tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62645503986026764522024-03-05T11:03:27.949-06:00A Proud Mother's RuminationsHere you'll find my ramblings about all that surrounds being a new mom. Take everything with a grain of salt; my views constantly change and nothing said is meant to offend anyone who disagrees with me.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-90707124695760935512015-09-15T23:31:00.002-05:002015-09-15T23:31:37.902-05:00Times, they are a-changin'.It's been about 2 years since I've posted. Holy cow. Those 2 years simultaneously have seemed like a lifetime and the blink of an eye. "The days are long but the years are short," as they say. And oh how incredibly visceral that phrase is, especially, when you have children. You hear it so often, or at least I did, before you have children. How time flies. How hard it is. How rewarding it is. How your life will never ever be the same. But it's honestly not something that you can ever convey to someone who hasn't been through 3-4 years of it. Even when Audia was 2 or 3, I didn't get it. Those first 3-4 years of ONE child's life are so intense. At least they were for me. And looking back, I wish so much that I could go back and tell earlier mom me to relax. To enjoy it more. To worry less. But the truth is that was who I was, and that was who Audia was, and that was who Chris was. Callen, in his own way, made things easier. Both because he is so laid back and because it forced me to divide my attention, and my worries, between two kids. Thank heavens for that. Poor Audia bore the brunt of my worrisome nature for three years! Good grief. But holy moley, how wonderfully she's turned out. How resilient she is. How independent, and strong, and brave, and willful....Audia, if you ever read this, I hope that you always know how proud of you I am. You surprise and delight me on a daily basis. That's not an exaggeration. Just this week, you told me how you had decided, on your own, to be friends with someone who was a bully to you at the beginning of the school year. You told this girl that you didn't like how she was treating you last week but you wanted to be her friend. And now you are. And things like that....these amazing, independent testaments of your character...they happen regularly. And I just sit back in awe. You are such an amazing young lady.<br />
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And Callen. You have not had nearly as much "blog time", so to speak, but only because the addition of you to our family has forced me to chose between special time with you and your sister or time blogging. Time with you obviously trumps that. But, I want you to know that at age 4, you are the size of the average 6 year old boy (SO TALL!!) You still LOVE your vehicles and regularly correct anyone who incorrectly identifies a vehicle ("No, Mommy, that's not a digger. It's a front-end loader.") You still love Lego more than anything, and build things from scratch and imagination that make both your dad (former Lego Master) and I (also a former Lego Builder) in complete awe. At your age, according to the packages, you should still be playing with Duplos. But you build the 5-10 aged regular Lego sets by yourself. It's truly incredible. You also talk to yourself. A lot. OK, *constantly*. To the point where I regularly ask you who you're talking to, just to double check, and 99% of the time you say "I'm just talkin' to myself, mommy." Your favorite color was anything "Fiery" until about a month ago when you switched back to green (which was your favorite about two years ago.) You LOVE Minecraft and are a true master builder; you build incredibly detailed buildings in Minecraft with incredible speed. Complete with rooms, stair cases, windows, and roofs that look like real tiled roofs. You are still shy(er) with kids your age, and mostly prefer to play by yourself. But you adore adults.<br />
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And both of you are, of course, incredibly tall for your age, even this young. Audia, you're in the 95th percentile for height again at age 7. Callen, you are more and more off the charts for height every time we go in. Based on your growth curve, it's estimated that you'll be between 6' 4" and 6' 8" as an adult!<br />
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You get along so well, for the most part. I think it's a testament to your love of each other (at least, I'll chose to see it that way) that you would rather be playing together and fighting than have me separate you.<br />
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I want you both to know how proud I am of you, how blessed I feel to have you as my children, how much I adore and like and love you. I cannot ever imagine my life without you.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-91568023974143916432013-09-10T13:58:00.002-05:002013-09-10T13:58:28.165-05:00Audia is FIVE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems crazy to say, but our sweet little munchkin is now FIVE years old! It is simultaneously impossible to imagine our life without her and so hard to believe that she is five already. Where does the time go? Seriously. We had her birthday party on her birthday this year, and Audia chose a My Little Pony theme this year. It seemed that everyone had a lot of fun, and Audia is already talking about how she can't wait to have a party next year :-)<br />
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Audia, you are growing up to be such an amazing person. You are still the biggest sweetheart. Compassionate, caring, helpful, and considerate are some of your key traits. You love to help your family and friends, and especially your little brother. Though you do get annoyed with him some of the time, most of the time you love to play with him and he with you! You are also willful, determined, curious, creative, affectionate, and silly. Making up songs and stories is one of your favorite things to do, and something you are really good at. I am always amazed at the songs that you sing off the top of your head....almost always about love, friends, and family. Your interests range from drawing to gymnastics to reading to dancing to building things with legos and blocks. You've started to learn how to read in the past month or so, and are easily reading three and four-letter words these days. Your favorite characters and toys are My Little Pony, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sofia the First, Transformers Rescue Bots, and the Care Bears. <br />
I am so proud of you, my sweet girl. <br />
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I love you more than anything in the whole wide world!<br />MommyEricahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-53427076662010470032013-09-10T13:43:00.001-05:002013-09-10T13:47:12.663-05:00State Fair 2013Due to the crazy nature of this year's summer, and also due to the ridiculously hot (mid-90's with 75% humidity?!) weather, we didn't make it to the fair this year as a whole family. Chris and I got to spend a couple of hours there kid-free before the Depeche Mode concert (which was awesome!) and then the kids and I went with my parents on the very last day of the fair. Chris didn't join us because he was in Vegas celebrating his friend B's 40th birthday.<br />
Here are a few photos from the last day:<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-61761165328635733592013-09-10T13:38:00.004-05:002013-09-10T13:38:56.778-05:00The cottage 2013We were lucky enough to have two seperate week-long vacations at the cottage this summer. The first trip, my parents joined us up there for a couple of days, and we also got to see our good friends, E & D, who spend a week every summer up at a lake just a few minutes away. The second trip we got to spend time with Chris' mom and Cooper. Both trips we had amazing weather, with only one or two overcast days total out of 16! <br />
We were also very lucky to be able to use the new pontoon that Chris' family purchased this year! We were able to spend so much more time out on the water as a family. The cottage is always enjoyable, but it made it so much easier to get out fishing with the kids in tow :-) Hooray for the new pontoon!!<br />
Audia had a lot of fun catching frogs, a turtle, a lizard, and a bunch of fish! Callen's favorite thing to do, all day, every day, was play in the sand. We had such a great time, it makes me sad to know we likely won't be getting back up there until next year.<br />
Here are a handful of photos from our trip.<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-2563348520092763172013-06-27T17:16:00.000-05:002013-06-27T17:16:48.481-05:00Callen's 2 Year AppointmentCallen has never been a fan of the doctor. Probably because he's never been a fan of people he doesn't know very well talking to him, let alone touching him or sticking things in his ears. So all week, I've been playing doctor with him, talking to him about what Dr. S would do, and even going as far as to buy a special set of pull-back cars and telling him that he could have them after his appointment IF he was good and let Dr. S look him over. The preparation (and bribery) seemed to work, and while initially he was resistent to letting her get too close to him, instead of screaming bloody murder like he has the past four or five visits, he did warm up to her and let her measure and examine him. Yay! Thankfully there were no shots today, either, so I am hopeful that his next visit will go just as smoothly.<br />
<br />Cal is healthy as can be, on track with his vocab and motor skills, and, as expected, GIANT for his age. At 31 lbs (80th %ile) and 37.75" tall (off the chart,) he is in the 13th %ile for BMI (which they start keeping track of at 2 years) and is the size of the "average 3 and 1/2 year old boy." Doc even went as far as to say that she had to keep reminding herself of his age when she was asking him questions; to just look at him she said she was expecting him to speak in clear, full sentences. She also said that his height has the potential to cause problems for him for the next couple of years because people that don't know him will expect so much more from him socially and verbally than he is capable of. But he is healthy and happy and to me, that is all that matters!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-89293696668424663632013-06-25T20:19:00.001-05:002013-06-25T20:19:50.726-05:00Moments to rememberTonight was my turn to put Audia to bed. (Chris and I take turns every night with the kids.) After Jammies, teeth brushing, potty, and books come songs, then snuggling and telling her good things to dream about. When I sing, I sing three songs. The first is 'Once Upon a Time' from the Broadway musical version of Peter Pan. The second song rotates between a few different favorites including 'La La Lu,' 'Goodnight My Angel' (Billy Joel,) and 'I Have Never Loved Someone' by My Brightest Diamond. The third song is always 'Twinkle twinkle little star.' The past month or so, the second song default has become 'La La Lu.' But tonight I decided to mix it up and sing 'I Have Never Loved Someone' instead. When I started singing it, Audia snuggled in closer to me and I could feel her smiling. And when I got to the part that says "When you grow to be Queen or Clown or Pauper...." She said to me, "I'll never be any of those things, mommy. I'll always be your sweetheart even when I'm an adult." I told her that she can be whatever she wants to be <u>and</u> be my sweetheart at the same time, then finished the song and the rest of bedtime. Moments like that are so fleeting, but the types of moments that make everything else melt away. They are the moments I want to bottle up and relive when we're having a rough day and not getting along so well. We had a very long day of cleaning and errand running....the type of day where too much menial stuff was planned and there was very little quality time spent. The type of day that I try to avoid, but sometimes just have to trudge through even though I'd rather be doing a million other things instead. But it is so refreshing to know that even though today was not filled with fun things and quality family time, my sweet daughter still would rather be my sweetheart for the rest of her life than a Queen. :-)Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-26844474203426965402013-06-10T23:37:00.000-05:002013-06-11T07:25:41.941-05:00Now You Are Two.....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Callen on the day he was born</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callen at 1 year</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callen at 2 years</td></tr>
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Dear Callen,<br />
Today you are 2! And what an amazing 2 years it has been, getting to know you! You, my son, are the sweetest of sweet boys. You brighten our lives so much with your sweet smiles, your snuggly cuddles, and your amazingly silly personality. You love to poke fun, to tease and trick, to do whatever you can to make us laugh. Lately you've started pointing and saying "Hey!" when someone does something like tickle you. It makes my heart melt every time. <br />
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Over the past few weeks, it feels like you have exploded verbally. You are saying so many words now, and stringing 5-6 words together at a time, completing thoughts and sentences! It feels to me like this has just happened over night. You also will repeat what other people say, with a question inflection in your voice like you are verifying that what you heard was correct. You understand so much!<br />
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You are still (and will always be, I am sure,) OBSESSED with wheels. You LOVE vehicles of all shapes and sizes, but the bigger the better it seems these days. We switched your car seat to be forward facing a few months ago, due to your height, and you love being able to see forward! Any time you see a bus, you'll tell me, "Mama! A Bus!" and if you see a big semi or any sort of out-of-the-ordinary vehicle (a garbage truck, construction vehicles, etc) you let out a loud, "Wooowwww!" that 9 times out of 10 makes me jump. <br />
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Another thing you love to do is play with water! Whenever daddy gets home from work, you want to stand on a chair and play at the sink while he makes dinner. You also love baths, showers, the lake, and the water tables that we have here and the one at grandma and grandpa's house. <br />
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Other favorite things of yours are the mall (many mornings when we get up you ask, "Mall day?"), play kitchens (you could pretend cook for hours!), looking at photos of nails on my phone (you frequently want to sit in my lap and look through my instagram pics of nail art) and Fievel. <br />
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But your most favorite thing is your sister. You love and look up to your sister in a way that makes this mommy's heart melt into a puddle on the floor. Sure, you have moments where you get tired of her directing your play, or times where you don't want to share, but you always want to know where she is and what she's doing. You also always want to get one of anything you might get from me or daddy, be it a snack or a drink or a dessert...whatever...for Audia. I know you don't know it yet, but you are so, so, so lucky to have such an amazingly patient and loving big sister. Audia loves you so much, Callen. She is always looking out for you, and worrying about you, and frequentlygoes out of her way to make sure that you are happy and having fun. <br />
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Personality-wise you are, these days, much more shy than your sister has ever been. You like the people that you know, and you do warm up eventually to people that you sense are "safe," but it always takes a little while for you to warm up to even the people you see regularly. You are very considerate, it seems....either that or you really see the benefit of having a clean play space. I frequently see you picking up toys and putting them away (in the right places!) all on your own! Mommy loves this....please keep it up and try to teach your sister to do the same ;-) You also love to bring people things of theirs if you see they are without them. You are constantly bringing daddy and me our phones or our beverages. <br />
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You fill our lives with such love, such light, and so many smiles. It sounds corny but you really do complete our family and make it whole. I feel like there is a perfect balance among the four of us; it is not always apparent or in it's best form, but it is there more often than not. I love you so very much, and I am so proud of you, and so excited to see what you will do, my handsome TWO year old!<br />
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Love, <br />
Mommy<br />
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpR2ciHNGSGES-0mG6D8K8xH6jODwinyWFxoWEwTapjTIr06sybkdKPWetqtcZ9G0JKcv7HNpZC_F-DEQTQxd6rh27SmuHZb71GQSzK5ZTF7T9xM2s3P_sdPQL413wKesVXrOcA-OShA/s320/cal+6-6-12-1.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 357px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 455px;" width="63" />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-89196014018756519922013-06-10T23:31:00.002-05:002013-06-11T07:38:52.700-05:00Callen's 2nd Birthday PartyCallen's birthday is tomorrow. I can and can not believe it. Unfortunately his annual well check isn't until later this month so I don't know exact stats, but I can say that he is in 2T clothing only because it is just barely long enough but still *kind of* hugs his waist. I'm still constantly pulling up his pants and wishing that they were longer. Tall and skinny is an understatement. He is almost as tall as some of our 3 year old play date friends. No joke. No idea where he gets that height from....(*eye roll*)<br />
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Anyhoo! We had a smaller party for Callen this year due to his shyness around people he doesn't know very well. My parents were gracious enough to host it at their house; their beautiful and spacious back yard is one of the kids (and our!) favorite places to play and lounge, and luckily the weather held out long enough for us to have our party! It ended up being a really nice day weather-wise, cloudy and in the mid-70's.<br />
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We felt especially lucky to have Grandpa Mustache and Uncle Brent come in from Chicago, and Great Auntie Sharon come down from northern MN just for Callen's party. Nana had an art show in IL and couldn't get away, but we look forward to seeing her later this summer!<br />
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We did a vehicle theme due to Cal's complete obsession with wheels. I designed the invitations myself using images of various vehicles I found on the web; quick mask quickly became one of my favorite tools in photoshop! lol. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being bashful as the guests start to arrive</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia and Grandpa Mustache</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia and Uncle Brent</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cal and his truck from Audia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XwVRlveAScTS8BYGv8vxDegg8bt3i6iK0Q1g-gOEHIZJ_sqZ6ttxzTybZvCHFpQoz3R75N7nUu-ZBnyeimHShJHH5Nrh3ZMrfuPZS_Oa5Q06Hz8jgiFLWLql7hQm7CXrXpo1ZHzkhQU/s1600/cals+2nd+bday+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XwVRlveAScTS8BYGv8vxDegg8bt3i6iK0Q1g-gOEHIZJ_sqZ6ttxzTybZvCHFpQoz3R75N7nUu-ZBnyeimHShJHH5Nrh3ZMrfuPZS_Oa5Q06Hz8jgiFLWLql7hQm7CXrXpo1ZHzkhQU/s320/cals+2nd+bday+24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiddos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJx1ECXeKnWPq-PQkQw_fsosm8IbLkT8OelNpnE4nZ4rPcYYgLYNfoRuyYuyKFYEPf4nm4XjfqL1TrvCKyFdZf2WJo_Hgu-v-EpvIRl1OugV53mjRIfH8Fk4G5Lr9AnZSrx6-MoEAJrA/s1600/cals+2nd+bday+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJx1ECXeKnWPq-PQkQw_fsosm8IbLkT8OelNpnE4nZ4rPcYYgLYNfoRuyYuyKFYEPf4nm4XjfqL1TrvCKyFdZf2WJo_Hgu-v-EpvIRl1OugV53mjRIfH8Fk4G5Lr9AnZSrx6-MoEAJrA/s320/cals+2nd+bday+28.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Definitely impressed by the Cars toys!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy-Ff0whUN1HuJHmmSelyId33OMJMs9ELW4XPVMQQnxtjIzfD1uOR9eMrMhtNLrpacjtwZeJgIKAef_frtLsdC76PATNBRwCgDadyVwt3rPbp1g30f_06dRk2doRs20Xs3S3fhOes1zs/s1600/cals+2nd+bday+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy-Ff0whUN1HuJHmmSelyId33OMJMs9ELW4XPVMQQnxtjIzfD1uOR9eMrMhtNLrpacjtwZeJgIKAef_frtLsdC76PATNBRwCgDadyVwt3rPbp1g30f_06dRk2doRs20Xs3S3fhOes1zs/s320/cals+2nd+bday+31.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening gifts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TJk4ugMfxXcOPdOf0MRvZfl5yxfy3DL5XHztuHyK_lre7E0VAZgHydFH3Qu3lU4KOVqe107Z-sl-TaWOXjIaCpIpVTIgMq6hYKvCBOu4-Dr0dR4JkCkLt1nfoW6h7bGWCcf71r-N8Zk/s1600/cals+2nd+bday+38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TJk4ugMfxXcOPdOf0MRvZfl5yxfy3DL5XHztuHyK_lre7E0VAZgHydFH3Qu3lU4KOVqe107Z-sl-TaWOXjIaCpIpVTIgMq6hYKvCBOu4-Dr0dR4JkCkLt1nfoW6h7bGWCcf71r-N8Zk/s320/cals+2nd+bday+38.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workbench from Nana and Grandpa Mustache</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrE69tURRtldKDG7vy24-1_Jtjlq442bxpjmS9XikAfPIOQxCrsSHVAx6BcTYdaOY6gTKCJpmMLek83nXKyX-xa2wtqriZz0SLMucxt5q5BDHOmK1Mol858uHKia4dxD0ASXGovtPfUkI/s1600/cals+2nd+bday+45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrE69tURRtldKDG7vy24-1_Jtjlq442bxpjmS9XikAfPIOQxCrsSHVAx6BcTYdaOY6gTKCJpmMLek83nXKyX-xa2wtqriZz0SLMucxt5q5BDHOmK1Mol858uHKia4dxD0ASXGovtPfUkI/s320/cals+2nd+bday+45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the kiddos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugs for Auntie Sharon</td></tr>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-87200480084130399472013-06-06T15:25:00.000-05:002013-06-06T15:25:02.638-05:00Summer is "here"!You know, if you can really call it summer when it's 55 degrees and raining most of the time. But, school is out and the craziness of May is over, so it's summer to me!<br />
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Munchkin's last week of school was the week of Memorial Day. She had "Spring Sing" on Wednesday, which is a concert the kids put on for all the parents/family who wants to watch. She really is such a performer; she loved being in front of a crowd and kept smiling and waving at us the whole concert. Friday was the official last day. She was pretty sad to leave, and has already talked a few times about wishing school could start again sooner. I'm trying to keep our weeks busy, and she'll be starting Gymnastics with a friend next week, so hopefully that will help her to feel like it's not such a total drag to be home with Mom and Brother all the time :-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia and her teacher, Miss Lacey</td></tr>
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Audia's birthday is one week past the cutoff for starting Kindergarten in 2013 so she will have one more year of Preschool before moving to the "Big Kid School." I go back and forth about being disappointed and glad that this is the case; on the one hand I feel like she is ready for "real" school but on the other I look forward to having an extra year with her only in school part time, and I can also see benefits later (ie High School) with her being one of the oldest in her class. Not to mention being older when she goes off to college, should she so chose.<br />
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Cal's turning 2 next week, and we have his birthday party this weekend. He as just exploded verbally in the past couple of weeks, and is also testing us much more by trying to assert his independence in anything and everything. Thankfully he is still a good sleeper, even though it is taking him longer to go to sleep at night. My good eater has all but disappeared, though, and most days I feel lucky to get him to eat anything at all. Then he'll have a day where he'll eat anything you put in front of him. I have to keep reminding myself that he will eat when he's hungry. It's certainly not like he's not growing....the kid is as tall as some three year olds!<br />
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This summer should be a fun one. We have two trips to the cottage planned, as well as many play dates on the books already. And I am second shooting weddings most weekends, which I am really enjoying!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-57508946199380732772013-03-20T14:29:00.002-05:002013-03-20T14:36:43.267-05:00Wow! It's been a while. That seems to be how journaling goes for me, though. I kept journals starting in middle school, all the way until I was 20 or 21 and the frequency of my writing always seemed to ebb and flow. <br />
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The kids are doing great. Audia is officially 4 and a half this month, and we had her last parent teacher conference a couple of weeks ago. Miss Lacey had nothing but good things to say about Audia, including that she is one of the most advanced in the class both academically and socially. Her favorite area in the class room is the free art area, she's very eager to help both her teachers and classmates, and she has multiple friends of both genders. <br />
In other news, Munchkin is still huge into superheroes, specifically Iron Man and the Silver Surfer these days. She's become a much pickier eater, though it's pretty mood-based so she will be fine with something one day and not want it at all the next. Thankfully we haven't entered "I'll only eat Kraft mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, or hot dogs" territory. And while of course she and Cal have their moments of sibling rivalry, all-in-all she is a wonderful big sister, regularly playing with him, checking on him, reading to him, and just generally including him in what she's doing. Cal is one lucky guy, that's for sure!<br />
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Cal is 21 months now and a whopping 30 pounds. I'm not sure of his height but I do know that while he is a 2T for length, he is still in 18 months for width. He is still sweet as can be, loving to snuggle and cuddle and give kisses and hugs and whispering "I love you." But despite his inherent sweetness, Callen is definitely entering 'terrible twos' territory lately with regular displays of independence and defiance. He throws tantrums in a way that Audia never did, throwing himself on the floor, kicking and screaming when something really sets him off. His favorite word these days is "STOP!" which sounds more like "DOP!" He is still HUGE into wheels, which I have a feeling will never ever change. His favorite vehicles are buses, which he loves to watch through our living room window. He also love nails. The first thing he wants to do when he wakes up in the morning is go down stairs to the living room and sit in my lap to look at nails on my phone. He'll hand me my phone and say "Nails! Nails, mommy!" So we'll flip through instagram photos of manicures, and he'll double tap the ones he likes to "heart" them. He adores and looks up to his big sister in a way that melts my heart. He wants to do whatever she's doing, and I am so grateful that she embraces that (most of the time.) They are so lucky to have each other!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-72860447506119534052013-02-05T10:14:00.000-06:002013-02-05T10:14:53.207-06:00Ten Years of Being 'Home'Ten years. In some ways it feels impossible that it's been that long, and in others it feels like it's been much longer. Ten years ago I took a leap of faith and decided to meet in person a guy who I had met online. We had only emailed back and forth a handful of times, and I remember feeling extremely fed up with life in general. "Life in general" back then at the what now seems like EXTREMELY young age of 20, meant my romantic life, which of course was all that really mattered. There were only one or two guys in any of my college classes that were remotely interesting to me and they were either taken or not really my type. So when this 'Hot or Not' guy invited me (and any friends who I cared to bring along) to meet him and a group of his friends for bowling, I decided to stuff my inherent shyness and go for it. I remember walking into the bowling alley with my college roomie and BFF, Shaunie, and seeing Chris stand up a few lanes away. There was a feeling of relief; not only was he just as handsome in person as he was in his hot or not picture (YES. Hot or Not. I know. Who the heck meets their future spouse on Hotornot.com?? Well, I did,) but he had the same genuinely friendly vibe that I had detected in his emails. He came up, gave me a hug, introduced himself to Shaunie, and walked us over to his group of friends to introduce us to them as well. Shaunie and I didn't stay long, maybe a half hour or so. But it was long enough for us to both agree upon leaving, that they were a group of people we could see ourselves hanging out with again in the future.<br />
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I felt at home with Chris pretty much immediately. We had a level of comfort that I've found in most other relationships takes months or years to develop. A genuine, strong friendship has been at the heart of our relationship since day one. The first couple of years had their ups and downs; we broke up and got back together a couple of times. But we always remained friends. That friendship wasn't something that I think either of us was willing to let go of. It's the kind of friendship that spans a lifetime. And while our lifestyles have changed (we've replaced numerous camping and fishing trips with numerous diaper changes and trips to the pediatrician,) our friendship has not. We still enjoy just being together. We still make eachother laugh and think, we still support and advise eachother. We still talk. We still text and IM eachother midday just to say "hi." and "I love you." We still dream together of the things we'll do and places we'll see. And I am still so incredibly grateful for that leap of faith I took 10 years ago today. Because it really was the first day of the rest of my life. And I couldn't be any more lucky to have such and incredible man to share that life with.<br />
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Below are a few photos from the first year we were dating. Man, we look young, don't we??<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-20178808755172469212013-01-09T14:45:00.000-06:002013-01-09T14:45:00.873-06:00My Social ButterflyI took munchkin to the doctor today to have a rash looked at (we're still waiting on test results to find out if it's strep or, more likely, just a virus.) Since it was a same-day appointment, we ended up waiting around in the waiting room for a good forty minutes before getting to go into an exam room. The waiting room at our pediatrician's office is pretty small; there are maybe 30 chairs total, a fish tank, a few tables, and a tv mounted to the wall. The room is small enough that you can always see anyone else in the waiting room, which was heaven for a social butterfly like Audia. <br />
I've always known that Audia was a friendly kid, but seeing her in action today was a lot of fun for me. I would even go as far as to say that it was a bit of an eye-opener. It's pretty rare that I get to really watch and hear her interact with kids she doesn't know; when we're at a playgound or play area at the mall, it's not like I'm following around behind her the whole time. She does her own thing, and I keep an eye from a distance. Being able to sit back and watch her do her thing, while being able to hear her the whole time was a treat.<br />
There were a handful of kids who went through while we were waiting, none older than 6 or 7, I would guess. And every kid that came in, she walked right up and said a friendly "hi!" to. She helped a younger boy, maybe 2 or 3 years old, take off his jacket while his mom filled out a form. She showed another little girl who was 18 months ("She's the same age as my brother, Callen!" She told her mom,) the fish in the tank, naming each one's color. And she asked a girl, about a year older than her, about Kindergarten. I was so impressed, not only by her outgoing-ness (as I was, and still am, pretty shy with strangers,) but by her ability to adapt her interactions based on the age of the child she was interacting with. A lot of kids her age like to talk about themselves, and don't get me wrong, Audia loves to tell people all about her brother and Spiderman and her My Little Ponies. But the majority of her interactions with these other kids were about them, not her, and it was a bit of an eye-opener. Maybe even a little peek into her future. I only hope that she'll maintain her outgoing nature while also gaining a healthy understanding of "stranger danger." I hope that no bullies or bad experiences with other kids will squelch her brave, social nature. And I cannot wait to see what she does with her interest in and empathy towards others. Keep flying, my girl! I can't wait to see where the wind takes you!<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-70251090861882791162012-12-28T12:55:00.001-06:002012-12-28T12:56:22.646-06:00The best of friendsThe friendship developing between Audia and Callen is something that I feel so very grateful to be able to witness. Since the day Chris and I decided we wanted to have a second child, I've been worried about how it would affect Audia and how the two siblings would get along. I know plenty of people who either do not get along with their siblings, or for whom it took YEARS before they started getting along. I am not naive enough to believe that Audia and Cal will always be such close friends; all relationships wax and wane, and there are of course moments where one or the other of them wants nothing to do with their sibling. But overall, I really don't think they could be any luckier to have one-another. From the day Callen was born, Audia has been right there, wanting to help keep him happy, play with him, snuggle him, and love on him. And as Callen gets older and more independent, he turns more and more to his sister for play and assistance and hugs and loves. If Audia is upset about something, Cal is right there to give her a hug. Audia will give Callen half of her cookie, or snack, or whatever she has that he wants, usually without even thinking twice about it. And pretty much every time we go for a ride anywhere in the car, they can be found holding hands. It melts my heart every. single. time. I can only hope that their relationship will continue to blossom in such an incredibly sweet way, and that no matter where life takes them, they will always find their way to one-another.<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-68312489478332210062012-12-18T13:31:00.000-06:002013-06-24T21:53:46.364-05:00Callen at 18 MonthsWell, our tall and skinny boy is getting taller and skinnier! At 35.5" tall, Cal is the height of the average 28 month old boy! He's 26 lbs, 3 oz, which puts him smack dab at the 50th percentile for his age. This explains why 18 month size clothes are too short and 2T are too baggy!! Doc S says Cal looks great, and is right on track with speech, motor skills, social skills, etc. <br />
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At 18 months, Cal is<br />
<ul>
<li>Saying new words every day! He has difficulty annunciating some things, but generally he is easy to understand if you pay attention to what he's doing/looking at. His favorite words these days are "wheel" and "ball." He will point at and name every ball, wheel, and light wherever we are!</li>
<li>Still obsessed with wheels. He loves anything on wheels, and even just plain old lego wheels. I have a feeling this kid is going to be a total gearhead.</li>
<li>Loving playing with his sister as much as ever! He gets frustrated when she goes off and does her own thing, but also has moments where he'd rather play by himself.</li>
<li>Getting much better at being gentle with Fievel. He went through a phase where everytime he'd see Fievel, he'd go over and push him off of whatever Fievel was sitting on, or chase him around with his cars. He's been a lot better about being gentle and petting Fievel lately, however.</li>
<li>Such a great helper!! He is pretty good at helping pick up toys, and loves to help take dishes out of the dishwasher and put the laundry in the dryer. He will frequently pick up little crumbs or fuzzies off the floor and put them in the garbage on his own, and hates it when his hands get dirty!</li>
<li>Very into playing pretend. He likes to pretend to cook at the play kitchen, take care of the baby dolls, and play snuggle his stuffed animals</li>
<li>Surprisingly good at building with legos and duplos! He will build something and then proudly show it to whomever's around, saying "Ta da!"</li>
<li>Such a sweetheart. He loves to give kisses, cheers everyone at the table, and snuggle. Whenever Audia is upset, he gives her hugs and kisses. </li>
</ul>
Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-48694836962020063342012-11-07T20:06:00.002-06:002012-11-07T20:07:38.998-06:00Halloween 2012As the kids grow older, the holidays get more and more fun. This year for Halloween Audia decided that she wanted to be Iron Man. Well, first she decided on the Hulk but then changed her mind to Iron Man when finding a Hulk costume in her size proved to be difficult (they do exist, they were just sold out everywhere we went.) I was a little surprised that she didn't go with Spiderman but I wasn't going to push the issue. And she still does L-O-V-E Spidey. This is really the last year that we got to decide what Callen would be, so I decided to go the oh-so-cute route. I found a super cute Lion costume at Target, and you can't tell me that he isn't the cutest lion you ever saw. Because I will hear none of it!<br />
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The weekend prior to Halloween, we went to Ghouls and Goblins at the Arboretum with my parents, and it proved to be a hit yet again. Audia kept running up to all of the decorations and saying "take my picture with him, mom!" <br />
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Halloween night we went to the mall closest to our house for Mall-o-ween so that Callen could go trick-or-treating indoors (aka safely) and then stopped by a family friend's house to see her new kitten. Last stop (but not least!) was to go to N,D, A,M, and A's house so that the men could take the girls trick-or-treating and us ladies stayed home with the babies to hang out and pass out candy. It was a very fun halloween for all of us!<br />
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-42027568176604267412012-10-01T14:35:00.003-05:002012-10-01T14:35:55.331-05:00Mourning the little thingsI have written and re-written an opening to this blog entry about a dozen times now and nothing seems to flow properly. I really don't know how to lead into what I want to say, so I'm just going to jump in all abrupt-like and drive my inner-linguist a little bit crazy. <br />
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There are little things that Callen does that, because he is my second-born and I now actually know how fleeting stages and phases are, I really find myself mourning, even before he's done doing them. When Audia was a baby I felt like I was always looking forward to the next thing, but with Cal I feel like I am a little more present, and as a result, a little more aware and emotional over the passing of stages and of the fact that my baby is no longer that. He's a toddler, and after toddler comes preschooler and after preschooler is a kid and after a kid is a teen and after that, good lord, the kids are moving out and entering adulthood and WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?! Audia is only four, and Cal only 15.5 months, and I am already feeling the panic and sadness and excitement of who they will be, where they will go, and what they will do.<br />
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But the passing of the little things is really hard this time around. Maybe because we don't know that we'll expand our family any further. There is a good chance that Cal is our last child, and there will be no more babies in our house. Little things like the way that Cal will rest his head on my shoulder, even if only for a second, any time I pick him up out of his carseat. Soon he'll be climbing out of his carseat himself and those wonderful seconds, which add up to wonderful minutes over the course of a week, will be no longer. The way that Audia will snuggle in next to me on the couch for a minute when I sit down, before she gets distracted by something and is up and playing again. How long will that last? When did I stop snuggling with my mom and decide that it wasn't cool to be affectionate? The way Cal wants to hold my hand when we're in the car and he's tired, and how without fail, about a minute after I reach back to let him hold my finger, he's asleep. <br />
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The passing of time, the changing of seasons, the transitioning of phases. They happen to everyone and no one can stop any of it. But it still comes as a surprise, and as a heartache, when it happens to <em>you.</em> I think of how fast the past four years, the past 15 months have gone and it feels like tomorrow I'll be writing about how Audia's off to college somewhere and Cal is in High School. *sigh*Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-3399670824059344552012-09-16T21:57:00.000-05:002012-09-16T21:58:28.839-05:00Audia's First Day of Preschool 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Audia's first week at her new preschool went so amazingly well! Munchkin LOVES her new teacher, Miss Lacey, as well as her FOUR other teachers. She's in a class of 12 kids and they have one main teacher with four other assistant teachers. She is already talking about other friends that she's playing with and is just so, so excited to go to school every day. <br />
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This is all very exciting to me for many reasons. Number 1 is that she's skipped a year in preschool; we got her into the four year old class this year even though she is 8 days past the cutoff (it sounds like it wouldn't be a big deal, but most of the preschools we talked to were absolutely unwilling to budge on their cutoff date regardless of Audia's maturity and readiness.) So she is the youngest in her class. We are very hopeful that she will be able to test into and start Kindergarten next year. Number 2 is that she is at a new school, and was very hesitant, scared, and anxious prior to her first day, about not being at the same school she was at last year. Number 3 is that I was <em>painfully</em> shy pretty much from birth well into college and I've always worried that my kids would have the same disposition towards being afraid of talking to/befriending/meeting new people. Audia is proving over and over again that this is absolutely not the case for her and it literally makes me want to shout out and jump for joy. I felt like my shyness was such a huge limitation for me, and to watch her warm up to her new class in mere seconds on the first day, and to say goodbye to me with hardly a glance back, makes me over-the-moon excited for her. And I am so excited to see what this school year holds for her!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-86195818261518802482012-09-10T15:12:00.004-05:002012-09-16T21:58:53.173-05:00Audia's 4th BirthdayOur baby girl turned four on Saturday. FOUR. Growing at the speed of light. We had a party for her at the party room of our housing association; a nice, open space with lots of room for the kids to run around and very little for them to destroy. It was perfect. <br />
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Audia picked a Spider-Man theme for her party this year. She is very into Spidey the past few months and there was no question when I asked her what kind of party she wanted to have. We all had a blast.<br />
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As Audia gets older, it gets harder to keep track of milestones and interests as she seems to change so quickly in some ways while staying the same in others. It is fascinating to watch her try on different hats, so to speak, whilst keeping these core traits that are already so much a part of who she is. Her compassionate, willful, imaginative, outgoing, and silly nature are things that are steady and constant through everything else. She has been more shy with new people or people she hasn't seen in a while lately, but I can't help but feel like it's just a mask she is trying on, as she will say, either to me or to the very person whom she's shying away from "I'm being shy right now." Minutes later, she's over it and playing with that very same person. <br />
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As for her interests, obviously there is the Spider-Man obsession. She is also really into Fireman Sam and still really enjoys Yo Gabba Gabba when it comes to TV shows. Peter Pan, The Care Bears Movie, and 101 Dalmations are favorite movies of the moment (or year, as the case may be!) And as far as play, she loves her stuffed animals, care bears, legos, puzzles, and anything that makes music.<br />
She surprises me regularly with her creativity and rhyming capabilities when she makes up songs about anything and everything. <br />
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She still adores her brother, although now that he is getting more and more independent, there is more 'arguing' that goes on between the two of them; fighting over toys and chairs and what-not as well as just general screaming at one-another is becoming more a part of day-to-day life. As an only child, I do find myself struggling to understand how they can be fighting one minute and best friends the next, but I love to watch their relationship grow and as long as they're enjoying eachothers company at least half of the time, I feel like we're doing ok there. <br />
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Happy, Happy Birthday, my dear sweet Audia. You enrich our lives in so many more ways than you will ever understand (until you have kids of your own!) We love you so, so much!!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-46930026572791018882012-09-04T16:57:00.006-05:002012-09-04T16:57:53.316-05:00Fair Fun 2012We made it out to the Minnesota State Fair three times this year! Once with my parents, once with my college roomie, Sha (that's a nickname, not her real name. Ha!), and her hubby and little boy, who came from AZ to visit while the fair was running because she's heard me talk about it so many times that she decided she had to see it for herself, and once with our good friends J and L, both of whom I've known since I was a teenager. Unfortunately the stars did not align with scheduling and we did not get to make our annual trip out with friends N, D, A, M, and A this year, but hopefully next year we can make it happen! <br />
What follows are just a few of the many photos we got at the fair this year, trying to cover all of the best parts of the fair and all of the fun that we had :-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carousel was more of a hit with Audia this year</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petting the Bunnies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the horses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumper Boats!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rides</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIluNdXt8H3zXMNPdS2KrHxAGUc9kepSzZbfKu16JMXmBPhZlA1EmHgZM7_05PB7hnJ2jNVW36EMwfJr_93G1uy2hQGbU1WmtZtsnD6tjIsjsDhvxu6HKRRCh4oU-1on5MYqrGINzDVy8/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-05+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIluNdXt8H3zXMNPdS2KrHxAGUc9kepSzZbfKu16JMXmBPhZlA1EmHgZM7_05PB7hnJ2jNVW36EMwfJr_93G1uy2hQGbU1WmtZtsnD6tjIsjsDhvxu6HKRRCh4oU-1on5MYqrGINzDVy8/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-05+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mighty Midway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQl4Tlq0Nur7avqRh-sxCxuQE3qIuzvck2p429KHprTyWJme0bLm4y_qGOJgLPhJrt_3Y1onvIt981DM3GdLHk0as1ujDWymfWqxWKg8qAt6xp23nMyCZXXQ8dGHErirgyXZVihSnR0V4/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-16+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQl4Tlq0Nur7avqRh-sxCxuQE3qIuzvck2p429KHprTyWJme0bLm4y_qGOJgLPhJrt_3Y1onvIt981DM3GdLHk0as1ujDWymfWqxWKg8qAt6xp23nMyCZXXQ8dGHErirgyXZVihSnR0V4/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-16+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx4jNBPjvSYDOijexjmIkdOIxXUeOp8m4DFyVr4_VJyMCnalY-xFCuh_Ets0UUyaM11y38a4kndv6b21zlTIya_SMGLzDxr_zYpu1I_v9AyVb_-I8ARhhwQ69fvrHokKWAkpGL46Pp94/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-20+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx4jNBPjvSYDOijexjmIkdOIxXUeOp8m4DFyVr4_VJyMCnalY-xFCuh_Ets0UUyaM11y38a4kndv6b21zlTIya_SMGLzDxr_zYpu1I_v9AyVb_-I8ARhhwQ69fvrHokKWAkpGL46Pp94/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-20+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia cried when we told her she was too young to go in the Haunted House....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPVJDu6dmuURCdltaLMUNg0GQW0W1wMPxU-dBJeKQbEgpG9tSWKToDIX6AV09jfTOU5jEIpefy2TlVIWHZPaUeYmPw8-MnN8QaeBaDnnBqoIP8Zw_jifV4adQOG-725hhg6z-6aYZvMA/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-23+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPVJDu6dmuURCdltaLMUNg0GQW0W1wMPxU-dBJeKQbEgpG9tSWKToDIX6AV09jfTOU5jEIpefy2TlVIWHZPaUeYmPw8-MnN8QaeBaDnnBqoIP8Zw_jifV4adQOG-725hhg6z-6aYZvMA/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-23+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sha kicked N's butt....</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJPQrsVEbzZhuFEsH5YdwUNO-SVup-hLcL0re_HVTzLcQyv0HV0eXSacEgelci93t_Sh1cvZQwo15J5j_ie5BPwN1b9Gwyct22e4TA2L-p13tQqO1sJxEZ2wsWkdmbOoge31-PE_C-vg/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-29+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJPQrsVEbzZhuFEsH5YdwUNO-SVup-hLcL0re_HVTzLcQyv0HV0eXSacEgelci93t_Sh1cvZQwo15J5j_ie5BPwN1b9Gwyct22e4TA2L-p13tQqO1sJxEZ2wsWkdmbOoge31-PE_C-vg/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-29+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlPYubE4LBYoVH1vHO8kbkT1-tizL1KizoJyOttFdJr-gCRI1HIQ-ZtLr6cQaeecO6KY9PIX9zLZMvtkZp4jI1O7sxPrqgKSyITlnhcWCq4UDXQmbP2_V5nRRWtcRRxjcaE-aeKE8T7A/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-32+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlPYubE4LBYoVH1vHO8kbkT1-tizL1KizoJyOttFdJr-gCRI1HIQ-ZtLr6cQaeecO6KY9PIX9zLZMvtkZp4jI1O7sxPrqgKSyITlnhcWCq4UDXQmbP2_V5nRRWtcRRxjcaE-aeKE8T7A/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-32+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scotch Eggs</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeiM1VP6Kin5IcpsL_OP-snxyjxNQJCkpTBORnDhQi4KH0knlrd0OtzblqSZGm02TLURjICA6TvGm1b1QHKfRy_9_yvzDy0tBb6fyp9ERiQe-wE89kvB9v5yzIG09PGUl2-SjsiJ4-M0/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-33+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeiM1VP6Kin5IcpsL_OP-snxyjxNQJCkpTBORnDhQi4KH0knlrd0OtzblqSZGm02TLURjICA6TvGm1b1QHKfRy_9_yvzDy0tBb6fyp9ERiQe-wE89kvB9v5yzIG09PGUl2-SjsiJ4-M0/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-33+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52pmziz77NYjIJRa5Q2XwE2Rwf29pIk9FJTTJIAGZkv-ujjB-GwkuUK2wKL3L2V7F8GOuDT9TFfQn-LIpFoaHxD2jWF6VfQ1cdxOiSKD-tpcufTZKL2hNgt3XWl6S9gWalJ9vkRmzfSo/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-34+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52pmziz77NYjIJRa5Q2XwE2Rwf29pIk9FJTTJIAGZkv-ujjB-GwkuUK2wKL3L2V7F8GOuDT9TFfQn-LIpFoaHxD2jWF6VfQ1cdxOiSKD-tpcufTZKL2hNgt3XWl6S9gWalJ9vkRmzfSo/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-34+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6Q4QUXZCz-OhrgC0e8nftMYM3tSNVmCHpLKFFf3DU_qKq7jCMhviuiDQX__iPHrpJgrM2lUdOxBA_xJNrUczJtS3h9-ZDREE8ncXLRanOyRZET3sJcyd1mvGr0dSYltHjoztySvRNy0/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-35+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6Q4QUXZCz-OhrgC0e8nftMYM3tSNVmCHpLKFFf3DU_qKq7jCMhviuiDQX__iPHrpJgrM2lUdOxBA_xJNrUczJtS3h9-ZDREE8ncXLRanOyRZET3sJcyd1mvGr0dSYltHjoztySvRNy0/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-35+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cal was a pro at taking naps at the fair by the last day we visited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Opr-tCIAWGKxcFkwccCiQuKS6fZaFnHyb7uff11etxpz4dVgnlvsPQMEilJJ_7mCUjys-5odMbfiFIVxuz9_Sboj7nrGDTrH8usNBcvqZjKYV4wBjdVH4D273ij1E6UsM9DAvpc0LE/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-37+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Opr-tCIAWGKxcFkwccCiQuKS6fZaFnHyb7uff11etxpz4dVgnlvsPQMEilJJ_7mCUjys-5odMbfiFIVxuz9_Sboj7nrGDTrH8usNBcvqZjKYV4wBjdVH4D273ij1E6UsM9DAvpc0LE/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-37+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia adored Sha's son, T.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSdwKzdcRomtExwSj8MmZFDCB2KrxAKl2UKLw66W46q_srxNpl1lhiiS_m8e9WegKRmw2bWVXgt4SU06Qs1Bh_ySd3QwKhn66zyOxPCD6uV1yPBawI8SOg7sYE4oxRbVWLNdbms8cptg/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-39+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSdwKzdcRomtExwSj8MmZFDCB2KrxAKl2UKLw66W46q_srxNpl1lhiiS_m8e9WegKRmw2bWVXgt4SU06Qs1Bh_ySd3QwKhn66zyOxPCD6uV1yPBawI8SOg7sYE4oxRbVWLNdbms8cptg/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-39+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterheads, anyone?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdJOwSP7P2GRWOmDhyphenhyphenHjIxZ9c4yxLT7vIDG8Iivf1mvOjxMwD76Mlj7EINd36Kli5FiMq37RkMpQ4RNhzme-dYXH9CVUT0fKTAvhWJ_WkpdEOyd2Rt7xNgz8S5fTTG9Toi6e4KzdlvWk/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-41+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdJOwSP7P2GRWOmDhyphenhyphenHjIxZ9c4yxLT7vIDG8Iivf1mvOjxMwD76Mlj7EINd36Kli5FiMq37RkMpQ4RNhzme-dYXH9CVUT0fKTAvhWJ_WkpdEOyd2Rt7xNgz8S5fTTG9Toi6e4KzdlvWk/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-41+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese Curds!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3u-IMXrPYbQ2mt8VNBvI57vwI5xgMOXlKWT4TBYz8eFU0tY2ycsfyZQkROD46yKqTsisk_eaKYkoFqHnsHBR-tcA3bhHRI2YBnkPl5O6lny3SDvj2P9eRo1UhjhSVPNgTjR6HZVAlI/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-42+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3u-IMXrPYbQ2mt8VNBvI57vwI5xgMOXlKWT4TBYz8eFU0tY2ycsfyZQkROD46yKqTsisk_eaKYkoFqHnsHBR-tcA3bhHRI2YBnkPl5O6lny3SDvj2P9eRo1UhjhSVPNgTjR6HZVAlI/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-42+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo with Fairchild, the State Fair Mascot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2yaG6He2V-PS6MMFzekiBPiXyz2rXw2jn2wfxWBc5uSYk0R8biFzsPNoOiZHaajRufSnwFqUBLeaCRYVF93o4_pvkHcYpmftgfpzvaQWet2_hFzhjzRX4Xp0hN3ho794f0D1th1_AGU/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-57+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2yaG6He2V-PS6MMFzekiBPiXyz2rXw2jn2wfxWBc5uSYk0R8biFzsPNoOiZHaajRufSnwFqUBLeaCRYVF93o4_pvkHcYpmftgfpzvaQWet2_hFzhjzRX4Xp0hN3ho794f0D1th1_AGU/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-57+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta ride the Giant Slide!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-EgnEyGlLMPET2Ut4XWqOGF3N4P49IYd1lzzeSVkMRSLO1RnomgW2yBoiMaaFAvQXS7LOhorU8O97zWrO1Mdlkx8tRxdKSOwCZL3j6lKrSCutKkY6RRXi4W9NJ0-RxjzgZN8dnO6xfE/s1600/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-64+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-EgnEyGlLMPET2Ut4XWqOGF3N4P49IYd1lzzeSVkMRSLO1RnomgW2yBoiMaaFAvQXS7LOhorU8O97zWrO1Mdlkx8tRxdKSOwCZL3j6lKrSCutKkY6RRXi4W9NJ0-RxjzgZN8dnO6xfE/s320/kenneyvisit+8-28-12-64+SMALL.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm...Cookie.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeCFQ9SHO-dWhD4JdtkQxKYCqisVqv_kE0bu_TAa9yknh1MbQBy0zThR0gqytQcfS00_rwFibph7REZTPvFwcEA7KnNKlUsuIhd1yU1_ZzbXYDFEDq812jRvUXUlwmMcxCCgErm4VCls/s1600/fair+9-3-12-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeCFQ9SHO-dWhD4JdtkQxKYCqisVqv_kE0bu_TAa9yknh1MbQBy0zThR0gqytQcfS00_rwFibph7REZTPvFwcEA7KnNKlUsuIhd1yU1_ZzbXYDFEDq812jRvUXUlwmMcxCCgErm4VCls/s320/fair+9-3-12-02.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J wanted to check out the hunting stuff...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0w8TN7sg30xheCSbFuEDs-RqcvOd1GwMl5zgAx6Vr86Vx_Qarxr8zzTtIdF3PyDCsqDDQOniVE5-9pzOC7kmJ09xDtmWJUghBINfnFz1OxzW_tB1AFH-XFpyjXV7FXXXCWqpUUSIm0A/s1600/fair+9-3-12-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0w8TN7sg30xheCSbFuEDs-RqcvOd1GwMl5zgAx6Vr86Vx_Qarxr8zzTtIdF3PyDCsqDDQOniVE5-9pzOC7kmJ09xDtmWJUghBINfnFz1OxzW_tB1AFH-XFpyjXV7FXXXCWqpUUSIm0A/s320/fair+9-3-12-04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRUShsHVXz0-pcyG_mtfXHp44lckT7lLb0VIz2Y0ez8sqaGH15WiGeC81V5znytXJrQmHfG519gbKhLHcf6zN3lCgc746rUuvUct3ihap4zXgY7ANgeRI8wemRenoq0N-f9xbVI0cp8I/s1600/fair+9-3-12-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRUShsHVXz0-pcyG_mtfXHp44lckT7lLb0VIz2Y0ez8sqaGH15WiGeC81V5znytXJrQmHfG519gbKhLHcf6zN3lCgc746rUuvUct3ihap4zXgY7ANgeRI8wemRenoq0N-f9xbVI0cp8I/s320/fair+9-3-12-06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Photo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids love the construction equipment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crop Art</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pronto Pups</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to hit up that Carousel one last time!</td></tr>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-58350926552214073912012-08-08T15:34:00.002-05:002012-08-08T15:35:57.173-05:00Well hi there, August. You sure snuck up on me, didn't you??I always heard that life with two kids was so much busier than life with one (which is ridiculously more busy than life with none!) And I can still remember very vividly the utter horror I felt when one of my best friends, who is the oldest of three, told me about how her baby book is filled to the brim, her middle sister's is filled out part way, and her youngest sister's has her birth info and a photo and that's it (yes, utter horror. I was probably 13 when she told me that, so you can imagine the melodrama that was wrapped up in my reaction.) Now, however, I am living it. Callen's been walking for 3 weeks now and I am just now getting around to writing about it. Sigh. Let this segway into a quick letter of apology to my little man.<br />
<br />
Dear Callen,<br />
If you ever look back on this blog, or the photo albums, or your baby books, and feel like you were overlooked compared to the vast amounts of information your sister has about her babydom, please know that it is not due to lack of love or care or infatuation with you. It is because I have realized that I would much rather be spending time with you than writing about you and because I would rather be in the moment, playing with you guys than taking photos of you guys playing. (Though I still think that you are probably the two most over-photographed kids on the planet, even if my photographing has slowed a bit since we first had Audia.) So, my apologies, darling. I love you more than words.<br />
Mom<br />
<br />
So, yes, Callen woke up one Saturday morning and knew how to walk, and has been walking ever since! It amazes me how sure on his feet he is; he pivots on a dime and if he loses his balance, which is rare, he always lands on his butt instead of his face. He's also been talking quite a bit more, and picking up new words at what feels like rapid speed. 'Bye' seems to have been his first real word. He also says 'Hi', though never on command. He says 'moh' for more, and also if he wants something. He says 'Mama' for both me and Chris, though sometimes he will say 'Dada' for Chris too. He says 'num num' when he's hungry and recently has started saying 'nie nie' at bedtime and naptime. The thing that I find the cutest is the way that he tries to snap his fingers when he sees, or is looking for, Fievel. I always snap to call Fievel and Cal tries now to do it too. If I remember correctly, I think Audia used to do the exact same thing with Cooper. <br />
<br />
The past two weeks we spend on vacation at the cottage, with a quick jaunt to Grand Marais to meet up with my parents for my mom's 70th birthday. It was a wonderful trip. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were there. We spent every day in our bathing suits, playing in the sand, fishing, swimming, and just enjoying the beauty of the lake and the outdoors. Chris' mom, Brother, and soon to be sister-in-law met us at the cottage for a few days, and we even got to meet up with a good friend of mine who I've known since we were 11, who was up at a lake about 10 minutes from us to celebrate her birthday! It was overall a fabulous vacation and I am beyond bummed that it's come to an end! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Audia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donuts with Grandpa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Grand Marais</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is one of 2 photos of me the entire vacation.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palisade Head</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting with Nana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF7xfRo-mxZx7ArUtGJyfuBNEjhYqMrW838l4WAyoQZLqPnm4xsUAFdFIVuIWeuIeU_0H1UzY6W13dHQhp8-H59u5RfDr1fTT8gqgtofTMHDT80ZsBt5hxf3MzUIupVi9dTva0oJCXGw/s1600/cal+7-31-12-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF7xfRo-mxZx7ArUtGJyfuBNEjhYqMrW838l4WAyoQZLqPnm4xsUAFdFIVuIWeuIeU_0H1UzY6W13dHQhp8-H59u5RfDr1fTT8gqgtofTMHDT80ZsBt5hxf3MzUIupVi9dTva0oJCXGw/s320/cal+7-31-12-01.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Walking Boy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgO65VcsRV1XSvTyLVy3s0x5FxLsw5SDHK3o1vOMHqs_PJNJ8YTJYprEbWuJsLxHbZqAvgOSwOiiATXr2q4lfksQepZXv4ad01T7Kaza-tAzMIsXRwRV4Oe_S6RwDvB_dlWVG13lPg0o/s1600/horseshoe+8-2-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgO65VcsRV1XSvTyLVy3s0x5FxLsw5SDHK3o1vOMHqs_PJNJ8YTJYprEbWuJsLxHbZqAvgOSwOiiATXr2q4lfksQepZXv4ad01T7Kaza-tAzMIsXRwRV4Oe_S6RwDvB_dlWVG13lPg0o/s320/horseshoe+8-2-12.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full Moon over Horseshoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP564zhz1xetKNStl2dleU-M8k14vfOrzNG7Z5rn6svUKXyFe4H3a3IbMO4JTHCGM4HYRbgRAUakdJLHZwNHe5N18WB4biMQO1G7_vrx9aq_AQlkBsOkBcLM4fNYGXcRXAgxYQnCFPl6Y/s1600/a+8-3-12-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP564zhz1xetKNStl2dleU-M8k14vfOrzNG7Z5rn6svUKXyFe4H3a3IbMO4JTHCGM4HYRbgRAUakdJLHZwNHe5N18WB4biMQO1G7_vrx9aq_AQlkBsOkBcLM4fNYGXcRXAgxYQnCFPl6Y/s320/a+8-3-12-02.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little birdwatcher</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxz_9kOm-hVA0NwB05vlxAJdjccYWeFuwYP3gQxsDp7hO_YVqKV_PV41ZInkYrMiQ7DsJaOyYGIDNqUELNLXr3lMmOycZyyX69LaKsETzbj4RVHiEjD3GoUZk6DsWti-5nG-JVhY_7Yo/s1600/ccal+8-3-12-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxz_9kOm-hVA0NwB05vlxAJdjccYWeFuwYP3gQxsDp7hO_YVqKV_PV41ZInkYrMiQ7DsJaOyYGIDNqUELNLXr3lMmOycZyyX69LaKsETzbj4RVHiEjD3GoUZk6DsWti-5nG-JVhY_7Yo/s320/ccal+8-3-12-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuckered out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-18621913414322650932012-07-16T16:00:00.001-05:002012-09-16T22:00:09.985-05:00Moved!Whew. What a summer this has been so far! We moved at the beginning of the month into a much bigger place; from a tiny 2-bedroom apartment to a (what seems to us, anyways) ginourmous 3-bedroom townhouse! It is a bit more than double the size of our apartment, and on three levels, so nice and sound-proof when the kids are sleeping, which is FABULOUS! Our place is in a gorgeous area called 'The Preserve' and aptly so! We are surrounded by wooded areas, marshes, and a bazillion walking trails, little private neighborhood-only parks and playgrounds, and the biggest bonus is a 3/4 acre natural sand-bottom, filtered and treated swimming pool! It is basically a lake that they have hooked up a filtration system to. We haven't had a chance to venture over there yet, but it is on our agenda in the near future!<br />
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Audia took the move quite a bit harder than I expected it to, but she seems to be settling in a bit now (even though just yesterday she told us that she misses our 'little apartment,') and her behavior/mood seems to gradually be leveling out a bit. <br />
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We are still not even close to being totally unpacked, which has been a struggle for me sanity-wise. Unpacking whilst watching two youngins (or at least my two youngins...) is pretty much ridiculous. We moved on Sunday the first, Chris worked Monday and Tuesday, then we had Wednesday (the 4th of July) to get bigger projects done (I painted Callen's room, Chris worked on unpacking the playroom) and then Chris was back at work Thursday. Friday we went up to the cottage to be with his entire immediate family minus Brent's fiance, who was ill (boo!) for the weekend, which means nothing got done that weekend. (Photos from our visit below!) We have been getting things unpacked here and there as time and the children allow but keeping up with dishes and laundry on top of unpacking, as well as having regular playdates to keep Audia from feeling like her life has been totally upheaved, has me beyond exhausted. We did make quite a dent this past weekend but I still feel like we have so much to do....We definitely are not moving again until the kids are old enough to pack and unpack their own stuff!<br />
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In other news, Callen is now walking 98% of the time! He's been taking steps solo for a while now but just this past weekend he's started walking full-time. It is so fun to see him cruising around....and a bit scary....dude is fast! It's so fun to see how proud he is of himself when now that he can follow his sister around upright. In no time he'll be chasing her!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkdnJjVF-EP2PY385t_2j-8wwYGko4_9H2iV83-CvAPG11fK0XqXPNynOU3JBDDZdmaWtF_JPGz5f0uPWlmJm_vvWdIblgxJFHZiuXKGBjEn0gwt_D0DEzd1VOvIA0Yh9D5AuKsXSm3I/s1600/cottage+7-6-12-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkdnJjVF-EP2PY385t_2j-8wwYGko4_9H2iV83-CvAPG11fK0XqXPNynOU3JBDDZdmaWtF_JPGz5f0uPWlmJm_vvWdIblgxJFHZiuXKGBjEn0gwt_D0DEzd1VOvIA0Yh9D5AuKsXSm3I/s320/cottage+7-6-12-05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with Cousin Courtney</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpuxhPZFigHmbE5Wt0DITSf_edsBSnLUyR0Ua6BF0LftdtCy_3Ij1OyZ3UxGACsUMeDcQH0Z1B7poeigI0xLUQGJnCgG8r8eYREiOHCkF7kZC3ZRDLtSGSraewH0VyAKiPbVo4QATZgU/s1600/cottage+7-6-12-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpuxhPZFigHmbE5Wt0DITSf_edsBSnLUyR0Ua6BF0LftdtCy_3Ij1OyZ3UxGACsUMeDcQH0Z1B7poeigI0xLUQGJnCgG8r8eYREiOHCkF7kZC3ZRDLtSGSraewH0VyAKiPbVo4QATZgU/s320/cottage+7-6-12-02.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuties</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That Auntie Heather is funny :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving the lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mustachioed Nephews</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly Cousins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmRttT5bwJvR53ghZntViwsAgcDVdU2W7KUXRGPlQiyfmLHQ1Hjxx7O4u_eGZDcmZ15Gla04hEff1iD2H3QKiJSKjtMImVsTFw2fHthUrY21cTeYaAAte2HZFEMhKapDtE5-VeETTFFE/s1600/cottage+7-7-12-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmRttT5bwJvR53ghZntViwsAgcDVdU2W7KUXRGPlQiyfmLHQ1Hjxx7O4u_eGZDcmZ15Gla04hEff1iD2H3QKiJSKjtMImVsTFw2fHthUrY21cTeYaAAte2HZFEMhKapDtE5-VeETTFFE/s320/cottage+7-7-12-10.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lance and Levi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCIXEMT7pZJ8ykjzlVNBnDwAvojd8HaWR1DViNZJhbYmLOpm-E5QvlCZ5sA4t3Z8SX-VdRxg-rPNwpNvx5QMhWVCVfMqY88e9ix6a5fOOtQFYAg8eGgf2tSKPj3O60T6FUM6YG6M45y4/s1600/cottage+7-7-12-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCIXEMT7pZJ8ykjzlVNBnDwAvojd8HaWR1DViNZJhbYmLOpm-E5QvlCZ5sA4t3Z8SX-VdRxg-rPNwpNvx5QMhWVCVfMqY88e9ix6a5fOOtQFYAg8eGgf2tSKPj3O60T6FUM6YG6M45y4/s320/cottage+7-7-12-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tubing Extravaganza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia's first time tubing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_aSkwFoLkP-WASlBDqHYeZYXwETJ5T2U2RbRaw9se81xGGeaQESn42z1PU7pPr-ZBzUf51my81n4DiB0ccs8wdjZRKa9rceIFctJfTW6IlSVeVCgENRkU4z9uF4rTGE_DebrHA6Ejk/s1600/cottage+7-8-12-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_aSkwFoLkP-WASlBDqHYeZYXwETJ5T2U2RbRaw9se81xGGeaQESn42z1PU7pPr-ZBzUf51my81n4DiB0ccs8wdjZRKa9rceIFctJfTW6IlSVeVCgENRkU4z9uF4rTGE_DebrHA6Ejk/s320/cottage+7-8-12-01.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family shot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-64827634849355537682012-06-14T14:46:00.001-05:002012-06-14T14:46:47.939-05:00Callen at 12 monthsCallen had his 12 month appointment today. The last time we were at the doctor's office was about 2 months ago when we found out he had coxsakie virus. And at that visit, he totally flipped out the whole time. Crying when anyone got near him, clinging to me for dear life. I figured it was because he didn't feel well. And you wouldn't think that he would remember that visit; I have read that babies do not develop long term memory until after age one. But Callen would like to test that theory. Because today, the second we walked into the doctor's office, he started crying and clinging to me. Before we even saw a nurse or doctor or anything! He did warm up to Dr. S after a little while, thankfully. Which brings me to his stats. Callen is now in the 65th percentile for weight, at 23 lbs, 13 oz (Apparently our scale at home is off by a few lbs!) and in the 97th percentile for height at 32 inches on the dot. He's the size of the average 18 month old!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-57999005676453554362012-06-11T16:53:00.000-05:002012-06-14T14:49:02.561-05:00Callen's First BirthdayOne year ago today, I went from the most difficult (by a landslide) of my two pregnancies to the easiest (by a landslide) of my two labors and deliveries and gave birth to a big, beautiful baby boy.<br />
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Since that day, Callen has enriched our lives in so very many ways. He is proving to be much like his sister in that he always seems to do things his own way, though in many ways he is the Yin to his sister's Yang. Their different personalities really complement each other well, and they have become such great playmates, with a friendship that I feel so blessed to be able to watch blossom.<br />
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In the past four weeks, Callen has started saying 'hi' regularly, saying 'bye' when he waves bye-bye, saying 'ma-ma' and 'da-da,' signing 'more,' giving kisses, clapping his hands, dancing, getting off of the couches all by himself, and drinking out of a sippy cup. <br />
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This past weekend we had a little birthday party for Cal. Even though he skipped his afternoon nap, there were no meltdowns or tears shed; he was quite a trooper, and really seemed to enjoy himself!<br />
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I designed Callen's birthday invite from scratch using some ocean-themed clip art that I purchased. I used the clip art to also make a Happy Birthday banner (which I forgot to photograph. Boo!), a 'first year' banner (seen below), and to give to our favorite bakery for his cake (also seen below). My parents were gracious and let us use their house and beautiful back yard for what will hopefully be the last time (we are moving July 1st into a house that will actually be large enough so we can host our own parties! Yay!) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wt2PGrTzimEUcfe2ypIAhUhV5vAUb8FEPvpXcnQxzQ4mZ2lyfivJnk0IjT2-whtPPurOGC8tw37mza7X6KjxcRcpfLhon2ONmSv5EZ74Sd4KQQqMY7IEnnaEWH07ni68bJspmB52D00/s1600/callens+inviteblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wt2PGrTzimEUcfe2ypIAhUhV5vAUb8FEPvpXcnQxzQ4mZ2lyfivJnk0IjT2-whtPPurOGC8tw37mza7X6KjxcRcpfLhon2ONmSv5EZ74Sd4KQQqMY7IEnnaEWH07ni68bJspmB52D00/s320/callens+inviteblog.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The invite</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wuollet Bakery does it again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First year photo banner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with Grandpa Mustache</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Daddy and Grandpa Mustache</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Daddy and Nana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sissy did a great job of helping Callen open his presents</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing Callen how his new CAT toy works</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audia loves to help with the clean up....I really hope this trait sticks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callen knew how to make 'Danny the Dinosaur' rock right away!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our happy birthday boy!</td></tr>
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-11748931944111169882012-05-18T14:19:00.000-05:002012-06-14T14:49:37.986-05:00Little Miss IndependentIf there is one thing that Audia keeps teaching me over and over again, it is that she does things on her own. There is no 'training' her to do anything. There is no convincing her to do something she doesn't want to do. She happens to take after her Mama in that she is a very strong-willed girl. She does things on her own, when she is ready, in her own way. Frequent blog readers might remember that she basically daytime potty trained herself two weeks before Callen was born. I had tried periodically for months to get her potty trained to no avail. One day she woke up and decided to start using the potty. We rewarded her efforts, but her decision to do it was her own. Periodically over the past few months I have been trying to get her nighttime potty trained as well, again to no avail. But about two weeks ago she started waking up with dry pull ups in the morning, so I created a sticker chart for her. After 5 days in a row, she got a toy out of our toy stash (the word stash makes it sound like we have a pile of toys hidden away. It's more like 4 toys.) Then, after five more days she got to pick out something special at Toys R Us. Audia had decided before we left for the store that she wanted to get a Spiderman toy. She's recently developed quite an interest in Spidey; a boy in her class has Spiderman shoes and for whatever reason she has really latched onto him. I was sure that once we got to Toys 'r Us she would get distracted and choose something else, but she had no interest in the Littlest Pet Shop, Princess, or stuffed animal aisles. It was Spiderman or bust! And now she carries him <em>everywhere</em> with her.<br />
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Our munchkin is now going on night 15 without any accidents, and I couldn't be more proud of her. While Audia's willfulness can certainly be a challenge and extremely exhausting at times, it is also one of my favorite things about her. She definitely knows what she wants and goes after it with gusto!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264550398602676452.post-51606278883308465342012-05-16T16:01:00.000-05:002012-06-14T14:47:53.490-05:00Callen at 11 MonthsAt 11 months, our "little" man is now 25 lbs and 5 oz. Measuring his height is nearly impossible so I will leave that to the professionals at his 1 year appt next month. He's in 18 month size clothing and strangers still regularly ask me if he's a year and a half (one even asked if he was 2!) when we're out and about. <br />
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Despite all the issues we had with his eating earlier on this year, Callen has become a big eater, and will gobble up pretty much anything we put in front of him as long as he can feed it to himself. He essentially skipped over the baby food phase and went straight to self-feeding. He will try pretty much anything at least once a meal, which is awesome, though if he doesn't like something he will throw it on the floor, which is not. (Awesome, that is.)<br />
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Cal has gotten insanely fast when it comes to crawling and cruising, and has recently started to try taking a few steps when holding onto my hands. He is still hugely interested in anything with wheels or doors, and loves Audia's little people doll house and little people bus, which he will put little stuffed animals or toy characters into and then drive around on the floor, making a sort of raspberry sound with his mouth. It is hard for me to believe that he already knows how to make a car sound, and to associate it with playing with a bus toy, but I swear that is what he's doing!<br />
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Recently Callen has started waving 'Hi,' though he rarely does it on command. He also has started clapping and will shake his head back and forth to try and get us to do the same. He is babbling a ton, frequently using 'B,' 'V,' 'F,' and occasionally 'S' sounds. <br />
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Though he's been teething again the past week or so (or, at least I assume he is due to the copious amounts of drool he is producing and the fact that he is chewing on everything....including me.....) he is still <em>such </em>a happy boy. It seems like he is always smiling, always giggling and trying to get other people to laugh. He still adores his sister and loves playing with her, and she is still wonderful with him despite the fact that a lot of times his idea of playing involves pulling her hair and smacking her in the face.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06036453682410610768noreply@blogger.com0