tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86621565732080489762024-03-13T04:51:22.686-06:00My Random Life StoryKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.comBlogger452125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-70882678994767368512017-02-24T14:52:00.001-07:002017-02-24T15:05:09.083-07:00Letters to Gavin: 2 YearsDear Gavin,<br />
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Although I still like to think of you as my little baby boy, you're not so little anymore. You've just turned two. You've changed so much in just the last year. So full of character and energy, sweetness and mischief.<br />
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You are completely different than your sister was at this age. It's taken a little bit of adjustment to get used to a new way of parenting. You love people and playing with other kids. You're loud and rambunctious and eager to explore and get into everything. You're like a small tornado that delights in creating disorder. Baskets of toys must be upturned and strewn about, drawers ravaged and contents distributed from one end of the house to the other. You also have a penchant for danger. Some days I wonder if you are actively trying to off yourself. You derive great joy from making messes and doing dangerous things. This joy is increased exponentially should someone try and tell you not to do them. Any mention of the word 'no' or 'stop' is met with a devilish twinkle in your eye and an extra boost of speed in accomplishing said task. Scolding or stern words only serve to widen your smile and mirth.<br />
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You love to wrestle around with your daddy and sister, especially if it's on the bed where you can flop around without getting hurt. You have a special wrestling move where you sit on someone (usually straddling the stomach area) and bounce up and down vigorously. Your dad calls this "giving [someone] the 'business.'" Your sister loves it when you do this. She will laugh as you climb onto your daddy and say "Give him the Business, Bubba!" By the way, you are very rarely called "Gavin." In this house you are Bubba. Or Bubs or Bubby or Stinkbutt.<br />
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One of your favorite things to do is ride bikes. You got a nice tricycle for Christmas this year but it's still a bit big for you. You are still riding your little 3-wheeled baby bike. I love to see you ride this bike. Your little legs move so fast and it's the most adorable thing ever. You're very good at steering and given the right surface to ride on, you can drift around corners.<br />
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You've got a good ear for rhythm and are a fabulous dancer. It doesn't take much for you to start bustin' a move. You'll wave your arms back and forth in sort of an Elaine (from Seinfeld) meets windshield wipers kind of move. You've recently started "workin' it down low" as your sister calls it, where you squat down on your haunches and wiggle your bum back and forth. Or just run around like a crazed nut, bouncing off whatever soft surfaces you can find.<br />
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You love food and are generally pretty adventurous. The foodie in me LOVES this. I rarely have to fight to get you to eat something. Your favorite food is fries, but you love anything related to potatoes: hash browns, mashed potatoes, chips, roasted taters. You're an Idaho boy at heart. You also really like pepperoni, hot dogs, ham, and most any kind of meat. You love vegetables and fruit, especially blueberries and tomatoes. You don't care for many drinks besides water. You also aren't big on dessert or bread-based foods. You turn your nose up at ice cream & cake and reject creamy pastas such as macaroni & cheese or tuna casserole. Which actually works out OK since you've got a mild milk allergy. You've definitely got your dad's taste buds.<br />
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Some of your favorite toys are planes, balls, and cars. You will fly anything around accompanied by the appropriate airplane noise. Your dad and I gave you some Matchbox cars and a car garage with a ramp for your birthday. You could play with that thing for hours. You're also getting really good at your shape sorter. I think you have finally mellowed out enough to sit down and focus a little on some things instead of just dumping out the pieces and throwing them around. You and your sister have really started to play well together recently (though not without your share of fights). She likes to make pretend food and you oblige her in pretending to eat it. She "made" a batch of cookies the other day and you pretended to eat them all one by one.<br />
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One of my favorite things you do is give tummy blows. You've done this for ages. You'll frequently give me a tummy blow on my arm or face when you first wake up in the morning. You also think it's hilarious to try and lick me. Despite all your rambunctiousness you are also quite the snuggler. You give the best hugs and kisses and love to cuddle on the couch. You're my little brown-eyed boy and you've got me wrapped around your cute pudgy finger.<br />
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I love you my little Bubba-Boo!<br />
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Love, Mommy<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-39720550503134692202015-11-16T18:28:00.000-07:002015-11-16T18:28:34.220-07:00Letters to Gavin: 9 MonthsDear Gavin,<br />
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I don't know how you're already 9 months old. Yesterday you were only 6. This just isn't fair.<br />
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You are a such a happy little guy. So bright-eyed and charming. So curious and anxious to explore. I try and allow you to inspect and investigate your surroundings as much as possible but I still feel like I'm constantly pulling you away from this or that, taking things away, or telling you "no no." Of course this always upsets you. You seem to have a penchant for things you're not supposed to have, namely power cords. Our mornings with your sister generally involve me making breakfast and checking on you two every couple minutes, during which time I usually have to "reset" you to the middle of the room because you've wandered off to chew on the decorative sticks in the corner. You are a lightning fast army crawler these days and can get into trouble in record time!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuck under the couch. Again.</td></tr>
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You are becoming more and more vocal as the days pass. When happy you babble to yourself and "talk" to those that will listen to you. You're making more of a "dada" sound now though it's more of an accident than actually addressing Daddy. When angry or upset you protest loudly putting emphasis and conviction behind your babbles. You sound so serious and adamant but so adorable at the same time. I try to show I take you seriously but it's hard not to smile.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with your cousins at the corn maze.</td></tr>
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Every once in a while something tickles your funny bone and you laugh hysterically. The first time this happened your cousin, Belen was juggling for you, which mostly amounted to throwing balls in the air and letting them drop. You thought this was the most hilarious thing ever and cackled with laughter for several minutes. Other times you laugh at the crazy antics of your sister. You tend to love it when she jumps around or pops up and says "boo!" Mommy and Daddy can get you to laugh occasionally by blowing on your tummy, but you generally prefer to get your entertainment from Sylvie, who is usually happy to oblige. She loves to make you laugh and you love to watch her. She is definitely your favorite person.<br />
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One of my favorite things you do is this little wavy wrist movement. You do it when inspecting different objects or just looking at your hands. It's so dang adorable. You've done this for a few months now and it's slowly starting to go away.<br />
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You've been "eating" solid foods for a couple months now and are just starting to get the hang of things. You don't really like to be fed. You'd rather grab foods and feed yourself. I'm not sure how much you actually eat, but you seem to have fun. At the end of each meal your face is completely smeared with food, as are your bib, high chair, and hands. It's a huge mess. But, you LOVE everything. I don't think there are any foods you don't like which is amazing. We let you try just about everything we eat and you seem to love it all. Sylvie has always been a very neat, picky eater so to have a very messy little boy who loves food is quite a change. It's so much fun! I hope your interest in food continues!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your first taste of real food!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happily gnawing on a plum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love your fries. Must run in the family!</td></tr>
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There are a few things that you really don't like. Mostly you hate getting your diaper changed. You fuss just about every time I put you up on the changing table. You also dislike being strapped into your high chair, which I find odd since you seem to love eating. You don't really like to be spoon fed though you'll tolerate it. Other than that, you're just so easy-going. You're almost always happy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with one of your favorite "toys".... the cord from the blinds on the changing table. </td></tr>
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Gavin, you are such a wonderful little light in our family. We all love your squishy little cheeks to pieces and can't image our lives without you. You're my sweet baby boy.<br />
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I love you Bubby!<br />
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Love, Mama<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-85705085628269412982015-08-19T08:14:00.001-06:002015-08-19T08:14:37.388-06:00Letters to Gavin: 6 MonthsDear Gavin,<br />
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My sweet little boy. Time is going by so fast. It seems like I blinked and here you are already 6 months old.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled into a cute little ball of chunk!</td></tr>
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You are such a happy little guy. You're generally a very smiley baby and only get upset when you're hungry or tired. You love to look at everything around you and watch what's going on. You especially love to watch your big sister hop around and do generally crazy things. You get the biggest smile on your face when she's around. And she generally likes you too, except when you grab her hair. You LOVE hair and are constantly grabbing any hair you can get your hands on.<br />
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You are growing so fast. At your 6 month checkup you weighed 16 pounds and are 27 1/2" long. You are rolling around like crazy these days and are constantly kicking your little chubby legs. I put you in your baby tent out on the deck the other day and ran inside to grab something. When I looked out the window to check on you I found you'd rolled right out of it! Oops! Guess your days of sleeping on the bed by yourself are over.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tying flies with Daddy</td></tr>
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Speaking of which, you've never slept very well in your own bed. You always had to sleep right there in the bed next to me. Recently we moved your crib into the bedroom and I've slowly started trying to get you used to sleeping in it. You actually fell asleep in there all by yourself last night with no crying and I was shocked! Granted you only slept for a couple hours but it was a huge milestone. I'm hoping you continue to improve so I can kick you out of our bed for good! I think we'll both sleep better.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with Mommy</td></tr>
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Gavin we are so happy to have you in our family. Every time I walk into the room when you're there I feel such a light happy joy in my heart. I love you so much it hurts. You're my amazing handsome little boy and I love you more than you can imagine.<br />
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Love, Mommy<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-67985069557696526682015-07-28T09:25:00.001-06:002015-07-28T09:25:44.973-06:00Letters to Sylvie: 3 Years!Dear Sylvie,<br />
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All of a sudden you've become my "big" girl. Three! Holy crap. More and more I look at you and realize you're actually growing up. And becoming your own person. It's wonderful and awful all at the same time.<br />
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Your biggest accomplishment lately is you're now potty trained! Woohoo! I decided you were going to be trained by the time you were 3 so we put our noses to the grindstone and got to work. Luckily this time you were ready and within a week or so you were going by yourself. You've only had a couple accidents and generally do very well at going when you need to. It's the cutest thing ever to hear you sing your Daniel Tiger potty song and rush off to the potty, during which time you'll read your books. I believe "adorable" is the word for it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Painting" out on the deck.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fast and furious group of drawings you did one morning. (They're all people... Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, etc.)</td></tr>
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Speaking of singing... you now sing! I've been waiting for this for a long time! We never could get you to sing and then all of a sudden you decided you wanted to. You sing all the time now. You sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," the "Clean Up" and "Potty" songs from Daniel Tiger, "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime," and you also busted out a perfect rendition of the "ABC" song the other day. I love to hear you sing even though it looks like you've probably inherited your mother's vocal ability.<br />
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You also have the amazing ability to memorize things quickly. You have a book of about 20 nursery rhymes and you know just about every one of them. You also know many of your other books by heart and will sit and "read" them on a regular basis. You also love music and dancing. Your dancing is mostly twirling, jumping, and running around but you always look like you're having a great time!<br />
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One of your favorite things to do is tie flies with Daddy. You do everything by yourself now except putting a new hook in the vise and starting the thread. You come up with the most creative, awesome flies. You know all the correct names for the fly tying materials and love to cut deer hair and make your own dubbing. You also have a huge stash of foam you cut up and tie onto your flies as well. I'm guessing you'll pass up your Dad by next year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me: What are you up to Sylvie? Sylvie: Just hanging out. Tying my deer hair.</td></tr>
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You love to go out and explore the world. We got a few passes to museums and such in the area just because you love them so much. We frequently visit the Hill Air Force Museum (the "airplane museum"), the Union Station Train Museum, and the Treehouse Museum (your favorite). We also go to the Ogden Dinosaur Museum on occasion but not very often because you think it's scary. Your favorite part is feeding the giant trout out in the pond.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the train museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with cousin Lily at the Treehouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfecting your Lincoln Log house at the Treehouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare trip to the aquarium!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love the airplane museum and point to it every time we drive by. Here you're wearing your new airplane shirt. You always say how you are going to fly the planes when you get bigger. </td></tr>
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Sylvie you are just about the best big sister anyone could ever wish for. Gavin loves you and you love him. You are so gentle and kind– always giving him kisses and hugs, handing him toys, and talking to him. You always say what a good big sister you are and we always agree. You can't wait until he's big enough to sleep in your room with you and play with. You are very helpful and will usually throw his diapers away if asked or fetch a toy or his "chupie" if he needs it.<br />
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Here are just a few more random things about you:<br />
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Likes:<br />
Tape<br />
Pancakes<br />
Coloring & Painting<br />
Planes & Trains<br />
Scissors<br />
Swimming in your little pool<br />
Playing catch<br />
Goldfish crackers<br />
Going to McDonald's (the "yellow place") for "fries and juice and toys"<br />
Your family, Grandparents, cousins, etc.<br />
Vegetables & Fruit<br />
Watching your "shows" (Daniel Tiger, Tumble Leaf, Blues Clues, Larry Show (Veggietales))<br />
Rocks<br />
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Dislikes:<br />
Getting your hair combed<br />
Going potty on command (i.e. before we leave the house. You like to go when YOU decide.)<br />
Trying new food<br />
Meat except ham<br />
Pineapple<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You weren't too sure what was going on when we started singing "Happy Birthday." You had the funniest look on your face!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy helping you blow out the candles</td></tr>
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Sylvie we sure love you to pieces. You are the sweetest, funniest little girl and you're just so much fun to be around. You're our happy little chatterbox and we're so glad we have you! Happy Birthday!<br />
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Love, MommyKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-17284782575388371312015-05-23T14:39:00.000-06:002015-05-23T14:39:28.000-06:00Letters to Gavin: 3 MonthsDear Gavin,<br />
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It's already been 3 months since you arrived and you're already so integrated into our family. Our little unit of four feels much more complete with you here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only a couple weeks old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJOwpDK4jh8/VWDhzVEudWI/AAAAAAAADhA/t94kU8h6naw/s1600/2015-03-13%2B14.06.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJOwpDK4jh8/VWDhzVEudWI/AAAAAAAADhA/t94kU8h6naw/s320/2015-03-13%2B14.06.32.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With your Great Grandma Warnes</td></tr>
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You're still so little you mostly just eat, sleep, and poop. You look like a boy version of your sister and have the same sweet disposition she did at this age. You aren't a super snugly baby and generally don't like to lay on my chest to sleep. You'll fall asleep in my arms while I feed you and sometimes you'll let me hold you that way when you're not eating, but mostly you like to be down in your swing or laying down wiggling. I tried to get you to sleep in the bassinet next to the bed at night, but you would just sit there and fuss until I pulled you into bed next to me. Sylvie must have told you that trick because she did it too. But, at least we all get a lot of sleep that way. You generally only get me up a couple of times a night to eat and then usually it's right back to sleep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqgR64AsuoA/VWDk_X4fP6I/AAAAAAAADiM/KFHSqnufU74/s1600/2015-05-23%2B07.09.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZqgR64AsuoA/VWDk_X4fP6I/AAAAAAAADiM/KFHSqnufU74/s400/2015-05-23%2B07.09.39.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I wake up to in the morning. Such a sweetie pie!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging with Auntie Rachel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ipoiYTmH31Q/VWDicn4d5DI/AAAAAAAADiA/WAGwteW4P2A/s1600/2015-04-21%2B11.06.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ipoiYTmH31Q/VWDicn4d5DI/AAAAAAAADiA/WAGwteW4P2A/s320/2015-04-21%2B11.06.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking up the sunshine at the park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WU9SaX6j7M/VWDiAYK9JDI/AAAAAAAADhQ/Nz76uXlm1mc/s1600/2015-03-16%2B11.30.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WU9SaX6j7M/VWDiAYK9JDI/AAAAAAAADhQ/Nz76uXlm1mc/s320/2015-03-16%2B11.30.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathtime... you seem to enjoy it!</td></tr>
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I am very grateful for the fact that your tummy seems to be much easier going than your sister's was. I haven't found any foods that upset you and you've never had nightly crying fits from gas. You're generally very happy and just go with the flow of things. Really the only times you've gotten mad are after your 2 month shots and in the morning when I give you a lotion massage. The shots I can understand, but you're crazy not to like a daily massage. People pay good money for that you know!<br />
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Since about the 2 month mark you've been smiling quite a lot. You even have a little squeal when you get really happy. I love your smile. It just makes me want to kiss your little chubby cheekies! You have recently started to get a bit more control over your hands and can bring them up to your mouth to suck on them. Though sometimes when you're a wound up you have trouble controlling them and like to claw your face off. I swear I have to cut your baby fingernails at least once a week to keep you from injuring yourself!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZy10QmVcQc/VWDiXgm4PXI/AAAAAAAADh4/5nER79VJ8KQ/s1600/2015-05-15%2B13.23.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZy10QmVcQc/VWDiXgm4PXI/AAAAAAAADh4/5nER79VJ8KQ/s400/2015-05-15%2B13.23.09.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying story time in your sister's bed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy little clam</td></tr>
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Gavin I can't tell you how happy we are to have such a beautiful little boy. You melt hearts everywhere you go. You're my cute little chunka baby and I love you so much!<br />
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Love, Mama<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-71629527259565384372015-04-21T15:53:00.000-06:002015-04-21T15:53:03.023-06:00Letters to Sylvie: April 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Sylvie,<br />
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I'm a bit behind with your letters, but for good reason. Since the last time I wrote, you became a big sister!<br />
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Let me tell you, you're a great big sister. The day that you came to meet baby Gavin in the hospital, you immediately called him YOUR baby. You are always giving him kisses on the head or tickling him or turning on the toys for him. You never get jealous of Mommy or Daddy holding the baby and you're always very gentle with him. You have taken a new-found interest in all your old baby toys though and don't always like to let the baby have his turn first.<br />
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Before Gavin arrived, just after Christmas, you started sleeping in your new big girl bed. Aunt Annie gave us a toddler bed that Daddy painted white for you. You have done remarkably well at sleeping in your bed and have only fallen out twice so far (you were sleeping the wrong way on the bed). We did have to get you a little nightlight alarm clock to help you know when it was okay to get up because you kept waking up Mommy and Daddy too early in the morning. You get very excited and come into our room in the morning holding your alarm clock, "It turned green!" You love your new bed and you're excited for baby Gavin to share a room with you when he gets a little bigger.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving your new tea set and making tea for your animals.</td></tr>
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Going along with the bedtime thing, your new favorite phrase is "one more." Whether it's one more book, song, or snack. But "one more" is never ONE more. We've learned to cut you off at just a couple otherwise you'd go all night long with your one more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tying flies with Daddy at the Wasatch Fly Tying Expo</td></tr>
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You've really grown up a lot in the last few months. I can't count the number of words you know anymore. It seems we tell you the name of something one time and you forever remember it after that. You can also count to 10 no problem and know all the letters in the alphabet and can usually name something that starts with the letter. Though you don't know the ABCs and won't even try singing it or any other song. You like to twirl and jump which is your version of dancing and anytime you fall down you say, "I'm okay!" and get back up. Over the last month or so you've become more affectionate and like to say "I love you Mommy," and give me a hug while patting me on the back. You're also very curious and you are always asking, "Where did that come from?" which I think you really mean "what's that."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the carousel at the zoo.<br />
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You've also got the best memory ever. I swear something will happen and for months afterwards you'll bring it up, usually out of the blue. For instance, one time I was putting a tablecloth on the table and bumped the chandelier above the table. This was probably 4 months ago at least. You still bring it up as if it just happened, "Mommy bumped the light!" after which you'll laugh like I just did it. Another time Daddy got mad at you for doing something and for weeks afterward you would say, "Daddy's a little bit mean!" Never mind that it was YOU who was being naughty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love to help me dust and always get upset when there's nothing else to clean!</td></tr>
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You are definitely getting more of a mind of your own lately. You have a hard time nicely saying "no" to something and usually growl it. You also have a bad habit of telling Mommy no when I ask you to do something or you'll just run the other way and do the opposite of what I've told you. You definitely know how to push my buttons. We've also been trying to get you to be more adventurous in what you'll eat but it's not an easy task. You'll whine and cry and throw a big fit about having to try ONE BITE of something I've made for dinner. I keep telling you I wouldn't make you eat yucky food but it still hasn't registered yet. You are getting a bit better though. Last night you even took several bites of salad! *GASP!*<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring Easter eggs... which you later kept hiding and finding yourself!</td></tr>
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You are currently OBSESSED with going to the playground. We usually take a walk to one of three playgrounds by our house on a daily basis. Sometimes twice. You no longer run away from other children and ask to go home when they come around. You frequently run and play with the other kids and you climb and go down slides like nobody's business. The other day I took you to an indoor playground thing that had a bunch of guns that the kids were using to shoot foam balls at each other. You were too short to use the guns so you were running around gathering up balls to hand to the big kids to use. You also took a liking to a little boy about your age and handed him balls to throw at you. You'd hand him the balls then run away squealing. It was super cute.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first trip to the park without Daddy to help!</td></tr>
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Recently I went through a bunch of your old baby clothes to give away. It's such a bittersweet thing to see you grow up. I remember all the good time we had when you were wearing those clothes and how little you were. All the milestones you hit while wearing this or that and it gets me choked up. But then I see you and how energetic and beautiful and amazing you are now and I get all teary again thinking how lucky I am. I'm staying at home full time now to be your Mommy and although we get on each other's nerves sometimes, I really love that I get to see so much more of you and experience more of things you do. I can't imagine a better daughter.<br />
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I love you Huggie Bug!<br />
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Love, Mommy<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-34852307158437709532015-03-17T15:12:00.000-06:002015-03-17T15:12:53.077-06:00He's Here!I really wanted to make sure I wrote about Gavin's birth story before I forgot. Which is bound to happen sooner than later these days. My brain just isn't what it used to be.<br />
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I guess maybe I'll start from a couple weeks prior to the big day. We'd all gone as a family to my 34 week ultrasound. I was hoping to get a good look at baby's face as we hadn't really gotten one yet. While we didn't get to see his face very well, the ultrasound did show my cervix was shortened... enough so that they had us come back a couple hours later to see my doctor. I was shocked when he immediately put me on bed rest. Here I was with 6 weeks left and I was supposed to stay in bed more or less for the remaining duration of my pregnancy. I wasn't ready for it.<br />
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My next steps involved calling my boss to give him a heads up. This was Friday afternoon and I promised I'd be in for a couple hours on Monday to meet with him to transfer all my projects. After the longest weekend in history, that's what I did. I'd planned this official send off and a last lunch with all my work friends and what it turned out to be was a couple minutes of "I'm leaving and this is my last day. See ya later." Not quite what I would have liked, but it was better than the alternative of a baby that was 6 weeks early.<br />
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So there I was each night with my mom and sister Annie coming over to help with Sylvie and make dinners while I sheepishly lounged on the couch. There's nothing more humbling that being forced to accept help, especially when you feel just fine. They were truly lifesavers during that time. I will be forever grateful for the extra hours they put in for the benefit of me and my family.<br />
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Seth's parents were in town on Valentine's Day weekend and stayed over at our house. Seth and his dad planned to go out fishing on Valentine's Day and left with all their gear in the late morning to hit up the local river. I'd been having steady contractions all night and into the morning, but nothing regular or increasing in intensity. Just after they left I noticed I was bleeding a bit. I called the on-call midwife who told me to go get checked out at the doctor. So, I called Seth and had him come home. Poor guys didn't even get a chance to get their lines wet.<br />
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We went in to Labor and Delivery where they checked me out. I hadn't dilated at all and of course my contractions had all but stopped. They gave me some antibiotics in case the bleeding was a UTI and sent me home.<br />
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Fast forward to early morning on February 16th. I'd had steady contractions since about midnight... getting closer and closer together and strong enough that I couldn't sleep. About 4 o'clock in the morning I called my dad and told him it was time. My mom was out of town in Arizona visiting my sister so he got passed the torch of coming up to take care of Sylvie. Of course this was still 4 weeks away from my due date so none of us thought baby would come while Mom was gone. Little did we know. Dad got to the house an hour or so later to take care of Sylvie and Seth and I headed to the hospital.<br />
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We got to the hospital just before 6am and got all checked in. I was happy to hear that I was dilated to 4 cm. Things steadily progressed from there. I wasn't sure yet if I was in for another c-section or if I'd be able to do a VBAC. Both options freaked me out so I just decided to go with whatever happened. I got an epidural and was happy to find that I wasn't completely numb as I'd been with Sylvie.<br />
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A couple hours went by and I was progressing steadily. I got to about an 8 or 9cm when I tapered off so they decided to push me over the edge with a little Pitocin. Everything was going smoothly so I'd guess around 12:30 pm or so they let me start pushing. I think by this time the epidural was wearing off again so there wasn't much in the way of relief.<br />
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Let me tell you, a vaginal delivery is not for the shy or weak of heart. It takes hard work, 2 people holding your legs, a room full of people staring at your junk, and a lot of pushing to get that baby out. They told me to push during each contraction which wouldn't have been so bad if they'd been farther apart. After each bout of pushing everyone would tell me how good I was doing and how the baby was almost there and I just kept thinking what a bunch of liars they all were. And then after about 10 seconds break I'd have to do it all over again. You get to a point half way through where you're so exhausted and just want to quit but you know you can't and you have to keep going even though there's no resting and to you it feels like nothing is changing.<br />
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Finally that baby did come out. It was the most relieved I've ever felt. I'd only had to push a few times but it felt like forever. I was super exhausted and cold and shivering and just wanted to be done. But then comes the delivery of the placenta and lucky me... stitching up a 3rd degree tear. Which all still hurt like hell. After all was said and done I was too weak and tired to hold my new baby... and that was okay with me. They weighed him and cleaned him up and ran all the tests and brought him back to me. It was finally over and I had a new healthy baby. Gavin James Hanson, 7 lbs. 3 oz., 20 inches long born at 1:01pm on President's Day 2015. Hardest, most rewarding day of my life. It was amazing how different his birth was compared to Sylvie's. But two completely different experiences led to two beautiful, healthy babies and that is all I've ever wanted.<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-11849772382588183222014-12-03T11:41:00.001-07:002014-12-03T11:46:37.740-07:00Letters to Sylvie: December 2014Dear Sylvie,<br />
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These last couple of months have been quite the wild ride. You've grown up so much it's almost hard to believe. I thought this time I'd just tell you about a few of the things you say and do that make me laugh and on the flip side, make me want to tear my hair out.<br />
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You are getting to be quite a chatterbox. You are progressively speaking more in sentences than in one or two word phrases. You have to know where everybody is at all times and what they're doing, especially when you first wake up. Usually the first words out of your mouth are:<br />
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"Where Mama/Daddy go?" or "Mama/Daddy go work in black car?"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing Daddy's head and wrist bands for his Halloween costume. It looked like you were ready to kick some butt at dodge ball!</td></tr>
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You also constantly ask what we're doing and want to participate. I'm sure this is why you're so interested in tying flies as Daddy is always sitting at his fly tying bench. He set you up with your own little vice and giant hook to tie on and you're actually getting really good. You love to sit there and tie your own fly and dictate what you're doing – "wrap it, wrap it..." It's the cutest thing ever.<br />
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You have several things that you really love. One of them is your "Big Bear". He goes with you EVERYWHERE. He's constantly tucked under your arm, occasionally wearing one of your shirts, and is frequently squeezed with such vehemence as to emit a grunt out of you. You love him so much.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqR8LGycDF4/VH4Y3Fs9yUI/AAAAAAAADas/6BzjJEi14TQ/s1600/2014-10-23%2B18.17.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqR8LGycDF4/VH4Y3Fs9yUI/AAAAAAAADas/6BzjJEi14TQ/s1600/2014-10-23%2B18.17.38.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We finally turned your car seat to face forward and you LOVE it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare day on which you let me do your hair.</td></tr>
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I cannot believe how much you pick up on. We have to be careful not to give you too much leeway with things or you will exploit the hell out of whatever we do. For instance, if you happen upon something that has bought you more time before taking a nap, you'll invoke it each time before we put you to bed. You will always say you're hungry or want a "pouch" (fruit pouch you get for snacks). There are some times where I think you might be legitimately hungry and the mother in me just can't bear to put you to bed without a snack, just in case. Other times I know you're so full you're about ready to pop and I call your bluff. One time Daddy put you to bed and you played around for a quite a while so he figured you weren't quite tired enough yet. So, he took you downstairs to watch football (you call it "fatball") for a while. So, now you frequently ask if you can "Watch fatball with Daddy?" when he puts you down for a nap. Very clever. You already know so many of our weak spots.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You LOVE to paint!</td></tr>
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While you are generally very well behaved, you have begun the tantrum stage. Usually the tantrums come and go. You'll be an angel for a week or two and then have a few days in a row where I could swear your soul has been replaced with one of the Devil's imps. You'll be just fine one minute and then BAM something (sometimes we have no idea what) will set you off into a blind fury of screaming and crying and general irrationality. No amount of calm reasoning or threats will dissuade you in the slightest and I think "WHERE HAS MY SWEET LITTLE GIRL GONE?"<br />
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For instance, one day you wanted some grapes I was cutting up. So I thought I'd be nice and cut up a few and put them in a bowl for you. BUT NO. This would not do. You had to have TWO grapes in your hand right that moment and would not calm down until I removed them from the bowl and handed them to you. Of course 2 minutes later you came back looking for more grapes and I handed you the bowl full of grapes you'd previously shunned without incident. There is no knowing what is happening in that little mind of yours.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You wanted me to take your picture with Big Bear in your hood and asked me when you saw it why I was in the picture. Turns out you're 15, not 2 1/2 like I thought.</td></tr>
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You are all about playing outside. It's the first thing you want to do every morning when you get up. This is getting a little harder to do as it gets cold and dark outside, but you still enjoy it just as much as you did during the warmer months. We got you a pair of rain boots and a full-body slicker for our trip to Oregon in a month and you especially love your boots. You want to wear them ALL THE TIME.<br />
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One of your common phrases is, "Oh yeah, I do!" This doesn't always make complete sense as you will use it for questions such as "Did you eat all your breakfast today?" or "Did Daddy take you to the park?" Daddy and I have taken to using this phrase as well. It'll be a wonder if you are ever able to determine correct speech patterns.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare occasion on which you let me try something new with your hair. </td></tr>
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Just a short incident that happened one weekend – Daddy and I were sitting in your room with you and you were scuttling about playing with toys or whatnot. At one point you decided to leave the room for some purpose and as you opened the door to leave you said, "Don't worry, I'll be right back." Daddy and I just looked at each other and laughed in wonder at your grown-up sounding sentence. You really do listen to everything we say.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You LOVE to go get donuts and watch them being made.</td></tr>
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This year you are really loving the Christmas season. You LOVE Christmas lights and point them out wherever we go. We put our Christmas tree up just before Thanksgiving and it is your favorite thing. You call it your "Trismas Tree" and ask every morning if Christmas is still here. We also got a little nativity set for you to play with which you took to immediately. Not too long after it was out of the package, you sent "Baby Zeesus" on a bus ride to the park with the Angel. I have a feeling you are going to be very upset when we have to put Christmas away in another month.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0RqzzXmXCw/VH9WBoPi_YI/AAAAAAAADcA/U0w8uoQOk2k/s1600/2014-11-23%2B11.50.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0RqzzXmXCw/VH9WBoPi_YI/AAAAAAAADcA/U0w8uoQOk2k/s1600/2014-11-23%2B11.50.22.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Daddy put the star on the Christmas tree.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Jesus on a bus to the park.</td></tr>
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As far as physical milestones go, you are very good at opening and closing doors. You also frequently lock doors, but have figured out with a small amount of coaching how to open them. You love to jump off of things and practice running as fast as you can. You are getting really good at going up and down stairs standing up, though we still try to hold your hand as you aren't super reliable yet. You're very good at drinking out of a regular cup and eating with a fork or spoon. Half of the time I forget to put a bib on you because you're such a clean eater. We have not tried potty training again yet, but I think we're going to try again after Christmas to see if you're ready. You love to flush the potty and you're getting much better at pulling down your pants/removing your clothing.<br />
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Here are just a few of your random likes/dislikes:<br />
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<u>Likes</u><br />
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Movies (esp. Annie, Despicable Me ("Me"), Finding Nemo, and Toy Story)<br />
Sugary Cereal (esp. Trix ("Balls" and Fruit Loops)<br />
Candy (esp. suckers)<br />
Rain Boots<br />
Your pink phone (Mommy's old smartphone that you play songs on)<br />
Wearing multiple shirts<br />
Vegetables<br />
Playgrounds/Parks<br />
Scrambled Eggs (usually)<br />
Licking the beaters<br />
Helping mama cook/bake<br />
Tying flies<br />
Coloring & Painting<br />
Pizza crust (you eat that end first when we get pizza)<br />
Opening & Closing Doors<br />
Jumping/playing on beds<br />
Green yogurt (lime flavor)<br />
Soda & Juice<br />
Taking your vitamin ("man")<br />
Shrimp<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SMKRaa9o4ok/VH9WBN2rvII/AAAAAAAADb8/VtV8s0PpCzg/s1600/2014-11-25%2B17.02.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SMKRaa9o4ok/VH9WBN2rvII/AAAAAAAADb8/VtV8s0PpCzg/s1600/2014-11-25%2B17.02.12.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating your pizza crust-first.</td></tr>
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<u>Dislikes</u><br />
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Meat (you'll rarely eat it)<br />
Potatoes (unless they're fries)<br />
Getting your teeth or hair brushed<br />
Putting on pants<br />
Getting your diaper changed<br />
Trying new foods<br />
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Turns out it was hard for me to think of things you don't like. You're generally so easy going and love to play and explore new things. It's a rare occasion you're sad or grumpy for any length of time. You're so fun and full of life and your Daddy and I just love watching you grow and experience things. We enjoy you more and more each day and are so happy to have you in our lives. You're our little ray of sunshine.<br />
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I love you Huggie Buggie!<br />
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Love, Mama<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-30379189030038034602014-11-21T16:14:00.001-07:002014-11-21T16:14:35.740-07:00It's a Boy!Ok so I'm a little late posting this but thought I should do another pregnancy update. A couple weeks ago we went in for the "big" ultrasound to find out what baby #2 would be. I swear the wait up to that point felt like it'd been like 5 years. I was so excited to find out.<br />
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Seth & I took Sylvie with us to the ultrasound appointment that morning and eagerly watched and waited as the tech pointed out and measured all the important parts. We were both waiting for the big lead up to the reveal and were caught off guard as she casually mentioned "looks like you've got a boy." Wait, WHAT? Did we just hear what we thought we heard? It took us a second to realize what was going on. This giant piece of information was just thrown out as if it was another statistic like a leg measurement. THIS WAS HUGE!<br />
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Needless to say, Seth and I were both ecstatic. I teared up and tried to hold myself together as I processed this life-changing piece of information. Seth and I would have two kids: a girl and a boy. Our little family was complete and this is what it looked like.<br />
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We were both divided on what we were hoping for. I thought it'd be fun for Sylvie to have a little sister. And it'd be nice to be able to have another baby that got to wear all of the adorable clothes she'd outgrown. Plus I'm a pro at girls. Most of my real experience with kids has been with Sylvie and my own two sisters growing up. I don't know much about little boys except that they can squirt you in the eye if you're not careful. But, I thought having a boy would be a cool new adventure and the possibility of having a mini-Seth look-a-like pattering around the house was also very appealing. I knew I'd be happy with whatever came our way.<br />
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But here it was. We were having a boy. The option that carries more uncertainty and less knowledge and familiarity. And I couldn't be happier. Turns out my hunch was right. I thought there was a possibility the initial lack of morning sickness in those first couple of weeks and the lack of any kind of food aversions indicated something very different this time around.<br />
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These days I'm feeling great. My bump seems to be growing at an incredible rate. I've been asked several times if I'm having twins. Carrying Sylvie around is getting harder and harder to do as we both get bigger, which is hard for both of us. We're learning to be content with snuggling on a chair. I figure it'll help transition us to our new scenario which will involve me holding a baby instead of my little toddler.<br />
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At this point we're just trying to make it through the winter months. Baby Boy doesn't have a name yet and it's proving to be the most difficult part of this whole process. It's a good thing we have some time to <strike>argue about it</strike> think it over. Any suggestions?<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-35886949937404030402014-09-23T14:18:00.001-06:002014-12-03T11:46:37.754-07:00Letters to Sylvie: September 2014Dear Sylvie,<br />
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Things have been a little crazy around here lately and I haven't been quite as diligent in writing about you and your milestones. That's not to say there is a lack of things to talk about, however.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CmvtWlFjcEA/VCHFLGdJgiI/AAAAAAAADac/59eJkdvZMIY/s1600/2014-09-10%2B13.03.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CmvtWlFjcEA/VCHFLGdJgiI/AAAAAAAADac/59eJkdvZMIY/s1600/2014-09-10%2B13.03.29.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with Daddy</td></tr>
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I honestly can't believe how much you have progressed in the last couple of months, especially with your language skills. You're like a little sponge – constantly listening to everything around you and repeating what you hear. I can actually understand a lot of what you say, as basic as your language is. You're beginning to put together multi-word sentences and can tell me little events that happened during the day, or details about something you see. You know all your colors and love to point to things at random and tell me what color they are. Grandma & Grandpa Hanson came to visit recently and even a couple of weeks after they'd been here, you kept talking about "Grandma & Grandpa's red car." You love to look out the window and name the colors of all the cars on the street.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1euJnlOHJeY/VCG-kt5cGYI/AAAAAAAADY8/_TBJS2YWUMs/s1600/2014-07-30%2B18.47.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1euJnlOHJeY/VCG-kt5cGYI/AAAAAAAADY8/_TBJS2YWUMs/s1600/2014-07-30%2B18.47.12.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Mommy make cookies. You love to help in the kitchen!</td></tr>
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You are very good at your letters. You don't repeat the alphabet, but you can identify about 80% of the letters. You love to point out the letters on signs and tell me what they are. You're also starting to get a handle on counting and numbers. Usually when I ask you how old you are you'll say "2!" and hold up your fingers to show me (even though you have a hard time with that part and it usually looks like a 3). You know what "one" and "two" are and can count to two. The other day while we were sitting at the dinner table you tooted twice and correctly said, "TWO TOOTS!" My favorite thing lately is instead of saying "one, two, three" before you do something you say "two, nine, ten!" I have to make a concerted effort not to encourage the adorable, but incorrect counting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FW9KuT5EXPU/VCG_BMAxNoI/AAAAAAAADZE/51xb1qEqF-I/s1600/2014-08-09%2B10.55.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FW9KuT5EXPU/VCG_BMAxNoI/AAAAAAAADZE/51xb1qEqF-I/s1600/2014-08-09%2B10.55.41.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out getting donuts on a Saturday morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your new "hat"</td></tr>
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You have recently started saying "OK" instead of "yes." These terms are not always interchangeable. For instance, you will say something like "Play outside?" and I'll repeat "You want to play outside?" just to make sure I've heard you correctly. Then you'll enthusiastically say "Oh OK!" as if I just presented you with this great idea that you are now agreeing to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRCk9QDgAHw/VCHDjHlDyAI/AAAAAAAADaU/D_KjN-F29Xc/s1600/2014-08-03%2B14.05.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRCk9QDgAHw/VCHDjHlDyAI/AAAAAAAADaU/D_KjN-F29Xc/s1600/2014-08-03%2B14.05.49.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a blast playing in the Ogden River</td></tr>
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While you have always being outdoors, over the last few months you have become quite the little adventurer. Your daddy will frequently take you out in the morning to various places like Antelope Island, walking along different places on the Weber River, or to the park to feed ducks. Recently we went for a hike up by Snowbasin. You hiked the whole way up, picking up small rocks and "jumping" off the bigger ones, and refused to be carried at all. You were also very interested in seeing deer. You chattered the whole time asking "Where did the deer go?" and looking all around. At one point you claimed you saw one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hETYr3IYXF4/VCG_YOGaWJI/AAAAAAAADZU/QivxMYNxrE4/s1600/2014-09-21%2B19.32.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hETYr3IYXF4/VCG_YOGaWJI/AAAAAAAADZU/QivxMYNxrE4/s1600/2014-09-21%2B19.32.48.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up to Green Pond at Snowbasin</td></tr>
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You have a handful of favorite things right now. Daniel Tiger is out and Disney movies are in. More specifically "Nemo" and "Miyama"(Llama) aka "The Emperors New Groove." While you watch your movies you like to have "Tohwn" (popcorn) or chips. Even better is when I let you watch movies with me in my bed (on the Kindle). Sometimes I'll get you a little bowl of grapes instead of popcorn or chips. Maybe I should even switch to broccoli. You will tune out and watch your show and mindlessly eat everything in your bowl.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You and your cute cousin Liam at the fair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milking the cow with Soren & Liam</td></tr>
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Speaking of favorite foods, you have a handful of items that you would eat at any time. Your most recent find is Trix cereal which you call "balls." You will now eat cereal with milk (woohoo!) and it's the cutest to hear you ask for your "balls with moot." You also love corn and tomatoes. You will easily eat a whole ear of corn by yourself. And you love to eat the little yellow grape tomatoes from the garden. You also like the larger red tomatoes in the garden as well, especially when you get to pick them. The other day you picked a nice red one and immediately started eating it like an apple. It was the cutest thing ever to see you tottering around the yard munching on your tomato. Did I mention you call tomatoes "toes"? Adorable. Oh and how could I forget about fries and juice? It's kind of a tradition to go out once a week and get McDonald's. Once when I took you there after we went to the park we got an ice cream cone too. So now whenever we're driving around running errands you think it's fries, juice, and ice cream time. Sometimes you're right!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chomping on corn at the Idaho Fair</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating your favorite... tomatoes!</td></tr>
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Your biggest accomplishment as of late is your mastery of the swing set. You will finally go down the slide all by yourself. You go down the slide and climb up the slide. You always look so proud of yourself. Heck you'll even go down some of the slides at the park by yourself! And all of a sudden you love to swing. You used to hate it and wouldn't last more than 30 seconds, if you'd even get on it at all. Now you'll swing for an hour if we let you, especially if you're playing "swing ball" with Daddy. This is where you hold a ball and then throw it in a way that Daddy can't catch it. I am not good at swing ball. Daddy claims he can catch just about everything you throw. You think it's so funny and will giggle and laugh like it's the funniest thing you've ever seen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off your slide skills.</td></tr>
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Daddy or I will occasionally tell you about the baby in my belly, just to prep you a little and keep you in the loop. One time Daddy asked you if it was going to be a brother or sister and you told him it was a brother. So I asked you on a separate occasion if there was a boy or a girl in there and you said it was a boy. We'll see in a few weeks whether you're right! I think you're going to be a great big sister.<br />
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Sylvie your Daddy and I love you so much. You are just the sweetest little girl. You're always so fun to be around and your laughs and crazy antics make me want to constantly smother you in hugs and kisses. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter.<br />
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I love you Sylvie Sue!<br />
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Love, Mama<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-66732200660594401142014-08-21T08:01:00.001-06:002014-08-21T08:01:26.363-06:00Week 10: KumquatThought I'd give a more recent update of the baby happenings around here since there's been a bit more to tell.<br />
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First of all, I broke the big news of my pregnancy to family and work this week. Though, I'm not sure it was really necessary as everyone already kind of knew from my appearance. I had an older dude at work ask me last week if I had the "Egyptian flu" (going to be a mummy... har har har). Looks like I'm showing a bit earlier this time around! No big deal, it just means I get to wear my comfy maternity pants sooner! Ha!<br />
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I also had my first doctor's appointment and ultrasound. Unfortunately they were not on the same day and I wasn't sure what would take place with the doctor, so I had Seth & Sylvie come along. I didn't want Seth to miss out on hearing a heart beat. But, turns out Sylvie is all too experienced in the ways of the doctor and was scared and crying most of the time. We tried to give her snacks and assure her that it was Mommy's turn this time, but she wasn't having any of it. Luckily nothing much happened and Seth was able to take her outside mid-way through without missing anything but a blood draw.<br />
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The good news is, when we came back a couple of days later for the first ultrasound, Sylvie had been prepped a little. I told her we were going to watch the baby in Mommy's tummy on a tv and showed her what the technician lady would do to me. It also helped that as soon as we got in the room I climbed up on the evil paper covered table. This was a sure sign that this in fact was Mommy's turn. We got to see a great image and 3D video of the baby with arms and legs kicking and moving. Pretty dang cool. It was quite a bit different than when we saw Sylvie at 8 weeks. She was mostly a little bean-shaped lump. We didn't get to hear the heart beat this time because they've upgraded the equipment and they don't like to do the heart beat this early on anymore because it's too strong. But hopefully when I go back in a few more weeks we'll get to hear it.<br />
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As far as my pregnancy symptoms go, things haven't been too bad. The nausea did rear its ugly head at about the 6 week mark. Nothing too serious and I think it's a little better than it was with Sylvie. So long as I keep food in my stomach I feel ok. I always feel the most sick at night, especially while brushing my teeth or after I take a prenatal vitamin. Somehow those two things have made me lose my lunch a couple times. I do feel more tired this time around and haven't had much motivation to do anything. But luckily the nausea and tiredness seem to be subsiding. I'm hoping they'll completely disappear at 12 weeks like they did last time.<br />
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At this point we're just super excited and crossing our fingers everything continues to progress normally. I'm doing my best to keep baby supplied with cheeseburgers so I feel like I'm doing everything I can! :DKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-18166663329967327352014-08-20T08:41:00.000-06:002014-08-20T08:41:37.657-06:00Here Comes Another One!<div>
<i>Written July 15, 2014</i></div>
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At the end of 2013 Seth came to me and said he thought we should start trying for a second kid. Now I don't know why this always takes me by surprise. It's something I'm constantly analyzing... are we ready? can I handle a second kid yet? what about money? what about sleep? In my mind we hadn't quite made it yet and I wasn't really sure how things would work out, so I was in "waiting" mode. So I was a little freaked out by Seth's proposition. But over the next couple days we talked things through and came up with a pretty solid plan. Then I decided that come Christmas, we'd give it a go.<br />
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I was hoping the second time around would come easier, but it seemed to be a long, drawn out process like it was the first time. It took us 9 months to get a pregnancy to "stick" the first time around. I was pretty diligent with the ovulation times and such on the 2nd go, but that little stick would just not give me the sign I wanted. So, I went searching for ways to improve my odds. I was pretty consistent at taking my pre-natals and omega-3 & omega-6s, but they didn't seem to be helping much. It wasn't until 6 months later when I cut out caffeine completely that we got the big fat positive. </div>
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It took me by surprise really. In the past when I tested positive I'd felt lots of symptoms before I got the confirmation on the test. This time, we'd been on vacation with Seth's family and I'd expected Aunt Flow to come and ruin the trip (like she so often does). She still hadn't come by the time we got home that Sunday evening so I decided to just pee on a stick for fun. I set it down in the bathroom and forgot about it for a few minutes. When I finally remembered I went in and picked it up and lo and behold, there were 2 lines instead of the one I was used to seeing. Wha? I dug the instructions out of the garbage just to make sure I was reading it right. Yep sure enough. This was positive. I ran into the bedroom and showed it to Seth. He just looked sort of stunned and caught off guard. We exchanged our hopes that this would stick and went on with our evening. The next day I took one of my fancy electronic tests. PREGNANT. Wow. I tried not to get my hopes up. It took a few positives the first time around before one stuck. I hoped I wouldn't have to go through that again. </div>
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But, it has been over a week now and little sesame seed is still in there. I haven't had a lick of symptoms. No nausea. No food aversions. The last day or two my bewbs have been very faintly sore, but nothing I'd notice normally. Ok fine, I'm a little more gassy and bloated but that's it. I wouldn't complain if this pregnancy decided to go easy on me. Now for the planning to begin...</div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-83816329627863971822014-07-11T21:43:00.000-06:002014-12-03T11:46:37.772-07:00Letters to Sylvie: 2 Years!Dear Sylvie,<br />
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Well, you made it! You are officially 2 years old! I think you've known there was a big milestone coming up because you have been learning and doing so many new things.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing on the rocks at the park. You love to go there to feed the ducks.</td></tr>
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You are becoming quite the little chatterbox. I can't believe how many words you can say now compared to a couple of months ago. You'll generally try to say just about any word, though you still look at me like I'm crazy when I try to get you to say large words like "hippopotamus." You finally refer to me as "Mama." When you get excited you point to all the things and say "Mama Dada Mama Dada Mama Mama Mama!!" Your newest words are grandpa & grandma, though they both sound like "Papa." Every old man we see is now Papa. You can also say duck, peas, pool, home, meow (for cat), again, sauce, ball, all done, shoes, tall, popcorn, Nemo, down, blue, car, ah oh, mess, poop, yes, yeah, & no. I'm sure there are more. There are a lot of things you can identify but can't say the word for. You know all your animals, colors, and body parts. You also make up signs for different things, the most common being "thirsty" and "hungry". You'll point to your tongue for thirsty and pat your chest when you're hungry. You now use these signals when it's time for bed to try and stall the inevitable. Sometimes it actually works!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing two of your favorite things – your shades and your robe.</td></tr>
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You have a great sense of humor. I don't know how you can identify jokes at this young age but you do. One day I was naming off a list of things trying to figure out what you wanted to eat. You were answering 'no' to all my suggestions so I asked you if you wanted a "kick in the bum." You immediately smiled with delight at such a prospect. I now routinely ask you if you want a kick in the bum just to get a smile out of you. You also show embarrassment at your father's crazy antics. He'll sing a song using a weird voice and you'll look at him and shake your head and say "Daadaa". I'm going to give you a hint here and tell you that giving Daddy a reaction to his antics will only encourage him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmer Sylvie out harvesting your peas. It's the first thing you ask for when you get up.</td></tr>
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Although we haven't started the potty training process yet, you are slowly becoming more interested in the idea. You'll sit on your potty while Mom or Daddy is in the bathroom and once I caught you just in time and got you to poop in the potty! More of a fluke than anything but it's a start! You really hate getting your diaper changed so I think you'll be much happier when you can wear your big girl panties.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You've taken to removing your pants while you're sitting on the potty and putting them on your head as a nice hat.</td></tr>
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You're getting much better with your physical coordination. You can climb up the ladder on your little slide, screw lids on & off, drink out of a regular cup, climb up into your high chair, and you can walk pretty long distances. You are also getting much better at doing puzzles. You got a new farm animal puzzle for your birthday and I left you to put it together one day on your own. It took you about 10 minutes to finish but you ran into the kitchen to tell me you were done so I could come see your work. You were very proud of yourself. Since then you have gotten much faster and have a couple other puzzles you can do as well.<br />
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This year we had your birthday a little early so we could have more family members there. You had a Daniel Tiger theme because you LOVE Daniel Tiger. You watch it every day. Grandpa Fred & Grandma Denise and the Westons came for the party. We had pizza and Daniel Tiger cupcakes. You didn't quite get the blowing out the candle thing, but you did eat some of your cake this year! You really seemed to like your party this year and had a lot of fun. Actually you kind of had 2 parties. Your cousin Luke is just a week older than you so we had a double party during our Hanson family reunion down in Cedar City. You got to hit a pinata and play with all your cousins. Luke was very nice to share his party with you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating your Daniel Tiger birthday cupcake. You wouldn't touch it with your hands.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the cute play food your Auntie Annie made you for your birthday.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing out your new pink bike.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your Daniel Tiger party decorations.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whacking the pinata at your cousin Luke's birthday party.</td></tr>
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In general, you continue to be very obedient and helpful. You can put away all the clean silverware from the dishwasher into their correct places in the drawer and you will always help put away your books and toys where they go. Your little basket full of board books is usually pretty immaculate with all the spines facing out. You are also really good at putting your laundry away. You know right where your shirts and socks go and love to help Mommy by putting them in their place. I definitely think you got your Dad's cleanliness genes. The other day I was making something in the kitchen and you got very quiet playing in the living room. I called to you and didn't get an answer for a couple seconds so I went to investigate. Suddenly I heard your little feet pattering towards me and as you burst into the kitchen, you furiously started "cleaning" things with a ragged looking napkin you'd found. You cleaned EVERYTHING – the chairs, the window, the stools, the fridge, even the pedal on the trashcan. It was so dang adorable. Then, when you were all done I figured I'd take advantage of your cleaning spree and gave you the Swiffer broom to push around. You thought it was fun so that makes it OK (you threw a fit the other day when I wouldn't let you have a turn because you were being grabby and not asking nicely). Along those lines, we've started small punishments when you don't behave. Usually all it takes is a threat for you to go stand in the corner and you'll do what you're asked, though we have had to enforce the dreaded corner a couple of times.<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTg2HkxDWNA/U8ClN2AW4eI/AAAAAAAADUY/s3jxkNW0WpY/s1600/2014-07-02+18.36.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTg2HkxDWNA/U8ClN2AW4eI/AAAAAAAADUY/s3jxkNW0WpY/s1600/2014-07-02+18.36.23.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You during your cleaning spree.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjJaxS87OrI/U8ClNxa8MyI/AAAAAAAADUc/V7C4zjGzxt0/s1600/2014-07-02+18.40.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjJaxS87OrI/U8ClNxa8MyI/AAAAAAAADUc/V7C4zjGzxt0/s1600/2014-07-02+18.40.07.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaning up the "mess" on the floor.</td></tr>
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<br />
Sylvie you bring so much joy into our lives. The hugs and the giggles and the sweetness make my heart feel like bursting. Every day I love you more and more and I love to see you grow and learn and become your own little person. It's crazy for me to think that one day you'll be all grown up. Hopefully by then you'll wear more clothing when you go outside. But for now, I'll soak up all your babyness for as long as I can. I sure love you Huggie Buggie.<br />
<br />
Love, Mama<br />
<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-59673065507741087642014-04-23T14:09:00.003-06:002014-04-23T14:09:55.727-06:00Beauty Tip Series: Curly Hair PerfectionWhen I was a kid I had stick straight hair. Gradually as I've gotten older my hair has become more wavy. Which is actually the best of both worlds. Having wavy hair makes it easy for me to go straight or curly depending on my mood.<br />
<br />
For years my curly hair success days had been a bit hit-or-miss. The good days my hair looked evenly curled and not too frizzy. On bad days my hair would be flat on top and have loose, frizzy looking waves. No big deal... a messy bun always fixed that. But, I wanted a more reliable way to get beautiful, soft, defined curls every time. Lucky for me I stumbled across the Curly Girl method and I can't believe the difference a couple of tweaks in my hair routine have made in the outcome of my curls. Now, some of these processes are more crucial than others. Some are a bonus if you can work them in. I'll let you know the importance of each as I walk you through the process. And of course feel free to check out the <a href="http://www.naturallycurly.com/" target="_blank">Naturally Curly </a>website for more info on your specific hair type. I'm just going to generalize the process and tell you what works well for me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_N0_FYhJ8Z0/U1gc-3_l3oI/AAAAAAAADQ8/_pm2PRclRvo/s1600/frizzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_N0_FYhJ8Z0/U1gc-3_l3oI/AAAAAAAADQ8/_pm2PRclRvo/s1600/frizzy.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: Frizzy and flat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8d7kPhLlGA/U1gdA6iRrlI/AAAAAAAADRE/arQzheF6e7A/s1600/curly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8d7kPhLlGA/U1gdA6iRrlI/AAAAAAAADRE/arQzheF6e7A/s1600/curly.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AFTER! Curly & defined!</td></tr>
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<br />
Before you step in the shower to wash your hair, make sure you have the following at the ready (in addition to your shampoo & conditioner):<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Wide Tooth Comb (essential)</li>
<li>Product for your curls (essential)</li>
<li>Microfiber towel (bonus)</li>
</ol>
<br />
After cleansing your hair, apply conditioner and comb it through to evenly distribute and detangle hair. This will be the only time you comb your hair as anything after this will make your hair frizzy. Rinse out the conditioner and grab your hair product. I really like Suave Professionals Captivating Curls Whipped Cream Mousse because it creates nice curls without being crunchy. Plus it's cheap & easy to find.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEtDOQrb5dQ/U1gVuTJZGEI/AAAAAAAADQs/vXOcTQCNjms/s1600/suave+mousse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEtDOQrb5dQ/U1gVuTJZGEI/AAAAAAAADQs/vXOcTQCNjms/s1600/suave+mousse.jpg" height="320" width="122" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Readily available and only about $2</td></tr>
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With your hair soaking wet, flip your hair upside-down and squeeze out the excess water. Shake your hair at the roots with your fingers to separate the curls naturally. Using a generous amount of product (I use a palm-ful of mousse), emulsify it between your palms and lift your hair up to your scalp and then scrunch. Repeat over all the hair.<br />
<br />
With your hair still flipped over, use a microfiber towel (microfiber doesn't cause hair to frizz as much as regular towels but I haven't seen a huge difference here) to lift hair up to the scalp and scrunch. Repeat to remove excess water from hair. Do not wrap your hair in the towel or rub the towel over your hair. Only use it to lift the hair up to your scalp and scrunch. This is a key technique.<br />
<br />
At this point your can flip your hair back over but don't touch it. You're technically supposed to let your hair air dry at this point but my hair doesn't turn out very well this way. I typically let mine air dry a bit then finish it off with a diffuser. If you want to use a diffuser, carefully pile curls onto the diffuser head, put it up to your scalp, and allow it to sit there and dry on low-- moving the hair dryer to different sections until it's dry (or nearly dry). Try to move/touch hair as little as possible because the more you touch it, the more frizz it creates.<br />
<br />
That's basically it. I've found that adding product to super wet hair and using the scrunching technique have had the most influence on how my curls turn out. I went from fuzzy-ish waves to more defined corkscrew type curls by following this method. What do you think? Try it out for yourself and let me know!<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-91570002466848825762014-04-22T14:30:00.002-06:002014-04-22T14:30:51.764-06:00Beauty Tip Series: Cowashing<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been meaning to do another “I Can Vouch for That” post
of my favorite products, but lately I’ve found more processes I like than
actual products. More specifically, beauty processes. After a lot of
experimentation I’ve found a couple things that really work well for me so I
thought I’d pass them along in a series of posts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Twice now I’ve tried going “no poo” or shampooless. It
typically involves washing your hair with baking soda and conditioning with a
diluted apple cider vinegar rinse. I tried all the combinations of ratios and
just never liked the results of this. Plus I just didn’t like the process. It
was a pain and didn’t have a very satisfying feel to it like using shampoo. And
truth be told, I don’t think my hair is that horrible to begin with so
switching to something so drastic just didn’t seem to be that beneficial. It’s
not like I’m spending hundreds of dollars on shampoo and conditioner every
month. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I have tried with success is “co-washing” or washing
with conditioner. I know. I’ll be the first one to admit I was skeptical of
this because I have oily hair and have to wash it every day. I can get away
with using a dry shampoo on off days if I pull my hair up but it never looks
too good. Basically the purpose of cowashing is to keep more of the natural
oils in your hair. This is especially good if you’ve got dry hair or process it
a lot. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The process basically involves using a silicone (and other “cones”)
free conditioner as shampoo. There are small amounts of cleansing agents in
conditioner and it turns out it’s plenty to get all the oils & dirt out of
your hair. The good news with this method is one of the best conditioners to
use is Suave Naturals… the conditioner that costs like $1 per bottle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
To wash your hair with conditioner, just get your hair wet
and using several palm-fuls of conditioner (you can’t use too much), work it
into your scalp and the length of your hair. Massage your scalp really well to
get all the dirt loosened up (like you normally do with shampoo). At this point
use a wide toothed comb to detangle your hair and evenly distribute the conditioner
(this is a critical step if you have curly hair… I’ll cover this in my next
post). Then rinse really well with warm water. Sometimes I’ll add a higher
quality conditioner to the ends of my hair and rinse again (with cooler water),
but it’s not really necessary. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So that’s it! I still use a regular shampoo about once a
week for my problem scalp, but for most people that wouldn’t really be
necessary. I’m really liking my new cowashing process and think I’ll keep it
around for a while. If any of you have tried this I’d like to hear your
experience and/or tips as well!<o:p></o:p></div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-23612262787357798022014-04-14T11:39:00.000-06:002014-12-03T11:46:37.746-07:00Letters to Sylvie: 21 MonthsDear Sylvie,<br />
<br />
I can't believe two more months have gone by. Soon enough you'll be TWO!<br />
<br />
I always marvel at the things you pick up on your own. You'll start to do one thing or another and I'll wonder where you came up with it. You've become more amenable to sitting down to watch a movie and depending on your mood you'll usually watch for 30 minutes or so. We've been starting in on the Disney movies which you seem to really like. One evening we made some popcorn and gathered on the couch to watch Cinderella. You sat there on the couch with Daddy and me and watched the movie while blindly reaching for popcorn in the bowl. It was like you'd done it a million times! So funny.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RyXM6pphBsM/U0wZnWJdv-I/AAAAAAAADQg/dIHl-Q9AVXU/s1600/2014-02-17+20.13.46.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RyXM6pphBsM/U0wZnWJdv-I/AAAAAAAADQg/dIHl-Q9AVXU/s1600/2014-02-17+20.13.46.jpeg" height="640" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun in the photo booth. The dynamics in the last pic kill me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtyd5SQQtqE/U0wS4XL11oI/AAAAAAAADPQ/2mvCitqKXIQ/s1600/2014-02-15+13.15.54.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtyd5SQQtqE/U0wS4XL11oI/AAAAAAAADPQ/2mvCitqKXIQ/s1600/2014-02-15+13.15.54.jpeg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum... You loved it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-BEvwMnYqM/U0wTDZq76bI/AAAAAAAADPY/XT2w7U8ajro/s1600/2014-02-15+13.40.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-BEvwMnYqM/U0wTDZq76bI/AAAAAAAADPY/XT2w7U8ajro/s1600/2014-02-15+13.40.06.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your first ice cream cone (which was promptly devoured)</td></tr>
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We recently put in a big sandbox for you and you love to sit out there and play with your buckets and shovels. The other day I was playing with you and made a sand castle out of one of your molds. When I lifted the mold off to reveal the sand castle underneath, your eyes went huge with amazement and awe at this "magic" I'd just performed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1x8gSN3t0M/U0wVKVoVQUI/AAAAAAAADPw/X9PE9ro07_I/s1600/2014-04-09+18.42.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1x8gSN3t0M/U0wVKVoVQUI/AAAAAAAADPw/X9PE9ro07_I/s1600/2014-04-09+18.42.56.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in your sandbox</td></tr>
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A couple months ago on a rainy day I gave you some dry beans to play with. Since then you play with them almost every day and enjoy putting them in your pots and pans. You pretend to feed them to the kitty or your teddy bear or Mom and Daddy. We give you different reactions each time you feed them to us, one of which is telling you the beans need more salt. You've started to mime adding salt to the beans and it's the cutest thing ever. You also pretend to eat things as well. Which doesn't work out so well when I want you to actually taste your food, not pretend to taste it!<br />
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You're getting big enough now that you can play on playgrounds and walk a bit during our walks. Whenever we walk on a path you constantly stop to investigate rocks and sticks (both of which you'll hand to Mommy or Daddy to carry). You do your penguin walk or your little shuffley walk or run as fast as you can. You can actually walk pretty far now without getting tired. When we go to the playground you mainly like the slides. It usually takes you a little while to go up and down the stairs though because you have to brush off all the wood chips or rocks you find there before moving up to the next step. You're not quite big enough to go down the slides yourself so you sit on my lap or I hold your hands. You always get so excited when you see the playground and I think you get a little frustrated when you see bigger kids running around and climbing things that you can't. All in due time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with giant abacus at the park.</td></tr>
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<br />
You are getting to be quite the good little helper. You help put away your clothes into their drawers when I do the laundry and you empty your forks and spoons out of the dishwasher and put them in their spot in the drawer when Daddy does the dishes. When he empties the garbage cans you'll go put the bathroom trash can back in its place. You're pretty consistent at putting things away when we ask you to, or fetching one object or another if we need it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0OLE0aU9yhU/U0wXwDpL5EI/AAAAAAAADQE/emfMQ71PwHc/s1600/2014-03-22+11.08.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0OLE0aU9yhU/U0wXwDpL5EI/AAAAAAAADQE/emfMQ71PwHc/s1600/2014-03-22+11.08.52.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First trip to the zoo. You loved this little otter as well as the giraffes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-502B_mi5dZg/U0wXvRKeBYI/AAAAAAAADP8/ypbfG42fdqE/s1600/2014-04-05+09.43.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-502B_mi5dZg/U0wXvRKeBYI/AAAAAAAADP8/ypbfG42fdqE/s1600/2014-04-05+09.43.41.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off your little top-notches.</td></tr>
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You're still not talking too much (at least that we can understand), but you are picking up a few words here and there. You say Mama and Dada (though Mama isn't necessarily directed at me), up and down, this, and right there. You have a lot more signs and actions you make. You will do a fish gulping noise when you see or hear mention of a fish, you'll flap your arms like a chicken, make the little chick "cheap" movement with your hands, point to your ear when you hear a loud noise like an airplane or truck (I've never realized how many planes fly over our house), and raise your hands above your head for something big. You did this when you saw the giraffe at the zoo. You definitely have a way of getting your point across.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yi1FVo07XmE/U0wYvMCZuQI/AAAAAAAADQQ/PnkZOyivXUk/s1600/2014-04-10+16.44.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yi1FVo07XmE/U0wYvMCZuQI/AAAAAAAADQQ/PnkZOyivXUk/s1600/2014-04-10+16.44.00.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love to smell the flowers in the yard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkC_-cCw79w/U0wYvF7gFHI/AAAAAAAADQM/i1nyPzS0jHU/s1600/2014-04-12+18.45.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vkC_-cCw79w/U0wYvF7gFHI/AAAAAAAADQM/i1nyPzS0jHU/s1600/2014-04-12+18.45.16.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Grandma Denise sharing her potato chips with you at the weenie roast. She knows how to win you over!</td></tr>
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<br />
Sylvie I am just amazed everyday at what a good little girl you are. You're so smart and sweet and happy, and it's unbelievably fun to watch you grow and learn. You are a bright light in our lives and we're so happy to have you.<br />
<br />
Love, MommyKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-51761031475811280952014-02-13T14:23:00.003-07:002014-12-03T11:46:37.760-07:00Letters to Sylvie: 19 MonthsDear Sylvie,<br />
<br />
Over the last couple of months you have really grown up! You can do so many things and are becoming so independent. It seems you pick up on something new everyday. Your coordination is getting remarkably better.<br />
<br />
You can eat very well with a spoon or fork now and you can drink out of a straw. The types of foods you can eat are slowly increasing as you've finally sprouted four molars! Yeah for real teeth! As you get more and more used to eating by yourself, you are wanting more independence and don't like as much help. You'll allow us to cut up your daily pancakes for you, but other foods such as quesadillas and sandwiches have to be to left whole. Cutting things up is for babies! Your daddy and I were a little too proud the other day when you ate a small slice of pizza.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5lT6cvJXSZE/Uv00iqe55vI/AAAAAAAADN8/ic7fsFsG66U/s1600/2014-01-12+11.18.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5lT6cvJXSZE/Uv00iqe55vI/AAAAAAAADN8/ic7fsFsG66U/s1600/2014-01-12+11.18.20.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your favorite food is definitely yogurt!</td></tr>
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Along the food lines... you are officially and completely weaned. You were technically done just after Christmas. I was determined to stop getting up with you at night so I used the time over the holidays when your dad was home to make the transition. We went to visit your Grandma and Grandpa Hanson up in Idaho around the New Year and I put you to bed at your normal time of 8:00 pm. Two hours later, just as I got into bed, you woke up and started crying. Not wanting to get up out of my warm bed, I spoke into the baby monitor and said, "Sylvie, go to sleep." I was amazed when you immediately stopped crying and went to sleep. This happened a couple more times during the night and every time I told you to go back to sleep you did. I never had to get up with you again after that and you currently sleep for 12 hours solid during the night. Woohoo! I was very glad the process ended up being much easier than anticipated for both of us.<br />
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You have so many cute things you do every day. Lately you are loving the teddy bear your Uncle Scott & Aunt Amanda got you for Christmas. You carry it around and hug it and take it to bed with you. It's super adorable. You generally like to carry things around or move them from place to place, even more so if you can sit on said objects. You'll sit on anything that is just your height. Your very favorite thing is the little wood stool your Great Grandpa Warnes made for you. Second in line is your pink potty chair (which you're still just getting used to and not actually using), followed by 12 packs of soda and stairs. You've started to practice walking backwards and sometimes combine this with sitting on things. You'll squat down and slowly back up until your bum hits your selected chair. Cracks me up! You've also figured out how to use your stool to climb up on things. You're not too crazy yet... just climbing up on the couches, but I'm sure you'll figure out how to get into more trouble soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_WCS5jzSN8/Uv004fiMjPI/AAAAAAAADOE/gg6aQ4kZSp4/s1600/62954_10152172924917418_216038791_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_WCS5jzSN8/Uv004fiMjPI/AAAAAAAADOE/gg6aQ4kZSp4/s1600/62954_10152172924917418_216038791_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You and your teddy bear</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mqJLk50moA/Uv02KqW8ixI/AAAAAAAADOk/0AjkzoupXHI/s1600/2013-12-24+09.58.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mqJLk50moA/Uv02KqW8ixI/AAAAAAAADOk/0AjkzoupXHI/s1600/2013-12-24+09.58.56.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting on your "Coke bench"</td></tr>
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You are getting very good at mimicking me & Daddy. If we put our coats on, you have to put your coat on. If I don't wear gloves, you don't want gloves. I've been counting your fingers and toes when I get you undressed and you've started to "count" as well. But you don't actually say numbers, you just copy the intonation of my voice and say "eh, eh, eh, eh, EH!" Ha ha, it's a start I guess!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8drxdYsMxd8/Uv02HFj7CCI/AAAAAAAADOY/wjGqIdm9wAI/s1600/2014-01-20+12.09.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8drxdYsMxd8/Uv02HFj7CCI/AAAAAAAADOY/wjGqIdm9wAI/s1600/2014-01-20+12.09.08.jpg" height="400" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy said you picked out this outfit yourself</td></tr>
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For the longest time you didn't like to be snuggled in blankets. Whenever I'd try to put a blanket over you you'd immediately pull it off. Lately though you've completely changed your mind. Whenever you're in your carseat you have to have a blanket tucked over your bottom half otherwise you'll squawk and fuss the entire ride. You also have to have the fuzzy owl blanket Grandma Denise made you for Christmas covering you when we read books in the rocking chair. It's so fun to snuggle you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3aY6duV1dpk/Uv02KtjJsqI/AAAAAAAADOo/0GwuJen2hhk/s1600/2014-01-28+16.48.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3aY6duV1dpk/Uv02KtjJsqI/AAAAAAAADOo/0GwuJen2hhk/s1600/2014-01-28+16.48.30.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being consoled by snacks after Mommy cut your hair</td></tr>
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One more thing I'll mention is your toys and organization. You love to play with your big Lego blocks and the picnic basket you got for Christmas. You are very good at putting the blocks together and building towers or putting the picnic food onto the plates and pretending to eat. I'm not sure how you know, but you are very aware which toys belong where. You never mix the Legos with your picnic basket stuff and you are very good at putting them away where they go. Daddy said yesterday you built a tower with the Legos then when you were finished, you pulled all the blocks apart and put them away in the Lego bag. Everything has a place and you know right where to put it. This comes in very handy when you help me with the laundry. You really are a great little helper!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZIqbOYyrO4/Uv0192yR2kI/AAAAAAAADOQ/EF-xsTFPja4/s1600/2014-01-20+17.19.58-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZIqbOYyrO4/Uv0192yR2kI/AAAAAAAADOQ/EF-xsTFPja4/s1600/2014-01-20+17.19.58-2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your first time coloring</td></tr>
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Sylvie, you are always such a joy to be around. I have so much fun playing with you and being around you. You are constantly smiling and laughing and are just the happiest little girl. You are so smart and full of energy and I can't help but be happy when I'm around you. I sure love being your mommy.<br />
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Love, Mama<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-83369460139977428132014-02-01T14:56:00.003-07:002014-02-01T14:56:50.677-07:00DIY Crafty Crap: Personalized Roasting Sticks with Carrying BagFor a long time I've labeled myself as not crafty. But looking back at my blog this year, I don't know that I can claim that title any longer. I've actually made a handful of things that turned out pretty good! And *gasp* most of the time I kind of enjoyed it. I guess maybe I should now say that I enjoy doing a select few crafts. There. Now that we have that cleared up, I can show you what I made as Christmas gifts for my family members this year.<br />
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Now I saw this while doing a homemade gift search on the <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2011/10/diy-project-monogrammed-camping-skewer-set.html" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and I was immediately drawn to the idea. Just about everyone I can think of loves to roast stuff over a fire, whether it's in the backyard or out camping. But how many people have good quality roasting sticks that are easily portable, safe, and <i>personalized</i>? NO ONE. That's who. Which is what makes this so perfect.<br />
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Here's what I did:<br />
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First you find some kick-ass roasting sticks. If you can forge your own metal and whittle your own handles, more power to you. If you're not the ambitious type (like moi) you can purchase some very nice roasting sticks such as these ones from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Extending-Safety-Roasting/dp/B003UWQVC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386969888&sr=8-1&keywords=camp+chef+roasting+sticks" target="_blank">Camp Chef</a>.<br />
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Now you need to figure out exactly how you would like to mark them. The example I saw just used a monogrammed initial. I liked the idea of using full names (or Mom and Dad) for families. You could also do a simple line drawing of an animal or a pattern of some sort if you want them to be more generic. Once you decide what you want to do, print out the pattern or name and make sure it's the correct size for your sticks. You want to make sure they won't be so small they're difficult to trace but not so big that the largest name won't fit. Then tape the pattern on the stick (I used a small piece on either end).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-gEOZgUtbY/Uqt9567rbLI/AAAAAAAADL4/3BzmcpLG7lg/s1600/2013-12-07+13.15.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-gEOZgUtbY/Uqt9567rbLI/AAAAAAAADL4/3BzmcpLG7lg/s1600/2013-12-07+13.15.55.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the post I followed, they traced the letters directly on the paper with the pointy tip of their wood burner. I thought this allowed too much room for error (seeing as how I'm still new to the wood burning technique), so I used a ball-point pen to trace the outline of the letters to make an indentation on the wood. I found that tracing over the letters a couple times (pressing fairly hard) gave a great template and provided a nice track for the wood burning tip to sit in. After the name is traced in place, remove the paper and tape.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-njn_u2zf0z4/UquHyXaZW9I/AAAAAAAADMI/bEMokG-SheA/s1600/2013-12-07+13.16.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-njn_u2zf0z4/UquHyXaZW9I/AAAAAAAADMI/bEMokG-SheA/s1600/2013-12-07+13.16.31.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you're doing block letters you'll want to trace the outline with your pointed tip first, then fill it in with the blunt tip. If you choose a simple font like I have, you'll only need to use the pointed tip or blunt tip. Adjust the heat of the wood burning tool to your liking, then trace your design. Now your sticks are finished!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ecs00BXOzFs/Uu1lwgFFEgI/AAAAAAAADNM/5RmK-Lxb0w4/s1600/2013-12-14+14.24.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ecs00BXOzFs/Uu1lwgFFEgI/AAAAAAAADNM/5RmK-Lxb0w4/s1600/2013-12-14+14.24.13.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now to make the carrying bag:<br />
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Find whatever material you like. I'm not sure how much you would need to buy since I just found some square tablecloths I liked and used those. Just use some amount that seems good (hey, I'm not a sewer). I'm pretty sure it wasn't more than 2 yards, probably more like 1 1/2, but you'll want to measure your sticks to see how big it needs to be. I made all different sizes depending on how many sticks I was using for each bag. I also used about 1 yard of handle material (I don't know what it's called... nylon stuff?).<br />
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So first measure out your material. I figured enough width to fit the sticks plus 6" to fold over on each side for a pocket and an additional inch on each side for edging. So basically the length of your sticks plus 14". Then for my sticks I made 4" wide slots to hold them. Which means your length will need to be 4" for each stick (or however wide they are) and 2" for edging. Plus I tacked on a couple extra inches just in case I screwed up. Or if you want extra material on the ends.<br />
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Once you have your square piece of material measured out, put a half inch rolled edge around the outside (fold over 1/2", iron down, fold over another 1/2" iron down then sew). Then fold down 6" on either side of your fabric for your pockets and sew it down on one side only. You want to be able to stagger your pockets so the weight of the sticks is evenly distributed. The open flap will allow you to easily remove and replace the sticks. Then, starting at each sewn edge, measure every 4" inches (or however much space you allowed for the fattest part of the sticks) and sew a pocket. I believe on the case shown below I had 3 pockets on either end.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U3e1JevLi_c/Uu1oLiNOq6I/AAAAAAAADNU/3RVC0y8wCmg/s1600/2013-12-14+14.22.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U3e1JevLi_c/Uu1oLiNOq6I/AAAAAAAADNU/3RVC0y8wCmg/s1600/2013-12-14+14.22.22.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind my feet. I was too lazy to crop.<br /></td></tr>
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Now put all your sticks in the bag, alternating their direction, and roll up. You'll want to pin your handle material to the center spot then unroll the bag and take the sticks out again.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n585vk2PQfU/Uu1oefqngJI/AAAAAAAADNo/xdf16z-DEkQ/s1600/2013-12-14+14.29.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n585vk2PQfU/Uu1oefqngJI/AAAAAAAADNo/xdf16z-DEkQ/s1600/2013-12-14+14.29.40.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sew the ends of your strap together then sew to the center point of your bag. I used white thread <strike>because dammit it took me a long time to get my sewing machine threaded and I wasn't going to risk trying to re-thread it after all that swearing</strike> on purpose so you could see where I sewed.<br />
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So that's basically it. They are pretty rustic... at least the way I sew, but I figured people usually just use these for outdoorsy stuff so it would fit in with the rough atmosphere. Now I just gotta wait for the weather to warm up so I can test them out! But no matter how crappy I sew, these have to be better than driving hours on end with long pointy hot dog sticks floating around in the car ready to fly out and stab me in the eye. And let's not forget that I can now cross off a successful handmade Christmas gift from my bucket list. It's a win/win.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-80479026443054984062014-01-03T13:31:00.001-07:002014-12-03T11:46:37.766-07:00Letters to Sylvie: From Daddy *Special Edition*<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey Sylvie! It's Daddy. Mom has written you a bunch of letters and it's about time I write you one too.</span><br />
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Today is <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_102973976" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Friday, Jan 3, 2014</span></span> and I just put you down for your midday nap. I hear you fussing a little on the monitor but I know you'll settle down very soon and take a good 2 - 3 hour nap just like you do everyday. You are a good little napper. In fact... sounds like you've drifted off to sleep already!</div>
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This morning you woke up at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_102973977" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7:30</span></span>. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, splashed some water on my face and got ready to go in and get you. But before I open your door, I paused for a moment as I always do and say to myself, "Be a good Dad today. Be patient. Be attentive. Remember you'll never have this day again with your sweet little daughter so make it count."</div>
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I turn the knob and walk into the darkness. From the hallway light I can see you standing there in your baby blue sleep sack, hands on the crib railing as always. You always seem happy to see me. I scoop you up and we go through our waking up rounds. First we walk around to the living room and open the blinds to see what kind of day it is. Then we do the same to the small curtains above the sink in the kitchen and the big curtains in front of the sliding glass door. If it doesn't look too frigid outside, we step out onto the back step and I let you jingle the wind chime. Lol... you always seem to get a kick out of that and so do I. Then it's back to your room to get you changed out of your dirty diaper and pj's and into your clean diaper and regular clothes. Lately you've taken to throwing your hands over your eyes in dramatic fashion when I click on the lamp. Also, you rarely let me get you fully dressed on your changing pad anymore... too wiggly! So we usually finish getting dressed in the rocking chair. You're also starting to show some preferences for what you want to wear. Yesterday you INSISTED on the white shoes over your usual black shoes with the skulls and crossbones, for example. </div>
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Once fully dressed, I set you on your feet, give you a little pat on the butt and say, "Go play!" And off you go. Though lately you've been going straight to your book bin and dragging out a volume or two for us to read. So read we do. I pull you up on my lap in the big white rocking chair and we power through a few books. You rarely let me read every word or even every page - though occasionally you do. Mostly we like to point things out on the pages, especially little birdies. You are especially good at pointing out the birdies. Once you tire of that... its breakfast time!</div>
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You have finally started sleeping all the way through the night! No nursing from Mommy or anything. And so when you wake up, you wake up with a good appetite which always makes me happy. I love to see you eat with a little gusto! Every morning I make you either pancakes or waffles from the mixes that your Mom makes from scratch and always keeps on hand. That is your breakfast staple and you'll always eat them - with maple syrup of course. You used to also love eggs but lately you turn your nose up at the them and prefer mandarin oranges instead. You are generally a pretty good eater though and I imagine you'll eventually come around to eggs again. </div>
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After breakfast, I let you go play while I clean up the kitchen. However, your play frequently consists of helping me with the dishes. You especially like unloading the dishwasher. Believe it or not, you are actually becoming a real helper. I have you focus on taking out your colorful plastic spoons and putting them in the right spot in the silverware drawer. And you will actually do it. Though you then like to unload those same spoons and carry them off somewhere else. Today you decided to pile them up under the Christmas tree. Later, when I pointed to the empty spot in the silverware drawer and said, "Could you go get your spoons and put them here?", you actually did it! Of course I had to text your mom and tell her about what a genius her daughter was. She agreed.</div>
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We've been going out for walks lately and today you made your desire to go for a walk crystal clear by carrying my shoes over to me. (Lol... I had been sitting in the chair, sipping my coffee and watching you build with your blocks.) So we put on our jackets and hats and out we went. You need no help going down the stairs in the garage and you'll rarely even hold my hand these days. You can walk pretty darn well on your own and so I let you go. We usually mill around in the driveway for a bit then walk up to the corner. Along the way you check out the frost - It's cold! - and you've learned the hard way about being careful on the ice. (A couple slips and falls were all it took.) In fact, there's one spot where there's about an inch drop off in the sidewalk but there's also some ice and you've taken to getting down on hands and knees and crawling over that spot. Lol... I guess it's safe to say you got the cautious gene. But anyway... we walk up to the corner and even head down the street for a ways. You like to watch the cars go by and are interested in everything. Birds flying by, dogs barking, neighbors waving at us. And even the littlest things like unusual texture on sidewalk or chunks of ice from peoples shoveling efforts. Eventually we mill back to the house and head into the backyard. There's too much snow to do much but you walk on the areas I've shoveled off on the porch, go up and down the steps a few times, and then we finally head back into the warm house.</div>
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Today I whipped up a batch of suet to feed the neighborhood birds. You are never satisfied until I lift you up and let you have a look at what's going on up on the counter - usually when some kind of cooking is going on. I explain about making the suet and feeding the birds and it's almost like you understand. After that you pretty well entertain yourself. Your Grandma and Grandpa Hanson frequently comment on how well you entertain yourself - especially for an only child who always has at least one parent pretty much hovering over her at all times. I keep an ear out for you and check on you every once in a while. At one point I give you a chunk of bread - actually a half of a 'hush puppy' your Mom made the other night. You carry it around for a long time, nibbling on it bit by bit until it's gone. You manage to get into Mom's bathroom cabinet. I separate you from the various hair products you're proudly grasping and you only put up a mild protest. Then you get into the recycling. I let you play with the two empty Coke cans you discover there. You like the crinkling sounds they make and they are fun to stack up and carry around. I have visions of you cutting yourself and having to explain to your Mom but it never happens. For better or for worse, I like to give you as much slack as I can and try not to interfere too much with your explorations. </div>
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Another thing you really like is music. Everyday you point at the radio at some point and indicate that I should turn it on. We mostly listen to the Classic Rock station. You like to bob your head and otherwise move to the music. You like most everything they play but the song that made you light up the very most so far was 'Abacaba' by Genesis. You completely loved that one! </div>
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You start to show signs of getting hungry again so I feed you spoonfuls of yogurt as you come and go. You eat about 1/3 of the container. Then I pull out your favorite food of late - peas! You get mad when I put the frozen peas in the microwave. I hand you a clump of frozen peas from the package then point to the microwave and try to explain about the magic of cooking. Again, you kind of seem to get it. Then it's into your high chair where you scarf down most of your peas. The remainder get scarfed up by your Dad. </div>
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You seem ready for your nap but I glance at the clock and it's still a little early so we go build with your large, Lego-style blocks for awhile. Mostly I feed you pieces while you mash them together into various abstract shapes. You just got the blocks for Christmas but already you are much better at mashing them together.</div>
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Finally, it's nap time. You protest mildly as I carry you into your room, change your diaper, and get you back into your pj's and sleep sack. Then I sing/hum you a few rounds of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', 'Row Row Row Your Boat', and 'Give Said the Little Stream'. My humble musical efforts always seem to mellow you out - or maybe you just fake like you're sleepy so I'll stop. Lol... either way works, I guess. In the darkened room with the fan blowing and the humidifier humming, I lay you down for your nap then head out and quietly close the door. Every morning we spend together is pretty much like this. :-) </div>
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You and your Mom mean the world to me Sylvie and nothing makes me happier than having us all together as a little family. </div>
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All my love,</div>
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Daddy </div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-14001419956168527942013-12-17T12:28:00.000-07:002013-12-17T12:28:11.862-07:00Crafty Crap: Giant Ruler Growth ChartSo we made one of these last year for my sister for Christmas and I have been wanting one ever since. It was so easy & cheap to make and turned out so cute! I really like these rulers because they are portable and can be moved from house to house if need be. They are also a very attractive way to decorate those skinny wall spaces you never know what to do with. Anyway, I thought I'd tell you what I did in case you'd like to make one for yourself.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1b4q63jq9WY/UrCjSJTr75I/AAAAAAAADMw/mrDcwBa-Iu8/s1600/growth+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1b4q63jq9WY/UrCjSJTr75I/AAAAAAAADMw/mrDcwBa-Iu8/s640/growth+chart.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />
First you'll need to buy a board. The original one we did was 1" x 8" x 6' but Seth got a little bit wider one this time at 12" wide. You can really customize this to whatever size you'd like. First sand the board. We have a small orbit sander that I love and have used for tons of random projects. I highly recommend one if you have room in your budget. Using the sander it was easy to get softened edges that are slightly rounded. You can totally hand sand it though, it'll just take a lot more elbow grease and time.<br />
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Next, comes the stain. We used a walnut stain but again, you could do whatever color stain you want. Heck you could even PAINT it if you wanted to. No need to worry about doing the back as nobody will see it (unless you plan on hanging it in the center of your living room like a pendulum... weirdo).<br />
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Now we get down to business. Don't worry, it's actually really easy to do and so long as you give yourself a template, you're not going to mess anything up too horribly. Get a straight-edge ruler and make a pencil mark for every inch along the entire 6-foot length of the board.<br />
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At this point you'll want to decide how you want your finished project to look. I made my ruler start at 6" so I could hang it on the wall and not have to worry about baseboards getting in the way. If you want to rest yours on the floor, you'll need to start at zero (which technically means you will have a 6 foot ruler so just hope your children aren't really tall). Next you need to make your lines. Do not try to eyeball the lines. I used a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-Magnum-Rafter-Square-3990/100174397#" target="_blank">rafter square</a> and it made the job really simple. You could also use a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wal-Board-Tools-22-in-x-48-in-Original-Drywall-T-square-88-012/100095247#" target="_blank">t-square</a> but you'd have to be more careful to hold it straight along the edge. For the 8" wide board I made the inch lines 1-inch long and the "quarter" lines 2-inches long. I made them longer for the 12" wide board to make them more proportional, with the inch lines 2-inches long and the "quarter" lines 4-inches long. Again, work your way all the way up the board with your lines, double checking to make sure your marks are the right length.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of my lines and wall placement.</td></tr>
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Next you'll need to get a paint pen to go over your pencil lines. I used a black one <a href="http://www.michaels.com/Craft-Smart-Broad-Line-Paint-Pen/gc2403,default,pd.html?cgid=products-craftpainting-paintpens" target="_blank">like this</a> for the entire project, even the numbers (one pen has made 2 of these so far so you don't need to worry about buying a lot). Use the rafter square to go over your pencil lines with the paint pen. Don't try and free hand it unless you're looking for a "my kindergartner made this" look.<br />
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Now onto the numbers. Find a font you like (I used Century) and print out your numbers. For the smaller 8" board I used a 200 point size font. For the larger 12" board I used 300 point. Cut out each number (surrounded by a close-cropped box... don't cut out the exact outline of the number) and tape each one to the appropriate place on the ruler. Verify all placements are correct... you don't want to screw up now! Get a ball-point pen and trace the outline of each number, going over it a couple times to make sure it leaves a nice deep groove in the wood. If you end up tracing over a knot in the wood like I did, the pen won't leave much of a groove. In this case you can scribble on the back of the number with a pencil and then trace over it so a pencil line will be left on the wood. When the outlines are done, remove the paper and trace & fill each number with the paint pen.<br />
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At this point you may be done. You can spray your final product with clear coat, but I didn't. I thought it'd be easier to write on it later if it didn't have the coating. Do what you like. As far as hanging goes, we just drilled a couple holes (countersunk) into the board and attached it to the wall in 2 places using dry wall anchors/screws. You could also put a picture hanger on the back, but it won't be quite as secure.<br />
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So that's it! Easy huh? Now go and create! (Or if you're a close friend or family member, wait and ask me for one for your birthday or Christmas... that's the cheater way! Ha! Ha!).<br />
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<u>Recap of supplies and tools:</u><br />
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1" x 8" x 6' board (or whatever size you like)<br />
Wood Stain (or paint)<br />
Paint Pen<br />
Clear Coat Spray (optional)<br />
Pencil<br />
Ballpoint Pen<br />
Rafter Square (or T-square)<br />
Sander or Sandpaper<br />
Picture hanger (optional)<br />
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<a href="http://517creations.blogspot.com/2011/04/ruler-growth-chart-pottery-barn-knock.html" target="_blank">Original idea from 517 Creations</a><br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-33168509890200934122013-12-13T15:52:00.003-07:002013-12-13T15:52:57.610-07:00Christmas Crafty Crap: Handprint Santa OrnamentSo I thought I'd try and do a little Christmas craft with Sylvie this year, even though she's still a little young to be able to do much. I saw this handprint Santa ornament and decided it was a good, easy option.<br />
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Here's the salt dough recipe:<br />
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<ul>
<li>1/2 cup salt</li>
<li>1/2 cup all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1/4 cup water (give or take)</li>
</ul>
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Combine ingredients in a bowl and knead until a dough forms.<br />
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Since Sylvie's hand is pretty small, this amount of dough made enough for probably 3 or 4 handprints. I was kind of dumb and didn't think to press the dough directly onto a parchment lined baking sheet. So, I made mine really fat because otherwise I couldn't peel them off the tray without ruining the print. Don't do this the dumb way. Anyway, I also didn't cut out around the fingers as directed because I didn't think it was necessary. After you've got your hand prints ready to go, poke a small hole in them in where shown (to hang later) and bake at 200 deg. F for 3 hours. Then paint, seal, and hang!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.trusper.com/tips/Salt-Dough-Hand-Ornament/3176558" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OvIgUV_-D1c/UquNNNRjByI/AAAAAAAADMY/K4De3pTQdXg/s1600/salt+dough+santa.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trusper.com/tips/Salt-Dough-Hand-Ornament/3176558" target="_blank">Original Instructions</a></td></tr>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-14970790185891813852013-12-12T10:54:00.001-07:002013-12-12T10:58:55.167-07:00Letters to Sylvie: 17 MonthsDear Sylvie,<br />
<br />
You've been changing so much this last month I decided I needed to write you another letter. How is it possible for you to have grown SO MUCH? It really is astounding to me how quickly you learn and grow. You're like a big sponge with appendages, toddling around.<br />
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Speaking of toddling around, you're a professional walker now. One day you woke up an hour early and just decided that was the day you were going to start walking. And that was it! It's still so weird for me to see you walk because it was such a fast transition! But I love to see you stumbling around the house. You love to wear your shoes now (they help you walk much better than just bare feet) and like to sit in your big chair while I put them on.<br />
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Walking like a champ!</div>
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Your daddy and I are constantly amazed at the little things you pick up. You were taking a bath one day and I asked you where the clock was and you pointed to the silver clock hanging up on the wall. I praised you and said, "Yeah, that's the clock! Good job!" Then you said "aghsshuck" which I deemed your version of clock. It was a bit of a throaty, complicated version of clock, almost German sounding, but it clearly ended in a "ck" sound. After your bath I took you downstairs and told your dad what you'd done. Your daddy said, "How does she know what a clock is?" I repeated the words from one of your favorite bedtime stories, "Goodnight clocks and goodnight socks." Sure enough you had been paying attention and soaked up little bits of information your dad and I were completely oblivious to. You then repeated your verbalized clock sound of "aghsshuck" and Daddy was floored. You really are learning to talk!<br />
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Practicing drinking out of a cup and laughing at Daddy's beautiful singing!</div>
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You've never been big on the t.v. and still rarely pay attention it. However, you do enjoy our nightly ritual of sharing a Ding Dong and watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants before heading off to bed. You like the first part of the show the best where the framed talking pirate picture comes on and gruffly says, "Are you ready kids?!" Then you dance excitedly for the rest of the opening theme and anytime throughout the show when they play music. Other than that you don't pay much attention to it and would rather pull the books off the bookshelf or run away from Mommy squealing and flop around on the couch pillows on the floor. I don't think there has ever been a more adorable child.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing under the Christmas tree with the kitty.</td></tr>
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You're really getting into music and especially like to listen to Christmas music. Daddy put a radio in the kitchen to listen to his football games, but turns it to Christmas music during the day. As soon as you walk in there you point at the radio so we can turn it on. You are always swaying your head or bobbing up and down to the music. You have also started clapping your hands when I sing "If you're happy and you know it." Sometimes you'll even stomp your feet which is too adorable for words.<br />
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With the cold weather in full swing, you've gotten used to putting on your little coat and hat when we go outside. Your favorite warm hat looks like a penguin wearing puffy pink earmuffs. You LOVE to wear it and sometimes ask us to put it on you when you're playing around in the house. You routinely wear it when we go grocery shopping and without fail, several strangers will comment on how cute you are in your hat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIgfxPw2AaI/UqntNl0goPI/AAAAAAAADLE/86kAMMgoW3g/s1600/captain+penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIgfxPw2AaI/UqntNl0goPI/AAAAAAAADLE/86kAMMgoW3g/s400/captain+penguin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Penguin, ready for bed! This also shows your new skill of stacking your cups into a tower.</td></tr>
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I don't know if you really like things to be clean or if you're just interested in the things you find, but you are constantly picking up nearly invisible specs of dirt off the floor. You will then come and hand them to me or Daddy as if you are hinting that we need to step up our cleaning practices. Your favorite toys right now are the pine cones I put out for Christmas decoration. You gather them up and put them in a bowl or place them in different spots to suit your tastes. Because of all the moving and such, the pine cones drop a bit of debris here and there. One evening I was in the kitchen making dinner when you came up and held out a small pine cone scale you'd found on the floor. I told you to put it in the trash can and you immediately lifted the lid and dropped the refuse inside. I'm hoping to get you started on the vacuuming next week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with pine cones and Mommy's scarf</td></tr>
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It's taken you a while to get into climbing on things, but lately you've been loving it! You climb all over the big green couch, you climb onto the rocking chair in your room, you climb into Daddy's Adirondack chair in the office and you always seem thoroughly proud of yourself for your accomplishments. You've also started carrying your little step stool around with you and I'm sure you're going to get into something very soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointing to your bellybutton!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As usual I could go on and on, but that's what you've been up to lately. You are such a fun, smart, happy little girl. Whenever I see you my heart just fills with the most indescribable joy. I sure enjoy being your mommy.<br />
<br />
I love you Huggy Bug,<br />
<br />
Love, Mama<br />
<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-23257403527717696672013-11-14T10:21:00.003-07:002013-11-14T10:22:15.378-07:00Letters to Sylvie: 16 MonthsDear Sylvie,<br />
<br />
Well, it finally happened. You walked. We've known you were able to do it for a while, but you've just barely decided that MAYBE you could try it. Don't get me wrong, you still do a lot of crawling. Mostly crawling actually. But, given the right circumstances, you'll flail wildly from one object to another. Usually the only way I can get you to walk is to hold onto both of your hands, though recently you've allowed me to hold onto just one. One thing is for sure... you're not a daredevil. You've definitely got the cautious gene your dad and I possess in large quantities.<br />
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You are, however, getting very good at negotiating the stairs. You climb up and down them with relative ease and speed. I'm not sure you've grasped the dangers of the stairs yet though so your daddy and I still follow closely behind you should you get distracted by some random object and forget to hang on.<br />
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As if watching you walk wasn't cute enough, you've also become quite the dancer. Sometimes you'll bounce up and down when the music is just right, but usually you do the head bob move that your dad taught you. It looks a lot like you're shaking your head "no" but we both know it's your signature move. I love to watch Spongebob Squarepants with you just so I can see you dance at the beginning.<br />
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Although you haven't starting saying actual words yet (besides Dada), your recognition and understanding is very good. You'll close the fridge door or go get one of your toys when I ask you to. You are also very good at obeying when I ask you to put things away. You like to help me put your toys away or put all the kitchen utensils back in the drawer. You are also very good at pointing out body parts. You can do ears, nose, toes, eyes (you always point to Mommy's eyes), belly button, tummy, tongue, mouth, and teeth. I love asking to see your teeth because you give me your cutest little scrunchie nosed smile!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hO1E0J9dhVI/UoPuE59dvqI/AAAAAAAADKA/SaEnnbjz8Y0/s1600/2013-11-12+19.39.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hO1E0J9dhVI/UoPuE59dvqI/AAAAAAAADKA/SaEnnbjz8Y0/s400/2013-11-12+19.39.26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest teeth ever!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I think you also generally get the concept of "yes" and "no." You vigorously shake your head "no" when you don't want something and/or wave your hand across your body indicating when you don't want something. Your "yes" or nod is the most adorable thing ever. You don't actually nod, you just put your chin down and look up with a shy smile. Your dad and I call it your Farley Face, because you look just like Chris Farley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cOxxl_xXvw/UoPvpo6FwoI/AAAAAAAADKk/42wA_ir-z34/s1600/2013-10-29+19.40.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cOxxl_xXvw/UoPvpo6FwoI/AAAAAAAADKk/42wA_ir-z34/s400/2013-10-29+19.40.38.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farley Face!</td></tr>
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This year you were old enough to participate a bit more in Halloween. We dressed you in an adorable lamb costume that your Aunt Annie made. Grandpa Fred, your cousins Belen & Marshall, and Annie & Eric came over for pizza and to go Trick-or-Treating. You didn't really get what was going on but had a good time walking around the neighborhood being held by your grandpa. You even got to eat your first pieces of candy! M&Ms and Reeses Pieces. You loved both, of course!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxLh1fatJkg/UoPuNB35hrI/AAAAAAAADKI/3d5HBag_SkM/s1600/halloween+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WxLh1fatJkg/UoPuNB35hrI/AAAAAAAADKI/3d5HBag_SkM/s400/halloween+2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go Trick-or-Treating</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtuscGwERXk/UoUGIDNRqjI/AAAAAAAADK0/cai0Np6ZRVQ/s1600/2013-10-21+10.36.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtuscGwERXk/UoUGIDNRqjI/AAAAAAAADK0/cai0Np6ZRVQ/s400/2013-10-21+10.36.47.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hay ride to pick out a pumpkin!</td></tr>
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You have lots of things that you like to do for fun. Right now you're loving books. After going through a bit of a dry spell, you suddenly love having Mommy or Daddy read to you again. But now you like to climb up on our laps and sit in the big chair. Your favorite books right now are "Nighty Night Little Green Monster" (your Aunt Corinne sent you this for Halloween), "Find the Bird" (from your Aunt Amanda & Uncle Scott), and your Caillou Baby Album (from Grandma & Grandpa Hanson). You also can't get enough of closing doors. Every time you go into a room you have to close the door. If mom is getting stuff out of the fridge or cupboard, you try to shut the door. When you climb to the top of the stairs you close the baby gate. I think you just like things to be in the right spot!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6VIPcNrfxdU/UoPuV0oOYPI/AAAAAAAADKQ/NNNxd8TdzTs/s1600/2013-11-10+16.49.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6VIPcNrfxdU/UoPuV0oOYPI/AAAAAAAADKQ/NNNxd8TdzTs/s400/2013-11-10+16.49.04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I came into your room while I was making dinner to see you and Daddy reading a book. So cute!</td></tr>
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A couple weeks ago I took you in for your first professional haircut. I think the place looked too much like the doctor's office and you cried and cried almost the whole time. Not even crackers, candy, or Mom's phone did the trick. They ALWAYS do the trick, so I knew you were NOT happy. Hopefully next time you'll remember it's a good place and you don't get shots there! Ha ha! Good news is, even though you cried, you held really still so your hair turned out nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VOYN9GAtKng/UoPu-05OVeI/AAAAAAAADKY/vrksyIUa6pM/s1600/2013-11-04+18.33.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VOYN9GAtKng/UoPu-05OVeI/AAAAAAAADKY/vrksyIUa6pM/s400/2013-11-04+18.33.32.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new haircut!</td></tr>
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I'm sure I forgot something like I usually do, but that about sums you up these days. I love interacting with you and seeing your reactions to new things. Hearing you laugh and copy actions. Seeing all the cute little things that make up your personality. My favorite part of the day is pulling up to the house after work to see you and your daddy waiting for me outside, you with a big smile and wave. It makes me so deliriously happy.<br />
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I love you Buggie Boo Sylvie Sue!<br />
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Love, MamaKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-59878265464453742372013-10-25T14:44:00.001-06:002013-10-25T14:44:39.168-06:00VechtablesLast Sunday night Seth and I were cuddling on the couch after putting Sylvie to bed. Seth suggested we watch a movie and let me pick what I wanted. We scrolled through our Amazon Prime list of movies and I saw one called "<a href="http://www.getvegucated.com/" target="_blank">Vegucated</a>," a documentary about 3 people who try out being vegan for 6 weeks. I thought it would be interesting and possibly funny. So I queued it up.<div>
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Two hours later, depressed and feeling a little "somehow," Seth and I went to bed without saying much. It was a weird ending to an otherwise delightful weekend. </div>
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The next day after I got home from work, we talked about the movie. We'd both had a chance to think about it during the day and pin point what our resulting feelings were. We were both in shock about what we'd seen. I always heard people talk about the meat/dairy/egg industry and about how cruel it was and I'd always just assumed they were mad about animals getting killed. I never really looked into the process. I'd never understood why people had a problem with dairy products or eggs. But now I do. I've actually been reading "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair recently, a book about the horrible work conditions and unsanitary, inhumane treatment of animals in the meatpacking industry of Chicago in the early 20th century. While the work conditions have greatly improved since then, from what I can tell, the treatment of the animals is exactly the same. Like Seth said, it was kind of a punch in the gut. </div>
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On Monday I sat at my desk at lunchtime and wondered what I should eat. I checked the local fast food joints for vegan options and came up with a packet of hot sauce and a bowl of dry lettuce. That definitely wasn't going to fly. I realized then that living a strict vegan lifestyle was not going to be realistic for me. It's not an easy thing to do. Animal products are literally everywhere. It would take up all my time to try and avoid them all. And that doesn't even cover the gigantic topic of social eating. I wasn't about to impose on these restrictions on everyone around me. </div>
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So, I decided that I'll be a soft vegan. Or a part-time vegan. Or an omnivore that greatly reduces my dairy and meat consumption. After that first day at lunch I realized how much meat I actually eat. Nobody needs that much. It's insane really. Especially when there are so many tasty alternatives. I'm slowly transitioning myself to vegan options where possible. So far I've tried soy, almond, and rice milk (all of which are super tasty, esp. vanilla almond milk), faux cheese & sour cream. I'm hoping to try plant-based meat alternatives as well. I've loaded up my pantry with vegan staples like cashews, nutritional yeast, coconut oil, liquid aminos, and seeds. I don't even know how to use them yet. I'm going to try and make food I like-- normal food... just tweaked. I think I can do it and I think it won't be too bad once I get used to doing it. Food is one thing I really enjoy in life and I'm not willing to eat things that taste just "OK." </div>
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At this point I'm just going to do my best. I'm not going to trash homemade goodies from friends or refuse the pot roast at a family dinner. I think that's along the lines of following the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of it. It's about trying, not perfection. It's about including others, not cementing myself on top of a soapbox. Heck I'll probably check out some local farmers and see if I can get some truly "happy" meat and eggs for the occasional Sunday dinner or weekend omelet. </div>
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I'm actually kind of excited about this new twist in my lifestyle. I'll try my best to give you periodic updates in how it's going. If you want up close and personal info on what I'm eating, check out my <a href="http://gravytraining.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Gravy Training</a> blog. I'm hoping to be able to post a lot of new vegan friendly, delicious, NORMAL recipes there in the future, so check it out!</div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8662156573208048976.post-29978819181631064162013-10-21T08:39:00.000-06:002013-10-21T08:39:33.674-06:00DIY Car Repair: Replacing the Window Regulator on a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix CoupeSeth and I were driving Blackie home from a wedding last weekend when I rolled up the passenger side window and heard an ominous "crunch" noise as it got to the top. I rolled the window down a couple inches and then tried to get it to go back up. No dice.<br />
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This was not a foreign problem for us as Blackie, our 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP has the worst power windows in the world. Since I first bought her in 2008, we've replaced the driver side regulator twice and the passenger side once. The first time we took her in to our local mechanic who fixed both windows for $400. Ouch. <br />
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A couple years ago when the driver side window broke again, we took on the project ourselves. It was do-able, though a pain in the butt trying to glean together the necessary steps from cars on the Internet who looked similar, but not exactly like Blackie. At the time I believe it took me a good 3-4 hours of monkeying around before it was installed correctly. I hoped the second DIY would go a little smoother and I'm happy to say it did, though not without a couple hitches. So, I figured I'd pass on my knowledge in hopes that this might help someone else out in the future. Or at least help me remember what the heck I did the next time (and there will be a next time) Blackie's window regulator goes out. <br />
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First things first. I ordered the complete passenger side regulator assembly from Amazon. You can buy them without the motor, but I figured I might as well replace everything while I was at it. The model I ordered was the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E3481K/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Dorman 741-809</a> for about $70. Seems like the model without the motor was around $40-50. <br />
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For this repair you'll need a Torx driver, a 10mm socket, and a flat head screwdriver. Needle nose pliers are optional. You'll probably want some painters tape as well. <br />
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If you can, start with the window rolled up all the way, or down just a couple inches. We'll be moving the window lower a little later but it'll be easier to adjust it to where it needs to be if you start it out higher. Remove the cover from the door handle by sliding it back towards the door opening. You'll need to pull out on the door handle and lift up on the skinny end of the cover to remove it. <br />
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Place a flat head screwdriver on the lower end of the window power switch and gently pry up. Slide the assembly back towards the door opening and lift out. Use a flat head screwdriver to release the tab on the switches and gently pull to disconnect. <br />
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Now use the flat head screwdriver to gently pry off the round plastic screw covers underneath the door grip. Use the Torx driver to remove the two screws. Don't worry if they fall inside the door as you'll be taking the panel off next.<br />
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Now for the scary part. Working around the edges, pull on the door panel to release it. This is actually really easy to do and nothing will break, it's just a little unnerving if you've never done it before. Once it comes off, work the door lamp through the opening and set the door panel to the side. <br />
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The door cavity will probably we covered by a sheet of plastic held on by tar. You don't need to remove the plastic completely, just peel it back starting from the side nearest the door opening until the door lever is uncovered. Let it rest inside the car on the floor. <br />
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There is a large block of foam inside the door cavity. Grab it from the top and pull towards you then up to lift it out. Now we are ready to start removing the old regulator.<br />
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Disconnect the motor by pressing on the grey tab with a flat head screwdriver and gently pulling down on the connector.<br />
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There are 4 screws holding the main part of the regulator to the door, 3 holding the motor assembly, and 2 connecting it to the actual window (these won't be visible if you window is up all the way). First remove the 4 main screws and 3 motor screws.<br />
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Next, reconnect the power window on the switch assembly. Roll down the window so that the 2 screws connected to the window assembly are easily accessible. The window will be almost half-way down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My window is rolled up all the way in this pic, but use this same method to secure the window in the half-down state.</td></tr>
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Using the painters tape (or masking tape), secure the window in place so it won't move. Now remove the 2 screws holding the window on. Gently work the old regulator assembly out of the door cavity.<br />
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Now to install the new regulator. Basically you're going to work in reverse. Place the new assembly into the door cavity. Install the 2 screws on the window assembly first and snug them down. Next loosely install one screw at the top and one screw in the bottom of the main regulator frame. Loosely install the remaining 2 screws. <br />
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Connect the pump switch and loosely install the 3 motor assembly screws. Now tighten all 7 screws: the 4 main screws and 3 motor screws. Test the window at this point and make sure it goes all the way down and all the way up. When I installed mine, the weather stripping on the outside of the window got caught behind the window and I had to shove it back into place with a screwdriver before the window would roll up all the way. Once you've tested the window, you can finish reassembling the door.<br />
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Make sure you put the foam block back in the door cavity then replace the plastic sheeting. Both times I've replaced the regulator, the kit has come with some new plastic clips for the panel. I'd recommend replacing any that look bad before putting the panel back on. Disconnect the window power switch and lift the door panel into place. Work the door light through the panel and then press the door clips around the edges to secure in place. <br />
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Carefully put the 2 Torx screws in to secure the door panel. Don't drop them inside or you'll have to take the panel off again. Press the plastic covers into place. Reconnect the power switch assembly and slide the door handle cover back on.<br />
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That's it! It's really not that scary of a project to tackle yourself. I know nothing about cars and only attempt the most basic of repairs. This was very doable and will save you well over $100 and a ton of hassle by doing it yourself. This time around the project took me 2 hours to do by myself and that included hunting down all the tools and working out the kinks in the process. If I had to go replace another regulator right this minute, I could probably do it in under an hour. So give it a shot!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13768786324207810131noreply@blogger.com2