tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23910057874701527252024-03-14T00:12:24.595-04:00evergreen driveLindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.comBlogger525125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-22534220530975166682016-05-05T16:23:00.000-04:002016-05-05T16:23:20.835-04:00life as we've known it...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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{I realized that I never posted these pictures from our Christmas card/family photo session, so here they are...6 months later.} </div>
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There is one thing I have left out of those past catch-up posts. And it's kinda major. While this news is its own post, truly it has permeated throughout every day and activity over the last several months.<br />
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We are doing something new. While we have had a lot going on, we have also had a lot of lasts.<br />
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So, let me just begin by saying...we are moving. We will be leaving the home we have made in Sandersville and closing this chapter of our lives. Joe and I are answering God's call on our family to plant a church. A two-year process with the Methodist church (and truthfully, several year process in our hearts) has led us on an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows, stops and starts, and eventually to the outcome we were hoping for when the appointment became official in March.<br />
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In June, we will be moving south to Valdosta where we will begin building a church. From nothing. We believe God is calling us to reach the unchurched, to make disciples, and to do our part in growing His kingdom.<br />
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God's will be done.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">When God invites us to be a part of what He's doing, it's not so we can bless Him. </span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">It's so He can bless us.</span></i></div>
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This is a leap of faith, obviously. There is no one waiting for us on the other end. We don't know anyone (other than our realtor). Joe will be making much less. I will have to work, too. And together we will work to start this church. As I have told some, we have many challenges and uncertainty ahead of us, but we have God. And He is all the certainty we need.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Remembering God's faithfulness in the past lets us embrace the difficulties of the present and the uncertainties of the future.</span></i></div>
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We are excited...and, yes, scared. We are sad to leave Sandersville, the home we have loved for five years, and for the special friendships we have made. We are dreading the goodbye. I have found that the tears come easily.<br />
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But we are ready to begin this new chapter.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The news of our leaving was announced to the church on April 3. The following Sunday, Joe and I spoke to the congregation. We wanted to share the story of our calling to plant a church and our journey over the last few years to answer this call. It was </span><i style="text-align: center;">tough</i><span style="text-align: center;">. Joe and I alternated our perspectives and stories. Really I kept it together just fine, until I looked up at one point and saw several of our friends and members of our church family crying. By the end of our message, and especially after the closing hymn, "Here I am, Lord", there weren't many dry eyes. </span><br />
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The tears affirmed how much our church loves us, for which we are so grateful and encouraged. Joe and I were humbled at the outpouring of love and support. So many kind words.<br />
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It was difficult the last several months - even the last year - not being able to talk about this endeavor. The Methodist church leadership told us to wait. We waited and waited, and waited. Even our family didn't know for a long time. This calling to start a church was a well-kept secret between just a few people for almost two years.<br />
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Not being able to share with our closest friends was hard. I have a girls small group that meets once a week, where we share and discuss everything from parenting to marriage to faith. We've been doing life together for a couple of years now and I love and pray for these girls daily. It was weird not being able to talk about the biggest thing in my life. Joe had a few conference peers that he could talk to, but most of his friends and our couple friends were in the dark. That was awkward and felt almost dishonest at times.<br />
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At the same time, we didn't really want to talk about it until we knew it was going to happen. The way the church works with pastoral appointments, there were no guarantees. So everything is kept confidential until the bishop and his cabinet start making things official. Of course once the appointment is official, the news can be shared.<br />
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And the weight could fall off our shoulders.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">God's process may be long, but His plan is perfect.</span></i></div>
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It was weird writing the last several posts of all we have been up to without that little (or big) detail, because in between all of the activities and trips, we've been sharing the news, getting ready to move, finding a home, and trying to live each day to the fullest.<br />
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For those that read this, I ask you to pray for us!<br />
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Pray that God will continue to lead us in what we confidently know He has called us to do...<br />
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For discernment in this process and peace in knowing He will provide...<br />
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That His purposes and plans for us will be revealed...<br />
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For the people in Valdosta He will raise up as leaders to help us start this church...<br />
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For those that will come to know Jesus through our ministry...<br />
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For our church here in a time of transition...<br />
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And for our family as we say goodbye and settle in a new home.<br />
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We know the power of prayer, and we greatly appreciate those you lift up for us.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Father, help me trust my unknown future to you, the known God.</span></i></div>
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<i>{Words in italics are from Proverbs 31 Ministries' First 5 devotionals I have saved...These devotionals have been an amazing source of peace and encouragement for me.}</i></div>
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-42493479650680565932016-05-04T13:27:00.000-04:002016-05-04T13:33:35.624-04:00catching up: part three (joseph's birthday and the rest of april)So, in finishing out April, there's been a 5th birthday celebration wrap-up (five is a big deal!) and a few miscellaneous happenings...<br />
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The kids had their annual teeth-cleaning. Yes, annual. If it was free, we'd go more often. I took them, and while I expected it to be an exciting visit, they both did great. What I really mean is Joseph did great. I knew Hannah would. But little brother is all into everything and wants to know what <i>each and every </i>tool, button and lever does. His curiosity is cute but also drives me batty.<br />
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Saturday morning cool down routine with Daddy...<br />
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... Joe sends me a text right before he leaves the house (I'm typically still sleeping) letting me know when he's going to be back. The kids get ready and wait for him to round the corner at the end of the street and come into view from the front yard. Then I sit on the front steps with my coffee as they run with him up the street and back, his "cool down".<br />
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Sometimes Joseph runs and sometimes he rides the police motorcycle. Hannah is always running alongside her Daddy, arms swinging and long legs in a future-runners stride. Sometimes I'll walk to the street and capture it on camera. We have a collection of these photos. It is a highlight of their weekend and, I hope, a memory they will never forget.<br />
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We took Hannah and Joseph to see their favorite big girls (and babysitters) all dressed up for prom. They do it big here; it's like a wedding day, starting in the morning. The girls get ready in groups, the seniors meet at of their houses to take pictures, then they go to another house and have pictures taken with the juniors. Then they head to the dinner and dance. We met up with them at their first picture spot. I'm telling you, after the amount of photos that were taken (way more than at my wedding), I don't know how they held up for round two, and then again at "Grand March" at the school where the parents and friends are invited to come see the prom setting.<br />
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JOSEPH is FIVE, did you hear?! He has told everyone that will listen.<br />
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The celebration continued all that weekend prior to his birthday. He got to open a couple presents from Meme early, including a super cool Giraffe clock for his room and this Nerf gun below. We went to a local middle school baseball game and then had lunch at Diary Lane.<br />
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{I interrupt this subject to show you these pictures of this toothless beauty (in my glasses) following church.}</div>
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Back to Joseph. His actual birthday was Monday, April 18th. I sat with him at breakfast and then brought cupcakes to school in the afternoon, taking Hannah out of class to join us. Joe came home in the afternoon and we played with his new toys.<br />
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He got the remote control race car of his dreams. Seriously. He picked this toy out at Walmart back at the beginning of March and reeeeeeally wanted it. <i>Please Mommy, pleeeeeeease.</i> There were tears.<br />
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{Yes, he's barefoot, and when I sent this picture to Daddy you can imagine his reaction, "Where are his shoes?! It's WALMART! Hello, bacteria!" I will say he'd been in the cart until he saw this display and climbed out. I wasn't too worried...}<br />
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Joe went back and got it the next day and Joseph found it in the back of the car when Joe got out and ran into his office for a second. Then he had to go about six weeks knowing we had it but that he couldn't have it until his birthday. Torture. It's all he would talk about when asked what he wanted for his birthday. He only wanted that "race car".<br />
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The boys made the birthday cake and we played outside. Going out for pizza was a no-brainer. This child would eat pizza every single day. Then we came home to sing and have cake.<br />
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Joseph had a couple of local field trips - one to Washington EMC (the electric utility co-op) and the other to a grocery store. Very exciting. :) He loves to ride the bus:<br />
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The following Saturday, April 23rd, Hannah and I attended the Girl Scouts Taster's Tea. Her troop represented China. Other countries represented were Mexico, Ireland, and Puerto Rico. We learned a little about each country and tasted all kinds of different foods.<br />
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Hannah wore a little Chinese dress my mom had brought back from Chinatown somewhere (San Francisco? NYC? can't remember) years ago. It is way too small but we made it work as a top with leggings.<br />
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They made the lanterns and other Chinese things over the last month. It was neat to see it all pulled together.<br />
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Later that day, we drove over to Dublin (45 min) and met Uncle Will Will, Aunt Crystal, and Stella for bowling and dinner. One final 5th birthday celebration. It was our first "real" bowling experience as a family (there was a miniature version at Great Wolf). While we waited on the Brooks trio to arrive, Joe and I showed Hannah and Joseph how to shoot pool. Back in my college days, I was pretty good. I must say, it's not like riding a bike. I haven't played in forever and I was terrible. But we had fun!<br />
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Bowling was a blast. The kids played on one lane with the bumper rails up, while the grownups played on the next one over. Hannah tried several techniques, including granny-style. She was intense and focused...similar to her skee ball approach.<br />
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Joseph loved sending the ball down the lane, oftentimes with a loud bang on the floor first (we grimaced every time, wondering if the wood would crack). He might have been most interested in the ball return, though.<br />
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We gave Uncle Will Will a hard time for having his own bowling shoes (he did buy them back in college) and playing the worst. I will say, about half the time, he did bowl with a one-year-old on his hip...<br />
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Finishing out April, a couple pictures from this past weekend and one other story of note...<br />
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I helped drive Hannah's Girl Scout troop to visit a local beekeeper. We learned all about honey bees and the job of a beekeeper. He was very clear as the bees were flying around us, to not panic and swat, but to remain calm. At one point we are invited over to an observation box on his front porch to look at the bees (and the queen) through the glass. Well, you had to walk right through the flight path into the hive to see into the other side. Bees were flying, the girls were walking back and forth, most remaining calm, and all was well.<br />
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Then comes my little boy. He was apprehensive at first but wanted to go see so I walked with him across the porch. We looked and started to walk back, when he got stung. Yep. He was calm, walking slowly and doing what he was supposed to...and got stung. I'm not sure how it happened but the troop leader saw the bee flying towards the box and encountered Joseph's little legs as he was walking, perhaps threatened by the movement. I don't know, but it was so not fair. He was tough but couldn't hold back the tears. <br />
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Of course, he's had allergy testing done recently and we found he is allergic to several things. We did not know about bees, but I didn't want to gamble on that. I drove the mile over to our house and grabbed his epi pen. The sting hurt and he cried, and he complained off and on of leg pain, but he was fine. So...not allergic to bees!<br />
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Those two love that swing set and have made so many memories playing out there together.<br />
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The End (of April).<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2391005787470152725%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4249347965068056593%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-14SElQbuajw%2FVyiuH0LtY0I%2FAAAAAAAAjQs%2FJA88KwDrKegL40i1pfIcR3R_RLTYzKh9wCKgB%2Fs320%2FIMG_6026.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=MVze4oeiPrUJ&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4692px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2391005787470152725%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4249347965068056593%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-14SElQbuajw%2FVyiuH0LtY0I%2FAAAAAAAAjQs%2FJA88KwDrKegL40i1pfIcR3R_RLTYzKh9wCKgB%2Fs320%2FIMG_6026.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=MVze4oeiPrUJ&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4692px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2391005787470152725%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4249347965068056593%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-14SElQbuajw%2FVyiuH0LtY0I%2FAAAAAAAAjQs%2FJA88KwDrKegL40i1pfIcR3R_RLTYzKh9wCKgB%2Fs320%2FIMG_6026.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=MVze4oeiPrUJ&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4692px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D2391005787470152725%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4249347965068056593%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D1%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-14SElQbuajw%2FVyiuH0LtY0I%2FAAAAAAAAjQs%2FJA88KwDrKegL40i1pfIcR3R_RLTYzKh9wCKgB%2Fs320%2FIMG_6026.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=MVze4oeiPrUJ&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4692px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-54291190283977398572016-04-29T09:32:00.000-04:002016-04-29T09:32:29.847-04:00catching up: part two (great wolf lodge)That Thursday through Saturday of spring break, we went on Joseph's 5th birthday trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC. The four of us and Meme celebrated Hannah's 5th birthday on a Disney cruise and wanted to do something special for Joseph's, too. SO much fun and a vacation spot I'd highly recommend for families with young ones. There is a bunch to do and you never have to leave the hotel. All five of us had a blast.<br />
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The indoor water park is GREAT. It's a bonus when you don't have to worry about sunscreen and sand with the kids.<br />
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Joseph spent most of his time splashing around in the Cub Paw Pool and playing at Fort Mackenzie, the huge tree-house with lots of fountains, hoses and buckets. Eventually he warmed up to the idea of getting the in the larger/deeper pools. Hannah was all about the pools and the slides...and the slides were awesome. She also conquered the Big Foot Pass and made a new friend, also named Hannah, who was with us most of our time at the water park. Our girl is a water baby through and through.<br />
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We hit the Northern Lights Arcade on a few occasions. Joseph kept calling it Chucky Cheese, since that has been his only experience in a place with lots of games, lights, and noise. He loved steering and shooting, while Hannah showed off her skee ball skills. Both racked up on tickets.<br />
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The food at the hotel is really good; we were impressed. Both nights we ate at Lodge Wood Fired Grill and, between the five of us, enjoyed a good portion of the menu. There is plenty of entertainment for children, including a nightly story time at the Great Clock Tower.<br />
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The characters at Great Wolf Lodge, including Wiley and Violet, come out and pose for pictures. My mom arranged for them to deliver cookies to our room one night, too. Unfortunately they did not give us a proper heads up and we missed them. Probably the only disappointment of the trip.<br />
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Day two: Friday<br />
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We started a packed-full day with Yoga Tails in the lobby and bowling at Ten Paw Alley (miniature bowling alley and great fun for Hannah and Joseph), with breakfast at The Loose Moose Cottage buffet in between.<br />
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We spent most of the day at the water park. Joseph and Meme watched as we got dumped on by the gigantic tipping bucket. Meme captured it all with her phone.<br />
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In the afternoon, we headed outside for the kids' first experience with mini golf. Hannah was very focused and determined to get the ball in the hole, while Joseph was more interested in figuring out how all the contraptions worked and moving the pin flags around.<br />
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Then, Hannah and I did the Howlers Peak Ropes Course, her first time doing anything like that. She was so brave!<br />
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Throughout the hotel there is an interactive game you do with the plush characters you make (similar to Build-A-Bear). You go from kiosk to kiosk following clues until, at the end, you are made part of the Clubhouse Crew. Joseph made a Wiley wolf and Hannah made a Rachel raccoon.<br />
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While we did this, Daddy did some work in the room. Then it was back to the water park to play before time to get ready for dinner.<br />
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We posed with Violet, played in the arcade and ate dessert from Bear Paw Sweets & Eats.<br />
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Day three: Saturday<br />
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We spent our last morning getting in a few more trips down the slides and playing in the water. Then, sadly, it was time to go...<br />
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It was a memorable trip for sure and one Joseph (or any of us) won't forget. Thanks Meme!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-24267433997906958012016-04-28T14:53:00.001-04:002016-04-29T09:32:51.097-04:00catching up: part one {easter and spring break}It's the end of April and I know I haven't blogged in quite a while (again). It's been on the to-do list, but I just haven't had the spare time...or made the time, rather. And we've had a lot going on (more to come on that later...).<br />
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Easter was nice. Joe's family was all here, and the rain that threatened held off until the afternoon. Hannah and Joseph got up early enough to check out their baskets before Daddy had to leave. I took the kids with me to the sunrise service, dressed in their new Easter clothes. Hannah went last year but it was special having them both there this year.<br />
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We came back home to make Empty Tomb rolls, a tradition we started last year. I love the focus this activity puts on the real meaning of Easter. I really try to make Easter about Jesus, but it is not easy to do with all the parties, egg hunts and baskets of candy and toys. Of course I love putting together baskets for the kids filled with stuff they'll love, and have no plan in stopping that, but I try to keep it under control.<br />
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Once Gran Gran and Poppy, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Betsy, Liam and Marshall were all here, we went to the church for the egg hunt and worship service. I got tears in my eyes as we sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" as is so easy for me to do.<br />
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We came home and had lunch - or feast, actually - prepared by Gran Gran. The kids played outside, getting their nice clothes all dirty but having a great time while we watched.<br />
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Meme came in town for the night and brought Easter goodies for all four of us. It was back to school on Monday morning and one more week of school before spring break. Hannah and Joseph had their last soccer game and Joseph missed a couple days of school with strep. I don't like when my babies are sick, but I love the special time I get to spend with them alone.<br />
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That Friday we hit the road.<br />
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We enjoyed a full, but fun, spring break. Joe performed a wedding for a church member on Amelia Island and we enjoyed the little getaway. The kids had plenty of fun playing with Meme in Savannah, including celebrating Joseph's birthday early at their favorite "cook-on-the-table" Japanese place.<br />
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In other news, Hannah lost her two front teeth!!! Not kidding, one that Tuesday night and the other one the next. In between, on the one day they had at home during the break, they played Jesus in the backyard. Completely thought up on their own. I looked up from reading and Hannah was "washing the disciples feet".<br />
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There was also plenty of silliness, as there usually is with these two.<br />
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Granddaddy and Mrs. Renee went to Hawaii and sent surprises which these cuties were happy to model:</div>
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And it's time for school pick-up. Second (and way fun) part of spring break ahead. To be continued...<br />
<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-32784540379362658272016-03-25T11:09:00.000-04:002016-03-25T11:09:09.924-04:00lent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Good Friday and I am thinking back on the last almost-40 days. It has been a very different Lent for me. I challenged myself to spend one hour in God's Word every day. This hour was to be separate from my morning daily-devotion time. It proved to be quite a challenge. Harder than anything I have ever given up for Lent.<br />
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Joe put together a read-through-the-book-of-Luke calendar for our church and that is where my focus has been. He gave me a great leather-bound study Bible on our 3rd anniversary (the year of the leather-themed gift) and so not only have I been reading the selected passage, but also all the accompanying notes. It ends up taking quite a bit of time.<br />
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I have learned so much more reading the Bible this way - in small doses but with heavy concentration on the words, characters, and context. After studying scripture, I reflect and pray. This has been fun actually. Oftentimes I found myself walking around the backyard (and getting sun in the process!) talking to God. I tried to do this routine before picking up the kids from school, but many days I sat in the backyard or on the playroom sofa while Hannah and Joseph played outside. Occasionally, I did have to try to ignore the little guy driving circles around me on his motorcycle or tractor. Such is life with little ones!<br />
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But this was a hard commitment and I was not 100%. There were many days when I found it time to get the kids and, telling myself I would do it later, never found the time (or made the time) until bedtime. And, yep, there were a few days when it didn't happen at all. Sometimes I thought it would have been much easier to give up something I ate or drank, but I'm glad I made that decision on Ash Wednesday. I certainly learned a lot - about my Lord and about myself.<br />
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I am thankful for this time of learning and growing in my faith. Challenging myself now to continue this practice year-round.<br />
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So, since I'm here and I haven't blogged in a while, I'll post some photos from the last couple months.<br />
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Date with Dad, February 5th:</div>
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Delivering Girl Scout cookies and selling at Walmart:</div>
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Valentine's school parties, making hearts for Daddy, and after-church special Valentine lunch:</div>
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Hannah's World of Coca Cola field trip with the Oratorical Club. I got to go, too!</div>
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Celebrating Cousin Stella's 1st birthday party in Savannah, February 20th!</div>
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Back home...being cuties:</div>
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(In Uncle Ben's sweater, he thinks he's pretty cool.)</div>
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Welcome March! Joe and Hannah, looking very liturgical in their purple:</div>
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My scripture-reading distraction, Officer Buck patrolling the backyard:</div>
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Pocahontas encouraging "Sharkie" with his shark-hotel building skills and then saying she's got to go kill a deer to eat for dinner. (Not making this up!)</div>
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Hannah's very favorite Sunday tradition, "helping Daddy" close up the church and walking from worship back to the office (currently relocated during construction). </div>
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Soccer. Lots of soccer! Hannah has loved it and looks forward to every practice and game. She has come a long way and is playing great. Joseph is Ferdinand the Bull (if you've read the children's book, you know exactly what this means). While he loves to kick the ball and play at home, he has no interest in playing with the team and prefers to piddle on the sidelines, playing in the dirt or with the water cooler. He does get excited when he can play goalie.</div>
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St. Patrick's Day...in Sandersville for the third year in a row. Hannah had pink eye and couldn't go to school so we watched the parade in Savannah online. That night I co-hosted girls supper club, so I wasn't home, but Joe made the kids a fun green feast!</div>
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Palm Sunday, March 20th. Hannah walking with Joe again. Joseph is excited about Reese's cups given to them during the children's message. It was about it being Palm Sunday but also Passion Sunday and therefore a day of mixed emotion. Rev. Sidney gave them the illustration of funny things that go together (like sweet and salt) and gave them chocolate and peanut butter. They loved it, of course and Joe did too (Reese's is his favorite candy).</div>
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Joe has had a few appointments in Athens for physical therapy. What started as a running evaluation given to him by my mom became treatment for injuries and pain relief for his back. The therapist is great and we are hopeful that he will eventually find total pain relief from all accident-related injuries. On two occasions, we made it a day-date and I went with him.</div>
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And today. I have a hard time with Easter parties and egg hunts on Good Friday, but I understand how it has to work with school. My cute Monkey before heading into school. She has a super fun field trip lasting most of the day:</div>
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Well, that update didn't take too long. Maybe I'll be back with more after Easter. :)Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-8161930302727789922016-02-07T21:33:00.002-05:002016-02-08T10:42:16.686-05:00DISNEY: day six {leaving and review}<br />
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On Saturday morning, we woke up and walked/ran over to the resort's main building for breakfast. It was the windiest (making it feel the coldest) it had been the entire time and we were thankful we were not heading to a park! This was also the day it snowed back home in Sandersville. We used the rest of our quick-service and snack credits from our dining plan and shared a breakfast platter and pastries.<br />
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Soon after, we were packed up and on our way home. I kind of thought the kids would crash in the car but, other than a short nap for Joseph, they were awake the whole 7-hour drive. Too excited thinking about all the fun!<br />
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In review, I thought I would include some notes on our first trip to Disney... <br />
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One thing we found very helpful was the Disney World My Disney Experience app. We would pull it up all the time. It was our map, how we checked wait times, how we decided where to grab something to eat and know where characters were at any given time. It's accurate and easy to navigate. On the homepage, it has my plans, which would include anything we had FastPass or dining reservations for, along with any additional notes I added. </div>
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The food throughout Disney was very good and going with the dining plan was the right decision for us. We had heard that using the credits can get confusing and the plan can be a waste of money, but we didn't have that problem. We like to eat and we didn't want to worry about paying everywhere we went for everything. If you do it right, the meal plan can save you a lot of money. </div>
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We chose the middle plan where each person gets a table-service meal, a quick-service meal, and a snack per day. You can spend the credits however you want. For example, the meal at California Grill at the top of The Contemporary took 2 table-service credits per person. That left us with one day without a table-service meal. Fortunately for us, we wanted to eat breakfast at the Beast's castle on Friday. Be Our Guest is a table-service at dinner but at breakfast is a quick-service, so we were good. See...research pays off. :)<br />
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I left the dining plan credit figuring-out to Joe. As he's our chief meal planner at home, I thought this was perfect! He kept a note on his phone and would edit it accordingly. This was so like him - made me laugh as he'd plan how to best use our credits.<br />
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We picked an off-peak time of year to go, leaving shorter lines and far less crowds. It was perfect. And it certainly wasn't hot. To give you an idea of the crowd size, this what it looked like mid-day at the Magic Kingdom:<br />
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The weather was chilly - chillier than I would have liked for Florida, but we were prepared with jackets, hats and scarves. They all came off by lunch and the sun was mostly out. Only on Friday, our last park day, did we have bad weather. It rained on and off until mid-afternoon but it wasn't terrible; didn't slow us down at all. Again, I was prepared with jackets and rain boots! Most days, we ended up in just one layer.<br />
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Each night Joe and I packed one of my Baggu (reusable grocery) bags to take with us to the park. It held snacks, the pillowcases and fabric markers for autographs, Mouse ears, and a few other things. {On a whim I decided to bring a little coloring book and markers and that was really useful at restaurants or in line.} By the end of the day, we stuffed hats or jackets and souvenirs in there as well. We kept it in the stroller (or on the visor when both kids were riding) and it was bright turquoise making our stroller easy to identify among the other rentals when left outside attractions. We also had a small soft-sided cooler holding a few bottles of water and juice boxes. Other than that, I carried a purse.<br />
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To give the character something to hold and bear down on when signing the pillowcases, we brought Hannah's little dry erase board which she uses to practice her letters. I packed her dry-erase markers in our daily bag giving her something to do when little brother was coloring.<br />
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About the pillowcases... I wanted something for the kids to get autographs, but didn't necessarily want to go the book route. My mom got them both for the Disney Cruise. The autograph books were by Amanda at <a href="http://dixiedelightsonline.com/everything-disney/creating-disney-magic" target="_blank">Dixie Delights</a>. I added pictures of the children with each character in there, as well as wrote a diary laying out each day's activities. They turned out really cute and sit on the shelves in the kids' bedrooms. But we also did pillowcases, leaving them at guest services once we got onboard the ship, where they were signed by the characters (princesses for Hannah, Mickey and the gang for Joseph).<br />
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Truthfully, the kids like their pillowcases the most and love sleeping on them. I'm still glad we did the books on the cruise but for this trip, I went with just pillowcases. We weren't planning on trying to get a bunch of autographs this trip either. We met most of the characters the kids wanted to on the cruise. I reserved a Fast Pass for the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet and planned to see Pocahontas at Animal Kingdom. Of course, we had to make sure to see Mickey and the gang! Other than that, all other character encounters were a bonus.<br />
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We ended up meeting a bunch of characters and were <i>so</i> excited how the pillowcases turned out.<br />
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I did not bring my nice camera and so glad. We decided to go with the Memory Maker after hearing mixed advice. Best decision. We got professional pictures in front of the castle and at other iconic places, all of the pictures/videos from the rides and any character encounters. This was great for me because it meant I didn't have to worry about being behind the camera, worried about trying to get a good shot, and could instead be <i>in the moment</i>.<br />
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I also had my phone and took plenty of everything else. As you could tell from earlier posts, I came back with tons of pictures of our first Disney experience!<br />
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The app also had all PhotoPass pictures that had been taken of us. And it was super fast being updated. We'd have a picture taken and a few minutes later it'd be there:<br />
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I planned and planned this trip. I asked for lots of advice and read stuff online and in <i>The Unofficial Guide</i> to Disney. I think some people thought I was a little silly with all the planning and booking things in advance. But, you know what? It paid off.<br />
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We did everything we wanted to do and more. We ate at all the places we wanted to eat. We were prepared and organized. But we also were flexible and allowed ourselves to be spontaneous. I think that's the big difference. I wasn't the crazy lady with the moment-by-moment itinerary and incapable of diverting from it; we did, in fact, many times do just that. And we weren't rushed.<br />
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Hannah and Joseph had an amazing time. We heard very few complaints. They even squabbled a lot less than usual. I know how stressful trips to Disney can be and have heard people say they have no interest in going or those who have gone say they don't want to go back. Thankfully, that was not us. We all got along fine and, other than a couple times trying to reach a reservation, we really didn't stress at all.<br />
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Exhaustion, on the other hand, did not escape us. How can you not be exhausted after that?! After four packed-full park days, we arrived home that Saturday night definitely needing to rest and catch up on sleep. While everyone felt fine during the week, the last night was rough and Joseph and I both were not feeling well, ending up on antibiotics for colds turned worse. We were just glad it was after the trip!<br />
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On the car ride back home, Joe and I talked about our time in Disney and what we would have done differently. Honestly, we couldn't think of anything, at least anything significant. It was just right. We had so much fun and have a ton of memories from our 6 days spent in the land of magic.<br />
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And I can't believe I'm saying this so soon, but I'm looking forward to going again in the hopefully not too-distant future!<br />
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With that, I close the book so to speak on this Disney post series. I did it primarily for our own family record-keeping but if it helps anyone else out there that's a bonus. Now I need to make a photo book while the memories and details are still fresh in my mind.</div>
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See ya real soon!</div>
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-87667261594238384422016-02-04T15:39:00.000-05:002016-02-04T15:48:29.655-05:00DISNEY: day five {Magic Kingdom, round two}Friday was our last park day and we spent a full 12 hours in Magic Kingdom. We woke up to the promise of a wet day. It was raining, but we were not going to be deterred! Off to the Castle we went and posed for a family picture before arriving for our 8:45 breakfast reservation at Be Our Guest, in Fantasyland at the back of the park.<br />
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While we covered most of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland on Tuesday, we planned to be mainly in Frontierland and Adventureland on Friday. Before leaving Fantasyland, however, we went on Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. This a popular ride, but the wait was really short that time of the morning (and the weather probably kept some people away). Our family loves <i>The Little Mermaid</i> so this was a must-do.<br />
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Then off to Frontierland where Joe and the kids posed at the obligatory photo op. The last time I was there, 1995, I did the same pose and still have the picture. The kids got a kick out of it.<br />
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At Joe's request (and something my mom for sure would want to do), we went to the Hall of Presidents. It wasn't as exciting for the kids but Joe and I enjoyed it.<br />
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Over in Adventureland, we played at the Swiss Family Treehouse. That was really cool, and my kids love a club house and climbing trees. This was the most fascinating thing they might have seen.<br />
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It started to rain just as we were leaving, which was perfect timing for an indoor ride like Pirates of the Caribbean. A downpour ensued and continued from our visit to the gift store (spy glass for Joseph!) to lunch at Pecos Bill's.<br />
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I had organized the day so that we could go back to the hotel if necessary to rest after lunch, but we didn't end up needing or wanting to. I was going off of the kids' energy level and they were in it for the long haul. No wasting time on our last day here!<br />
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Off to Splash Mountain. The line wasn't bad, which is weird because what better ride for a rainy day?! Again, two rounds for Hannah.<br />
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The rain had passed in time for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. The floats, music, costumes, dancing, and obviously the characters make this a must see. Fortunately enough, while Joe and Hannah were on Splash Mountain, Joseph and I walked right up to the rope for an obstructed view along the parade route. Hannah got into her place next to Joseph just before Belle came by on the first float.<br />
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Cinderella and Prince Charming came next, followed by Tiana and Prince Naveen. Anna and Elsa were next, and let me just stop the presses here.<br />
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Anna waved right at Hannah and then Elsa blew her a kiss. I was so excited tears filled my eyes. You've got the music and merriment which is happy by itself, but my baby getting that special attention from two of her favorites and <i>her</i> joy just sent me over the edge.<br />
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Rapunzel's float was really cool with riders on huge swinging hammers. Then came Ariel combing her hair with a dinglehopper, followed by Peter Pan's and Merida's floats.<br />
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Now the representation from Sleeping Beauty was pretty awesome. The thorns on stilts below followed by Maleficent in dragon form. It actually breathed fire...yeah, it was super cool. I was behind Joseph so I didn't see his face, but I can imagine it. And he talked about it after.<br />
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Jiminy Cricket and Snow White among others, followed by Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Chip and Dale brought the finale. Minnie waved at Hannah, too! Funny thing... When we saw the parade on our first day in Magic Kingdom, Hannah was wearing her Minnie ears. I guess because of where we were standing on higher ground and our proximity to Mickey and Minnie's airship, it put Hannah in Joe's arms not far off Minnie's eye level. In all those people, she found Hannah and waved, then gestured with her hands on her own ears to say she liked Hannah's. That was cool - and Hannah loved it!<br />
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Such a fun time. Our location and view, the characters waving and interacting with the kids...could not have been more perfect.<br />
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After the parade we went on a Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. This attraction is a humorous take on a safari boat ride. Our tour guide was full of jokes and tales as we coasted through the water. It was fun but the wait was long. We had an extra FastPass that we should have used on this ride but when we walked up the line said 20 minutes. We waited more like 40; the time obviously hadn't been updated in a while.<br />
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Then it was TIME. Time to go to Princess Fairytale Hall and meet the duo we had been waiting to meet. The anticipation had been building and Hannah and Joseph were both overjoyed to finally get to see Anna and Elsa. Having a FastPass for this is a no brainer.<br />
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Hannah chose her Anna coronation day costume for the meet-and-greet. She really likes Anna the best, because of her personality no doubt. Anna was fantastic. She had the exact personality as in the movie: fun, youthful and excited. Hannah and Joseph laughed and played with her and had the biggest smiles on their faces. Hannah had drawn a picture for Anna and Elsa before we left. We made sure we had it ready to give them and they were so sweet about it.<br />
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Elsa, while kind and sweet is more gentle and serious. Hannah and Joseph were delighted to meet her as well.<br />
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On the way out, we stopped in the gift shop for Hannah to get her souvenir. What better way to commemorate the event than by picking out an Anna/Elsa flip doll? One side is Anna then you flip her upside down and under her dress reveals Elsa. Love a good two-in-one!<br />
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We had a FastPass earlier in the day for Thunder Mountain Railroad, but because of the rain it was closed for a while and we were free to use it whenever. So Hannah and I went for a ride and then while Joe was taking his turn with Hannah, I took Joseph to the Country Bear Jamboree. Pretty basic (and old) but entertaining enough for him.<br />
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We met up at the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade where Joe helped the kids hit their targets.<br />
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Then it was time to grab a quick-service dinner and find a place to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade and the <i>Wishes</i> nighttime spectacular fireworks show. While Joe waited in line for hotdogs at Casey's Corner, the kids and I posed for one last shot in front of the Castle. The parade was really cool with all the lights wrapped around the floats and characters and of course the fireworks were awesome.<br />
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The ending of our final day was just magical. As we were standing there, our little family close together in the middle of Main Street, I got teary eyed again. Just thinking about how blessed I was to have these three special people in my life, to be on this incredible trip. It was such a fun day and it had been an amazing week full of memories to last a lifetime.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-57517823426958759362016-02-04T10:12:00.001-05:002016-02-04T11:35:45.744-05:00DISNEY: day four {Hollywood Studios}On Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios. I visited there a long time ago when it was called MGM. It's changed a lot since then. The weather was perfect and we set out for another full day.<br />
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The boys wore their Captain America shirts and Hannah's BBB 'do was on day 3 and still looking fine, so we let her keep it in. Why not?!<br />
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We had FastPasses to see <i>Disney Junior - Live on Stage</i> to begin the day, but when we walked up, Sofia and Jake were outside in Animation Courtyard with short lines so we did that first. They also didn't allow food or drinks in this theater and we had just gotten coffee/tea and breakfast to-go from Starbucks. </div>
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We typically watch a <i>Jake and the Never Land Pirates</i> episode every day. Hannah likes it, too, but oftentimes she chooses <i>Sofia the First</i> for her "one show". This means that both kids are very familiar with both characters. We met them on the cruise with Doc McStuffins, another favorite show, but that's been a while. </div>
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Can you tell Joseph was excited to see Jake?<br />
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Some advice we had received was to skip the Disney Jr. show, so we did and instead headed for Animation Courtyard to Star Tours before the line got too long. Joe had been waiting for this ride (his first go-round) and was probably the most excited.<br />
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We picked up our 3D glasses and boarded a Starspeeder 1000 (some sort of space ship, I don't know...not up on all things Star Wars like Joe and apparently a lot of people). Anyway, it's a flight simulator and very intense, especially for kids. It was fun, though.<br />
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One of the not-reserved things I really wanted to see was <i>Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage</i>. We walked down Sunset Boulevard to the Theater of the Stars. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded and we got in to the 11am show.<br />
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Again, A+ for Disney. Notice a theme here? Just like on the cruise, they rarely disappoint when it comes to entertainment.<br />
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It did seem like we criss-crossed the park quite a bit, passing Echo Lake several times, but fortunately the park is relatively small. After the show, we went to Streets of America for Muppet Vision 3D then a stop at It's a Wonderful Shop to buy this year's Christmas ornaments.<br />
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The Jedi Training Academy was right around the corner and, as you can imagine, Star Wars fans everywhere. While our kids aren't into it (yet), the outside show is a main attraction.<br />
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After lunch at Backlot Express (with Star Wars themed cupcakes for dessert), we headed towards <i>our</i> main attraction: the "For the First Time in Forever" Frozen singalong. Hannah changed into her Elsa dress for the occasion and we excitedly awaited the doors opening. We had FastPasses which put us closer to the doors and betters seats - close to the front. We were on the third or fourth row, right in the center. It was perfect!</div>
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Two hilarious narrator "Arendelle historians" tell the story of Frozen and we sing along the way to words on the gigantic screen. At the end Elsa comes out and the whole place sings Let It Go as snow falls. You get to see Anna and Kristoff, too.<br />
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It was so much fun and I loved every minute as much as Hannah and Joseph did. I took a few videos, bouncing back and forth between the performers on stage and my daughter. She was the better view for sure, her face lit up and focused on the stage as she watched and sang. As much as she loves to perform the songs from the movie at home, we knew she would love this. We all did.<br />
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Then we headed to Pixar Place to ride Toy Story Midway Mania (another FastPass).<br />
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This was Joseph's favorite attraction for sure. You go through a 3D virtual shooting gallery, taking aim at various targets and racking up as many points as you can as you shoot with your pull-string canon. It is a <i>lot</i> of fun and the wait time is super long all day.<br />
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Next came the Tower of Terror. We walked down Sunset Boulevard to the eerie Hollywood Tower Hotel.<br />
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This girl wasn't scared as we waited in line. However, it did scare her. Not the elevator dropping part but the spooky story and tour through the haunted hotel before the drop. She was very concerned with the ghosts and kept asking me if they were real, if this was a true story, etc. She actually liked the random ride-and-drops of the elevator which made me feel a little queazy even if I didn't get scared!<br />
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I rode with her the first time, then she went again with Joe while Joseph and I hung out.<br />
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Love that cutie boy.<br />
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Our last stop of the day was the 5 o'clock Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Joseph and I got to the theater first and secured seats close to the floor. The show was great. We got a behind-the-scenes look at how movie stunts are done. There is a bunch of action and, to the kids' delight, fiery explosions. Again, I found the view next to me better than the view in front of me...<br />
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Before leaving the park we joined a dance party at Center Stage with one of the best Disney characters ever, Sebastian.<br />
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A little bit later, Chip and Dale joined the party.<br />
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What great fun...and exercise before catching the bus to Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to The Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey's. We ended up staying at Hollywood Studios longer than I thought we would (several friends told us we could do that park in 1/2 a day) but I liked how it turned out. We weren't in a rush and could be spontaneous.<br />
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Chef Mickey's wasn't as great as we thought it would be. The children enjoyed it - making return trips to the dessert buffet and greeting the characters that came by our table. But Joe and I didn't like it as much. While the food was good, the service was <i>not</i>. There was about half an hour where we never saw our server for drink refills. And when it was time for the check, she all but disappeared.<br />
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Obviously this was just our experience, but to us this restaurant was way more about seeing Mickey and friends than enjoying a nice table service meal. The kids did meet Pluto, who we had not seen yet, and got one last picture with M&M. They were thrilled and that's all that matters.<br />
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We rode the monorail back to MK and then the bus back to our resort. It was a late night and we had breakfast reservations the next morning at Magic Kingdom. We hurried to bed and slept hard.<br />
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Another day of Disney magic in the books!<br />
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It was a gorgeous day, sunny and chilly. This photo op didn't go so well; it was bright!! As you can see, the princess hairdo lasted through the night. Hannah is no calm sleeper; we were impressed.<br />
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I had those Mickey shirts made for them and love how they turned out!<br />
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We made a beeline for Pocahontas, probably right behind Belle in our list of favorites. She was in her winter wear. I loved the Uggs.<br />
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Of course we had to tell her that Hannah was Pocahontas for Halloween. She also told her that she likes to climb trees. Both Pocahontas and Meeko climb trees! She signed the pillowcase in brown because we thought that was fitting. Then she kissed Hannah's, making her smile from ear to ear.<br />
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Heading into Africa we arrived at Kilimanjaro Safaris! Our first FastPass of the day was well spent. This attraction usually draws a huge crowd all day long, so we were told beforehand to make sure we had a pass for this. It was great! You really feel like you are on an actual safari (Disneyfied). It lasted about 20 minutes and you see all kinds of animals. Our driver was funny and the kids really enjoyed it. So did we! I have to tell you, it was a pretty neat way to have morning coffee.<br />
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We got to see several animals up close and even saw an elephant drinking water. Not sure I've seen that in person before...<br />
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Passing Harambe Market, we hurried over to hopefully make it into <i>Festival of the Lion King</i>.<br />
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WOW. It did not disappoint. I've seen <i>The Lion King</i> Broadway show and, I'm telling you, I was impressed. The singing, costumes, and all the special effects were just <i>awesome</i>. Hannah and Joseph have never seen the movie, but we've read the book and know the story. This was a trip highlight for sure.<br />
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Next, we meandered around, slowly making our way to Asia.<br />
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It was time to use our Expedition Everest FastPasses. To us, the most exciting ride Disney has to offer, this roller coaster was the best. If the speed, turns, and drops aren't enough, you get to do a portion of it backwards. This ride had a long wait time all day.<br />
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Hannah loved every thrilling second of it, of course riding twice.<br />
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From Asia to Discovery Island, we made our way to Adventurers Outpost to see Mickey and Minnie in their globetrotting getup. This wasn't necessarily planned but, when we saw how short the line was, we went for it. Can you ever get too many hugs from the main two?<br />
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Joseph was so cute when he saw Mickey up close and personal for the first time. He was a little starstruck and when Mickey reached out his arms for a hug, his face was priceless.<br />
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Just a little bit later we would see these Mouses (do you say mice?) again. We had late-lunch reservations at Tusker House. Friends of ours told us how good this place was and, once hearing the details of the food and character sightings, it was a done deal.<br />
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Tusker House is a full-service "marketplace eatery" with a huge buffet filled with authentic African cuisine. The atmosphere and decor are really cool and Mickey and the gang make their way around the restaurant. You do nothing but enjoy the food; they come to you. So nice! I guess since the restaurant wasn't crowded we were lucky; we were visited by each character at least once.<br />
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Goofy was, well, goofy and we liked getting to see him more than once. The kids told him how Daddy can do the hotdog dance just like Goofy. Yep...and he did.<br />
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We walked across the bridge from Discovery Island into Dinoland U.S.A. to the Theater in the Wild, where we saw <i>Finding Nemo-The Musical</i>. Again, Disney did not disappoint; we loved it. Really well done and a packed house.<br />
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In Dinoland, we rode a couple rides. Joe and Hannah went on the Primeval Whirl (below) while I took Joseph on the TriceraTop Spin. Then we played at The Boneyard, where Joe and I did our best to keep track of the kids running around this huge playground with all sorts of bridges, slides and contraptions.<br />
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It was loads of fun for these two playground-loving kids. I stared at those slide holes quite a bit waiting for Joseph to decide to come down.<br />
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Next up was DINOSAUR, the ride. Not going to lie, it was a little intense. And a bit too much for Hannah. We did not even attempt it with Joseph. It's dark and jolting and dinosaurs jump out at you. Yeah, she was terrified. Which is why I was confused when she wanted to go on it again with Joe. She said she didn't want him to do it alone. Cuteness.<br />
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Our faces say it all. Um, unexpected scare! Hannah did say that the second time around it wasn't bad. Ha.<br />
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Taking advantage of PhotoPass ops, we took another family picture in front of the iconic Tree of Life before leaving the park. This time we didn't have the glaring sun in our eyes and it turned out much better.<br />
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Goodbye Animal Kingdom!<br />
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Back at Port Orleans Riverside, the sun was setting and we walked to dinner at the food court. Joseph was intrigued with the huge (35-foot) waterwheel, so Joe picked a table right beside it.<br />
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It was a beautiful night and the ending to another excellent day in Disney.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-47099401402767539502016-02-01T21:57:00.000-05:002016-02-04T11:34:23.009-05:00DISNEY: day one and two {arriving and Magic Kingdom}We have been back from Disney for about a week and still reeling from all the fun we had and reliving the memories. It was such a great trip and I am thrilled with how well it went. This was our first big trip just the four of us and I was planned and organized and so ready to go after spilling the beans to the kids. "On to Disney" became a reality!<br />
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Using hotel points, we spent the night half way to break up the drive (total drive is about 7 hours). We arrived in WDW on Monday afternoon and checked into Port Orleans Riverside. I chose this hotel, a "moderate" resort in Disney terms, after reading reviews and wanting something mid-priced. <br />
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The resort is modeled after the antebellum south along the Mississippi and has two areas with guest rooms: Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. We stayed in the latter, the rooms in southern plantation-style mansions. When I saw the look of the "royal guest rooms" online for just a little extra, it sealed the deal. These royal rooms are decorated in a fancy, New Orleans style and feature Princess Tiana (from The Princess and the Frog), one of our favorites.<br />
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We scheduled an earlier dinner at 'Ohana, a fun restaurant at the Polynesian resort.<br />
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The atmosphere is great and the food was delicious. The waiters bring you a big bowl of salad, rolls, and sides and then come around with chicken and steak on big skewers. We ate until we could eat no more, then had dessert, a yummy bread pudding. ;)<br />
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{Joseph does not like the flash.} Towards the end of our meal, the man playing the ukulele came around to our table and Joseph was fascinated - both with his wireless mic and the instrument. He also taught the kids how to do the "hang loose" hand sign. Hannah met a friend, too, a boy about her age traveling with his mom. By the end of the night, he gave his Pirates of the Caribbean swords to Hannah and Joseph. This family lives in Macon, not far from us, and we also drew connections to several mutual friends. Small world.<br />
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When we got back to our room, we gave the kids surprises: Mickey shirts to wear the next day, Minnie ears for Hannah and Mickey ears for Joseph. I bought these "extras" months ago and included them in our Christmas spending budget, buying a Mickey shirt for Joe and Minnie ears for me as well. Disney, as you know, can get super expensive, super fast!<br />
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One of the highlights for Joseph was definitely the transportation system. The buses, the monorail, you name it. Each morning we found ourselves at our bus stop having to wait no more than a couple minutes. We had heard about transportation taking a lot of time and needing to allow plenty of margin in getting from the park to the resorts, but we did not have that problem. I think one day at Hollywood Studios, and one night upon leaving Magic Kingdom, did we have to wait longer that a few minutes. It was really pretty easy.<br />
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We spent our first full day in the Magic Kingdom. We arrived before the "rope drop" or gate opening at 9am to watch the welcome show. It's short but very cute and the kids loved it. Mickey and friends come in on a choo choo. {Joseph talked about that train for the rest of the day.} A bunch of cast members wave and dance, including one of our favorites: Mary Poppins!<br />
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As soon as the show ends, the gates are opened and everyone rushes into the park. We went straight to the stroller rental, which, by the way, was one of the best decisions we made. A double stroller for two smallish children was a necessity.<br />
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Just inside, after we got the stroller, Minnie came out into the circle in Town Square. We could not believe our luck, there were maybe 3 or 4 people in line in front of us. Hannah was thrilled!<br />
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After grabbing breakfast (and coffee!) at Starbucks on Main Street, we got to visit Merida in Fairytale Garden and Ariel in her grotto without too much of a wait. Hannah made fast friends with other little girls in line and, in the case of Ariel, we were right behind a dad that does triathlons. Perfect!<br />
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First close up of the Castle! {The crane was taking down the lights from Christmas and it was gone after this first day. Go away, crane truck, you're ruining our view!} Still so magical though...<br />
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The kids had not seen <i>Brave</i> and did not know much about Merida (they now have). She was good with a bow, though, which they thought was pretty cool. There is a big stone table in the garden with crayons and paper; Joseph drew a treasure map.<br />
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Ariel was awesome. She was so in character - as they all are - and so much fun, playing and giggling with the kids. She taught them how to act like jelly fish, talked about Joseph being a shark, and studied his treasure map. They <i>loved</i> her.<br />
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Then it was time for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Joseph was not too sure about it, but the rest of us enjoyed it immensely. We had a FastPass and glad we did; the wait was really long most of the day. FastPasses allow you to wait in a much shorter line but you only get three of these per day.<br />
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We hit the Tomorrowland Speedway, Enchanted Tales with Belle (super sweet interactive time with Hannah's favorite princess), Peter Pan's Flight and It's a Small World all before lunch. Remember Joseph and the transportation? Well, he was fascinated with the attractions and how they worked. In fact, on the rides, he was more concerned with how the various "cars" operated than what he saw on the ride (the boats at Small World, for example).<br />
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After Amanda's suggestion at <a href="http://dixiedelightsonline.com/" target="_blank">Dixie Delights</a>, a blog I follow, we had Friar's Nook for lunch. She was right, the pot roast mac and cheese is amazing. The bbq option was yummy, too. We ate it up and then went right over to Gaston's Tavern for one of their famous cinnamon rolls (they're huge = we shared!). Wow. So good.<br />
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Gaston was out front but the line closed before we could get there. That's ok, Hannah was trying to get her daddy to show Gaston a thing or two. Hard to explain to these youngins why you would want to meet the villains, and even harder - why they won't do anything bad. They do in the movies! And if the princesses are real...you know how it goes.<br />
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Anyway, the cinnamon rolls lived right up to the hype.<br />
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Next up was Dumbo the Flying Elephant. This ride was rather calm, and way more Joseph's speed. The little controllers go up and down and he loved to be in charge of that while riding with Joe. I thought the actual wait was neat. You go inside to a Dumbo circus-style play place.<br />
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Leaving Fantasyland, we caught the Festival of Fantasy parade on our way to ride Space Mountain with our third and final FastPass of the day. We were looking right into the sun (Joseph's archenemy) and were further back in the crowd so it wasn't ideal but still, a little excitement on our way to Tomorrowland.<br />
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We went into the Lilo and Stitch ride, "Stitch's Great Escape" and that was not a good move. I had no idea what it was, but it's a sci-fi show. You go in a theater style space and sit with overhead restraints holding you down as special effects surround you. It gets really dark and is rather long. I didn't enjoy it myself. Joe got separated from us and went in on his own after we did. He sat on the front row and got "spit" on by the robotic Stitch. This was Joseph the whole time:<br />
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I felt so bad for him and couldn't comfort him. I just kept telling him it was okay and would be over soon.<br />
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Since we knew Joseph would not want to ride Space Mountain, I went first with Hannah and then we got what is called a "rider switch" and Joe rode it with Hannah, all of us getting to go through the FP+ line. We did this with most all of the roller coasters, giving us one on one time with each child. It really worked out well and everyone was happy. While Joe and Hannah were taking their turn in space, Joseph and I went for another spin around the track.<br />
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Of course we had to ride the teacups, or Mad Tea Party as it is properly called (I didn't know that). Joe spun us around as fast as he could. Hmmm hmm. And, after a ride on the carousel and a photo op with the Sword in the Stone, it was time for Hannah's appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.<br />
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This was such an exciting part of the trip and the perfect end to our first day ever in the Magic Kingdom. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique came highly recommended, and while I debated it at first, I was so glad I got one of the last available appointments when I called a few weeks before our trip.<br />
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The Boutique is located inside Cinderella's Castle. Upon arrival, Hannah was ushered into a dressing room where she changed into her Belle dress - the costume she picked to bring for this special occasion. When it was her turn, she was introduced to her Fairy Godmother-in-training, Carolyn. We watched as Hannah was getting all dolled up.<br />
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She got her hair done, nails painted and makeup. She was in princess heaven! The cast members were very friendly and Carolyn answered all of Hannah's many questions, including how many years they had been in training and when would they get to become a real fairy godmother. It was cute.<br />
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Fairy dust for lots of sparkle!<br />
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She was told to make a wish under her fairy dusting. It was so sweet when she told her Fairy Godmother-in-training that her wish was that <i>she</i> (Carolyn) would get to be a real fairy godmother. Our child wishing that someone else's wish would come true. So like my baby girl.<br />
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She asked to wear her Belle tiara. The Mickey barrette was a surprise. Even Joseph got some fairy dust!<br />
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We fled the castle and made our way through the parade crowd and out of Magic Kingdom. A monorail ride took us right to The Contemporary resort where we had dinner reservations at California Grill.<br />
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The restaurant is at the top of the hotel and overlooks the MK. When it comes time for the fireworks display, they dim the lights and pipe the music in. We sat right there at our table beside the window and took it all in. A magical evening indeed! During the "Wishes" fireworks show, we are told to make wishes. Joseph wished "to be a police officer." Hannah wished to "go to heaven one day, to be with God." Again, my Monkey's sweet heart melted mine.<br />
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Our first day in Disney was non-stop and so much fun...and we were exhausted when we boarded the bus back to our hotel.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-18700442929895452602016-01-16T14:03:00.002-05:002016-01-16T14:03:50.862-05:00on to disney!I have been planning our first trip to Disney for months and, finally, last week we told the kids.<br />
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Last Monday was the last day of their holiday break and we were ready to bust (or at least I was). Joe and I liked the idea of telling them ahead of time, but not too far out that they would drive us crazy! It was exactly two weeks away.<br />
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Joe is really good at coming up with clues, rhymes, etc. and has a history of making an occasion out of opening a present. He surprised me the weekend before our wedding with a long poem revealing a trip to my first Auburn game. He wrote a whole scavenger hunt with clues that rhymed for Hannah's 5th birthday Disney Cruise surprise. So, I asked him if he'd come up with something short to attach to the top of the present. Inside the box would be the Magic Bands. I was thinking it would be two or three lines, a little hint... Nope. He came home from work with a song he recorded on his phone, his words to the tune of "Under the Sea". {As a side note, he loves Sebastian and is really good at imitating his voice.}<br />
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He played it as the kids unwrapped the box, and I took a video.<br />
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As we expected, it was pretty quiet for about half the song. Then..."Now I get it!! We're going to Disney?!?!"<br />
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Joseph was not sure about the whole thing. I love his reaction on the video. Like, what's the big deal? At the end he was excited, but I think it was due to big sister's excitement.<br />
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We learned our lesson when we gave them the Disney cruise. While we knew the significance and what all a Disney cruise entailed, the kids didn't. They didn't know what a Disney cruise was and for sure all the fun they would have. This time around, we didn't expect much of a reaction but we still wanted to make the surprise part fun. We were surprised and happy with how well it went.<br />
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And now, let me tell you, we are TO THE MOON excited!!! Everyone is. I've shown the kids videos and pictures online. We have talked all about it and made plans together. And we have been counting down the days. Hannah tells us every morning how many days are left. Joseph wakes up and asks each day if that is the day we are leaving...or does he have to go to school.<br />
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Well, Joseph, guess what? No more school days left!Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-29945649439766989042016-01-08T17:35:00.002-05:002016-01-08T17:35:29.602-05:00hannah love<br />
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That's what our refrigerator looks like right now. The bottom four drawings were done on Sunday during Joe's sermon: me (with a book), Hannah (with a tree and bumblebees on the back), Daddy (at the pulpit, the altar is drawn on the back), and Raffie (Joseph's lovey...Joseph is on the back).<br />
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...And there's no denying the child "loves God and Jesus" - she writes it all the time.<br />
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In case you are wondering, that's a whale, a picture of her with Momma and Daddy, with her doll Maddalena. She drew a bunch of Christmas-themed pictures and cards. I especially loved the manger scenes.<br />
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Let it be known: Hannah is a prolific artist. She is creative and imaginative. She loves art supplies, and thanks to Aunt Katie at Christmas, has procured quite a collection of different media. The girl's got papers, crayons, pencils, paints, chalk, stickers, glitter, and on and on.<br />
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And she produces <i>lots and lots </i>of pieces. Lately it has been mostly drawings and notes (as she's learning to spell), but occasionally I receive a book (stapled pages together) or painting. She will proudly present each piece to us upon finishing. It is adorable. But it is also a little overwhelming. After all, I have to find a place to tuck away or display each piece. I can't say that I haven't thrown some away, indeed I have because of the sheer quantity. I really, really love the fact that she is a budding artist. She gets it from me, no doubt, and I'd rather not talk about art school tuition, but I love that she is creative and artsy.<br />
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For a long time, Hannah would finish a drawing and, somewhere wherever there is space, write "Hannah Love". Of course, she meant to write "Love, Hannah" but that's not how she did it. It would make me smile every time she came into whatever room I was in, put her drawing in my hand (oftentimes asking me to close my eyes first), and beam. Between her sweet smile looking up at me and "Hannah love", I was done. Be still my beating heart.<br />
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She would usually wait for a response. It could be just a thank you, hug, a compliment, or me immediately hanging the work right up on the refrigerator. Due to the number of times (a day!) this happens, I catch myself from over-praising her.<br />
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When the children were younger, I read that parents should be careful in giving praise and lavishing compliments on their children. That, while it's good to boost their self-confidence, we have to also be aware that we can give them an inflated sense of self and capabilities - and very interestingly - enable them to only perform or engage in an activity when praised. The study showed that children that are overly praised stop making an effort, or avoid altogether doing the activity.<br />
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All that to say, I try to mindful how I respond to Hannah's artwork presentations. I try to evaluate and make specifics comments like, "I love the way you drew those people" and "I like how you used so many colors."<br />
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Other times, I can't help myself and exclaim, "Hannah!! This is GREAT! I LOVE IT! You are such a little artist!!!" ;)<br />
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Even though she doesn't write "Hannah Love" anymore, I refer to all this artwork as Hannah Love. It is definitely a way she shows love...<br />
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She also defends her baby brother.<br />
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It just makes my mommy heart so happy.<br />
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During church a few weeks ago, she was acting up and I got on to her. This is what transpired.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-43121143499499619312016-01-04T15:28:00.000-05:002016-01-04T15:36:08.782-05:00ssi and new yearsWe ended 2015 with a young family clergy retreat at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island. It is a little winter getaway when all the younger families in the South Georgia Conference of UMC get together. We have a few learning sessions (which are typically great), a bunch of free time, and even (<i>free</i>) childcare one night so all the couples can go out to dinner!<br />
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It was a really good time, catching up with friends and getting to know other pastoral families. There is ample space for all the children (and there were lots of them) to run around and play in a safe environment. Hannah and Joseph had a ball.<br />
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Our first night there was a late one and included a campfire and s'mores. It was after ten before the kids went to bed and they crashed.<br />
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Both afternoons we were there, the weather was unbelievable - warm and mostly sunny. So, of course, I took them to the beach! The fact that we were unprepared, and didn't have bathing suits, did not stop us one bit.<br />
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Do you see the size of this tide pool? I'd never seen one so big. Hannah and Joseph were in heaven!<br />
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The water was freezing, but they didn't seem to notice. Joseph went in up to his chest, and Hannah took her skirt off and went up to her waist. No bathing suit? No problem!<br />
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After a meeting, Daddy came and helped build a sand castle. Then we headed back to the hotel (I ran back - weird it being so warm) to get ready for date night.<br />
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The retreat technically ended on Tuesday afternoon with group photos and sharing of Holy Communion.<br />
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We decided to stay another night and, while Joe went with a bunch of guys to see <i>Star Wars</i>, I took H+J back to the beach. It was mostly cloudy, but same tide pool situation and same amount of fun.<br />
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My little artist loves to write in the sand. She came up with this all on her own: "All of us are different to God! By Hannah Buck". Six-year-old wisdom. How profound - and right on - she is...<br />
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That night a few of us took our kids and went to Bubba Garcia's (yummy Mexican restaurant in Red Fern Village) and then to get frozen yogurt.<br />
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Fun times with friends. Hate that we don't all get together more than once a year. The whole working on Sundays thing...<br />
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We got back home last Wednesday night and ushered in the new year without much ado. The babies were in bed by 8:30 and Joe and I before midnight. No late night crazies here. It rained all day on Thursday and all Joseph wanted to do was ride his new police motorcycle. On Friday morning, he welcomed 2016 with a backyard patrol:<br />
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While I welcomed it with a cup of coffee in the living room, my Monkey by my side.<br />
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We decided to have our little celebration on New Year's Day. We took every glow-thing in the house and lit sparklers, while Joe prepared a lucky supper of turkey sausage, collard greens, a black-eyed pea/onion/quinoa mixture and cornbread. Delicious!<br />
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I accompanied Hannah on a 7th birthday outing to Lake Oconee on Saturday. Her friend, Elizabeth had an ice-skating party. Elizabeth's mom, my good friend Jennifer, asked me to come along and drive some of the girls. We skated at the Ritz Carlton Lodge and then had pizza and cake at Mellow Mushroom. So glad I could go; we had a great day!<br />
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The Christmas decorations are officially put away (a 3-day job), with which the whole family took part. I got a lot of help with taking the ornaments off the tree by playing a search-and-bring-to-Momma game:<br />
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So, Happy New Year!! We have had a good start to 2016 here on Evergreen Drive and are excited to see what 2016 has in store for us.<br />
<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-70912279791218577222015-12-31T22:47:00.000-05:002015-12-31T22:48:46.057-05:00christmasChristmas Day we barely left our pajamas. It was a slower paced day, celebrating Jesus' birth, talking to family, and playing with new toys. Santa brought a camping tent to two very unsuspecting children. I put new sleeping bags from Granddaddy and a lantern inside. Joe added strings of white Christmas lights around the outside. They loved it.<br />
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...And didn't want to come out!<br />
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Hannah, received American Girl matching doll/girl outfits. Joseph received boy things like a crane truck, a bolt-action toy rifle...and a standing broom/dustpan combo. {Remember, last year was the stick vacuum and wet floor sign. Yep, he's still into cleaning supplies.} They both got Aladdin pajamas honoring our NYC trip and seeing the musical on Broadway, and mini Christopher Radko nutcracker ornaments.<br />
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I decreased the amount of presents the kids opened this year. Joe and I gave them each four, then they gave one to each other. Hannah gave Joseph a nice snow globe and he gave her an American Girl chair that attaches to the table so her doll, Maddalena, can sit with us.<br />
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Hannah and Joseph are funny about their gifts. They relish each one and, in the case of Joseph, wants to take each item out and play with it before moving on. The present-opening process went on for a while, even with the fewer number.<br />
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I had presents wrapped and under both big trees and used paper I bought through the kids' school fundraiser or at TJ Maxx. As usual, I have a theme or color scheme I go with. :)<br />
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We had eggs and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, singing and blowing out a birthday candle for baby Jesus, then we gave Mollie her presents.<br />
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Joseph picked out a treat/bone and Hannah picked out a new collar. They both helped me wrap the gifts and were very excited to open them with Mollie, and give her the new bed.<br />
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A few gifts my hubby gave me: a leather bag, arrowhead necklace and a shirt from my favorite show, Fixer Upper. He did very well.<br />
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It was a wonderful morning, playing with toys and just being together...of course with Christmas music or movies playing all the while.<br />
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Joe was happy about his haul, receiving race-related gifts among a few smaller things. His favorite present might have been the yo-yo I put in his stocking. He can still do a pretty darn good job playing with it, too. Good stuff!<br />
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We cuddled on the sofa and watched "The Nativity Story". This was the first time the children have seen it, and while we had to answer <i>lots</i> of questions, they liked it, and I think it really made an impact.<br />
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Meme came in the afternoon and spent the night with us. She brought American Girl surprises to the delighted little girl and a police motorcycle (also from the aunts and uncles) among other things to the very excited little boy.<br />
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We FaceTimed Uncle Ben and Aunt Katie, and Uncle Will Will, Aunt Crystal and Stella. It was entertaining trying to show them what was going on as well as show them each other.<br />
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Joseph got a full police uniform with hat and helmet, including a belt and whistle. He has a few guns, so he was all set, and ready to pull someone over!<br />
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Maddalena and Mollie, resting in their new beds:</div>
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The aftermath:<br />
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...Of course the bikes aren't gifts, but fixtures in our living room. I spy a compost pail - and super excited about it (no more stinky containers).<br />
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The day after Christmas, Joseph was up early, eager to ride his motorcycle.<br />
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He's making sure everyone is following the rules!<br />
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Gran Gran and Poppy came bearing gifts and spent the afternoon with us before heading back to Savannah. Among our gifts, the kids received new shoes (Hannah ecstatic about her new saddle oxfords!), Joe got the super-nice Garmin watch he'd been wanting, and I got a few things from my wish list. We gave them a WIFI photo frame with the new technology where I can share pictures to the frame from my computer at home. They don't have to do anything, which was the point. I wanted to make it easy for them and they loved it.<br />
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The next morning, Hannah wore her Christmas dress from last year to church, which was my dress when I was about her age. How sweet and precious she is to me...<br />
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After lunch, as I packed and got us ready to leave town, Joseph was back out patrolling the yard.<br />
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It was a busy but wonderful couple of days. I'll be back to post about our trip to St. Simons. We got back last night and today has been full - catching up, cleaning up, and doing a bunch of laundry. We are laying low this NYE and heading to bed!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-84311417512519222632015-12-31T20:00:00.002-05:002015-12-31T23:11:04.683-05:00the week of christmasBut first, Merry Christmas from the Bucks!<br />
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We hope you and yours have had a wonderful Christmas and are still enjoying the holidays. Since my last post, we have gone to parties, spent time with family, played, celebrated, gone out of town, cuddled and watched movies, and slept in (well, I have). So here's to catching up on this last day of 2015, starting with Christmas week...<br />
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The Sunday before Christmas was packed full. We attended a party following church, our friends' the Bibb's Nip, Nibble and Nog. It's pretty much all of our friends with children - young and old - and is a really good time. The hosts, Deana and Ken, are dear friends of ours and their house is lovely (and very old). Deana is also in my small group, so we've gotten pretty close over the years.<br />
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At 3 o'clock, Hannah and I went to a mother-daughter tea. It was hosted by the cute twins pictured below, Anne Marie and Emerson, and their little cousin (and good friend Brannen's daughter), Pierce - wearing the white bow below.<br />
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Hannah and I have gone the last three years and we always have a great time, sipping tea (and lemonade) and eating super-yummy sweets. This was the first year that Hannah's age wasn't the youngest, so several of my friends who have younger girls were there. My daughter was also excited to be wearing a Christmas dress she picked out with Meme several months ago.<br />
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Hannah wanted to take a picture of the mommies, as I was trying to get a group of little ones together.</div>
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Afterwards, we swung by the house to pick up the boys and headed to see a local church's live nativity. We all enjoyed that, and the snacks and playground following. ;)<br />
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That night, Joe and I attended a big annual Christmas party here. It is hosted by a church member but the attendees are a mix of all ages. We had a nice time and enjoyed catching up with friends sans kids. It was an exciting and fun, yet exhausting day.<br />
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On Monday, we prepared and cleaned the house, ran errands, and distributed candy canes - leaving them hanging on doorknobs and running away. Hannah and Joseph love to do this sort of thing, and I love the lessons it teaches them.<br />
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We hosted my Thursday morning girls small group get-together that night. Everyone brought appetizers and an ornament to swap. We all put in money to provide the local food pantry with a bunch of peanut butter, as protein is something food banks love to receive and usually need this time of year. The peanut butter jars were stacked high in a pyramid so everyone could see what we did together.<br />
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That's six of us. There are two more, Rebecca and Meg, who weren't able to come.<br />
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Tuesday was my 35th birthday. 35...sounds like a big number, but that doesn't bother me. I received calls and texts and Facebook messages, cards and gifts. Joe took me out to my favorite restaurant in nearby Milledgeville, Aubri Lane's. Our sweet friends, Benjie and Jennifer joined us. {My Dad and brother, Will, are in competition to see who can buy the best "Merry Birthday" card.}<br />
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It was a good day and I've had a pretty great year. Looking forward to see what the next year has in store!<br />
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While Wednesday was pretty low-key at home, we did join Joe's staff for lunch and run errands. These two little elves and Santa dog are my helpers....<br />
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On Christmas Eve we delivered groceries to some of the DFACS foster families. I try to find ways to help and do for others, especially around Christmas, and I love how my babies are eager to do the same. It really puts the focus on where it should be - loving and giving the way Jesus taught us to.<br />
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Our church's candlelight service is one of my favorites. I love the music, the festive clothes on all the children, hearing the Christmas story read, and the candlelit singing of "Silent Night" at the end. Seeing both of my babies with their candles, watching the glow and mesmerized by how beautiful the church looks is priceless. I have to take a mental picture...<br />
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This year's service was the best ever. While the weather was terrible with thunderstorms threatening the peace-filled night, my heart was full to the brim listening to my husband and baby girl singing their first duet during the gathering music.<br />
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"Go Tell It On The Mountain" is one of our favorites and we sing it often when we tuck Hannah and Joseph in. Hannah knows every bit by heart, and Joseph can almost sing it by himself.<br />
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I tried to hold my phone still so I could video, all along my eyes filling up with tears. Hannah's voice was so sweet and she sounded so good, all bias aside. If you listen closely, you can hear Joseph talking about his sister...proud little brother he was!<br />
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We went to a Christmas Eve get-together after church, as we have done every year since living in Sandersville. Other than last year when someone else hosted it, we've gone to our friends' Helen and Charles' house. They have a beautiful home, and it is always a fun way to end the night, enjoying delicious food and surrounded by friends.<br />
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It was a late, and rainy, night. Our babies were excited to head home, put out cookies and milk for Santa, and go to bed. They were asleep just about as soon as their little heads hit their pillows. Joe and I were up a little while longer, making preparations for the next morning!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-10870447825747213742015-12-19T13:04:00.001-05:002015-12-19T13:07:35.618-05:00HE deserves my bestEarlier, as I started to update the blog, I began to write what's below. But then I got caught up in trying to <i>catch</i> up on all we have had going on, and it became a lengthy post with pictures and I decided they just didn't go together.<br />
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But, I didn't want to leave this part out, as that's how it all started in my head (and in my heart), so here goes...<br />
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This morning I read a devotional about Anna from Luke 2. (The widowed prophetess at the temple when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus.) I have to admit I've never really stopped to appreciate her part of the story and unpack what those few verses about her mean.<br />
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The praye<span style="font-family: inherit;">r at the end of the devotional definitely hit me hard, resonating in my soul: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="color: #404040;">...You deserve more than the few crumbs that fall from my too-full calendar. You deserve my best. A heart of worship, night and day. A willingness to add fasting and more prayer time to my life. Please teach me to be still, to wait, to listen and always to give thanks. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</em><em style="color: #404040;"><br /></em><em style="color: #404040;"><br /></em></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More than the crumbs that fall from my too-full calendar... Wow. Yep, I have definitely been guilty of that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are in the midst of Christmas-season busyness in our family. The last week (plus), we've had things going on every night...and during the day some, with school activities and parties. It has been a lot of fun, but also a lot of late nights and tired babies. Throw work and regular to-dos into the mix and Momma and Daddy have been tired, too!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am also quite sure I've never had as many behavior problems with my children as I have over the last month. I understand that they are excited, getting less sleep, and likely feel the stress that also rears its ugly head this time of year...but still. They have been bickering, whining, and having melt-downs much more than is typical. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hannah and Joseph generally get along pretty well. They are close in age (19 months) and usually play well together. They are best friends. But even best friends have their moments. And I do not have the patience or gentleness that is required to handle squabble after squabble. </span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">I find myself wanting to pour a glass of wine and escape to a long peaceful bath. Or shut them in their rooms and grab a book. Or leave them in the house fighting over toys, while I run off somewhere. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;">Hopefully, now that school is out, and I feel less pressed trying to tackle super-long to-do lists, things can be more peaceful. Hopefully! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;">I read this recently and loved it so much that I scribbled it onto a piece of paper that I look at several times a day... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><i>Perfect peace isn't dependent on circumstances.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><i>It comes from a steadfast, trusting heart.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><i>Let's start this Christmas season by intentionally growing our steadfastness</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><i>by focusing our trust on God who is faithful.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><i>The resulting peace will point to the savior we're celebrating.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">I know we are past the starting point of the Christmas season, but the truth held in those words is vital - to my sanity and to my peace - that every day I find it helpful. Just taking time to be intentional and focusing my thoughts on Jesus, the reason for this season, changes everything. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God deserves more than the crumbs from my too-full calendar. He deserves my wholehearted devotion. Yours, too. Right now during Advent, l</span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">et's take time for Jesus!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">{Cute shirt is from Meme; photo this morning by Hannah.}</span></span><br />
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-11444724903774494912015-12-19T12:39:00.000-05:002015-12-19T12:39:14.213-05:00advent goings and doings<div>
Good Saturday Morning to you, my few loyal readers! :) Since my last post, we have done all sorts of Christmassy things. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">Our Advent calendar has guided several opportunities to serve and do for others, as well as surprised the kiddos with fun plans.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">Included in the goings and doings of the last few weeks... </span></div>
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We have finished up our shopping, including picking out a nice dog bed and new collar for Mollie. It was really important to my babies, especially since losing Chloe, to have Christmas gifts for our sweet black dog. They had to test out the bed (on the floor in Walmart):</div>
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We have spent several afternoons popping popcorn (on the stove!) and watching movies. I have to tell you, now that I know how to do it the real way and it tastes so much better, I don't think I'll ever go back to the microwave. Love these faces:<br />
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We attended Christmas on the Square in downtown Sandersville. We've never been, as that is always the same night (first Thursday of December) as the district pastors' Christmas party. This year, Joe went solo to that, and I took Hannah and Joseph to participate in the children's parade. </div>
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{Dinner at Waffle House afterwards...always a treat!}</div>
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We had some friends over for a last-minute get-together. Joe did custom pizzas and it was perfectly laid-back and fun.</div>
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Joseph was my big helper in tree decorating; we hung all the ornaments on the big playroom tree in no time. And only broke four or so. </div>
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Hannah had a few Oratorical Club performances, one at a civic club and two at the school. She is doing well and enjoying that. We like that it gives her exposure to people of various ages and ups her confidence in public speaking. The students range from kindergarten to second grade and Hannah's teacher, who she adores, is one of the advisors.</div>
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We had snow. No, <i>not</i> snow. Sand. Lots of sand dumped and spread around our front and side yards to even them out. Ever since our new driveway was put in, we've had issues and need to backfill. There were also holes here and there from the massive trees that have been taken down in the last few years. Don't worry, you know I took a video for Joseph to see the Bobcat moving the sand all around. </div>
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The kids liked how it looked like it snowed at our house and have had a great time playing in the sand... </div>
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On one recent afternoon I looked out the kitchen window (while peeling a cutie for Joseph), to see something moving way up in the magnolia tree. It was my little monkey girl. It about freaked me out, but once I saw she was ok and having a grand old time, I grabbed my phone to take pictures.<br />
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{Granddaddy started her climbing on that tree when he was here for a visit earlier in the year. I knew she climbed on it when out in the backyard, but I had no idea how high she went up. That child is going to keep me on my toes...}<br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We squeezed in a super-short but fun trip last weekend, visiting with family and playing in Savannah. </span></span></div>
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Going to see the Salvation Army House of Lights is a Christmas tradition in our family. We park the car and walk around a display that spans three houses.<br />
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{Unfortunately, Joseph got sick that night with what we thought was food poisoning but later realized was a stomach bug. I got it, too, and it was a hard one to shake.}</div>
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Saturday morning, after a family pancake breakfast out, we took Hannah ice skating for the very first time! Nobody fell and she loved it!</div>
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Then we picked up Joseph and headed out to Burnside Island where we played at Gran Gran and Poppy's and took full advantage of the beautiful weather by having lunch on the dock.</div>
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Between the dock and the garage door, Joseph had a ball! Neither child wanted to leave. But, we had made plans to meet Meme at the mall for mani/pedis and that was awesome! (I can't remember my last...a year ago, maybe?!)<br />
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We arrived in Savannah on Friday afternoon and left after 8 o'clock Saturday night. It was a short stay, but we packed in a lot of fun. Before leaving, Meme surprised me with a little early-birthday celebration. Hannah and Joseph were very excited about the cake and watching me unwrap some presents.<br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We also gave Stella her presents! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm thankful Joe convinced me to go to Savannah. I really didn't want to give up a quiet weekend at home to wrap presents and be lazy, but I'm glad I did. The next morning was our Christmas Cantata at church. Both Joe and I joined the choir to sing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came this week, the last week of school. </span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">Joseph's class went on a field trip to the Milledgeville library to see Santa on Monday. I "</span><span style="color: #404040;">stealed him away" and we went to run errands and have lunch with his friend, Weston and my friend, Rebecca, before heading back home. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">...Which brought even more excitement, because the demolition of Daddy's office was underway and we got to watch it!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The construction superintendent gave them both bricks...highly treasured souvenirs from many memories spent at Joe's office for the last 4 1/2 years. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hannah had a Polar Express party at school, for which to attend she had to earn a "golden ticket" with good behavior. Joseph also had a Polar Express viewing and both had their class parties. While Joseph unwrapped a gift I brought for him, the big kids in kindergarten got to do a swap.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">...Hannah even talked me into going on the playground with her class yesterday. (It was so cold!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday afternoon in the Advent calendar there was a last-day-of-school surprise: a trip to Milledgeville to see the new Chipmunks movie. It was their first time going to the movies and they were thrilled! After we dropped Joe off to swim some laps, I drove the kids through one of those moving car washes. Also a first...they were excited, and hysterical:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The movie was entertaining and we all enjoyed it. Of course, we also loved the popcorn and candy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">And now it's the Saturday before Christmas! A true stay-home day. A chance for me, still in my pajamas, to write this update and do some things around the house. Tomorrow is a really busy day. </span></div>
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-84893026471471710152015-12-08T22:08:00.000-05:002015-12-08T22:17:58.310-05:00thanksgiving in the mountains<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent the week of Thanksgiving in the North Carolina mountains, arriving late Sunday night and staying until Friday afternoon. We were there last year, too, but for not quite as long. Highlands is a cute little town and we stayed at a dear friends' home there, having the (beautiful) place to ourselves.<br />
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It was wonderful. We slept, ate, played and in general, laid low. The fire kept us warm until the temperatures climbed later in the week. (And then we still turned on the fire some!) We bundled up and walked a little ways "downtown" and peeked in the shops, all decorated for Christmas. Hannah and Joseph played in the toy store. I walked around in my favorite home store there, Dutchman's.<br />
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I did some Christmas shopping online. I also caught up on this blog. I guess I need a long getaway to do that...<br />
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One of the best parts of the week for me was the extended time I got to spend with God in the mornings.<br />
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When I am at home and I've got kids to get to school, or my to-do list is staring me down, my quiet time is shortened. I try not to rush it, but some days it is, in fact, squeezed into the schedule. I tell myself that at least I am having a regular quiet time, but I know it pleases the Lord so much more when I make time to not just say my prayers and read my devotions, but to just sit quietly and <i>listen</i>.<br />
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Time spent just <i>abiding</i> in His presence.<br />
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I am grateful for the time away. We are thankful for Mrs. Gena's generosity and especially for the time we got to spend as a family. It was nice to slow down a bit.<br />
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The kids took bubble baths in the big tub. I finished one book and started another, reading several magazines in between. Joe played a lot of solitaire (with actual cards) because it was a relaxing game he could do while standing at the sideboard. ;) Remember, he doesn't do sitting well.<br />
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I packed puzzles, cards, games, art supplies, and our Fisher Price nativity set. The kids had plenty to do and, though we didn't go out much, were never bored. Heck, they like staying in pajamas all day. Joseph was busy enough playing with Mrs. Gena's Bissell floor sweeper and checking out all the light switches. {Side note: my favorite part of the condo's decor is the lighting. There are so many options! There are overheads, lamps, and sconces galore. And so tastefully done.}<br />
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We ordered pizza one night, and on another we went to a favorite place called Wild Thymes. The food was delectable! But Joseph was so tired, he fell asleep in my lap half way through the meal.<br />
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Meme came that night (Tuesday). She enjoyed the playing and the relaxing, too.<br />
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We watched Christmas movies (Home Alone being a favorite!) and the Macy's parade. Christmas music played continually on Pandora.<br />
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And we went on the Polar Express.<br />
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My mom bought the tickets a long time ago and it was a surprise. Hannah and Joseph found out the day before we went. Meme also gave them adorable Christmas pajamas for the occasion. We drove to Bryson City on Wednesday afternoon for our departure at five. At the train depot, there were kids (and a lot of adults) in pajamas, music from the movie playing and just excitement everywhere!<br />
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Joseph wasn't cooperating for the photo op beforehand... I don't know what his deal was; he just didn't want to take a picture. Monkey, with her Chloe Puppy-the-Monkey, was super excited (and cooperative)...<br />
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The tickets are divided by class, and you really can't go wrong. We chose the middle option, Crown class, and it was perfect. We were served a chocolate chip cookie and hot cocoa in a souvenir cup. We rode the train to the "North Pole" and back, taking us a little over an hour roundtrip. While on board, <i>The Polar Express </i>story is read and the attendants are dressed in white chefs attire and are young and playful.<br />
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Santa got on board and traveled back to the station, saying hello to each child along the way. Hannah and Joseph were speechless. Literally. Even when he asked what they would like for Christmas. Nothing. Think they were overwhelmed? I think so!<br />
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Santa gave us each a silver bell to take home. This was most definitely the highlight!<br />
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<i>Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.</i></div>
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Back at the depot, we visited the Smoky Mountains Trains Museum. It was incredible. The model railroads were so neat!<br />
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After picking up a few souvenirs, we walked back to our car and headed home. Except for the drive there (and back), when my little girl got carsick, it was such a fun night!!<br />
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On Thursday, my brother Will, Crystal, and sweet little Stella came to play. They were staying further down the mountain with cousins in Sky Valley.<br />
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We had a nice time visiting and Hannah and Joseph loved playing with their little cousin.<br />
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Later that evening, Joe served a delicious Thanksgiving feast. Thankfully, it wasn't too labor-intensive as he prepared the squash and sweet potato casseroles prior to leaving home. We enjoyed every bite of it...perhaps gobbling it up a little too fast.<br />
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Our little turkeys headed off to bed, and Joe and I packed up a bit.<br />
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We left Highlands that Friday, stopping at the tubing slope in Scaly Mountain (NC). My aunt and cousins pretty much run the place, and though it was not cold enough for them to blow snow, there was enough there to slide around on.<br />
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Hannah enjoyed herself, and once we talked Joseph into getting in a tube, he did too! Joe took Hannah down the big slope, while Joseph stuck to the little kids' mound. Even Meme got in on the fun!<br />
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Back in Georgia, we switched cars with my mom in Greensboro. She took the kids to Sandersville and the hubby and I went to Lake Oconee where we spent the weekend. Joe was officiating the wedding of a church member and we were treated to a two-night stay at The Ritz Carlton Lodge. It was so wonderful! Pre-rehearsal dinner photo:<br />
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The property is just beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the luxurious accommodations. On Saturday morning, we meandered around the hotel...and could not pass up the big swings. Had to take pictures for Hannah and Joseph to see.<br />
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All of the Christmas decorations were out and we could not stop ourselves from FaceTiming the kiddos when we saw the huge gingerbread house in the lobby! They were amazed.<br />
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We had lunch on Saturday at the outside restaurant, dining at the bar so we could watch the rivalry weekend games. {Not a great one for my Yellow Jackets or for Joe's Tigers, but that's ok. Not good seasons for either of those teams this year. But Navy did very well!}<br />
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The wedding was absolutely beautiful and elegant. My sweet hubby did a great job, and the couple was so happy and cute. We came back in time for Sunday School (we were leading the class).<br />
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It was a really great trip and a nice vacation. We were away for a full week and there was a lot of laundry and catching up to do. (Hence the delay in posting!) Thankfully, I started putting Christmas decorations up before we left, so it was mainly the trees that needed doing when we returned.<br />
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It is hard to believe Christmas is just a little over two weeks away!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-53884019905856233112015-11-26T22:04:00.000-05:002015-12-09T07:22:13.770-05:00field trip funThe kids both went on fun field trips recently, and I was lucky enough to get to go along! Despite the fact that I sprained my foot the week before (the day after getting back from New York) and walking was pretty painful, I was glad I got to be there and wouldn't have missed it.<br />
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Two weeks ago, Hannah's kindergarten class went to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. Several parents went as well, to help chaperone. One drawback from living in a small town: you often have to travel to go fun places.<br />
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It took almost three hours to get there, the school buses having to drive slower on the interstate and stopping at the rest stop for all the kids to go to the bathroom. {To put this into perspective, it took just over two hours for Hannah and I to get home. School rules state that the kids have to ride the school bus to the destination, but can ride home with their parents.}<br />
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But once we were there, it was all fun for this little Monkey and her classmates.<br />
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I was responsible for Hannah and Janay. They are BFFs and had a ball together, posing and asking me to take pictures of them on all the little animal statues.<br />
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We checked out all the animals. The reptile exhibit was "kinda yuck and scary...there were beetles and big snakes and...how did they catch all of them?...The flamingos were cool, too, but I thought they stinked."<br />
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The huge tortoises and baboons were among the favorites, but the best were the giraffes. Hannah got to feed one! {They like lettuce, just like she does!}<br />
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Joseph loves giraffes, so we took a video for him. While I was recording, one giraffe took off on a sprint across the exhibit. Never seen that before and it was quite entertaining! We watched it over and over again.</div>
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Little brother went on his own out-of-town field trip with his pre-K class the following Monday. His was to Sunny Day Farms in Louisville, GA. That is the best field trip either of the kids have ever been on. Hannah loved going <a href="http://joeandlindseybuck.blogspot.com/2014/11/fall-fun-on-farm.html" target="_blank">last year</a> when she was in pre-K. I enjoy it about as much as they do!</div>
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The fun started with feeding the goats. New this year was the "Goatel" where the goats love to play and climb. </div>
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And the coolest part was the little tin-can contraption where you could fill the can with food and use a crank to send the can up the conveyer belt. As soon as the goats hear the food going up they make their way across the "Golden Goat Bridge" to eat. And they can eat, eat, eat, those goats.<br />
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We checked out the chickens and saw where the hens lay their eggs... </div>
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There is a "Corn Pit" where all kinds of products made from corn (corn starch, corn syrup, etc.) are buried. The kids get to dig and try to find things. Joseph was so funny and had a ball in there. </div>
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Then we climbed on a trailer hooked to the back of a tractor and rode up to the big corn maze. Our tour guide walked us through the maze, reading a little story along the way from little signs posted along the route. Joseph kept trying to pick the leftover corn off the stalks the whole time. That kid loves any kind of corn!<br />
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We hit the playground, had lunch at the picnic tables, and then went to the huge jumping pillow, trampoline thing. This place is seriously so fun. I have a picture of Hannah on this yellow tire, too:</div>
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Joseph's favorite part? "Playing in the corn!...and riding the tractor to the corn maze!!...and I wanted to eat that corn 'cause I was so hungry!!...and riding on the bus!!!" He also loved running onto that big jumping pillow yelling "cannonball!" every time. He had a great time, can you tell?<br />
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What a fun day! The weather was amazing and not near as cold as last year. I know I will be not included in many field trips as the kids get older, so I'm taking full advantage now!</div>
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-15866060367077529282015-11-24T14:33:00.000-05:002015-11-25T10:56:18.125-05:00nyc 2015Our family had such a great time in New York City a few weeks ago. It was packed full - fun, exciting, and absolutely thrilling for Hannah and Joseph. In addition to the marathon, New York was also hosting the World Series. There was a lot going on!<br />
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The last time we were in NYC was for my 30th birthday, December five years ago. Joe wore Hannah in the Bjorn the whole time and I carried Joseph in my tummy. That was a great time, too. As we like to say in our family, New York is a trip, not a vacation. Both trips were exhausting. You go, go, go. There is so much to see and do and we manage to pack in as much as possible.<br />
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This time we were there for four nights. We flew in on Saturday early afternoon, checked into the hotel and went to the NYC marathon expo. While it wasn't their first, the plane ride was a highlight for sure. When we got to Laguardia, Hannah and Joseph changed into Pocahontas and Captain America. It was Halloween after all.<br />
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...Captain America was flat out exhausted and fell asleep at the expo. It was a long day, coming right after an emotional day with Chloe. Joe's mom and sister met up with us at the hotel, and we found a classic New York pizza place for dinner not far from our hotel, near Madison Square Garden, and then hit the sack.<br />
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Sunday was the marathon. Joe was up and out super early (5:30!), taking the Subway to the ferry to get to the start of the race. We had a much more leisurely morning, having breakfast and then taking the Subway and finding a spot along the race route. It was crazy crowded and I questioned our slower pace, but we ended up not only getting to see Joe as he ran down the Queensboro Bridge ramp, but he saw <i>us</i>!!<br />
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I loved having the race app on my phone; we knew exactly where Joe was along the route, his pace, projected finish, etc. Very convenient for a large city and a <i>huge</i> race. The NYC marathon is the largest in the world with about 60,000 runners. Imagine that plus all the spectators and police, and you've got quite a crowd to maneuver around.<br />
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As is the case with all of the big races, there is a lot of waiting. We wait and wait and then, if we're lucky, we get to see Daddy for a few seconds. It's still exciting and we make the best of the waiting part. Here we are in Central Park, with the Plaza Hotel in the background: <br />
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We made our way inside the park, found a great place around mile 25 to watch him pass. We then followed on the app as he crossed the finish line.<br />
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Then came the difficult (and frustrating!) part: finding him after the race. There is usually a family reunion spot which is great, but getting to this one was almost impossible. It took us an hour and a half to get to Joe after we saw him run by. There were so many people, barricades, and detours. But we made it and got our family pictures!<br />
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Joe finished the race with a time of 3:15:03. He would have liked to go a little faster, but still he did great. He said it was the hardest of all the races he's done. There are five bridges (they go into all five boroughs), numerous ups and downs, and the pavement is very uneven. There are potholes, repairs, and all the road issues you'd expect in a big, northern city. Runners like to settle into a rhythm and put their focus forward, but in this race you have to watch where you step most of the way. We were amazed at how many runners we saw stop with cramps. It's a tough one! We were proud of #5067 and now he has another major under his belt.<br />
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After a little relaxation (and a bloody mary) at the hotel, we dressed and headed to Little Italy, always one of our favorite stops in NYC. Again, the Subway and escalators were exciting enough on their own for these two littles:<br />
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After the yummiest dinner at Angelo's on Mulberry Street, we walked to Ferrara's for dessert!<br />
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Day two down. On Monday morning, we toured the September 11th memorial and museum. It was incredible and such an awesome experience, a must-do if you are planning a trip to New York.<br />
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We walked down to Battery Park and along the Harbor, catching views of the Statue of Liberty.<br />
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Hannah jumped along the rocks and Joseph tested out his new FDNY fire truck. It was quite a bit of walking, so we are glad (as we were several times on this trip) that we brought the convenience stroller. The kids took turns riding, I gave piggy-back rides, and we also made a pit stop at Starbucks.<br />
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As afternoon turned into evening, we walked/ran to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. The skyline was beautiful as the sun set behind it. I didn't want to miss the view from the top of the bridge, so I ran while pushing Joseph in the stroller. When I got to the top, out of breath and sweating, I realized he fell asleep. Classic. The others hurried too, not far behind me. We stayed for a bit, and even got to witness some unplanned excitement. The President flew in on an Osprey, landing not too far from us, and traveled right underneath the bridge in his motorcade. Very cool.<br />
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The day ended with a visit to Grand Central Station, where we ate dinner in the dining concourse and Hannah twirled around the terminal.<br />
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Tuesday was another gorgeous day. Seriously, we had incredible weather the whole time. Only needed a jacket at times, and not a heavy one at that. It was perfect New York fall weather and playing around Central Park was the perfect start to the day.<br />
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We went to the Museum of Natural History right at opening and toured all four floors. That place is so neat, halls designated for mammals, ocean life, ancient peoples, and space science exhibits to name a few. The kids loved it (as did the grown-ups)!<br />
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Next up was The Empire State Building. Joseph was very impressed with all the buttons on the elevator. The adults were impressed at how short (non-existent) the line was to get to the top. We walked around the observation deck for a while and tried to locate things down below. {I even got a kiss from my little boy.}<br />
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Tuesday night we went to Times Square, had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, and visited the Hershey store. Joe was in chocolate heaven.<br />
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The day ended with <i>Aladdin</i>. The Genie stole the show; he was hilarious. We all loved it!!<br />
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Wednesday was our last day. Before heading to the airport, we said hello to Patience and Fortitude, the stone lions outside the NY Public Library, stopped by Rockefeller Center (and gawked in the window of the Lego store - it wasn't open yet), and strolled down 5th Avenue, posing in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.<br />
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Oh yeah, we also had to stop and pick up a few things from the American Girl store. Joseph was thrilled to pick out something of his own: an AG Dalmatian puppy he named Chloe. Happy ending. :)<br />
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When the captain on the airplane let him check out the cockpit, Joseph was beside himself.<br />
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It was a really good trip, filled with memories we will not soon forget. So thankful for the opportunity to go, for Joe getting to race in the NYC Marathon, for the kids loving every minute, and for Meme and Gran Gran (and for a part, Aunt Sarah) being there with us.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-956998470361411432015-11-21T22:14:00.000-05:002015-11-21T22:14:30.782-05:00chloeIn the midst of that fun Halloween week was deep sadness for our family. Our sweet Chloe, my college dog, died.<br />
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Her little body was just getting sicker and her organs failing. She developed a cough a couple of years ago, and was initially diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but recently we found her kidneys were failing, too. She's been on medicine for her heart/cough for a long time and the vet (our good friend, Stephen) kept having to increase the dosage.<br />
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She coughed all the time. Incessantly. Her cough had become a background noise in our home. It was annoying to us, but most certainly more annoying to her. At first it was just inconvenient, a nuisance. But overtime it worsened. Her heart was enlarged, pressing her trachea against her spine, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to breathe.<br />
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Joe and I ended up having to make the decision. I so didn't want this to be the case! We were preparing for our trip to New York. Chloe was not eating, losing strength, and having issues due to her kidneys. I was really worried that something would happen to her while we were gone. I did not want that. I wanted her to be at home when she breathed her last. Or at least for me to be with her.<br />
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Hannah and Joseph have been so sweet. They were very aware of how sick she was and we had talked a lot recently about her not living much longer. When I picked them up from school that Friday, they asked how she was doing, and when I said she was not good, Hannah asked if she had died while they were at school. Sad!<br />
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Joe really wanted the kids to see her and hold her one more time. They had grown very attached to her the last few months and he didn't think it was fair for her to just be gone. (That morning was rushed and Chloe didn't leave her crate.) Since the timing was up to us, I understood.<br />
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So after school, we were in the backyard and I captured this:<br />
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And just like that one I took of Joseph (above) with her earlier in the month, I know those are pictures they will cherish.<br />
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The decision was very difficult, as you know if you've had to go through this with a beloved pet (my family has before, twice). I hated the idea of cutting her life shorter than it would be if she passed on her own, but I also was well aware that she wasn't going to get any better. In fact, she was going to get worse. We did not want her to suffer any more. So, Joe and I took her to "Dr. Stephen" that Friday afternoon before our New York trip, October 30th. We asked our babysitter to come over while we went to the vet. We told the kids we were taking Chloe to Dr. Stephen; We did not tell them that we were making the decision.<br />
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Joe and I both cried as the exam room went quiet - from the sound of her coughing, to nothing at all. But peace.<br />
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Finally, peace for her. Heavy hearts for us.<br />
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We brought her home. Joe let our babysitter go while I sat holding her, wrapped in her polka dot name blanket, on the back porch. Then the kids came outside. It was very simple: they asked if she had died, and we said yes. They asked what happened, and we told them her heart stopped beating. They were ok with that answer, and since it was the truth, I was ok with it, too.<br />
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It was also interesting how things unfolded with the kids. They did not cry at first, even when they saw Momma and Daddy cry. But a little while later, Hannah disappeared. Joe found her in the driveway and when he got to her, she was crying. So sweet and so sad.<br />
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Her little heart was broken.<br />
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Joseph helped Daddy dig a deep hole in the backyard. He was very "helpful" as always. Meme had just arrived in town and took Hannah to the store to buy some flowers for Chloe's grave. It wasn't until Joe took Chloe from my arms and wrapping her in the blanket, laid her down in the ground, that Joseph lost it.<br />
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His little heart was broken.<br />
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It was so sad. There were a lot of tears. The boys arranged bricks over the dirt and Hannah put flowers in the bricks' holes. We said a prayer and later that night went out again to the tree line where she was buried and said goodnight.<br />
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It was very disappointing (and infuriating!) the next morning to find the deer had eaten <i>all</i> the flowers. There were more tears.<br />
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Chloe had a great life, a long life. My mom gave her to me for Christmas in 2001. As a puppy, she lived in an apartment with me while I was at Georgia Tech. She moved around Atlanta with me, eventually ending up in Savannah while I was in graduate school. She was my "package deal" when I married Joe. She gained a sister, Mollie, and became Chloe Brooks-Buck.<br />
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She moved from Savannah, to Jesup, then to Sandersville. She welcomed two babies into the family - babies that loved her...and drove her crazy. She went to live with Meme for a couple of years in Savannah. She's flown in several airplanes and sat on my lap for countless car rides. She's worn many cute outfits...and Halloween costumes.<br />
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Yes, she was slightly spoiled as a pup. She didn't get the same level of attention once children were in the picture, or even Joe for that matter. (She slept in my bed with me through her early years.) But, she was our Chlo-bo, our little moaning furbaby. For fourteen years. {The moaning was her trademark sound whenever she heard anything that made her nervous...even a strong wind outside. It only got better as she started to lose her hearing.}<br />
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We loved her and miss her. We will see her again this side of the Rainbow Bridge. I love that idea. That has brought comfort, especially to two precious children.<br />
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Rest in peace sweet girl.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-30841351125369920432015-11-11T11:19:00.001-05:002015-11-11T11:19:09.688-05:00halloweenThe week of Halloween was busy as it always is. We kicked off the fun with the fall festival at church on Sunday, the 25th. Pocahontas and Captain America were very excited!<br />
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Their costumes were so much fun this year. Joseph was super pumped to be Captain America. Those little kid muscle costumes are hysterical. I had to buy the shield separately, but I mean, come on. How could I not?!<br />
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As for the little Indian girl... She <i>really</i> wanted to be Pocahontas and I could not find a single costume online that actually looked like Pocahontas - lots of Indian/Native American ones, but none <i>exactly</i> like Pocahontas. All the cute ones we saw were homemade. So what did I do? Make one myself? Of course not. But I did go to Hobby Lobby and pick up some material while over in Milledgeville while Joe was swimming one day. And then I got home and sent a message to a Facebook friend who embroiders. Turns out her mom can sew and she'd be glad to make little Hannah a Pocahontas costume. She was also very inexpensive. Score! Hannah and I were both thrilled how it turned out!<br />
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Hannah informed me that her hair did not look like Pochanotas', so I remedied that by ordering a black wig off Amazon. Throw in a turquoise necklace of mine and her turquoise Minnetonka booties (couldn't go barefoot!) and she was good to go.<br />
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Joseph's best friend, Weston, was also Captain America. They didn't know the other was. Can you believe it?!<br />
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Love those two. Captain cuteness is more like it...<br />
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Joe signed us up to take part in the trunk-or-treat again this year. We've volunteered our "trunk" four out of the last five years and we have always done something elaborate, me letting my creative mind have fun with themes (spooky candlelit ghost trunk, race day, under the sea...). This year there was too much going on, but we still needed to participate.<br />
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Enter the teepee from our playroom. Stick Pocahontas in there with her basket of corn (er, candy corn), and set some pumpkins outside.<br />
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It worked out just fine. And minimal clean up!<br />
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That Tuesday was "School Rocks with Mom" for the pre-K. I enjoyed every minute of being with my little guy, completely in his element at school. We made an adorable little owl, too.<br />
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If there wasn't enough going on, it was also Red Ribbon Week and each day had a theme. Thursday was jersey day as the kids "teamed up against drugs". We proudly supported Georgia Tech and Auburn. With all the Bulldog shirts, my kids definitely stood out! <br />
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That day was also Hannah's first performance in the Oratorical Club. Joe and I met her at a local nursing home and watched her recite her part of the grandparents program. Look at her in this outfit. I mean, really. Off to prep school...or Hogwarts.<br />
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Then we had class Halloween parties at school. Joseph's was Thursday afternoon, Hannah's was Friday. They both ate plenty of sugar.<br />
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Joseph also went on a field trip to trick-or-treat around the square downtown, as Hannah did last year. It is so cute watching all the kids in costume parade around the town square, filling up their treat bags. The businesses all take part and even dress up, too. The morning is grand fun for the little ones.<br />
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Joseph pulled off that little mum in my hand from a plant as he passed. He loves to pick me flowers - even those he is not supposed to!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-59942207727347256072015-10-29T15:23:00.000-04:002015-10-29T15:23:01.750-04:00family photosSunday before last, we had family photos taken. To get a Christmas card photo yes, but mainly because Joseph was 18 months old when we took the last ones. I wanted good shots of the four of us. But I was also eager to get photos of the kids at these ages, since these ages are<i> the best ever</i>!<br />
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We did two different outfits/settings for the photos - one kinda formal and the other more casual attire. I just got the disc from the photographer last night and am so happy with how they turned out. Our friend, Adrienne, does a great job capturing the children's personalities and just how the four of us are - happy and so full of love.<br />
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I'm including some of the casual ones here. {I'll choose from the others for our Christmas card and post some of those later. Don't want to ruin the surprise!}<br />
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That last one kills me! Big sister kissing little brother as she loves to do...and his face!<br />
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As a side note, Hannah's two front teeth are loose. Having scheduled the photo shoot over a month out, I was nervous about her losing them. I really wanted one more professional picture of her with her sweet baby-tooth smile, before she seriously started looking too old.<br />
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While I'm talking about too old, Hannah also had her six-year well check. She has GROWN. I mean, obviously she has grown, but she has grown <i>a lot</i>. While the yearly average growth in height is 2-2.5" she grew 4"! This explains why almost none of her clothes from last fall fit, even those I thought I ordered a size up.<br />
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So our firstborn, our sweet Monkey, is 46.5" and when I pick her up, her feet fall against my shins. Sob.</div>
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I am loving these post-toddler-but-still-young-cute-and-fun years. My non-baby babies are full of imagination and wonder. They are truly their own little beings with huge personalities, and I am thoroughly enjoying time with them at these ages.<br />
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Now, let me be real, not all days are great. Obviously. Some are bad. Some are hard. And some are just plain miserable and full of the wrong kind of <i>whine</i>. But generally speaking, days are really good.<br />
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Family time at home is the best.<br />
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Happiness is found in the little things.<br />
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Life really <i>is</i> great.<br />
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I have learned that joy is a decision. Not all times are fun or happy, but you can decide to choose to be joyful regardless of your circumstances. Joy is something you have deep down inside. It's part of your character. Contentment is something you have to practice, and it is something I pray about every day. Strength. Courage. Determination. Not looking to the left or right, but looking UP. Good thing His mercies are new every morning!<br />
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Keeping our focus on our Savior has a way of reinforcing priorities, helping us recognize His grace and our blessings, and filling us with peace and love. Love in our home and family, and love for others. I have found that when I take the time to honor God in my day, things are just <i>better</i>.<br />
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My biggest desire is to please God, to fulfill the purposes He has for me. I want to keep Him at the center of our marriage, the center of our home. And I want to be a good example for Hannah and Joseph. I want them to love Jesus.<br />
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I know this is way more profound than just a post of our recent family photos. I guess just seeing pictures of us reminds me how blessed we are and how truly good my life is. These ages are so much fun...but they are also formative years. Children are little sponges, soaking it all in.<br />
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As the days pass quickly by, I find that I'm the one trying to soak it all in.<br />
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-73494899453101090842015-10-22T16:22:00.004-04:002015-10-22T16:22:56.343-04:00fall fun<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoA-XIFHPcE/VikN_kHU_1I/AAAAAAAAiCc/BfvJIcW-dpw/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoA-XIFHPcE/VikN_kHU_1I/AAAAAAAAiCc/BfvJIcW-dpw/s640/IMG_1210.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Now that October is more than half-way over (how can this be?), I'll follow up that last post with more fall fun.<br />
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The kids have spent countless hours in the backyard. Joe is training for the NYC marathon coming up real soon. We have attended high school football games both at Washington County and Brentwood (homecoming). I decorated for Halloween/fall, and the kids painted pumpkins.<br />
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A few miscellaneous photos...<br />
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I'm sure you can figure out who painted which.<br />
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In other news...<br />
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Joseph went on his first pre-K field trip and learned all about emergency vehicles. He did NOT like the loud sirens, but everything else was super cool.<br />
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Week before last, Joe and I attended Catalyst Atlanta, a Christian leadership conference, and it was AWESOME as always. This year's theme was "Awaken the Wonder" and was all about awakening God's people to live in awe of who HE is and what He is doing all around us. We heard amazing speakers such as Christine Caine, Brene Brown, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Jeremy Cowart (very inspiring photographer), and Margaret Feinberg. The music was so, so good as always. David Crowder led worship Thursday night and let me just say...wow. The whole Catalyst experience. Wow.</div>
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KAOLIN FESTIVAL<br />
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Sandersville's main event, the Kaolin Festival, was the day after we returned home. The weather had been terrible, and it looked like the parade might be cancelled. But just before the start time, the rain stopped and the sun even came out for a while. Joe had a long training run scheduled that morning that he was working in around the rain, so I loaded the wagon and the kids into the car and set out for downtown.<br />
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It's a short parade, but we knew lots of people in it and Hannah and Joseph had fun.<br />
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GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR<br />
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Following the long, Columbus Day weekend, we had more fun planned. Joe and I took the kids out of school a little early that Tuesday and drove to Perry for the Georgia National Fair. We had a blast! After we bought arm bands and toured through the fair, we watched the 4:00 show at the circus. I did not know until the day before that there was a circus even there. It was a bonus, and well worth the 1-hr spent there. The kids especially loved the acrobats.<br />
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The lines weren't bad at all as we had hoped when planning to go on a school-day afternoon. We got to ride a bunch of the rides, both kids tall enough to do anything they wanted to do. Like last year, Hannah was the fearless one wanting to ride everything. That's her and Joe at about 7:00 in the picture above.<br />
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Joseph was thrilled to be the driver in the bumper car.<br />
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We rode a couple of roller coasters, to Hannah's delight. Not so much to Joseph's. He would want to ride, agree to get in and buckled up, and soon after taking off regret his decision. He would have this look of uncertainty, followed by a panicked what-is-going-on look, on his face. I think it was the herky-jerky motions more than anything.<br />
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Robinson's Racing Pigs were a must and we did that following a break for dinner: turkey leg and roasted corn for me and the kids, corndog for Joe, and fries for us all. It's entertaining watching those pigs run around the track and swim in the race.<br />
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Before we left, we took a ride on the huge ferris wheel. This was the most exciting part of the night for Joseph. He sat real close to me, but thoroughly enjoyed himself as we circled around and around, admiring all the pretty lights throughout the fairground. Joe had to hold onto Hannah as she apparently wasn't afraid of the terrifying heights and kept trying to lean over the side to see farther.<br />
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After hunting down some fried Oreos, we headed home. Exhausted but with exciting memories dancing in our heads.<br />
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NUMBER 9, FEELING FINE!<br />
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My honey and I celebrated our ninth anniversary on the 14th. That day in Savannah was one of the prettiest I can remember, and we had almost identical weather here in Sandersville this year. Perfect temperature, blue sky, a true fall day in Georgia. It was just a typical Wednesday with work, school, and supper and small groups at the church. That night once we got home and kids were bathed, we lit our anniversary candle and waltzed to Moon River, our first-dance song (prompted by Hannah). Joseph took pictures while we danced.<br />
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CHLOE'S BIRTHDAY<br />
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My college dog and sweet Yorkie, Chloe, turned 14 yesterday (10/21). The kids had a great time over the weekend building a fort "for her" in their little clubhouse. I'm not sure how much she enjoyed it, especially when Hannah sent her sliding down the slide, but she cooperated and was loved on a whole lot!<br />
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And that's a wrap! Before I go, I will include these selfies (I am not a seasoned selfie-person, but will take one occasionally.) I was taken aback and felt a little weird when my smart little laptop synced with my phone and organized these in my computer under the category "selfie". I mean, really?<br />
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Left: Joseph and I waiting on Daddy and Hannah after church.<br />
Right: One Sunday later, in the driveway with Hannah behind the wheel!<br />
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...As of about a month ago, I have bangs. Quite a change and I'm still figuring them out...but I like them!<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2391005787470152725.post-24815612531831411052015-10-22T14:25:00.000-04:002015-10-22T14:25:04.572-04:00ironman 70.3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello, it's me. Fall is here and I am dropping in for my bi-monthly post. No, I've got a few posts coming... </div>
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It has been over a month since I wrote about Hannah's sixth birthday and we have just been trucking along, managing schedules, enjoying the change of seasons, and mostly having a whole lot of fun. There have been a few noteworthy events, too. One of which happened at the end of September. </div>
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On the 27th, Joe completed a half-Ironman - or Ironman 70.3 as it is now called - in Augusta. This is his second triathlon of that distance. {It has been a long time since the first one, and much longer since he did the full Ironman.} That same weekend he also married a couple. Thankfully that was in Augusta as well, what with the rehearsal, dinner, wedding and reception to attend. We brought the kids and Meme and spent the weekend in a hotel. While Joe and I did wedding stuff, Meme and the kids had all sorts of hotel fun.<br />
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The race was Sunday. We were a little nervous about the weather. It was going to rain, then it wasn't, and back and forth until we got a favorable weather report the day of. And then it did end up raining some, though thankfully mostly just a mist.<br />
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Hannah and Joseph were excited to cheer on Daddy. At the race expo the day before, Meme bought them "Support Crew" sweatshirts. I loved the neon. Great visibility! Daddy spotted them every time he passed by.<br />
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Joe left the hotel early that morning with his friend, Mitch. Since there is such a time lag between the close of transition and the swim start, we came a little later, riding the hotel shuttle bus (which delighted Joseph).<br />
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The triathlon includes a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run (half marathon). Joe had a really great swim, coming out of the water first in his age group, and ended up with the 13th fastest swim time (out of 2600 people).<br />
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He just told me today that he was really nervous about losing his wedding ring. He usually gives it to me before the start, but I wasn't there this time. But we saw him coming out of the water and cheered loud! These are the professional pictures below.<br />
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While he was on the bike, we went to a great little breakfast place and then found a good spot to watch the run. We only saw Joe on the bike at the very start, coming out of the transition area, which is normal for a race with such a long bike distance.<br />
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The bike leg was rough. Joe was in a lot of pain for most of the 56 miles. It was definitely due to the accident; his back just can't take that position.<br />
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He said he learned two things after the race: 1, he is not doing that race distance anytime soon (if ever again), and 2, we need a third opinion. It's not just the bike riding. It's a quality of life thing. People often ask us how he can manage to run so much with his back being so bad. Well, he can run with no pain, yet he can't sit (or ride a bike) for 20 minutes without pain. He would rather run for an hour than sit for an hour. Seriously.<br />
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Joseph wore his Boston Strong shirt and Hannah wore the one she got for running her first race. We do love bright colors! We brought our cowbells from the Savannah Rock-n-Roll marathon and used them with abandon.<br />
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Joe had a really good run. He would probably want me to clarify the above photo. He is not saying he's #1. He's pointing to the Big Man upstairs who got him through the race and has enabled him to be even <i>able</i> to race. Praise God, indeed!</div>
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His final time was 4:56:27, accomplishing his goal of sub-5 hours. Yay!! Go, Daddy, go!</div>
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It was a super fun day!<br />
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...And, thanks to Meme, a very helpful part of Joe's fan club.<br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15146992371938240884noreply@blogger.com0