tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85503403969913236112024-03-20T06:35:14.104-05:00Two Times The Chaos!A Day In The Life Of A Growing Family!Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-47583224123647703962014-07-10T14:54:00.001-05:002014-07-10T14:56:13.139-05:00LOOK, MOM! AN UPDATE...<br />
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Although I'm a tad bit disappointed that I haven't been able to keep our family blog up to date since late last year, I'm happy to report that we've been a very busy family for the past 8+ months. <br />
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This post includes a few photos from one of our most recent family adventures...a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. It was a "first" for "Feisty Girl" but a return trip for the rest of us.<br />
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We were able to enjoy a total of five days in the Disney Parks, one day at Siesta Key Beach (near Sarasota, FL), a partial day at Gatorland, and many other fun activities throughout our stay. We are blessed to have been able to spend some truly special time together as a family...and we are all looking forward to creating some more fun, family memories throughout the remainder of the summer!ChaosControllerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11174468207278773813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-29729309130748918452013-11-18T20:47:00.003-06:002013-11-18T20:47:46.645-06:00My, Oh My...How Time Flys!As you can tell, this year has been a very busy one. I'm not even going to attempt to recap what has happened in our lives since my last post -- other than to say that our in-laws moved out (and into their new home) at the end of July and we have kind of been "regrouping" in our household since that time!<br />
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I have several people who have shared that they really enjoyed my blog in the past, and to <i>please</i> NOT discontinue it. So, I'm going to make a real attempt to keep up with posts from now until the end of the year! I'll definitely try to keep up with our "life-at-the-moment" posts...and I may even try to recap a few things from earlier in the year if time allows.<br />
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<i>Stay Tuned!</i>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-9682181903833195412013-05-08T00:05:00.002-05:002013-05-08T00:05:11.776-05:00Chaos Reins!Chaos continues to rain upon us this year. You might recall, based on my last post, that we had family move in with us back in February. They've now been living with us for about 2.5 months and we have another 1.5+ months to go before they move out of our home and into their beautiful, new home.<br />
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Overall things have been going very well but the kids have definitely had their moments. They like to push each other's buttons (especially the two older girls!) and make life miserable for each other on occasion. For the most part, however, things are going well considering we are now a family of eight living together in a four bedroom home! I think all of us adults are just happy that spring is FINALLY upon us...since that means that the kids can now go outside for <em>hours</em> on end and play rather than being cooped up inside all day!<br />
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In addition to the household changes, we also have other changes that are taking place. The end of yet another school year is quickly approaching, which means that come this fall we will officially have one first grader and one fifth grader. It seems so odd to speak those words! And last, but not least, "Feisty Girl" is set to have another surgery next week.<br />
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As we'll be catering to "Feisty Girl" every want and need beginning next week and likely continuing through late summer/early fall, I'm not exactly sure how much blogging I'll get around to doing. For those with access, I'll be blogging about Emma's surgery "journey" on her private, password protected page if you would like to follow us there. For everyone else, if time allows, I'll try to catch up on some old posts while I'm "hanging out" in the hospital for 4 or 5 days next week. There are only so many things you can do in a hospital room you know! (Don't hold it against me if I don't have time to catch ya' all up on the latest and greatest family news though -- I'll do my best but I can't make any promises...my family is my top priority!Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-55502614359214847912013-02-23T23:18:00.002-06:002013-02-23T23:18:43.907-06:00If You're Wondering...If you are wondering where I've been hiding out since the first of the year, the answer is pretty simple...we've been in the process of <em>doubling</em> the size of our family! SAY WHAT? Yes, we use to be a family of four and now we are a family of eight. No additional babies. Or pets. How does that happen you ask? Read on to find out...<br />
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It all started with my brother-in-law and his family. They sold their existing home and their new home has not yet been built. In fact, the ground hasn't even been broken yet -- but the design is complete.<br />
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So, in addition to the four of us (the adults) there are now four kids in the house. Our nine year old, our five year old, their five year old, and their one year old. That's a <em>lotta</em> kids! ;)<br />
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They moved in not quite one week ago and we have all been having a blast thus far. The kids have loved having the opportunity to play together all the time and I have really enjoyed our family meal planning and dinners together. Today we spent the day grocery shopping and cleaning the house. The old saying "many hands make light work" really is true! We had a lot to do but had in done in no time.<br />
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Tomorrow we'll be relaxing, except maybe a trip to Kohls and/or Lowes. The kiddos will have another chance to get out into the new snow and do some sledding or build a snow fort.<br />
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I'm excited to see what the next six months (approximately) will bring for the eight of us!!Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-1920985660523974022013-01-01T12:40:00.000-06:002013-01-01T12:40:09.290-06:00...And That's a WrapSo 2012 has officially come to an end and we have now entered the New Year! Although the time seemed to fly-by, we made a lot of great memories in 2012. Here is a recap of some of my favorites:<br />
<ul>
<li>"Feisty Girl" had her first pedicure on a "mommy and me" day in March</li>
<li>Birthday celebrations included - "Feisty Girl" turned 5, "Little Man" turned 9, and <em>my man</em> turned the big 4-0!</li>
<li>"Little Man" gave his first ever PowerPoint presentation ("All About Me") in front of his 3rd grade class at the end of the school year.</li>
<li>"Little Man" participated in his first ever city-wide track and field event. He placed in one event and received a ribbon!</li>
<li>We were able to enjoy front-row (right about the dugout!) seats to a MN Twins game and "Little Man" had a total of three balls thrown to him, including two from Justin Morneau.</li>
<li>"Feisty Girl" started kindergarten!!</li>
<li>"Little Man" won a "Grandmasters of Chess, Rookie Trophy" through a Youth Enrichment League class that he took over the summer.</li>
<li>My husband and I, along with our best friends, got to tour the Leinenkugal Brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI, over his 40th birthday.</li>
<li>"Little Man" earned a Presidential Fitness Award.</li>
<li>"Feisty Girl" had another successful surgery (calcaneal osteotomy w/ internal fixation and gastroc-soleus lengthening) in December and recovered quickly and, thus far, without any problems!</li>
<li>We were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy some quality family time together at places like the MN Zoo, the MN State Fair, Duluth (the North Shore!), MN, and the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI.</li>
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Last, but not least, here a a few photos to finish off the year. I've been lacking in the addition of photos to the website lately...so here are a few of recent events that will finish off another year of "Groh'ing family" blog posts:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhbhIuG4pOQGEpG4PSy1tkBNNbSLZcYxQU-gMwrQa7fS6hhn3R1aPSBpRE3fbiCsZtVTjE3p5U66pxpTFDvsNYOa7iSN-WCmpa0n11341W59itGXcaTsG-vjoQTlveMgg7mrkNVc17pCR/s1600/DSC_0447+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhbhIuG4pOQGEpG4PSy1tkBNNbSLZcYxQU-gMwrQa7fS6hhn3R1aPSBpRE3fbiCsZtVTjE3p5U66pxpTFDvsNYOa7iSN-WCmpa0n11341W59itGXcaTsG-vjoQTlveMgg7mrkNVc17pCR/s320/DSC_0447+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lookin' Beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiZyMd1CIwICBUtSmNyuRy2WQlOt2VNGH53pM1s8MKABal2FxWvx8Fh0RnvR_XLM7wi68ZP8uD7nEVtNF5j6FxUtzdhN9loScINQm_tS5MOxxRQPcq9sQSrYtVdSYyr2LQZv9AkWI_9w1/s1600/DSC_0536+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiZyMd1CIwICBUtSmNyuRy2WQlOt2VNGH53pM1s8MKABal2FxWvx8Fh0RnvR_XLM7wi68ZP8uD7nEVtNF5j6FxUtzdhN9loScINQm_tS5MOxxRQPcq9sQSrYtVdSYyr2LQZv9AkWI_9w1/s320/DSC_0536+(2).JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full of "Sass!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnnRw1JvC4AzgCqzwNveAZl7F4ItdXXV6xynGMpIyG0pNrsZTWV8ilIkNWwR-BcShqJOTD_Qphsvu4aqqzh9tKpyFK-LIydFXeEUi8mlEK4OlpNEL5Upg9hxCWVfEKWD8fqp_7JK8oXdW/s1600/DSC_0596+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnnRw1JvC4AzgCqzwNveAZl7F4ItdXXV6xynGMpIyG0pNrsZTWV8ilIkNWwR-BcShqJOTD_Qphsvu4aqqzh9tKpyFK-LIydFXeEUi8mlEK4OlpNEL5Upg9hxCWVfEKWD8fqp_7JK8oXdW/s320/DSC_0596+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Small Conversation with Santa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnufOZQ4sBK84Z-Ow-gEL9QeJ6g2HSvSE-706vQ8qOZVhmX1yn9B42SCMtG-9uqwtPEKFWDhJzVcMYD1fu1EJvw2nQAslmWtQ84kVGSQ6Tqe8QP_yzrjjlNWHh6y7edMca4RGN6ZRl5OhI/s1600/DSC_0607+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnufOZQ4sBK84Z-Ow-gEL9QeJ6g2HSvSE-706vQ8qOZVhmX1yn9B42SCMtG-9uqwtPEKFWDhJzVcMYD1fu1EJvw2nQAslmWtQ84kVGSQ6Tqe8QP_yzrjjlNWHh6y7edMca4RGN6ZRl5OhI/s320/DSC_0607+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother and Sister at the Hospital</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxXSqsff6Ua9PfeAblqYjf_Z26z7Z1_Uu1jyf4Dpx0Vz4v6XZIceDfwjw03rszEKQKRJPnSLJB32Da4C58CwGoNRoq0af-ubvQlOzP31gWe9Xq8H8AMtX8i9ufabyIYg9x0LetpMlVcYg/s1600/DSC_0692+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxXSqsff6Ua9PfeAblqYjf_Z26z7Z1_Uu1jyf4Dpx0Vz4v6XZIceDfwjw03rszEKQKRJPnSLJB32Da4C58CwGoNRoq0af-ubvQlOzP31gWe9Xq8H8AMtX8i9ufabyIYg9x0LetpMlVcYg/s320/DSC_0692+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Family Christmas Photo<br />
(Christmas on the other side of the family<br />
has yet to take place!)</td></tr>
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-61121299807111228812012-12-15T17:54:00.000-06:002012-12-15T17:59:25.221-06:00Another Sad Day in U.S. HistoryIt was during my lunch hour yesterday that I learned of the tragic events that took place earlier in the morning in Newtown, CT, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I won't "glorify" what took place by including any of the details in this post -- as I strongly believe this is part of the problem with these situations. The media sensationalizes the event, which leads to copycat activities and people trying to "one up" the last person.<br />
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What I will focus on here are those who I believe are typically forgotten...the victims. Most folks can rattle off the name of someone who has committed a heinous crime such as this, but few can remember the names of the victims.<br />
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So, here is my own personal attempt to make sure that the victims of this tragedy are never forgotten. Their names will be etched here in writing for years to come. Never to be forgotten. Ever.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="color: black;"></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">The children:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Charlotte Bacon - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Daniel Barden - Age 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Olivia Engel - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Josephine Gay - Age 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Ana M Marquez-Greene - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Dylan Hockley - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Madeleine F Hsu - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Catherine V Hubbard - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Chase Kowalski - Age 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Jesse Lewis - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">James Mattioli - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Grace McDonnell - Age 7</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Emilie Parker - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Jack Pinto - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Noah Pozner - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Caroline Previdi - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Jessica Rekos - Age 6</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Avielle Richman - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Benjamin Wheeler - Age 6</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Allison N Wyatt - Age 6</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">The adults:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Rachel Davino - Age 29</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Dawn Hocksprung - Age 48</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Anne Marie Murphy - Age 52</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Lauren Russeau - Age 30</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Mary Sherlach - Age 56</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Victoria Soto - Age 27</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Nancy Lanza, mother of the perpetrator (age unknown)</span><br />
<br /><em><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">May you all be embraced in the open arms of our Savior, and be remembered forever by those of us still here on Earth. We will never forget each of you.</span></em><br />
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-61685299204624375402012-12-10T23:03:00.000-06:002012-12-16T14:47:30.625-06:00A Retirement GalaMy husband and I have worked at our current company for 15 years. It is a <em>wonderful</em> company that cares about its employees, provides a beautiful working environment, and offers a benefit package that is second-to-none. They know how to attract and retain quality employees...and have done so now for 108 years!<br />
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Recently, our Chairman of the Board retired. He started with the company back in 1968, as a marketing representative, and retired in November of this year, after dedicating a total of 47 years to catapulting the company to new heights. In these times of economic turmoil, our company is currently one of the most financially secure insurance companies in the United States. In fact, when compared to a large group of company peers in 2011, our company "topped the list" as being the best positioned to discharge its financial responsibilities. To boot, we consistently receive some of the highest ratings from industry watchdogs. While our retired Chairman of the Board didn't do this "single handed," he was definitely the driving force behind some of the biggest ideas and greatest changes over my 15 years with the company. He was, an amazing leader.<br />
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Additionally, a foundation co-chaired by him and his wife has managed to raise over $20 million dollars for at-risk youth in the state of Minnesota. Both his corporate and personal "citizenship" is second-to-none. <br />
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Why do I share all of this information you ask? Well, because this past weekend our retired Chairman of the Board was honored in front of a group of 600+ of his friends, family, and colleagues...and my husband and I were fortunate enough to be included in that group of 600+ attendees. It was a black tie event and was a <em>completely amazing</em> evening.<br />
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How amazing you ask? Well, in the group of 600+ attendees you could find the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Former Minnesota Governor and Former First Lady, Tim & Mary Pawlenty</li>
<li>Reverend Bill Lies - University of Notre Dame Vice President for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs</li>
<li>David Sokol - Chairman, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans</li>
<li>Overtone (South African Vocal Harmony Group)</li>
<li>Pia Toscano (American Idol Season 10 Favorite)</li>
<li>Kenny G. (Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist)</li>
</ul>
All were there to honor our retired Chairman of the Board and his beautiful, supportive wife. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes to his life and his character. <br />
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But, enough of the idol chatter for now...here are some pictures from the evening. (Sorry they aren't better but I had my tiny point-and-shoot camera and it doesn't produce the best photos).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Dressed Up --<br />
(Can you believe I didn't think to get a <br />
full-length picture of the two of us..uggh!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pia Toscano during one of her performances</td></tr>
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-58739672313247595132012-11-30T23:01:00.002-06:002012-11-30T23:01:46.179-06:00December? Already?Tomorrow marks the beginning of December and the start of a <em>very</em> crazy month for our household. We have Christmas choir concerts to attend (two of them), tickets to a Minnesota Timberwolves game, "Little Man's" basketball practices (and starting next weekend, games), a black tie event to attend, and last...but certainly not least..."Feisty Girl's" next surgery, which is scheduled for December 17th. Then, of course, there are the Christmas and New Year holidays quickly approaching. <em>True Chaos!</em><br />
<br />
However, as the days pass and the year inches ever closer to being over, our family has so much to be thankful for. The roof over our heads, well-running vehicles, a consistent supply of food on our table, our health, and probably the biggest thing to be thankful for -- each other.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow we will be spending a good portion of the day together; something I always enjoy! We have a full schedule tomorrow, beginning with "Shop With Santa" at 8:00 a.m. This is a wonderful event sponsored by a local church and 4-H club. Weeks and months prior to this event each year, local 4-H'ers spend time making hand-made gifts for young children in the area to purchase and give as gifts to those that they hold close in their hearts. Children in grades six and under are paired-up with an older 4-H volunteer and then they can spend time Christmas shopping for their loved ones. The gifts are unique, cute, fun, and inexpensive. We generally give each of the kids $20.00 and they tend to purchase 4 - 6 gifts each year for that amount. The money raised during the event is then funneled back into the community through, I believe, the church and our local 4-H club.<br />
<br />
Santa and Mrs. Clause are on hand each year in the "secret shopping area" (no parents allowed!) and the children each get a small gift from Santa and Mrs. Clause at the end of their shopping spree. While the children are doing their shopping, parents can sit in the lobby area and enjoy an ice cold juice, milk, or even coffee and a doughnut.<br />
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Once the children are done shopping, the 4-H volunteer returns them to their parents (along with any left-over money!) and, generally, then each parent helps their child or children take all of their presents out to the vehicle. Our kids, well, they are normally smiling from ear-to-ear and are simply <em>dying</em> to tell us what they have purchased for us and everyone else! (It is hard for them to keep their presents secret all the way until Christmas). Nonetheless, it is a wonderful time. Generally we are there about 2+ hours and we all have a blast...the kids with their shopping, and us watching their faces light up once they are done and are returning to us with all of their "goods!"<br />
<br />
After the Shop With Santa event tomorrow our daughter has a birthday party to attend and I am going to get a long-overdue haircut, color, and wax. I'm not sure what the "boys" have planned for later in the day but I'm sure they have a couple of ideas/options that they have already brewed up. Tomorrow evening we may try to take in "Rise of the Guardians" at our local movie theater...it should be a very fun and exciting day for all of us tomorrow!<br />
<br />
Again, I'm reminded of all that I have to be thankful for -- I am truly blessed.<br />
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-36352845746172218812012-11-25T22:11:00.001-06:002012-11-25T22:11:05.997-06:00Holiday #1 - COMPLETEWe did it...we managed to visit our entire immediately family, on both sides, or have them visit us over the past four days. <br />
<br />
We started out with a trip to Rochester to visit my side of the family. We got there late Wednesday night, so we basically just unpacked once we arrived. We visited for a short while but then everyone hit the bed. I didn't sleep very well, at all, for some reason. Maybe it was the anticipation of spending the next two days (Thurs/Fri) with everyone! We awoke Thursday morning and, for the better part of the morning, let the kids play while the adults chit chatted. And, of course, we made a "paper run" for the local newspaper containing all of the <strong>Black Friday</strong> ads!! In the early afternoon hours we had a <em>wonderful</em> traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared by my mom -- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, warm buns, pie, etc. After eating some of us helped mom clean up the kitchen while others started combing through the Black Friday ads for the biggest and best deals of the day. Late that afternoon my husband and I took our niece to see "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," a movie we had all been waiting to see and just couldn't find the time to do it...what better time then over the holiday? Plenty of babysitters, a fun way to spend time together, and a great way to sit back and relax after such a great meal!<br />
<br />
Then, Friday arrived. <em>The Friday.</em> Black Friday. My husband and I had both decided that we were boycotting the whole "shop at 8 p.m." gig. This pretty much summerizes our thoughts on the whole Black Friday creeping into our Thursday holiday...<br />
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In fact, we really didn't find any "must have" deals in any of the ads...so we slept in until 6:00 a.m. and then hit the road. We shopped until around 3:00 a.m. then, after not finding much <strong>at all</strong>, my husband said "lets cut our losses and call this thing D.O.A." We did and returned to my brothers house to visit some more with family before finally leaving later in the afternoon.<br />
<br />
Upon arriving home we unpacked and settled into bed early, as my husband's side of the family was set to arrive on Saturday. As it turns out, no one showed up until around 4:00 p.m. (which actually worked out just fine) as my husband's brother and his wife were signing on their soon-to-be-built home. They had a meeting with their builder at 12:00 p.m. and got done later than expected. But it all worked out, everyone arrived at our place after the signing and we were able to enjoy a nice relaxing evening together. We had more turkey, stuffing, etc. and there were a few Bakers Square Pies to boot! (YUM!) Grandma G. and all of the kids were in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. while the rest of us adults stayed up chatting and playing card and board games. The last of us hit the bed around 2:00 a.m., while comes <em>really</em> early when the kids still get up around 7:30 a.m!<br />
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Sunday morning we had a big breakfast, visited some more, and watched the Vikings game. As it turns out, it was an all-around bad weekend for football. First our beloved local football team lost the Prep Bowl (first time they had made it to state finals since 1999...and the fourth time <em>not</em> bringing home the title), and then the Vikings played and got whooped. The kids were starting to get cranky, as the extended weekend and late nights appeared to be catching up with them -- we all parted ways around 4:00 p.m., after discussing our upcoming plans for the Christmas holiday! It is amazing how quickly time passes.<br />
<br />
"Fiesty Girl" sumed it all up when we were putting her to bed for the night. She started crying and said "I just wish we could all have just <em>one more</em> stay-at-home day." We told her that we couldn't agree more and that it is ALWAYS wonderful to see our families but, unfortunately, when tomorrow comes it is going to bring with it a return to school (for the kiddos) and a return to work (for the adults). And, with that, we await the Christmas season so that we can see everyone once again!Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-23002769360884522122012-10-31T20:25:00.004-05:002012-10-31T20:27:16.916-05:00"Speed-Treating"Happy Halloween to Everyone! <br />
<br />
Sorry the blog hasn't been update for so long...once again "life" has gotten in the way. However, I've had several requests to post pictures from this evening, so I've decided to force myself to spend a bit up time updating the blog background and creating a new post highlight our Halloween "outing."<br />
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We started off the evening around 5:30, visiting a few of our closest neighbors...none of whom were home. So we proceed to move a few streets down "into" the neighborhood -- where we found <em>lots</em> of kids already making their way from home-to-home.<br />
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We probably hit a total of 75+ homes. With the kids literally RUNNING from house-to-house. I told my husband that the kids were "Speed-Treating." I have never before seen the two of them move so fast on Halloween. Maybe it was because the outside temperature seemed to be warmer than it has been the past several years (it was 52 degrees outside when we started) and they didn't have to jump in the van every 10 house to warm up -- or maybe it was just the thrill of the "candy chase!"<br />
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Either way "Little Man" and "Feisty Girl" had a blast tonight. Their buckets were literally <em>overflowing</em> by the time we got home -- and they were filled with everything from books and toothbrushes to full-sized cans of pop and popcorn. (Of course, there was the convential stuff too...crunch bars, fruit snacks, kit kats, pixie sticks, etc).<br />
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Here are some photos from our evening. Sorry I don't have more. I just couldn't get them to hold still long enough to snap more than a dozen photos over the course of the night! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Start of the "Race"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally Caught Up with the Neighbors -- Ed<br />
and Tracy (who was at work)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Lovely Ladybug!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Super-Secret Spy! (Complete with night vision goggles,<br />
an evidence kit, secret "invisable ink pen"<br />
and many other <em>secrets!</em>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTS3ljZJUPQYFQiVl9jGOmdlIt6F9909-gj3QBjnn-vdgaWxF11yVRnQI1cZ15YYrKldQtHFbQ-LQathyphenhyphenK8bxKDkuf4NkqtmsOkIF9hAm9dG_6tVj_5VyvU6QHyQpitJkYQXxHdSd1V5y/s1600/DSC_0526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" qea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTS3ljZJUPQYFQiVl9jGOmdlIt6F9909-gj3QBjnn-vdgaWxF11yVRnQI1cZ15YYrKldQtHFbQ-LQathyphenhyphenK8bxKDkuf4NkqtmsOkIF9hAm9dG_6tVj_5VyvU6QHyQpitJkYQXxHdSd1V5y/s320/DSC_0526.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back at home -- The "Trick-or-Treat" Meter<br />
on "Little Man's" Bag read <strong>JACKPOT!</strong><br />
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P.S. In case you are curious (like "Little Man" was!) his candy haul came in at a total of 9.6 pounds. And that doesn't include his sisters candy -- which probably weighed in at an additional 5+ pounds!</div>
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-18051972578862606382012-09-15T22:43:00.001-05:002012-09-15T22:44:31.093-05:00Traveling SoccerThis year "Little Man" was old enough to join our state and local soccer associations and begin playing U10 traveling soccer this fall. They boys played their first game last weekend and won 2-0. This weekend they have two games. One home game, which they played this morning and tied 1-1, and another tomorrow afternoon.<br />
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"Little Man" is loving it! He has great coaches, great teammates, and we've really enjoyed watching him move out of the "Park & Rec" type leagues into the next level. He has learned a lot, although there is much more to learn, and he is doing great!<br />
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Here are a couple of pictures from today's game...a series of them in which "Little Man" (he is in the white) steals the ball right out from under his opponents feet! (Way to go bud!!)<br />
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Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-66732255246926857022012-09-06T20:21:00.001-05:002012-09-06T20:21:39.575-05:00Carseat Canopy Promo Code<a href="https://www.carseatcanopy.com/cart" target="_blank">Carseat Canopy</a> has some <em>neat</em> carseat covers...and right now, using Promo Code, <strong>PC8912</strong>, you can get one for free! Or, if you prefer, you can use the credit to get $49.95 off one of their "Whole Caboodle" sets. You only pay the cost of shipping, which is $12.95. Hurry though, this particular promo code is only good while supplies last.<br />
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P.S. For all you parents out there...check out <a href="http://familyfun.go.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">FamilyFun</span></a> magazine. It's a favorite in our household and is where I found the code for these darling covers!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEX9eCndZphC2Gw4czYZk5IKvnHaBlOK7UdsM1T_Rjg8BYdt3acDLhqBD7_xT7-DwfH3f425gZVmaUMjJPyvFgdhnMCF4E_6JDKf20OdwWJf_0mv2bj18T_tad6xd42aUtsSyuCkV4sMV/s1600/Aiden_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEX9eCndZphC2Gw4czYZk5IKvnHaBlOK7UdsM1T_Rjg8BYdt3acDLhqBD7_xT7-DwfH3f425gZVmaUMjJPyvFgdhnMCF4E_6JDKf20OdwWJf_0mv2bj18T_tad6xd42aUtsSyuCkV4sMV/s1600/Aiden_Small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Aiden" Carseat Canopy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEhRT3zZdY_NmOXGeFDvByzZMb1ZWl5I3ybr998BOizBORvUOYd5fiXa9nsF5FkR3FN2AISPkzLxN_-uV7jCaGD9eympjAwwWKGM-0s74XS1oNAeQ2xJX_E-LY5j1reZasf7dDw814EqZrD-/s1600/Belle_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRT3zZdY_NmOXGeFDvByzZMb1ZWl5I3ybr998BOizBORvUOYd5fiXa9nsF5FkR3FN2AISPkzLxN_-uV7jCaGD9eympjAwwWKGM-0s74XS1oNAeQ2xJX_E-LY5j1reZasf7dDw814EqZrD-/s1600/Belle_Small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Belle" Carseat Canopy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEg4cIPfi1ZhSCf1yqOpTxLoJokfHAbCThD-cSOK9p82cmdLxLDjtKQj4TdE6sh6CFDfKOOp7el7jbK-J251UJnpbKn1D28Z-Fn5jDZFXWZTKpjQSavt4wMZkXNpnJ-hny2AV7YHvqPwB4p8/s1600/Belle2_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cIPfi1ZhSCf1yqOpTxLoJokfHAbCThD-cSOK9p82cmdLxLDjtKQj4TdE6sh6CFDfKOOp7el7jbK-J251UJnpbKn1D28Z-Fn5jDZFXWZTKpjQSavt4wMZkXNpnJ-hny2AV7YHvqPwB4p8/s1600/Belle2_Small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Belle" Whole Caboodle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEjtdmczokVTmPCUhttbedXXozQtxq-WQHTVLVFytmibz_ojyC0APwSdCAVLqXksaQJBeL-f8MfbzBIk-2Sc2jcXNJ2vLKWkfShlnFw0AzOOzm00uZG9L7ChzJEAOXZlBDBXR50W_AxM2yyS/s1600/Hawkslee2_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdmczokVTmPCUhttbedXXozQtxq-WQHTVLVFytmibz_ojyC0APwSdCAVLqXksaQJBeL-f8MfbzBIk-2Sc2jcXNJ2vLKWkfShlnFw0AzOOzm00uZG9L7ChzJEAOXZlBDBXR50W_AxM2yyS/s1600/Hawkslee2_Small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hawkslee" Whole Caboodle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-71501452848661994812012-09-04T21:39:00.000-05:002012-09-04T21:39:12.436-05:00Summer's End - Back to SchoolSummer has officially come to an end in Minnesota. The travel season has ended with the passing of Labor Day weekend and children in the state, ours included, have now gone back to school for the 2012 - 2013 school year. In our house, that means that we now officially have a <strong>4th Grader</strong> and a <strong>Kindergartner!</strong> How did I <em>suddenly</em> become a mother to two children this old?!<br />
<br />
In typical end-of-summer fashion we headed out on one last family vacation over the Labor Day weekend. Instead of our normal trip to Duluth, MN, (which we visited in July of this year) we opted to make the trek east to Wisconsin Dells, WI, this year. As with most of our family trips, we had a blast once we were actually there and doing things...in terms of the car rides there and back...not quite as much fun! ;)<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, here are some pictures from both our trip to the "Dells" and the first day of school for both of the kiddos:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NQYnZ7veNh1ANGAl8KyZcCRBHq-VWTxtmz_lJ7urCSnv1_EQM03t7kwVRplgjIyfVUAzUm0J6nELD7_cm3bTxezLfF1mMuV5rI-7dqCcTS1_hdDwapui2ojWXxKdg1kXj8ZNd9npx038/s1600/DSC_0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NQYnZ7veNh1ANGAl8KyZcCRBHq-VWTxtmz_lJ7urCSnv1_EQM03t7kwVRplgjIyfVUAzUm0J6nELD7_cm3bTxezLfF1mMuV5rI-7dqCcTS1_hdDwapui2ojWXxKdg1kXj8ZNd9npx038/s320/DSC_0944.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the waves at "The Great Wave"<br />
(Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEjJQRYUyVIiEuKuvV3W0ayZ1VxVuh9NuQQPnQQVCjd82QivjvH7393unU7FRBroDRwme3bscuwbMc1bhukMfmMgBMu4zeFxf8CMKGQuMQCRF1_cUni-8_hZCf2PfQPAYI15oBMf1HrWZJcf/s1600/DSC_0947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQRYUyVIiEuKuvV3W0ayZ1VxVuh9NuQQPnQQVCjd82QivjvH7393unU7FRBroDRwme3bscuwbMc1bhukMfmMgBMu4zeFxf8CMKGQuMQCRF1_cUni-8_hZCf2PfQPAYI15oBMf1HrWZJcf/s320/DSC_0947.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and "Little Man" enjoying some time together!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEh778NYRl4n8WJeJVSWfG_oO1O4qKNS1As97QrEdEJgdcIStBjOL77AGcLuXiDzSBw1nxg14jBzngiSXf7Jrkg321Cy2HU01ZzKDlZ4-WCpzdlceFsEv2z1dTOZ9qRWn3CaLhl9ugYYWKGi/s1600/DSC_0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh778NYRl4n8WJeJVSWfG_oO1O4qKNS1As97QrEdEJgdcIStBjOL77AGcLuXiDzSBw1nxg14jBzngiSXf7Jrkg321Cy2HU01ZzKDlZ4-WCpzdlceFsEv2z1dTOZ9qRWn3CaLhl9ugYYWKGi/s320/DSC_0989.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This place ROCKS!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgD9NyRBLDW97NVfqVCyQEjRO4ZlW-fW4P9mJ8pMKUF7C9YIzNXHvWpzrktEJVyLBSwcvK1eXWzZR0feipu4E3siD65qXTR986bYUgjnpvTHuNXcVZkkmhmw4GAg56O8DZwcv2zV9lpWiNc/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9NyRBLDW97NVfqVCyQEjRO4ZlW-fW4P9mJ8pMKUF7C9YIzNXHvWpzrktEJVyLBSwcvK1eXWzZR0feipu4E3siD65qXTR986bYUgjnpvTHuNXcVZkkmhmw4GAg56O8DZwcv2zV9lpWiNc/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Thank goodness for wi-fi at the waterpark!"<br />
(My husband's best friend)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEiFbO2sMMZ4qc4Bn3wdIAdRPHF0CByUsbg7A_E93OzI7VVQQ1vQGnVY9L4rDa9OhuSTdFBHBAOwiGCMH60mz2tALe1H775P86rYxHsOKJcvBsbp98x5m9PusQ-3Dnxldn2Q-PbjQhj5_3xD/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbO2sMMZ4qc4Bn3wdIAdRPHF0CByUsbg7A_E93OzI7VVQQ1vQGnVY9L4rDa9OhuSTdFBHBAOwiGCMH60mz2tALe1H775P86rYxHsOKJcvBsbp98x5m9PusQ-3Dnxldn2Q-PbjQhj5_3xD/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me...enjoying my first "blended concoction"of the trip!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEiqkk_KflUc3_J5HelQZMTaWcraLvRiMXhkJXiKcNR1-wBY5JNMvdGxjqniowFFQ96qLf7HH5EMmoA5ceb7JdpQOLHZc0Ly3ffYkRPsMbn4Ots4lNiu6MlpYouTfv52VrIwY1PrMIrj5xtH/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkk_KflUc3_J5HelQZMTaWcraLvRiMXhkJXiKcNR1-wBY5JNMvdGxjqniowFFQ96qLf7HH5EMmoA5ceb7JdpQOLHZc0Ly3ffYkRPsMbn4Ots4lNiu6MlpYouTfv52VrIwY1PrMIrj5xtH/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Feisty Girl" on the carousel at the Indoor Themepark<br />
(Kalahari Resort)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEgWVVQhDTJnVoalUsHSmo_1F6iABOM2A_piPpv_qqFaX6xSXIMpPiMc-VvIRqFdTA1lcJyhyphenhyphenRAQkrlY0H7OYib4cRlSPJFC3wJAP_tk4Cok8HuW1ljIK5vAMGsfWypiABwI_PrZzPxxZDU8/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVVQhDTJnVoalUsHSmo_1F6iABOM2A_piPpv_qqFaX6xSXIMpPiMc-VvIRqFdTA1lcJyhyphenhyphenRAQkrlY0H7OYib4cRlSPJFC3wJAP_tk4Cok8HuW1ljIK5vAMGsfWypiABwI_PrZzPxxZDU8/s320/DSC_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4-way air hockey anyone?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEjTO34iXAF7vse9nzTPpKIOmRoW-_uLpoekamknMgGh1rKj3u4tK2MEsNeV6V_mtk8PIOfzmwfZFG6I5m5uZRSO2c8hPGkm55xx3FKODGObF23bZ7p3RnQq-p1tsgHMoqcMVPcDhdNW5tB3/s1600/DSC_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTO34iXAF7vse9nzTPpKIOmRoW-_uLpoekamknMgGh1rKj3u4tK2MEsNeV6V_mtk8PIOfzmwfZFG6I5m5uZRSO2c8hPGkm55xx3FKODGObF23bZ7p3RnQq-p1tsgHMoqcMVPcDhdNW5tB3/s320/DSC_0102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of Lake Delton from our 3-bedroom condo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEjJxkMtVTuM16sTOZJ6HKGeZzBp9HsfhirflWSardUj0ocV_z6TbwTxqaET1zcmLOj2cvm8VuCdWcWswFrkcPRGKOmkWWYwhb9G62SJzMco_yTRvEQRK4AJZYsLQo8v48YJJAw1LHNBB-_3/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxkMtVTuM16sTOZJ6HKGeZzBp9HsfhirflWSardUj0ocV_z6TbwTxqaET1zcmLOj2cvm8VuCdWcWswFrkcPRGKOmkWWYwhb9G62SJzMco_yTRvEQRK4AJZYsLQo8v48YJJAw1LHNBB-_3/s320/DSC_0116.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officially a <strong>4th Grader!</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEigm0sYhGwIKj6mjEyjEv4NOF61LdAZIcu29nEF4cU7_F9cMi7rFcxiTRexU2tLUGHrCJ3tfcsZie8FIjdPupPCYuUxLOFR3zAU-pPrQHUPf-Le11mrqHrReCl6WbNiywPFfdEYzgvbo-D9/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigm0sYhGwIKj6mjEyjEv4NOF61LdAZIcu29nEF4cU7_F9cMi7rFcxiTRexU2tLUGHrCJ3tfcsZie8FIjdPupPCYuUxLOFR3zAU-pPrQHUPf-Le11mrqHrReCl6WbNiywPFfdEYzgvbo-D9/s320/DSC_0121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officially a <strong>Kindergartner!</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEiA6KMq_mu6XUWp_swScnWbczYyldVh2zccLRO94qlXOBtIDFeu0suHFfKz0QDoVImPPKUG0pttU2yIVNbXucrUvSowJVRs9vIYIq0XWXQzjsO6Lp31itInVyIO5j2IF32jW2Os8Wc0rOmN/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6KMq_mu6XUWp_swScnWbczYyldVh2zccLRO94qlXOBtIDFeu0suHFfKz0QDoVImPPKUG0pttU2yIVNbXucrUvSowJVRs9vIYIq0XWXQzjsO6Lp31itInVyIO5j2IF32jW2Os8Wc0rOmN/s320/DSC_0127.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temps were suppose to be in the 90's today...<br />
so water bottles were mandatory!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEicD4RfAszdi1KYe-4eh3fLtiLZKRBIEZ_jJl0kgZm9CxeRRB5MTwAnHi8_0KrBo-afrcOq0fEunmmh2qlHfyuypi7cjxr_bZRvM8gxZaJ1quVAtZZaSiwyrMJNFP2qmxWE95H3OikQMxp-/s1600/DSC_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD4RfAszdi1KYe-4eh3fLtiLZKRBIEZ_jJl0kgZm9CxeRRB5MTwAnHi8_0KrBo-afrcOq0fEunmmh2qlHfyuypi7cjxr_bZRvM8gxZaJ1quVAtZZaSiwyrMJNFP2qmxWE95H3OikQMxp-/s320/DSC_0131.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' before the start of school!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-26902350061167243012012-08-17T23:08:00.000-05:002012-08-17T23:08:07.775-05:00Fun at the FairIt has been some time since my last post and I'm happy to report a couple of things:<br />
<br />
1. "Little Man" has recovered from his pneumonia and is breathing much easier. (Now we are just dealing with his seasonal allergies!)<br />
2. "Feisty Girl" had a renal ultrasound and the results were good. They looked at her kidneys, bladder, and spleen and everything looked good. So now we are going to meet with a pediatric urologist in a couple of weeks to try to determine what, if anything, might be going on.<br />
<br />
But now on to the fun stuff...this week is fair week! I decided to take today off from work and take the kiddos down to the fair for the day. The kids rode rides for about four hours straight, with a very short break for lunch. The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed the day together -- the only thing missing was dad, who was at work.<br />
<br />
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEJVWMuhkvQDI1dL9_EWvYxqaCaSw6UChgo9xuPxYYvwBIYP6-aR-xcCLgKGtyVEL15zGQurtj1zBplNiWXOmbxjDu2RLAoy976oNiK_c6pTIDuJcMxqhc-mHf38BjPQcHaJ3mQO7_qTA/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEJVWMuhkvQDI1dL9_EWvYxqaCaSw6UChgo9xuPxYYvwBIYP6-aR-xcCLgKGtyVEL15zGQurtj1zBplNiWXOmbxjDu2RLAoy976oNiK_c6pTIDuJcMxqhc-mHf38BjPQcHaJ3mQO7_qTA/s320/DSC_0866.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the big 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/AVvXsEjaRhl86XFGqKcprKMVrSLoP4vYWR0iBsUBQTYuWR7sHAMSxJZATRMuTs4lAb7IYl_doE8yDlGj4uRrf7Ls5nEdqlRBUC7JIlcDCLne1TkVoJ6_vZTOu5ciP9vRPEUGNIvHCPGK7-SKB4wT/s1600/DSC_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRhl86XFGqKcprKMVrSLoP4vYWR0iBsUBQTYuWR7sHAMSxJZATRMuTs4lAb7IYl_doE8yDlGj4uRrf7Ls5nEdqlRBUC7JIlcDCLne1TkVoJ6_vZTOu5ciP9vRPEUGNIvHCPGK7-SKB4wT/s320/DSC_0882.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun on the Moon Buggies!</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/AVvXsEg7hHWR3TIjCFmjXMWObW05ek-b29eICKD5txnOmrWEKgCWV4CDlcO9jrY5JxjjpFGjmjWRspLELA0IYgPymUwXPs-oCe8kas-eE0K4CmV_wc98I5s7aCeJkkal5aZ8oPZkFmzaDPQXKd-M/s1600/DSC_0894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hHWR3TIjCFmjXMWObW05ek-b29eICKD5txnOmrWEKgCWV4CDlcO9jrY5JxjjpFGjmjWRspLELA0IYgPymUwXPs-oCe8kas-eE0K4CmV_wc98I5s7aCeJkkal5aZ8oPZkFmzaDPQXKd-M/s320/DSC_0894.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going for a drive</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/AVvXsEiGIMnO2zouayM0NTkARQpXxbZv8mcvPnSQNJk72DeWIzcgbHiLrUDcN3UgjOma_7eiEfMk2SHb03t5xFCwROOGiQT5BzWS6GjTTVreTvKii_L_6oVgeYp4g4RkmvW7yvJZJdxyDRgHx84h/s1600/DSC_0897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIMnO2zouayM0NTkARQpXxbZv8mcvPnSQNJk72DeWIzcgbHiLrUDcN3UgjOma_7eiEfMk2SHb03t5xFCwROOGiQT5BzWS6GjTTVreTvKii_L_6oVgeYp4g4RkmvW7yvJZJdxyDRgHx84h/s320/DSC_0897.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What da'ya looking at? I can do this thing!</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/AVvXsEjIkao9_Txx0NXFOnO_-eyVV3n8f7myqkc2JZQtdHIGI62NS6gqoY5RmtTK5NfUDTb4GIcWYETnFa3F4bfP1McCB0-EJLjfkuTzIz52kHXQ9AhivfSEhFsBhi9ulvrInsmaxvmgfZW8eFzc/s1600/DSC_0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkao9_Txx0NXFOnO_-eyVV3n8f7myqkc2JZQtdHIGI62NS6gqoY5RmtTK5NfUDTb4GIcWYETnFa3F4bfP1McCB0-EJLjfkuTzIz52kHXQ9AhivfSEhFsBhi9ulvrInsmaxvmgfZW8eFzc/s320/DSC_0899.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying hard not to slide to the outside</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/AVvXsEjHQjUWwypEt4yhY3Twn8RoT_aiQ2_2wuXwfNFKjYJLXyTt0-EqEqhtHqREiECV1idK7kRw7x_wuvciffjQkZVTxxR745W5EMAPLfH230VaAVVESlPBLZl_0Z6N07hasgYc6Za-Ths5H6fv/s1600/DSC_0910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQjUWwypEt4yhY3Twn8RoT_aiQ2_2wuXwfNFKjYJLXyTt0-EqEqhtHqREiECV1idK7kRw7x_wuvciffjQkZVTxxR745W5EMAPLfH230VaAVVESlPBLZl_0Z6N07hasgYc6Za-Ths5H6fv/s320/DSC_0910.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil' beauty in a Super Truck!</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/AVvXsEjqHDibOc3wf3DAEFiF2jSc-malsKIsP1wDgHMs0ClZMB9RAwPY7bTJHjCGhtn8sXb9j8vYyMr_-pPeSawfTvjVqCoqr6RQkVddImKIwFIirmFxLpyyfd63YQHBnODiTVnqgLWmAzlQDTR7/s1600/DSC_0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHDibOc3wf3DAEFiF2jSc-malsKIsP1wDgHMs0ClZMB9RAwPY7bTJHjCGhtn8sXb9j8vYyMr_-pPeSawfTvjVqCoqr6RQkVddImKIwFIirmFxLpyyfd63YQHBnODiTVnqgLWmAzlQDTR7/s320/DSC_0914.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hi mom and TT!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcoWbeNsGRJ4FisKoYdRtS1hZQV8YwaftPqWDcgw2F2By2r9eUnwFeooAnhXwj_azWTC8FEb_YX-U0i0a4CFCkJ-BZdjv_KpV-XB7j5vUCRZXGzNnHLz7UDVUcLP_y4NC5IsRnjearWD3/s1600/DSC_0915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcoWbeNsGRJ4FisKoYdRtS1hZQV8YwaftPqWDcgw2F2By2r9eUnwFeooAnhXwj_azWTC8FEb_YX-U0i0a4CFCkJ-BZdjv_KpV-XB7j5vUCRZXGzNnHLz7UDVUcLP_y4NC5IsRnjearWD3/s320/DSC_0915.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Little Man" and the goldfish that he won<br />
(He was sooo happy!)</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/AVvXsEgudfDqinfbKKzO_mtynubJxkEK9oolx5qVKQoqz2dBJMDWjb4_3Ab7cNXkdICDXLNsodAkM5mFJoJiMju7abkuSet4K7zD5HzahodG8AZon1hnBqhp4b_K4uRubWa7O5WQuj7tmiGBA7n7/s1600/DSC_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudfDqinfbKKzO_mtynubJxkEK9oolx5qVKQoqz2dBJMDWjb4_3Ab7cNXkdICDXLNsodAkM5mFJoJiMju7abkuSet4K7zD5HzahodG8AZon1hnBqhp4b_K4uRubWa7O5WQuj7tmiGBA7n7/s320/DSC_0916.JPG" width="212" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, of course, no fair is complete with a treat.<br />
"Feisty's Girl" chose an Icee</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/AVvXsEg9cjRF70wDD3yvtUBwu9x7BQp3mEuT_7uf_6uNSMOQ-3lh6jpBwMTWhDlPLHh_M16sXN_a8z7BWASrbTu5RUd5dxEvAifqt0PR0i5pecxzmYuY_O4GE_rNcNGYltniyxEz65AGkyHiVxfd/s1600/DSC_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cjRF70wDD3yvtUBwu9x7BQp3mEuT_7uf_6uNSMOQ-3lh6jpBwMTWhDlPLHh_M16sXN_a8z7BWASrbTu5RUd5dxEvAifqt0PR0i5pecxzmYuY_O4GE_rNcNGYltniyxEz65AGkyHiVxfd/s320/DSC_0918.JPG" width="212" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Little Man" chose chocolate chip cookie dough...<br />
dipped in chocolate...<br />
with candy sprinkles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-85535693453407351782012-07-30T21:01:00.000-05:002012-07-30T21:01:04.342-05:00One of Those Months?Okay, this is not a trend that I want to be experiencing right now...not only is "Little Man" battling pneumonia right now, but we found out this afternoon that "Feisty Girl" is also having some issues -- not with pneumonia but it could be just as bad, or worse.<br />
<br />
Two weeks ago we had her in for a routine well-child check and during the visit she received her kindergarten shots and also had a routine blood draw and urinalysis. The next day (which has now been a little over two weeks ago) we received a call from her doctor telling us that she had a "very significant amount of blood" in her urine. He thought it might be a fluke, but could also be a sign of something more serious, so he asked us to bring her back in to be retested in two weeks.<br />
<br />
Last Friday was the two week mark so we went back to the clinic and they did another urinalysis. Today, "Feisty Girl's" nurse called and said that the results were essentially the same -- not good news. Soooo...now we need to make an appointment for her to see a pediatric urologist for a consult and also make an appointment for a renal ultrasound. I'm trying to keep a level head and believe that it will all turn out to be "nothing" but that is hard to do. Especially with thoughts creeping into my mind of the whole <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal" target="_blank">melamine scandal in China</a> that broke during the very time (July 2008) that we were in China finalizing "Feisty Girls" adoption. I'm sure there is no connection to the issues that she is having now, but it does make me pause to contemplate the possibilities. Especially since the long-term effects of exposure is not well-known. So for now well just wait, pray, and take things day-by-day!<br />Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-67058266962269485142012-07-29T23:01:00.000-05:002012-07-29T23:01:26.853-05:00One of Those Weeks!Ever had one of <strong><em>those</em></strong> weeks? We have...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpRX_M3kR9YI0GGc3DaDPTnJk7GTpTHB5rIX3yBWrHgHDZwyrcq6-2vU_wFOvL-9gxlLwDzgX5FiZNqZmvmB_2q71eVZZEqOL4ME9ICIdjG4H2FervmUBBNbJUvgxDaj8NNZVZJWYDnV4/s1600/DSC_0844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpRX_M3kR9YI0GGc3DaDPTnJk7GTpTHB5rIX3yBWrHgHDZwyrcq6-2vU_wFOvL-9gxlLwDzgX5FiZNqZmvmB_2q71eVZZEqOL4ME9ICIdjG4H2FervmUBBNbJUvgxDaj8NNZVZJWYDnV4/s320/DSC_0844.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of "the goods"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Wondering what all of the stuff in the picture is? It's all of "the goods" that we were sent home with over the weekend. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, "Little Man" wasn't feeling the best. Just cold-type symptoms, nothing major. We kept him home from his childcare facility all day on Wednesday and half a day on Thursday before he said he was feeling better...and we allowed him to go to daycare Thursday afternoon.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
On Friday we started noticing a pretty bad sounding cough. My husband wanted me to take him in to Urgent Care but "Little Man" didn't want to go ("it's just a cough!") and since he seemed to otherwise be okay, I didn't want to take him in either -- I assumed he just had a bad cold and that with the weekend upon us he could rest and be back at it on Monday. So, against my husband's advice, we stayed home to rest and skipped Urgent Care. Boy, did we make the wrong decision. By 2:00 a.m. "Little Man" starting throwing up and continued to throw up all night/morning. His cough was also sounding much worse.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
By about 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning, "Little Man's" breathing seemed labored and shallow. We had seen these symptoms once before, in 2009, when he had pneumonia. Watching him struggle to breathe, I abandoned the "No Urgent Care" ("it's just a cold!) line-of-thinking on Saturday and told "Little Man" that he needed to go see a doctor. He agreed and we left the house around 7:40 a.m. in hopes of being on of the first people at Urgent Care when the opened at 8:00 a.m.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We arrived at Urgent Care about 7:55 a.m. and "Little Man" was the first person to see the Physician's Assistant that was on duty. The nurse took all of his vitals, then the Physician's Assistant came in to talk to us and do a quick exam. After the exam he decided that he wanted to measure "Little Man's" oxygen level. That was the beginning of the end...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Little Man's" oxygen level was at 89. It should be closer to 100.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
After those results came back, the Physician's Assistant told us that "Little Man" would need to be seen in the Emergency Room and would possibly be admitted to the hospital for observation. <strong><em>Uggh!!</em></strong> They immediately put him on oxygen to try to bring his level up and then put him in a wheelchair and carted us off to the ER. It was, lucky for us, quick work at the ER! We got right in and as soon as we were in a room the ER staff started to work their magic.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
They got "Little Man" out of his clothes and into "hospital wear" and then immediately got him hooked up for continuous monitoring of his pulse, heart rate, oxygen level, temperature, etc. Next they sent someone down to draw blood. Then we talked to the doctor and nurse. They gave "Little Man" something to help him stop throwing up, which was a big relief.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
After that they turned on a cartoon to try to keep "Little Man's" mind off of everything that was going on. It was all a little bit overwhelming for him, so the cartoon was a great distraction. Then, a respiratory therapist came in to visit and do an evaluation. After talking to "Little Man" and asking me a bunch of questions he determined that a nebulizer treatment and some steroids were necessary. After that was done then they sent us down to radiology to take a chest x-ray.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once we were back in the room, awaiting the results of all of the tests, there was talk of IV fluids. I knew that wouldn't go over real well...we barely made it past the blood draw. Since "Little Man" had quit throwing up (finally!) and was able to hold down fluids, I asked if we could hold off on the IV and the doctor agreed that that would be fine for the time being.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally the results were back. "Little Man's" blood counts were fine, but the chest x-ray came back showing pneumonia in his right lower lung. Luckily, the nebulizer treatment and steroids were doing their thing and his oxygen levels had come back up into the mid-90's. At that point, they agreed hospitalization would NOT be necessary. <strong><em>Yeah!!</em></strong> So, we packed-it-up and headed to Target to up some prescriptions on the way home...an inhaler and some antibiotics. We were also given a Peak Flow Meter (which measures a person's ability to breathe air out of the lungs...and thus the degree of obstruction in the airway) and asked to start recording "Little Man's" peak flow numbers three times a day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It is now Sunday night. "Little Man" slept most of the day Saturday (once we were home from the ER) and slept in pretty late this morning. He has been lounging around most of the day today. The bad cough is still there but he is definitely breathing a lot easier than he was yesterday. He'll be staying home until he is better. His dad is staying home with him Monday and Tuesday, and then I'll take over on Wednesday.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The respiratory therapist also thought that "Little Man" might possibly have some form of asthma (possibly allergy-induced) and asked that we just keep that in the back of our minds in the future, should something like this happen again. Since this is now the second time in three years that "Little Man" has had this type of thing happen and been diagnosed with pneumonia, that id definitely something that we will continue to monitor going forward.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
It's late Sunday night, the weekend flew by, and the work day is going to come early...I'm signing-off. (And checking on my little guy before I hit the bed).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, "Little Man's" dad is also sick. Sore throat, cough...all stuff we could do without at the moment. He's managing though -- and I'm hoping by later this week everyone in this household will be back at 100%.</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-26923265555990068192012-07-24T19:50:00.000-05:002012-07-24T19:50:04.787-05:00One of Those Days!Ever have one of <strong><em>those</em></strong> days? "Little Man" had one yesterday...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCPTuZQvL9_vfT_nAqrIK014IlhKc-Cb8Bf1XVHI5TRmjhhhKr95pLxRu2TkL-hSbT_fwR1F_UL_aTZUdWzI_LmIcSooP_4kU22IDLIOM1KTXOyLgXSzI7BNvwhUMRvhd6yGluKiUfVf2/s1600/DSC_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCPTuZQvL9_vfT_nAqrIK014IlhKc-Cb8Bf1XVHI5TRmjhhhKr95pLxRu2TkL-hSbT_fwR1F_UL_aTZUdWzI_LmIcSooP_4kU22IDLIOM1KTXOyLgXSzI7BNvwhUMRvhd6yGluKiUfVf2/s320/DSC_0838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After getting mad at us "Little Man" fell asleep<br />
on the couch...and left a little note for us to read.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEi9fcRztME0b5VRUcQuaoMAlJy73z5loQ9hdREG5BqrW91Eiz2rGvHJHJp26-4x1MMkj28qrf1q26CVS0Hr8chP0KSbnA2nCLa-4rD0tJfI8hjche4dKpozYE53By73WjbPU3uLPGpkXqI2/s1600/DSC_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fcRztME0b5VRUcQuaoMAlJy73z5loQ9hdREG5BqrW91Eiz2rGvHJHJp26-4x1MMkj28qrf1q26CVS0Hr8chP0KSbnA2nCLa-4rD0tJfI8hjche4dKpozYE53By73WjbPU3uLPGpkXqI2/s320/DSC_0839.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>This</em> was the note!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-78552462437635669112012-07-19T17:50:00.004-05:002012-07-19T17:50:52.572-05:00We Have a "Grandmaster" in our Midst!"Little Man" is <em>really</em> enjoying his summer this year. He started SAC (School Age Care) rather than the childcare center that he was attending previously. And while he will be the first to tell you that there are positives and negatives to both places, he <strong>loves</strong> the activities that are available to him through SAC. To name just a few, here are some of the things that he has been able to participate in so far this summer:<br />
<ul>
<li>Weekly trips to the local water park</li>
<li>Weekly trips to the local library</li>
<li>Weekly "guests" that come on-site to share things with the kids (including an astronomer, farmer, and a chef)</li>
<li>A trip to the MN Science Museum to learn about real life pirates</li>
<li>Volunteering to help set-up for our local "Relay for Life" cancer fundraising event</li>
<li>A trip to a regional theater to see a play</li>
</ul>
The list of activities goes on and one -- but this week was a favorite...<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.youthenrichmentleague.com/index.html" target="_blank">Youth Enrichment League</a> visited and provided an instructor for a four day chess class. Participants had to pay a fee to participate in this particular class, but the class was with a local (and highly sought after) instructor so it was worth the cost. Anyone who knows "Little Man" knows that he loves to play chess -- and that he is fairly good at it for having had so little instruction this early in his life!<br />
<br />
So what does four straight days of instruction with a highly-accomplished player get ya? (See below to find out!)<br />
<br />
<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/AVvXsEhLyURWROvW1NLZCL3dbQJcRMKd6Dj7DmuomvJ7xvm-kIIEEq8vd-egD7IIoJGtPzPsCKPmDk2iMgPuIt6nu3pLy8fc8voumlMF88EYIks1WThNyS8kl0kUUEjza-92YM8mCkfmNQTDF2Ff/s1600/DSC_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyURWROvW1NLZCL3dbQJcRMKd6Dj7DmuomvJ7xvm-kIIEEq8vd-egD7IIoJGtPzPsCKPmDk2iMgPuIt6nu3pLy8fc8voumlMF88EYIks1WThNyS8kl0kUUEjza-92YM8mCkfmNQTDF2Ff/s320/DSC_0834.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Little Man's" <strong>Grandmasters of Chess</strong> Trophy<br />
"Rookie" Level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEhj3L6qA0pd_26vRaPlZq40COhoXFpYe2R6wIxlbGGGOqHjXEj-hjsyWXHmxSfel1WQJlqDl3j7OnN5ILaOJztX6Y0SxXEok8ImytggJJS3lCgkNd7UBp-_FdCfJssKa1k-F4Z_PHtpN93X/s1600/DSC_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3L6qA0pd_26vRaPlZq40COhoXFpYe2R6wIxlbGGGOqHjXEj-hjsyWXHmxSfel1WQJlqDl3j7OnN5ILaOJztX6Y0SxXEok8ImytggJJS3lCgkNd7UBp-_FdCfJssKa1k-F4Z_PHtpN93X/s320/DSC_0832.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One happy little man!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEisiYNNsN9cDXedoU3kp63GyigWsTDVpmdIWw1q5IDpG83dZBwbE97U254dBUIq9X7tHKVHNRCtANwg4iZdk66_qQyitzzh_8BqgmkkjcqYa1htZMaftmxUGVrq7jzy14297rNEL1Gt-PTb/s1600/DSC_0831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiYNNsN9cDXedoU3kp63GyigWsTDVpmdIWw1q5IDpG83dZBwbE97U254dBUIq9X7tHKVHNRCtANwg4iZdk66_qQyitzzh_8BqgmkkjcqYa1htZMaftmxUGVrq7jzy14297rNEL1Gt-PTb/s320/DSC_0831.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving up from "Cadet" to "Lieutenant!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-6462698462915480452012-07-09T22:42:00.001-05:002012-07-09T22:42:31.612-05:00Our First Family Vacation of the Summer!Several weeks ago, you might recall that I blogged about the recent <a href="http://twotimesthechaos.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-mn-historic-flooding.html" target="_blank">Historic Flooding in Duluth, MN</a>. What I failed to mention in that particular post was the fact that our annual trek to the North Shore was actually slated for the July 4th Holiday this year...and that I had considered cancelling due to the extensive, devastating floods Duluth and the surrounding areas. However, thanks to a friend who grew up in Duluth and who still has family there we were encouraged to "stay the course" and make our way to the North Shore. She assured me that she had just been up there and that most of the "touristy" areas of Duluth, including the infamous Canal Park, were virtually untouched. So we hedged our bets and went anyway...and boy, am I glad that we did!<br />
<br />
Nearly every area that we typically visit was untouched, already cleaned up, or a clean up was in progress. We didn't encounter any issues with detours or delays due to damaged roads and found that most places were easily accessible to us. However, there was a <em>lot</em> of destruction to be seen if you chose to seek it out -- side streets riddled with sinkholes or missing altogether, a few restaurants and businesses closed (not ones we normally frequent) and in the process of being repaired, EROSION...like I have never seen before, and the water in Lake Superior was still clay-colored from all of the run-off.<br />
<br />
At a time where the economy is already so unstable -- a blow like a 500 year flood event to an area such as this one (very high levels of tourism over the entire summer) would seem like it would have the potential to send the city to its knees and bury it forever. However, we saw people out working their hardest to breathe live back into every nook-and-cranny of the city and the outlying areas. Inspiring really.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, our tourism dollars were greatly needed (and appreciated!) throughout our four day stay. Folks went out of their way to provide us with information regarding what was open, or wasn't, whenever we asked questions. We attended the "Fourth Fest" and watched the evening fireworks light up the sky over Lake Superior the night of July 4th. Breathtaking. Beautiful. <br />
<br />
They will rebuild. And we will come again. Thank you again to the wonderful folks in Duluth and the surrounding areas for making our family vacation a wonderful one...even amidst one of the most devastating times in your history!<br />
<br />
Some of my favorite photos from the trip:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6CjIJ41nvB4CI0-9YmNB0Gmvj9xjzVNNSB4SFeLoe_K12B7Q7LD0eG8lfiWh2DXJO4PjOxfG4dSDAziO0uujHrzdWoRlfjYmk9JKtm_88Oy2sa4GDU_V3mtBOyDdjABRj-_IniMr2za3/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6CjIJ41nvB4CI0-9YmNB0Gmvj9xjzVNNSB4SFeLoe_K12B7Q7LD0eG8lfiWh2DXJO4PjOxfG4dSDAziO0uujHrzdWoRlfjYmk9JKtm_88Oy2sa4GDU_V3mtBOyDdjABRj-_IniMr2za3/s320/DSC_0669.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Little Man" looking out over Lake Superior</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEjge47HAZSbZ6-acduU8aQTxZoDCiV0ZHG5aH7ZAchzN85lI2swE5T8blAuJpnPcZ2BbupVXZDyQY22_6C9zoXBtKCkyglNbZhHjLbT57ScYjNqpYXpAmGRQo9dDxbZ2QJIqjZn4HSWnOmw/s1600/DSC_0672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge47HAZSbZ6-acduU8aQTxZoDCiV0ZHG5aH7ZAchzN85lI2swE5T8blAuJpnPcZ2BbupVXZDyQY22_6C9zoXBtKCkyglNbZhHjLbT57ScYjNqpYXpAmGRQo9dDxbZ2QJIqjZn4HSWnOmw/s320/DSC_0672.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Mischievous! (Do you see the Devil in her eyes?!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEgmJdK9u-CLl1qNcfHVwwFFayeg4JYxD92jSWsWl5KJKa6J18JJAgf1iBTlYbfAMjdDUHeQqH45kIq0rs45vzJ2oZH2BAIKwrLhAcB7w7Kh-l3gPN72XbpEY-MPIFl8jM-Os966ej9jZwU9/s1600/DSC_0682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJdK9u-CLl1qNcfHVwwFFayeg4JYxD92jSWsWl5KJKa6J18JJAgf1iBTlYbfAMjdDUHeQqH45kIq0rs45vzJ2oZH2BAIKwrLhAcB7w7Kh-l3gPN72XbpEY-MPIFl8jM-Os966ej9jZwU9/s320/DSC_0682.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilton Honors "Welcome Gift"<br />
A four pack of Red Bull...with a funny card to boot.<br />
I guess being a Diamond-level member really does have its perks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEhT_1InuVQv_T2LEawJMPipfH3JMN1ySUcyZkrgKij5cr3Rq6rJSpm6IQ6sNOpL8kfQEHXNWYlb3b5FQnmR_vjbXvGjGpenBFnB9O0GYouI986favQ94Bf3mBeT-i6O5xxgQNFufbXC3zXv/s1600/DSC_0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_1InuVQv_T2LEawJMPipfH3JMN1ySUcyZkrgKij5cr3Rq6rJSpm6IQ6sNOpL8kfQEHXNWYlb3b5FQnmR_vjbXvGjGpenBFnB9O0GYouI986favQ94Bf3mBeT-i6O5xxgQNFufbXC3zXv/s320/DSC_0686.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Feisty Girl" at Gooseberry Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEj1uMCyVdwHuVd_eyQcX2wJU61IFwWzu3y-X-qgB51FSDneQe4-KXFuj2rNKGGAyyDV7CyPc9LZyTrV014IgmNEHzk3ZRiFkkOLPv3uhg8kZZc5942JsVNzk_avnVwBPRCj8dNSVb26kHU_/s1600/DSC_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uMCyVdwHuVd_eyQcX2wJU61IFwWzu3y-X-qgB51FSDneQe4-KXFuj2rNKGGAyyDV7CyPc9LZyTrV014IgmNEHzk3ZRiFkkOLPv3uhg8kZZc5942JsVNzk_avnVwBPRCj8dNSVb26kHU_/s320/DSC_0696.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Man's "Serious Face"<br />
(He was doing some rock climbing and was all business!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEiBwZ0i3Quyp0eLIkfvCnzZPEmqaPtXARMlKUNqRmia_8WQtg9-JK3zxiUQEoWHLANL5LtpELPj3-gcTMRY3MxH16TwroDVJ2jXfaiyuTML2vNQz79G7v723OIfZ7doScDMkkWOzMyetncE/s1600/DSC_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwZ0i3Quyp0eLIkfvCnzZPEmqaPtXARMlKUNqRmia_8WQtg9-JK3zxiUQEoWHLANL5LtpELPj3-gcTMRY3MxH16TwroDVJ2jXfaiyuTML2vNQz79G7v723OIfZ7doScDMkkWOzMyetncE/s320/DSC_0707.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little jog through the forest!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEjNl4hyoYzAksYrLyEFsZqMdC-U2y10pId-qpJpkcjZ2Rd8HFM5N6bMP7fw-vEiRIxkos9s7Pvbdz6stxu5zeFYW8emnM41XIYM_74SzOk7HnBpkB6OaQkO6Pzup2V1fyn64xjHK0piqFvg/s1600/DSC_0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl4hyoYzAksYrLyEFsZqMdC-U2y10pId-qpJpkcjZ2Rd8HFM5N6bMP7fw-vEiRIxkos9s7Pvbdz6stxu5zeFYW8emnM41XIYM_74SzOk7HnBpkB6OaQkO6Pzup2V1fyn64xjHK0piqFvg/s320/DSC_0727.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom, "Little Man," & "Feisty Girl"<br />
in the river above the Upper Falls at Gooseberry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEj_5Z0mVea0RBIPpd0tRk2BP4Ake1la8C7qCtZ_bWLI0iBfy8vDIOcU_dTRr9-ZW35YlbG-CZUK2ttZ9myuud3U548NY7Z54Ke5i1f0ZRYbfP95WTWQVDf81eXsvAvqfweKm7mn0XmTjwIb/s1600/DSC_0738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5Z0mVea0RBIPpd0tRk2BP4Ake1la8C7qCtZ_bWLI0iBfy8vDIOcU_dTRr9-ZW35YlbG-CZUK2ttZ9myuud3U548NY7Z54Ke5i1f0ZRYbfP95WTWQVDf81eXsvAvqfweKm7mn0XmTjwIb/s320/DSC_0738.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Physical therapy exercises in the great outdoors...<br />
my man is committed like no other!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgpKpSwTseBdPQfqocrZURawIMPx6rDRLY_6E9buh-PWpE98GKIlj9e274yEKsmj0BDgM3XXfCC5jr1uoFW5YJys2vpLY8PKVARO71eeKOFa55x1mo-vjhdWgiZDQ6Qyp4jXgOWVE2lda0h/s1600/DSC_0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKpSwTseBdPQfqocrZURawIMPx6rDRLY_6E9buh-PWpE98GKIlj9e274yEKsmj0BDgM3XXfCC5jr1uoFW5YJys2vpLY8PKVARO71eeKOFa55x1mo-vjhdWgiZDQ6Qyp4jXgOWVE2lda0h/s320/DSC_0745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad & the kiddos (upper falls in the background)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEjReNg0ofXShiVccb_wxyW7ehSaoj_vvvW1izKUPUmCziIge4HTKMjkK71RDAyyyJ-YRmcUkXkevIGXseO-YW0rRE52dDeIRVpS1oguDi7GhRUS-PNbZnwiUGzQ7nBXmqvCXcHVacvch8-X/s1600/DSC_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReNg0ofXShiVccb_wxyW7ehSaoj_vvvW1izKUPUmCziIge4HTKMjkK71RDAyyyJ-YRmcUkXkevIGXseO-YW0rRE52dDeIRVpS1oguDi7GhRUS-PNbZnwiUGzQ7nBXmqvCXcHVacvch8-X/s320/DSC_0769.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Letting off some steam!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEiHHhqNuqsiYmJM_KS4fiDmkdzrQY_WWC4V4Kpw81SjJ4bOPJI9OWtXN0rbZCO9PgyDvBBzGKI1gNOC4Fgt3kZFnDhKhzN5Bvx6OOmUJjTnrHsdkrPKS9dZpYd8HflcsxQ1-20POi-FNQo2/s1600/DSC_0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHhqNuqsiYmJM_KS4fiDmkdzrQY_WWC4V4Kpw81SjJ4bOPJI9OWtXN0rbZCO9PgyDvBBzGKI1gNOC4Fgt3kZFnDhKhzN5Bvx6OOmUJjTnrHsdkrPKS9dZpYd8HflcsxQ1-20POi-FNQo2/s320/DSC_0771.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the winner is?!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgBku0NPlqYRzP0QlDu4FCJQkY-gRaPqUaqB13Rrv5SwKoMj6XhRDbEj4rsp_2vTfucfZGqIqkP15ehdwqDThV6cbIp1ueATOXAvNBmlP6NOG8r4OhJTFbU93vVN2IrMTDkaPR0M2JU5sTP/s1600/DSC_0779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBku0NPlqYRzP0QlDu4FCJQkY-gRaPqUaqB13Rrv5SwKoMj6XhRDbEj4rsp_2vTfucfZGqIqkP15ehdwqDThV6cbIp1ueATOXAvNBmlP6NOG8r4OhJTFbU93vVN2IrMTDkaPR0M2JU5sTP/s320/DSC_0779.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OH! That is <em>cold!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYkON2np7wFd-vVxQq16DD6xQhk6SHtjf5cuqqlcgSilJ4AVbLdNOq7-Gr7YT1hGcWIPPOoOL-TsPLhN0mExu-pFwVOFLRxMwSpbMXBBQL8Vl9ArSyqH05s026SpzMpQBCk3Kz5gJrbSX/s1600/DSC_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYkON2np7wFd-vVxQq16DD6xQhk6SHtjf5cuqqlcgSilJ4AVbLdNOq7-Gr7YT1hGcWIPPOoOL-TsPLhN0mExu-pFwVOFLRxMwSpbMXBBQL8Vl9ArSyqH05s026SpzMpQBCk3Kz5gJrbSX/s320/DSC_0777.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skipping rocks on Lake Superior</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/AVvXsEheSUZ3gbOzGnMbt-xIhAKeCn8IMYhINXTrPN5ttkZQEtma5imMXYmdxzbGBdXm2CSv95Jq2CtjJMriGBPvVu7wpQKEi_6PsgtThSunDVzrPjT9gXAuAjvMPYlwFvrXo4nK7SU25CXfdxxn/s1600/DSC_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSUZ3gbOzGnMbt-xIhAKeCn8IMYhINXTrPN5ttkZQEtma5imMXYmdxzbGBdXm2CSv95Jq2CtjJMriGBPvVu7wpQKEi_6PsgtThSunDVzrPjT9gXAuAjvMPYlwFvrXo4nK7SU25CXfdxxn/s320/DSC_0789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful rock-lined beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGjeJM042IA9f-mWBQMHdpTt2mK0HzCWH6I_t3oeNjd-Lp6MP4budQAx6WIgs788TuwgXmd54XGyMh1jYYSyEdqqPm9dtPrJKXb3cfuQ1V4pB39XhbgIXfYAu3-nXWmIY0m6q7Qw55AtB/s1600/DSC_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGjeJM042IA9f-mWBQMHdpTt2mK0HzCWH6I_t3oeNjd-Lp6MP4budQAx6WIgs788TuwgXmd54XGyMh1jYYSyEdqqPm9dtPrJKXb3cfuQ1V4pB39XhbgIXfYAu3-nXWmIY0m6q7Qw55AtB/s320/DSC_0798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Photo-Op!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielFgplc6UeDg1dtK-q_nr-eLXS_7_ab6y-5WDRoByTNx0cA17BUBPLEt8jPZYyazUTAjaD-Mik47tNhLzzDubDEvXtlLjEFRr4m6V0G4JbVCQWmZnyCsRn-mpKdu90jfvb2412jiZ4Bde/s1600/DSC_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielFgplc6UeDg1dtK-q_nr-eLXS_7_ab6y-5WDRoByTNx0cA17BUBPLEt8jPZYyazUTAjaD-Mik47tNhLzzDubDEvXtlLjEFRr4m6V0G4JbVCQWmZnyCsRn-mpKdu90jfvb2412jiZ4Bde/s320/DSC_0829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best little joint in Duluth to purchase a cold treat on a warm day!</td></tr>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-75678434304401420562012-07-09T21:52:00.000-05:002012-07-09T21:52:11.129-05:00What Is It?Anybody up for a quick game of "What Is It?" I'll post a picture and give you one guess!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8V9X0L1f9fkZyJDkTZQGEVVywBSKGQMRueK21W3aVqGu8yofbSLPI8xdY4BvU0cLuanjM_pll0xVPYIHdhrucau2m-w8wm0mLymTOlyvc6jms_piCG-R-o4_qTtkf-P_pbRkthITwW7-/s1600/DSC_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8V9X0L1f9fkZyJDkTZQGEVVywBSKGQMRueK21W3aVqGu8yofbSLPI8xdY4BvU0cLuanjM_pll0xVPYIHdhrucau2m-w8wm0mLymTOlyvc6jms_piCG-R-o4_qTtkf-P_pbRkthITwW7-/s320/DSC_0660.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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Have you figured it out yet? If you guessed <em><strong>"The big strands of hair that "Feisty Girl" cut from her head back at the end of June because she was mad that her mom hadn't taken her for a haircut yet and she wanted her hair to be shorter"</strong></em> -- you are correct!Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-48272795793293188922012-07-09T21:44:00.000-05:002012-07-09T21:44:21.037-05:00A Long Overdue PostThis post is <em>long</em> overdue. Back in May, the newest edition to the family ("Baby G") was finally baptized. Family and friends gathered to celebrate. I took quite a few photos that day but tonight is the first opportunity that I've had to actually sit down and review the photos and pick out a few of my favorites -- so here they are, a few of my favorites:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-t1-unsNlzoV5hIXeSAsD1n0fZkair_IHNulNSudDdmAKZlv9LQgYKmdl0L4PcpW4FhKJUW2KJdSooEixyAuBLmv_08faym5T3Td6HyTClfe46zXDMyfP3rCdcXleDtBOHXdgMs3ecnt/s1600/DSC_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-t1-unsNlzoV5hIXeSAsD1n0fZkair_IHNulNSudDdmAKZlv9LQgYKmdl0L4PcpW4FhKJUW2KJdSooEixyAuBLmv_08faym5T3Td6HyTClfe46zXDMyfP3rCdcXleDtBOHXdgMs3ecnt/s320/DSC_0467.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Baby G" & Daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXwaKUnAruBfgt0Q6meoSyy9-994L7qetM5J-UlIa_YOORho_P29jhAxapePUyv4MKr0wVFzmUNmuu-VZJRUNmgl0fC1H-F7sRFqReTgvF3_SmS1R0IacY95ouPI0BU4TdrzH4d7zzWY-/s1600/DSC_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXwaKUnAruBfgt0Q6meoSyy9-994L7qetM5J-UlIa_YOORho_P29jhAxapePUyv4MKr0wVFzmUNmuu-VZJRUNmgl0fC1H-F7sRFqReTgvF3_SmS1R0IacY95ouPI0BU4TdrzH4d7zzWY-/s320/DSC_0490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Baby G" with Mommy & Daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpbIWf3HX81Ouf-DXRGBDsnMPCpp7ncIP2mqM5cDkcHnHh5u2048CmMrtgqrKDkH7WfctBpJqDtzE5jlZ5Ap774LQ_Nj8KePwH-S0zfg2hGVIoNoYb_rAu-S6vd1EwN1MO4xgtTEVj1Se/s1600/DSC_0499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpbIWf3HX81Ouf-DXRGBDsnMPCpp7ncIP2mqM5cDkcHnHh5u2048CmMrtgqrKDkH7WfctBpJqDtzE5jlZ5Ap774LQ_Nj8KePwH-S0zfg2hGVIoNoYb_rAu-S6vd1EwN1MO4xgtTEVj1Se/s320/DSC_0499.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Baby G" with Daddy & Uncle RyRy</td></tr>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-46165375132030997822012-06-21T22:43:00.001-05:002012-06-21T22:44:07.884-05:00Duluth, MN, Historic FloodingEvery year for the past 15+ years my family has made an annual trek to the "North Shore" in Minnesota. Specifically to Duluth, MN. It is an absolutely beautiful, peaceful place to spend time. There is so much to do and to see. Watch the sun rise or set. Take in a view of the lake. Bike. Hike. Swim. Shop. Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage...the list goes on and on.<br />
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Prior to 2003, our trips were "solo" -- just my husband (boyfriend at the time!) and me. Then, starting in 2003 and spanning through 2007, our trek north including a new addition...our son. As always, we continued to make some really <em>great</em> memories on our trips beginning with the year our son was born and just continuing on from there! In 2008, with the adoption of our daughter, our annual trek turned into a full-fledged family affair!!<br />
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And, like any "up north" family, we each have our own favorite thing to do once we hit North Shore Territory. Our favorite place to temporarily call home. Our favorite place to eat. Our favorite activity. You get the picture...<br />
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Which is why I feel so sick to my stomach hearing the news of the recent historic flooding in Duluth and the surrounding areas. Seeing photos of some of our favorite spots completely gone...washed away or, at best, completely redefined by the sheer force of the water coursing both under and over the ground. Thinking of those who have been directly effected -- lost their vehicles, homes, belongings...it makes my stomach turn.<br />
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The 10+ inches of rain that has fallen in the area over the past three days may have changed the landscape of my family's favorite escape and it is no doubt testing the patience and resolve of the folks who call Duluth and the surrounding areas home -- but I have no reason to believe that in the days, weeks, and months to come that there will be a "rebuild" and the folks in that area will pull through all of this. They will pick up the pieces...and move forward. People will come from near and far to help with whatever they can. Give whatever they can. It is what I love most about this state that we call "home!"<br />
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Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the "Northland" tonight. Stay strong. Stay safe.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmOvW58GoGC1wiZRgeXEyJ_yujh21nmjQzThjdcWekSo_ryQHbrt4duXGDK5QJWAvVGawvvi2INJOHgnGO-FZ1vvlXd8rf_92ZKJfnsvNTZA3oL6DGyc-Fs6lvKkTDUlc90ej0wACzF8W/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmOvW58GoGC1wiZRgeXEyJ_yujh21nmjQzThjdcWekSo_ryQHbrt4duXGDK5QJWAvVGawvvi2INJOHgnGO-FZ1vvlXd8rf_92ZKJfnsvNTZA3oL6DGyc-Fs6lvKkTDUlc90ej0wACzF8W/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gooseberry Falls - Normal/Low Flow<br />
<em>Photo By: Unknown</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg080wlSRqLxOoj0x-23U-DE3Lh0fU-i1rmu1vOx98bLqJANJtKz_jmdUpbQ5qE9S9ddSrfMhKc3NX_fv8HdnnTAyFIc69Xmpa8hPurXqM9pcRtheM1FMOQLVy5klKfqL9zUX2GIOuTrTxx/s1600/20120621_gooseberry4_53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg080wlSRqLxOoj0x-23U-DE3Lh0fU-i1rmu1vOx98bLqJANJtKz_jmdUpbQ5qE9S9ddSrfMhKc3NX_fv8HdnnTAyFIc69Xmpa8hPurXqM9pcRtheM1FMOQLVy5klKfqL9zUX2GIOuTrTxx/s320/20120621_gooseberry4_53.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goosberry Falls - Historic Flow (June 2012)<br />
<em>Photo By: Alexius Deters</em></td></tr>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-41512756487266050782012-06-19T22:08:00.000-05:002012-06-19T22:08:04.270-05:00Summer Kicks OffEven though summer doesn't officially kick off until Thursday, June 21st, we kicked it off in our household a couple of weekends ago...with a big <strong>40th Birthday Bash</strong> for my husband. Okay, okay, so the big bash isn't for a couple of weekends yet -- but we did kick things off with a <em>dang good</em> weekend celebration!<br />
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We started out taking a 1/2 day of vacation and then heading to Red Wing, MN, with our best friends for a night out at <a href="http://www.treasureislandcasino.com/" target="_blank">Treasure Island Resort & Casino</a>. Things started out a bit of a disappointment when I found out in the morning that the dinner cruise that we had planned to take on the Mississippi River that evening had been cancelled due to the low number of reservations for that particular evening. I was totally bummed, as this was something we had never done before and I was planning on surprising my husband with a nice cruise down the river, along with a great dinner and some after-dinner drinks! After some discussion, it was decided that we would just head to the casino buffet and have dinner there.<br />
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On the way to dinner we noticed that the casino was promoting a new slot machine called "Grease," yes, based on the 1978 movie and its 1982 sequel. I always loved those movies so I told my husband we should check out the promotion after dinner. Well, I'm sure glad we did because between the two of us we won five spins on the new machines. My husband took his five spins and ended up $31.00 to the good...and got to walk away with his winnings. As I took my first spin, I hit a bonus round of some type in which I won additional spins. In the end, I ended up winning $126.00 -- between the two of us we walked away with a total of $157.00. Not bad for playing with someone elses money!! (And our winnings ended up covering the entire cost of our hotel room for the evening -- <em>bonus!)</em><br />
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After our "Grease" adventure we headed to one of the bars at the casino where we stayed until the wee hours of the morning listening to the band and having a cocktail <em>or two</em>. The band was a cover band but played some really good songs. The drinks were excellent -- including the $60.00 worth of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4gerbomb" target="_blank">Jagerbombs</a> that we downed...not bad for a group of old folks! :)<br />
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As we creeped further and further into the wee hours of the morning, we all decided it was time to hit the beds. We parted ways with our friends, only to meet up again later in the morning at a local Perkins for breakfast. After that we headed out on a little road trip to Chippewa Falls, WI -- home to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Leinenkugel_Brewing_Company" target="_blank"><strong>Jacob Leinenkugal Brewing Company.</strong></a><strong> </strong>You see, my husband and I have never really had an appetite for beer...weird, I know. I still don't -- but about a year ago my husband start to "acquire" a taste for a few, select beers including several in the "Leines" line-up. Fast forward to today, and you'll find that he loves the stuff. So, what better way to celebrate a milestone birthday then by road-trippin' it to the Leines Brewery, right?<br />
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And so, road trip we did! The tour was fun and informative...and, hey, you got to sample free beer afterwards so how could you go wrong? I tried to join in the festivities by trying a "pink lemonade," which happens to be a mixture of two different beers in the Leines line-up -- Summer Shandy and Berry Weiss. Again, I'm not a beer drinker but I must admit it wasn't too bad! My husband on the other hand, he sampled some of his tried-and-true favorites (like Creamy Dark) as well as some of the newer beers, like the "Big Eddy Imperial IPA" -- of which, he was not a big fan.<br />
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At any rate, we ended the day with a tour of the facilities/grounds and then wrapped it up with supper at a "ma and pa" eatery in Eau Claire, WI, where we stayed for the night before heading back to the great state of Minnesota. All-in-all, a great weekend with great friends!<br />
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Here are some pictures from our tour of the brewery. Sorry, they are mostly of the grounds and the outside of the facilities -- no photos were allowed once we were inside:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNk57fJQJexphatEmPuZLYFSiTT0_AU98jSTfhD3xvPbTlvV3CHwMW1M0L6YpQkgh9wusdM82PE4Gi1uBhs0YLDQ_C_7BI5HklkI9FunudTK0rew9AOuVxAreC6aU0iFfwnoe4kGdeRdLw/s1600/DSC_0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNk57fJQJexphatEmPuZLYFSiTT0_AU98jSTfhD3xvPbTlvV3CHwMW1M0L6YpQkgh9wusdM82PE4Gi1uBhs0YLDQ_C_7BI5HklkI9FunudTK0rew9AOuVxAreC6aU0iFfwnoe4kGdeRdLw/s320/DSC_0573.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo of some of the buildings on the grounds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqJkEsdbVvEXeVp8RSMj7lN0NufpxXO3E98KnhvJPKA_6kd7Xxa6TCsfv7f3-lk-r8bILdN_2unia4ZKNxPYviANzJRFPYK8uHaNzr6hm7bKfm8aCf7MDVoBZZCM4DvlXT1uubNJ2kE9s/s1600/DSC_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqJkEsdbVvEXeVp8RSMj7lN0NufpxXO3E98KnhvJPKA_6kd7Xxa6TCsfv7f3-lk-r8bILdN_2unia4ZKNxPYviANzJRFPYK8uHaNzr6hm7bKfm8aCf7MDVoBZZCM4DvlXT1uubNJ2kE9s/s320/DSC_0576.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband and I near the old stable building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYiS-PJLlzdUy0vqkk5LRfeJ8ey-HNdUW_naTIsnqro6OOvC38jkL7dc9e8TFqSA4k6NUfala7zqE_FMxr2s5eWZdsu9CUHov-ihL2weIkp38IyFV4rofVeVF_eFfnd9y2-Do_9fE4woh/s1600/DSC_0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYiS-PJLlzdUy0vqkk5LRfeJ8ey-HNdUW_naTIsnqro6OOvC38jkL7dc9e8TFqSA4k6NUfala7zqE_FMxr2s5eWZdsu9CUHov-ihL2weIkp38IyFV4rofVeVF_eFfnd9y2-Do_9fE4woh/s320/DSC_0580.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are with our best friends!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6iuXJhGu1YCenXMM7SlOr0Ixu-gO7OZt26rUwqnDwblPFSo-xkbuYEnHa60IkmQ7EXr_mqtPUPmZAulwH5ZVxhWWh59IHPn64rZAS_d4vErfVX1kvzTNCmOqDVO7iBNE324YPASicopT/s1600/DSC_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6iuXJhGu1YCenXMM7SlOr0Ixu-gO7OZt26rUwqnDwblPFSo-xkbuYEnHa60IkmQ7EXr_mqtPUPmZAulwH5ZVxhWWh59IHPn64rZAS_d4vErfVX1kvzTNCmOqDVO7iBNE324YPASicopT/s320/DSC_0584.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband in front of the "Leine Lodge"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQql3nGu-NdGsbKEDbEWZE9s41NSP20BOQFA3MU_A21JdVmYFnS10hLERw6t-kaQesWgVnOUb5WECLwjqMIYUajbOnc5RTrIVVK7l-ZR6eJc4LimvSqHLs7DNnbbF5C58-iz1f1h5SM9VQ/s1600/DSC_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQql3nGu-NdGsbKEDbEWZE9s41NSP20BOQFA3MU_A21JdVmYFnS10hLERw6t-kaQesWgVnOUb5WECLwjqMIYUajbOnc5RTrIVVK7l-ZR6eJc4LimvSqHLs7DNnbbF5C58-iz1f1h5SM9VQ/s320/DSC_0591.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the lodge -- sampling beer, shopping,<br />
and lookin' at all of the cool stuff!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjSB1mzPQzEIh4gO79LgcWuDxzVxM3It5OQhbmi7ZLCW4vy-cXX1EGh-Sgc7j1ATy59Zp0DhkjWOFYwxc1cgO_GbN0_Ly0RHJpn4WfC8uDkqle7pRamyf7oyahSdw8GIixu2hmGjZkaHT/s1600/DSC_0598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjSB1mzPQzEIh4gO79LgcWuDxzVxM3It5OQhbmi7ZLCW4vy-cXX1EGh-Sgc7j1ATy59Zp0DhkjWOFYwxc1cgO_GbN0_Ly0RHJpn4WfC8uDkqle7pRamyf7oyahSdw8GIixu2hmGjZkaHT/s320/DSC_0598.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a Keg Brander that was used to burn the J. Leinenkugel<br />
Brewing Co. name into wooden barrels and casks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkQcuPYeFuv0bOOpgq7RWViD1VeVOBePpA63qkGo-eM_KAoHwMUVeetXxNQv7V9giHwlKvdqWS9SEryqrkAEBYBi7r5HMkdOW9RBJ5Tvrh1HqCO3VnSpvXv3tip4lxLhicN06Sm8nwy_S/s1600/DSC_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkQcuPYeFuv0bOOpgq7RWViD1VeVOBePpA63qkGo-eM_KAoHwMUVeetXxNQv7V9giHwlKvdqWS9SEryqrkAEBYBi7r5HMkdOW9RBJ5Tvrh1HqCO3VnSpvXv3tip4lxLhicN06Sm8nwy_S/s320/DSC_0570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many displays inside the lodge --<br />
this one happens to be of three of Leines<br />
"inactive" brews</td></tr>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-58669389228289513422012-06-06T18:56:00.000-05:002012-06-06T18:57:08.825-05:00It's Official (again!)You might recall that in December of last year I posted regarding one of our <a href="http://twotimesthechaos.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-are-proud-parents-of.html" target="_blank">son's achievements</a> from the prior school year. Well, we are happy to share that he has once again received the Presidential Physical Fitness Award -- an award that is only bestowed upon students scoring at or above the 85th percentile on <em>all five</em> activities!<br />
<br />
Two years and counting "Little Man," -- WAY TO GO!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yeTzeeA-Ny7MoZSXpG1icU0wC6jOGu5HCIvj85o_Nt-goGm55Cl93LfE7qNJlfu695mNJaAEG1lZrAYUOdQYttCmGzCG1Rw7wq77lu_QIBtSeHBPu5Yt7LJ1iZEpXJ90fZ32FiLjkXQ2/s1600/DSC_0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yeTzeeA-Ny7MoZSXpG1icU0wC6jOGu5HCIvj85o_Nt-goGm55Cl93LfE7qNJlfu695mNJaAEG1lZrAYUOdQYttCmGzCG1Rw7wq77lu_QIBtSeHBPu5Yt7LJ1iZEpXJ90fZ32FiLjkXQ2/s320/DSC_0568.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, for the "yellow" post-it note on the certificate...<br />
just protecting "Little Man's" privacy!</td></tr>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550340396991323611.post-8712713197980321932012-05-30T22:57:00.000-05:002012-05-30T22:57:07.062-05:00Well, We Did It...After much debating, we did it...purchased a new vehicle. I can't say that I'm not happy that we'll all have a nice, new vehicle to ride in coming into the summer travel season -- but I can say that I'm not <strong><em>at all</em></strong> happy to once again have a car payment to make. We've been without car payments for several years now and to go back to having one...well...quite frankly, it makes me ill.<br />
<br />
So just how did we arrive at this point? Well, our oldest vehicle was just seven years old (this past weekend, in fact) but it was starting to show its age. There were tiny rust spots popping up, many door "dings," two spots in which someone had actually hit our vehicle thereby causing dents in the area that they hit, stains in the carpeting, and we were starting to see mechanical issues -- our Key Fobs no longer locked or unlocked our doors, there was a strange knocking noise in the front of the vehicle near one of the tires, and we even learned (through the trade-in process) that part of the front-end of the vehicle was broken and starting to fall off. So as much as we hate car payments, we decided it was time to take-the-plunge.<br />
<br />
We've been driving vehicles for the past 1.5 weeks, talking to sales people, working on attempting to get the best price possible, and <em>finally</em> we are nearly to the end. We sold our old van last night and tonight we purchased a new one. Although we could have driven it home tonight, we decided to leave it at the dealership until Friday or Saturday so that they could install the few accessories that we decided to purchase, get the plates put on it, and give it a good detail before we drive it off the lot.<br />
<br />
Curious what we ended up with? A 2012 Honda Odyssey...<br />
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Here are some stock photos. I'll add some "real" ones once we've taken possession of the vehicle I'm able to find the time to take some photos and post them online:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsSAs3V0YCDAygd16busEPwmMu_X1e38NdHnnuMy3GWeelxRZTvNs9mGa0i3iFXksl65qdSEIPHVSzavuhRO20RLEQuOChwk15jtVZtGSCMh0hXGYEJABjO4-REBazewyRZwOjBkpH_na/s1600/7772_BK-0640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsSAs3V0YCDAygd16busEPwmMu_X1e38NdHnnuMy3GWeelxRZTvNs9mGa0i3iFXksl65qdSEIPHVSzavuhRO20RLEQuOChwk15jtVZtGSCMh0hXGYEJABjO4-REBazewyRZwOjBkpH_na/s320/7772_BK-0640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>Heather (Chaos Controller!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04058236682982646159noreply@blogger.com0