGRHS8pfNiCZuzZwXIduzdU7vV_R_Fy1VXTaDwYYnFv7dRoPfyYI7ervPGPD59pT/s640/EEN_3410.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Or when we realized that the greatest gift you can give your child is a sibling. Long after we're gone, they'll still have eachother to lean on, to depend on, and to carry on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIddQ2JbED2eTVektHsvmxoomTfpr4HYhejKOxwB0RuuBcCDAUhAwhhuHXi5I3PmpmsWpzr0Kt7g43fPmdn4Nd7T4CXU7xlwnYXyQ7LD9fHPi2GeWFCIRruLX1f9NelD4mRQWSsXvj65En/s1600/EEN_3690.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497149968712519922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIddQ2JbED2eTVektHsvmxoomTfpr4HYhejKOxwB0RuuBcCDAUhAwhhuHXi5I3PmpmsWpzr0Kt7g43fPmdn4Nd7T4CXU7xlwnYXyQ7LD9fHPi2GeWFCIRruLX1f9NelD4mRQWSsXvj65En/s640/EEN_3690.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSu3_gLuWNKc_dj8Ct6F87uB0sRqnOuYMw5DfR6UJrxQK2UcG9q-upFMHapGVCIi_S4M3_1BxQRRH01lD6orkTTQPNcFo2dICTnbNLwa1mqgeybMLJ5gCyPDmk3fzEbiDxKfDhzaeNjO7s/s1600/EEN_3581.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="424" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498084657946105810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSu3_gLuWNKc_dj8Ct6F87uB0sRqnOuYMw5DfR6UJrxQK2UcG9q-upFMHapGVCIi_S4M3_1BxQRRH01lD6orkTTQPNcFo2dICTnbNLwa1mqgeybMLJ5gCyPDmk3fzEbiDxKfDhzaeNjO7s/s640/EEN_3581.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJk7NBSNyiI9gzIX7da3iEbWYWoJ7ZTx6XGukFo2fUhONRa9lf3A7_De38aaHUCrZrO8VYRK9Wk2TnkGfaVDqjQ282N-nH6F28TRa_NvvxsYbAu15Ud81t93cs_xtxATKIO1MUw8zYo_B/s1600/EEN_3730.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497151381728431362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJk7NBSNyiI9gzIX7da3iEbWYWoJ7ZTx6XGukFo2fUhONRa9lf3A7_De38aaHUCrZrO8VYRK9Wk2TnkGfaVDqjQ282N-nH6F28TRa_NvvxsYbAu15Ud81t93cs_xtxATKIO1MUw8zYo_B/s640/EEN_3730.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">These little angels </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e8EFZrDauYmOoCEwbJY6bnThTNs1bh7Iunpb-PmhM_8pSHYtykJH6n6IVK1UX_JioyNm01Jx4GaLeh62V7fQo4170uj6cyw78ye5Wmb1arX1qcENBQSz3cmpNZiEor-M-DiSG7l6gBcP/s1600/EEN_3800.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497152174635893234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e8EFZrDauYmOoCEwbJY6bnThTNs1bh7Iunpb-PmhM_8pSHYtykJH6n6IVK1UX_JioyNm01Jx4GaLeh62V7fQo4170uj6cyw78ye5Wmb1arX1qcENBQSz3cmpNZiEor-M-DiSG7l6gBcP/s640/EEN_3800.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknc0HEjoZW-FpnQfB5ISBZgiXYoS8_YYQQ4Zk6nmsmAqFVcCcWFDeHeG-pZoeefTxhQbviPZ7uq4DDWrpEM2FhWMddwV92R3wW16jCFK3NI2CxtVdY7ECvn4g26FgfXVCB6P5YQMc9nZJ/s1600/EEN_3604.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498095692865374434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknc0HEjoZW-FpnQfB5ISBZgiXYoS8_YYQQ4Zk6nmsmAqFVcCcWFDeHeG-pZoeefTxhQbviPZ7uq4DDWrpEM2FhWMddwV92R3wW16jCFK3NI2CxtVdY7ECvn4g26FgfXVCB6P5YQMc9nZJ/s640/EEN_3604.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="425" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">are going to be phenomenal role models for this little guy.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNONMSFgj8RjjL-CHnWFuf8zCt41xRAsv5jjmsfKnmC_oV-YPnjzt3SGOtS2Kl8QIlyoIY1MS4Sh0M9PQ5fKf8Eap0qJAs8Z_3_gkXCDhquYBqOR-iIp7CWfhRbFN5tj3KZAG5Fngx6IWC/s1600/EEN_3487.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="425" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497120336579896194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNONMSFgj8RjjL-CHnWFuf8zCt41xRAsv5jjmsfKnmC_oV-YPnjzt3SGOtS2Kl8QIlyoIY1MS4Sh0M9PQ5fKf8Eap0qJAs8Z_3_gkXCDhquYBqOR-iIp7CWfhRbFN5tj3KZAG5Fngx6IWC/s640/EEN_3487.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Now that's definitely a chance worth taking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Buh-dum-cha.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Welcome to our family, Chance Post Narciso.</span>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-29849379146731269782016-09-26T22:37:00.002-07:002016-09-26T22:37:24.708-07:00La Dolce Vita<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Xq-iFioShRpv0XqwDHmkBOodl2EAwGwGpEOWtikjkz1ud-8hXRhYS090vY6Kuv8rwARD7D2OnWO8nF1trhggZKAtvLD9HEH2WP0Bdi3VaR1e1HAwKHzowkcp3cex99Og5XchUcXApA/s1600-h/IMG_1287.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352592411935875282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Xq-iFioShRpv0XqwDHmkBOodl2EAwGwGpEOWtikjkz1ud-8hXRhYS090vY6Kuv8rwARD7D2OnWO8nF1trhggZKAtvLD9HEH2WP0Bdi3VaR1e1HAwKHzowkcp3cex99Og5XchUcXApA/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Or as the Italians like to call it, "the sweet life." One particular way in which Italians revel in the sweet life is with their gelato. Back in the 13th century, Marco Polo learned of the Chinese method of creating ice and milk mixtures and like the copycat he was, brought it back to Europe and--poof--gelato was born. Unlike ice cream, gelato is whipped with hardly any air so the flavors are intensified. And intense it is. So intense that we had it daily. Okay, sometimes twice daily but that was only to test out a new flavor. Vacation calories don't count, right?<br />
<br />
Of all the cones in all the cities, Siena was by far the best! They had us at ciao when we looked at how authentic their display was. Check out the real strawberries in there......just for show!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUv0vyslmm4pXw8RUGltmb4nT1sybsxUHmFzWDbcjSTYZbCL9GLxEpZrJSpz7mPNIbdgAlttwwH5LAbx5U340E3XDGqSwCEgQt948-3cpX4ugMIqk1DObqZm63NaDpVIqc4AYgM6ysos/s1600-h/DSC_8360.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352592688444171010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUv0vyslmm4pXw8RUGltmb4nT1sybsxUHmFzWDbcjSTYZbCL9GLxEpZrJSpz7mPNIbdgAlttwwH5LAbx5U340E3XDGqSwCEgQt948-3cpX4ugMIqk1DObqZm63NaDpVIqc4AYgM6ysos/s400/DSC_8360.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
After we all ordered our favorite flavor we sat in the campo and devoured the gelato. One sticky, messy, lick at a time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMbP-zdWO8M9YBk6KNOk3ZYkKB9ZJ6q7A4ekLT6LLj5HtqCE2i1DOWDCsSaRKmE3btxDxWOuMqjKqjl-cnKHLhOFJISg0FrsHr7j4VVY7ODmE3YnT1DuQ9_ssOrnm_J4Jyunl6v3ug0k/s1600-h/IMG_1286.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352598945106521970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMbP-zdWO8M9YBk6KNOk3ZYkKB9ZJ6q7A4ekLT6LLj5HtqCE2i1DOWDCsSaRKmE3btxDxWOuMqjKqjl-cnKHLhOFJISg0FrsHr7j4VVY7ODmE3YnT1DuQ9_ssOrnm_J4Jyunl6v3ug0k/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
<br />
I remember looking up and noticing the sky was a perfect shade of blue.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOQ7Jgv2OqdcN0pMQnEhglf2_YK8vOH4bjeQM61ImbXPeZHfo_PkUhqYooQC50gBJoOWacRlQ5YvTtY2i_NZZWmxKf8oGvCqVtGmWRN-7psO62bv0eJJ_QWvem3uHMFoMcuvLrvGY_J0/s1600-h/DSC_8381.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352592952192551746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOQ7Jgv2OqdcN0pMQnEhglf2_YK8vOH4bjeQM61ImbXPeZHfo_PkUhqYooQC50gBJoOWacRlQ5YvTtY2i_NZZWmxKf8oGvCqVtGmWRN-7psO62bv0eJJ_QWvem3uHMFoMcuvLrvGY_J0/s400/DSC_8381.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
We people watched as friends laughed with one another<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCS9CRVB2oHotWBRAYsvJaS4kcEdt53W9UbxlgtlP7_uu2S8QrMOkqFpggNjBfQQOd2gAdKc5LcJ3wDilG9ftFcb4oyc-d-G2tY3LgS3ZeN0bWtJy8icWd2T5gwvivUw9iH6Puw0JXk4/s1600-h/DSC_8584.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352599645298131554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCS9CRVB2oHotWBRAYsvJaS4kcEdt53W9UbxlgtlP7_uu2S8QrMOkqFpggNjBfQQOd2gAdKc5LcJ3wDilG9ftFcb4oyc-d-G2tY3LgS3ZeN0bWtJy8icWd2T5gwvivUw9iH6Puw0JXk4/s400/DSC_8584.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 264px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and embraced each other<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fGtnVXfkPVQgFjWozayOrP01lDifQgY_AymN3Vsd683IzgnqG4YdwXEE2wmdVc4Q7y4T_NQpAPj7B-Lz_UMeS8zyGxtTlOLWIxhbhZkN27bSFnb-PVIwbfXdnmshyphenhyphenZ5DPI8EqrzT19U/s1600-h/DSC_8370.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352600322218690722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fGtnVXfkPVQgFjWozayOrP01lDifQgY_AymN3Vsd683IzgnqG4YdwXEE2wmdVc4Q7y4T_NQpAPj7B-Lz_UMeS8zyGxtTlOLWIxhbhZkN27bSFnb-PVIwbfXdnmshyphenhyphenZ5DPI8EqrzT19U/s400/DSC_8370.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and stopped to catch a breath<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYmSKJhiJeUnxwTdvRAQIlEM4kFmXrc-lLe_f4u_igr777l2PVH-7JuVm-OIspDPVdocxseiFpfAf3SdHSQ0Y5goVFZY9Vygmd2OJgH3yHoBgizC9Y2_m4OYz68yEA23v3CWNQKMOjr4/s1600-h/DSC_8505.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352602119642850546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYmSKJhiJeUnxwTdvRAQIlEM4kFmXrc-lLe_f4u_igr777l2PVH-7JuVm-OIspDPVdocxseiFpfAf3SdHSQ0Y5goVFZY9Vygmd2OJgH3yHoBgizC9Y2_m4OYz68yEA23v3CWNQKMOjr4/s400/DSC_8505.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 264px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and stopped for a drink of water<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7fewiTo1vp0usVt1hg-oMx8N0eeMevAMJQFixlmwuGkvg5SGzaMwGId8P1ixqKUBrfM5osthBotUgrqZGruplIeK-UkMBb6P27xSiKYJcyHzlwCGhphKfk2YfP78tX5dA-vOWDXLLzE/s1600-h/DSC_8465.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352593145674590690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7fewiTo1vp0usVt1hg-oMx8N0eeMevAMJQFixlmwuGkvg5SGzaMwGId8P1ixqKUBrfM5osthBotUgrqZGruplIeK-UkMBb6P27xSiKYJcyHzlwCGhphKfk2YfP78tX5dA-vOWDXLLzE/s400/DSC_8465.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my people watching was interrupted by two high octane sugar highs. And I don't mean Eugina's. I redirected my focus and watched again as friends laughed with one another<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwatp_aVPde_s-tlGtRFdERH2dPms70pjeywVG4JqZrRn0Jgan7DF1T336fsntFlqaC7fzSw_jRQrRz8gGlDRn_vLxZtiOAOKOnkr_lBadulfEfnvQ8Zf3Gx-5uzWBazXYs-uNWa83TAQ/s1600-h/DSC_8412.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352608402284684898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwatp_aVPde_s-tlGtRFdERH2dPms70pjeywVG4JqZrRn0Jgan7DF1T336fsntFlqaC7fzSw_jRQrRz8gGlDRn_vLxZtiOAOKOnkr_lBadulfEfnvQ8Zf3Gx-5uzWBazXYs-uNWa83TAQ/s400/DSC_8412.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and embraced each other<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XLqcLLJy8L3rgeKCKrdlKHM-Vfw8Smzhclg_rKnHDAiaTnsdOC_9oBecAO2K5y1XhLOoexM_0Iye_kxTq-n-o29ufpgmXSfoWjn3_pdUVufxV52CJJ2kHXQFGLOKmGlGBiOG84j0BaI/s1600-h/DSC_8444.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352608908950685282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XLqcLLJy8L3rgeKCKrdlKHM-Vfw8Smzhclg_rKnHDAiaTnsdOC_9oBecAO2K5y1XhLOoexM_0Iye_kxTq-n-o29ufpgmXSfoWjn3_pdUVufxV52CJJ2kHXQFGLOKmGlGBiOG84j0BaI/s400/DSC_8444.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 264px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and stopped to catch a breath<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZqsADb26CO3WpaeuG_sUX7iiCZwVkFavLNH2NVh4OUuwtgTxuelSbC4YHeZZG8sz2VpGSEdfsaRBkBhYYlCeebsjnD_r7ZoFBt9hubg-Va7N-oghavA4ZxZ5GXrlfjDJa2SHr0PJTsM/s1600-h/DSC_8538.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352593763268195538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZqsADb26CO3WpaeuG_sUX7iiCZwVkFavLNH2NVh4OUuwtgTxuelSbC4YHeZZG8sz2VpGSEdfsaRBkBhYYlCeebsjnD_r7ZoFBt9hubg-Va7N-oghavA4ZxZ5GXrlfjDJa2SHr0PJTsM/s400/DSC_8538.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 264px;" /></a><br />
<br />
and stopped for a drink of water<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjnnOdUXuWxrsOxT2R_QcghVMqis4fHllMjJzYQj5lF9eW9hngyjz7etL34duRqvfEZ5aYy69jgRoCbo6GWIANK4a-NiGkRnnHW1piFUFaIFmxzrj_Pb1RwGSDZtBY-ayByHmTbXPQqo/s1600-h/DSC_8471.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352609832471980290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjnnOdUXuWxrsOxT2R_QcghVMqis4fHllMjJzYQj5lF9eW9hngyjz7etL34duRqvfEZ5aYy69jgRoCbo6GWIANK4a-NiGkRnnHW1piFUFaIFmxzrj_Pb1RwGSDZtBY-ayByHmTbXPQqo/s400/DSC_8471.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 264px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
I sat in that campo watching two inseperable sisters explore a new world <span style="font-style: italic;">together</span>. I wondered if they will have this much curiosity in the future? I wondered if they will continue to depend on each other as much as they did today? I wondered if they will have the same passion to travel in the way that we do. Will they borrow each other's clothes? Will they wait for each other after school? Will they fight over boys? Will Bella learn to share the spotlight? Will Mia ever stop biting?<br />
<br />
I can't wait to find out.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pWoLhzzAoVqH-D4Iue2t2ytDrPQLhpFITX82tHGxKQ_abDUX9DU1t0cw9rXRE2Os1VOQk3Zvga8zDRLPj3Yl56WtiQRf98DLS4NaROsRglWbjVLq8APsPCNwY0_1iIvufi9dj18OgTs/s1600-h/DSC_8583.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352615462484549346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pWoLhzzAoVqH-D4Iue2t2ytDrPQLhpFITX82tHGxKQ_abDUX9DU1t0cw9rXRE2Os1VOQk3Zvga8zDRLPj3Yl56WtiQRf98DLS4NaROsRglWbjVLq8APsPCNwY0_1iIvufi9dj18OgTs/s400/DSC_8583.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 248px;" /></a><br />
<br />
What could be sweeter than that?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQdU7lY9yq0VdJqMh1fqAOkKea6LYPJ7V3i5jZl_UxshTmaRgU-gkTihW8dTF_DlFbma-VvIYssiTVqadZaqRyAOf_aOYcBxDxUHGfOFqLemLxXSp4LlWaPbDdEhUN8XpgHDUi5cLz0w/s1600-h/DSC_8553.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352615876530367330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQdU7lY9yq0VdJqMh1fqAOkKea6LYPJ7V3i5jZl_UxshTmaRgU-gkTihW8dTF_DlFbma-VvIYssiTVqadZaqRyAOf_aOYcBxDxUHGfOFqLemLxXSp4LlWaPbDdEhUN8XpgHDUi5cLz0w/s400/DSC_8553.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 400px; width: 264px;" /></a>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-69516631257537699012015-06-26T23:26:00.000-07:002015-06-27T12:25:42.657-07:00Our European Vacay: The ItineraryIt's been 10 days since we've stood on European soil and if I focus hard enough I can still hear the sounds of the birds singing in the Alps, the smell of fresh baked croissants from Provence and recall the world's most beautiful landscape in our favorite Italian town, Bellagio. This trip was almost unreal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OtWp8HDKpk8Qrce-UMg2YtZJvxdNPdwbfSKjlbD4DVJciPFcleN7QB3ZPWVKfAifAcZ8js3h8LrKl4vfoXjqyeYJtDPJ_s9ulELXr5lQX_b4-qQ6Y4B7pvkE_cYJNjrl-vvDO4Fqv3f9/s1600/EEN_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OtWp8HDKpk8Qrce-UMg2YtZJvxdNPdwbfSKjlbD4DVJciPFcleN7QB3ZPWVKfAifAcZ8js3h8LrKl4vfoXjqyeYJtDPJ_s9ulELXr5lQX_b4-qQ6Y4B7pvkE_cYJNjrl-vvDO4Fqv3f9/s640/EEN_4498.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The reason for this awesome vacation was to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. I swear, we're the only idiots I know who would take their 4 children under the age of 9 on a trip to celebrate an ANNIVERSARY. But truth be told, we've been telling our children about our love story since the day they were born so to show them firsthand where it all began was actually pretty great.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qEgK-a11bIQzHNPz-hJiyLxzPE8XsjfoX2I4feW5OkFMYAHWe46HkaLZy_EBc7nHjn2RRJFdXW15uVOXW4APMhyphenhyphenPwb-MkVyAsPhpWCUOgGzl72q9hRKGL7-jbprmMslZLUlm312EsvdC/s1600/EEN_3785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qEgK-a11bIQzHNPz-hJiyLxzPE8XsjfoX2I4feW5OkFMYAHWe46HkaLZy_EBc7nHjn2RRJFdXW15uVOXW4APMhyphenhyphenPwb-MkVyAsPhpWCUOgGzl72q9hRKGL7-jbprmMslZLUlm312EsvdC/s640/EEN_3785.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella made anniversary pancakes the morning we left </td></tr>
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The only thing better than the trip itself was the actual planning of it. Believe it or not, we planned this entire trip three months before we left. Which I definitely DO NOT recommend. Normal people plan things out a year in advance but with Eugene's busy travel schedule and our utter procrastination we left it to the last minute. I should note that we were saving money for the trip for over a year but the actual planning began in February.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhTgn4cBOT_cN1dosQ7RLqKQ5cuPEjsvpst8Z_P5bRsVgIG95CaEHpjdO0O3jJpS8mVWNVKWWWLT_-3oZjMPyBRG0p6qA2b-XnU_oZYqBMO9Hi0OcrL5T-O-39aKVt97OPAKc98UXsUqO/s1600/EEN_3798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhTgn4cBOT_cN1dosQ7RLqKQ5cuPEjsvpst8Z_P5bRsVgIG95CaEHpjdO0O3jJpS8mVWNVKWWWLT_-3oZjMPyBRG0p6qA2b-XnU_oZYqBMO9Hi0OcrL5T-O-39aKVt97OPAKc98UXsUqO/s640/EEN_3798.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We toyed around with seeing Europe several different ways: a cruise, train or by car and we decided on car since we had such a great experience the last time we went. The great thing about Europe is that most countries are totally doable by car. It's amazing how far you can get in 6 hours. As Eugene and I started the planning, we began by asking ourselves what we wished for. For me, my vacation wishes were to experience France outside of Paris and I wanted to go to Spain, since I had never been there before. Eugene's wish was to go back to the Swiss Alps and adventure even further up the Alps than he had been before. Fair enough, add it to the list.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu26SmX_EORFwLwZeBbys82dLNH8UkpJjqfwSGTt-FnXpwaTQKSCzVuhPmmPaCR3m3NY9tuWZIz4Iuci7Ad1ixwVQGqmgukM2HVnw7hR78uQMDNBc3Q2lHCuiWip3ZpyQgMrYHTkp7M9Q/s1600/EEN_5063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu26SmX_EORFwLwZeBbys82dLNH8UkpJjqfwSGTt-FnXpwaTQKSCzVuhPmmPaCR3m3NY9tuWZIz4Iuci7Ad1ixwVQGqmgukM2HVnw7hR78uQMDNBc3Q2lHCuiWip3ZpyQgMrYHTkp7M9Q/s640/EEN_5063.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Other than that, our options were totally open. This is where the fun began. I started google searching by literally typing "most magical European cities" and list after list showed a town in France, so we added that to our itinerary. We also had an 8 hour drive time limit for the car (which we only had to do once) so that helped to narrow down our options. It's important to ask yourself what would make your family really happy? For us, it was a diverse schedule. We wanted each city to feel so different from the next and let each little adventure stand on it's own. And it sure did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFc-q-cYFGvWDoyCt957eY5bcR0EQbDIAwdx5lHNbJGdZHJNawCXZ2dcJ5AcPmiUMnKDbn3h5OQfZpO5XzhxI1qIN3RnOAGs0vkWFr_AP-7xjS0LNVZ9PwaXLyh4n-RzRc_i-Fz9mrLpY/s1600/EEN_5741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFc-q-cYFGvWDoyCt957eY5bcR0EQbDIAwdx5lHNbJGdZHJNawCXZ2dcJ5AcPmiUMnKDbn3h5OQfZpO5XzhxI1qIN3RnOAGs0vkWFr_AP-7xjS0LNVZ9PwaXLyh4n-RzRc_i-Fz9mrLpY/s640/EEN_5741.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also tried to mix things up as much as we could. Like for example, since we were going to the top of Europe in the Alps we wanted to take the kids swimming on the shores of Barcelona. If we stayed at a fancy chateau one night then the next night would be in a modest cabin. The trip was ever-changing right up until our 18 hour layover in Denmark.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7wxRqbIb6KTbE2ztzwC1z-OmfShMBPHqbnpZJ7EeSbiBu9MELopPAJjxwTKeCILb4sQC99HcVXOaScsfxr2wSNYX9PxwTecdRWOimKRO3Y5T2W_mRJHDZbltrrJbOgns7LlZ9Rq-AlbP/s1600/EEN_8523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7wxRqbIb6KTbE2ztzwC1z-OmfShMBPHqbnpZJ7EeSbiBu9MELopPAJjxwTKeCILb4sQC99HcVXOaScsfxr2wSNYX9PxwTecdRWOimKRO3Y5T2W_mRJHDZbltrrJbOgns7LlZ9Rq-AlbP/s640/EEN_8523.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also did a great job of spacing the trip out. We were gone for 16 days total and within these two weeks we had 2 cities with a 3 night stay, 3 cities with a 2 night stay and 3 cities with a 1 night stay. It seems like a lot but it really was paced perfectly!<br />
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Here was our route:<br />
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<img src="webkit-fake-url://41bb0724-c71b-453c-9a4a-929381cbc8fe/image.tiff" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4RBJigaMEH_VZdRyKWEqRdGdi4om_Lwv3e3Wm6IWfpLr-z4jlY0gW3et357b_okvVqpdZ1VZaadRiTdp9Xc3mWWoiJSzt22IniQTMsfglZDM7egirho5RiRWsFqY3ZBM5sCQm5hAN_vq/s1600/Europe-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4RBJigaMEH_VZdRyKWEqRdGdi4om_Lwv3e3Wm6IWfpLr-z4jlY0gW3et357b_okvVqpdZ1VZaadRiTdp9Xc3mWWoiJSzt22IniQTMsfglZDM7egirho5RiRWsFqY3ZBM5sCQm5hAN_vq/s640/Europe-map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Each city was an adventure in itself. I plan to write about each one separately, so stay tuned for even more pictures and videos and history of these amazing cities. </div>
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-37549396192232702752015-05-20T00:52:00.001-07:002015-05-20T21:44:01.596-07:00Life Is A Circus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The year was 1986 or 1987, not sure which exactly but I do know that I probably wore a red and white Coca-Cola rugby, tight rolled my acid washed Guess jeans, feathered my hair back in defiance of the bowl haircut that I sadly wore and spent an hour of my 5th or 6th grade day at Palos West Elementary volunteering in the special needs classroom. All of these memories are crystal clear to me today as they were 28 years ago, but one in particular has come to define the very essence of who I am and thankfully it's not the Dorothy Hammill haircut.</div>
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I cherished spending my time with those kids. Making them happy made me happy, <i>genuinely happy.</i> I spent my days laughing, painting, reading, snacking, counting, and playing with them. Most 12 year olds cared more about fitting in than doing the right thing and I don't think I realized then how much it taught me about life. That December I raised money to buy some of the kids a Hallmark stuffed reindeer toy for Christmas and the sheer happiness I felt giving away those presents filled my heart with so much joy. </div>
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It was the first time I recognized how happy I was giving to others. It's like a little PING! explosion in my heart that I can actually feel. Certain moments of beauty give me that PING!, like watching my kids take care of and love one another or sometimes I get the PING! in church when I'm reminded of the wonder and mystique of a greater love, or simply handing over a stuffed reindeer to a girl who couldn't actually say thank you, or really even play with it but who gave me the hugest smile telling me in silence how awesome it felt to feel appreciated and loved. </div>
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As you may know we started a tradition with each of one of our children on their first birthdays. Instead of throwing a birthday party for them we throw a party for a group in need--a party with a purpose, if you will. Eugene and I want our children to look back on their first birthday and know that their life began in service to others. When Bella turned 1 we had Bella's Bingo Blowout and ice cream social at a local nursing home. On Mia's 1st birthday we threw a <a href="http://miabellavida.blogspot.com/2009/05/party-with-purpose.html">FUN FAIR</a> at a Chicagoland homeless shelter. On Chance's 1st birthday we organized a <a href="http://miabellavida.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-in-july.html">CHRISTMAS IN JULY</a> for a group of foster children. And then my sweet boy Indy turned 1 and knowing it was my last child I wanted to make this party the best yet. I thought long and hard about different groups that we could help and I kept returning to those memories I had from my days helping children with disabilities. </div>
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I contacted <a href="http://www.elimcs.org/">Elim Christian Services</a> who is a widely recognized institution for students with all different types of disabilities and they were thrilled with the idea. Suddenly our Under The Big Top Circus was underway. For those who are curious, this event actually happened a year ago. Right now it's the eve of Indy's 2nd birthday and I promised myself I would document the day some time this year. Better late than never, right? Okay, back to the greatest show on earth.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJPVgf7rDs9EQYDdK9EOMND5PnPjqzr4bIWPmB27XWQxFRm3qCY7L32Hwgk1jrAS81zLleg4mVCggfqMhfVumFT5tw6tptXda7UqVxfBuygUoz3NVxRJCcAwGAcV_2_AyrH6C-1iUEJE8/s1600/postgina2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJPVgf7rDs9EQYDdK9EOMND5PnPjqzr4bIWPmB27XWQxFRm3qCY7L32Hwgk1jrAS81zLleg4mVCggfqMhfVumFT5tw6tptXda7UqVxfBuygUoz3NVxRJCcAwGAcV_2_AyrH6C-1iUEJE8/s640/postgina2003.jpg" width="508" /></a></div>
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Flyers were printed and the word was spread.</div>
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Our family and friends from all over came together that day to volunteer their time and this overwhelming sense of teamwork filled the air. With the calliope music as our soundtrack we got our carni on' and set up the "Big Tent" with a photo booth, face painting table, tattoo station and even a bunch of carnival games. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKLG2oNd1UTdLIbNNtUpdP33yTFpv5FgwhR52VxBWHH5YMUDSP80bA2SduF9kyAisPtDIDMh7dapO_2GRCe-_WfpY0lkpGsIs8uw_JMqcD0GKydWtPnaMuin0IUIObj9Mhax9XqY2cHoB/s1600/EEN_3661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKLG2oNd1UTdLIbNNtUpdP33yTFpv5FgwhR52VxBWHH5YMUDSP80bA2SduF9kyAisPtDIDMh7dapO_2GRCe-_WfpY0lkpGsIs8uw_JMqcD0GKydWtPnaMuin0IUIObj9Mhax9XqY2cHoB/s640/EEN_3661.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQSa7EM9YfgwApPZXLMyvv0Cy_vv756AbYmc9db-DN2ctC5Kikq-mavFrKKMrEPEQVTjGmzQ2U_RjL6Hv7aAvw6amyONkRMbuY8JbZ_XGwYDpmSiYcV6z_DhPEfpK6ktCM3z5mDlB7D_v/s1600/EEN_3715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQSa7EM9YfgwApPZXLMyvv0Cy_vv756AbYmc9db-DN2ctC5Kikq-mavFrKKMrEPEQVTjGmzQ2U_RjL6Hv7aAvw6amyONkRMbuY8JbZ_XGwYDpmSiYcV6z_DhPEfpK6ktCM3z5mDlB7D_v/s640/EEN_3715.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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But a carnival wouldn't be complete without a concession stand and a clown show! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbDs79zCx997rBRSPNtj5BEKHp8cWwxoRccQkkXjxwYqyBnRZVw0ylhwDQ84yWkEHs5YLpg9OtnDuKFkjgEsCVpswwLUgDSK6qc2wSFaG0dFV3vB3kFEzNa-vE1c6BGLt0I84ALljrJx8/s1600/EEN_3752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbDs79zCx997rBRSPNtj5BEKHp8cWwxoRccQkkXjxwYqyBnRZVw0ylhwDQ84yWkEHs5YLpg9OtnDuKFkjgEsCVpswwLUgDSK6qc2wSFaG0dFV3vB3kFEzNa-vE1c6BGLt0I84ALljrJx8/s640/EEN_3752.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I think initially it was pretty hard for Bella, Mia and Chance to see how different life is for other children but that is exactly why I wanted them to be a part of this, because this is life. I want my children to know that being different is okay, that beauty comes in all types of packages and that we should treat everyone we meet with the same love and respect as we want to receive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7n_AvKL4xQislaUYC443HDdEBoEnbKygCmghPz3DawQIrkx5BJDExEOn3EUEJJ5E5G9xeTiwrMZstmyQMteoXX-W-jXZ3peWDiUyldifuCMXhXv1LwahctrEDnVCpEFzNJY9MC3fM3j4/s1600/EEN_3652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7n_AvKL4xQislaUYC443HDdEBoEnbKygCmghPz3DawQIrkx5BJDExEOn3EUEJJ5E5G9xeTiwrMZstmyQMteoXX-W-jXZ3peWDiUyldifuCMXhXv1LwahctrEDnVCpEFzNJY9MC3fM3j4/s640/EEN_3652.jpg" width="640" /></a>Children with disabilities across the spectrum delighted in games that best suited their abilities and LOVED it. One of the children pushed their electric scooter over to me as I held Indy and gestured to this large electronic box that sat upright on his lap and with a press of a button this automated, almost robotic voice rang out in the air, "Happy 1st Birthday Indy, thank you for inviting me to your party, I am having so much fun!"<br />
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And just like that, PING!<br />
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My heart swelled and my throat began to throb in that familiar way when the beauty of life takes over. It was heartbreakingly precious and solidified why we were here. That boy stole my heart in that moment as did all of the children. My inner twelve year old wanted to "pass out Reindeers" to each and every one of them yet here they were thanking and appreciating Indy. Our little ringleader was given birthday cards handmade by each one of the students and a signed poster that I swear to you hung in my dining room for five months afterwards because I simply couldn't part with the love that was shown on that day. I wish I could share the photos of the students but I have to respect their privacy. Though trust me, there was magic and love in the air.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrM2_dOIr0H9qB3hFvmPaOP1jlpEI3xU71E9ul8kIdZlzREFKLpEOUx3D0BfR3ddHH3b6PPIdKsWuIaMqfVrfuDKAac3j2UKNGtS0bIC4l53zsOQ_bSxF78P38TaW1ZOVONxI5cgeiKOM/s1600/EEN_3684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrM2_dOIr0H9qB3hFvmPaOP1jlpEI3xU71E9ul8kIdZlzREFKLpEOUx3D0BfR3ddHH3b6PPIdKsWuIaMqfVrfuDKAac3j2UKNGtS0bIC4l53zsOQ_bSxF78P38TaW1ZOVONxI5cgeiKOM/s640/EEN_3684.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Indy cruised around the party in his walker, blowing on his mustache kazoo, oblivious to a world of disabilities. Life might not always stay this way but as a mother, I pray that my children are listening and watching and learning. I hope they feel as good as I do helping others. I hope they spend a lifetime treating each other with kindness and know that life is way too short to not love wholeheartedly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CBPsNoNySGxrDSZCsdUjIeVLBLZF3cidvRxO7hYbsYJLJa9YAOjrOPbZ2kjl1eKQcXr2TzR3Wn449pA0H8wwKRPkSoAwscTtP-ovI1iMNxO7y51XUGZrm1NKj-zXJ3xT_ikqpp1g9MNf/s1600/familycircus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CBPsNoNySGxrDSZCsdUjIeVLBLZF3cidvRxO7hYbsYJLJa9YAOjrOPbZ2kjl1eKQcXr2TzR3Wn449pA0H8wwKRPkSoAwscTtP-ovI1iMNxO7y51XUGZrm1NKj-zXJ3xT_ikqpp1g9MNf/s640/familycircus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A huge thank you to The Plush Horse for donating all the ice cream for the party and for showing us they're proud to be a part of a community who cares.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCXItiNZlDl0seImbb0mLQnibdsClX6S1IYPsz2Cwvd71PkXGRfCSnp497090KSMZkV3Ztsx-VfndB1hvigsWA93qIk47YACgEp0eF6wL95cFhyphenhyphendftQ82kVIgYcLbYjYLnW_JtyXIQBpk/s1600/EEN_3717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCXItiNZlDl0seImbb0mLQnibdsClX6S1IYPsz2Cwvd71PkXGRfCSnp497090KSMZkV3Ztsx-VfndB1hvigsWA93qIk47YACgEp0eF6wL95cFhyphenhyphendftQ82kVIgYcLbYjYLnW_JtyXIQBpk/s640/EEN_3717.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5Dv9OyQnzzvekTW6KezKMb5fVR_asY-Gy8xXQHTD3l_OTN5XuuPqyyL9QxYqWPewu2hUjO7qb4ZtxyfubevinXRoWNh4gmX8KWarWWmQHiEbjg4KFHOoKSz5UYmXfsy_eTjdtn7cdBwT/s640/EEN_3687.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="425" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strong Man Chance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXrS_5ef07ZaVZu-BvG0r7vzI5K5ccOh9QlZjdNX01C2p9K_JY-iGwBBpvtadJ0eyhcaY-LZ0N8yYMZiij3CW5YAMJBmH3agVsomiDX5Ko4w9vX3v8yuF8jZ32UCZflOJOUkoVFJzeAYw/s1600/EEN_3787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXrS_5ef07ZaVZu-BvG0r7vzI5K5ccOh9QlZjdNX01C2p9K_JY-iGwBBpvtadJ0eyhcaY-LZ0N8yYMZiij3CW5YAMJBmH3agVsomiDX5Ko4w9vX3v8yuF8jZ32UCZflOJOUkoVFJzeAYw/s640/EEN_3787.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella The Trapeze Lady (thanks Meghan!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YxZYqjmpe5T2x3g3jdEu6ojolK_I1aYjbDY-aORHBl3smZ3sjpcgAQCcDr2z_SHByXYVLyGGJvotwIhIU3zr0TTg_XpvER-koxmLUBlhyphenhyphenhQcXTryxxT39gOSARHrO92dswsf_AWM64Xu/s1600/EEN_3902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YxZYqjmpe5T2x3g3jdEu6ojolK_I1aYjbDY-aORHBl3smZ3sjpcgAQCcDr2z_SHByXYVLyGGJvotwIhIU3zr0TTg_XpvER-koxmLUBlhyphenhyphenhQcXTryxxT39gOSARHrO92dswsf_AWM64Xu/s640/EEN_3902.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Thank you to all the families and friends for dressing up, setting up, and putting on a circus that we'll always remember. Your energy and hard work was greatly appreciated!<br />
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The celebration continued at home for our birthday boy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHBMT4KL2FzCRl9bl6K8eOY_WyhlbMuvSNyBLUqujjkYP3IHc1nP-6JHtsCOa3JABwLbP8KlbwpaW8n6RPpdLsDxOjEnrrDamY9VHg3gsmSqaEvbyHs29E1iLFw2sAowSAfS3qnCbrBID/s1600/EEN_3979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHBMT4KL2FzCRl9bl6K8eOY_WyhlbMuvSNyBLUqujjkYP3IHc1nP-6JHtsCOa3JABwLbP8KlbwpaW8n6RPpdLsDxOjEnrrDamY9VHg3gsmSqaEvbyHs29E1iLFw2sAowSAfS3qnCbrBID/s640/EEN_3979.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlwsVEUjwVR6atA46nRzj0wgQLByKoeEHm-fkDEZ6DmXZH8ch60IIOrbiqOeij3lFXjpVXnSqJ6gwAqPVmHM7E50cLeDsq-XRS0W4bwUYbb8MiL30gFgFF8NjByvglP71fUv6DJRJPpVT/s1600/EEN_3990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlwsVEUjwVR6atA46nRzj0wgQLByKoeEHm-fkDEZ6DmXZH8ch60IIOrbiqOeij3lFXjpVXnSqJ6gwAqPVmHM7E50cLeDsq-XRS0W4bwUYbb8MiL30gFgFF8NjByvglP71fUv6DJRJPpVT/s640/EEN_3990.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Okay, truth be told I should have definitely wiped off the clown makeup. I think I forgot it was still on and consequently I'm sporting a freaky John Wayne Gacy-like smirk for the rest of the night.</div>
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But still. I love fiercely dammit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvrA0jSBFor-1QiJq3jeLdsDI-fMedLuZnRtxLK87yx5jYk24A7avIDOtfjMf3ZlNXLROmzbH1ZNOorDKu-lT7ZlWf_GvdL7_vnj78mUo7MFOCjBdGHZoRg5hhf8D9R6MrZyUtXhFVTbM/s1600/EEN_4010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvrA0jSBFor-1QiJq3jeLdsDI-fMedLuZnRtxLK87yx5jYk24A7avIDOtfjMf3ZlNXLROmzbH1ZNOorDKu-lT7ZlWf_GvdL7_vnj78mUo7MFOCjBdGHZoRg5hhf8D9R6MrZyUtXhFVTbM/s640/EEN_4010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table top grilling. Total Benihana.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_zWZbyLfWpuhNNtfTl5KpKYXpbQqzyklpzbwJmZMFhyxIzEoIny_4J-uiHGq0h3lhwbKMIOY6LvRAIhlevORS5o5ie_W5Q3Ol0obGwE36hlwouBWgxuM3LuO0Swe_BNnDKaXrF04zIqi/s1600/DSC_4742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_zWZbyLfWpuhNNtfTl5KpKYXpbQqzyklpzbwJmZMFhyxIzEoIny_4J-uiHGq0h3lhwbKMIOY6LvRAIhlevORS5o5ie_W5Q3Ol0obGwE36hlwouBWgxuM3LuO0Swe_BNnDKaXrF04zIqi/s640/DSC_4742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1oUaAvWumCkrzuBNpz4N0UcatJK5HGOh9S5fZeo-avRUituXofy2rZ-oWvfQBl8kR8K0uGtxvbPpiaizJfJQtMZKnDWE7Um9Bhostbj9ZWtW3VQsNIGne1ArWfBh-0nT0HjIl4DKzfMW/s1600/EEN_4098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1oUaAvWumCkrzuBNpz4N0UcatJK5HGOh9S5fZeo-avRUituXofy2rZ-oWvfQBl8kR8K0uGtxvbPpiaizJfJQtMZKnDWE7Um9Bhostbj9ZWtW3VQsNIGne1ArWfBh-0nT0HjIl4DKzfMW/s640/EEN_4098.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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He's totally going to kill me for the mini top hat, right? I think he'll overlook it when he realizes what an awesome impact he made that day. I can't speak for what motivates others but I will speak for myself when I say that-- giving feels good. It always has and it always will. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M-yC-6qesxGdOUnosWgQoaJwOHki6UQlKkY0xe-PbXG9aG6wYuPDPbxg_h8RlxduSsO-GA-oEwY0wwR0srg9ynjKpHFuVcMQCr1X9XeRqP-QmZhD0N-7kZpUT42dd8SFuVTo8jtSdCef/s1600/EEN_4133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M-yC-6qesxGdOUnosWgQoaJwOHki6UQlKkY0xe-PbXG9aG6wYuPDPbxg_h8RlxduSsO-GA-oEwY0wwR0srg9ynjKpHFuVcMQCr1X9XeRqP-QmZhD0N-7kZpUT42dd8SFuVTo8jtSdCef/s640/EEN_4133.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Happy first (and second) Birthday Indy. May you continue to show the world your sweet smile, your running hugs and your deep raspberry belly laugh. You are the perfect caboose on my motherhood journey and son, you are loved more than you know.</div>
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<i>PING!</i></div>
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Your birthday video:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8LXE74kydnc" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-47380750863830808582015-05-12T22:04:00.000-07:002015-05-12T22:04:08.822-07:00Mia's 7th birthday pARTy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Awesome and responsible" is how Mia described what it feels like to be seven. Seven. It's the start of the older numbers. Six? Six still sounds young to me and I spent most of her birthday shaking my head wondering how and when this happened so fast. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginNvUzpuUMCz3H_YvWx_4OyB1xyCwtVkmMvAgQvlnu6JzugaXkuN2Ur5HSS3dnUIW0zqIArqRMdy9lXkYdFzxQ07jsKDworv07JuNngpEaZcb08HjvG4oDE4lGZH0JU_Vmft4Vp8DYeaL/s1600/DSC_2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginNvUzpuUMCz3H_YvWx_4OyB1xyCwtVkmMvAgQvlnu6JzugaXkuN2Ur5HSS3dnUIW0zqIArqRMdy9lXkYdFzxQ07jsKDworv07JuNngpEaZcb08HjvG4oDE4lGZH0JU_Vmft4Vp8DYeaL/s640/DSC_2023.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably my all-time favorite picture of Mia, smiling on the Hawaiian shores </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VAV5MI82ftvIVwcHU0LZUPqgffyoLhkk1Hbnt7eI7ykCniJnabtNwtIVR1BZwbhL0X_KckJcnPo2cbBLCJjXv4vAOEcz1OzXPQHF6K3CA5EUiF3cTbIGpc8MItPLriEaeE9y_lT5unmP/s1600/DSC_7203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VAV5MI82ftvIVwcHU0LZUPqgffyoLhkk1Hbnt7eI7ykCniJnabtNwtIVR1BZwbhL0X_KckJcnPo2cbBLCJjXv4vAOEcz1OzXPQHF6K3CA5EUiF3cTbIGpc8MItPLriEaeE9y_lT5unmP/s400/DSC_7203.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one month old</td></tr>
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She is smart, sympathetic, artistic and loving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSofxw4Djo-C1VLRHE67ERej2nUnooTf-lczeMc4brKnHWnJYusKf1Zooid3rR0Ry9F7_ZFLpoz_k_LdvIuS0QaxY7cHMbXgu-Ucp6ZfQgwgeMRuFJNq5fBiAQUMKC1gd376k9XBz9Vpb/s1600/DSCN0574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSofxw4Djo-C1VLRHE67ERej2nUnooTf-lczeMc4brKnHWnJYusKf1Zooid3rR0Ry9F7_ZFLpoz_k_LdvIuS0QaxY7cHMbXgu-Ucp6ZfQgwgeMRuFJNq5fBiAQUMKC1gd376k9XBz9Vpb/s400/DSCN0574.jpg" width="300" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEObBSVmW2KqC7WRXuoOA9p74HV2MRKodCKXaH-tNvc_WIT7HSMrrXx_86QnEEyHcbaGQlRetIJPKoRzYbpJAjbmCJ-lGh_f7wpJYMTLK_k_LkPcUDt0lGxwuG_7z3aCyW12DMgAxHXX2/s1600/EEN_0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEObBSVmW2KqC7WRXuoOA9p74HV2MRKodCKXaH-tNvc_WIT7HSMrrXx_86QnEEyHcbaGQlRetIJPKoRzYbpJAjbmCJ-lGh_f7wpJYMTLK_k_LkPcUDt0lGxwuG_7z3aCyW12DMgAxHXX2/s400/EEN_0017.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4ZSWrprQHAGiM1YOsyyssKTxqbxiO3o4Yk_jdwtLWx1WvtrA8MlrKBTMa6uG9HJYrRfdu3jwi2y0XqX09DXsz81KAZq0h-SxrwG4GHOo8Mwnw6kpTh9gKZto3VJMhg2_MNRKKhLnaBFS/s1600/DSCN1385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4ZSWrprQHAGiM1YOsyyssKTxqbxiO3o4Yk_jdwtLWx1WvtrA8MlrKBTMa6uG9HJYrRfdu3jwi2y0XqX09DXsz81KAZq0h-SxrwG4GHOo8Mwnw6kpTh9gKZto3VJMhg2_MNRKKhLnaBFS/s400/DSCN1385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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She has a psychic ability to read your feelings and know exactly what to say to make you feel special<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKT_f3ArmmBLYbEEm00BU8KYO_BirVrPVDNvU34HxYXPBjZ0vazylBNWNGWb1U-K_X8DOHH1VBhxg7L5IUZhmsoPFQt_b6TpThyH7hyiTTWEsmRe50zj_CCR9yGy_pb5RnanQKDQviI_v/s1600/EEN_1835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKT_f3ArmmBLYbEEm00BU8KYO_BirVrPVDNvU34HxYXPBjZ0vazylBNWNGWb1U-K_X8DOHH1VBhxg7L5IUZhmsoPFQt_b6TpThyH7hyiTTWEsmRe50zj_CCR9yGy_pb5RnanQKDQviI_v/s640/EEN_1835.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second favorite picture</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2q1tla38FenLJWsiYCqHIA2U_cI7RWqwxrsEqUNKtbAezdkhz_IMSfUUYqQTcoIEuPZyFI5k3SePx7gkdRTYfCtAZOrsrJxBr4Y8SE4uzm9Lf0JxApvdkEVcs7FzfMOv4lQdQqcBJTOr/s1600/EEN_1870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2q1tla38FenLJWsiYCqHIA2U_cI7RWqwxrsEqUNKtbAezdkhz_IMSfUUYqQTcoIEuPZyFI5k3SePx7gkdRTYfCtAZOrsrJxBr4Y8SE4uzm9Lf0JxApvdkEVcs7FzfMOv4lQdQqcBJTOr/s400/EEN_1870.jpg" width="266" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8ELXi10cPmwjJ7Cca6sUxD3u12R0U3CAdNbRJEqeHeqNAGDRJt84j_6accFtiB5lKzIO5lIvNtu5HlLxIQtwudxs3eZ3adNhBBS-ZgQZYLUJZ0OejI0DCNRK8EzXkikS1PsYq5E5V9V6/s1600/EEN_4735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8ELXi10cPmwjJ7Cca6sUxD3u12R0U3CAdNbRJEqeHeqNAGDRJt84j_6accFtiB5lKzIO5lIvNtu5HlLxIQtwudxs3eZ3adNhBBS-ZgQZYLUJZ0OejI0DCNRK8EzXkikS1PsYq5E5V9V6/s400/EEN_4735.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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She is a poet</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-7nGobP6oSl5IzGiyeqd6cFqbiDT3yQqDFDFfZeq1QY0TtKpj9hDBwPeo2Jr7VompBzyD_4DTolZnuMnyERVXUUunuYFb6A3Fd_Ne1UIJZC1EfcDGvjSVLjGXV2exDH1d_WoyOWtoi5X/s1600/EEN_5174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-7nGobP6oSl5IzGiyeqd6cFqbiDT3yQqDFDFfZeq1QY0TtKpj9hDBwPeo2Jr7VompBzyD_4DTolZnuMnyERVXUUunuYFb6A3Fd_Ne1UIJZC1EfcDGvjSVLjGXV2exDH1d_WoyOWtoi5X/s640/EEN_5174.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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and a lover of fancy things. Sequins, glitter and gold make her weak in the knees.</div>
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She makes me proud everyday, that girl.</div>
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We had her birthday date at our favorite ceramic painting cafe. She painted a plate and I chose a bowl. I took her here right before Indy was born and I've cherished our handmade pottery ever since. It is such a perfect date night activity.</div>
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We dined at Panera and held each other's hand everywhere we went. It was a perfect night to celebrate another year of her. On the morning of her actual birthday we woke up for an early morning walk and I told her how nervous and scared I was to mother a second child. I reaffirmed her that my fear instantly turned to love the moment I held her tight and met her face to face. </div>
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Those moments right before she was born are burned into my memory and are as real </div>
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and as clear as they were that day May 8, 2008.</div>
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Over the weekend, my brother and family from Minnesota came down to celebrate with us at Mia's 7th Birthday pARTy! We had such a great time! Here's proof:</div>
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We love you lady!</div>
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-15909365488381519902015-05-04T23:37:00.002-07:002015-05-04T23:48:09.887-07:00Bella's First Holy Communion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I sat in the first pew listening to Father Mike recite The Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein, a most befitting homily for Bella's First Communion mass. It's a story our family knows well and quite literally one of Bella's favorites.<br />
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Eugene and I were both brought up in the Catholic Church and the First Communion sacrament is an important one. It marks the beginning of a journey....</div>
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A lifetime of faith and love is in store for her.</div>
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Matching outfit for her American Girl doll Grace. It's the thing to do these days. </div>
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Yeah, totally more for me than her, I know, I know. </div>
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This huge smile of hers only comes out once in a blue moon but when it does---wow! </div>
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She is becoming such a beautiful young lady. </div>
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For a moment we weren't sure if Lolo and Lola were going to attend because </div>
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Lola has been very sick the past week. </div>
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But they made it and their presence on this special day was felt by all of us.</div>
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Bella and her Godmother Gabrielle, who is ALWAYS there for us. We thank you so much Gabey.</div>
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You are such an important figure in Bella's life. </div>
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With gray skies overhead we headed back home and hoped that the rain would stay away. </div>
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Eugene pulled off the impossible....a five course dinner for about 25 people! We had a neighbor girl and a friend come over to babysit the kids while us adults enjoyed the feast. It was heavenly. I couldn't remember the last time I got through a dinner without having to change a diaper, referee a dispute or cut someone's food into little tiny lumps.</div>
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The dinner was awesome. It was family style and every course had three different choices. Bruschetta three ways: tomato and basil, artichoke and nutella & strawberries. Second course was salad three ways: farro, seafood and caprese.<br />
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Third course was spaghetti three ways: bolognese, carbonara and pesto.<br />
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Fourth course was italian sausages, chicken piccata and jumbo shrimp diavolo. And right when our guests were about to unbutton their pants, we brought out some lemon and white chocolate raspberry bundt cakes to top it all off.<br />
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The entire meal was filled with good laughs, great wine and the best family a girl could ask for. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. My favorite moment was when your Dad and I put you on the spot to make a toast before we ate and you simply soared Bella. </div>
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May God always bless you, today and forever more.</div>
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<i>"And she loved a little boy very, very much- even more than she loved herself."--Shell Silverstein</i></div>
ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-9564216980764901452015-04-30T07:51:00.001-07:002015-04-30T08:02:10.962-07:00Multi Children Errand Champion and One Time Balance AchieverMy UP fitness band tells me that I walked a total of 10,839 steps today exceeding my daily goal of 10K. It's a rewarding feeling before going to bed, that's for sure. I didn't even have a chance to carve out time for an actual walk so I pretty much spent the entire day in constant motion.<br />
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Like most days I lay here feeling thoroughly exhausted after all that the day has brought me. Getting older is never more clear to me than in the late evening hours when I'm actually crampy all over. I'm one geritol away from bitching when it rains. Or maybe this is normal for 40 year olds. Who knows?<br />
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Today I,<br />
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<i>--Woke up to Chance and Indy snuggled in tight between Eugene and I. My two year old lover woke up in the middle of the night (because he knows I'll come get him) and I went running like the total SUCKA that I am. I can't help it, our midnight rendezvous will be over before I know it. So for now, this love affair is in full force.</i><br />
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<i>--Smiled at how helpful Chance was at folding clothes. He put so much effort into folding them and was so proud of himself and his helpfulness around the house lately is really, really sweet. But then when he wasn't looking I refolded everything because I have control issues. </i><br />
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<i>--Knocked off a FOUR store challenge with Chance and Indy which is pretty impossible considering one was a pet store and one was Costco, both of which could easily add 30 min to your overall time if you're not careful. But we did it dammit and I made it back in time for Mia's poetry jam at school.</i><br />
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<i>--Watched with love and admiration as my girl Mia read aloud her poetry to a room full of classmates and parents. She's so, so special. Her kindness and old soul is something I just can't live without. Everyone needs a Mia in their life. </i><br />
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<i>--Brought Bella to her First Communion prep (it's this Sunday) and carefully listened as Father Mike spoke to me about being a good example for my children. He described to us (with such detail) about a few childhood examples where his father showed honesty, virtue and love for his family. These moments stuck with him his whole life well into his priesthood and it reminded me how every choice I make is watched and learned by my children. And I tell ya, it got me thinking a whole lot. I thought about the example I've set so far, about how I sometimes fail my kids and how I could be better in the eyes of the church. Darn Catholic guilt, gets me every time. But I also reflected on what a great job Eugene and I are doing teaching our kids kindness, loyalty and responsibility. This Sunday is such a big milestone for Bella. I'm thrilled for her to begin this new journey and mental note, seeing your daughter in a white dress and veil is quite the moment.</i><br />
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While I don't need a number of steps to remind me that my day was fulfilling, it's comforting to know that I've achieved something today both physically and spiritually. Achieving that balance almost never happens to me.<br />
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Be the example.<br />
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G'night<br />
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-50197309801726239752015-04-28T22:17:00.001-07:002015-04-29T07:53:13.784-07:00Taco Tuesday and Returning HomeWhat's that old diddy ('bout Jack and Diane) about letting go and if they really love you they'll come back, well, how about we all agree that I set my blog free for about the past 4 months and sure enough she found her way back. Like a poor lost dog scratching to be let in I've welcomed her back with open arms.<br />
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I really do love this little place of mine.<br />
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I am just so completely overwhelmed with my day-to-day that updating hasn't been a priority. Tisk, tisk Gina. We've got so much going on around here.<br />
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These next 4 weeks are insane for us since we have 2 birthdays and a Communion and then we leave for our highly anticipated SUMMER VACATION!!!!<br />
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I simply cannot wait!<br />
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Today was a great day. Chance had his first playdate at his friends house and apparently they had a blast. They dressed up like Superheros, learned to style their own hair and built a house out of couch cushions. Sounds pretty great, huh?! Chance is getting so big and so responsible and it just makes me so proud to watch him everyday. After school the kids headed outside to play and I happened to look up from the sink and notice Mia and Chance sitting underneath the magnolia tree---<i>drawing.</i><br />
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It was like a scene out of Ann of Green Gables. So of course, I grabbed my phone because even a blurry picture zoomed in 4x is worth capturing the magic of this particular moment.<br />
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<i>Simply precious.</i><br />
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We also celebrated Taco Tuesday with um, tacos. But this isn't your run-of-the-mill El Paso recipe, heck no, Eugene goes all out. Three different types of sauces, the most perfectly marinated carne asada and all the grilled veggies you can fit into your tortilla. The whole fam dam joined us on our patio for the first inaugural outside meal of the year. Enjoy it now Gina, cuz it'll only last for another month until the damn mosquitos invade and keep us inside again until October. Remind me why we live here?<br />
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During dinner the kids passed out tickets to an after-dinner ballet show on our lawn starring themeselves. Bella, Mia and Chance reenacted their own version of The Nutcracker with several dance numbers to the Sugar Plum Fairy song and Sia's "Chandelier." Hilarious mash-up, btw. They twirled and leaped and even used a stuffed ride-on donkey as a prop.<br />
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The neighbors must think we're nuts.<br />
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Cuz, we are.<br />
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Here's the video I put together celebrating Wolf Week with Chance. Notice the Santa hats? Yeah, told ya I'm a little behind :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/waOWcnQmHbU?rel=0" width="853"></iframe>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-60364681595463501802015-02-24T21:19:00.001-08:002015-02-24T21:21:00.695-08:00Hello Again, HelloI'm at a total loss how to even begin on catching up on this here blog thing. But let's just say, my kids keep growing dammit. Like everyday. And not in just height marks Sharpie'd to our growth chart I'm talking about serious growth. Chance is reading like a champ, Mia is way too old for 1st grade, Bella is requesting long curled locks and is now reading Harry Potter and Indy finally fits into 12 month clothing. Um, yeah my little pint size peanut is a whole 21 pounds. He's small but mighty.<br />
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Like the other night when he decided to put on Chance's Darth Vadar helmet and circle himself silly for a good minute or two.<br />
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I'm falling asleep as I type. This and every other day in between leaves me thorough;y exhasuted. But I'm glad I could stop by.<br />
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--Ginaginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-42506692106959764462015-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:002015-01-14T12:31:22.972-08:00Nola Bound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWCvl_G1Kq_1iwnTJsM-GO-GDTwN5FmqvqzzR8yBrBqD6gTYBt2hnVfN8xQ2BSWjt390bFV5FSWBGQ3ChTwLAF2rS5dZpUYGfbjhxu3YMmJ_sO1t9lA1Ix3ApB_5aitEK4EEMCyRYm2l3/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWCvl_G1Kq_1iwnTJsM-GO-GDTwN5FmqvqzzR8yBrBqD6gTYBt2hnVfN8xQ2BSWjt390bFV5FSWBGQ3ChTwLAF2rS5dZpUYGfbjhxu3YMmJ_sO1t9lA1Ix3ApB_5aitEK4EEMCyRYm2l3/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" height="224" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm 4 days away from my 40th birthday and I'm so excited to be spending the weekend in New Orleans with some of my closest family and friends. Eugene and I have never been before and neither have most of our guests. It's going to be SO! MUCH! FUN!<br />
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But aside from the pending excitement, I've spent a lot of time this week evaluating myself and where I'm headed. Forty years is definitely a milestone and with it comes a new sense of adventure and hope for what's to come.<br />
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In the meantime,<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">laissez les bon temp roulez!</span><br />
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ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-47291600617423652872015-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:002015-01-14T12:15:45.436-08:00Our 2104 Christmas Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvwdmbnzUqvTRBScbGQD6XdRD2IikNRhJzXk9aOpjmsdh-NbKj499PozvUQrCJKcinTgJfAzbmw7mNByEOhAWxe4BXn0S9v3AxApwoEmhOTqMMFc8zAbimjML6Lsqiq_XEN7nvPpXtG1P/s1600/elves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvwdmbnzUqvTRBScbGQD6XdRD2IikNRhJzXk9aOpjmsdh-NbKj499PozvUQrCJKcinTgJfAzbmw7mNByEOhAWxe4BXn0S9v3AxApwoEmhOTqMMFc8zAbimjML6Lsqiq_XEN7nvPpXtG1P/s1600/elves.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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The whole month of December has been filled to the brim with jolly awesomeness.</div>
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We've had more delicious dinners than I care to count, more laughter fill our home than ever before and more friends and family gathered 'round to watch it all go down. </div>
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Here's a picture walk through all of our Christmas celebrations:</div>
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Instead of a large kids xmas party this year, we scaled back a bit and told the kids they can invite over a couple friends each to have a fancy Christmas dinner & movie party. </div>
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I really love throwing kids christmas parties.The energy, the excitement, the games, the magic. It's such a fun way to start out the season and to see my kids share their love for Christmas with other kids who feel the exact same way is so precious. </div>
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Check out Chance in the reflection below working his mojo on one of Bella's friend. I wanted so badly to lean in and say, "dude, simma down, <i>you're wearing elf pajamas</i>"</div>
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The kids dined on Orochetti Bolognese, some pretty great sugar cookies and toasted each other to friendship and Santa--adorable doesn't even begin to describe it. When Bella's friend Nicole asked for more juice in the most proper of English accents I laughed out loud and knew my job was done!</div>
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Sleeping bags, popcorn and Santa Claus the movie!<br />
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Chance and Mia woke up early on Christmas Eve and decided to decorate the house with posters leading us to the North Pole. Man, I love these kids. The picture below, aside from being my favorite xmas picxture this year, tells so much about Mia.</div>
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Groggy and grumpy, Eugene and I followed the signs.....</div>
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Chance was super proud of his poster making skills and described to us in detail that this is a... </div>
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picture of Chance and Santa, <i>duh. </i></div>
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And just when I was ready to give up on the grueling journey from our bedroom to the North Pole, this cute little polar bear, nestled stovetop, wekumed me. And P.S. Mia, that polar bear's three dimensional thought bubble is pretty awesome. </div>
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Our Christmas house elf Dobby was up to his usual hi-jinx on his last morning with us. </div>
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Dressed up for church.</div>
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Bella wanted to go for a Taylor Swift Christmas look.....and I gotta say I think she came pretty close!</div>
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Christmas Eve was spent at my Aunt's house, as it has been for the past 30 years but this year we set up a photo booth!</div>
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Sidenote-- in a weird yet totally not surprising coincidence 4 ladies in our family happened to buy the SAME sweater at different times from the same store. Our bargain hunting genes run deep man.</div>
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So of course, we filmed it. Below is the original 4 sweater owners </div>
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(who frequent Ross WAY too much)</div>
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But then we got a little jealous so we donned the sweaters too. </div>
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The amount of fun I've had with these ladies throughout my life is immeasurable. Luv ya girls!</div>
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More Christmas Eve fun!</div>
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For the second year now we make sure to take pictures right before we go to bed when everything's set up, even though we're dead tired and our feet and back ache like crazy--we capture the stillness and magic that only Christmas Eve can bring. I <i>love</i> this tradition. The pictures turn out so beautiful and peaceful and are such a great symbol of the month long fun we've had leading up to this night.</div>
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The annual note from Santa. This year's theme was reminding the kids that their love for each other and the people around them will make them loving adults in the future. Just a little life lesson before all the crazy abundance that will soon follow.</div>
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The countdown...</div>
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Rise and shine it's Christmas morning!</div>
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Cookies for breakfast, no complaints there.</div>
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Kelle Hampton, an amazing mother and blogger has a tradition from her childhood where they would follow strings all over the house leading to a present. I loved the idea and did this with Bella mainly because her gift was in another room and who wouldn't love searching for a present, right?!</div>
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In fact her gift was my most favorite this year. As you may know, she's mildly obsessed with Lego Friends and up until Christmas morning we stored all of her creations on top of our craft cabinets in the craft room. They were not easily accessible, they were shoved together, broken apart and sadly outta sight, outta mind if you know what I mean. I wanted so badly to give Bella a place of her own, a place where she can play and escape and lose herself in her little Lego world. The scary, old and smelly basement was out of the question because it would have been too difficult to prevent the other kids from going down there, so we came up with an alternative.</div>
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We gave up a shelf in our dining room storage closet to turn into a Heartlake City Lego Friends village. That's it folks, <i>a shelf.</i></div>
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We hooked it up with battery operated LCD lights that run on a remote control for cool factor, added some green astroturf, rolling hills and some sunshine and you would have thought we gave her the world. She was SO happy. In fact, I'm choking up as I write this because the string, the surprise, the look of utter disbelief as she saw what was behind the door was so, so <i>genuine. </i></div>
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I wish all gifts could give out this much joy.</div>
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She LOVES her little shelf and proudly shows it off to anyone who hasn't seen it. We've since added a fold up bar chair and a real padlock and I swear to you this girl is in HEAVEN!</div>
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Every Christmas there's a gift or a moment that defines it for me, and this was it. I'll always look back on the "shelf christmas" with such magic and happiness. </div>
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But believe me, the other kids had a memorable Christmas too. Santa brought Mia a pretty awesome fairy house (that was decorated in accordance to Mia's fancy schmancy schmulzy taste level!)</div>
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Chancey had himself a Transformer Christmas </div>
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and little Indy was thrilled with his Daniel Tiger treehouse!</div>
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Celebrating our Christmas love with our west coast family, the only way we could.</div>
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-6186332060079059902015-01-08T13:55:00.003-08:002015-01-08T13:55:56.257-08:00The Magic of ChristmasFolks, here's my first attempt at a vlog. Enjoy:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UJzkkiNxhyg?list=UU-Iojv475fNgiT99ZAueS0Q" width="853"></iframe>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-85923499719933923832014-12-12T20:59:00.002-08:002014-12-12T21:01:03.407-08:00The Joy of PresenceWell, hello there.<br />
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Yeah, I know, <i>been awhile.</i></div>
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But I assure you we've been having a ball. Our decorations have been up since before Thanksgiving since this year we did a Thanksgivemas and celebrated both holidays. It was kinda nice having everything done because it meant that these 4 weeks before Christmas could be spent enjoying the heck outta the holidays. And while I'm <i>really</i> trying to do that, the days and weeks keep getting busier and busier.</div>
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I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy this season. Stop going, going, going and be more present. I've got two weeks left to do it, darn it. I have these thoughts in my head of the 6 of us all cozy on the couch with the Christmas tree lit and a fire blazing, ya know the quintessential Norman Rockwell painting. Except, we haven't really done that yet. We've done a lot of Christmas stuff but none that required little to no effort. No effort, aye? I want more of that! </div>
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Yesterday, the boys woke up from their nap and I opened the shade and the most beautiful late afternoon sunset filled their room. I ran for the camera and captured a little bit of lovely....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR-Ey9uw4sw0XYJoi8wlhGaVVcD1hEiI5gao6sFsY4JPZ2eQUHGBJetncsxnPqwJDnRW6-iiMFuIcKgPL4_8nvE5xFLv4VPqjHIq0k2muDEkeowug8VhdqVB4hJ7yG2gp22yrL4UbBU8y/s1600/EEN_8943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR-Ey9uw4sw0XYJoi8wlhGaVVcD1hEiI5gao6sFsY4JPZ2eQUHGBJetncsxnPqwJDnRW6-iiMFuIcKgPL4_8nvE5xFLv4VPqjHIq0k2muDEkeowug8VhdqVB4hJ7yG2gp22yrL4UbBU8y/s1600/EEN_8943.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkaL53_s8gAKWo-5NzUKihKNGVIGDgmNYUdCeqRygSjATZLcwJCfKa5v3KfkG-M26MSWjwmQSZs4GLf72rdAVP74y_VDD5b4kW5fdLD0r73mRXXZdYoZwiwbM7Zfb8PueadjTrBSe9ksS/s1600/EEN_8945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkaL53_s8gAKWo-5NzUKihKNGVIGDgmNYUdCeqRygSjATZLcwJCfKa5v3KfkG-M26MSWjwmQSZs4GLf72rdAVP74y_VDD5b4kW5fdLD0r73mRXXZdYoZwiwbM7Zfb8PueadjTrBSe9ksS/s1600/EEN_8945.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDBkRy-qKEUAslDLiAN2rbkEEDHmhNCjwJVJu31wkiqiy-BFrJzlrPDXdPLniAllIPKQoV6s4O5VzK8PFySeJeymavbCeCXgsNqJU-UNYSrKD581WvVCLn1C1L0k7_gdxf9Lsgf31J6MF/s1600/EEN_8949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDBkRy-qKEUAslDLiAN2rbkEEDHmhNCjwJVJu31wkiqiy-BFrJzlrPDXdPLniAllIPKQoV6s4O5VzK8PFySeJeymavbCeCXgsNqJU-UNYSrKD581WvVCLn1C1L0k7_gdxf9Lsgf31J6MF/s1600/EEN_8949.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Something as simple and routine as a wake-up, for the most part, goes undocumented by me. Three times a day I go into this room to whisk him away and yet I never stop to capture it. I'm so glad I took the time to record what his little self looks like every time he wakes up and waits for me. </div>
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Being present. My new mantra.</div>
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Ciao.</div>
ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-71230577695247486262014-11-18T07:45:00.000-08:002014-11-18T07:45:11.863-08:00Lion WeekI am so behind in blogging. I always say that I'd like to write a little bit each day but that never seems to happen. I'm also way behind in my weekly video production with Chance. But we're still going strong with our animal studies and he began the first set of Bob books and he's doing so great. Out of the blue the other day, I handed him the first book and sure enough he was reading it. My heart soared. <br />
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We're still going to the zoo weekly to see our featured animal, despite weather conditions. Last week it was FREEZING but we did it anyway. This week is going to be even colder--I was saving some of the indoor animals for the peak of the cold winter months but holy moses I think we may be peaking now. It's 16 degrees right now. SIXTEEN!!!!<br />
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We're having family over next week for a "Thanksgivmas" so I'm also surrounded by a thousand christmas lights waiting to be hung. Our elf pajamas have been purchased and our Pandora stations are already streaming. Tis the season, my very merry favorite season.<br />
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But before I get all holly jolly, here's the montage of Lion Week:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TAZnzibVyoE?list=UU-Iojv475fNgiT99ZAueS0Q" width="853"></iframe>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-48115761011662141272014-11-08T22:55:00.000-08:002014-11-08T22:55:52.505-08:00Raising A Budget Minded ChildBudget.<br />
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See that word there? Let's read it again shall we,<br />
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b u d g e t.<br />
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That word has both haunted and excited me over the years. I was never someone who abided by a set budget. If I made money, I spent it--as simple as that. Shopping gave me an instant gratificiation that was palpable. See, I like to shop. I like the <i>feeling</i> of getting something new. Weekly trips to Old Navy and TJ Maxx were like a family tradition for us. The problem is that I was never taught the importance of saving. In fact, I can recall my mother giving me a Discover card in college for "emergencies." NEWSFLASH: apparently taking 12 friends out to a Burger King dinner didn't qualify as life threatening. But that's just it, I spent a good portion of my life not knowing or caring about the significance of money. And when I began making my own money out of college, the rush only worsened. Planning out next weeks paycheck became a ritual. Spending money gave me an aribtrary sense of self-worth which I've only now come to realize was completely irresponsible.<br />
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And then I met Eugene, who among many other things, was a genius about the art of money. During our dating years while I spent my face glued to the US Weekly gossip pages, Eugene read every book he could about the importance of money. And though he couldn't keep up with the latest Brangelina news (go Team Aniston), he could balance a budget like nobody's business.<br />
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See, it's all about the budget.<br />
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He learned about short term investments, long term investments, IRA's and stocks. He knew that saving was an integral part of financial freedom but also knew that having fun meant spending money too. Together, we found a balance and I began to see how wrong I really was.<br />
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I want my children to do things differently than I did. I want my children to know the value of a dollar. To know that everything in this world comes at a cost, to know what's affordable, what it means to save and what it means to spend within our means. I think the reality of our economic environment shouldn't be taught when they start earning their own money--it should start now. Which is why Eugene and I consistently let our children be a part of our financial decisions. And when we can, we give them the freedom to make their own choices.<br />
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Last week we announced to the kids that they were each going to recieve $40 to spend on whatever they'd like on a shopping trip to the city. Seriously folks, if you're going to shop, might as well shop on Michigan Ave, right?! They could spend it at the Disney Store, The Lego Store or American Girl. They were SO excited and spent the whole week cross-referencing catalogues and documenting item costs and weighing pros and cons like they were Suzie bloody Orman.<br />
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The excitement leading up to our spree was seen everywhere, from dinner table talks to a side mention while brushing their teeth or even a quick debate before bedtime. They took their soon-to-be purchases very seriously. As we all should, right?<br />
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They decorated their cash envelopes and swooned when we gave them their money.<br />
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The fancy city landscape totally upped the wow factor, too.<br />
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Both Chance and Mia combed every single item in The Disney Store till they figured out exactly what they wanted. When Chance realized he could get the Spider Man car <i>AND</i> the Big Hero 5 guy he was thrilled. I stood behind him in line and watched how happy he was taking his money out and doing something really adult, like <i>hand over cash.</i> It was precious and empowering and I smiled from ear to ear. He carefully put his .80 left in change back into his envelope, resealed it and grabbed his shopping bags like he was king of the world.<br />
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Even little Indy had a $40 budget. A bath set and a couple fancy jammies for the win.</div>
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Mia decided to purchase a princess art case and the Palace Pet lineup from Disney. You don't question Mia when she makes up her mind. That girl knows exactly what she wants and cannot be persuaded otherwise. I love that about her. She had a few dollars left but decided to hold onto it.<br />
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Bella, on the other end of the sibling spectrum, is our family's 2nd worst decision maker (I'll take that first place award, thank you.) Bless her heart, she had a list of possible combinations of toy options within her budget and after going back and forth between American Girl and Lego, and stressing the heck out of herself she FINALLY decided on a doll guitar and a new Lego Friends set.<br />
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Watching my children make hard choices was SO gratifying. It could have been so easy spending $40 on them during a random shopping trip at Target but giving them this experience, teaching them this lesson and watching their satisfaction as they rewarded <i>themselves</i> made all the difference. When their money started dwindling down, I could see the struggle they felt trying to cherish the most of what they had left.<br />
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And just when I thought our little lesson couldn't get any better, this happened.<br />
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While we waited for Bella to make up her mind Mia grabbed her dad's hand and asked him to show her all of the items in the Lego store that cost $10. Eugene walked her around and pointed at each item under $10. I watched from across the room as Eugene painstakingly went through every single item, like a broken record "yes Mia, this is $10, this is $10." I could see his frustration building as they arrived at the Star Wars section and Mia politely asked, "but which one is the coolest Daddy?" He handed her two mini sets and what she did next will be filed in one of my mental folders for the rest of eternity. She walked over and kneeled down by Chance's side and told him she wanted to spend her last ten dollars on him.<br />
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<i>On him. </i><br />
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I was dumbfounded. What 6 year old does that? I couldn't help but get choked up and filled with such admiration for her. Given the same situation, I honestly don't think I would have done that and the fact that she so unselfishly wanted to share makes me the proudest parent ever, right next to Eugene of course. Here we are trying to teach our kids about decision making, math and budgeting and she turns around and teaches us about humility, sacrifice and kindness.<br />
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This is the lesson we should all be learning--knowing and recognizing when our glass is really full. So many times I've wanted more, more, more without realizing what I actually had to begin with. That's the beauty of budgeting---the sheer act of committing to a set standard and knowing when enough is really enough. That's a hard lesson to teach young children, but a very, very important one.<br />
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As a mother I hope I'm inspiring my children to make the hard choices about their future, to know what decisions are really worth the cost, literally and figuratively.<br />
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-32628700690817845982014-10-29T20:39:00.001-07:002014-10-29T20:39:12.018-07:00A Beauty and The Beast HalloweenHAPPY HALLOWEEN!<br />
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I raised my freak flag pretty high again this year as we just released our annual family Halloween costume theme....Beauty and the Beast.<br />
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As you know, we go all out over here for Halloween. It started four years ago with Toy Story<br />
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Next came Dr. Seuss<br />
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then Willy Wonka<br />
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Alice in Wonderland<br />
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and this year's....<br />
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Here's the details---all costumes except for the Belle dress were assembled/hot glued/sewed from scratch or existing clothing items. Since I do not sew (but plan to learn) I hit up the local childrens consigment shops where I can inexpensively turn a nothing into a something. Take for example, Chance's beast coat--it was originally a size 10 girls blue blazer, that we cut and trimmed and bedazzled it up to look like just like the beast.<br />
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The Cogsworth costume was made from foam with wood looking material glued to it! I added felt, gold paper and gold paint to the bottom. It's amazing what can be done without actually sewing. I made the top of the clock out of foam and felt and glued it to a brown sweatshirt he wore underneath.<br />
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The Mrs. Potts costume is originally an "adult baby costume" that I also used for my Violet Boureguarde costume. We used a bunch of stuffing and a king flat sheet and some felt to make the look of the teapot.<br />
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Babette's costume used to be a girls black dress that we turned into a long black skirt. We stitched and glued on the feather boas and ostrich feathers to the bottom of the skirt. A simple black turtleneck and lace apron completed the look. Her "handle" was made from foam and the same wood material as Cogsworth and then hot glued to a headband.<br />
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Lumier outfit was all spray painted gold. The candlesticks were made from Oatmeal boxes, spray painted white with foam adhesive to represent wax. His headpiece was made from foam and white material. Please know that it was never my intention for his hands to be seen. I thought the suit coat would cover his hands. It wasn't until I saw the pictures on the computer that I realized his hands were exposed. Ugh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitizC56VugEOjJqy9VJHRIvaqBM7w-9oUXakhQD7skZh8s7jBEzjKz88NyZ7L7jutNvXVCi6D614NTHXpQTDIqrJENq-tBNfU2rWAlfSPINaoonBU46ioVdB5o5FFQVmqe58uuEBc7cn7u/s1600/bella-cool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitizC56VugEOjJqy9VJHRIvaqBM7w-9oUXakhQD7skZh8s7jBEzjKz88NyZ7L7jutNvXVCi6D614NTHXpQTDIqrJENq-tBNfU2rWAlfSPINaoonBU46ioVdB5o5FFQVmqe58uuEBc7cn7u/s1600/bella-cool.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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While I look forward to the years when our themes can be wild and crazy, I think I'll always cherish these magical childhood years when my kids are still young and so full of imagination.</div>
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<i>This</i> is what Halloween is all about. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNTx2eztaMok-G4VcUGXo_u73h8O_64XNxcnBS3wfDvodFye3mFVfUCql5iCnzQ3acoP1JtXFkYhncrbKgW-5BU7iZA79KhTRSczFA5kKfy3eHWmp_gUFIADg1wckKg30ISsXPUcDZ2kL/s1600/indyrose-bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNTx2eztaMok-G4VcUGXo_u73h8O_64XNxcnBS3wfDvodFye3mFVfUCql5iCnzQ3acoP1JtXFkYhncrbKgW-5BU7iZA79KhTRSczFA5kKfy3eHWmp_gUFIADg1wckKg30ISsXPUcDZ2kL/s1600/indyrose-bb.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the video from our photo shoot:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/110369099" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/110369099">Narciso Halloween Photo Shoot</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user12618286">Gina Narciso</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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If you have any costume questions please leave a comment or send me an email.<br />
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Happy Halloween!ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-68256304744296068942014-10-08T15:16:00.002-07:002014-10-08T15:19:13.257-07:00Polar Bear WeekDid you know that a polar bear's fur isn't actually white but more translucent and reflective? Did you know they have black skin underneath their fur? Yep, totally true.<br />
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Another great animal week has come and gone but what's left is some pretty great memories. We met with Erin, one of the bear zookeepers at Brookfield Zoo and she took the time to teach us about how special these bears are. Hudson, one of the male polar bears, smelled her and recognized her voice almost immediately and came right over to the window. It took our breath away to see his massiveness up close. Our visit ended with an amazing splash in the pool that I'm grateful I captured. It was the most rewarding zoo visit to date. Thank you Erin for taking the time and for spreading the love for these beautiful animals.<br />
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I agree with Chance, it <i>was</i> magical.<br />
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<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-55879133656333722202014-10-01T11:23:00.000-07:002014-10-01T11:48:30.615-07:00Love Letters"Jeez Mom, you really need to brush your teeth" said Mia suspiciously. For a brief moment I was a little offended until I saw that teeny-tiny twinkle in her eye that tells me she's up to something. That twinkle, so instantly recognizable. It's a certain look in their eyes, a curl of their lips and a dodged eye focus that tells me there's a surprise or a trick hiding for me somewhere. It really is one of my favorite parent/child interactions because I'll test the waters to see just how far fetched they'll let their fib go. These kids of mine can get really creative. Bella's getting better these days at perfecting her poker face and Mia's fib face is just precious but Chance is A DEAD GIVEAWAY since he can't get through the fib without giggling. He's made my bed for the past few mornings and will pee his pants with laughter as he tries to think of ways to get me back into my room. (Which, btw, I make my bed every morning when I get up but he likes to un-make it--then make it again. Lovely.)<br />
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But back to my bad breath.<br />
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"Really Mom, eeewwww." She actually waved the so-called bad breath away from her nose for a dramatic effect. "You should DEFINITELY go brush your teeth right now."<br />
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Pretending I was really embarrassed by my heinous breath I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth and sure enough, there it was.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9F9b6ylQXTitZdbDFOh8DsMrI0x58s8Z9ajx6tOx13Kzy6xxgcSJhSymI2v6Q7mUX2s1zi4WyRive3biN38C8_eb-Gj1vTnSixlEMeR5kVqDRAyW8B1IalxYs8jI7A81w6QfFwrEZldh/s1600/IMG_0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9F9b6ylQXTitZdbDFOh8DsMrI0x58s8Z9ajx6tOx13Kzy6xxgcSJhSymI2v6Q7mUX2s1zi4WyRive3biN38C8_eb-Gj1vTnSixlEMeR5kVqDRAyW8B1IalxYs8jI7A81w6QfFwrEZldh/s1600/IMG_0089.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This girl has SO much love in her heart. Every single day she'll make a letter, or a card, or a note that melts my heart and makes me love her even more than I already do.<br />
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And here's some more from this week alone...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNZpCHR5DpYpHBjG-GL_kW00hbJA28GBqhUPcDWEJSNzi5GIP1RuimAoqCkkMC13tWGuTwRexGpIDwbN_hq0mD707tQzay71hyHn_7gfVKQtCXnaxEgjkdw9LGD5QXPO4ESqWR7xXuwJZ/s1600/IMG_0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNZpCHR5DpYpHBjG-GL_kW00hbJA28GBqhUPcDWEJSNzi5GIP1RuimAoqCkkMC13tWGuTwRexGpIDwbN_hq0mD707tQzay71hyHn_7gfVKQtCXnaxEgjkdw9LGD5QXPO4ESqWR7xXuwJZ/s1600/IMG_0090.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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This one below came with two wild flowers taped to the sides--as if the words <i>byoutfloo</i> and <i>amasing </i>weren't gift enough already<i>.</i></div>
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The truth is, one day soon, someone else will be on the other end of her notes and it'll be a lot harder for me than I'll ever let on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvTF-FWo1-cu9U9wA4T5GxTGwDswhOeA258CgHaJKtiKTaKe_ELqFO7ZT3RA0K6yTrD039vK_9FoTM5LkLO0a_ZnNEcm2OnjD1iX-M4tPKj6UcxAXHlEW6TZrDN1Sup-Pt0i35ePq8553/s1600/mia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvTF-FWo1-cu9U9wA4T5GxTGwDswhOeA258CgHaJKtiKTaKe_ELqFO7ZT3RA0K6yTrD039vK_9FoTM5LkLO0a_ZnNEcm2OnjD1iX-M4tPKj6UcxAXHlEW6TZrDN1Sup-Pt0i35ePq8553/s1600/mia.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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Until then, <i>she's all mine.</i><br />
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I love you Mama Mia!<br />
xoxo<br />
<br />ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-17774817127486798762014-09-26T14:00:00.000-07:002014-10-01T13:06:56.545-07:00Meerkat WeekFour years ago on a spring afternoon in D.C. I met some meerkats for the first time and laughed my ass off! The hilarious hijinks that were going on in their burrow kept me glued to the zoo exhibit for a half an hour. I didn't know anything about meerkats, in fact I didn't even know that Timon from The Lion King was a meerkat, so I decided to learn more. We started watching Meerkat Manor and I remember my friend Tanya warning me,"be careful Gina, some freaky shit goes down in the burrow" but I just blew her off and continued watching with Bella and Mia by my side. Wouldn't you know--the very next episode included the dominant female retaliating against another female who gave birth to meerkat pups, by eating said pups and sending a warning to all the other females in their mob to close their furry little legs. Riveting? Yes. Suitable for 2 little girls under the age of 4? Not at all.<br />
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But for real you guys--meerkats are freakin' awesome. Their mob consists of about 20-30 members with a dominant male and a very dominant female who's <i>really</i> the one in charge. They have a cooperative breeding system, which basically means there's only one female who gives birth and everyone else helps in feeding, playing and even babysitting the pups. IT'S GENIUS!!!! I mean, yeah, the social heirarchy of a meerkat mob is highly unfair to most members but it's sure does make for great tv.</div>
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Thankfully, I shielded Chance from the theory of kin selection and focused more on the light hearted aspects of the meerkat burrow like scorpions for breakfast and digging for days. </div>
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Here's our highlights:</div>
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ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-23382503021436080062014-09-16T10:22:00.001-07:002014-09-16T10:25:40.280-07:00Bat Week!I'm exhausted. Having 4 kids is hard stuff you guys. And now that Indy will put anything and I mean ANYTHING in his mouth it makes things a tad difficult. Plus, the little dude can somehow figure a way past all of our baby locks. He's like the damn velociraptor from the Jurassic Park movie. Remember? The remnants of a broken through cage and the blood stains from the goat that lasted 5 seconds. THAT'S INDY. Just yesterday he found a way into the bottom cabinet where Eugene stores his butane canister for when he likes <i><b>to torch his vegetables by hand</b> </i>(don't get me started) and sure enough I walk into the kitchen and he's sucking on the end of a flammable gas can. Lord help him, or me--or both actually.<br />
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But aside from the laundry pile-ups and the homework pow-wows, we've finished another great animal themed week.<br />
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We focused on the super sweet and totally cuddly BAT. At least I envisioned them sweet and cuddly every time I had to look at a picture or examine one up close because I swear to you if I stare long enough they make me want to dry heave.<br />
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A huge thanks goes out to my friend Kim Pempek who let us borrow these awesome bat cases that included about 20 taxidermy bats. These experience boxes were from The Field Museum's N.W. Harris Learning Collection. This program gives educators and parents a chance to take the Museum's collection to their classroom or home, extending the learning process even more. There's over 400 unique exhibit cases and 70 different Experience boxes that you can take home with you.<br />
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These were the exhibit cases that made a subtle addition to our living room decor this week:<br />
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But really, these boxes added so much excitement to our bat week and they really are fascinating to examine up close. If you're intrested in learning more or signing up for the N.W. Harris Collection, check it out <a href="http://harris.fieldmuseum.org/index/default.php">here</a>. Thanks Kim and family for sharing your goods with us!</div>
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I've also purchased a handy clip-on mic for my video camera so I was able to sit down and interview Chance about bats and the result is the cutest little voice-overs ever. Twenty years from now, when Eugene and I are home alone on a Friday night I'm going to watch these movies and bawl my eyes out at his prescious little 4 year old voice.</div>
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That boy just drives my <i>batty.</i></div>
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ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211791714962867633.post-39968563170028358802014-09-09T14:52:00.000-07:002014-09-09T22:10:48.395-07:00Orangutan WeekI don't think I anticipated how much I would enjoy these animal focused weeks of homeschooling, but I am. This week was pretty awesome. Maybe its because I've always been obsessed with apes--which up until last week I categorized them all as monkeys. See, even I can learn a thing or two. I've wanted to adopt a chimp ever since I laid eyes on Michael Jackson's Bubbles. Every childhood visit to the zoo would consist of me being dragged away from the monkey and ape exhibits for staring too long. I LOVE THEM.<br />
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So when Chance and I made a list of the animals he wanted to study, my inner Kong ooh-ooh-oohed at the sight of Orangutans.<br />
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Truthfully, I'm not sure a week ago I could have told you anything about an orangutan other than it's butt does not resemble a babboons. I spent most of my childhood and adulthood focused on the chimps and knew next to nothing about this amazing creature. Until now.<br />
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Of all that I've learned in the past 5 days, this I know for sure. Forget having a 5th child. All I really need is a baby orangutan. Look at that little nugget. I simply can't handle the cuteness. In fact, if I squint really hard I swear Indy could look like one. THEY ARE FRIGGIN ADORABLE. And if I see one more picture with a baby orang in a onesie with a baby bottle I'm hopping the next flight to Borneo.</div>
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Try to stop me.</div>
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We read every book from the local library and even had to borrow some from other libraries. We laughed at every video that showed how swift the orangutans are when they move. As Chance pointed out, "they're, like, breakdancing all the time." And he's right, they are. We studied about the family relationships and discovered that adult males like to be by themselves ALL THE TIME. They'll hook up to have a baby here and there but will spend the rest of their lives-- alone. As in, total solo, won't even be around any other males. If you ask me, what a bore. On the other hand, being a female Orangutan isn't that easy either. The will nurse for about six years (gasp!) carry their babies everywhere and say goodbye for good when they're 8 years old. I couldn't fathom sending Bella off into the jungle to forage for her own food. Sista would have a really hard time finding naked noodles. </div>
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Chance had another great week being home. The highlight was meeting with Miss Alicia, a primate zoologist at Brookfield Zoo. Every day she gets to interact and take care of the 6 orangutans that live there. She's so damn lucky.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnx4XhKyl0ctbu98TqBBcw-qbB6s9vDPws3eSPymNQQBUvIZsiLJaHO90dl6oJb1PmUsOeC4WLHWRQDTzS712HiEbtcqUjlixlZi4JV-BTcHo_p4llivwfvNZ75Ok0R091YaFL6hIOK44/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnx4XhKyl0ctbu98TqBBcw-qbB6s9vDPws3eSPymNQQBUvIZsiLJaHO90dl6oJb1PmUsOeC4WLHWRQDTzS712HiEbtcqUjlixlZi4JV-BTcHo_p4llivwfvNZ75Ok0R091YaFL6hIOK44/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And as promised a highlight reel of our week:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xtasfgS0MuM?list=UU-Iojv475fNgiT99ZAueS0Q" width="853"></iframe></div>
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<i>Up Next:</i> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>BAT WEEK!!!</i></span></div>
ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402488064192455038noreply@blogger.com0