tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53171050909782757082024-03-12T16:56:45.146-07:00Life With LaniTo those who see with loving eyes, life is beautiful.
To those who speak with a tender voice, life is peaceful.
To those who help with a gentle hand, life is full.
And to those who care with compassionate hearts, life is good beyond all measure.Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-48269496899498027352014-11-17T21:14:00.000-08:002014-11-17T21:14:04.356-08:00Halloween 2014I haven't forgotten how to update this blog - honest.<br />
<br />
It's finally autumn, although up until a couple of weeks ago you wouldn't have guessed that with how warm it's been. And in typical Utah fashion, we went from beautiful 70-degree weather to a few days with temps in the 50s, and then it's been 30 degrees if we're lucky for a few days. Go figure. But before the cold had time to set in we took advantage of being outside. Our neighbors had a humongous leaf pile and if we took our eyes off Mira for a second we would find her like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPP0gNsdcYzmPSxabkMEfMAvOoolnsJ5XIHprbxWxkBgGTEHT0WqwCA3fQjYg7EJ-M7HuPZmlsFwmmEM3z_XH_fo5hATRZHwk92Q3AlKwFaUfiVhI1xbwoZ9HtgFBOOgOnY-YCzRcBVK2/s1600/IMG_6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPP0gNsdcYzmPSxabkMEfMAvOoolnsJ5XIHprbxWxkBgGTEHT0WqwCA3fQjYg7EJ-M7HuPZmlsFwmmEM3z_XH_fo5hATRZHwk92Q3AlKwFaUfiVhI1xbwoZ9HtgFBOOgOnY-YCzRcBVK2/s1600/IMG_6830.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Mark, in the little bit of spare time that he has between classes, has been tinkering in the back yard. He started work on a tree house, and part of that included installing a zipline. Mira, being the daredevil that she is, thinks it's the coolest thing ever.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ejv9CcKd0fE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
We also got to go to Mark's family's house to decorate pumpkins. Mira made sure I signed her name on her pumpkin and insisted that I add the 3. Can't forget that she's 3, ya know.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivizZm1Bre6FiAp15nEf3fTI7zpAOCN_16l2A_WEniNG3f1oo5-orJbOas6Sx7hjD5ESRZuRZK2SpvzuUZo2AW8NHD7XEm3LVFS2EutfUnC0NPm-wZfpUkYP1zJj37CnpwOU7om4VnwWF3/s1600/IMG_6827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivizZm1Bre6FiAp15nEf3fTI7zpAOCN_16l2A_WEniNG3f1oo5-orJbOas6Sx7hjD5ESRZuRZK2SpvzuUZo2AW8NHD7XEm3LVFS2EutfUnC0NPm-wZfpUkYP1zJj37CnpwOU7om4VnwWF3/s1600/IMG_6827.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuQ_Ny0Q3vRCwiCZVUUFPbxln_KCHrsKjKG-HSGtJC0IVMPKy27FY5xs1S-7UJp6uT9Jo-UklZ6C0Rv6oo1-6RTrvk32rOwIkL74I5A37czEDQYImoxd2GueDWqFkE1GOyclWUvhrae2q/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuQ_Ny0Q3vRCwiCZVUUFPbxln_KCHrsKjKG-HSGtJC0IVMPKy27FY5xs1S-7UJp6uT9Jo-UklZ6C0Rv6oo1-6RTrvk32rOwIkL74I5A37czEDQYImoxd2GueDWqFkE1GOyclWUvhrae2q/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu9ELRoPwTPYrS2JtYsAwG9N4_EBU5jiFE4A2GDupMlvdeS7Wfjqc4_Acam8L56WXrKeU0QBlj8OiGDRk-VDcOTnif0TD3Np5UxhYuyUgQDs81rWDVK0TQk126bwfoUURoNgxaHsM4SCD/s1600/IMG_6829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu9ELRoPwTPYrS2JtYsAwG9N4_EBU5jiFE4A2GDupMlvdeS7Wfjqc4_Acam8L56WXrKeU0QBlj8OiGDRk-VDcOTnif0TD3Np5UxhYuyUgQDs81rWDVK0TQk126bwfoUURoNgxaHsM4SCD/s1600/IMG_6829.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And of course, Halloween! Mira finally is old enough to get excited about this holiday. It was darn near impossible to keep her out of her costume until Halloween. Mark was hemming and hawing for weeks about whether or not he was actually going to get the yard fixed up this year and finally decided that he would. Here's a preliminary look.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BwFaGtrZ_K4/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/BwFaGtrZ_K4?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/BwFaGtrZ_K4?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
We didn't end up running the fog machines or any of the animatronics this year (to be discussed in the next post) but we still had carloads of people come over just to see our yard and SO many people told us how much they love what we do. So I hope that was worth it for Mark.<br />
<br />
My job, of course, was to take Mira trick-or-treating, and my mom came along for the event. I just threw an outfit together at the last second. I think I'm a goth jester or something. I thought it looked cool and Halloween-esque. Mira, like almost every other little girl under the age of 8, wanted to be one of the princesses from <i>Frozen</i>, although there were significantly fewer Annas than Elsas so at least she had that going for her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcuFkjVq-WLziTFO-VyWdGZ-yZ3qO4yJynwtai6ODrH3AQEGS__nLl4JTKIN71KcLjRuUaqUOQPkJLs1LEjSwrtUUkXf77By_erh-EddH6UcnC7l-SRXfvV4ScPYqGTh-uBHZEQw6dVPh/s1600/DSCF1621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcuFkjVq-WLziTFO-VyWdGZ-yZ3qO4yJynwtai6ODrH3AQEGS__nLl4JTKIN71KcLjRuUaqUOQPkJLs1LEjSwrtUUkXf77By_erh-EddH6UcnC7l-SRXfvV4ScPYqGTh-uBHZEQw6dVPh/s1600/DSCF1621.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjVdMp-1amSxncI3DJvb3jIt_6Q-ja0k1J_UeXpyag9otMYLORifFvKTxRSxJBJeFRIGrmOLLn6EC2njeG31fiJNqQzglacecZG-a96f9z-oM_diYg3Sr_uaWCs7Qifeaa06MZjynXGCY/s1600/DSCF1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjVdMp-1amSxncI3DJvb3jIt_6Q-ja0k1J_UeXpyag9otMYLORifFvKTxRSxJBJeFRIGrmOLLn6EC2njeG31fiJNqQzglacecZG-a96f9z-oM_diYg3Sr_uaWCs7Qifeaa06MZjynXGCY/s1600/DSCF1622.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFSGuzXE7ak1YWp93FuQyEBFewbJP3JpHvacYviZ8__eIUF55IBMpuwJ3qU2aGZXWnb04diBglJ6f17hJiGmqFqSNKa-VvfrueOMsR3SXfVRDqjs3No1dx67jjZGV4q_UVUIEzdclipoF/s1600/DSCF1623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFSGuzXE7ak1YWp93FuQyEBFewbJP3JpHvacYviZ8__eIUF55IBMpuwJ3qU2aGZXWnb04diBglJ6f17hJiGmqFqSNKa-VvfrueOMsR3SXfVRDqjs3No1dx67jjZGV4q_UVUIEzdclipoF/s1600/DSCF1623.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7BCPgYz5ll9-jJY-Q5v9EBz1GPE7lpVQUkn7UMw_dHOL2wU3Z2oK8dNcAmRky3J4wCZQ1B4LXcJdTpscemLzWZzPpWdzZ5uLvuAnU8xLOBlWnrnXBeLxfXXLamv0jy4ev0mEvl1OZvEW/s1600/DSCF1624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7BCPgYz5ll9-jJY-Q5v9EBz1GPE7lpVQUkn7UMw_dHOL2wU3Z2oK8dNcAmRky3J4wCZQ1B4LXcJdTpscemLzWZzPpWdzZ5uLvuAnU8xLOBlWnrnXBeLxfXXLamv0jy4ev0mEvl1OZvEW/s1600/DSCF1624.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cvz_gKCVEAVDPCucOD3sHWhEtXQP8v9WVXlgUby1NBIF5mn0gZsLENGXMMRJ2T8Nx3xLFFVHsx7LuyrqTI2vBLmpvAIPeLqdhn7eBBaDK22FukxPHR3aJLKlfNbhAhEI9eIgXEiXiXmV/s1600/DSCF1625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cvz_gKCVEAVDPCucOD3sHWhEtXQP8v9WVXlgUby1NBIF5mn0gZsLENGXMMRJ2T8Nx3xLFFVHsx7LuyrqTI2vBLmpvAIPeLqdhn7eBBaDK22FukxPHR3aJLKlfNbhAhEI9eIgXEiXiXmV/s1600/DSCF1625.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7SvysWkht1SzWcKRcrBxLrSX4pVkR2JtM8GJ-gTuvINCVZnL7qqPhzc-KdwJ5m9NtjC8Pnv5vSrqJn3bq3RtoFZMp1C2pWkbamVegQ0dn5-Tu52e9fp1BkBqRK88NtcqdrG3b-JgFkID/s1600/DSCF1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7SvysWkht1SzWcKRcrBxLrSX4pVkR2JtM8GJ-gTuvINCVZnL7qqPhzc-KdwJ5m9NtjC8Pnv5vSrqJn3bq3RtoFZMp1C2pWkbamVegQ0dn5-Tu52e9fp1BkBqRK88NtcqdrG3b-JgFkID/s1600/DSCF1626.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcllylF7vYW7u4OF4TQGsOQxvVHx3QhEpYt-y21xkoUm_nynKRA8Mg4gRkYziod4s3c4Eg4JyTvZsjHfTtQCyEv1XUHK6-8i-2PJ2e9W7uGeurX_JcPFVTGDB_jnpOJQnrX115lzWuMhIL/s1600/DSCF1628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcllylF7vYW7u4OF4TQGsOQxvVHx3QhEpYt-y21xkoUm_nynKRA8Mg4gRkYziod4s3c4Eg4JyTvZsjHfTtQCyEv1XUHK6-8i-2PJ2e9W7uGeurX_JcPFVTGDB_jnpOJQnrX115lzWuMhIL/s1600/DSCF1628.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9H8wKbFNbl0C-nQPMGUoqk8xBX0TwQIidYn6lvsQEhZRTVFruGr3NV6tgTV-Z4Jjy9mZVA7t-l7JbzNvDt2U_tQlUGjIDO1Br1qIlVfUWLqpmIuhV0KdzWdtRcTmxA6umFYNHRKiVeMh/s1600/IMG_6846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9H8wKbFNbl0C-nQPMGUoqk8xBX0TwQIidYn6lvsQEhZRTVFruGr3NV6tgTV-Z4Jjy9mZVA7t-l7JbzNvDt2U_tQlUGjIDO1Br1qIlVfUWLqpmIuhV0KdzWdtRcTmxA6umFYNHRKiVeMh/s1600/IMG_6846.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Trick-or-treating went really well. Mira finally understood the concept and was so excited we could barely keep up with her as she ran house to house, rang the doorbell, and announced, "Trick-or-treat!" Then she would often try to strike up a conversation with the unsuspecting person who answered the door: "Me's Anna! Me three. What's you's name? Happy Halloween!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62iofc8hM_8pmWlVp6WwVWrQmC2uA8xE0rq7cplWdbd8O-iYAAvFQxs06m6gZ8pmXVMVuVdqLuLbq7fNsVGdqyw0IEcGmuBiISbB1pfbodrt-dHedM1a4WE2FxzoWVsMCfQbqQFO4hGZ4/s1600/DSCF1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62iofc8hM_8pmWlVp6WwVWrQmC2uA8xE0rq7cplWdbd8O-iYAAvFQxs06m6gZ8pmXVMVuVdqLuLbq7fNsVGdqyw0IEcGmuBiISbB1pfbodrt-dHedM1a4WE2FxzoWVsMCfQbqQFO4hGZ4/s1600/DSCF1629.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We covered quite a lot of ground - enough that we wore out my mom, who left early. We kept going until Mira suddenly decided she was tired and she didn't want to go any farther, and I carried her home. Here's my tired girl with her haul.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAt32QNGPo6RgBbBODAs_33vBh2-63USWvghXW_8xnSW9Vxeu8D3VT6P27easgUwZWFejm-Q1pYQI6TqirjxeCtiKuKYI5tRmazjPosgJBjJtR6ophxhyphenhyphenQjGh8DqMcAYja8HQnyQcbtq2/s1600/IMG_6849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAt32QNGPo6RgBbBODAs_33vBh2-63USWvghXW_8xnSW9Vxeu8D3VT6P27easgUwZWFejm-Q1pYQI6TqirjxeCtiKuKYI5tRmazjPosgJBjJtR6ophxhyphenhyphenQjGh8DqMcAYja8HQnyQcbtq2/s1600/IMG_6849.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
It was a good Halloween!<br />
<br />
This is out of order, but whatever. For Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur we went to my my sister's for dinner. Mira is unfortunately still in that in-between phase where she still refuses to nap or have anything resembling quiet time but still obviously needs the extra sleep - as evidenced by this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq4ItlwOGLlnPYN4Vki6165TUKGURzZJXT2Iwz6pw0fsECf3astYCKbHA1Ml-HIDaIrBLp23lrkFckrpmMnjT4D4-jdbRKnTebJcHfTSWSJE4G23HP6cEaM5QgdTi9NyXMsFGE9f-QaSb/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq4ItlwOGLlnPYN4Vki6165TUKGURzZJXT2Iwz6pw0fsECf3astYCKbHA1Ml-HIDaIrBLp23lrkFckrpmMnjT4D4-jdbRKnTebJcHfTSWSJE4G23HP6cEaM5QgdTi9NyXMsFGE9f-QaSb/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
All wiped out before the party even got started, which meant keeping her from having a meltdown after she woke up was even harder than usual, but at least with family around we can delay it.<br />
<br />
I absolutely love these pictures of me and my sisters. We're a good-looking group, huh?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmxCYxDMUGFKUvbo6VhPiobXOV2yTUVDy02HRFAmLNm7LPKlVmq0LKcbBO_6H-x5RP9yhEaNeB9s-_2c2DL3rZgKc-7P6eNB-GgEDxmY8bb00oEwuawwAJmIF-AqT2OOBhdVHJejQ7OZ_/s1600/IMG_6728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmxCYxDMUGFKUvbo6VhPiobXOV2yTUVDy02HRFAmLNm7LPKlVmq0LKcbBO_6H-x5RP9yhEaNeB9s-_2c2DL3rZgKc-7P6eNB-GgEDxmY8bb00oEwuawwAJmIF-AqT2OOBhdVHJejQ7OZ_/s1600/IMG_6728.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzlB4HOciJP37kkmI9nFKAXvG0m89MXP6ZF1Sl-bk7kdh6M6391vB5kvN0nhSU-wg_mdZ_vjlyATpCqk4CPjA6Ag7zslCFXQxPZTme7kHmSlR5bQuh6y3NZxi15MRiNFA2IxY84kxktNW/s1600/IMG_6729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzlB4HOciJP37kkmI9nFKAXvG0m89MXP6ZF1Sl-bk7kdh6M6391vB5kvN0nhSU-wg_mdZ_vjlyATpCqk4CPjA6Ag7zslCFXQxPZTme7kHmSlR5bQuh6y3NZxi15MRiNFA2IxY84kxktNW/s1600/IMG_6729.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And we are all the legal drinking age... somehow in my head we're younger than that. Time keeps marching on, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
I also love these pictures of my mom reading to Mira. Reading books is about the only thing that will get Mira to sit still for any length of time. Also, yes, her feet really are that big.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn0sYY4SnQNqhgR48jl8aQPTpUzkxA4tdXwQ3ISHDgJhVjwo5eO3d8BusymUzQYlf_TrDrV3-YEk9N187s_LqFL2z8Wyg_F_8gQKEGwPhy1zgMxATKZSF6B1HHeUqcJQGJkQKYrmOLNzl/s1600/IMG_6733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn0sYY4SnQNqhgR48jl8aQPTpUzkxA4tdXwQ3ISHDgJhVjwo5eO3d8BusymUzQYlf_TrDrV3-YEk9N187s_LqFL2z8Wyg_F_8gQKEGwPhy1zgMxATKZSF6B1HHeUqcJQGJkQKYrmOLNzl/s1600/IMG_6733.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeGm36qFxCO6YC9ds9B3JwK70QZsVtohn14I7v087iajlGgPBVrFa1hjGUQfD9vtdkR2l7bfU357iDbafdu60BKk7m3D1H5RoBxEjr26IhKgK8CjmVdq4vXgRqtKA4vtu4SxQGUOVyD4o/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeGm36qFxCO6YC9ds9B3JwK70QZsVtohn14I7v087iajlGgPBVrFa1hjGUQfD9vtdkR2l7bfU357iDbafdu60BKk7m3D1H5RoBxEjr26IhKgK8CjmVdq4vXgRqtKA4vtu4SxQGUOVyD4o/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Here are a bunch of goofy pictures. Mira likes to take pictures of me and usually they're blurry/unflattering but a couple of these actually came out well. I can typically get a couple of decent smiles out of Mira for pictures and then she decides to get silly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxzx3uaMjlSvZ2F9S4bawlffjCWcfKmf-7JXKr7Owx_5BzXNDrbYiv9KQzIwpww67cUfXV4qXOXAyWlm9czVwOQRJ_lyfwQSn6DlebNTnqpuq6Nh8frldl-T3yGfYF4S9500cMvDa12zS/s1600/IMG_6921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxzx3uaMjlSvZ2F9S4bawlffjCWcfKmf-7JXKr7Owx_5BzXNDrbYiv9KQzIwpww67cUfXV4qXOXAyWlm9czVwOQRJ_lyfwQSn6DlebNTnqpuq6Nh8frldl-T3yGfYF4S9500cMvDa12zS/s1600/IMG_6921.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-Hm9ipiemGnQKRVZXT3hxzET0G7cRDXhwt8LuD_jyWxHrOMX9pz-0cX-5Yjff6WIeUsH3pHQJi5W8twLyAT5XDsYW-4RrRCOwefqDB-lLUg8XtQZXo8YIFv0RgLesh71GqOjjRWvTp26/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-Hm9ipiemGnQKRVZXT3hxzET0G7cRDXhwt8LuD_jyWxHrOMX9pz-0cX-5Yjff6WIeUsH3pHQJi5W8twLyAT5XDsYW-4RrRCOwefqDB-lLUg8XtQZXo8YIFv0RgLesh71GqOjjRWvTp26/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb33jqwIEotfU8sRF7jKtPuIpSTEyC7cLf7PpbPt-onY3WKR9VJyOkA9HhuW6EOP0n-R8AwWRlGbPGW4wZTVMbK96w0SlS8_QDsdB4V1p3nF73V-s3iyfbue2ESRdV3i4eY3OoR8X1j-h/s1600/IMG_6950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb33jqwIEotfU8sRF7jKtPuIpSTEyC7cLf7PpbPt-onY3WKR9VJyOkA9HhuW6EOP0n-R8AwWRlGbPGW4wZTVMbK96w0SlS8_QDsdB4V1p3nF73V-s3iyfbue2ESRdV3i4eY3OoR8X1j-h/s1600/IMG_6950.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGYXoYJlAmdJFN5MI6jThzCbcy1xlCEHjHhz5pBMSMD95yd0PqqaCFdOQf2CD-4EQR8FSv0FN_9-IZNDcu2vHT04Y6cFLXiqiITrRwrP-WV0WAV41SXoHvTJRmDG7cscgp42dWCwdiCEK/s1600/IMG_6951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGYXoYJlAmdJFN5MI6jThzCbcy1xlCEHjHhz5pBMSMD95yd0PqqaCFdOQf2CD-4EQR8FSv0FN_9-IZNDcu2vHT04Y6cFLXiqiITrRwrP-WV0WAV41SXoHvTJRmDG7cscgp42dWCwdiCEK/s1600/IMG_6951.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWMJriZ4DcItg6ugtIYqRSRcbj5rPHZq7MrDjPExcVpxRGG6ABaTntew33f5diXhW4Phd6z4JH4uNSqZd0s0kE3R9ilG1KNJ3YpYW2DLowg4WmX7G0hR7DkI26e5txiciHgZK3vy1GgTN/s1600/IMG_6952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWMJriZ4DcItg6ugtIYqRSRcbj5rPHZq7MrDjPExcVpxRGG6ABaTntew33f5diXhW4Phd6z4JH4uNSqZd0s0kE3R9ilG1KNJ3YpYW2DLowg4WmX7G0hR7DkI26e5txiciHgZK3vy1GgTN/s1600/IMG_6952.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUAeNTmTrgFCGoB3kulRMWoEXhkWrNJNVnF8DFFLjob-pV-IyqK3p7L-CBJ5sW6HHpcz1bDZkFvw_2e76SL-CoGsqPTpmQYFH2BpwzZYzK7rw_UksMruJDsv31y9yTCHnXN2HSf0kZqiL/s1600/IMG_6953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUAeNTmTrgFCGoB3kulRMWoEXhkWrNJNVnF8DFFLjob-pV-IyqK3p7L-CBJ5sW6HHpcz1bDZkFvw_2e76SL-CoGsqPTpmQYFH2BpwzZYzK7rw_UksMruJDsv31y9yTCHnXN2HSf0kZqiL/s1600/IMG_6953.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5oe8eG6L9mOyXEpOoYURDIWDD_yVgMstdkQgzRaXVOQaE0hMxt3Y7un6VkMsCCWw1DrX-aYW7LYwXWZsXJV7jOG3gZOjd3_r6rdsQOJZ6ub8EU_-e32FWRp84GYXO1h-SsEv-KqsIHUy/s1600/IMG_6851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5oe8eG6L9mOyXEpOoYURDIWDD_yVgMstdkQgzRaXVOQaE0hMxt3Y7un6VkMsCCWw1DrX-aYW7LYwXWZsXJV7jOG3gZOjd3_r6rdsQOJZ6ub8EU_-e32FWRp84GYXO1h-SsEv-KqsIHUy/s1600/IMG_6851.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSZ5wSsU5lHE4-5oks2lPtj1paxaulr8R3PwNIQliTohM3oL2RMwXOyKBJDsu4XcPGrwCANdkUfjLB51dyxapg_EgBwr2S2ePKqjH2EQaFH4w3ncQXZzKj5YKnBzWweAJbFH3kaFpZLPB/s1600/IMG_6852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSZ5wSsU5lHE4-5oks2lPtj1paxaulr8R3PwNIQliTohM3oL2RMwXOyKBJDsu4XcPGrwCANdkUfjLB51dyxapg_EgBwr2S2ePKqjH2EQaFH4w3ncQXZzKj5YKnBzWweAJbFH3kaFpZLPB/s1600/IMG_6852.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQJdVmNq9ZEA4pnms1rqCthsRYeElxkoY-DJEbESs3elYTsJjAi7nS7MqdBdLcUd_zXroIAytG6sv_1jrDsnnBy6hHD3FV-mKcTjtvvo2Yz1Xcu7zDbPX0OKsFfEJO3uS1gPA6hFrBlbc/s1600/IMG_6853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQJdVmNq9ZEA4pnms1rqCthsRYeElxkoY-DJEbESs3elYTsJjAi7nS7MqdBdLcUd_zXroIAytG6sv_1jrDsnnBy6hHD3FV-mKcTjtvvo2Yz1Xcu7zDbPX0OKsFfEJO3uS1gPA6hFrBlbc/s1600/IMG_6853.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uLCecU9DKGo1rAqgwCSiNSdPIIiSRNW8UQPtKZrOsy2BqcnzwIRDTZmztp4z4bpWFM5sTonSFwHsn96nzlKWS6SV0SF-GUZVcnKcbiZNSZCYzXMJdDynEOjeLSzg24nIFBh94yHesgA9/s1600/IMG_6854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uLCecU9DKGo1rAqgwCSiNSdPIIiSRNW8UQPtKZrOsy2BqcnzwIRDTZmztp4z4bpWFM5sTonSFwHsn96nzlKWS6SV0SF-GUZVcnKcbiZNSZCYzXMJdDynEOjeLSzg24nIFBh94yHesgA9/s1600/IMG_6854.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can really see the resemblance here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jDAD1tcprGxDajds8vZxdslEiazTumfbncamyd91G10uscrx04Akn4yRKtw3io-CIHzuFO2hAULeCtrV9rud3leLR9_h_941mJiGGr2zuBZyQxRQTNoKKe69XNa0SmeDMeTMN3RvQdwe/s1600/IMG_6855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jDAD1tcprGxDajds8vZxdslEiazTumfbncamyd91G10uscrx04Akn4yRKtw3io-CIHzuFO2hAULeCtrV9rud3leLR9_h_941mJiGGr2zuBZyQxRQTNoKKe69XNa0SmeDMeTMN3RvQdwe/s1600/IMG_6855.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
One night Mira fell asleep on the couch and somehow ended up in this position. It doesn't look comfortable but what do I know?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4boLfiV-6enjdkD4BZV4wDtPMZEdvf9Xo21lTpIGnVl_vrrTbMIoI1sJckHzlt2WxPG9CPNKkFzyecZ67q_43SO2O1vzIPyQKHYbEougpZgwuG5k1ul2hoDbyj6_i47g_7oDizbDEkiOU/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4boLfiV-6enjdkD4BZV4wDtPMZEdvf9Xo21lTpIGnVl_vrrTbMIoI1sJckHzlt2WxPG9CPNKkFzyecZ67q_43SO2O1vzIPyQKHYbEougpZgwuG5k1ul2hoDbyj6_i47g_7oDizbDEkiOU/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
I think I need to start a separate blog dedicated just to Wally and the ridiculous places and positions I find him in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOisEJDtB-NIDduYxzFr__xnR_srWs3eUujtT6-35PkCQvs0YimWYSbk0HcnQaLu54_4CFYH3Hx73AlaLppZp3BdRhGR6S9SZuqQ7_jcNNEWaFebuFI_SEZhOuiAQqd1F04ULt2K5564x/s1600/IMG_6731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOisEJDtB-NIDduYxzFr__xnR_srWs3eUujtT6-35PkCQvs0YimWYSbk0HcnQaLu54_4CFYH3Hx73AlaLppZp3BdRhGR6S9SZuqQ7_jcNNEWaFebuFI_SEZhOuiAQqd1F04ULt2K5564x/s1600/IMG_6731.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhgdU9IkNIIBc8mZa0Oj4QC1ROv9z7PJ0YYmEWi8VB25LY5PEbnkVIlC05GMEJVavSjbRXUhwZ3lOlKCbhwRCHr62553YEI9SC8uWXvyhKv5s3g-z2t98ouNWpuuCm_5vAS2tAUUGQ4nm/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhgdU9IkNIIBc8mZa0Oj4QC1ROv9z7PJ0YYmEWi8VB25LY5PEbnkVIlC05GMEJVavSjbRXUhwZ3lOlKCbhwRCHr62553YEI9SC8uWXvyhKv5s3g-z2t98ouNWpuuCm_5vAS2tAUUGQ4nm/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Thanks for clearing off this counter, I know you did it so I'd have another place to sit and observe my humans."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8AoCL85fNEL4WxJnffJvgAz_4inlvaFQZaqMZ9umDUu-VGYvn8j7kDEz7HE2d58SFAN6CViWiMQEbPwIj-sHJ8zsTwa9PoFLYM3LBAkbaupYzyhxmwLKl4sjuPyt8ayeQFam7adHt7kn/s1600/IMG_6743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8AoCL85fNEL4WxJnffJvgAz_4inlvaFQZaqMZ9umDUu-VGYvn8j7kDEz7HE2d58SFAN6CViWiMQEbPwIj-sHJ8zsTwa9PoFLYM3LBAkbaupYzyhxmwLKl4sjuPyt8ayeQFam7adHt7kn/s1600/IMG_6743.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABpbuImBnGif82oXTshz0FI_7Q1fZ_NXPaNnzJe7NfJJjHkmoQyhImglymSZWINpu5RjE90XylOeLDW3GC8AXbF02u1f4WYlDnHhVXAZpQmkL9Tt-WERFekEU0x-0nQ_QNd2DqnZZOAda/s1600/IMG_6744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABpbuImBnGif82oXTshz0FI_7Q1fZ_NXPaNnzJe7NfJJjHkmoQyhImglymSZWINpu5RjE90XylOeLDW3GC8AXbF02u1f4WYlDnHhVXAZpQmkL9Tt-WERFekEU0x-0nQ_QNd2DqnZZOAda/s1600/IMG_6744.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jCJH3onsUSi0Wo5T_tTFD_fFJPUrQbRpJrDqwXny-mD_Q_OBbqNDnryk_7sSY7kkdU27gi5yox82MXajdBtE0S5GJKCqSPgAhK3khrXINMHLXWHgpRjJxzPwzXEO_QtyL87LBWS1VGNL/s1600/IMG_6811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jCJH3onsUSi0Wo5T_tTFD_fFJPUrQbRpJrDqwXny-mD_Q_OBbqNDnryk_7sSY7kkdU27gi5yox82MXajdBtE0S5GJKCqSPgAhK3khrXINMHLXWHgpRjJxzPwzXEO_QtyL87LBWS1VGNL/s1600/IMG_6811.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any time there is a box, we know it's only a matter of time before Wally ends up in it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqMcSb_7RR2CoiZxYL_6tf4fT6M5h2wf83zxjSyN4g-tPRdOv4R4KadAgyOio-F4XQaz3CUS79Q-KS5AwLOS8zV2AtIsk1PjVR0Q-5WR4DDO0jZSNrFxdZNwkXDFSlNXRftCQmAfPTLFJ/s1600/IMG_6841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqMcSb_7RR2CoiZxYL_6tf4fT6M5h2wf83zxjSyN4g-tPRdOv4R4KadAgyOio-F4XQaz3CUS79Q-KS5AwLOS8zV2AtIsk1PjVR0Q-5WR4DDO0jZSNrFxdZNwkXDFSlNXRftCQmAfPTLFJ/s1600/IMG_6841.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7S_xYf9-UgrMtXtuAkhXBFivGhmiXCu5cyeycLdWo1i3tTtjkNPofXo7xlk-BdnvgjklHFZjZbTV0WW4vct3BdLo4tvnsO_347PUQ-1CONjMUnjNMIuIsgjxHUE-45T1j-agfPK7IX-5/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7S_xYf9-UgrMtXtuAkhXBFivGhmiXCu5cyeycLdWo1i3tTtjkNPofXo7xlk-BdnvgjklHFZjZbTV0WW4vct3BdLo4tvnsO_347PUQ-1CONjMUnjNMIuIsgjxHUE-45T1j-agfPK7IX-5/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
The next post will be a bit gruesome, just to warn everyone. It involves Mark's hand and exploding hot oil. My sister summed up the experience of being Mark very well when she said, "For being one of the most careful and conscientious people I know, he sure is accident-prone!" He apparently is the big reason I went to nursing school - didn't know when I graduated that I'd be doing a lot of pro bono home health nursing care. But life is full of surprises, isn't it?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-13244236770176924042014-10-21T21:51:00.002-07:002014-10-21T21:51:29.604-07:00Spelunking and SpeleologySo this post is only a couple of months late but at least it's getting done. Back in August Mark and I took Mira for a trip to Mt. Timpanogos cave. Mt. Timp is the second highest peak in Utah, and several years ago Mark and I climbed to the top of the mountain. It was an amazing experience, although we could barely walk for the next week. But there's a cave inside the mountain, which I'd never gone through, so we decided to give it a go. The cave tour was great, but taking Mira with us probably wasn't our smartest decision ever. To get to the cave entrance is about a 1.5 mile hike up the mountain. Mira walked about a quarter of the way and decided she was done. So we had to haul her protesting and uncooperative butt up the rest of the way, then through the caves, then back down. Mark threw his back out and it still hasn't completely recovered. But on the other hand, we learned that there is a special Introduction to Caving tour where they take a limited number of people off to a different part of the caves and you get to crawl on your hands and knees and climb up and down boulders and stuff to an underground lake. Mark and I both thought this sounded like a blast so we signed up for our spot, dropped Mira off with Mark's parents on the designated day, and went caving!<br />
<br />
The pictures didn't come out super great, but it was really cool.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXMmKjuTn_dzpFhjo4OnawpmpTLyiiaOcId0T6AvvG6-btWQ9HdW7g-OHxKoEkN1CM0Bsm6ZiZNd87EJ1e96twk5_QedQXeo6F2m8ThGMZfJkSGqw9mCG8VuIEbhX9RL-lCGw-IQGSuD3/s1600/DSCF1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXMmKjuTn_dzpFhjo4OnawpmpTLyiiaOcId0T6AvvG6-btWQ9HdW7g-OHxKoEkN1CM0Bsm6ZiZNd87EJ1e96twk5_QedQXeo6F2m8ThGMZfJkSGqw9mCG8VuIEbhX9RL-lCGw-IQGSuD3/s1600/DSCF1524.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPh_Vn4SJ-eqYgQ9eXDDhXxgVg1aL1FdmKhx-4Lxyn1EWiKs5VxKGZDuKidsIWTZgwJA_nShkmQxXiwvJAR131msDdm3_htakCqx6Hl3Hl8wEuX41-Uao1KaxyT5LjpW7aHPEcY14c8wlm/s1600/DSCF1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPh_Vn4SJ-eqYgQ9eXDDhXxgVg1aL1FdmKhx-4Lxyn1EWiKs5VxKGZDuKidsIWTZgwJA_nShkmQxXiwvJAR131msDdm3_htakCqx6Hl3Hl8wEuX41-Uao1KaxyT5LjpW7aHPEcY14c8wlm/s1600/DSCF1526.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAztRb4F9dDYAZeSeO9a1XUdvumDYPB71xIwSf88T-O7zcNpbZgLgqRoVQwNVjgicyZzC0uC4T1MLVi9hDo4jW0Yccs_eRqNwHQo0KEgQwBjnWQRHVJhyGEJVfkAGqm6iZDz4HLpKYdnYf/s1600/DSCF1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAztRb4F9dDYAZeSeO9a1XUdvumDYPB71xIwSf88T-O7zcNpbZgLgqRoVQwNVjgicyZzC0uC4T1MLVi9hDo4jW0Yccs_eRqNwHQo0KEgQwBjnWQRHVJhyGEJVfkAGqm6iZDz4HLpKYdnYf/s1600/DSCF1528.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM9qjU9z5PrTr4mMR0yOqvhQzyJZw8_UvMEJTqDEWAhRLTiPLKNveBK95K_Otk93gS5QcuCB_MPz-WKILhePihaI8rhgorC6m8jznZprd9EA9rz7LC0jkHVqZx03Y3oaaRx7yY5wRTPXf/s1600/DSCF1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM9qjU9z5PrTr4mMR0yOqvhQzyJZw8_UvMEJTqDEWAhRLTiPLKNveBK95K_Otk93gS5QcuCB_MPz-WKILhePihaI8rhgorC6m8jznZprd9EA9rz7LC0jkHVqZx03Y3oaaRx7yY5wRTPXf/s1600/DSCF1540.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqoZPjvSnIqZkvNW164C8DQUe_lasZ8atTMgQbM2RfZITZF3BLopL_Ck6yQ3h3Lnp4yikRr4zjWzznpOxvkVFzE7xCS-7l9z_bkNCRqteoxZV0tiJ_KBePZevOm-Ijz8jH5wIhBVV0IXv/s1600/DSCF1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqoZPjvSnIqZkvNW164C8DQUe_lasZ8atTMgQbM2RfZITZF3BLopL_Ck6yQ3h3Lnp4yikRr4zjWzznpOxvkVFzE7xCS-7l9z_bkNCRqteoxZV0tiJ_KBePZevOm-Ijz8jH5wIhBVV0IXv/s1600/DSCF1539.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
It used to be kosher to break off parts of rock formations, cart them out of the caves and sell them as souvenirs. Luckily that's not allowed anymore but you can see where rocks were hacked off.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcSQBb3zmu479u-HhIEV2pb3IptNUI_1YOU9UMfcLIfQIkacyFrdYR0TTF7YDix9W7jjE_nkP0DOm6yyGEqI516Hoxr8WCgqs7_E75wJp6h95Y5gYQGvr9wGM7563VDoD4J1d1issUSLk/s1600/DSCF1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcSQBb3zmu479u-HhIEV2pb3IptNUI_1YOU9UMfcLIfQIkacyFrdYR0TTF7YDix9W7jjE_nkP0DOm6yyGEqI516Hoxr8WCgqs7_E75wJp6h95Y5gYQGvr9wGM7563VDoD4J1d1issUSLk/s1600/DSCF1529.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaPyAOYvO_2EbhcW484lEf64NdkcWnBuQCyW2u9Kvpr_CshyphenhyphenZsQENVXI3WEFPc7BW2MkvHZ0xQnc3KvJT4AVMDoE1rdkICNB3zzeaCE4cOqDrBDrRyvpOLhEfUMj9cgvCwtBqEcJCz9r7/s1600/DSCF1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaPyAOYvO_2EbhcW484lEf64NdkcWnBuQCyW2u9Kvpr_CshyphenhyphenZsQENVXI3WEFPc7BW2MkvHZ0xQnc3KvJT4AVMDoE1rdkICNB3zzeaCE4cOqDrBDrRyvpOLhEfUMj9cgvCwtBqEcJCz9r7/s1600/DSCF1543.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBneS1dqojJcA8AD984bVNaOzspYwYY0q3vJb58uBpYD2__rBnZRYSV7r0mmrael2gsjQo7dqfJoOd8Dnv0SmFnHhNEHk3U6XXvucg_FKjxkMauHVA4o7F1N8Lt-4Rl-EbJbL3Eu7acQ8B/s1600/DSCF1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBneS1dqojJcA8AD984bVNaOzspYwYY0q3vJb58uBpYD2__rBnZRYSV7r0mmrael2gsjQo7dqfJoOd8Dnv0SmFnHhNEHk3U6XXvucg_FKjxkMauHVA4o7F1N8Lt-4Rl-EbJbL3Eu7acQ8B/s1600/DSCF1546.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pJFQmMrKoQhJQKNTcI52a9aZlscu6QuWFgv3r0jglllBL34vwCYFDfL7LsyYP4U9W2hvkR6PByPehY-atVR9_WnAsJC04r-SPZi7l74RxVo_ImCQgfod8WHGYahpaU7H8uAAsk7ebQpn/s1600/DSCF1549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pJFQmMrKoQhJQKNTcI52a9aZlscu6QuWFgv3r0jglllBL34vwCYFDfL7LsyYP4U9W2hvkR6PByPehY-atVR9_WnAsJC04r-SPZi7l74RxVo_ImCQgfod8WHGYahpaU7H8uAAsk7ebQpn/s1600/DSCF1549.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5vti_HVQsWcN5MYnUtSziPzpVk50vl-QaFJwQ36CyTBvulO2MQdAQNTimLIUQFTh1QitziBqbuWoXvEKL9ac1pCg76IY60cepWiutCq0CmxwOxH1NKfItjIT0u_vxvRXdpqWHa97mzkc/s1600/DSCF1552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5vti_HVQsWcN5MYnUtSziPzpVk50vl-QaFJwQ36CyTBvulO2MQdAQNTimLIUQFTh1QitziBqbuWoXvEKL9ac1pCg76IY60cepWiutCq0CmxwOxH1NKfItjIT0u_vxvRXdpqWHa97mzkc/s1600/DSCF1552.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmMXja51J1Ht-3itj_U0R9vh8t_EFk-lm_Iv8CPDKERa6-HDDU83fjh59kjbSqNShtUlBrqk5_Bqb4p0o9csFMv9ELFl2KYPrmK6m-9eO0dtlrgk-KBvTmBRJgwoeP8WvnbUEwaqAEjfC/s1600/DSCF1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmMXja51J1Ht-3itj_U0R9vh8t_EFk-lm_Iv8CPDKERa6-HDDU83fjh59kjbSqNShtUlBrqk5_Bqb4p0o9csFMv9ELFl2KYPrmK6m-9eO0dtlrgk-KBvTmBRJgwoeP8WvnbUEwaqAEjfC/s1600/DSCF1559.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
You can see the lake in the background with a measuring stick to tell the depth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELgGWANXJobyXfS5dpOEUtQrRGW6mj78rpKyWiMHgrHmzAESwY6Y1XPTPfd4a9bKiIAHT0CBuuC-SYmDm7fOs-9kSiuZa3QWBqjYTDgfErI56UByb-vqijjrLx4F1FXbhBWy3omb3rW6H/s1600/DSCF1566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELgGWANXJobyXfS5dpOEUtQrRGW6mj78rpKyWiMHgrHmzAESwY6Y1XPTPfd4a9bKiIAHT0CBuuC-SYmDm7fOs-9kSiuZa3QWBqjYTDgfErI56UByb-vqijjrLx4F1FXbhBWy3omb3rW6H/s1600/DSCF1566.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JQ1X-mtqV_bRxTLmp-giE3Ki9KO0EvpmrK3c-MEuH7BN4vQq38ULhqSVMmpVfdeqPl3UD2L0RJZsGDKufP38pEb7sJh4E_ltjy9ZPsj_ttl68fzaYFrZQNgA4lQ4JuJGDJbgrw6ygdEM/s1600/DSCF1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JQ1X-mtqV_bRxTLmp-giE3Ki9KO0EvpmrK3c-MEuH7BN4vQq38ULhqSVMmpVfdeqPl3UD2L0RJZsGDKufP38pEb7sJh4E_ltjy9ZPsj_ttl68fzaYFrZQNgA4lQ4JuJGDJbgrw6ygdEM/s1600/DSCF1582.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArqA-T3OuI2ZLxhG66pf9S9rQgb8oNrHTCHbc_jsF2wU66OH9ch8lodSVhWZAzljn2JE92WLduycnWhb1HH7yH-LfZ6nYWqzuEMD3LaXdLqgcr7t-sCnKfnzWZ-OxcxbE-GTFBOfleb1N/s1600/DSCF1589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArqA-T3OuI2ZLxhG66pf9S9rQgb8oNrHTCHbc_jsF2wU66OH9ch8lodSVhWZAzljn2JE92WLduycnWhb1HH7yH-LfZ6nYWqzuEMD3LaXdLqgcr7t-sCnKfnzWZ-OxcxbE-GTFBOfleb1N/s1600/DSCF1589.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY2EU9YyAE0uKEjxVeavuLIYAjtRGTkw2kD4TILUSFOQvkkifTe8Z95w8yeMioudWTpvo6vE9gtHULnrMbE7J32LtVOrX08J6jW0phxnkIgX-Wj8jKTQvA9lkYYeVT0qSwyrwK5h3lbNQ/s1600/DSCF1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY2EU9YyAE0uKEjxVeavuLIYAjtRGTkw2kD4TILUSFOQvkkifTe8Z95w8yeMioudWTpvo6vE9gtHULnrMbE7J32LtVOrX08J6jW0phxnkIgX-Wj8jKTQvA9lkYYeVT0qSwyrwK5h3lbNQ/s1600/DSCF1588.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_P0eRTvAwTVAYg0kp0QJhTAriUptzE1NAFWbFbvvONZu0zzot3jv4RItR_FtzQZ_JSxs1QZJqykgq3B9qq4z36SI4blUZDOJbNev4s4KEL216n0jNREOci7iZxIS47kG6x5KCUcu8Vv/s1600/DSCF1585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W_P0eRTvAwTVAYg0kp0QJhTAriUptzE1NAFWbFbvvONZu0zzot3jv4RItR_FtzQZ_JSxs1QZJqykgq3B9qq4z36SI4blUZDOJbNev4s4KEL216n0jNREOci7iZxIS47kG6x5KCUcu8Vv/s1600/DSCF1585.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This next picture is neat. Our guide lit a cigarette lighter to show how much light the early explorers would have had to work with.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQynkNkf36IF3lr1n4aqXeu6AfuM3_hlywEYDwN9xx2ovEGYg-xxvIQJM3q8UfMBSnOfM1w9TAA0FeNVqY-pGsQMR-eQxN39-qiAI-qH8u2CgMXIuNKO4ShafuGjqag0tZX3nWOSXkP3P/s1600/DSCF1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQynkNkf36IF3lr1n4aqXeu6AfuM3_hlywEYDwN9xx2ovEGYg-xxvIQJM3q8UfMBSnOfM1w9TAA0FeNVqY-pGsQMR-eQxN39-qiAI-qH8u2CgMXIuNKO4ShafuGjqag0tZX3nWOSXkP3P/s1600/DSCF1579.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu1oz_2W69Z-ZeJuiUB0C88hSggKQx-loEGEAcGcsPBpaWnmjzNOdwhhCuFPYPNWV994VKDGgANq_FMkmBXzma4D1dGhTOHx_XqjhqciEjb3Xi6cexo8W0LRt0RC-i8UmUMOBktvIR7-k/s1600/DSCF1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu1oz_2W69Z-ZeJuiUB0C88hSggKQx-loEGEAcGcsPBpaWnmjzNOdwhhCuFPYPNWV994VKDGgANq_FMkmBXzma4D1dGhTOHx_XqjhqciEjb3Xi6cexo8W0LRt0RC-i8UmUMOBktvIR7-k/s1600/DSCF1576.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l2LRdOQ8aNQ3b9uEHmK_j0XQ1uyJ38TqqbLzA6eBRu_ntq6RlWuxsbv9ALKpCmLFeDfvXzSwfPGiG5VUXDBU9q2qiRGJ3hBe0gnZbIGC9k6Oj19d4VJrPpzcTLnoo05I24ZsfJ9aDnRG/s1600/DSCF1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l2LRdOQ8aNQ3b9uEHmK_j0XQ1uyJ38TqqbLzA6eBRu_ntq6RlWuxsbv9ALKpCmLFeDfvXzSwfPGiG5VUXDBU9q2qiRGJ3hBe0gnZbIGC9k6Oj19d4VJrPpzcTLnoo05I24ZsfJ9aDnRG/s1600/DSCF1594.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbGT2zD3qWbgZ2PR01nyXrA9f9S7N0RZju6-TwQ0kICWJi-Ph0MEy04HxoxjwqtOF32Q5VfaGIVHES29KFX0kyoMwKbG40FOBO13TaJjopXas9oEXcIlJJAPs-VtM31qhTzizA8ZtwQac/s1600/DSCF1598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbGT2zD3qWbgZ2PR01nyXrA9f9S7N0RZju6-TwQ0kICWJi-Ph0MEy04HxoxjwqtOF32Q5VfaGIVHES29KFX0kyoMwKbG40FOBO13TaJjopXas9oEXcIlJJAPs-VtM31qhTzizA8ZtwQac/s1600/DSCF1598.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASSGKYzAg9mIBiQ1FgxXHUEKqJUHP6yOe_dTpxTFRIiCyv9x5cJLJuk_oVvkpUIMdCvdmqm4CBysdtpVErkzYepZslN_bGmoryzPgQ3g3dCvuhqPVwb_e4JF5ZLyOVUpc_VQqplVF4RdZ/s1600/DSCF1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASSGKYzAg9mIBiQ1FgxXHUEKqJUHP6yOe_dTpxTFRIiCyv9x5cJLJuk_oVvkpUIMdCvdmqm4CBysdtpVErkzYepZslN_bGmoryzPgQ3g3dCvuhqPVwb_e4JF5ZLyOVUpc_VQqplVF4RdZ/s1600/DSCF1604.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Something else that used to be kosher for tourists was writing your name on the rock formations. Again, luckily that behavior doesn't fly these days but it's neat to see the remnants. The cool thing is the people who wrote their names in indelible ink just turned into splotches, but the people who wrote their names in pencil, you can still make out a lot of the words.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_6ZEVeRCWVrGAr2UmY9jSQPT2Z67gxdYRFBqGfBDMBijgs1JQB3yEYdXQNCCr5OUOmEiU-BOebrx5HVxIeqff0-IqWUm1Dyy1NsnVYLtR3hYJmrg1Cwa1qt4DLZhI-5mtw2T-QmoVmd2/s1600/DSCF1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_6ZEVeRCWVrGAr2UmY9jSQPT2Z67gxdYRFBqGfBDMBijgs1JQB3yEYdXQNCCr5OUOmEiU-BOebrx5HVxIeqff0-IqWUm1Dyy1NsnVYLtR3hYJmrg1Cwa1qt4DLZhI-5mtw2T-QmoVmd2/s1600/DSCF1607.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TPYy1PG9K7BLEhotWZu8FJg-4LvSHSCTWnc6m39wIZ7CnWOEg_w6EThYrX8xlzZiLmwmAR4veCU_1ZUXsB61QCN5UVTmrEvYJxZ_5mzLbXHnoQug3LBXbPYZg_JBZxZTmC3W3TEYOOKq/s1600/DSCF1610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TPYy1PG9K7BLEhotWZu8FJg-4LvSHSCTWnc6m39wIZ7CnWOEg_w6EThYrX8xlzZiLmwmAR4veCU_1ZUXsB61QCN5UVTmrEvYJxZ_5mzLbXHnoQug3LBXbPYZg_JBZxZTmC3W3TEYOOKq/s1600/DSCF1610.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OztCyueFsFBHpPhodscReGQZbkewGiT-0S0XJLy3o8OJlEQWia8EBkRz5fPJRjMbKwQchkRYkNiFfR3ikbLLiKYcZK4bDwtfRRYrpZKSxv4-yRvB2mHqvfIR3NDQaO0t8sevzUe0yWqz/s1600/DSCF1611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OztCyueFsFBHpPhodscReGQZbkewGiT-0S0XJLy3o8OJlEQWia8EBkRz5fPJRjMbKwQchkRYkNiFfR3ikbLLiKYcZK4bDwtfRRYrpZKSxv4-yRvB2mHqvfIR3NDQaO0t8sevzUe0yWqz/s1600/DSCF1611.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqI-rRZ9ZOA1Zx25Pc9Rtl6wxz2qeogeQB6AKrE3iYBbdOIxxsoqyNXiGj13H_SfdQrf25sLUhe5wHp424a2tThav0UUOsbro8WpDZKrk8LhDiPsGR66RNTVPrUdKEUvXBsibvoERqF2Pf/s1600/DSCF1616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqI-rRZ9ZOA1Zx25Pc9Rtl6wxz2qeogeQB6AKrE3iYBbdOIxxsoqyNXiGj13H_SfdQrf25sLUhe5wHp424a2tThav0UUOsbro8WpDZKrk8LhDiPsGR66RNTVPrUdKEUvXBsibvoERqF2Pf/s1600/DSCF1616.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And some pictures from the hike up/down the mountain. I just love hiking, and every time I go I remember how much I love it and vow I'm going to go more often, and then does it happen? Nope. But man, I need to get out hiking more often.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MDqwm7huiZZjMpzH9_mD6U9J2hvnlLOqOlGGXJptCUg4jYEBAwyqfUxMJv3idLpmE_varYeYuqrkGHzYZ8JB2uJFx8x4ymslvCHqzRoGnxgj8MDMBU5qT5azPktrnVQUMRG6IcONdASj/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MDqwm7huiZZjMpzH9_mD6U9J2hvnlLOqOlGGXJptCUg4jYEBAwyqfUxMJv3idLpmE_varYeYuqrkGHzYZ8JB2uJFx8x4ymslvCHqzRoGnxgj8MDMBU5qT5azPktrnVQUMRG6IcONdASj/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX5ZXyRpS5E8rZW9OC2RRDQEwJulBJlA0CSkwK3C51b8FHIIGNwIRdTd_sGrs2dnpKGRMfij5Ml0WKY7ktLmUcbSHbwQO5wDbpGvFzvz_FARK0xRPuCkZNynLX0gs883xhIUwVqMtlTEO/s1600/IMG_6466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX5ZXyRpS5E8rZW9OC2RRDQEwJulBJlA0CSkwK3C51b8FHIIGNwIRdTd_sGrs2dnpKGRMfij5Ml0WKY7ktLmUcbSHbwQO5wDbpGvFzvz_FARK0xRPuCkZNynLX0gs883xhIUwVqMtlTEO/s1600/IMG_6466.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The city of Provo, a.k.a. Happy Valley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVDZ4RVRBQRTrIgqWX173My-KTfkUzLkHS6fOdj7JSNd5vAKtz4CNyjmreYEZM6fVeyogcx5dh-ZE0REp2hHdl2M1ldOsdvocDdfhS9QkYEgVZbMablMP3IHnNpE0VnAVY5p2NtV5Ej6k/s1600/DSCF1617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVDZ4RVRBQRTrIgqWX173My-KTfkUzLkHS6fOdj7JSNd5vAKtz4CNyjmreYEZM6fVeyogcx5dh-ZE0REp2hHdl2M1ldOsdvocDdfhS9QkYEgVZbMablMP3IHnNpE0VnAVY5p2NtV5Ej6k/s1600/DSCF1617.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq_2Yl-dag-EKMXTMvHtgiEvrrxmLMXxG0f7ClhFrKdIjqkD1E8UGzCOjTB5b3ToWFl291IJ9KCVorpxqgxULoXGWccUpNXHXrOphwhSFfquaYcXghqdfeRO1pM6iNpLhf2TllgryRoxe/s1600/DSCF1618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq_2Yl-dag-EKMXTMvHtgiEvrrxmLMXxG0f7ClhFrKdIjqkD1E8UGzCOjTB5b3ToWFl291IJ9KCVorpxqgxULoXGWccUpNXHXrOphwhSFfquaYcXghqdfeRO1pM6iNpLhf2TllgryRoxe/s1600/DSCF1618.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7InOEkpEMp8nWOHkWCumKiW4fPY_DcFGlbO7r2Vygf49E9GQJRPovGehX9ePkT9MTdIchyphenhyphenMXspypqK_yNeaucceoaBeK71aLL-JtOcaEvvDjn8QVntoF57IeEOEIrdDRZ7G8LQ9pt5J0/s1600/DSCF1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7InOEkpEMp8nWOHkWCumKiW4fPY_DcFGlbO7r2Vygf49E9GQJRPovGehX9ePkT9MTdIchyphenhyphenMXspypqK_yNeaucceoaBeK71aLL-JtOcaEvvDjn8QVntoF57IeEOEIrdDRZ7G8LQ9pt5J0/s1600/DSCF1619.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56UNdYbj_U2EqtdsRU-LgWq5P12ANoX78ADpLE8BKKbqpDF3QX1dHSeFKWh_SjJWutm9CyLL9O79cSrrhZVxX2yX-qv_2wen5UjN7kyAJzqvvLRJa9urFjJzFKtxbEagUFlBOkvnr6_Sr/s1600/IMG_6521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56UNdYbj_U2EqtdsRU-LgWq5P12ANoX78ADpLE8BKKbqpDF3QX1dHSeFKWh_SjJWutm9CyLL9O79cSrrhZVxX2yX-qv_2wen5UjN7kyAJzqvvLRJa9urFjJzFKtxbEagUFlBOkvnr6_Sr/s1600/IMG_6521.JPG" height="86" width="400" /></a></div>
Anyway, there you go, just a short little post with some cool cave pictures. The next post will have all our Halloween pictures and such. I just wanted to get these pictures up before I completely spaced and it never happened.<br />
<br />
Speleology, by the way, is the official term for caving.Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-44792978062194952132014-10-04T21:43:00.003-07:002014-10-04T21:43:52.561-07:00When In Doubt, Just Make It WorkSomeone told me recently that 3 and 4 years old is the best age for everyone except the mom, and after some thought I have to say that that is one of the truest statements I've ever heard in my entire life.<br />
<br />
I've heard from many people that they love the 3-4 year old stage because of all the funny things kids say at this age. It took awhile for Mira to get to that point because her speech has been a bit behind but now I can totally see what people are talking about.<br />
<br />
For example, I came home from work one morning, gave her a big hug as I always do and asked her, "How's my baby??"<br />
<br />
Her reply, very seriously: "Mom, me's not a baby, me's a grown-up."<br />
<br />
She is starting to learn some basic time-recognition skills, which basically boil down to something like this statement: "Mom, the sun is up. It's awake time." Or, "It's dark outside! It's sleep time!" (Luckily, for the most part she doesn't fight bedtime too much, but only because it's actually dark when it's her bedtime. I figure we're good for the next several months until late spring or so, then it's going to get rough.)<br />
<br />
When she wants to see someone: "Mom, me want to see Mom-Mom and Dad-Dad this night." "Me want to see you's own dad this night." "Me see Mom's own mom this night?" "Mom, me miss Grandpa this night [sad face]."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAcgCxZXeGwxt56cNhSk3A226xY-oInO4K1anLZhgLq_krLqr7LGRdBj7PjacpIHz2S5UqXFc2pZShWUKqnGPFm7SlViBrWfoZI4hMiCT2KVRY1aLEAg5kvPMe01U1r_-RbO7aPj7AlvO/s1600/IMG_6295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAcgCxZXeGwxt56cNhSk3A226xY-oInO4K1anLZhgLq_krLqr7LGRdBj7PjacpIHz2S5UqXFc2pZShWUKqnGPFm7SlViBrWfoZI4hMiCT2KVRY1aLEAg5kvPMe01U1r_-RbO7aPj7AlvO/s1600/IMG_6295.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
We're starting to teach her the alphabet, and I guess I just took it for granted that any offspring of mine would be able to sing the ABCs before kindergarten because Mark is decidedly more impressed with Mira's memorization skills than I am. Not that I'm not impressed, he's just more surprised as well as impressed. This is about how she sings the alphabet:<br />
<br />
"A B E F G I J K N O P Q R S T U V W X Y and Z, now mine ABCs, next time sing with me!" [applauds self] Or alternatively, "A B E F G I J K N O P Q R S T U V W X T U V W X T U V W X..." I didn't hear this next version, but apparently Mira was starting to sing the alphabet, only got through A because at B she belched, and gave Mark a sheepish look with her hands over her mouth while he cracked up.<br />
<br />
She also begs to go outside a lot ("Mom, you go me outside right now?"), which is great except for when she takes it into her head to just run outside without anyone accompanying her. She knows she has to stay on the sidewalks but I still have to be a helicopter parent for this one. But at least she loves being outside because it's something active for her and I don't know what on earth we're going to do once we're snowed in for the winter in a few months. She's asked to go skiing a few times and I have to explain to her that we can't go ski because there's no snow in the mountains yet but there will be soon. Her response: "Yeah, in ten minutes!"<br />
<br />
One thing I love about this age is in some ways, Mira is so easy to please. A couple days ago I told Mira we were going to the park. She was so happy she hugged and kissed me multiple times and announced, "Thanks you, Mom! You's the best mom!" Awww! <br />
<br />
She's good at getting herself into interesting predicaments too. We went to my sister Sara's house last month for her birthday and Mira managed to slide down and get herself wedged between the fence and a canoe - and yes, I was that mom that instead of helping her out right away I took some pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMdxNbJr4JEzTCYfjcBp7IJqC-7mqo-pgF7SRhuD5bxvLAAM6wzM9qjBXCujktfGObPmWipFnX0qrfFHreXaq-XwZtjcj3Gc1vd_Ax64DNdqaq3FA4mvyd8i4PBjlofvAxv5lLKNl3jnU/s1600/IMG_6462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMdxNbJr4JEzTCYfjcBp7IJqC-7mqo-pgF7SRhuD5bxvLAAM6wzM9qjBXCujktfGObPmWipFnX0qrfFHreXaq-XwZtjcj3Gc1vd_Ax64DNdqaq3FA4mvyd8i4PBjlofvAxv5lLKNl3jnU/s1600/IMG_6462.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLvz2F4ypSS9XiOD6s9fU4XMQqw-26cnS5_GaeOwTdJDf0aJ7qwNjoxo592p5dOlKCveKUnivU9fn9US-dRCNAho7LC5IHfAx3fycwT7EB2JgL4oygDG3PCSeETKJzeNlivT0PwlereC3/s1600/IMG_6463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLvz2F4ypSS9XiOD6s9fU4XMQqw-26cnS5_GaeOwTdJDf0aJ7qwNjoxo592p5dOlKCveKUnivU9fn9US-dRCNAho7LC5IHfAx3fycwT7EB2JgL4oygDG3PCSeETKJzeNlivT0PwlereC3/s1600/IMG_6463.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
There was also a little baby there, and Mira was absolutely obsessed with the little guy. She wanted to feed him some potato salad and I had to tell her that even though she was being very nice and thoughtful, babies can't eat big girl food. I don't think she understood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuSF1KT38OWgwzmL86-vDb7j_uYnDEY4XAs_QPPoTiVpJzVEzwZ9Ar66uRFrRm8OZFM5oHy7kfvfwI-x3pKFG65wvloI-1smF2peiu50knFr5B79ScZNZ0SGOu-dwtdyH-c4QZss_TOrE/s1600/IMG_6470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuSF1KT38OWgwzmL86-vDb7j_uYnDEY4XAs_QPPoTiVpJzVEzwZ9Ar66uRFrRm8OZFM5oHy7kfvfwI-x3pKFG65wvloI-1smF2peiu50knFr5B79ScZNZ0SGOu-dwtdyH-c4QZss_TOrE/s1600/IMG_6470.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Sometimes I feel bad when I see Mira around babies. She LOVES babies. If she sees a baby in public she goes right up to it to examine it and pat it on the head and exclaim over it. Luckily the moms have been very tolerant of this rogue toddler curiously investigating their babies. When I see how sweet she is with babies there is a very small part of me that thinks I should have given her a little sibling. But then I remember that I would have to raise another child and that kills that idea. I feel stressed enough with just Mira - I have the very real feeling that even though the idea of another baby sounds nice (besides the fact that we have taken measures to make that near impossible), the reality would be bad for my mental health.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArHuYC9uDHEYShYpHnUiNyMxwLXrH3ozeCaHpw_DLM7QpoO1HoAtzHUHZio8vI56J49Fq7SCCSlMpAFKSJsPArIkDdM35UyzYzT-2ZuXtU1GvckPqUt1WSJ932jlpwsIpZx6BCH4m38Fy/s1600/IMG_6553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArHuYC9uDHEYShYpHnUiNyMxwLXrH3ozeCaHpw_DLM7QpoO1HoAtzHUHZio8vI56J49Fq7SCCSlMpAFKSJsPArIkDdM35UyzYzT-2ZuXtU1GvckPqUt1WSJ932jlpwsIpZx6BCH4m38Fy/s1600/IMG_6553.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Mira is definitely enough of a handful on her own, no doubt about it.<br />
<br />
A couple weeks ago Mira came down with some mystery ailment - for 4 days she had a fever but absolutely no other physical symptoms. And we're talking a legit fever, 104 degrees. And boy, she looked like she felt crappy when her temp got up that high, poor thing. Luckily Tylenol and ibuprofen were able to bring her temp down so she wasn't blazing hot, but she definitely didn't feel good. For those days that she was sick she napped about 3 hours a day every day. This from a kid who won't even stay in her room for "quiet time" for more than a couple of minutes. But the strange thing is nothing else seemed to be wrong - she was still eating and drinking, no GI symptoms, no respiratory symptoms, just a really high fever. Bizarre.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidECth9kfsSGyFCN7z9tyKVA0ZV21zLziT0hVy28mgRTc4r2rC8Nnbl7fBToehCn0hDUqniLUAP6UMfFy3gr6DwCvOAIsIHer4R_3Z4KjJMaEIJ2YpdPxa1aYhm6H7q57LUQwS0VfZlQMw/s1600/IMG_6548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidECth9kfsSGyFCN7z9tyKVA0ZV21zLziT0hVy28mgRTc4r2rC8Nnbl7fBToehCn0hDUqniLUAP6UMfFy3gr6DwCvOAIsIHer4R_3Z4KjJMaEIJ2YpdPxa1aYhm6H7q57LUQwS0VfZlQMw/s1600/IMG_6548.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
As kids tend to do, she bounced back pretty easily and we were back to normal before too long. One afternoon she liked the idea of taking a nap outside on the front lawn. That lasted about as long as it took to take these pictures and then she lost patience and wanted nothing to do with any of this great idea. Figures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHNKgJiMAnrim5EA_ihypcahbdQJCYhxQeYIIT8j97mCSVJ7v7il_XouQ2sMR8qwrKabYTBrOcfMemh8-3O1x5kWolQStYSLWuu1Tq4g8WQYpYJrEMBQwjD3LHaC8A-9wB6Fvnvy1xdi1/s1600/IMG_6550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHNKgJiMAnrim5EA_ihypcahbdQJCYhxQeYIIT8j97mCSVJ7v7il_XouQ2sMR8qwrKabYTBrOcfMemh8-3O1x5kWolQStYSLWuu1Tq4g8WQYpYJrEMBQwjD3LHaC8A-9wB6Fvnvy1xdi1/s1600/IMG_6550.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3ivvliq3hV1uKpvd5zCtMotRhW6hm7yZnzuisMm4Lg4HuVzO7sTcLhjBNhR878VK9YDw01bq1M-vOR_qXkC75fmpxqhVcgjv7tOKEnIuQNEuLB8KdEyjkjuMJca4zMQXmgq54-EFBfR4/s1600/IMG_6551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3ivvliq3hV1uKpvd5zCtMotRhW6hm7yZnzuisMm4Lg4HuVzO7sTcLhjBNhR878VK9YDw01bq1M-vOR_qXkC75fmpxqhVcgjv7tOKEnIuQNEuLB8KdEyjkjuMJca4zMQXmgq54-EFBfR4/s1600/IMG_6551.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OUEuvlxH_sZPSqmsJ3JFBtxn16pRIcB7HDzR79bJKFR9MjUo4FimbqbJiU9yDDwO_zwsRVEFxfaf4pkMUyq9O0mJt2TWP2ADgZaDZmL5lSMdJ3qu9Emp6JVfTDfnuKQTBSN4pI8SK7rR/s1600/IMG_6552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OUEuvlxH_sZPSqmsJ3JFBtxn16pRIcB7HDzR79bJKFR9MjUo4FimbqbJiU9yDDwO_zwsRVEFxfaf4pkMUyq9O0mJt2TWP2ADgZaDZmL5lSMdJ3qu9Emp6JVfTDfnuKQTBSN4pI8SK7rR/s1600/IMG_6552.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
I would like to introduce a segment here about how difficult it is to get anything accomplished with a toddler around. For example, when I'm getting dressed in the morning, it would normally only take 5 minutes at the most. With Mira around, it takes much longer because she's jumping on the bed, pulling shoes off the racks to put on, trying to put on my deodorant, dumping my face cleanser down the drain, scattering my bobby pins around the bathroom, trying to get into contact lens cases, yanking clothes off hangers and throwing them on the ground, and so on. So getting dressed takes more like the whole morning.<br />
<br />
Trying to get out of the house - oh man, the process of trying to leave the house. If it's just you, give yourself maybe 3 minutes to locate all the items you need to bring with you to whatever location you are traveling to, then you walk out of the house, climb into your vehicle, and off you go. With a toddler, I think the sentence "Hurry up, we need to leave!" translates into "Take as long as possible to leave the house." One of the best ways to accomplish this is to need to poop the second your parent says "Hurry up, we need to leave!" And going to the potty is about 10 or 15 minutes by itself. (Seriously, I don't understand why I have to hassle Mira 27 times to wash her hands after using the potty. It's been the same routine hundreds of times already!) After the 10-15 minutes of using the potty, then I have to wait for her to find her shoes, change her mind about which pair she wants to wear about 4 times, then wait for her to actually put them on. That's another 5 minutes. Then for some reason it takes 5 minutes to herd her out the front door, even though when she wants to sneak out unattended she can get out the door and to the next block in less than 4 seconds. Then I have to convince her she has to wait to investigate every little thing outside and get in the car instead. And of course she has to get in the car, climb into her carseat, and buckle herself in. If I try to help her she screams, "No! MINE OWN!" Forty-five minutes later we're finally driving away to wherever we need to go. No wonder I like to wait until after she goes to bed to get errands done. <br />
<br />
Also, trying to get additional tasks done is darn near impossible. Washing the car is a good example. Normally I can wash the SUV in about 30 minutes. But of course Mira wants to "help." So between Mira spraying the hose everywhere (including on herself), dunking her arms into the bucket of dirty soapy water, running off with the towels, and "washing" the opposite side of the car from the one that I was working on about 5 times, washing the car took more like 17 hours, and it still looked pretty sketchy when I finally decided I was done. On the plus side, I could see through the windows, even if the rest of the car was streaky, and Mira got so wet I figured I'd call it her bath and call it good for the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqC84c9S31v2FVJYjR9lbLzxJXSp7rcTD_QVIW9vYlkzOfZhriIvAGhBOfzuWGWN9PnusbEoL9tl3gZKPdaoZgbxUBjr_CJbutdJerY8ZminHPKhy3ySgN0cFJkrsljtkTQyo7p2TlyGZl/s1600/IMG_6662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqC84c9S31v2FVJYjR9lbLzxJXSp7rcTD_QVIW9vYlkzOfZhriIvAGhBOfzuWGWN9PnusbEoL9tl3gZKPdaoZgbxUBjr_CJbutdJerY8ZminHPKhy3ySgN0cFJkrsljtkTQyo7p2TlyGZl/s1600/IMG_6662.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Yes, <strike>sometimes</strike> a lot of the time this girl is a challenge. She is so opposite in temperament from my own that very frequently I'm left <strike>scratching my head</strike> pulling my hair out, wondering how I'm supposed to handle such a vivacious, lively, energetic, outgoing, independent, and smart-as-hell little girl. All of these are great traits to have but trying to properly handle her when she's also pushing every single boundary is rough some days. Sometimes it's all about my attitude towards the process. Even though it's tempting to do everything for her because it's faster, I always force myself to stand back and let her do it by herself. The goal, after all, is for her to be able to do all of this by herself, all the time, so even if it's difficult for me I really should encourage her to be independent. It'll pay off in the long run.<br />
<br />
And I should definitely encourage her to run around dancing in the rain.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOTI9H8u93pXMKkMxuAGRcE7XFHaPx6cIMcZ6zJOKV5RMdS8ktjtBk3vvHXfnbXVwLUj_YaBGhc8TWisQQBnyViUw4kwnYXWEEVnlfke0YvGava_xJGR5LAYYDsZSmIzk1Y3sN4LbWMW1/s1600/DSCF1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOTI9H8u93pXMKkMxuAGRcE7XFHaPx6cIMcZ6zJOKV5RMdS8ktjtBk3vvHXfnbXVwLUj_YaBGhc8TWisQQBnyViUw4kwnYXWEEVnlfke0YvGava_xJGR5LAYYDsZSmIzk1Y3sN4LbWMW1/s1600/DSCF1511.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMls2C_4rgqmInYXN5rsY5UZFSJmB23VHpm_xFt9V7ldq0AaiA3HsRdKOcKzatMdn-8KV7EZECdKMLuMgB2Dxf0hPAprz66QgVBSROZA1ETDhnG-X-cEF1y8fKezqLgXDcLild6kSu7WSI/s1600/DSCF1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMls2C_4rgqmInYXN5rsY5UZFSJmB23VHpm_xFt9V7ldq0AaiA3HsRdKOcKzatMdn-8KV7EZECdKMLuMgB2Dxf0hPAprz66QgVBSROZA1ETDhnG-X-cEF1y8fKezqLgXDcLild6kSu7WSI/s1600/DSCF1512.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DoHY5cHkYCx4X93UJ_8URwsH_Xe9u9G7xGRSQxtsj_rI5yX9jIh_SCkXTdPAtPbhL6v71PxlPQZOQOW5xCgi9uocUeeBdkrL_suss2lt6TWPyV14tEGjq6XsR7KSqcaQgFYa008yzZmM/s1600/DSCF1514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DoHY5cHkYCx4X93UJ_8URwsH_Xe9u9G7xGRSQxtsj_rI5yX9jIh_SCkXTdPAtPbhL6v71PxlPQZOQOW5xCgi9uocUeeBdkrL_suss2lt6TWPyV14tEGjq6XsR7KSqcaQgFYa008yzZmM/s1600/DSCF1514.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedk9GdWdE-lv7xclPF6C9qNUKOzkBtmPVd9u_t_QbKCO492Z3mJ8P3iJaRBIqbH9XoyHAvoR8_IJb6dwrh5JJIMKzdOi0VAnAxQ-yR4G1a263QSM_wUJELwFdJ4be188cncgw9tRfFxfr/s1600/DSCF1515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedk9GdWdE-lv7xclPF6C9qNUKOzkBtmPVd9u_t_QbKCO492Z3mJ8P3iJaRBIqbH9XoyHAvoR8_IJb6dwrh5JJIMKzdOi0VAnAxQ-yR4G1a263QSM_wUJELwFdJ4be188cncgw9tRfFxfr/s1600/DSCF1515.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8C_Blg3BuLNmALkHShav3G3Ex-T2NJ9ISt4sXlMex0NxBq7MKHXQV2EB3vjl6DWde7G9_FKXAy1SgjNkpI-k1SINSmRBg5xFfaVHOH4frVRYjzaIVNpL8uOhadhav0YQGAODOXALmW0U/s1600/DSCF1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8C_Blg3BuLNmALkHShav3G3Ex-T2NJ9ISt4sXlMex0NxBq7MKHXQV2EB3vjl6DWde7G9_FKXAy1SgjNkpI-k1SINSmRBg5xFfaVHOH4frVRYjzaIVNpL8uOhadhav0YQGAODOXALmW0U/s1600/DSCF1516.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbA2AxwMGxiphU4wkXQIZmITS4P2PsT26LJhP5JToq9k7u79dBXTEuwl1T92vbTRyrBsgbkqJJuYSV6jzkRTL1cYioUfnyhm68n4w_x1l5HSXj8jaaMfcxNX51DWF1QPDRW0kEjN3fFz2E/s1600/DSCF1518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbA2AxwMGxiphU4wkXQIZmITS4P2PsT26LJhP5JToq9k7u79dBXTEuwl1T92vbTRyrBsgbkqJJuYSV6jzkRTL1cYioUfnyhm68n4w_x1l5HSXj8jaaMfcxNX51DWF1QPDRW0kEjN3fFz2E/s1600/DSCF1518.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamfav2CcUOYfcZgTPaOw6o8wZe0Q0uutOhEzDr1VsnJm_98PzdWD8XMum2cHctM40uXhGOY8Ag-FrPUit0oqrYijfsob8eWjn5XzT-6T6UYk0ucoNCGfGWVWxJZvrdnH1mTf7WoxYDv9W/s1600/DSCF1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamfav2CcUOYfcZgTPaOw6o8wZe0Q0uutOhEzDr1VsnJm_98PzdWD8XMum2cHctM40uXhGOY8Ag-FrPUit0oqrYijfsob8eWjn5XzT-6T6UYk0ucoNCGfGWVWxJZvrdnH1mTf7WoxYDv9W/s1600/DSCF1519.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbJkjRddbg7UDpI07XxHaAq82QdZvcL-ExKaJu25JX3leUAMunWJhbvRemNmCDkmysi9oLEYzK5zpN-MUgWW2IIM5kgAMQP8JVwSMLGNXjv0tf0CQAHorlPemtf0K2sqpVJ2SXLgyiIx-/s1600/DSCF1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbJkjRddbg7UDpI07XxHaAq82QdZvcL-ExKaJu25JX3leUAMunWJhbvRemNmCDkmysi9oLEYzK5zpN-MUgWW2IIM5kgAMQP8JVwSMLGNXjv0tf0CQAHorlPemtf0K2sqpVJ2SXLgyiIx-/s1600/DSCF1521.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-StKe1i2xwqsJ5Pzo31H6i2P1Ew4DJdWG75BMPtI_sm6j1TKwfqRNJwsvlnwRt4p47MRiPLy_-jl2lsf7UbHL6vjOYq0ejuXb-VdUQikNBZtDJa6jrNMp8DyJRUQRjIGBnfm3xjmCVYts/s1600/DSCF1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-StKe1i2xwqsJ5Pzo31H6i2P1Ew4DJdWG75BMPtI_sm6j1TKwfqRNJwsvlnwRt4p47MRiPLy_-jl2lsf7UbHL6vjOYq0ejuXb-VdUQikNBZtDJa6jrNMp8DyJRUQRjIGBnfm3xjmCVYts/s1600/DSCF1522.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHJJgfIj2grE3p1CzbIhH-fE-L5AHXCvv8dCQi29YBgyiE0D3K-eKmSRaLN3pLo2DLjwiWyEa-SxygnzQ8kCQNTYaDhcpWFOxc8Ob2uNkawLg-ewhQRq8ola-g5l0sJrz9sjpAtIWotgT/s1600/IMG_6467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHJJgfIj2grE3p1CzbIhH-fE-L5AHXCvv8dCQi29YBgyiE0D3K-eKmSRaLN3pLo2DLjwiWyEa-SxygnzQ8kCQNTYaDhcpWFOxc8Ob2uNkawLg-ewhQRq8ola-g5l0sJrz9sjpAtIWotgT/s1600/IMG_6467.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpvG1_k6gfeaVmznuMowwFHlGwZH6B5YWYkV9Pp7Q2PF_jCnSlm8_Gdrk6o4JEESIc6NoM00y-hXxdV279CN7_l9qv9BCfGQeEBnutYnNRV2hkPxJWHcrK9F-SHKXerRs6vZaudIuMcXF/s1600/IMG_6468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpvG1_k6gfeaVmznuMowwFHlGwZH6B5YWYkV9Pp7Q2PF_jCnSlm8_Gdrk6o4JEESIc6NoM00y-hXxdV279CN7_l9qv9BCfGQeEBnutYnNRV2hkPxJWHcrK9F-SHKXerRs6vZaudIuMcXF/s1600/IMG_6468.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
In other brag-worthy news, Mira one day just suddenly figured out how to pedal her tricycle and now one of her favorite activities is to ride around the block, sometimes a few times a day. She's quite the little daredevil - when we get to a downhill portion she likes to lean back and go as fast as she can. I should probably stick her head in a helmet sometime soon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTglfsLAKZe8AJzYuUcMylTpLutJ1DcvmBgAHBsZUq8i780bkvhbkkSRDAVKjkNcUe8mjCy-VU9v9hEwl4QRDTlHUBUF6mZMnMnDTBJiuzB2OlVMIT8vxtXGFHheCdF4pGFvLBU1EHKVe/s1600/IMG_6522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTglfsLAKZe8AJzYuUcMylTpLutJ1DcvmBgAHBsZUq8i780bkvhbkkSRDAVKjkNcUe8mjCy-VU9v9hEwl4QRDTlHUBUF6mZMnMnDTBJiuzB2OlVMIT8vxtXGFHheCdF4pGFvLBU1EHKVe/s1600/IMG_6522.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And yes, our big black kitty Neo went around the block with us.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I feel ambitious enough to play around with Mira's hair. She likes to put up a fight about getting her hair brushed but really, if she has <i>Mickey Mouse Clubhouse</i> to watch while I experiment, she doesn't really care. And she does get excited about fancy hairstyles. I'll admit it, this is one reason I was so excited to have a little girl.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPa3Yy7wc-VT0InRprISm61SYC6Z6n7mqKUBfv3qho4h1q79XeaCPSb3tgyMj5nc3ERyVqtmuvqrKsYt8nTuNxzPibS1xFWGXcFGNwC1xURCbQXGhBBH7fZrda2DO5J67PfIjR7FjpkHl/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPa3Yy7wc-VT0InRprISm61SYC6Z6n7mqKUBfv3qho4h1q79XeaCPSb3tgyMj5nc3ERyVqtmuvqrKsYt8nTuNxzPibS1xFWGXcFGNwC1xURCbQXGhBBH7fZrda2DO5J67PfIjR7FjpkHl/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And now for some obligatory cute cat pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpYs0tR7Nnwv3YwtpqbVg5uTarXcOpNxyJ3lmqhBrb9ilWi6I_SWufzQek0HYMBPONpsNyuH7CUSviZqz9E9i29IelQkeUd1-0VPlMhtxE8bALHNApMXMjP0-ELynCyhHgsRC3ne9Cacc/s1600/IMG_6529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpYs0tR7Nnwv3YwtpqbVg5uTarXcOpNxyJ3lmqhBrb9ilWi6I_SWufzQek0HYMBPONpsNyuH7CUSviZqz9E9i29IelQkeUd1-0VPlMhtxE8bALHNApMXMjP0-ELynCyhHgsRC3ne9Cacc/s1600/IMG_6529.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Wally sleeps like this a lot, with his face smashed into the cushion. I'm not sure how he breathes but apparently it's not as difficult as he makes it look. I've also seen him fall asleep in Mira's toy box, on a pile of toys, with his face smashed into the side of the box.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRxUg4SS8du1yC72jA9oZ7FW3wceCapmmRZ84bHhaW2wOQ3FzkXHcaXMVW2JgUEjeSff-QYOEm5-gzUtFa8OyxywKP2DD7C51k1z2j1QimFXQ3eAgF9RzhpbQKMnGsIQZSP1bsMfK9QjQ/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRxUg4SS8du1yC72jA9oZ7FW3wceCapmmRZ84bHhaW2wOQ3FzkXHcaXMVW2JgUEjeSff-QYOEm5-gzUtFa8OyxywKP2DD7C51k1z2j1QimFXQ3eAgF9RzhpbQKMnGsIQZSP1bsMfK9QjQ/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjj57HbfpYCmX2r71h9WqTqKax4w5ApMzuY5vCF_g9m_gOBIEGGeAKihx62YqTT-OxhwYyE-hWFAFrq-gXhuQvNMCDhP-uIhDDsQ2XtTYRx-g5A8EPI81RC585Fb16awTIp1WCmkzqJI0X/s1600/IMG_6532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjj57HbfpYCmX2r71h9WqTqKax4w5ApMzuY5vCF_g9m_gOBIEGGeAKihx62YqTT-OxhwYyE-hWFAFrq-gXhuQvNMCDhP-uIhDDsQ2XtTYRx-g5A8EPI81RC585Fb16awTIp1WCmkzqJI0X/s1600/IMG_6532.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Neo and Wally actually get along really well, for two cats living in the same house. If I'd known how much better male cats were than females, I would have been adopting them a lot sooner.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdZaarneMLNvLZvfI0afawiasmQdn5Y-5Gv2J0EqLs-CU3OkJNUfp4e2UqOrQGHbpzt-btfL7ErFJQGHzV6n3isxP9i0BkkO-vu5VoSRkI1KaBQn1nR1K5H8DEca4jMszSwLD3DYrbOWE/s1600/IMG_6546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdZaarneMLNvLZvfI0afawiasmQdn5Y-5Gv2J0EqLs-CU3OkJNUfp4e2UqOrQGHbpzt-btfL7ErFJQGHzV6n3isxP9i0BkkO-vu5VoSRkI1KaBQn1nR1K5H8DEca4jMszSwLD3DYrbOWE/s1600/IMG_6546.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Our mutant tomato plants are finally giving us ripe tomatoes, plus our hotter-than-Hades jalapeno peppers are ripening, and we're up to our ears in monstrous zucchini.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv4EGMvD7rhBErrvENVvcaeoMkRaxZejG1SqFD_GvmPh9MSTbknF2eWBTCGC0_4NwmU9jSjTo2-YziSWZy7rkkFgLueKWSVygUNtL5EWSODyZ8YGdPbefMB9P8fUoJ2ZUUNbuRoSqWUM3/s1600/DSCF1620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv4EGMvD7rhBErrvENVvcaeoMkRaxZejG1SqFD_GvmPh9MSTbknF2eWBTCGC0_4NwmU9jSjTo2-YziSWZy7rkkFgLueKWSVygUNtL5EWSODyZ8YGdPbefMB9P8fUoJ2ZUUNbuRoSqWUM3/s1600/DSCF1620.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We're starting to get to the point that we're adding zucchini to just about every meal, just to try and use them up (and our one zucchini plant is still spitting more out almost on a daily basis). A couple days ago we had well over a dozen ripe tomatoes with more on the way. So Mark tried making tomato bisque from scratch. It took hours so this won't be a regular occurrence but let me just say - wow! Too bad there isn't much money to be had working as a chef because Mark would rock that career. I've never been much of a cook and frankly there's not much need for me to work on that because Mark is so good at it. I follow recipes exactly and it never comes out quite right, whereas Mark will just throw a bunch of ingredients together haphazardly and it ends up being a 5-course gourmet meal. Sometimes life isn't fair - but I'm not complaining about this particular part.<br />
<br />
Mark started school a few weeks ago and it's been another learning process for us to figure out our schedules again. Luckily his classes are at night and our babysitting is already set up for evenings so at least that part is easy. So far he's enjoying school - he's in his element and really enjoying himself. He tries to explain everything to me and even though I really do appreciate how he wants me to get involved with everything, a lot of the stuff he talks about makes my head hurt. Not that I'm not interested, my brain just doesn't comprehend engineering as easily as, for example, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura. Everyone's brain is different, I'm just glad Mark has found something that complements his brain type.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-10411812762829503172014-08-25T21:58:00.003-07:002014-08-25T21:58:56.897-07:00Thankfully, A Bit of a BreatherNothing lasts forever, and luckily that includes situations that are causing massive amounts of stress on your family. After over a month of practically killing ourselves with our work schedules we hit a breaking point and Mark quit. Some of the decision was motivated by how utterly exhausted and nonfunctional we were, and realizing that not only was this situation not sustainable, it was definitely not worth it to have some extra money. If we're going to be stressed, at least we can be more well-rested while we're at it. Also, while I realize (and remember from personal experience) that working as a CNA in a care center is certainly no cake walk, this place was particularly bad. As in, on at least a few occasions Mark was the only CNA for the entire facility with about 60 patients. And then having the administration force the CNAs to sign papers that stated that should anything untoward happen during a shift the blame was all on the aides - definitely not a good sign when administration isn't supportive of its employees. Mark was working graveyards but not getting any sort of shift differential. The straw that broke the camel's back was Mark getting accused of stealing some old lady's belongings. While everyone knew this was absolute bullcrap (especially considering one of objects Mark was accused of stealing was a 2-foot-tall porcelain doll and the "stolen" objects kept changing in description), it was not worth it for Mark to deal with conditions like that. So that's done, and it's been MUCH nicer around here ever since. Mark working as a CNA elsewhere is still a possibility, but we'll see if we can find something that will work better with our schedule.<br />
<br />
The other big news is Mark finally made his official decision about what to study and he starts classes in a couple of weeks to go to ITT Tech for their Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering Technologist program. You might be thinking that this is a very big change from what we were all originally planning, and you would be absolutely correct. After much considering, we came to the following conclusions. While scrub tech would be a really fun job, in reality it doesn't pay well, the job itself would become pretty stagnant after awhile, and depending on the surgeon you end up with, it could be pretty miserable too. So that's out. We looked into nursing, and while I still think Mark would do well at it, it's just not him. Plus, a good point that Mark brought up was that after all these years of dealing with crappy shiftwork, it would be really nice to get a normal Monday-Friday, 9-5, no nights/holidays/weekends sort of job that pays well right off the bat. The way he ended up on engineering goes back to his high school years when he was interested in studying robotics or biomechanics or something similar in college, and was actually offered scholarships for this field of study, but his parents at the time didn't want to cover the rest of the tuition. And most 18-year-olds don't think, "Okay, I'll just get student loans to cover the rest of the schooling." So Mark didn't study engineering out of high school. His mom has plenty of stories about how growing up he was always taking stuff apart to see how it works (which seems to be the hallmark trait of an engineer) and even now he's always creating and building stuff (which doesn't always go well when you consider he's also accident-prone). We will have quite a bit of tuition we'll have to pay off after he's done with school but this is a career that you can pretty well guarantee a great starting paycheck right out of the gate. And he is so excited to get started. I've jokingly told him he'd better be sure this time because he's not allowed to change his mind again. We're looking at 3 1/2 years total. So a bit longer than we were originally thinking but it'll be worth it, and we're hoping that once he has his Associate's halfway through he can at least get an internship or something part time to get his foot in the door. And the best part is Mark has the best mentor he could ask for - my dad is an electrical engineer who graduated from MIT and is very pleased that <i>someone</i> in the family has finally seen the light and chosen the true path to enlightenment. I think we should all take a moment to feel sorry for me because after growing up with an engineer for a father, now I'm going to be living with one too.<br />
<br />
So now that we have that part of our lives all sorted out, it's been easier to focus on Mira. Some days the best way to spend time together is to grab a snack and eat outside and talk about flowers and butterflies and other things that capture a three-year-old's attention.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_i9BhaK5JwAfo8oLZ9i-J7UnYwRgF_ksDIpXzdz8qc-25tsQQLgF8fEEStVPf0IGzqQ7bbbZ83pyUV_Z-QPNpxI-DwSX7JiYk8-u5dM1wP3mp3G5yLbrCcc-k-Wkuqtz4cPH8GxfxUVb/s1600/IMG_5993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_i9BhaK5JwAfo8oLZ9i-J7UnYwRgF_ksDIpXzdz8qc-25tsQQLgF8fEEStVPf0IGzqQ7bbbZ83pyUV_Z-QPNpxI-DwSX7JiYk8-u5dM1wP3mp3G5yLbrCcc-k-Wkuqtz4cPH8GxfxUVb/s1600/IMG_5993.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq7QLzBox3Qu2r7HY6IgR8gAdNsnv9AJkK61xsIYPIk7IjwyOTT6gLaE3mvwrEQPhcdRsr1RkYsPtWCGJLzIJcwu7qupyynk9qLj5fCyT5J_2CBvHagaoN3AWd-3-jhvPtziN7Kx8e1IM/s1600/IMG_5994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsq7QLzBox3Qu2r7HY6IgR8gAdNsnv9AJkK61xsIYPIk7IjwyOTT6gLaE3mvwrEQPhcdRsr1RkYsPtWCGJLzIJcwu7qupyynk9qLj5fCyT5J_2CBvHagaoN3AWd-3-jhvPtziN7Kx8e1IM/s1600/IMG_5994.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYN9BJTFm4_Y77nYJCxRPkf6jDGKhoJnZ_ZVW49fmH-v4I-pqFqDsoB25cOj5dpDQTw8XDkBHpQTTEcMYKjwa6tbOu-dWe3UDcqv2dfU13IYeryzrVp6W4el36iwbAwuQUEDUQWLT2lXS/s1600/IMG_6266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYN9BJTFm4_Y77nYJCxRPkf6jDGKhoJnZ_ZVW49fmH-v4I-pqFqDsoB25cOj5dpDQTw8XDkBHpQTTEcMYKjwa6tbOu-dWe3UDcqv2dfU13IYeryzrVp6W4el36iwbAwuQUEDUQWLT2lXS/s1600/IMG_6266.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumT6mkh-QtbhetIKJ2XOugTjqqrMX5nBJQn7qMAZpYMSPFRnlFT_1-QwJ_Gxz_bgT-Qr9AvY54AbJl2T_M9YtmGPeessOIs7rAu1M09Lz-VBSu33h_9hoE9542Oi6EvhM8EEL4OGBQKuA/s1600/IMG_6267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumT6mkh-QtbhetIKJ2XOugTjqqrMX5nBJQn7qMAZpYMSPFRnlFT_1-QwJ_Gxz_bgT-Qr9AvY54AbJl2T_M9YtmGPeessOIs7rAu1M09Lz-VBSu33h_9hoE9542Oi6EvhM8EEL4OGBQKuA/s1600/IMG_6267.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Xq7A6fRJsY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Aa9Y4OhnFfE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Mira also likes to take selfies with me. Here are some fun ones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQXfXHDcZ1148zRqgD4FaO12VWxEgxXtaXubifVifHKr6tfF5fZEwIc-VBFe3wdmbaa9Itq4eyKHaBJgfLcCaMXwLeQDyx7WkNgl-z0YN4lvisnBYXaUBAADz-ioWsKioNm860oJL6Z6F/s1600/IMG_5995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQXfXHDcZ1148zRqgD4FaO12VWxEgxXtaXubifVifHKr6tfF5fZEwIc-VBFe3wdmbaa9Itq4eyKHaBJgfLcCaMXwLeQDyx7WkNgl-z0YN4lvisnBYXaUBAADz-ioWsKioNm860oJL6Z6F/s1600/IMG_5995.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKien0XdXPz9AOqv37wBwy0WNhfX-oiHH1RTFf5_xyC9h1odROcI7-wdzAwN6-1e2MF6C9oirAEZQaZ1afupLTCwnfr_yE5f1bvCJZst7k8s4-H5JveSFV4thkScAAaIQMeAxjUWXNwIs3/s1600/IMG_5996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKien0XdXPz9AOqv37wBwy0WNhfX-oiHH1RTFf5_xyC9h1odROcI7-wdzAwN6-1e2MF6C9oirAEZQaZ1afupLTCwnfr_yE5f1bvCJZst7k8s4-H5JveSFV4thkScAAaIQMeAxjUWXNwIs3/s1600/IMG_5996.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42oTU52wui0tv5TdBkplrGunVW_DPHXBqDdPKncT1FL-tFfBKCt1Jfd_rPUO2BM14ClB_861mF7gshnPylxqOIRBCq6nF1KaBDUKt3nVjplumxyb_nC1BusMBbwQAj5FrHOxcyJxq4KpP/s1600/IMG_5998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42oTU52wui0tv5TdBkplrGunVW_DPHXBqDdPKncT1FL-tFfBKCt1Jfd_rPUO2BM14ClB_861mF7gshnPylxqOIRBCq6nF1KaBDUKt3nVjplumxyb_nC1BusMBbwQAj5FrHOxcyJxq4KpP/s1600/IMG_5998.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdiB9xnx9_tTGmKMl8NQsVp3G6FZRP5aDGc4oA-gR9Sq72kK45ziJnriurW_PvusNxFxuFv9DR1Cl_HC6yPiviXSzIRkY2cfWNz8GEm8wecpwsb_jtwIdxivwycLE3HlcPUO951P9oUdY/s1600/IMG_5999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdiB9xnx9_tTGmKMl8NQsVp3G6FZRP5aDGc4oA-gR9Sq72kK45ziJnriurW_PvusNxFxuFv9DR1Cl_HC6yPiviXSzIRkY2cfWNz8GEm8wecpwsb_jtwIdxivwycLE3HlcPUO951P9oUdY/s1600/IMG_5999.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIffYYWuOVrrpauQMC69mgLFAU0zLAP88R6ZHzMg_MOzmjAtnCZ1FBL7GJXx8L8RDn6vaBxAsNRWvMzUfvCsoYFGniSie_okcFM7VhUUECxGqu_N8o9yRlyEHF4shgD-vPfrGIpFZYKQyR/s1600/IMG_6245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIffYYWuOVrrpauQMC69mgLFAU0zLAP88R6ZHzMg_MOzmjAtnCZ1FBL7GJXx8L8RDn6vaBxAsNRWvMzUfvCsoYFGniSie_okcFM7VhUUECxGqu_N8o9yRlyEHF4shgD-vPfrGIpFZYKQyR/s1600/IMG_6245.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUdvP1wIyVetjTWqqB1hG_GpSQp-TKQsGpJ04bbYpaIMIlmolWohVSd2jfIh9326hbdqIRL0PbzTF7rrH7a6kpWluSEei_68YRdjk5D-LMg4QI51QsYnWATFaCEeMdiGQrrGX_WOR2ZL5/s1600/IMG_6247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUdvP1wIyVetjTWqqB1hG_GpSQp-TKQsGpJ04bbYpaIMIlmolWohVSd2jfIh9326hbdqIRL0PbzTF7rrH7a6kpWluSEei_68YRdjk5D-LMg4QI51QsYnWATFaCEeMdiGQrrGX_WOR2ZL5/s1600/IMG_6247.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And another picture of her enjoying some "white ice cream."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhtVUORzU6tyj1T26mllyLrmWHlsmasBVjkHirDqYKQ9SobbyFvs11fk1yKjcKAVOvDwpL8axzcxIZMKvnPvAJfaF75C7Mc6w-B-vHMGJ1tDWriOY4BM4oQWngQNeWqX6E2F0BTbymWyC/s1600/IMG_6017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhtVUORzU6tyj1T26mllyLrmWHlsmasBVjkHirDqYKQ9SobbyFvs11fk1yKjcKAVOvDwpL8axzcxIZMKvnPvAJfaF75C7Mc6w-B-vHMGJ1tDWriOY4BM4oQWngQNeWqX6E2F0BTbymWyC/s1600/IMG_6017.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
I hope I don't jinx myself ... but ... I think we've finally got potty training figured out. She had a really rough patch a couple months ago when she had a cold and totally regressed to the point where she wasn't using the potty for her business hardly at all. That was incredibly frustrating even though I knew that kids can regress when they get sick. But once she got better, she's had it down pat ever since then. She's even been going poop in the potty! I'll admit there's a fair amount of bribery going on (now she thinks she needs a treat every time she goes poop in the potty but I'm still willing to pay that price to avoid cleaning up those accidents!) but she's got it. She's had maybe 3 poop accidents in the last couple of months and those have seemed to be related to a change in routine that got her particularly excited and/or distracted to the point that she just plain forgot about having to go. And I can live with that. It was unbelievably frustrating when I knew she knew exactly when she had to go poop and she wouldn't even make an effort to go to the potty - even though she'd go pee in the potty every time so clearly she knew what was going on. Last week she pooped her pants and while I was cleaning her up (not even mad, just confused because she'd been doing so well) she said sadly, "I sorry, Mommy." No way you can get mad at that!<br />
<br />
Mira is starting to show a very thoughtful side and a surprising amount of awareness. Most days, by the end of the day everyone is getting burned out and ready for the day to be over (and after about 4 or 5 PM Mira becomes a monster anyway), and a few times I've gotten mad at Mira for some sort of misbehavior. I'll reprimand her, and a few minutes later she'll always come up to me and, without any prompting whatsoever, hug me and say, "I sorry I was mean to you, Mommy." Every time. So I'm doing something right.<br />
<br />
The other time I knew I was doing something right was when Mira bolted out the door and ran up the street, and completely disregarded me telling her to come back. I had to drag her back inside, lecturing some boring Mom lecture about being safe and letting an adult know and needing to listen and now she has to stay inside, and she stomped her foot and yelled, "You're mean, Mom!" I actually almost laughed out loud when she said that because I'd always told myself that if I heard those words it meant I was being a good mom.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_VtegBVpri_Z9mzkMy-NhLhHIvZd55-layd9SIdeXiJ2rDpJSU214tOMzzkyJIxBmyeBb-FIaDrAxzZ7cuvtbbZ_a_a7ACp2QY9D9kCqClESonwvUk4EwApRaDMpDNWa4SZjI3m-7t33/s1600/IMG_6256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_VtegBVpri_Z9mzkMy-NhLhHIvZd55-layd9SIdeXiJ2rDpJSU214tOMzzkyJIxBmyeBb-FIaDrAxzZ7cuvtbbZ_a_a7ACp2QY9D9kCqClESonwvUk4EwApRaDMpDNWa4SZjI3m-7t33/s1600/IMG_6256.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
I love this picture. This is how Mira shields her eyes from the bright sunlight. She's got the basic idea.<br />
<br />
Here she is showing off some sketches on a dry erase board. They're works in progress.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQBduiSpzskPyiZAWHPxU0UavsoBtPdlxvPzBGV3KlMoCVGptVY6VinowBxbCK8qeE10pp4p3nWG9yhI6FRNyFauMibPkq1uQ-cWrocWxVICLTKkjp6grTh29BWN8WL9xYkAG7T-lqMEc/s1600/IMG_6012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQBduiSpzskPyiZAWHPxU0UavsoBtPdlxvPzBGV3KlMoCVGptVY6VinowBxbCK8qeE10pp4p3nWG9yhI6FRNyFauMibPkq1uQ-cWrocWxVICLTKkjp6grTh29BWN8WL9xYkAG7T-lqMEc/s1600/IMG_6012.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1NT6EYsy-u_tVn-rIN-hJZqLGgVVah5xQ6-Bs7tSTQ1-5eb-qYp6dbQIFjG6XDXzRjsdSq_jakZZRHy4HGx-sn677L-rDYh048zjowES6KusZ9OM15pze2mwBIZS4J-y9eQnUm6RNWca/s1600/IMG_6013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1NT6EYsy-u_tVn-rIN-hJZqLGgVVah5xQ6-Bs7tSTQ1-5eb-qYp6dbQIFjG6XDXzRjsdSq_jakZZRHy4HGx-sn677L-rDYh048zjowES6KusZ9OM15pze2mwBIZS4J-y9eQnUm6RNWca/s1600/IMG_6013.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Any time Mark and I eat with chopsticks Mira of course has to as well. Luckily we found these cool learning chopsticks for kids, and Mira actually does really well with them, as you can see. Where were these cool things when I was learning to use chopsticks?? Genius invention.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ABy6n3_hUVXfN-U6ibQxHAovmbhAj2_UkpAdRdymr26RFShdBgk3fyYGosC8xSRSMoRMHi5Chh9PidO0Mc_53rZ6SfvBdJtKSm-nmf9imDwOP2oUuw6MelZ2d3NYAu3moVtEPqQitQ2V/s1600/IMG_6015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ABy6n3_hUVXfN-U6ibQxHAovmbhAj2_UkpAdRdymr26RFShdBgk3fyYGosC8xSRSMoRMHi5Chh9PidO0Mc_53rZ6SfvBdJtKSm-nmf9imDwOP2oUuw6MelZ2d3NYAu3moVtEPqQitQ2V/s1600/IMG_6015.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbcqMiT0QLpxHy-PldfW8MXPiH00UzD_k7-Fdh7nh0-NQm6WziRz3SxOllAd5t0CA1kq_QBrevX96pSi59LkcfWlbzRz1_J3yfq4Y8bAkmK3ETEIdYLvNs7lN58AiUFK6eO6MuFVzPWBi/s1600/IMG_6016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbcqMiT0QLpxHy-PldfW8MXPiH00UzD_k7-Fdh7nh0-NQm6WziRz3SxOllAd5t0CA1kq_QBrevX96pSi59LkcfWlbzRz1_J3yfq4Y8bAkmK3ETEIdYLvNs7lN58AiUFK6eO6MuFVzPWBi/s1600/IMG_6016.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
This next picture is just Mira in a nutshell. Fearless, sassy, fashionable.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmcCOzw5mA6XhJwt7NkMh51cOwFYs-kcfgm9tcNzNN-MhSJqSs0B2SDkpBYOxkBP9p1-XTnPWse0zuuTVoIKmSUUzL5dgUtASGJLi2rTNfW-VdJtcaQbnpWo7IhAKMDByvLtl3PryZiQA/s1600/IMG_6285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmcCOzw5mA6XhJwt7NkMh51cOwFYs-kcfgm9tcNzNN-MhSJqSs0B2SDkpBYOxkBP9p1-XTnPWse0zuuTVoIKmSUUzL5dgUtASGJLi2rTNfW-VdJtcaQbnpWo7IhAKMDByvLtl3PryZiQA/s1600/IMG_6285.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
A fun activity we've been doing lately is discovering new playgrounds to go to. It's been nice for me to get out of the house to do <i>something</i> and Mira thinks it's fun to find a new place to go. Plus she just needs lots of physical activity. She's so energetic and physically active and rough-and-tumble, but she's also emotional and dramatic, so we ended up with an interesting combination there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSBwTeoMa7MAmqXIrfOLbiX7nLEz39rDzSfbzmllb2Y0QNFnoyEUByWAbVgy6yruCt06PFppYWa6c_gidA44FOJ9MXPhvMtrGiCJcKX8KehsxIrd1wr4UUdnzivFDixszGzRmSmknp12o/s1600/IMG_6292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSBwTeoMa7MAmqXIrfOLbiX7nLEz39rDzSfbzmllb2Y0QNFnoyEUByWAbVgy6yruCt06PFppYWa6c_gidA44FOJ9MXPhvMtrGiCJcKX8KehsxIrd1wr4UUdnzivFDixszGzRmSmknp12o/s1600/IMG_6292.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3vBRB8jgp0-EuKsXFu-qZWX1Jzerct1dyasSqo9vwZEsS104kweAtpsHzGdGAGDj6FOXzOLJurTwcymLJEQ5QC8U5jj4rvaX_2-WO_b08humQPGX5PCIsPAPfBhKyvw1NL3u56FV4Xup/s1600/IMG_6293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3vBRB8jgp0-EuKsXFu-qZWX1Jzerct1dyasSqo9vwZEsS104kweAtpsHzGdGAGDj6FOXzOLJurTwcymLJEQ5QC8U5jj4rvaX_2-WO_b08humQPGX5PCIsPAPfBhKyvw1NL3u56FV4Xup/s1600/IMG_6293.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
As frustrating and exhausting as parenting this crazy child can be sometimes, it's definitely never boring.<br />
<br />
Late last month, Mark and I finally were able to take some time for ourselves and we went out to celebrate 12 years together. That's wild when you think about it - like, that's a crazy long time when you think about it! We went on a hike in the mountains, which also happened to coincide with the annual Wildflower Festival. So while the wildflowers were pretty, the view was ruined with all the other people who were also wanting to look at the wildflowers. Nature, for me, is ruined a bit with lots of people around. But it was still a beautiful hike, not horribly long or strenuous (which was good since Mark is still recovering from his hockey injury), and it had been a long time since we'd gone on a hike, which is something we both enjoy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fPP-6Mwvpvdr8W9JrdeKazZanV7mIuKSYZ1l6HW4W_TcVhaWgM-h5fKPjJOn059b6GCaP4xQoxhuYgk_9YiJMrwleYywLzvcpDEFwBiT383cqwv0pixGLH6uLV1Lra4PmdPj9NvKZUnu/s1600/DSCF1494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fPP-6Mwvpvdr8W9JrdeKazZanV7mIuKSYZ1l6HW4W_TcVhaWgM-h5fKPjJOn059b6GCaP4xQoxhuYgk_9YiJMrwleYywLzvcpDEFwBiT383cqwv0pixGLH6uLV1Lra4PmdPj9NvKZUnu/s1600/DSCF1494.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sJ24a2VUmcE_kuYxQCLsO9YKI02D985GxRElWc3uU91r62Ajn7kOE0EaX4caeP2wS_seG0dY_sda2DZ5Gwu5I2DtF21HscSF1T0Yd2Fz7sxW90ZbeHG5X-G1xdnF0v6TY-p4Zx0NEBnJ/s1600/DSCF1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sJ24a2VUmcE_kuYxQCLsO9YKI02D985GxRElWc3uU91r62Ajn7kOE0EaX4caeP2wS_seG0dY_sda2DZ5Gwu5I2DtF21HscSF1T0Yd2Fz7sxW90ZbeHG5X-G1xdnF0v6TY-p4Zx0NEBnJ/s1600/DSCF1495.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Rx_gnQqS4oneIu8rlbaMvguJM0lX4Ho27wF464zcCZaLMgqp3fbSUBkbCsf72W3tO88cQlp4pN_FzmXewQfmlPNqef_DNq4sUxoUtDHAIgeaA7s2dHvh5AlTC6QH-2k9yG7lKUcDhWKQ/s1600/DSCF1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Rx_gnQqS4oneIu8rlbaMvguJM0lX4Ho27wF464zcCZaLMgqp3fbSUBkbCsf72W3tO88cQlp4pN_FzmXewQfmlPNqef_DNq4sUxoUtDHAIgeaA7s2dHvh5AlTC6QH-2k9yG7lKUcDhWKQ/s1600/DSCF1496.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhpiOjxneZ34ZKub9dDgFwSXegt5O_ilDJZ_yRUgGhia1xHozCCpe0kz1um8uCExdo26NLgPd3kxLw59gz1Eu_6koJluMqrAmO7EUPGqt4MUzCf8oIFjb6lbnBbQGBLLBDp4fxyDMlnlT/s1600/DSCF1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhpiOjxneZ34ZKub9dDgFwSXegt5O_ilDJZ_yRUgGhia1xHozCCpe0kz1um8uCExdo26NLgPd3kxLw59gz1Eu_6koJluMqrAmO7EUPGqt4MUzCf8oIFjb6lbnBbQGBLLBDp4fxyDMlnlT/s1600/DSCF1498.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbpOtPRbqYd8Fa1s7wlLtuh-_KYw1VUbem6HN87RSqBfjNPrdQ3xQ8s5EidbG-t_6C_LgsY7Le1A6HZ-EVSDj14fKnrPvuf9a-od3bD-jLqACihkPHefl4NUEJF7S5gsAYobhb2hmqWHe/s1600/DSCF1500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbpOtPRbqYd8Fa1s7wlLtuh-_KYw1VUbem6HN87RSqBfjNPrdQ3xQ8s5EidbG-t_6C_LgsY7Le1A6HZ-EVSDj14fKnrPvuf9a-od3bD-jLqACihkPHefl4NUEJF7S5gsAYobhb2hmqWHe/s1600/DSCF1500.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1kM76SoyTi8ZiyKdGCPDumgOMbWhciwhwyeIbswz_itbI8cuSZtyHHLk8U7pkbfQNFDP0a_2hGB9eKwW-SYr6mCWYa87fB9QpKz043TGP6KfChcktYfsDo7qNSWvRWqJvYyGZxdMabc6/s1600/IMG_6228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1kM76SoyTi8ZiyKdGCPDumgOMbWhciwhwyeIbswz_itbI8cuSZtyHHLk8U7pkbfQNFDP0a_2hGB9eKwW-SYr6mCWYa87fB9QpKz043TGP6KfChcktYfsDo7qNSWvRWqJvYyGZxdMabc6/s1600/IMG_6228.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3zlmXRPs-bw3kSQdHAW-_dueLB_ycJjWS3z44rixxukeMApPSyl4qVMv2lCsriStdGXYVZWZjNFP-9MhcUvqnGaOB0QDkClo5nUFvZPaN7sS5ycYdb9CXHds3dQXuiWRm8BCCzlSymk7/s1600/IMG_6229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3zlmXRPs-bw3kSQdHAW-_dueLB_ycJjWS3z44rixxukeMApPSyl4qVMv2lCsriStdGXYVZWZjNFP-9MhcUvqnGaOB0QDkClo5nUFvZPaN7sS5ycYdb9CXHds3dQXuiWRm8BCCzlSymk7/s1600/IMG_6229.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIM6uliMn9f-zZXF8AbbKpVHhCkD945kQNSbQOCagx8n7J6Qm4gDXe6T7GhpWctmmS9s96M7kNECahAQBu2aIsy85tNNlyTcb6i9VDdt-xucbjD6YbBV0z7JtOPTLUaetqx-28PcHnt7S/s1600/IMG_6231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIM6uliMn9f-zZXF8AbbKpVHhCkD945kQNSbQOCagx8n7J6Qm4gDXe6T7GhpWctmmS9s96M7kNECahAQBu2aIsy85tNNlyTcb6i9VDdt-xucbjD6YbBV0z7JtOPTLUaetqx-28PcHnt7S/s1600/IMG_6231.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMeK4KmGbJqdRYN1OMo0VOXOwSg9ET43hdJhhETjYru2gd69C76czBgxe4h84Cj3pG_dtZ6X9PBiPZU1CO3ciATVdAwlnTI2wzT8vblsspzkow1qdTao7B8efNwA7in1HITW03u1u_R2B/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMeK4KmGbJqdRYN1OMo0VOXOwSg9ET43hdJhhETjYru2gd69C76czBgxe4h84Cj3pG_dtZ6X9PBiPZU1CO3ciATVdAwlnTI2wzT8vblsspzkow1qdTao7B8efNwA7in1HITW03u1u_R2B/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VprrHA71F9qzPvwUmHgvRTab5-dFjxWYEhIH-m_tLJBo7-8NVBaaGwgIOxtJAkJpSI7CIS5IV0axNPVWkHkgh0m4UNXOE-uXgmsQwBriAWkrbaOkSBkHTLGvwG5bP8-PWQASAdYj3_Ii/s1600/DSCF1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VprrHA71F9qzPvwUmHgvRTab5-dFjxWYEhIH-m_tLJBo7-8NVBaaGwgIOxtJAkJpSI7CIS5IV0axNPVWkHkgh0m4UNXOE-uXgmsQwBriAWkrbaOkSBkHTLGvwG5bP8-PWQASAdYj3_Ii/s1600/DSCF1506.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37Rs4xZ3j3iOFYfmrwhAQSVOOoObTY1WCQYg8_6FHajYoN8dE1aJHA-wbDgy05mASX_P5Xg_l49zLA1_bRz_vM3sMRnVbCykOt8C7afpduoCGkCyd-e6GvfiBKLTy2kjD5bc2Ldzlan_9/s1600/DSCF1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37Rs4xZ3j3iOFYfmrwhAQSVOOoObTY1WCQYg8_6FHajYoN8dE1aJHA-wbDgy05mASX_P5Xg_l49zLA1_bRz_vM3sMRnVbCykOt8C7afpduoCGkCyd-e6GvfiBKLTy2kjD5bc2Ldzlan_9/s1600/DSCF1508.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCaSrA4hCfrdCUeD4I696bfGOJhepJhec3N3CnsqtlRPGekwtllnpqqQS5isSY_HS2jF2E0FfhQg1Uge4ggiw20hdTWEjIDcc-ueQHz-KfAFZc_0SQ_EER-4ogb3NqMNnjDA_OkFyZt5P/s1600/IMG_6234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCaSrA4hCfrdCUeD4I696bfGOJhepJhec3N3CnsqtlRPGekwtllnpqqQS5isSY_HS2jF2E0FfhQg1Uge4ggiw20hdTWEjIDcc-ueQHz-KfAFZc_0SQ_EER-4ogb3NqMNnjDA_OkFyZt5P/s1600/IMG_6234.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm usually not a fan of selfies but I made an exception because of the sceneery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKos6kBpw3fzg-jC-gGHam7q1UC744DmOPieO6mPd8pQIB8v8idRgSowM8iQ4Raro6CKHsOj2IDGNAawjbMZnbnxPWi47pmXTLujg_e8-LobquHyJRUOS6ReuD5otv2BfwSzhQBwDYF6Z/s1600/IMG_6236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKos6kBpw3fzg-jC-gGHam7q1UC744DmOPieO6mPd8pQIB8v8idRgSowM8iQ4Raro6CKHsOj2IDGNAawjbMZnbnxPWi47pmXTLujg_e8-LobquHyJRUOS6ReuD5otv2BfwSzhQBwDYF6Z/s1600/IMG_6236.JPG" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
And then that evening we splurged and did our next favorite date, which is dress up and try out a new place to eat. We went to a martini bar called Twigs that had about 30 different martinis to choose from, plus very nice food. We may have found our new favorite hangout - for when we have the time and money to hang out at nice restaurants more often, anyway.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8U6LL4y5rVW8NzcVcvxkb6G9I07idKjfFS-NwKZ0HVD2d_ohTqlXEkvyAbnJ64jfEQggTyJsEUWs8czG5nxxTiynVBwOdIxc1SLVI_n0rrZlU1qeUjkfaav8WWevStU0aably8syEThe/s1600/IMG_6237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8U6LL4y5rVW8NzcVcvxkb6G9I07idKjfFS-NwKZ0HVD2d_ohTqlXEkvyAbnJ64jfEQggTyJsEUWs8czG5nxxTiynVBwOdIxc1SLVI_n0rrZlU1qeUjkfaav8WWevStU0aably8syEThe/s1600/IMG_6237.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPKxRedN7Cj3JXWkGNHgpVLYOKKXnhdlHEte1Y_rzlfaYEl-3FV6GZnTf7r0YwTX0HSBMw08e4UhCFKHs0m30zU652wBSb0ifdK8IIUKjyh1jmP5Gh7L4wocxNrcnd33Iy4ncixIFIPj1/s1600/IMG_6238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPKxRedN7Cj3JXWkGNHgpVLYOKKXnhdlHEte1Y_rzlfaYEl-3FV6GZnTf7r0YwTX0HSBMw08e4UhCFKHs0m30zU652wBSb0ifdK8IIUKjyh1jmP5Gh7L4wocxNrcnd33Iy4ncixIFIPj1/s1600/IMG_6238.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And lastly, our mutant vegetable garden. It's been unusually rainy the last month and these tomato plants just won't stop growing!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyajoTbOfX_RsYUv4JWq-bsUdye5QnfLM1ZM9mW6FF61KCi2q-Xs2xxLbiEpfX-Tb7BTiw9tGOobqxpclBC_BHM6At51zIa6DPK0RnQ9x1vHPYTUcQueHRsZGlNkblYitT_QwgueFn4MHe/s1600/IMG_6243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyajoTbOfX_RsYUv4JWq-bsUdye5QnfLM1ZM9mW6FF61KCi2q-Xs2xxLbiEpfX-Tb7BTiw9tGOobqxpclBC_BHM6At51zIa6DPK0RnQ9x1vHPYTUcQueHRsZGlNkblYitT_QwgueFn4MHe/s1600/IMG_6243.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a couple weeks ago and they're even taller, wider and denser now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_5-2Mvd4OoZt6qcvDjQnLqkiLENexQPSOZSC0zNuz5mbi8vaQaJONyjGsdspgICU3issN6TSNSNCZq57MW4ABX-MnQIWGEKMqtrCCLnYs4mWAJu3suq0j49BfA9UHXMUby7dralq6pCN/s1600/IMG_6258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_5-2Mvd4OoZt6qcvDjQnLqkiLENexQPSOZSC0zNuz5mbi8vaQaJONyjGsdspgICU3issN6TSNSNCZq57MW4ABX-MnQIWGEKMqtrCCLnYs4mWAJu3suq0j49BfA9UHXMUby7dralq6pCN/s1600/IMG_6258.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our zucchini plant, which so far has given us 4 very large zucchinis already.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB5ULbzRdDT5_bjwyV8zQ4DROxUIauUNIbrAvvYd54jbxyEbpg1QyzccUwIlbhNhrIGoaphjhBAxahcHZ1EWT8g6uSj985QY-FjP6cRWkPqd-EW5Xk9_N0si1q_4vbl1MskgNkDB0YBOR/s1600/IMG_6259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB5ULbzRdDT5_bjwyV8zQ4DROxUIauUNIbrAvvYd54jbxyEbpg1QyzccUwIlbhNhrIGoaphjhBAxahcHZ1EWT8g6uSj985QY-FjP6cRWkPqd-EW5Xk9_N0si1q_4vbl1MskgNkDB0YBOR/s1600/IMG_6259.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyBFSZGyuykUu0pzdQZ1yUEmau-fnpdlNuggIkKROK1OOqGh6ZGHJplG5FaJLW9OdYzrmCPcLYAyf5uOgA7DCZNQMlJ1mlZKE_-tZDPNHqwn61xB2IocqAUa534uPlUDOv85z6Ni35_B9/s1600/IMG_6283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyBFSZGyuykUu0pzdQZ1yUEmau-fnpdlNuggIkKROK1OOqGh6ZGHJplG5FaJLW9OdYzrmCPcLYAyf5uOgA7DCZNQMlJ1mlZKE_-tZDPNHqwn61xB2IocqAUa534uPlUDOv85z6Ni35_B9/s1600/IMG_6283.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUunuQMuNwlYwNiyOdXpR1auPar2lw8LzFSTdFtWQEh4BlBwZmCAJ6-q2012wNBTz_WnckvsCvRjD70gobn51o1f68khhyphenhypheng4n5g_ukmfL0QhqFyJS_d9QlFJsgRCTd_zsD9ZuaijzjbE_/s1600/IMG_6284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUunuQMuNwlYwNiyOdXpR1auPar2lw8LzFSTdFtWQEh4BlBwZmCAJ6-q2012wNBTz_WnckvsCvRjD70gobn51o1f68khhyphenhypheng4n5g_ukmfL0QhqFyJS_d9QlFJsgRCTd_zsD9ZuaijzjbE_/s1600/IMG_6284.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Now try to imagine about 50 green tomatoes and branches so thick and heavy they're dragging on the ground. I think I will not be incorrect when I say we will have WAY more tomatoes than we'll know what to do with this year. I think we're going to learn how to make our own tomato sauce so we can freeze it and store it for awhile. Mira keeps asking when the tomatoes will be ready (she LOVES tomatoes), and I have to keep reminding her that when the tomatoes turn red they'll be ready but since they're small and green they won't taste good right now. Mira will point at a bunch of small tomatoes, clasp her little hands together, and say, "Aawww, it's my size!" Anything small is "her size." But then she'll tell a story about how "Me was a teeny baby, and me got way way big, and now me is all growed up!" So she's tiny but she's also all grown up.<br />
<br />
Like I said, never boring around here. I might complain, but I do like some excitement in my life, I suppose.<br />
<br />
Wally just wants a good nap.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8mqfDxVtgYnjXuKRuxUkKvdqJ0L1mXdGqAo-MdvGOUS94ENgN0dsVjcl_xgUQ050BkocQeuto0dRwm0GHoinFRWJLU0PXFFHXDc3Tm45Jt9_IBrrIq9MV1uIm34Kgu_JcwAPUIJ099Oq/s1600/IMG_5991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8mqfDxVtgYnjXuKRuxUkKvdqJ0L1mXdGqAo-MdvGOUS94ENgN0dsVjcl_xgUQ050BkocQeuto0dRwm0GHoinFRWJLU0PXFFHXDc3Tm45Jt9_IBrrIq9MV1uIm34Kgu_JcwAPUIJ099Oq/s1600/IMG_5991.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-33994718040354736182014-07-24T22:47:00.001-07:002014-07-24T22:47:10.789-07:00I Don't Know How We Do It, EitherLately when I tell people how our family's schedule is looking these days, the most frequent response I get is for eyes to enlarge in bewilderment, heads to shake and I am told, "I don't know how you do it." Well, most days it involves watching the clock, desperately counting down the minutes until it's another day passed, because another day gone is one day closer to things settling down.<br />
<br />
Mark officially passed his CNA certification, and he got a job at a local care center. Check him out in his new uniform!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V2dEJIATax399fJeTypCbFlK1RPuLLu0yyCMxCWOfeJIR8w2r_MqRCOh5s6FdKQKaxyQG9iVAuK9VVAoPHWbd6Cp_uMDKozkeDehZhA-A1d9sw3iiDMGylW-Sh68Rbx7Rbme7DyCyB1O/s1600/DSCF1472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V2dEJIATax399fJeTypCbFlK1RPuLLu0yyCMxCWOfeJIR8w2r_MqRCOh5s6FdKQKaxyQG9iVAuK9VVAoPHWbd6Cp_uMDKozkeDehZhA-A1d9sw3iiDMGylW-Sh68Rbx7Rbme7DyCyB1O/s1600/DSCF1472.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
A lot different from his previous work uniform, I'd say. After he'd been working as a CNA for a few days I asked him what he thought of it. His response was, "It's a lot easier than I thought it would be." Well, yeah, being a CNA isn't innately <i>difficult</i>, the job itself is easy, but the hard part is the physical labor. Mark, being the healthy strapping male specimen that he is, isn't having much difficulty with the physical demands of the job (that was the difficult part for me way back when I was a CNA - I like to think I'm Superwoman sometimes but I am not physically capable of turning and transferring totally dependent people weighing 400+ pounds by myself). He is, however, having some difficulty with the questionable ethical practices of the management team. I am having lots of difficulty dealing with the schedule they put him on. So even though the extra money has been nice I think everybody will feel much better about this situation when Mark 1) starts working at a different facility/ in a hospital where there's more accountability, 2) starts school and drops to part time, 3) starts working a different shift, or 4) some combination of the above.<br />
<br />
Mark's shifts are 10 PM - 6 AM, 5 nights a week. I work 7 PM - 7 AM, 3 nights a week. Ally, our friend who in the past has been extremely helpful with childcare, is still extremely helpful at nights and the odd weekend but unfortunately, due to a schedule change, is not available during the weekdays. So what that leaves us with is Mark and I are both working graveyard shifts with no one consistently available to watch Mira during the day. Some days we've been able to get Mark's parents or my mom to watch Mira for a few hours so we can snatch a few hours of rest but more often than not, we have had to resort to switching off during the day every few hours. Unfortunately Mark gets the brunt of it because as he pointed out, if I'm doing back-to-back shifts I have much less time to sleep than he does. I've offered to break up my shifts to see if that will help but Mark has told me it's his fault we're in this situation so it's his duty to deal with it. I say we're in this as a family so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make life easier in the meantime but I've been too tired to really argue the issue so far. So in a nutshell, all I can say about life right now is it's kinda rough (okay it's a LOT rough) but as they say, I can sleep all I want when I'm dead.<br />
<br />
Mira, I hope, isn't picking up on our stress and exhaustion. I feel bad that I've been so bone tired these days that even the idea of taking her to the park feels about as overwhelming as hiking to the top of Mount Everest, so maybe it's in my favor that we're in the middle of triple-digit heat so it's not like going to the park would be that comfortable anyway. I feel bad that I'd had all these plans for fun things to do and places I wanted to take Mira and now, in the interest of paying our bills and buying groceries, we haven't been able to do those things. I try not to think about any of that because there will be more summers and things will calm down, but thanks to being chronically sleep-deprived molehills become mountains in my head and it's a depressing thought for me. I need to realize it's okay to not be an over-achiever and to not have to do <i>everything</i>. It's such a hard lesson for me. And honestly, Mira is happy and won't care as long as she's got her parents.<br />
<br />
And she is such a ham! I sometimes am taken by surprise at her sense of humor. One night I put her to bed, which usually isn't much of a struggle but this night she wanted to stay up. I kept telling her she had to stay in bed because it was night time and blah blah blah she wasn't listening anyway but I was obliged to spout it all off. I walked downstairs into the kitchen, and a few minutes later I walked back into the living room to see this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ToafA_hnxMxxkzeNwKC127pAtFKtXKLXuPK-Cul3ZU1ImeF89qFRiliZfayGAWoSAeQoPRj7xZGsgn1yAo3GlJ6nuTFWQ3g2ouy0ljs6ooSfgf06Pebg2AcGdKn2enOKuyrcUdHF3Ppo/s1600/IMG_5967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ToafA_hnxMxxkzeNwKC127pAtFKtXKLXuPK-Cul3ZU1ImeF89qFRiliZfayGAWoSAeQoPRj7xZGsgn1yAo3GlJ6nuTFWQ3g2ouy0ljs6ooSfgf06Pebg2AcGdKn2enOKuyrcUdHF3Ppo/s1600/IMG_5967.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
That is Mira's laundry hamper. She had dumped out her dirty clothes, and crept downstairs under the hamper. I actually laughed out loud. It's hard to get upset at cuteness like that.<br />
<br />
Mira's expectations of me are actually not as high as I tend to think they are. I mean, one of the many highlights of her day can be something as simple as having a bowl of "white ice cream" (vanilla) outside on the steps. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4OZRVEfOk-L39_fGwme03p3dcflhOdDILrdT42SOqqXuupZMTleHNPJx1f-Xaapk1LTyF0GcMrdsRds15h104b_0bmc36WPOGxaTLNuF1n4oVdFQu3L-GBh8hD0i-1cWBkTulTjDuzQn/s1600/IMG_5970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4OZRVEfOk-L39_fGwme03p3dcflhOdDILrdT42SOqqXuupZMTleHNPJx1f-Xaapk1LTyF0GcMrdsRds15h104b_0bmc36WPOGxaTLNuF1n4oVdFQu3L-GBh8hD0i-1cWBkTulTjDuzQn/s1600/IMG_5970.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And sometimes all she needs to have fun is to nab my phone and take a bunch of pictures. I came home from work a few mornings ago and sat on the couch, which is a great way for you to realize how tired you are. Mira fished my phone out of my pocket and got this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwBxfWOMr1cphOHtFMHFlb09brhUHK4gLxYekwpM-JUNOcpRVFTF19BOGkvAUmWYiQNkiV3ABsNY3bocI9y9kZppHeAYJSyYeOuJdHea-TNo2hJV_h-ipTaGFN93CG3t4Yq1e1gYEafYz/s1600/IMG_6058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwBxfWOMr1cphOHtFMHFlb09brhUHK4gLxYekwpM-JUNOcpRVFTF19BOGkvAUmWYiQNkiV3ABsNY3bocI9y9kZppHeAYJSyYeOuJdHea-TNo2hJV_h-ipTaGFN93CG3t4Yq1e1gYEafYz/s1600/IMG_6058.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Mark asked her if she knew how to take a selfie. She took about 30 of them but these are my favorites.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-jN8AZ-mnISlpz2r9wHZUyJ8W_wJ_jJwt3lb_dh7qzbLuDp0dfisMWGut_MskIDtUVAXdQMVOJHc48q1GEJF3fGOexD2ceZV9MYkT3iXDOKpfpvHvUJSwVzSE3G2rb8cEbDps_nbH8S-/s1600/IMG_6068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-jN8AZ-mnISlpz2r9wHZUyJ8W_wJ_jJwt3lb_dh7qzbLuDp0dfisMWGut_MskIDtUVAXdQMVOJHc48q1GEJF3fGOexD2ceZV9MYkT3iXDOKpfpvHvUJSwVzSE3G2rb8cEbDps_nbH8S-/s1600/IMG_6068.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzbpzSPjJkv1R87TRVCd2jP_JGoyYUH_VhqMbbQpTTIeo9heCr2ZkXAjWWHq_6EwOBGw75snHCVxZFx0Q5fyJpt3E8_sDAE3fGvot-3eJ_JCAF8D0vMqTrvqMUXcDI1NQMfrWwbvjSZe2/s1600/IMG_6071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzbpzSPjJkv1R87TRVCd2jP_JGoyYUH_VhqMbbQpTTIeo9heCr2ZkXAjWWHq_6EwOBGw75snHCVxZFx0Q5fyJpt3E8_sDAE3fGvot-3eJ_JCAF8D0vMqTrvqMUXcDI1NQMfrWwbvjSZe2/s1600/IMG_6071.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-DDAP_OwJMhBtn6TipwyhvlUoUSZ2owiwN7zYOdQFt0WRPknSz9238PqakS8vLFoSFDuws3JdTRV3Hcvyx1VHaeEks_PqeZme-mo6tmtW5833GSTxrOekXytvn7rpPXJwl4reYSqw6zw/s1600/IMG_6084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-DDAP_OwJMhBtn6TipwyhvlUoUSZ2owiwN7zYOdQFt0WRPknSz9238PqakS8vLFoSFDuws3JdTRV3Hcvyx1VHaeEks_PqeZme-mo6tmtW5833GSTxrOekXytvn7rpPXJwl4reYSqw6zw/s1600/IMG_6084.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoHWDzy4aJBPp6DrxvUVDSRbKc7pjyuZfoFOw8PvyP3cABZxaqGazgZ-SlLmj-C847ETfQTE1-Odhs4Vm_iPmNLNPmh8pEgIUipsLDqthRymz0gNLrlAs4dvnodDkPXO9w8Bt1J7LrVlY/s1600/IMG_6085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoHWDzy4aJBPp6DrxvUVDSRbKc7pjyuZfoFOw8PvyP3cABZxaqGazgZ-SlLmj-C847ETfQTE1-Odhs4Vm_iPmNLNPmh8pEgIUipsLDqthRymz0gNLrlAs4dvnodDkPXO9w8Bt1J7LrVlY/s1600/IMG_6085.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj0IELaLuS15tA30DEKZqsLPZC5qEYd78cDWXHShwmgW-N9jowxMyfsNQfjkn7ZhHX8bdI0l_UoQZEv2HhNGfjUz3bdixm_WeeYM-_l-Jh4CPjSr5qVBWfRHIfGtu_fZHls1s0NoNYkZs/s1600/IMG_6086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj0IELaLuS15tA30DEKZqsLPZC5qEYd78cDWXHShwmgW-N9jowxMyfsNQfjkn7ZhHX8bdI0l_UoQZEv2HhNGfjUz3bdixm_WeeYM-_l-Jh4CPjSr5qVBWfRHIfGtu_fZHls1s0NoNYkZs/s1600/IMG_6086.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And then we took a family selfie. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UMWA7bL7HSsymv-FKM5wzGftsYdm1RcwyM2j787vGhJ5PyTh2rv_ME5G4IAH6qFVW4k5whj0cBxVq78NIDnic9Le5FK_egMUeAwaK38gV-TgzgzEAv4J3Cu-NkTCq4s4LqoMl7I-HYIe/s1600/IMG_6102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UMWA7bL7HSsymv-FKM5wzGftsYdm1RcwyM2j787vGhJ5PyTh2rv_ME5G4IAH6qFVW4k5whj0cBxVq78NIDnic9Le5FK_egMUeAwaK38gV-TgzgzEAv4J3Cu-NkTCq4s4LqoMl7I-HYIe/s1600/IMG_6102.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And sometimes, just spending the day with Grandma and munching on an apple will do the trick.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm4YP8Bynlri72-5wOPgCg8OdZ0-qaWImydU1IBYjIWGBPK17YesZayogvRogOACQk13KJdVZ_cMD_ffrxuSojXMgZVj4FFZOPaBpV3qHfjNKHMobUTXThs9ZAAcOXJecIWd3sBcpIGQu/s1600/IMG_6106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm4YP8Bynlri72-5wOPgCg8OdZ0-qaWImydU1IBYjIWGBPK17YesZayogvRogOACQk13KJdVZ_cMD_ffrxuSojXMgZVj4FFZOPaBpV3qHfjNKHMobUTXThs9ZAAcOXJecIWd3sBcpIGQu/s1600/IMG_6106.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
See, I don't need to make tons of plans and take her lots of different places to make her happy. She <i>is</i> happy and I sure don't feel like I'm doing a whole hell of a lot to make that happen! So there you go. <br />
<br />
And conversing with her can be entertainment by itself. One evening she was getting really frustrated with a princess outfit she was wearing. The skirt wasn't doing what she wanted it to do or something, I don't know what her problem was, but she was getting more and more frustrated and was right on the edge of having a full-blown tantrum about it. After trying patiently for awhile to talk her through it without much success I finally commented, "Someone's getting tired." Mira looked at me and says, "You?" <br />
<br />
Also, attitude. Not sure where this comes from. I asked her to do something, like put a toy away or some such business.<br />
<br />
Mira: "No, Mom!"<br />
<br />
Me: <warningly> "Mira."<br />
<br />
Mira: <dramatic eye roll> "<i>Ugghh</i>!! <i>TAY</i>, Mom!" <stomps off pouting to do the bidding of her Big Mean Mom> (Also, tay = okay.)<br />
<br />
Another time, Mira was playing on the iPad and had the volume up higher than I liked.<br />
<br />
Me: "Mira, could you turn the volume down on the iPad please?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Ummmmmmmm.... No."<br />
<br />
At least I asked.<br />
<br />
Mark told me today that before we had Mira he had thought a lot about what our kid would be like. He says he always knew we would have a girl, and he pictured her having long, dark hair and a calm personality. At least we got the gender right but I dunno what happened after that! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
July means two holidays in Utah. I unfortunately worked the entire Fourth of July and that weekend so nothing fun happened there. But Pioneer Day of course rolls around and I had that off, so we still got to spend some extra time with family. Last night we went to Mark's parents' house with some other family members and had dinner, then watched the city fireworks from the yard. A storm just barely grazed past and the light was amazing. Of course the iPhone camera doesn't do it justice but still stunning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsGOXeqd7svjkYN5mn53sgNM1W8p7whXH1UC0ouSaIXP8ZC_GV8vsfQJqfe2nae99YNS8303GC6VPSCgrDfkO0sATrsPVH87CAMDCq14IXPvjYPftp_ShooOgQfv6WBp5IOj0eknIYaaj/s1600/IMG_6104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsGOXeqd7svjkYN5mn53sgNM1W8p7whXH1UC0ouSaIXP8ZC_GV8vsfQJqfe2nae99YNS8303GC6VPSCgrDfkO0sATrsPVH87CAMDCq14IXPvjYPftp_ShooOgQfv6WBp5IOj0eknIYaaj/s1600/IMG_6104.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEmP8JQC3RJSlv7ghyphenhyphenRrT0jPsptyKNVRi-FA7mxO4Lo_lXcG-G8OoH1M2AXP2M-5q-tnrEp4dkE2Zo17gv6zAloCdefvDxTRcId7w9CX8Hu7WmDspqQ8oR2gP_Rsl3Gn1qrq8VdwaMxWA/s1600/IMG_6105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEmP8JQC3RJSlv7ghyphenhyphenRrT0jPsptyKNVRi-FA7mxO4Lo_lXcG-G8OoH1M2AXP2M-5q-tnrEp4dkE2Zo17gv6zAloCdefvDxTRcId7w9CX8Hu7WmDspqQ8oR2gP_Rsl3Gn1qrq8VdwaMxWA/s1600/IMG_6105.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Today we slept in. In case you were curious, a three-year-old is just about as tall as our bed is wide. Mira doesn't sleep in bed with us very often but when she does I find it's one of the sweetest things. Then I took Mira to the community pool at my dad's condo. Mira was a little more cautious with the water at first but she had a lot of fun.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G_kRj6XF3DhJ9NvIxBcPKuCHIANSU9XpcPYZ1Jbzl_DCVYl6ypZ5BKDXNt9AgX4ncEP-fl5vFdOIB9hx7LW0N4Z2bfgvh6GvZCqjrJt7InMdgHSS69g41Cx6QlN0icNIJpeamAHG-m_e/s1600/DSCF1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_G_kRj6XF3DhJ9NvIxBcPKuCHIANSU9XpcPYZ1Jbzl_DCVYl6ypZ5BKDXNt9AgX4ncEP-fl5vFdOIB9hx7LW0N4Z2bfgvh6GvZCqjrJt7InMdgHSS69g41Cx6QlN0icNIJpeamAHG-m_e/s1600/DSCF1473.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjO14VnFg3YqNguI8bazkCtmo89SYS03F-ZWzVB_Z5OmCZBAoFJlZzfRalUdHvPwXfq70guqrF5ayqaNqF_0Rp2HrbNj3BBzb5OzLvH_rehBXSSNryIhHkVrxiVGfZ3GPQppt_jWO0laP/s1600/DSCF1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjO14VnFg3YqNguI8bazkCtmo89SYS03F-ZWzVB_Z5OmCZBAoFJlZzfRalUdHvPwXfq70guqrF5ayqaNqF_0Rp2HrbNj3BBzb5OzLvH_rehBXSSNryIhHkVrxiVGfZ3GPQppt_jWO0laP/s1600/DSCF1475.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPILqduSqESmcQU7WCrL6SzrDHP5-vO2K2SoyimiR0a8k4DM4lHojmpX-JmyNRygtHmA4fb5IxMYubcYsyK9eNkazpQ-JxF4dhDNm4givjIOMmBjlempgUQRzHu0Rq6Bz0q7qdDKATzva/s1600/DSCF1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPILqduSqESmcQU7WCrL6SzrDHP5-vO2K2SoyimiR0a8k4DM4lHojmpX-JmyNRygtHmA4fb5IxMYubcYsyK9eNkazpQ-JxF4dhDNm4givjIOMmBjlempgUQRzHu0Rq6Bz0q7qdDKATzva/s1600/DSCF1476.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWw1AKYAITun4dfQabQ1W9ZVQ-FYuMFJjKlg0ONbD7gRE3I30l8y4N-LjNKtO830ZrklRkPpoivJu3-WInKGdgNbgkYWDCTey8KyI9kb-u2oNlYBpi0A3l_zYnGuf6w81ZzMX1UGkWMPH/s1600/DSCF1477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWw1AKYAITun4dfQabQ1W9ZVQ-FYuMFJjKlg0ONbD7gRE3I30l8y4N-LjNKtO830ZrklRkPpoivJu3-WInKGdgNbgkYWDCTey8KyI9kb-u2oNlYBpi0A3l_zYnGuf6w81ZzMX1UGkWMPH/s1600/DSCF1477.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8okb7HatHaCrvWt-349zuEkkXxWlTPt-1ptMXiQLtAQV7d7kY_C3uo-88npu03jVY51j68YhgJFzGg0brwCDrVH7Ovw4JcoD1ZsVLUIKKCSaVgb5lESYeb46egpbQng2fqCgZ7OKrcz0/s1600/DSCF1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8okb7HatHaCrvWt-349zuEkkXxWlTPt-1ptMXiQLtAQV7d7kY_C3uo-88npu03jVY51j68YhgJFzGg0brwCDrVH7Ovw4JcoD1ZsVLUIKKCSaVgb5lESYeb46egpbQng2fqCgZ7OKrcz0/s1600/DSCF1478.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK4fMeMPDgg2N0cq0bFQbjS5xhCSN8hAder6VNJ6r2rz77l1Zekvz8bBxF4hGOz5HzhqOnn_ta2sNpRL5kBF9VwVEDjJvl2HSnmryt02802R0vFuG975pQVyg24sTnDfSef2Sgr_s9K3p/s1600/DSCF1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBK4fMeMPDgg2N0cq0bFQbjS5xhCSN8hAder6VNJ6r2rz77l1Zekvz8bBxF4hGOz5HzhqOnn_ta2sNpRL5kBF9VwVEDjJvl2HSnmryt02802R0vFuG975pQVyg24sTnDfSef2Sgr_s9K3p/s1600/DSCF1480.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She sure loves her grandpa!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsB6ySPOHGpo7Dzc6BrgUJDypg9FAk3bctrEzCd-B6S3GMugfTxr2GgXfETJpnlikfQ6YIrB8UyC8BleZjVFTbshyHd7KNalEPNIdGo0kgukAJJ9hsym0wBFEB5ppPjOBM4ohwnTC4Xci/s1600/DSCF1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsB6ySPOHGpo7Dzc6BrgUJDypg9FAk3bctrEzCd-B6S3GMugfTxr2GgXfETJpnlikfQ6YIrB8UyC8BleZjVFTbshyHd7KNalEPNIdGo0kgukAJJ9hsym0wBFEB5ppPjOBM4ohwnTC4Xci/s1600/DSCF1483.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She would swing from the pole and cry out, "Save me! Save me!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38vAUATEquYirq4oCmfXwnqhzJ6lbJDF1inUoMoVdYRZmdN8G1kiq-5enA9mQHXsYMLvgAddl9vjSna5bMBD-zSxdziJkSNfPp7hLimR2bQZltJBh23SM3YHYnO9Tj0Jqd-qUlXLjNaKX/s1600/DSCF1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38vAUATEquYirq4oCmfXwnqhzJ6lbJDF1inUoMoVdYRZmdN8G1kiq-5enA9mQHXsYMLvgAddl9vjSna5bMBD-zSxdziJkSNfPp7hLimR2bQZltJBh23SM3YHYnO9Tj0Jqd-qUlXLjNaKX/s1600/DSCF1485.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auntie Sara to the rescue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiXoIsLc2Xqekm8OfV4eHVtR5zKXc5VD0Ft-4NloV66Ggz2VCWkuSlppWJJkqfARnSu5TiM33UfKpGJAHj6W0MFuqOHmXYSlishYOmMVId_iYGfC13adicKMOR2f8e331KqPtAEc0P2cx/s1600/DSCF1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiXoIsLc2Xqekm8OfV4eHVtR5zKXc5VD0Ft-4NloV66Ggz2VCWkuSlppWJJkqfARnSu5TiM33UfKpGJAHj6W0MFuqOHmXYSlishYOmMVId_iYGfC13adicKMOR2f8e331KqPtAEc0P2cx/s1600/DSCF1486.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2hmJG5fAewj7Nkj_aQIjeJdNEiMHdzHL689FmmWQd1lxR70w7h_DllxiQaQHvXxu6HuND75q6bSnbomAzoG_cw1BeL_Wr4ujHzvXov1oSM6oDzsTo00piE-zdJ4qTxjaz5A9iWWkyC1K/s1600/DSCF1487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2hmJG5fAewj7Nkj_aQIjeJdNEiMHdzHL689FmmWQd1lxR70w7h_DllxiQaQHvXxu6HuND75q6bSnbomAzoG_cw1BeL_Wr4ujHzvXov1oSM6oDzsTo00piE-zdJ4qTxjaz5A9iWWkyC1K/s1600/DSCF1487.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfHma77MXuDE-0BSDWrUvWt5vMV2FBmijnjh09o0OKrzwSVlBW4o2FNWQWNGnOLfSiNZOuL6GX8r9qr6-BvmXwoWdVEgstg-Ud0nqxTajP3pJTMMI6sh5jO9xzpYAGrbDm-vzQcIO8or4/s1600/DSCF1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfHma77MXuDE-0BSDWrUvWt5vMV2FBmijnjh09o0OKrzwSVlBW4o2FNWQWNGnOLfSiNZOuL6GX8r9qr6-BvmXwoWdVEgstg-Ud0nqxTajP3pJTMMI6sh5jO9xzpYAGrbDm-vzQcIO8or4/s1600/DSCF1488.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u_HTPEf6pFE4OqdZA4D78DEJnraKokwFineCLqvbt5AL82SKGPxs9d5c2GivYp38L0y4KeTZ4am6FWh7MynKxa8lrXjdEy-B8I1rd5qSApbEesyxx6imz6vGQjEu9UbVEIbQ1lfXFPxX/s1600/DSCF1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u_HTPEf6pFE4OqdZA4D78DEJnraKokwFineCLqvbt5AL82SKGPxs9d5c2GivYp38L0y4KeTZ4am6FWh7MynKxa8lrXjdEy-B8I1rd5qSApbEesyxx6imz6vGQjEu9UbVEIbQ1lfXFPxX/s1600/DSCF1491.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9oZSYqyq2uh5M32VWlkCWgSBj9cnSzbjUg8xhG_5KHFOSP7sLnJbIaui4VgOGz_9NVTwyki4o4GXzVE8cUaqTJciUQ85FK9VsbuUadpLhRd4dQcJAahhDhS4eclX0Vpu5T5RrUQlIN9Vt/s1600/DSCF1493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9oZSYqyq2uh5M32VWlkCWgSBj9cnSzbjUg8xhG_5KHFOSP7sLnJbIaui4VgOGz_9NVTwyki4o4GXzVE8cUaqTJciUQ85FK9VsbuUadpLhRd4dQcJAahhDhS4eclX0Vpu5T5RrUQlIN9Vt/s1600/DSCF1493.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No fear of the deep end!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eventually things will get easier. We'll figure something out. At least when Mark starts classes he'll drop to part-time so in some ways that will help our schedule. I should mention that Mark is thinking now that instead of being a scrub tech he's going to do nursing school to become an RN. For not a whole lot more extra school, we're looking at more job opportunities, and much better pay. We still need to pound out the details because unlike scrub tech, nursing school has prerequisite classes that we'll need to factor in, so this will be a longer time commitment but the payoff will be better. I've always thought he would be a great nurse so I'm secretly (but not so secretly now, obviously) very excited, and as always so proud of him. He'll do great. (He claimed he could never be a nurse because after hearing me talk about my job he's convinced he's not smart enough to be a nurse. I countered with a story of a home health nurse I did clinicals with back in nursing school who was convinced that caffeine is a vasodilator, and if she could pass the NCLEX, Mark definitely was smart enough to be a nurse. And let's not even get into a NICU nurse who though an albuterol nebulizer would be absorbed through the patient's eyeballs. Clearly, passing the NCLEX is not the best indicator of how smart a nurse is.) <br />
<br />
On that note, a few nights ago at work I demonstrated why nurses shouldn't be allowed to play with sharp objects when I tried to cut a pill in half and ended up slicing my fingers open. This is why we can't find the staplers, we can't be trusted with them. (Needles are still okay though.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEGgZpiKR5EQEN6vEZ_5ixu_HLGls7jLgmvsgO3cH3YfCm52bmb_EZqJvEFQpJ0W8PagRmQ9JFz8eSiXf6VrxbCmJm_XZtXsmyzM9DRVEvAmnYb5r01xbTXoCLBTLJXI-g7CwsqbaT7mf/s1600/IMG_6019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEGgZpiKR5EQEN6vEZ_5ixu_HLGls7jLgmvsgO3cH3YfCm52bmb_EZqJvEFQpJ0W8PagRmQ9JFz8eSiXf6VrxbCmJm_XZtXsmyzM9DRVEvAmnYb5r01xbTXoCLBTLJXI-g7CwsqbaT7mf/s1600/IMG_6019.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-68586616326623553982014-06-29T23:50:00.002-07:002014-06-29T23:50:34.175-07:00Trying to Stay Busy (And Succeeding)The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity, thanks to nice weather and a little girl who doesn't do well being stuck inside. We're in that nice little interim when it's hot enough to enjoy playing outside for most of the day but not so hot that you give up with being outside after about 10 AM (that will hit soon with the triple digits). We've been hitting lots of playgrounds and the splash pad, or sometimes we keep it simple and hang out at home. Either way Mira is loving it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-q7bKQ4tw4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hq9oXlpzL14?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdeBD8nvGkl7BOf_TIB4wS20kyewgi0erkBf2gAjatWdIkRZDhgI1OMbWvqTO7Nj_AYQPYproOTgVcQMr8bKo1kPqem96-vOqtWYTsnmhqHNtSRsPwUI-yGUzMajihJ7NqZKGv2tvkMk3/s1600/IMG_5775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdeBD8nvGkl7BOf_TIB4wS20kyewgi0erkBf2gAjatWdIkRZDhgI1OMbWvqTO7Nj_AYQPYproOTgVcQMr8bKo1kPqem96-vOqtWYTsnmhqHNtSRsPwUI-yGUzMajihJ7NqZKGv2tvkMk3/s1600/IMG_5775.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying a popsicle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzal9HfC4yQdjAps6QBP2mnQbSaMSbj87Q-EVm4wCswAmp5uiwNeoG9X8U6p9M0ho2iFAOVlSd__7_qS672GlhgAkA-exS5eWAh8LByJVV5zl4s9HZPpkB21rTRg_PmkBAtndlyMrTQyn/s1600/IMG_5860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzal9HfC4yQdjAps6QBP2mnQbSaMSbj87Q-EVm4wCswAmp5uiwNeoG9X8U6p9M0ho2iFAOVlSd__7_qS672GlhgAkA-exS5eWAh8LByJVV5zl4s9HZPpkB21rTRg_PmkBAtndlyMrTQyn/s1600/IMG_5860.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would like to point out Mira's excellent fashion sense. Who would have thought to pair a sundress with fur boots?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzN6AAtARnKi4Xljf-wnz5lqQZTFJef6Dirot2R-sZQLf5vvB1j_WTsYLN1bk78KhuDvfuQCe_9h-H7tqlDMSpv0qfvWiLJUJwO9yLIT1SsjOGhMaGjv1j8D3aCP_R43Vzvma_O-aRDXf/s1600/IMG_5884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzN6AAtARnKi4Xljf-wnz5lqQZTFJef6Dirot2R-sZQLf5vvB1j_WTsYLN1bk78KhuDvfuQCe_9h-H7tqlDMSpv0qfvWiLJUJwO9yLIT1SsjOGhMaGjv1j8D3aCP_R43Vzvma_O-aRDXf/s1600/IMG_5884.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark started a precedent. Now every time he mows Mira insists on helping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We've also let Grandma have a turn with Mira so Mommy can get some rest.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7vqIZhgtN3He2IoHXmEw7y495tG3VG3TzlxIdi_I_zLFdchlCArT8adIkEAoFcrA674SGX7q1-hCvp9CJDw-KRL0DH6ry10qRnUghnMqGykTOOc1fueJ3rEVF-LdzDtoaG2vW3vrMaoI/s1600/IMG_5783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7vqIZhgtN3He2IoHXmEw7y495tG3VG3TzlxIdi_I_zLFdchlCArT8adIkEAoFcrA674SGX7q1-hCvp9CJDw-KRL0DH6ry10qRnUghnMqGykTOOc1fueJ3rEVF-LdzDtoaG2vW3vrMaoI/s1600/IMG_5783.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
One day we hung out at my sister Sara's house so we could introduce my family to the movie <i>Frozen</i>. Mira sang along with all the songs but if anyone else tried to join in she told us, "NO!" most emphatically. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZuThe_XDOxGZ3ClZuoflFkZpZQCLu6gu4maJqMITZ-uUoj6V_4jy7-ulqpRlYw7xoCpZ_xnAttw95DeyY96bhPwla5lmtYl-UriFmhyu3QYIDl24RfiLej2TnR9FoEfhQxshh6Phg2S4/s1600/IMG_5770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZuThe_XDOxGZ3ClZuoflFkZpZQCLu6gu4maJqMITZ-uUoj6V_4jy7-ulqpRlYw7xoCpZ_xnAttw95DeyY96bhPwla5lmtYl-UriFmhyu3QYIDl24RfiLej2TnR9FoEfhQxshh6Phg2S4/s1600/IMG_5770.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
The aftermath of all this activity hopefully ends up looking like this.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE9-SunsVmBva8hjKP5DOFk8dKcXj0drsmj8lFTzT7xa1I6orJmR7b6DRESV54k35SpI3ZSCpLW9UVR5dlib7af-H9wXDW-wZWADvKaAhNsRQIVwD5ugXhS-jFOKl26s4CzEnWiLhkrc3/s1600/IMG_5771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE9-SunsVmBva8hjKP5DOFk8dKcXj0drsmj8lFTzT7xa1I6orJmR7b6DRESV54k35SpI3ZSCpLW9UVR5dlib7af-H9wXDW-wZWADvKaAhNsRQIVwD5ugXhS-jFOKl26s4CzEnWiLhkrc3/s1600/IMG_5771.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Mira is in that terrible stage where she still really needs a nap every day but she won't take one, so by the end of the day she is an absolute monster because she is so tired. Every once in awhile, if she's tired enough, I can take her to bed with me (our room is really dark so sleeping after a night shift is possible) and she'll fall asleep with me, then I can sneak out and let her rest while I get stuff done. Or I'll nap too. I seriously regret all those missed naptime opportunities as a child.<br />
<br />
If she's not tired enough to actually fall asleep near the end of the day we can still sometimes get her to settle down and snuggle - which just makes us all kinds of happy. Snuggles with your kid is one of life's best experiences.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXfclzmPb53rbQ1Rxb99DJE7rM5ZGPryTspgedYm0kPxsrXnREwmhmp8KcoIy9AazVk7E0-GIlSg0q4FXIqWm4hYaLYjYyp_mFHytuYZZHn9o_ehll0pZfmSQK8n0OtBrXd6iUlbH-UW/s1600/DSCF1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXfclzmPb53rbQ1Rxb99DJE7rM5ZGPryTspgedYm0kPxsrXnREwmhmp8KcoIy9AazVk7E0-GIlSg0q4FXIqWm4hYaLYjYyp_mFHytuYZZHn9o_ehll0pZfmSQK8n0OtBrXd6iUlbH-UW/s1600/DSCF1363.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iEQdOXdd1k5p5ldujT4VwfXtxxIbpgWikAKa3yW12vaTlVbE5_Uz3TwhL6u67oKnQ4xqEjCcEkG6tW1LiL1yGuP2m-dTE7WgbRH3tYhfXmTYMAsRGQ3uzxKbRdRDTUJKBGD3TANV-oT2/s1600/S0371362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iEQdOXdd1k5p5ldujT4VwfXtxxIbpgWikAKa3yW12vaTlVbE5_Uz3TwhL6u67oKnQ4xqEjCcEkG6tW1LiL1yGuP2m-dTE7WgbRH3tYhfXmTYMAsRGQ3uzxKbRdRDTUJKBGD3TANV-oT2/s1600/S0371362.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
The worst is when we've both had a long day and even though I know Mira is exhausted she gets hyped up and fights sleep for the longest time. Mark must have taken these pictures while I was at work one night because I don't recall taking these but clearly Mira was enjoying being a goof at bedtime. I really admire how he can play with Mira and get all silly with her - I'm just not good at that. But I love watching them play together.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMI5G5O7joQt60Hvq5Lc_ian48sttHVoKo3GwDpzFPLb2FTLPWsGgzS6DBpak67P22gcl2xXL6f5jEz4nCrA8quojyxzRFF3N21eN0FIiMnGdDHGK0YYw4vbgtUyripPyovOqmn-Q5ozO/s1600/DSCF1339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMI5G5O7joQt60Hvq5Lc_ian48sttHVoKo3GwDpzFPLb2FTLPWsGgzS6DBpak67P22gcl2xXL6f5jEz4nCrA8quojyxzRFF3N21eN0FIiMnGdDHGK0YYw4vbgtUyripPyovOqmn-Q5ozO/s1600/DSCF1339.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aN73qiaScjbhdQS_b80DF7tzIyBegTK2hc4UcZggYEqpg_WYjyAtshZ6XhXY3NzlX2pGmsAkA-TFV0iLW-JKodLtQaI4Xa53yifRnLLOe62C2ypZokFA8Jfby-YvIUsdIXGogeKa_ElI/s1600/DSCF1340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aN73qiaScjbhdQS_b80DF7tzIyBegTK2hc4UcZggYEqpg_WYjyAtshZ6XhXY3NzlX2pGmsAkA-TFV0iLW-JKodLtQaI4Xa53yifRnLLOe62C2ypZokFA8Jfby-YvIUsdIXGogeKa_ElI/s1600/DSCF1340.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And now for some Mira quotes.<br />
<br />
Me: "What's your name?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Mee-ya!"<br />
<br />
Me: "Very good! How old are you?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Three!"<br />
<br />
Me: "Yes, you are three. How old will you be on your next birthday?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Four!"<br />
<br />
Me: "How old am I?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Two!"<br />
<br />
Me: "Really? Wow. I'm actually thirty."<br />
<br />
Mira: "No, you two."<br />
<br />
Mark: "How old am I?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Nine."<br />
<br />
Me: "Don't feel bad, ten's as high as she can count so you're not <i>that</i> old."<br />
<br />
Another time she was dancing around trying to make it as difficult as possible to get undressed before bedtime and after she took off her underwear she patted her backside.<br />
<br />
Mira: "Me little baby butt." *points at me* "You big big butt!"<br />
<br />
One day I wore a tee shirt with an open back and when Mira noticed she got very concerned.<br />
<br />
Mira: "Mommy! You's shirt is broken!"<br />
<br />
Me: "My shirt is broken? You mean because there's a hole?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Yeah!"<br />
<br />
Me: "Oh. It's actually supposed to be like that."<br />
<br />
Mira: "No, it's broken!"<br />
<br />
I've noticed trying to change Mira's mind about something gets about as much accomplished as telling with a brick wall to change into a herd of elephants.<br />
<br />
We decided to try our hand at gardening a bit this year so we planted what I'm calling our "salsa garden" in the front yard: cilantro, tomatoes, jalapenos and one habanero.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqDEv1nJ6RlwP785LeJXCtP61CPmF6SNvo4DScybM-PQllxqLR1vMpDj-QCbXLjiR3wXrKWoE04TC829PyuiDb7O1NMOVUqKgndglKJNX9smx7qqiVfC760x9nNyCmnDlHhK7ryj60HCT/s1600/IMG_5893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqDEv1nJ6RlwP785LeJXCtP61CPmF6SNvo4DScybM-PQllxqLR1vMpDj-QCbXLjiR3wXrKWoE04TC829PyuiDb7O1NMOVUqKgndglKJNX9smx7qqiVfC760x9nNyCmnDlHhK7ryj60HCT/s1600/IMG_5893.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Mark also went out and got me a zucchini plant a few days later because I love zucchini. So now we'll see if my self-described reputation as a plant hospice worker is well-earned or if enough Miracle-Gro will keep the plants alive anyway.<br />
<br />
And if you're wondering why our garden is in the front yard, it's because we don't want the chickens eating everything for us. Those chickens have got to be the most fowly (groan) spoiled poultry that ever lived. They think Mark is the Mama Hen because every time he walks around in the yard all six of them follow him everywhere. And when he sits on the trampoline they try to join him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrVcBa80krHtxtsW3DW9JC3e7kYUTB1raq8MAO2dyVn180duGbxP-3QXjp3fHvp9FKNJ68PUoU0T2mGL1szW2RKM3QLyuJdGoj-Cvf6cEnhsuFEnCqM6xIWORQLgeVGhw7A7lcEms5OCS/s1600/IMG_5858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrVcBa80krHtxtsW3DW9JC3e7kYUTB1raq8MAO2dyVn180duGbxP-3QXjp3fHvp9FKNJ68PUoU0T2mGL1szW2RKM3QLyuJdGoj-Cvf6cEnhsuFEnCqM6xIWORQLgeVGhw7A7lcEms5OCS/s1600/IMG_5858.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKeJmgkVV3MyZscaTrzs2hih049THKnuZ8MC1vTpYmcGnQ6ow83cjGedUnF0-72v83_JCJYywWuJCLbMx_VpJE8z3DUAcBtaitfnB_MC7Pn65F1X7nX11chSwlRLJ3yqjTtohwErumhx2/s1600/IMG_5859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKeJmgkVV3MyZscaTrzs2hih049THKnuZ8MC1vTpYmcGnQ6ow83cjGedUnF0-72v83_JCJYywWuJCLbMx_VpJE8z3DUAcBtaitfnB_MC7Pn65F1X7nX11chSwlRLJ3yqjTtohwErumhx2/s1600/IMG_5859.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We still have eggs up to our ears so spoiling them has its benefits. One day we got this bizarrely colored egg. We're not sure which hen it came from but I've never seen anything like this before.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixO24D3BVCMkPHqSgx2665KFAdjC8vUKRpV8rNmCFwQNbBDB45g-46jnbsI26YvPovvwtersTHexbQTSTd1LwsccG4QhfRuJW9rn7eCXYiwbUf6bpNATdTkfAcuVOXY0YqtDUG02wec_YN/s1600/IMG_5776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixO24D3BVCMkPHqSgx2665KFAdjC8vUKRpV8rNmCFwQNbBDB45g-46jnbsI26YvPovvwtersTHexbQTSTd1LwsccG4QhfRuJW9rn7eCXYiwbUf6bpNATdTkfAcuVOXY0YqtDUG02wec_YN/s1600/IMG_5776.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6F8bDS5PVrl28dGy3lg3OqfGuUJMxAPyABEUc4OEvqWVAFzKu8RzHyOQ585UpmKk5V1mHrMqhZ5FDEi-8XWwVVuQTwz8CRoF-lc8CYqhmN_ZTzzjRjcAEkhIpcmORF8R3DKWywW-V17K/s1600/IMG_5777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6F8bDS5PVrl28dGy3lg3OqfGuUJMxAPyABEUc4OEvqWVAFzKu8RzHyOQ585UpmKk5V1mHrMqhZ5FDEi-8XWwVVuQTwz8CRoF-lc8CYqhmN_ZTzzjRjcAEkhIpcmORF8R3DKWywW-V17K/s1600/IMG_5777.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And of course, our cats. They make up for all the sleep I wish I was getting.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu4LPUCU3wXQTXixt3P7fISJSItK7LtBWaG1-FkWd6A35vzDLw_XO9auQs6d0NjZKZ9QpKGgj64UL9oAPU9E1gFEdcb2Gsbcs18FqY6ELJb6D0zW6Y_jSOQtQed3mAn0Sdp5vkxdCJM_o/s1600/DSCF1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu4LPUCU3wXQTXixt3P7fISJSItK7LtBWaG1-FkWd6A35vzDLw_XO9auQs6d0NjZKZ9QpKGgj64UL9oAPU9E1gFEdcb2Gsbcs18FqY6ELJb6D0zW6Y_jSOQtQed3mAn0Sdp5vkxdCJM_o/s1600/DSCF1385.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN0OqpX54f9jL82_X0JZpMW-qJ_W1luxsPX9735fz3AWW-n0dZ_GHOCZP4a-ieQTN8y1KndriqTx2XolwOTu70o_KLbcZv-J8dmNepgdtaS4IALuzzUEn-4QEzKomMs9cZmyJ8LrOb9hY/s1600/DSCF1468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN0OqpX54f9jL82_X0JZpMW-qJ_W1luxsPX9735fz3AWW-n0dZ_GHOCZP4a-ieQTN8y1KndriqTx2XolwOTu70o_KLbcZv-J8dmNepgdtaS4IALuzzUEn-4QEzKomMs9cZmyJ8LrOb9hY/s1600/DSCF1468.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
A couple weeks ago we went to the Utah Scottish Festival and Highland Games. I'd never gone to a Highland Games before so I was really excited. Mark got into the spirit and wore a kilt to the Games. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv2e_TfZW7W33mQJmwSpPc_HPVOk4_sff7ZgPJL3zkpnxkkKEQo8-6MYtrcwAqIAK94QkSryWAQFdH7LQn51Lo-8leLqLGG685-iVr8lKduJQDups1MgtOTM7FasjvCxJuLvQ99PZi1DN/s1600/IMG_5871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv2e_TfZW7W33mQJmwSpPc_HPVOk4_sff7ZgPJL3zkpnxkkKEQo8-6MYtrcwAqIAK94QkSryWAQFdH7LQn51Lo-8leLqLGG685-iVr8lKduJQDups1MgtOTM7FasjvCxJuLvQ99PZi1DN/s1600/IMG_5871.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
He's wearing the official tartan of the Freemasons. If you zoom in on the picture you'll see the Freemason symbol on his sporran, his belt buckle, and on the sides of his socks. The cool part is there was at least one other person wearing the same tartan at the Games that he ran into, and he met up with another Mason who recognized the tartan and Masonic symbols. Now <i>that's</i> how a secret society should work!<br />
<br />
We watched some of the athletics and I have to say those guys are crazy strong. There was actually a world record set with one of the events. We watched some of the dance competitions and the pipe band competitions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wz1zraGprj6TMxGpXYPhXyfVAqNSq87spLEDIh3Dk66JkqGhENHLsURNv5vmbhwIPF1ZBeMellw1-VomR7MsgmoXY3aLtNZW3qRDr_p7HBtBRP_redbbWHI1vKz9kRjwfpapx-AGCARP/s1600/DSCF1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wz1zraGprj6TMxGpXYPhXyfVAqNSq87spLEDIh3Dk66JkqGhENHLsURNv5vmbhwIPF1ZBeMellw1-VomR7MsgmoXY3aLtNZW3qRDr_p7HBtBRP_redbbWHI1vKz9kRjwfpapx-AGCARP/s1600/DSCF1453.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkYLtaigg4I5wM9hXUtP7MzoolVYzWXnxwkyf6rX0TSZ_nVg6bUhEU019O1a1_KPxsxrOLM3wL852uOT9076S50XOMnkKu7FTYbUUg-6VYS9doY_VS9VNtsiUjkyg71eonssM4iVd8kYx/s1600/DSCF1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkYLtaigg4I5wM9hXUtP7MzoolVYzWXnxwkyf6rX0TSZ_nVg6bUhEU019O1a1_KPxsxrOLM3wL852uOT9076S50XOMnkKu7FTYbUUg-6VYS9doY_VS9VNtsiUjkyg71eonssM4iVd8kYx/s1600/DSCF1456.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
My favorite part was the opening ceremony. Here are some pictures from that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-QAC_clv_Mltato5WFDy352iFn0SzxYp5axVhSqsgomPH94JH9-i8ew55tsYoCPnBmiVBJzOYv5G-K8vEBEc5IlV4uIxxrAnMVcfF55UGKXvJAUS9QIDXCT7ORRVNzsZ8tjvLXLeuHsN/s1600/DSCF1440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-QAC_clv_Mltato5WFDy352iFn0SzxYp5axVhSqsgomPH94JH9-i8ew55tsYoCPnBmiVBJzOYv5G-K8vEBEc5IlV4uIxxrAnMVcfF55UGKXvJAUS9QIDXCT7ORRVNzsZ8tjvLXLeuHsN/s1600/DSCF1440.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now those are some awesome dress outfits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsaRmtUxewjylh0epL00R_HhkgbumyZOzlFfyHYV8BDCczysg_55HnGfC2cFQ5Ole9drOVYqfrVn2WcYlcMaJ-WSdasbfW_XxrPhondEapxgMX-_D5lqtfqDaApaBSCyIRJjFxIjK-QFB/s1600/DSCF1442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsaRmtUxewjylh0epL00R_HhkgbumyZOzlFfyHYV8BDCczysg_55HnGfC2cFQ5Ole9drOVYqfrVn2WcYlcMaJ-WSdasbfW_XxrPhondEapxgMX-_D5lqtfqDaApaBSCyIRJjFxIjK-QFB/s1600/DSCF1442.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ae2VLF9fwcIgCRM0X-Lq7lrGOqdAs9vtD8jiiBHrA6J2sgx4V9GekGB3Idx9QGzD6m4Q2YrzUSUgYMNayhVz5rT1xad3x7hLhKKsT6UFkzhX3xrNvUppiSFsHQHsGxXVlGOzFmbiuedM/s1600/DSCF1443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ae2VLF9fwcIgCRM0X-Lq7lrGOqdAs9vtD8jiiBHrA6J2sgx4V9GekGB3Idx9QGzD6m4Q2YrzUSUgYMNayhVz5rT1xad3x7hLhKKsT6UFkzhX3xrNvUppiSFsHQHsGxXVlGOzFmbiuedM/s1600/DSCF1443.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xA5XOvg00QsFi-gEvljohQqZkS3RURzB7gCGwluAg1rDjYNLgsl5Y2065Ndc2goJJxl-8fPPrjjSdP9VgOjisypyXT314vlzUDei4_f1vq6ZUC4txKJ_xrGsE5gQFf-cQFhKFe2WLaY8/s1600/DSCF1444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xA5XOvg00QsFi-gEvljohQqZkS3RURzB7gCGwluAg1rDjYNLgsl5Y2065Ndc2goJJxl-8fPPrjjSdP9VgOjisypyXT314vlzUDei4_f1vq6ZUC4txKJ_xrGsE5gQFf-cQFhKFe2WLaY8/s1600/DSCF1444.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdifKwNtqbnE9xCV8_MJyjMIjgqpk6ltHKkD-o9CKJFHOzTttqO-IzzjaX8nkKvuicspCHH9sJSFxB4PaeHSvC1nDdOfyX2GVrSqeqPwGhgQfD38s87otd9wzRMa5sdArTLydhp78DhU3v/s1600/DSCF1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdifKwNtqbnE9xCV8_MJyjMIjgqpk6ltHKkD-o9CKJFHOzTttqO-IzzjaX8nkKvuicspCHH9sJSFxB4PaeHSvC1nDdOfyX2GVrSqeqPwGhgQfD38s87otd9wzRMa5sdArTLydhp78DhU3v/s1600/DSCF1445.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZP5rj_9Aoawy_rapYmKFbzk6WSJklkin4Poax0Gi1-MIsXTaWpnCd7LyP2hZJe-0-F-cWO3UqYmSgXas0Jcdmx7tzZgOLMVKbebFBP0ye9DDO1uv-JExTSuUwoZMldryeKJcz0-6KaqM/s1600/DSCF1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZP5rj_9Aoawy_rapYmKFbzk6WSJklkin4Poax0Gi1-MIsXTaWpnCd7LyP2hZJe-0-F-cWO3UqYmSgXas0Jcdmx7tzZgOLMVKbebFBP0ye9DDO1uv-JExTSuUwoZMldryeKJcz0-6KaqM/s1600/DSCF1449.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
And there's nothing quite like hearing dozens of bagpipes blasting out "Scotland the Brave."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mjCCwJTAqxA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Mira had fun for a little while but she tires out so quickly around crowds that it doesn't take long before she's running around trying to get herself lost and having meltdown after meltdown. It's hard for the adults to enjoy seeing what we came to see when she's at the end of her rope. We tried going to the airshow at the Air Force Base this weekend and by the time we actually got to the part of the base where the action was happening she was already done. She had tantrum after tantrum and nothing made her happy so we ended up leaving early before we could see the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels. I think she was disappointed because she thought she could go for a ride on all the planes. Mark reminded me that her behavior is totally appropriate and my response is I know she's behaving completely appropriately for her age but that doesn't mean it's not frustrating for me.<br />
<br />
In other news, Mark is now working as a CNA at a care facility near us so it'll be really nice to get a little bit of extra income now. He was supposed to take his state exam a few weeks ago but that got pushed back. He'd been playing hockey and pulled a muscle. He waited a few days and it got better so he went back and played hockey again and, guess what, re-injured himself. But every time he coughed or sneezed or did anything to increase his intrathoracic pressure he would get shooting pain down his abdomen to his thigh, which didn't sound much like a pulled muscle to either of us, so finally he went in to the InstaCare, and came out with a referral to a general surgeon. So instead of taking his CNA test he went to an appointment with a surgeon to talk about getting a hernia repaired. And of course the surgeon told him that unless he's still hurting in 3 months he's not going to get surgery. We trust this guy's opinion, since apparently all he does is repair hernias, but seriously, 3 months?? So sadly Mark's hockey season is done so he can heal up and he had to reschedule his exam. But he's doing better so fingers crossed. I know he'll pass with flying colors - you'd have to be pretty stupid to not pass the CNA exam.<br />
<br />
I had an exam of my own to take last week. I decided earlier this year to take the pediatric CCRN (critical care registered nurse) exam, which is a national certification for ICU nurses. To be eligible you have to prove you've worked X hours in the last Y number of years taking care of ICU patients. I've been stressing for months because on the practice tests I'd been scoring 60-70% correct and you need 75% to pass the test. I was <i>so scared</i> taking the test! I was so sure I was failing. It felt like a really hard exam, and in some ways it felt worse than the NCLEX (nursing boards) because of how detailed the questions were. (It also probably didn't help that I was still recovering from a horrid bout of food poisoning a couple days prior. I got sick from food I ate from the hospital cafeteria and almost had Mark take me in to the InstaCare or ER so I could get IV fluids. I was unbelievably sick and Mark says he's never seen me so sick. He took good care of me though and I managed to recover - but it does take a few days to bounce back from something like that. Maybe the worst part of being sick was hearing Mira crying for me all day because she didn't understand why she was locked out and why Mommy wasn't coming out. When it was bedtime Mark finally brought her in to say goodnight and she rested her head on me and smiled - all she'd wanted was Mommy. Really brings it into perspective how much your little kid actually does need you.)<br />
<br />
Anyway the point of all that is that I was convinced I'd bombed the test but at least they give you your results before you leave and - I passed!! And with an 89% score! So now my official title is RN, BSN, CCRN. (If you're not in nursing, that all stands for Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Critical Care Registered Nurse.) As far as my job goes it really won't change much, except that it looks good on a resume and I get a sense of pride and accomplishment for proving that I'm a specialized nurse. I'm the sort of person that gets really excited seeing a bunch of titles after my name. I like that it's a concrete way of showing that I've accomplished something. Apparently at some point I'll get a wall plaque for further bragging purposes and I'll make sure to display that prominently when it shows up.Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-9232195060962750852014-05-24T23:02:00.001-07:002014-05-24T23:03:57.795-07:00It's Just a Phase... According to My MomSome days I think three is such an adorable age. Mira's speech is improving by leaps and bounds so being able to hear her verbalize the thoughts that have been going on in her little head is simply amazing. One of my recent favorites is when Mark took her ice skating for a few hours (I must have been at work or he was watching her while I ran some errands or something because I wasn't there) and when I asked her later how it had gone, she pointed to her fingers, where some skin had been torn off. "Me ice skate, me got two owies. Me fell on me's butt." I know I should be correcting her grammar but dang it, it's just so cute to hear her mangle her pronouns like that! She continues to command the dogs, when they show the slightest interest in her food at the dinner table, to "No eat me's eat!" And if I'm going to eat she asks if "Mommy eat you's eat?" If she wants to jump on the trampoline she asks, "Me go uppy-down?" And lord help you if you try to take something away from her for any reason because she'll shout, "NO, it's ME'S!!"<br />
<br />
And she has cute moments in public too. A couple months ago (can't believe I forgot to write about this when it happened) we took Mira to the movie theater to watch the new Muppets movie. Mira loves the Muppets, which she doesn't say correctly either but I just can't correct her when she exclaims excitedly, "Muh-dees!" I had put her into underwear and was hoping desperately that we wouldn't have an accident in public. About 20 minutes into the movie she yells out, "Mommy, me pee!" So I grab her and lead her down the stairs and across the theater out into the hall and into the restroom, where she goes pee in the potty. I got excited and congratulated her and got her hands washed and we go back into the theater. We're just starting to climb the stairs again when she yells, "Mommy, me pee more!" I gaped at her and pointed out that <i>she'd just gone pee</i>. But she insisted that she needed to go pee more, so I had nothing to do but turn around and take her all the way back to the restroom and sit her on the potty, hoping she wasn't doing this just to get the attention for it. But lo and behold, she went #2 in the potty! This was huge and I got <i>really</i> excited about this. So we wash hands again and head back into the theater, and as we're hurrying across the aisle to get to our seats, Mira announces loudly to the whole audience, "Daddy!! Me pooped!!" While Mark was definitely excited to hear about it I wasn't sure the rest of the people in the theater cared to hear about this but I chuckle about it now.<br />
<br />
And sometimes when she's being a bit naughty it's easy to feel indulgent. Check out this masterpiece she drew when she had a Sharpie and 2 minutes when she was not under direct adult supervision.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF14auF4ckHHKciOlyLSdWI3VbtzqEW-P2P9w_UCtcnnXNNrUEf0u5mmBlLGjWVRTFa8f6sijRlkhuSRgBYqi2sWPddgwRlw7_p1iJNXDWmGkkpjJAwsFRF9eY_KrWDTES04WpA1hsFnxr/s1600/IMG_5553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF14auF4ckHHKciOlyLSdWI3VbtzqEW-P2P9w_UCtcnnXNNrUEf0u5mmBlLGjWVRTFa8f6sijRlkhuSRgBYqi2sWPddgwRlw7_p1iJNXDWmGkkpjJAwsFRF9eY_KrWDTES04WpA1hsFnxr/s1600/IMG_5553.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
From how she was describing it, I think this is a drawing of the ship that capsizes in the movie <i>Frozen</i>. I felt a bit bad that I had to scold her for drawing on the wall because she was so proud of herself. As for getting the drawing cleaned up, luckily we have a Magic Eraser, which really did magically erase the marker. I made her clean it up, but she thought cleaning up was even more fun than creating the mess in the first place. Any other mess this would be a good thing but in this case I think the lesson didn't make the correct impression. Especially since a couple of days later I discovered another masterpiece (this time in pencil at least) in the exact same spot.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENOAI2576z9mlmnHCvcriCinBOfmbeLlGuk2IbgAvxi9UHAYT7hGf5u8w2OYsNQA2Yz1FrCS5fqMpNL2_hJF70eBiTm0bXFL3lI8UGD-yEbUIY7ACqhz7ShKKUwoIffPtY98H2IuyKpgj/s1600/IMG_5548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENOAI2576z9mlmnHCvcriCinBOfmbeLlGuk2IbgAvxi9UHAYT7hGf5u8w2OYsNQA2Yz1FrCS5fqMpNL2_hJF70eBiTm0bXFL3lI8UGD-yEbUIY7ACqhz7ShKKUwoIffPtY98H2IuyKpgj/s1600/IMG_5548.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a much more appropriate creative outlet for her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So in those ways, this age is really fun. But in some other ways, this age is incredibly challenging and frustrating for me. Some days are good days and we have minimal temper tantrums from both of us. Some days are not so good and it seems like Mira is getting sent to time out every 5 minutes or so, where she will respond one of two ways. One way is she'll scream and cry until time is up, which is expected but still grates on my nerves. The second, and probably worse, way is she'll laugh gleefully. She'll sometimes stay in time out but usually she'll try coming out and when we set her back she'll laugh even harder. How do you discipline someone when they don't care what the consequences are?<br />
<br />
It's not just the time outs that are difficult. If you bothered to read that article I mentioned in my last post, the gist of it is three-year-olds are assholes because they don't care. They do whatever they feel like doing, they are defiant and oppositional (not like when they were 2 and were just doing what they wanted because they didn't know better, they DO know better now but purposefully do the opposite of what is expected of them because they love how pissed off it makes their parents), they do everything possible to make us feel like we are the crappiest parents on the planet and we are failing miserably at this parenting job, and they just don't give a &%(#$&. I realize three-year-olds are not physiologically capable of rational thought of any sort, I realize they do not have the same sense of time and space that adults do, I realize they are testing their boundaries and trying to assert any little bit of control they can and all of this is developmentally normal - but trying to parent this behavior is <i>hard</i>. Especially with someone as spirited and stubborn as Mira. I know that in the long run it's a good thing that Mira is headstrong and willful and independent, but there are some days when all I can think about is locking myself in a closet with a bottle of wine and throwing in the towel because I am just done. I am exhausted with constantly standing my ground and battling a little person that has an impressive amount of conviction in her righteousness. After awhile it's tempting to just give in to her but I can't always do that. I don't choose to battle about what shoes she's going to wear outside, or whether she's required to eat all her dinner, for example. She can freeze or starve and hopefully that'll teach her for next time. The battles I do fight, though, are very very hard-won. Maybe I'm not supposed to view this as a battle but when I'm met with opposition for the smallest things, it's hard not to. And it doesn't help that the more she acts out, and the more exasperated I get, the more she seems to be enjoying herself. Good god are we in trouble.<br />
<br />
If my mom is to be believed (and she's been right so far about this parenting business), this is all just a phase and sometime way too soon we'll realize this stage is over and we've moved on to the next one with its upsides and downsides. Every stage has its good parts and its challenging parts, but it's all just a phase.<br />
<br />
A phase I have decided is one of the absolute WORST parts about parenting, hands-down, is potty-training. Just when I figured we were out of the woods with this we slide backwards. To be fair, Mira has been sick for about the last week and a half and is finally today back to mostly-normal so some regression would be normal, but it was so tempting to just stick her back in diapers. Even when she's having a good day using the potty it would still sometimes be easier to use diapers.<br />
<br />
Putting Mira Back in Diapers - Pros:<br />
1) Our schedules won't revolve around her bladder or movements. If we're running late or someplace where a restroom is not readily available - no biggie.<br />
2) If she decides she has to go, I don't have to drop everything and immediately run with her like a swarm of killer bees is after us to the nearest restroom.<br />
3) I wouldn't have to remind her every 45 minutes to go sit on the potty.<br />
4) Since she doesn't want to do #3 without help, I wouldn't have to sit in the bathroom with her every 45 minutes.<br />
5) Less laundry.<br />
6) Less cleaning up messes.<br />
7) Less trying to get a defiant three-year-old to help clean up said messes that she made.<br />
<br />
Putting Mira Back in Diapers - Cons<br />
1) Diapers are expensive and we're tight on money right now. (Although with the extra loads of laundry I've had to do lately this one is debatable, the finances might actually balance out.)<br />
2) I would still have to be changing diapers. (But since I change diapers of all sizes at work all the time this one really doesn't bother me. I'll be changing diapers until I retire. So also a debatable con.)<br />
3) Diapers, despite the best intentions of the diaper pail, stink up the bathroom. However, it's a bathroom.<br />
4) Diapers clog up the landfills. <br />
<br />
In conclusion, you can clearly see that putting Mira back in diapers would have the result of less stress for me. Maybe I should have waited until she turned 4 before attempting this business. But she's been doing a lot better the last few days - all her #2s have been in the potty (happy dance!) and she's been saying she has to pee <i>before</i> she actually starts to pee (another happy dance!). So as much as I would like to think we're almost at the point of her being able to independently go to the bathroom all the time I know better. We'll revisit that thought when she's 10.<br />
<br />
You may have noted that I said Mira has been sick for about a week and half. I never ended up taking her in to get checked out so I don't know what she had but based on the volume of snot that was coming out of her head for days my best guess is she had RSV. Also backing up my assumption was the fact that she was worst on about day 4 of being sick (RSV peaks between days 3-5). One night she woke up choking and gagging on all the mucous in her throat (I almost took her in then but she got it out and was fine), and for several nights she was up at least a few times every night because she couldn't breathe and we had to suction her nose out. But she's finally better and just has an occasional cough and a bit of a runny nose. Mark got sick with the same thing a few days after Mira first got symptoms and somehow, knock on wood, I haven't had any symptoms. And I know I've been exposed because Mira coughed right in my face several times. But I guess after working for 6 years in a pediatric hospital I've got an immune system of steel now.<br />
<br />
Well, enough griping. It's been a rough week but hopefully we're back on track now.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVYEiOz7Gyl8I_y-LKhs5QuAYsL0nlEybWLLzUFMExhyphenhyphenZvB9D3O8lhadrmfbiB2nJSzw48K2F5P1KTi4LyDA09DzmvIP4hytFVTddkimFA-PXmzuIQ6REgM0Sgf_ROB-_Uy7c7kokvGfz/s1600/IMG_5557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVYEiOz7Gyl8I_y-LKhs5QuAYsL0nlEybWLLzUFMExhyphenhyphenZvB9D3O8lhadrmfbiB2nJSzw48K2F5P1KTi4LyDA09DzmvIP4hytFVTddkimFA-PXmzuIQ6REgM0Sgf_ROB-_Uy7c7kokvGfz/s1600/IMG_5557.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Mark is done with his CNA schooling. He's done all his classwork and clinicals, he's mailed in all his paperwork to the state, so now all we're waiting on is for the state to send him back vouchers for him to test, and for him to actually go in and take the state exam, and then he'll be official. And then hopefully he can get to work - which won't be a ton of help financially, to be honest, since CNAs get paid crap, but it'll be something. He's actually hoping to work in a rehab facility - as in, people fall and break something (typically elderly people), live in a facility for a few weeks to get literally and figuratively back on their feet, and go home. He did some clinical hours in one of those places and absolutely loved it - I'm a bit surprised because I was expecting him to want to work in a higher-acuity setting, but really, as far as CNA jobs go this would be about as good as it could get. So fingers crossed.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2SyYXo0xAP2T3eseKN3Rle-OsD_DjzTvJ9OgWVLJ-PRItl3JzqJdYzTt4ZAYq6k7-0ghQQQ-Nl2hlCYlYvTPs42e9JgkDnx6wSFfNz2eqWrDUyQLUfYnt81l0GNvPrc4MyNTITJNR_Vz/s1600/IMG_5550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2SyYXo0xAP2T3eseKN3Rle-OsD_DjzTvJ9OgWVLJ-PRItl3JzqJdYzTt4ZAYq6k7-0ghQQQ-Nl2hlCYlYvTPs42e9JgkDnx6wSFfNz2eqWrDUyQLUfYnt81l0GNvPrc4MyNTITJNR_Vz/s1600/IMG_5550.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira's assessment skills are progressing nicely.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here Mira demonstrates the other correct way to use a stethoscope.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RQeWrsvK5M4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
And what would this blog be without some video of Mira singing along to something and then wanting to see herself on the recording?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/S7mE3yZjvXo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/iz0QaduQNJI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
In other news, we're going to be eating eggs for breakfast and lunch and dinner throughout the summer because this is what our average daily haul looks like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_TrciFh9TsnbhcUEtifQ_IhaouW6UGYw0hrlkR_HkRpC-XlYEFlHgy_0tRh5YS5ifGWUdKu0Tk1EgKJkkEk1GtsrRD4k5t5g8pPGRhCtfEDHiF_nGEhxTEtT8lVvPsPz1DBafYnk6itP/s1600/IMG_5554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_TrciFh9TsnbhcUEtifQ_IhaouW6UGYw0hrlkR_HkRpC-XlYEFlHgy_0tRh5YS5ifGWUdKu0Tk1EgKJkkEk1GtsrRD4k5t5g8pPGRhCtfEDHiF_nGEhxTEtT8lVvPsPz1DBafYnk6itP/s1600/IMG_5554.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Yep, that's a green egg! One of our Americaunas has figured out how to lay green eggs! We're excited about that. Our last green egg-layer was killed by our dog Archie so it's great to be getting more of them again. I told Mark when we first got the chickens that even though they are certainly very functional, they are very entertaining too. He was skeptical at first but he sees what I'm talking about now. Chickens are <i>dumb</i>. But that's why they're so funny.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFBcNGCffI5eQYNXftFnMTUUrX3wZOI-MhCq5tOFI2HfVg1mw6ISqbAq5VDq80AK9_71BTlMqGHYZ5zIJSgBb6DmO3c8mAQy5t_LeSqSIXa-2g9ARlvP8WDoQmcwcR81IoYBpz3NPDHLK/s1600/IMG_5556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFBcNGCffI5eQYNXftFnMTUUrX3wZOI-MhCq5tOFI2HfVg1mw6ISqbAq5VDq80AK9_71BTlMqGHYZ5zIJSgBb6DmO3c8mAQy5t_LeSqSIXa-2g9ARlvP8WDoQmcwcR81IoYBpz3NPDHLK/s1600/IMG_5556.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
The door to the coop fell off the hinges a few weeks ago and they were escaping out of the run anyway so we finally gave up and they're basically free-range chickens now. No wonder we're getting so many eggs. They might be dumb but they're smart enough to know that when the back door opens sometimes it means they'll get some scraps.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIwrVtN4qVmiFo1KS6o5z4KRfqosmfRp_Rc90J2zm0fdqicZXd9iBB8AW2a3CgYz5Ftpm7RFPq8avRsPopXDWq6KK9emtSzaq1UgSNyN4WUjZ8d1Ak_xxFggzAMKazj-YLn2_7XONGAfY/s1600/IMG_5768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIwrVtN4qVmiFo1KS6o5z4KRfqosmfRp_Rc90J2zm0fdqicZXd9iBB8AW2a3CgYz5Ftpm7RFPq8avRsPopXDWq6KK9emtSzaq1UgSNyN4WUjZ8d1Ak_xxFggzAMKazj-YLn2_7XONGAfY/s1600/IMG_5768.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Although they're still not geniuses by any means. This one misunderstood the meaning of the phrase "grilled chicken."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbclwfk69oAjznlHwSthNMkZopA3EqEznQIsLEP3BmR_ItORtj8sjk5qrs5GRo2ytv9abJ2TqApW553QLXlALWNx5ow4ZQNq3xyQ2H4livkwPhc1fUB1S1R_qwKtfCjqYVcmfErIIs9Gq/s1600/IMG_5767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbclwfk69oAjznlHwSthNMkZopA3EqEznQIsLEP3BmR_ItORtj8sjk5qrs5GRo2ytv9abJ2TqApW553QLXlALWNx5ow4ZQNq3xyQ2H4livkwPhc1fUB1S1R_qwKtfCjqYVcmfErIIs9Gq/s1600/IMG_5767.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
One day Mark left his chainsaw out on the back porch sitting on a chair and that evening I happened to look out and saw one of the chickens trying to roost on the blade of the chainsaw.<br />
<br />
I guess the moral of the story is you can find humor in some pretty unexpected places, and sometimes it's best to just focus on the simple things. Like playing in a puddle. All Mira needs to be happy is a puddle. Why can't we all be so easily amused? Maybe there's a lesson there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5AKJYTJkEuafN5VwtbAWWl3a3GV8gSmY_VzSx1HZzFIcsJiPV_MQX17aalOCjzdlHVsQzHs40pOL5L-KbPDBURs6JnAepeZlQ4HeLL8HzLgjF1H_2cxpIk8RS3KJ_CWpp-Zu9N08YwnR/s1600/IMG_5758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5AKJYTJkEuafN5VwtbAWWl3a3GV8gSmY_VzSx1HZzFIcsJiPV_MQX17aalOCjzdlHVsQzHs40pOL5L-KbPDBURs6JnAepeZlQ4HeLL8HzLgjF1H_2cxpIk8RS3KJ_CWpp-Zu9N08YwnR/s1600/IMG_5758.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-76478110425458511982014-04-19T15:13:00.001-07:002014-04-19T19:35:21.410-07:00The Brat Years, Part 3To be fair, Mira is just acting her age, which is a good thing. All the traits that are frustrating now will serve her well in the future. I like to say that I want her to be curious, independent, inquisitive, testing boundaries, and able to stand up for herself - just not when I'm trying to parent her! I read a very entertaining article not too long ago entitled "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-fader/threeyearolds-are-asshole_b_4784416.html" target="_blank">3-Year-Olds Are A**holes</a>" and this pretty much sums up the experience of having a three-year-old. I had hoped everybody was wrong when I was warned that 3 is far worse than 2 but sadly it's one of the truest things I've encountered. Luckily everyone else who currently has (or has had) a 3-year-old can easily commiserate and as they say, grief loves company!<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxCFAygg3apP6tJ8NuQkKo5LUM5aRfpedXslOONuEiKK0tFYUUmpCJ4Ujw_YrD2VWiXUCpsh64J-cArR0K3F2e2MDWxpfiWH7m8HHFTQW-W-sjo-t_Le5mjyDDKB-dXa5D2PyWq6Z19JX/s1600/IMG_5471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxCFAygg3apP6tJ8NuQkKo5LUM5aRfpedXslOONuEiKK0tFYUUmpCJ4Ujw_YrD2VWiXUCpsh64J-cArR0K3F2e2MDWxpfiWH7m8HHFTQW-W-sjo-t_Le5mjyDDKB-dXa5D2PyWq6Z19JX/s1600/IMG_5471.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I turn my back for 2 minutes and the level of destruction this child has accomplished is mind-blowing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the more frustrating things going on now is the never-ending story of potty training. I got dumb enough to think we were pretty much done, so just to make sure I didn't get too sure of myself, Mira has been having more accidents the last few weeks than she has in months. I think most of it is a combination of being tired and having her schedule messed up (more on that later) but she still won't go poop in the potty. Very commonly she'll come up to me with a sad face and say, "Me pooped." And whatayaknow, she did, in her underwear. We finally resorted back to a potty chart and rewarding with treats for the times she does go poop in the potty, but even our success with that is sketchy. But as both my parents like to continually remind me, I had the same problem for a <i>long</i> time - so I guess this one is my fault. <br>
<br>
Luckily, 3 is also very cute so there are plenty of adorable, side-splitting moments to make up for the challenging ones. Mira knows that she had a birthday and turned 3, and then last month we talked to her about how I had a birthday too.<br>
<br>
Mira: "Me three now!"<br>
<br>
Me: "Yes, you are three now, because you had a birthday."<br>
<br>
Mira: (thinks for a second) "Mommy ten now!"<br>
<br>
Since 10 is as high as she can count, that says a lot about how she views me. Ten is practically ancient, people!<br>
<br>
Since winter is now officially over, it's been time to spend time outside again, which has been great for everybody. Winter is hard with an active child who ends up having to be cooped up inside. So we've been taking her baby doll on walks outside almost every day.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq43g1EufN5UcqzW5195IFRzCv4iseNAk6ZGwGjmuXn4TgQjyl3PARvYF3buKHeQunSLN_iivRBcYbe28xqHDBECOdQFDD-Qv5LfLVbXVCHVg3FLs00QpuS-gTuhpdKcawCz23HgFKQje/s1600/IMG_5475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq43g1EufN5UcqzW5195IFRzCv4iseNAk6ZGwGjmuXn4TgQjyl3PARvYF3buKHeQunSLN_iivRBcYbe28xqHDBECOdQFDD-Qv5LfLVbXVCHVg3FLs00QpuS-gTuhpdKcawCz23HgFKQje/s1600/IMG_5475.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEg_ctmh-TiU409ceJ1XGcu1l1p9oNtCdTswVB1Ma6TpD-J4KZU9W_KyYst25gTYOE2-oZgzRP3ODdx0s-vPcQ5Wj4VitOHByTVYrraL0W0FS_J7L2DTZ-3WvC-knAMxmKlYPIcfPhKVo/s1600/IMG_5474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEg_ctmh-TiU409ceJ1XGcu1l1p9oNtCdTswVB1Ma6TpD-J4KZU9W_KyYst25gTYOE2-oZgzRP3ODdx0s-vPcQ5Wj4VitOHByTVYrraL0W0FS_J7L2DTZ-3WvC-knAMxmKlYPIcfPhKVo/s1600/IMG_5474.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/_y5oKZk6xHg/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/_y5oKZk6xHg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/_y5oKZk6xHg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></object></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZFvPMPu7wbCQq9DOoZ-HvkTK96_SKsvhQKKVvkHgwt-OYldvL9CplMdSMhIkWyYLR_Ocn5njlo9vi_UBDqj-rkPxDD8TjR2Neu6uBx1_AiIW7olS4pfq4iPQDgcWlykxn8Rjm1DtUiOR/s1600/IMG_5478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZFvPMPu7wbCQq9DOoZ-HvkTK96_SKsvhQKKVvkHgwt-OYldvL9CplMdSMhIkWyYLR_Ocn5njlo9vi_UBDqj-rkPxDD8TjR2Neu6uBx1_AiIW7olS4pfq4iPQDgcWlykxn8Rjm1DtUiOR/s1600/IMG_5478.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloK3qquj3JCsCAxE6z8JoF39gm3pNhvOrcbuKJ8ynrpF9Cn4pTfWaGFiQ_s5dys8mXSdsmzJc3HVBZrEOsiR6QrkGK7OTK63Sz37mNV8uAOPRKClqPekQLHiwNnz4cd30AmKdxNXcSYzT/s1600/IMG_5479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloK3qquj3JCsCAxE6z8JoF39gm3pNhvOrcbuKJ8ynrpF9Cn4pTfWaGFiQ_s5dys8mXSdsmzJc3HVBZrEOsiR6QrkGK7OTK63Sz37mNV8uAOPRKClqPekQLHiwNnz4cd30AmKdxNXcSYzT/s1600/IMG_5479.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAM54daPOweIozH0CDz4r3rDQQY8auPmjGtEaj_hGp4-1vGuAcdkE5lpvrj5xDRWukk0YJ16P_TGogcL_dL2bsJLFoZhMvIHPGXUl39w1rDaYaMCYCWDBvxiIfX9jCTLvqP72ZzZcHWT_/s1600/IMG_5480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAM54daPOweIozH0CDz4r3rDQQY8auPmjGtEaj_hGp4-1vGuAcdkE5lpvrj5xDRWukk0YJ16P_TGogcL_dL2bsJLFoZhMvIHPGXUl39w1rDaYaMCYCWDBvxiIfX9jCTLvqP72ZzZcHWT_/s1600/IMG_5480.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
And it finally got warm enough to go to on a longer walk to the "big park."<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uMxvbSYw8vZqw0rGhQiaktpIBDTkJ-TgKOFFTHTYlL6xkfVFzUaGiGp3H3zR9tynrpadyJh80EFkTp6d95NMyWrTZ4VmPEZ-QKBJtJn-x-WqbroeHpDFWGrqt0ZusgnkzyhTzgER0zhq/s1600/IMG_5491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uMxvbSYw8vZqw0rGhQiaktpIBDTkJ-TgKOFFTHTYlL6xkfVFzUaGiGp3H3zR9tynrpadyJh80EFkTp6d95NMyWrTZ4VmPEZ-QKBJtJn-x-WqbroeHpDFWGrqt0ZusgnkzyhTzgER0zhq/s1600/IMG_5491.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-akbcr6Ag0ti6JeOrHBOIKApzOn_7NlNN_E8bWpVl7VAAT6542TqiNLfc6Xll57scSh3FCmBcmHeRGn0JAJuyOz1kh0inaNYIaKvEHcUqLYBnHmyiBCZVtQbwvGtLMO3yWtIQYA4YbHU/s1600/IMG_5492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-akbcr6Ag0ti6JeOrHBOIKApzOn_7NlNN_E8bWpVl7VAAT6542TqiNLfc6Xll57scSh3FCmBcmHeRGn0JAJuyOz1kh0inaNYIaKvEHcUqLYBnHmyiBCZVtQbwvGtLMO3yWtIQYA4YbHU/s1600/IMG_5492.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen of the hill!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_DWxExsuge2wwKr9DoDDX8WixCMbiUiy6zI5sl3GrLlempC1SdnNy7T_txb0tjv4IVNefb3GgWShIvwHvU3y-gMrvDPsBlTBCE5RgswLA1KruuP3tacIEBwI6_7Cc0napuZg6on-44zG/s1600/IMG_5487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_DWxExsuge2wwKr9DoDDX8WixCMbiUiy6zI5sl3GrLlempC1SdnNy7T_txb0tjv4IVNefb3GgWShIvwHvU3y-gMrvDPsBlTBCE5RgswLA1KruuP3tacIEBwI6_7Cc0napuZg6on-44zG/s1600/IMG_5487.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4HoHX_uHqNXiR6ctuZXDbAs8uwY1FZ2pp2HShTPO92ATnlDnPkbjqn1Dd5i9oJLSVQi_uWkGxwDtn-zNZG4IMGSCdnOxukpttFePeRbZ4F2ZhBn6mPlT0RaGHd1KlOPRusZW4BDsgY86/s1600/IMG_5488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4HoHX_uHqNXiR6ctuZXDbAs8uwY1FZ2pp2HShTPO92ATnlDnPkbjqn1Dd5i9oJLSVQi_uWkGxwDtn-zNZG4IMGSCdnOxukpttFePeRbZ4F2ZhBn6mPlT0RaGHd1KlOPRusZW4BDsgY86/s1600/IMG_5488.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
The story behind this next photo is pretty funny. We had brought in the carseat for whatever reason and Mark and I were doing something when we heard, "Mom! Dad! Help!" We find Mira had managed to strap herself into the carseat but couldn't extricate herself. Which, I won't lie, was kind of nice for a few minutes. <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCSbarzUgNq8IZX0DRWfwjR9JHVfx8p9dZsT6KejhYeQsuv1sdIhhJ5pClDO2XZpA5O8oKuNSGAhPswXDpeMrGJGz6n1gySvYMa-q-Z0RWzhK9xUItKaNciSdls6tp6IrHamdQ4lHgaxg/s1600/DSCF1335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCSbarzUgNq8IZX0DRWfwjR9JHVfx8p9dZsT6KejhYeQsuv1sdIhhJ5pClDO2XZpA5O8oKuNSGAhPswXDpeMrGJGz6n1gySvYMa-q-Z0RWzhK9xUItKaNciSdls6tp6IrHamdQ4lHgaxg/s1600/DSCF1335.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
Mira is finally really beginning to talk more, which is mostly thanks to Mark's mother, who has been working her speech pathologist magic on her. We still have a ways to go, but Mira is finally speaking in mostly full sentences and her speech is not as garbled as it had been. Although her grammar takes a bit of deciphering still.<br>
<br>
Mira: (getting mad at one of the dogs for sniffing at her food) "<i>NO</i>, dog! No eat me's eat!"<br>
<br>
Translation is, of course: Don't eat my food. "Eat" can be a verb or a noun, and to make a pronoun possessive, just add "'s" to the end of the word. Obviously.<br>
<br>
I love this next photo. We were in the garage looking for a ball to play with outside and Mira came across her ski goggles. Well, nothing would do but for her to wear her ski goggles outside, since it was "way hot" that day. Also, for Mira, "way hot" means it's bright. I've tried to teach her the differentiation between "hot" and "bright" but she's not having any of it.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjroUxn0ObnftiMb0O6yBNRLXOu4CM4VFs1S-V6LfVh_zGoG1nBiOLDHqiWxqq8vbhLeqMsTXKHdFB8yL2IAnlwUI8L2L-7b3m3cPinC602qZNckMMSfLeKn1xygsCKYSYL64gI5KR1FxY/s1600/IMG_5533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjroUxn0ObnftiMb0O6yBNRLXOu4CM4VFs1S-V6LfVh_zGoG1nBiOLDHqiWxqq8vbhLeqMsTXKHdFB8yL2IAnlwUI8L2L-7b3m3cPinC602qZNckMMSfLeKn1xygsCKYSYL64gI5KR1FxY/s1600/IMG_5533.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
And <i>this</i> - I have no idea where she learned to do this but this is one of the cutest things ever! One night after taking a bath and brushing her teeth, she looked at me, grinned, and gave me a thumbs up. And I think she's trying to wink but she kind of looks like a pirate. Arrrrr, matey! She's been doing it a lot at random times, which I don't mind at all.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinOYYtfSQNBfzRcPLyX8PZ1mxtli2pQDnTTYaJStoGrG2ORexZb2C5trWlG1y2pi6gnXnZ0zjYPXDCq2WLqvqg7cEpXNQq7HmhyphenhyphennrSMBbvvdFeH9_9gVHfL_Msq4J5Q_X6rxE5szVCNpZ/s1600/IMG_5538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinOYYtfSQNBfzRcPLyX8PZ1mxtli2pQDnTTYaJStoGrG2ORexZb2C5trWlG1y2pi6gnXnZ0zjYPXDCq2WLqvqg7cEpXNQq7HmhyphenhyphennrSMBbvvdFeH9_9gVHfL_Msq4J5Q_X6rxE5szVCNpZ/s1600/IMG_5538.jpg" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
And one of her favorite activities now is jumping on the trampoline - or, as Mira calls it, the "uppy-down." One day my dad came over for a visit and jumped on the "uppy-down" with Mira. The chickens (or rather, the "bok-boks") were wandering around the yard so Mira started imitating them and ordered my dad to do the same. By the time I could get my camera out only Mira was walking around like a bok-bok but let it be known that Mira was able to get my dad to be a chicken too.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z87JPq099PQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Often what all this physical activity means is that by the end of the day, Mira is <i>exhausted</i>. The kind of exhausted where you offer her a cookie with ice cream and sprinkles and rainbows and unicorns and she screams and cries. Trying to make it to bedtime can seem completely impossible some days. After one particularly rough day when I was getting ready to go to work and Mira was having a Chernobl-level meltdown, I ended up just holding her and rocking her. I might now know much about being a mom but I do know that on the worst days, hugs from your mom just magically make your problems better. After a couple of minutes I realized she had stopped crying and when I looked down, she had fallen asleep. I couldn't even remember the last time she'd fallen asleep while I was holding her. It brought back some really sweet memories for me.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUOwPNcFaOLCMEObQeiEbAo9mC93agkwGmIKg4IbNKQnipE2yokjyd7jHMMObQqquV6lYYULXCDoh5xRxSKPEs3NM2WCjMjO84VypD-hbOVGs0b4WHGatJ4ubGBeXbBcLcxhFj8Jynhgx/s1600/DSCF1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUOwPNcFaOLCMEObQeiEbAo9mC93agkwGmIKg4IbNKQnipE2yokjyd7jHMMObQqquV6lYYULXCDoh5xRxSKPEs3NM2WCjMjO84VypD-hbOVGs0b4WHGatJ4ubGBeXbBcLcxhFj8Jynhgx/s1600/DSCF1331.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
Sadly I had to leave for work so I couldn't enjoy the snuggles for very long. But there's photographic evidence that it actually happened!<br>
<br>
So, on to a change of subject. Last month Mark interviewed for a couple of law enforcement positions. I felt that it with his 10 years of experience it was very unlikely he would not get a job offer from at least one of the departments but we had to consider all our options. In law enforcement, you get a nice retirement after 20 years. Mark has been adamant from the beginning that he absolutely does not want to work longer than 20 years - that is plenty of time to work in law enforcement, and I don't blame him there. The problem that he recently pointed out is that even though the retirement is nice at 20 years, it wouldn't be enough to support us, so he would still have to work somewhere to supplement my income. Starting over at 50 is not impossible but, let's face it, it's not easy or ideal either. So from the beginning of this whole mess with his job we have tossed around the idea of getting him out of law enforcement now and cutting our losses (including the retirement) so that he could get into another career earlier that would be less stress and more money in the long run, even if it means he has more years of working. He decided that he would interview for 2 departments that we thought he had a good shot at and if neither of them worked out, he would take that as his sign that it was time to change careers.<br>
<br>
I was honestly very shocked when he didn't advance in the interview process for either of those 2 departments. I'm sure Mark was too. But now we were being steered in a clear direction. Mark is officially done with law enforcement. Here's how I feel about it: a part of me is very angry and sad about this. I'm angry about how this came about. Mark was a wonderful police officer. Law enforcement needs officers like Mark. Mark was doing everything right and stood up for what was right, and he lost his job for it. A part of me cannot be okay with that. And on a selfish note, I love a man in uniform - it was what caught my eye about Mark at the very beginning when he was working security while he was in the Academy. Boy, does he look good in a uniform. Told you that was selfish.<br>
<br>
But here's what's good about the whole thing. He is SUCH a different person now that he's out of law enforcement. He's so much more relaxed now, probably more relaxed and happy than I've seen him in... well, years. Being in law enforcement messes with your head. There's no way that it can't. Your survival at work depends on you being paranoid and not trusting anybody - and that attitude comes home with you. Police have almost a 100% divorce rate and it's no wonder. It's been hard to watch Mark's career eat away at his personality - and it's been so wonderful to see it come back in the last few months. Mark says he hadn't noticed a difference but everybody around him sure does! And now I don't have to worry that he'll go to work and get hurt or killed for doing his job. I'll always have a huge respect for police but I'm selfish and I'm glad it's not Mark who's at risk anymore. It might have been the uniform that initially attracted me but it's certainly not the only reason I've stayed with him all this time.<br>
<br>
So where does that leave us? Mark had tossed around a few career ideas, all healthcare-related, and he finally made his decision a few weeks ago to become a surgical tech, which will be a perfect fit for him. He's mentioned that the reason he went into law enforcement was so he could help people, so now he'll get to focus on that aspect without all the danger. He'll definitely need some adrenaline in his job after what he's used to, he likes blood and guts (or at least doesn't get grossed out by it), he'll get to work inside a building (I know he's excited about that), and as far as working with a surgeon goes... please. I heard this great joke:<br>
<br>
What's the difference between God and a surgeon?<br>
God doesn't think he's a surgeon.<br>
<br>
Mark can totally handle someone yelling at him and belittling his job performance and not even get rattled by it. In fact, he might even give it right back to the surgeon, and let's face it, some surgeons need to get off their high horse and get a reality check. (If you don't know, that's good, but take my word for it that plenty of surgeons actually think they are GOD.) I'm even a bit jealous of what Mark will be doing - if nurses did what surgical techs did, I would be all over that. That would be my dream job. But OR nurses grab supplies and chart. That's it. B-O-R-I-N-G. I couldn't do that. That's why I work in an ICU.<br>
<br>
And you know how we know we're making the right decision? Everything is just falling together, and while I'm not a religious or even a spiritual person, I have noticed that when things are supposed to happen they just fall into place without much effort on your part. Mark has to get his CNA first, which he'll be done with soon after a few clinicals and the state exam, which he'll pass without a problem. Then in August he can apply for the surgical tech program and once he gets in, that takes about a year to finish if he goes full time. In the meantime we're hoping he can get a CNA job while he's in school to help out with finances, which are really tight right now. But it will definitely be worth it. And with financial aid and grants, his entire schooling will be 100% covered. That is pretty darn cool.<br>
<br>
So despite how it came about, this will be a great change for us. Mark said at the very beginning that in a year we'll look back on this and wonder why we were so upset because things will be so much better, and he's already right.<br>
<br>
If you're ever unsure of how to handle curve balls that life throws at you - just relax (like our cats, the paragons of relaxation) and things will work out for the best. Somehow it always works out.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYuofRgKnMT-fuEo_O9WiGl-83l6hvqCDz5baq_JnBhIxWbCw7Z-M6J0KHweCaVwHP8lSLNzofB0se3bTiZ98FzM6Ti6j_mNWKzHT-vBWRTGzp5-3VYvkikMerH1qyKI4fnsoi4-BFXQ4/s1600/IMG_5484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYuofRgKnMT-fuEo_O9WiGl-83l6hvqCDz5baq_JnBhIxWbCw7Z-M6J0KHweCaVwHP8lSLNzofB0se3bTiZ98FzM6Ti6j_mNWKzHT-vBWRTGzp5-3VYvkikMerH1qyKI4fnsoi4-BFXQ4/s1600/IMG_5484.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTYgg6UHt2leWF3UBuH6NSs985Z5hbM4fW_yk539t6CO1MNEcyzbeX01RMk6W2iyvCSroXo-0e4bkxVuoAi3IaQq1kR3yKk5OrmcjkwsAD3vv7gREoBF51Tap3Xbq6o0Sw3kSwhSOoUda/s1600/IMG_5536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTYgg6UHt2leWF3UBuH6NSs985Z5hbM4fW_yk539t6CO1MNEcyzbeX01RMk6W2iyvCSroXo-0e4bkxVuoAi3IaQq1kR3yKk5OrmcjkwsAD3vv7gREoBF51Tap3Xbq6o0Sw3kSwhSOoUda/s1600/IMG_5536.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-25411631070994693392014-04-03T21:54:00.002-07:002014-04-03T21:54:59.363-07:00Birthday Bash, Vegas Style!Weeks later I'm finally able to sit down and write about our Vegas vacation... Mark's daughter Jintelle turned 21 in March and as we'd promised, we took her and her boyfriend Erik to Vegas to celebrate the event appropriately. We stayed at a condo not even a block off the Strip, which was pretty awesome, and quite honestly a lot cheaper than staying at one of the big casinos. The first day we were there was St. Patrick's Day, which happens to be Jintelle's actual birthday, and let's just say that having your 21st birthday on St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas is about as awesome a birthday as you could ask for! It started off with a healthy amount of alcohol... and besides having a blast watching all the people walk down the Strip in various green get-ups, I don't recall a whole lot of the night. It was awesome.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm6xqxFC814YaDMaY91Z_vk2u3mC3RmTb1OnBaVQZBYJTj2YF4qNOMAYZUWVci475nl6f6wVuDjJfvNs6B2uQigQmY6ZEw1cEF7KfRnDPlJjcgHBzxygL9IBS74hucgO7doy_3LAkYkUk/s1600/IMG_5384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm6xqxFC814YaDMaY91Z_vk2u3mC3RmTb1OnBaVQZBYJTj2YF4qNOMAYZUWVci475nl6f6wVuDjJfvNs6B2uQigQmY6ZEw1cEF7KfRnDPlJjcgHBzxygL9IBS74hucgO7doy_3LAkYkUk/s1600/IMG_5384.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting things off right!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8QmPd80OqbdRa61sPB5bD9s8P-8opG81FhxS0IyeaQEFKl5CzwnY9k0r_1nz_qfqHHPhfoQCNPlFojjJ3ZReKAb5Bio00eNjmjvXLVnwcI9B8oww4kJeqK3F7FQSTQ3yMjydi6c7jjuP/s1600/IMG_5387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8QmPd80OqbdRa61sPB5bD9s8P-8opG81FhxS0IyeaQEFKl5CzwnY9k0r_1nz_qfqHHPhfoQCNPlFojjJ3ZReKAb5Bio00eNjmjvXLVnwcI9B8oww4kJeqK3F7FQSTQ3yMjydi6c7jjuP/s1600/IMG_5387.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telley and me in front of the Excalibur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0MNvON4_YOAnLRCoWfdQupwINDzTP5vVoQI-DwP_wQn4RCsTvMImiUTs6mijta6pmlLyawCOByBI3ZdzRk4CEez_P3NdMX3f8YLTlCz6ZMloHe5pHeGdmbHLH_z7sJDSt12BjqKLuLAg/s1600/IMG_5390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0MNvON4_YOAnLRCoWfdQupwINDzTP5vVoQI-DwP_wQn4RCsTvMImiUTs6mijta6pmlLyawCOByBI3ZdzRk4CEez_P3NdMX3f8YLTlCz6ZMloHe5pHeGdmbHLH_z7sJDSt12BjqKLuLAg/s1600/IMG_5390.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This could have been part of the reason why the night was a bit blurry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's not a proper trip to Vegas without a Cirque du Soleil show, and this time we saw the newest one at the ARIA, called Zarkana. Compared to all the Cirque du Soleil shows we've seen (which is several), this one wasn't my absolute favorite, but Jintelle and Erik hadn't ever seen Cirque live so this was a real treat for them. And it's always a good night when you see Cirque du Soleil.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVm5xqsDhOI9kssGRjDFk6vjdaB8d7UMy0G5c-2z8eqmCj4_5qnIHrkF2ZYQyNcttJVrXRuqpur_s73-W1v7cWAKCnrDRgYGmNB7-fd6ieUyvLKg-how-rvtpATQ8EVjGVD-VI7cU8T9U/s1600/IMG_5392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVm5xqsDhOI9kssGRjDFk6vjdaB8d7UMy0G5c-2z8eqmCj4_5qnIHrkF2ZYQyNcttJVrXRuqpur_s73-W1v7cWAKCnrDRgYGmNB7-fd6ieUyvLKg-how-rvtpATQ8EVjGVD-VI7cU8T9U/s1600/IMG_5392.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried to convince Mark to get the Zarkana ringmaster's hat - he should have.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9KM7QSWsi5FYSrEiHVaxZ1t10-GPCSccys87rdI4igVD9hIz62hTL3fz4QGonmvl44scYth7lpG_jGHnA3UPu0SA7V7OIfCd3V4ppDjBxGiX9I2gvm9SManjke8F90PLkpGCsYPz59e4/s1600/DSCF1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9KM7QSWsi5FYSrEiHVaxZ1t10-GPCSccys87rdI4igVD9hIz62hTL3fz4QGonmvl44scYth7lpG_jGHnA3UPu0SA7V7OIfCd3V4ppDjBxGiX9I2gvm9SManjke8F90PLkpGCsYPz59e4/s1600/DSCF1264.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLpHgQuFXX8PwnkAJS9R8H_iBwdCP8ZLQtLV4yopt7BRinbvAp1a8YQKHFr3n93rtJ-CKjXZCXI5Vy2vuzBvFLFRYbQqc72XGtBAWJIcFz88C0NZOrZOteqv9_nsN3co9QS8R-rz3PEmJ/s1600/DSCF1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLpHgQuFXX8PwnkAJS9R8H_iBwdCP8ZLQtLV4yopt7BRinbvAp1a8YQKHFr3n93rtJ-CKjXZCXI5Vy2vuzBvFLFRYbQqc72XGtBAWJIcFz88C0NZOrZOteqv9_nsN3co9QS8R-rz3PEmJ/s1600/DSCF1268.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOaV0lwobT6zspxtMlL_1WRq-P_iurmK-nkcMMpfsTaRIYpoE4yiBZ2H8F1ue-Nx_BOa_pl39-JiBR8KUGQi8v8sj1bo89BVKPDIM9cwqtNoWXHaQfV_Hd4oBLGYCxF7L_ryIjBbjte3P/s1600/DSCF1275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOaV0lwobT6zspxtMlL_1WRq-P_iurmK-nkcMMpfsTaRIYpoE4yiBZ2H8F1ue-Nx_BOa_pl39-JiBR8KUGQi8v8sj1bo89BVKPDIM9cwqtNoWXHaQfV_Hd4oBLGYCxF7L_ryIjBbjte3P/s1600/DSCF1275.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely young couple.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A4HXgRnMDu2Py6cI1n_UbNHHnMP18fGRmaoSaLNjqMbb4y-tgkD-KTKg7HIY51BxJMKQNrva5AkpSdQ2bxzso0lYO9-QjPAEbpAqAy7kMFi1w3s02lBtaEXk3CRaik3dpLRB-rnUT3zQ/s1600/DSCF1279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A4HXgRnMDu2Py6cI1n_UbNHHnMP18fGRmaoSaLNjqMbb4y-tgkD-KTKg7HIY51BxJMKQNrva5AkpSdQ2bxzso0lYO9-QjPAEbpAqAy7kMFi1w3s02lBtaEXk3CRaik3dpLRB-rnUT3zQ/s1600/DSCF1279.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We look pretty good too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p-Y8e9FIFagalY6fODcfDpLprdoVf-heV7GcLsfDx22v-mCknR0ZNDdjcLPDFnyEFjtl7zXQj7ZWW2bQRRT8R3Vcu6wPxcUYhyDp1vE_qER-S44RsSKRCy1lvsAOvsA0J7ueraMM92H5/s1600/IMG_5395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p-Y8e9FIFagalY6fODcfDpLprdoVf-heV7GcLsfDx22v-mCknR0ZNDdjcLPDFnyEFjtl7zXQj7ZWW2bQRRT8R3Vcu6wPxcUYhyDp1vE_qER-S44RsSKRCy1lvsAOvsA0J7ueraMM92H5/s1600/IMG_5395.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
We saw the fountains at the Bellagio, which, come one, <i>everybody</i> has to watch the fountains at the Bellagio while in Vegas. The song they played was "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman - can you say chills up your spine?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0Z3j25gZWyzCER5sGTpUk2ja0SK4w6lGpK6j6MBsJ9I8uOWObPL4JTvYkxDXuw91UGU4t_D53o6BZIRFSP32G2KRfPtZNINkxYnNvlmsCifbxaqKuwOs_MNMMKAL-8f1LC1iQwE8fxju/s1600/DSCF1260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0Z3j25gZWyzCER5sGTpUk2ja0SK4w6lGpK6j6MBsJ9I8uOWObPL4JTvYkxDXuw91UGU4t_D53o6BZIRFSP32G2KRfPtZNINkxYnNvlmsCifbxaqKuwOs_MNMMKAL-8f1LC1iQwE8fxju/s1600/DSCF1260.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Jintelle also conquered her massive fear of heights and jumped off the Stratosphere. I am SO proud of her - getting anyone to step off a platform and fall straight down for 855 feet is hard enough, but for her, this was big! Mark had already done it a couple years ago and Erik and I were plenty happy to sit back and be cowardly chickens. I'll own it, no problem!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuxGbQZLrY5skZfOsjKCzhPj4BA8nnETn78447Bp16HJhkjIrQ5M0zDWLWn2tzh3_1kMeZOnv6EurFgHFtIHOVH34JR96YSSCVLwng4Vh1UiSROw7JdkwaIfP2T-wgt0j1EvHArf7-ISw/s1600/DSCF1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuxGbQZLrY5skZfOsjKCzhPj4BA8nnETn78447Bp16HJhkjIrQ5M0zDWLWn2tzh3_1kMeZOnv6EurFgHFtIHOVH34JR96YSSCVLwng4Vh1UiSROw7JdkwaIfP2T-wgt0j1EvHArf7-ISw/s1600/DSCF1282.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting suited up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUgbPgqDiNtBDkQ7ggJW1FysujEUF7ym9lgPsupwkCr45gY09IO4XlW-yCQfuO1eWINndUi9Ln16D0sAYYTuu7nPygOWU3Sh7ATvd5Msm-eEyR38khwa1-KOGNstpUD070yNkq5UqRGLU/s1600/DSCF1284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUgbPgqDiNtBDkQ7ggJW1FysujEUF7ym9lgPsupwkCr45gY09IO4XlW-yCQfuO1eWINndUi9Ln16D0sAYYTuu7nPygOWU3Sh7ATvd5Msm-eEyR38khwa1-KOGNstpUD070yNkq5UqRGLU/s1600/DSCF1284.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib35X25dGw3oRUKkNJPGNDDvoexal44YjNeIdl16Wvf3Dr18W1XmafL4AiTQcoF3TEcBC1x2doL6B-5WH8q-6HRnNteTowd6Btt8sqOdl2A_wfO4yKd1kg3hSiB63va6_JISAcYcd6DkBM/s1600/DSCF1286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib35X25dGw3oRUKkNJPGNDDvoexal44YjNeIdl16Wvf3Dr18W1XmafL4AiTQcoF3TEcBC1x2doL6B-5WH8q-6HRnNteTowd6Btt8sqOdl2A_wfO4yKd1kg3hSiB63va6_JISAcYcd6DkBM/s1600/DSCF1286.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were all a teensy bit worried she wouldn't be able to do it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxepsX4EgClrJe0dpcIKUWub3yvI4GG4WUijJwSa-pBFuJLOhKQKPzaVtYUQdmBctbVrTdCkKEv5u0l4a1aWhAitXwwnm-5p0SiDlzrVXqSVJvg8ps0UvXya9BnZsDCbmlYg8wLc-I6ZR/s1600/S0131314.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxepsX4EgClrJe0dpcIKUWub3yvI4GG4WUijJwSa-pBFuJLOhKQKPzaVtYUQdmBctbVrTdCkKEv5u0l4a1aWhAitXwwnm-5p0SiDlzrVXqSVJvg8ps0UvXya9BnZsDCbmlYg8wLc-I6ZR/s1600/S0131314.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH8dliQNoxI0aS66kMb9NsB_0ATT8MngG5BdZKp47GFSDZqbGKC75S-3yXa8R-naw-WijRgLrTggmah6utmDHjD4eSTliw8ZtRHnthb8_gsPmTxrKk8sM2hbDTrHUmZYpFm67MChgvsGc/s1600/S0141315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH8dliQNoxI0aS66kMb9NsB_0ATT8MngG5BdZKp47GFSDZqbGKC75S-3yXa8R-naw-WijRgLrTggmah6utmDHjD4eSTliw8ZtRHnthb8_gsPmTxrKk8sM2hbDTrHUmZYpFm67MChgvsGc/s1600/S0141315.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzbYi_F_70-kRVEv9lPhYe6InNdF9vo5YAPxknkLv8CyxvUjI7pKGW0u_9H2mLLnvyfrq-Gf6smqJsGhOyCeeT1QsPpzsShBhCvdHzYLjrh_DZJt2Q44sc9cvw9t1MULWRk1xnXN1jIfN/s1600/S0151316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzbYi_F_70-kRVEv9lPhYe6InNdF9vo5YAPxknkLv8CyxvUjI7pKGW0u_9H2mLLnvyfrq-Gf6smqJsGhOyCeeT1QsPpzsShBhCvdHzYLjrh_DZJt2Q44sc9cvw9t1MULWRk1xnXN1jIfN/s1600/S0151316.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGCcadRBUSzj7tQiZ2NRzkZaowB7xOWRSvqzV1oZCFjQOOFusJiYXH24jdYwpWXBgOe8hGdv_OhH_mdUyfzsDJf2svXW0xcFG5aGRGBLBHz3TqsrmNq2wWe2c26upoSLRhc-l1ra0Ap0H/s1600/S0191321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGCcadRBUSzj7tQiZ2NRzkZaowB7xOWRSvqzV1oZCFjQOOFusJiYXH24jdYwpWXBgOe8hGdv_OhH_mdUyfzsDJf2svXW0xcFG5aGRGBLBHz3TqsrmNq2wWe2c26upoSLRhc-l1ra0Ap0H/s1600/S0191321.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She proved us wrong! Yay Telley!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/x7M1RlTkrR0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
One of the best parts of the trip was this little restaurant on Fremont Street called the Heart Attack Grill. We'd never heard of it before but this place is hilarious!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92l9U8-iOZAa4zwyR68wAPNu4n3kK0rrpdV0VLHaKNoFyKtR_z_Sd_atBhlV84AcBxEdkoupkf3qDO7OH6arbp7CpGWJMz-rk24mijmbquYtkEQgO22y0mysGl5XRr7ZFOP0lgFhh6Ind/s1600/IMG_5402.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92l9U8-iOZAa4zwyR68wAPNu4n3kK0rrpdV0VLHaKNoFyKtR_z_Sd_atBhlV84AcBxEdkoupkf3qDO7OH6arbp7CpGWJMz-rk24mijmbquYtkEQgO22y0mysGl5XRr7ZFOP0lgFhh6Ind/s1600/IMG_5402.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
If you weight 350 pounds or more, you eat for free, and there's a scale outside the restaurant for you to step on to make sure. (Not pictured: vintage ambulance.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz577KDBM-68pYEeaPqlHoTrUmX-_0rGA_omAzAAqo9H5nV7VuG3tMt5QQDO-p7Tmt9VTlUeXGqvRnK2gchdk8LMh03oKO4o9be8iHgh4JfOB7PNIAIpWkm44EoWZYT6XTBB-b1cNLR2Av/s1600/IMG_5403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz577KDBM-68pYEeaPqlHoTrUmX-_0rGA_omAzAAqo9H5nV7VuG3tMt5QQDO-p7Tmt9VTlUeXGqvRnK2gchdk8LMh03oKO4o9be8iHgh4JfOB7PNIAIpWkm44EoWZYT6XTBB-b1cNLR2Av/s1600/IMG_5403.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfJl9xWZkonisYafSTewgXCxc8OMminM9eoL54Iw-xd4PJ4k7GDxUAA5q3eSqiOPjwi3cfGDBl7hKlTWonVknpt8CjRjIA6gF1UwVuppiv10GY96QEJkOobE6-Xk9KRuvTH1NnzsyRhGT/s1600/IMG_5404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfJl9xWZkonisYafSTewgXCxc8OMminM9eoL54Iw-xd4PJ4k7GDxUAA5q3eSqiOPjwi3cfGDBl7hKlTWonVknpt8CjRjIA6gF1UwVuppiv10GY96QEJkOobE6-Xk9KRuvTH1NnzsyRhGT/s1600/IMG_5404.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
You have to wear a hospital gown to eat, and they give you wristbands to wear.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIT92SNMSDmZuXTIeWPQIntdzUIZut0_sgJzCjOaCsiJa7BtnE_SY3KgB4A2L68blP1coOqvoTu_OvBXnZdgkQ-Xs40mJSrjl68EmaoNk82m8K2456FhvNvHL_fEfS2AFokbr_3QHFfP6/s1600/IMG_5424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIT92SNMSDmZuXTIeWPQIntdzUIZut0_sgJzCjOaCsiJa7BtnE_SY3KgB4A2L68blP1coOqvoTu_OvBXnZdgkQ-Xs40mJSrjl68EmaoNk82m8K2456FhvNvHL_fEfS2AFokbr_3QHFfP6/s1600/IMG_5424.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalsrtv5UGsu74GuN1aDqgmIRaM9FpZrSKrHPI645y13zdstPTLRGUYD7j6NGAcs-e2yryoY_pXpjS8yA9Cj3mII6BDA_pvnZ9lQs7aWWCE-2hIVk_cDI2gPW6iVWEVR3vD8gfzqpYqgAy/s1600/IMG_5425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalsrtv5UGsu74GuN1aDqgmIRaM9FpZrSKrHPI645y13zdstPTLRGUYD7j6NGAcs-e2yryoY_pXpjS8yA9Cj3mII6BDA_pvnZ9lQs7aWWCE-2hIVk_cDI2gPW6iVWEVR3vD8gfzqpYqgAy/s1600/IMG_5425.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
The Bypass is what they call their burgers. The Single Bypass is a single hamburger patty, the Double Bypass is two patties and so on up to the Octo Bypass - which you can get with 40 slices of bacon. And in case you weren't sure, everything on their menu is purposefully unhealthy. Besides a Bypass burger and french fries, your only other food option is a ginormous hot dog onto which they dump piles of chili and cheese.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-x2zcbrsARNKlMtDYyWeJgM28J4JUGyQ2Dw3BcJt8FQ7cSQWrkrNW8Wl_SPOhfka4md1jeIPm-uh2hoHvJ4kSpZzkuarBFH6lXrP0g_z4gnSF0GFozaPpjOFTeLGbser654MQlnoqDz8/s1600/IMG_5419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-x2zcbrsARNKlMtDYyWeJgM28J4JUGyQ2Dw3BcJt8FQ7cSQWrkrNW8Wl_SPOhfka4md1jeIPm-uh2hoHvJ4kSpZzkuarBFH6lXrP0g_z4gnSF0GFozaPpjOFTeLGbser654MQlnoqDz8/s1600/IMG_5419.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9YkvBMaNyxa_i7HC4Te0it9RXRUAmMMhePw4BAnoLdEBTim8d0n0jcm1r6KNreseTbuDF-2XJrZKwuN2jHAyyP_jWRTc5GBZKC83vpaVlg2cchNTvDiTHuWB4WFZrDiioc7k2UYGmbWm/s1600/IMG_5420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9YkvBMaNyxa_i7HC4Te0it9RXRUAmMMhePw4BAnoLdEBTim8d0n0jcm1r6KNreseTbuDF-2XJrZKwuN2jHAyyP_jWRTc5GBZKC83vpaVlg2cchNTvDiTHuWB4WFZrDiioc7k2UYGmbWm/s1600/IMG_5420.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Their decor was awesome. You can't really read it but you could get your alcohol served to you in a prescription bottle. And speaking of alcohol, our Jello shots were administered by our nurse waitress in 60 cc syringes, and our wine came to us in an IV bag. (Actually, to be technical, it's a tube feeding bag, but close enough.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JhyKr8exgI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Poor Telley had had too much to drink the night before so her shot didn't sit so well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTArlQMwhVoSR4R6Dft72bjS2s5bTXD1uGeGfFJIr9PliiMvNglz4wrB4FxhyphenhyphenrMxcq_SB-RYevzaRUA0if_EyFksOkUQFSYRf-C3ZvyLbkDlGgKHBuoIwTfpMFBldwWj_mSsBcd-updEd/s1600/IMG_5407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTArlQMwhVoSR4R6Dft72bjS2s5bTXD1uGeGfFJIr9PliiMvNglz4wrB4FxhyphenhyphenrMxcq_SB-RYevzaRUA0if_EyFksOkUQFSYRf-C3ZvyLbkDlGgKHBuoIwTfpMFBldwWj_mSsBcd-updEd/s1600/IMG_5407.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5YHEhHXA0JX0s02C9uvLx1T7kRlSL5-pmzRQDTMZ1kYU7JPcvsHxDgs_SlsPQVo1mgKBO8UpdANeruyy42nidayXSH9p03pvQCBGPWKoDi6cOLadSOUPQzF35dEh4IExU7ybjgy_B0eB/s1600/IMG_5410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5YHEhHXA0JX0s02C9uvLx1T7kRlSL5-pmzRQDTMZ1kYU7JPcvsHxDgs_SlsPQVo1mgKBO8UpdANeruyy42nidayXSH9p03pvQCBGPWKoDi6cOLadSOUPQzF35dEh4IExU7ybjgy_B0eB/s1600/IMG_5410.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6250R5X_A_lFPtLhSD-0x_md0IyBB46bsYnMtvGGLdslcqFjJHExGynUEmu2M-vLkdOj4oRay071PvsMINONsB3J1j_CbhjfbKU5T5GktgUOX1mCalAgxfgCXQgijUyxU7SvdoVOw50C/s1600/IMG_5405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6250R5X_A_lFPtLhSD-0x_md0IyBB46bsYnMtvGGLdslcqFjJHExGynUEmu2M-vLkdOj4oRay071PvsMINONsB3J1j_CbhjfbKU5T5GktgUOX1mCalAgxfgCXQgijUyxU7SvdoVOw50C/s1600/IMG_5405.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The doctor and nurse getting our IV wine set up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRl5Xkflhf3NL_cuTBE9MiRrjGkUJ1GfMENXtFxAIIUlX9wdDygYZWE1DjBvb_UOXURDZUhHGCz-lGkQQ3moQn7sRQgvpbw9iMC9z1xxQtEB2fmrWj5g54xtYvA6t-UR034r2kvK17pbn/s1600/IMG_5416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRl5Xkflhf3NL_cuTBE9MiRrjGkUJ1GfMENXtFxAIIUlX9wdDygYZWE1DjBvb_UOXURDZUhHGCz-lGkQQ3moQn7sRQgvpbw9iMC9z1xxQtEB2fmrWj5g54xtYvA6t-UR034r2kvK17pbn/s1600/IMG_5416.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If they could just invent something like this for caffeine, we'd be good to go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqbc2UhyphenhyphendlqVR8XPgQXZ3Qydh5Pfrff_2qAuXscWQsK706JFzhm6Sht8bOxrOXsvTsf-TB2kdN0fLnY-o2oevziNvoTS_lRJ3rcef4fHmfYX9fPwrWBHg824vOp-0WrPO2Ylbs2qGBjvS/s1600/IMG_5418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqbc2UhyphenhyphendlqVR8XPgQXZ3Qydh5Pfrff_2qAuXscWQsK706JFzhm6Sht8bOxrOXsvTsf-TB2kdN0fLnY-o2oevziNvoTS_lRJ3rcef4fHmfYX9fPwrWBHg824vOp-0WrPO2Ylbs2qGBjvS/s1600/IMG_5418.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNs3oNdjAyxJzMo-dqVApgCk0gZnQdkT3ZVuC15ktAEJjg8SIl_biaYirJa4aSND2erRLws9fuww6JAmaHd49cqt6YlFXNO3ZcfekW5vWNqXZoC0ZmwAyZUzoNQG5W3L3eQlmvwmA-EMop/s1600/IMG_5430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNs3oNdjAyxJzMo-dqVApgCk0gZnQdkT3ZVuC15ktAEJjg8SIl_biaYirJa4aSND2erRLws9fuww6JAmaHd49cqt6YlFXNO3ZcfekW5vWNqXZoC0ZmwAyZUzoNQG5W3L3eQlmvwmA-EMop/s1600/IMG_5430.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick! More vodka, stat!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIqvMaMSX_YMAdxekXzrUK96lMvDsGKamiYKzNvWFHfWhGv-yuwyKmjblhp_5xe9EJm3HcsZaDD9FcgDJEjWhEB5wAD5XeTSaO7e9hnNaopIVU3KGUlDcv0JVEBGZfF1Ov3mgKYHAV7BI/s1600/IMG_5432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIqvMaMSX_YMAdxekXzrUK96lMvDsGKamiYKzNvWFHfWhGv-yuwyKmjblhp_5xe9EJm3HcsZaDD9FcgDJEjWhEB5wAD5XeTSaO7e9hnNaopIVU3KGUlDcv0JVEBGZfF1Ov3mgKYHAV7BI/s1600/IMG_5432.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erik on the fast track to wine consumption.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here was the best part: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBQjhh8dXwlaMpHlrj-SmvNJTVfRB9tQts51vlug0NgzHhAfWOUPLliwHwuGnTMLxbI3fALH1qpleQorcR1BxiAgF64J6h5OI49gIxmr1nuo8JTNM7l0gPk7oB2vz8w64_Sk6T82Pgztr/s1600/IMG_5415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBQjhh8dXwlaMpHlrj-SmvNJTVfRB9tQts51vlug0NgzHhAfWOUPLliwHwuGnTMLxbI3fALH1qpleQorcR1BxiAgF64J6h5OI49gIxmr1nuo8JTNM7l0gPk7oB2vz8w64_Sk6T82Pgztr/s1600/IMG_5415.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
If you don't eat all of your burger, your nurse spanks you! At first we thought it would be a light little tapping, but these girls don't mess around! This poor guy at the table next to us had the misfortune of not finishing his meal and this is what he got.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sUAN0SAEpb0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And yes, that is a midget. You can't make this stuff up, people!<br />
<br />
Mark had been planning on not quite finishing his burger on purpose just so he could have the experience of getting spanked by a naughty nurse (let me clarify that that is NOT part of my job description) but after seeing that he decided that maybe he didn't want to be punished after all. So we were all determined to finish our burgers - which were big.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUTrLt_uyVhwHtwsVlNoQQSlFdBBJ-qN-sYHLgPbaljaEZMmJzpvCKt_xpPzZY18_B_nYKLjkuvZS_Zi2oiS7y3YNYzc0yTRMUjCyrdIWIB-uNsNDeeM5gFNh210aUqkIYvr0Igzw9hbT/s1600/IMG_5423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUTrLt_uyVhwHtwsVlNoQQSlFdBBJ-qN-sYHLgPbaljaEZMmJzpvCKt_xpPzZY18_B_nYKLjkuvZS_Zi2oiS7y3YNYzc0yTRMUjCyrdIWIB-uNsNDeeM5gFNh210aUqkIYvr0Igzw9hbT/s1600/IMG_5423.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
It was one of the best burgers I've ever had though. We all managed to eat our burgers when our nurse came back to the table, looked at Mark's plate, and noted in a disappointed tone that he'd eaten all his food.<br />
<br />
So the rest of us dumped our leftover fries onto Mark's plate.<br />
<br />
Okay, so maybe it was a bit underhanded, but come on, we couldn't pass up this opportunity! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QROPB-1XLLQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And yes, he got spanked HARD.<br />
<br />
Here's the view from the webcam they have set up to get the expressions of the unfortunate spankees.<br />
<a href="http://www.tout.com/m/1kqj52" target="_blank">Mark Gets Spanked</a><br />
<br />
Mark complained for a couple hours afterwards that he couldn't sit down and he was actually worried the skin was broken. But he forgave his nurse anyway. (She did feel bad - she told him afterwards that she doesn't usually hit that hard but her first hit was exceptionally hard and then she couldn't let the rest of them be any less so she had to keep it up.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRt3yAbXD9lZMGp0yAlm7RxPEQ-xk_jUQYMS337CdOCUm9mAqHNzsaHWNsQWfQvP0jmC-0dFOL-rPnPopVqFOG8T4HR7leQ_9EMZKVQnOVLiCyS6N6rFVinVBwBXRQgAgo_q9NfHitWAX/s1600/IMG_5429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRt3yAbXD9lZMGp0yAlm7RxPEQ-xk_jUQYMS337CdOCUm9mAqHNzsaHWNsQWfQvP0jmC-0dFOL-rPnPopVqFOG8T4HR7leQ_9EMZKVQnOVLiCyS6N6rFVinVBwBXRQgAgo_q9NfHitWAX/s1600/IMG_5429.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
And then we got the bill.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28ggKFVi6kqtQKqR8jESM92LLyglNafR72TUhblk-jUdwdLhL3NgoPRCLGG3i1hkya4fdPf_xpujMVUlAvnoTz5t2exnU0Quwt2avUzP5pbdnIM4EfV-0DTRTZtsXPLEkbJtsRNezYwQa/s1600/IMG_5428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28ggKFVi6kqtQKqR8jESM92LLyglNafR72TUhblk-jUdwdLhL3NgoPRCLGG3i1hkya4fdPf_xpujMVUlAvnoTz5t2exnU0Quwt2avUzP5pbdnIM4EfV-0DTRTZtsXPLEkbJtsRNezYwQa/s1600/IMG_5428.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
So. Freaking. Hilarious! We are definitely going to have to go back on our next trip down.<br />
<br />
We walked through the Rio one day, and although we didn't get the chance to see the real Chippendale's dancers we got the next best thing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkKYNJBp5DqjxqRgYTXD0XeH0bPTmtYbsd4YhJX31a2UB0667KTRNRcd16WFCq_PssNoDS5AGNnIYW15m6oT2d2KIPBw0k75qfHCnd5fHSiNT-Ahwa2HStiOiXH-GLKBWzohHcl9_BQvF/s1600/IMG_5398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkKYNJBp5DqjxqRgYTXD0XeH0bPTmtYbsd4YhJX31a2UB0667KTRNRcd16WFCq_PssNoDS5AGNnIYW15m6oT2d2KIPBw0k75qfHCnd5fHSiNT-Ahwa2HStiOiXH-GLKBWzohHcl9_BQvF/s1600/IMG_5398.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mJ4G61hPdzFv0j1X7q0Ux7pYdFnrW1vAZ7iZVTD_lQemIjJorPHdd70q_G6B6PBZze_v_i5xbXXVYQ2yrYGjj18BpWBphjnAsv3DMQxnx4DXrW3wjzF9LoDt2wt1MWPMbozb3CEGyEwg/s1600/IMG_5399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mJ4G61hPdzFv0j1X7q0Ux7pYdFnrW1vAZ7iZVTD_lQemIjJorPHdd70q_G6B6PBZze_v_i5xbXXVYQ2yrYGjj18BpWBphjnAsv3DMQxnx4DXrW3wjzF9LoDt2wt1MWPMbozb3CEGyEwg/s1600/IMG_5399.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Another fun activity we did was go on a zipline tour in Bootleg Canyon, about 30 minutes out of Vegas. It was a nerve-wracking bus drive up a narrow, steep, windy road, followed by a short hike, followed by 4 ziplines down to the bottom, the shortest of which was a quarter mile in length. It was so much fun and on a couple of the ziplines we got going over 60 mph.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHI6VJEabCYV3djo-90xkrKLMl3hp7vCpWGiIABDHCEB6T6PIZMz5brSnx-7rHqD-1Bz5qFdFZn6FtLj51NGRkiAClamrBO5Wgi5p3vBWb7OV7FmrpjR-79spRJsoybtO3WkXxk0RwfjBH/s1600/IMG_5441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHI6VJEabCYV3djo-90xkrKLMl3hp7vCpWGiIABDHCEB6T6PIZMz5brSnx-7rHqD-1Bz5qFdFZn6FtLj51NGRkiAClamrBO5Wgi5p3vBWb7OV7FmrpjR-79spRJsoybtO3WkXxk0RwfjBH/s1600/IMG_5441.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXa3hnnE_yB4-1ZTZo9vjGOQzh3jE8UPq_iyueEFIozhRHp7sz4j2m5TxYFuPDO9Lzz9zmFKEsbH0_p8AFUOuXWiM4TyE58VGkprVEBBhQpNIWc96OpXV871dvyLExs_D_epvXJH6jLvk/s1600/IMG_5442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXa3hnnE_yB4-1ZTZo9vjGOQzh3jE8UPq_iyueEFIozhRHp7sz4j2m5TxYFuPDO9Lzz9zmFKEsbH0_p8AFUOuXWiM4TyE58VGkprVEBBhQpNIWc96OpXV871dvyLExs_D_epvXJH6jLvk/s1600/IMG_5442.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpMCYMAAbiJ8jNoKF0FG61xHu8mxksskHx9Xf7eDVmBhQ8pqAvO_hmjIsUiIvMuQiCSegQR1RqtfnyRvPgPBN7l5OJc99xTNj91eiuSWmWCu2TfITpJ52Apzy_BKDjgc52gRMm6VWbPgS/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpMCYMAAbiJ8jNoKF0FG61xHu8mxksskHx9Xf7eDVmBhQ8pqAvO_hmjIsUiIvMuQiCSegQR1RqtfnyRvPgPBN7l5OJc99xTNj91eiuSWmWCu2TfITpJ52Apzy_BKDjgc52gRMm6VWbPgS/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO13Z4llq8JR7ncolnajbfMa9WihAqaTeUjq9SKBk1jkiQMlOEGuzOKVFbNwXxrPbWzDKDQ7HlzODHl4dlAmvjUdBCOqYOxDtRv2MpBIRlGkJlllJtAuABW8Qozs5QcAb2phMQ02T9UVQ1/s1600/IMG_5444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO13Z4llq8JR7ncolnajbfMa9WihAqaTeUjq9SKBk1jkiQMlOEGuzOKVFbNwXxrPbWzDKDQ7HlzODHl4dlAmvjUdBCOqYOxDtRv2MpBIRlGkJlllJtAuABW8Qozs5QcAb2phMQ02T9UVQ1/s1600/IMG_5444.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We also went to see Tournament of Kings again, since Jintelle and Erik hadn't seen it before, and on our last evening Jintelle and Erik went to Madame Tussaud's while Mark and I had a date night at a restaurant called Japonais, one of those restaurants where a tiny slab of fish costs $20, but it was excellent food.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv7sjtuqJtCfVggo9Ard0E1E5xNX1ZbHduSPEX-wx8oUlyb0xGpK8fQ__Be7WFlyAZtxPryhK2ArR2vIb0gEzekjEAkjicLkkw-F4OBAdxWLPPXrjTZVnUdHyg1GxmWBQ21YLe1z7KyhS/s1600/IMG_5448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv7sjtuqJtCfVggo9Ard0E1E5xNX1ZbHduSPEX-wx8oUlyb0xGpK8fQ__Be7WFlyAZtxPryhK2ArR2vIb0gEzekjEAkjicLkkw-F4OBAdxWLPPXrjTZVnUdHyg1GxmWBQ21YLe1z7KyhS/s1600/IMG_5448.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus I enjoy the opportunity to get dressed up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was such a fun vacation but, as always, too short. But even though it was nice to get a break from parenting, I was definitely ready to see Mira again by the time we got back. Mira got to spend a few days with her Grandma and a few days with her Grandpa and it sounds like everyone had a great time. And that's a big relief for me to know that Mira spent several days without Mark and me and she wasn't upset about it at all - the most worrisome part of the trip was wondering if she'd be okay and if she would miss us too much or get homesick or something. Apparently Mira was ready for a vacation from Mommy and Daddy too so that worked out for everyone!<br />
<br />
I will dedicate the next post to Mark and his job situation. Don't worry, it's not bad, but what happens in Vegas, gets its own blog post. :) Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-29921467591889717222014-03-14T14:30:00.002-07:002014-03-14T14:30:25.814-07:00Birthday Parties and Cake OverloadMira ended up getting two "parties" for her birthday this year. The first one was basically just Mark and me letting her choose a cake and singing Happy Birthday to her at home. The next one was put off for a few weeks because I wanted to do something for my family to attend and since I worked every weekend in February, and the rest of my family does not work on weekends, we had to wait until March for that one to happen. (I actually just remembered that I missed a party with Mark's family for Mira because I was, you guessed it, working. So really Mira had 3 parties. But she's 3 so that works out, right?) (Also, does this mean that I get to attend 30 parties for myself this year?)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcavSqFD8DEvzCkQ0J3KI_EhZQ-zx1fiP0UJN-TjrBlVcN40LCXrQeb0p4FfkGybGbam_rx9qYw637k-z_1FJxLNdKoUdbOEI64DHfHcF0hL1ZYyS0t4-VLLkVvsM5XJbNW_8ui031ZPj/s1600/DSCF1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcavSqFD8DEvzCkQ0J3KI_EhZQ-zx1fiP0UJN-TjrBlVcN40LCXrQeb0p4FfkGybGbam_rx9qYw637k-z_1FJxLNdKoUdbOEI64DHfHcF0hL1ZYyS0t4-VLLkVvsM5XJbNW_8ui031ZPj/s1600/DSCF1177.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira's cake choice. She loved the balloons and it's definitely a cake I would have chosen for her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjYnzrPQSWsnd35b64oU2i2pglxDwFuu_cpYtRTszLgMz_tL_YMdv1giWS9soDn3uRMCJ51oSapGVHYiDMftCQI1B7ZUZgZeVw2Z-mbE8hd1d9700e5v3HIIF3TxVdmvpGtXU8ghHE8Eu/s1600/DSCF1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjYnzrPQSWsnd35b64oU2i2pglxDwFuu_cpYtRTszLgMz_tL_YMdv1giWS9soDn3uRMCJ51oSapGVHYiDMftCQI1B7ZUZgZeVw2Z-mbE8hd1d9700e5v3HIIF3TxVdmvpGtXU8ghHE8Eu/s1600/DSCF1181.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL83cV1GzcAJJgHW5GBTHhGkUCgPs7GJ43eISNZrSZ4G6-5wDK-UTDBNUAF6dI0949osDS_UvweloN88m9Vwygfl_4r55o4w3zH8Mh9WTaV_pXbx6pcKagoPmCiCwvCNtKVlBlsDIlRDuu/s1600/DSCF1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL83cV1GzcAJJgHW5GBTHhGkUCgPs7GJ43eISNZrSZ4G6-5wDK-UTDBNUAF6dI0949osDS_UvweloN88m9Vwygfl_4r55o4w3zH8Mh9WTaV_pXbx6pcKagoPmCiCwvCNtKVlBlsDIlRDuu/s1600/DSCF1180.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birthday girl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizveObtMfflHvssw8gwXOpFGvhf0e3eqOv3e5sn-cSgullZD63_hIf7XjbxYFDm8OGP4Z1YPW47ozoaYlSCoSiL3NPpnMpSxx2jhu7e6dBkNkhdNAjDxdU0GkXkAMqX33rpT7Tqu-PN51k/s1600/DSCF1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizveObtMfflHvssw8gwXOpFGvhf0e3eqOv3e5sn-cSgullZD63_hIf7XjbxYFDm8OGP4Z1YPW47ozoaYlSCoSiL3NPpnMpSxx2jhu7e6dBkNkhdNAjDxdU0GkXkAMqX33rpT7Tqu-PN51k/s1600/DSCF1182.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvsY-dHs8xDTn_8wLtX6SupA2mqe1SpM9qtbtS8JLKdtHPE30j5vSnHNSW_pf0b6EGuutbstnvcT9KG7Cg_hLYSoky53tgpTRF-o2L3G3FIRL367AvuiKpBQVOdxLLkiIWMz4eZx2TiRX/s1600/DSCF1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvsY-dHs8xDTn_8wLtX6SupA2mqe1SpM9qtbtS8JLKdtHPE30j5vSnHNSW_pf0b6EGuutbstnvcT9KG7Cg_hLYSoky53tgpTRF-o2L3G3FIRL367AvuiKpBQVOdxLLkiIWMz4eZx2TiRX/s1600/DSCF1188.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We crashed my sister Sara's house for the family party since, honestly, our house is not exactly laid out nicely for large gatherings. Sara's pretty cool for letting us use her house.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAFHIbRywzwF5ewa4JvR6U05NPaO1QOKlVzC9oxT97SiwOwDXKyLNaK_2TUFIuodyezGnn3x_xWKqtF7JlwSbAioxXoMZcW-iJraoqQSd85iSH8kl-_e0yZ690iNuRlKHRTgzW-c6B2yX/s1600/DSCF1203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAFHIbRywzwF5ewa4JvR6U05NPaO1QOKlVzC9oxT97SiwOwDXKyLNaK_2TUFIuodyezGnn3x_xWKqtF7JlwSbAioxXoMZcW-iJraoqQSd85iSH8kl-_e0yZ690iNuRlKHRTgzW-c6B2yX/s1600/DSCF1203.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwO5rNdAwo3C80dndT72Hjcc_ub51CQQTx8fGTaXDtRpfd_mmzvgkNC4VgYqJ4hYHdjK8Di1FoF5HjaBdUd1ty6akybhR1j5uKTSF7_rYEXW1pd2qRqm2YrTheks93ZtvD10fBIvODTvw/s1600/DSCF1204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwO5rNdAwo3C80dndT72Hjcc_ub51CQQTx8fGTaXDtRpfd_mmzvgkNC4VgYqJ4hYHdjK8Di1FoF5HjaBdUd1ty6akybhR1j5uKTSF7_rYEXW1pd2qRqm2YrTheks93ZtvD10fBIvODTvw/s1600/DSCF1204.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2Y56f44o6837U63KIL5Fz4dZMcJsPUZVjnMSUQBLu-MfqN-Sa0tgVp1YUan5rXU28yda7mnKGR3LW4yjr0spOqm14b7WtTbVqc2FNptFYFLwZ7epJVL1bxpm3kPQEY43rT5bkVFvcnW_/s1600/DSCF1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2Y56f44o6837U63KIL5Fz4dZMcJsPUZVjnMSUQBLu-MfqN-Sa0tgVp1YUan5rXU28yda7mnKGR3LW4yjr0spOqm14b7WtTbVqc2FNptFYFLwZ7epJVL1bxpm3kPQEY43rT5bkVFvcnW_/s1600/DSCF1205.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing bubbles with Grandpa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGt2NIzVau-I8-7jeY1AQybdrW449rvJBo3YcadYPf_gBTzGVHuvXNzvtwHDmaPYF-DiXY7KcMPIOQuar_QeDoUy_CvsBIbDNz9Qam21AVXpfaBFm2u6esO12JimttNngO4DVBQ4LvgF6/s1600/DSCF1207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGt2NIzVau-I8-7jeY1AQybdrW449rvJBo3YcadYPf_gBTzGVHuvXNzvtwHDmaPYF-DiXY7KcMPIOQuar_QeDoUy_CvsBIbDNz9Qam21AVXpfaBFm2u6esO12JimttNngO4DVBQ4LvgF6/s1600/DSCF1207.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xZDIVO5-hJUE9PRlfdRzHtd1QMHldIqV6NmeihrC4Bw8sEFZ6fkInvY5tvXWFPqXbfjEChp-JTSkLpz9gxGUMjdUVjhzVip2bAgmrjzpiHR_vIC0Iymv18Dx5lua3LmZ3h4ul7ZbkGsd/s1600/DSCF1209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xZDIVO5-hJUE9PRlfdRzHtd1QMHldIqV6NmeihrC4Bw8sEFZ6fkInvY5tvXWFPqXbfjEChp-JTSkLpz9gxGUMjdUVjhzVip2bAgmrjzpiHR_vIC0Iymv18Dx5lua3LmZ3h4ul7ZbkGsd/s1600/DSCF1209.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOWgaGLGP94A9y4pjjr3yzc-E8_paOsQFw68O-CUtH6pyEVuym8afO9GJNhWatqqXAbPyOTIqntZ3R4hNlCOmuWLoaancGCLnrRp-xq31BVR41QHzgJARlQrNy2NO9o5EhUZw64s94g-O/s1600/DSCF1212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOWgaGLGP94A9y4pjjr3yzc-E8_paOsQFw68O-CUtH6pyEVuym8afO9GJNhWatqqXAbPyOTIqntZ3R4hNlCOmuWLoaancGCLnrRp-xq31BVR41QHzgJARlQrNy2NO9o5EhUZw64s94g-O/s1600/DSCF1212.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySPMv6bA3gXMb1okZFxvV75XtPY22ptVXXszNfuAw-pq3Cl4WV658sUNK1zX89bOuDcXPrZN9Xx4Oo1U3P0sRUTLwZpmBPUHy1kyThKT5xr7zlDSbx5VBmzzX0ZcPkKy2-AmqyfLLz4KB/s1600/DSCF1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySPMv6bA3gXMb1okZFxvV75XtPY22ptVXXszNfuAw-pq3Cl4WV658sUNK1zX89bOuDcXPrZN9Xx4Oo1U3P0sRUTLwZpmBPUHy1kyThKT5xr7zlDSbx5VBmzzX0ZcPkKy2-AmqyfLLz4KB/s1600/DSCF1213.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rKCZGGt6S1vc6nBbW1JdbrlOXa-NC256gUXt4HggSaNY-QWm0Nl7hjYoH5ccQ4FMrrl-Dywu238B81Jt20WysSUiTw9DmzsBPnl0dqsCoQQKv7s1pj8nnl07gjbJLpF845WJ-rSIZcpz/s1600/DSCF1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rKCZGGt6S1vc6nBbW1JdbrlOXa-NC256gUXt4HggSaNY-QWm0Nl7hjYoH5ccQ4FMrrl-Dywu238B81Jt20WysSUiTw9DmzsBPnl0dqsCoQQKv7s1pj8nnl07gjbJLpF845WJ-rSIZcpz/s1600/DSCF1215.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEizUga4LK8e_5kGzwsJNOFcklSJq3eKDZSKEzu-cU8iQq65dUFaDJJnEGsKCVokUJIKcwkx__Zh-2dJv9HO10Eeeaviaz2K7V4OzwaItpl9RoTRdGrAfb5Y-sAiwKkM5ZssGXcMRuj7-/s1600/DSCF1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEizUga4LK8e_5kGzwsJNOFcklSJq3eKDZSKEzu-cU8iQq65dUFaDJJnEGsKCVokUJIKcwkx__Zh-2dJv9HO10Eeeaviaz2K7V4OzwaItpl9RoTRdGrAfb5Y-sAiwKkM5ZssGXcMRuj7-/s1600/DSCF1216.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both times Mira was too scared to blow out the candles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiop1C2QZvygIrK1BpmX6OIw7EiE2GT4BOtfmspgIP8Etwv7Mp-tXq2JBFW42-Q6BHUi2KMBlO1VmIuQ3GhgB3qvAjq7xyLj7I2sLIZUxQya-j3EfDq6Omtz9MnDl7Zigy_WDXaqgVBWH6/s1600/DSCF1218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiop1C2QZvygIrK1BpmX6OIw7EiE2GT4BOtfmspgIP8Etwv7Mp-tXq2JBFW42-Q6BHUi2KMBlO1VmIuQ3GhgB3qvAjq7xyLj7I2sLIZUxQya-j3EfDq6Omtz9MnDl7Zigy_WDXaqgVBWH6/s1600/DSCF1218.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhev9ZdFB11cVbequgGmk_8blYLANVnkQstud86OJpzCAdJ08UDGkbQ1WV2sb_luMjEghDIWPoFpA4fTfSXSXWVu3ubSFeFRsgYfeJ0RcviMuRj3bOBaVUWCi1wCY8u7I7gytodOjS1e8I/s1600/DSCF1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhev9ZdFB11cVbequgGmk_8blYLANVnkQstud86OJpzCAdJ08UDGkbQ1WV2sb_luMjEghDIWPoFpA4fTfSXSXWVu3ubSFeFRsgYfeJ0RcviMuRj3bOBaVUWCi1wCY8u7I7gytodOjS1e8I/s1600/DSCF1220.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening all her presents, lucky girl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhENl3zilZCJvPmkIkAeseFt3H-ktbb7cDsGeIpGEyaCwPBc9XCE7475TzO1q1fI9irCt04GY0YRFWtBd0p1wvanqQBPO2f8dkk1_rsgnlhPCePk4z1AC8cKAej4_tvX9kZ1Jc41bSKPqF/s1600/DSCF1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhENl3zilZCJvPmkIkAeseFt3H-ktbb7cDsGeIpGEyaCwPBc9XCE7475TzO1q1fI9irCt04GY0YRFWtBd0p1wvanqQBPO2f8dkk1_rsgnlhPCePk4z1AC8cKAej4_tvX9kZ1Jc41bSKPqF/s1600/DSCF1224.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIcdqHgqf9VnxH4mFRHZVLsMsjzp7vrGou83dx8ubo7wA8GWWGiZXOBV94lunyW2iLJRBsAIe39fkj-WLOvj5_3_Rst7-sHUHfsLpQ7kuaUfXlmb5f3WYy8fvW7oTDbA4GaAQn-G2K9hW/s1600/DSCF1225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIcdqHgqf9VnxH4mFRHZVLsMsjzp7vrGou83dx8ubo7wA8GWWGiZXOBV94lunyW2iLJRBsAIe39fkj-WLOvj5_3_Rst7-sHUHfsLpQ7kuaUfXlmb5f3WYy8fvW7oTDbA4GaAQn-G2K9hW/s1600/DSCF1225.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6J_bTXZ-oFO4zALTrVIyxDhNynzaa0olmdAtxzv-WMRMHcXBiNcByLPMGSHKYv0NUsnGrJXJ0wLWKEKus0Bg3lZoaGG1dBi62dx9vT0yt9_gvPHeDzIXN4naGWTK4FLd1N9NteHBEYYJ/s1600/DSCF1226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6J_bTXZ-oFO4zALTrVIyxDhNynzaa0olmdAtxzv-WMRMHcXBiNcByLPMGSHKYv0NUsnGrJXJ0wLWKEKus0Bg3lZoaGG1dBi62dx9vT0yt9_gvPHeDzIXN4naGWTK4FLd1N9NteHBEYYJ/s1600/DSCF1226.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdEJuqMH9fsag09FWNeiARTwXYQYERtx5f25Ycehh52rnuTOpvJQpPR3dYngHfb0P8PHHlGrKO0opGXdFC0_tzhEd7Ib07Zmg10YhdgDeaUgFyPirAw2CHY_4D1oO2JQVq3YhQh_GvZkV/s1600/DSCF1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdEJuqMH9fsag09FWNeiARTwXYQYERtx5f25Ycehh52rnuTOpvJQpPR3dYngHfb0P8PHHlGrKO0opGXdFC0_tzhEd7Ib07Zmg10YhdgDeaUgFyPirAw2CHY_4D1oO2JQVq3YhQh_GvZkV/s1600/DSCF1228.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boots from Grandpa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0_hKdnKPpLiDHVHenefdQ8zrN8SAv6V5MvYvnxPIG1oaqXiMeJP2Iy5npYVaVmhRO3vtR90vVRBoKP8nEgJc1fQtxzKDMAu6YyTqBcsjCpT6IPuQZzHBTtqCXOBOwHV1MIjGWIexYoTc/s1600/DSCF1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0_hKdnKPpLiDHVHenefdQ8zrN8SAv6V5MvYvnxPIG1oaqXiMeJP2Iy5npYVaVmhRO3vtR90vVRBoKP8nEgJc1fQtxzKDMAu6YyTqBcsjCpT6IPuQZzHBTtqCXOBOwHV1MIjGWIexYoTc/s1600/DSCF1229.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KDORwTNtVeR_73KMbR7Flx6IkJGe-t7t2FENv0qr7LfzrDxL0H1gNYH8ulTlaZo24pA7zoQ_DjAV5m0bgesyjufR17CADHozyZDA1BlDkApOMWPbl0svGebxTdrnzAYrKkg7_-gdroGU/s1600/DSCF1231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KDORwTNtVeR_73KMbR7Flx6IkJGe-t7t2FENv0qr7LfzrDxL0H1gNYH8ulTlaZo24pA7zoQ_DjAV5m0bgesyjufR17CADHozyZDA1BlDkApOMWPbl0svGebxTdrnzAYrKkg7_-gdroGU/s1600/DSCF1231.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Books from Grandma.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsFbAec-0aRUoCfNw-s9J2G1fKyaCkI9IXGh57feqYvSDATCxZGrEtTPe-g6UZtIcz12H8dQzAPjXauWgtS4Jn6l3YVQqMFRBchVSpbHjmebl36zqKC0lMTvxqM5iJisc-zLGis-FuRw3/s1600/DSCF1232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsFbAec-0aRUoCfNw-s9J2G1fKyaCkI9IXGh57feqYvSDATCxZGrEtTPe-g6UZtIcz12H8dQzAPjXauWgtS4Jn6l3YVQqMFRBchVSpbHjmebl36zqKC0lMTvxqM5iJisc-zLGis-FuRw3/s1600/DSCF1232.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-Rm4wK4ARI7nL14esKqwL16TARIVb4jHFahAi3ftMBCGWtZ6GdjDhlYhITKcWfK9bFXBbLWiigcY3lWbPIBdc7TAlyrNyLpWj9cwz5as5agw-OWXM0-CSEmiCwbxV2nwqa6a47hxbhqf/s1600/DSCF1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-Rm4wK4ARI7nL14esKqwL16TARIVb4jHFahAi3ftMBCGWtZ6GdjDhlYhITKcWfK9bFXBbLWiigcY3lWbPIBdc7TAlyrNyLpWj9cwz5as5agw-OWXM0-CSEmiCwbxV2nwqa6a47hxbhqf/s1600/DSCF1233.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hand-decorated treasure box from Aunt Sara.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNqFSUsJz3XDuW8O2DoEhjeiDVkPpso56lSSmZ9c0dTtjF1JbwriUkuJ9IuoHvcCwUKuT7YPnpS5szSZClHkaQEryTIpTM7SHbxWC_j0kZ15KHeAg5p2LEdBOPYBOaJXjKXg8egTM-8t-/s1600/DSCF1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNqFSUsJz3XDuW8O2DoEhjeiDVkPpso56lSSmZ9c0dTtjF1JbwriUkuJ9IuoHvcCwUKuT7YPnpS5szSZClHkaQEryTIpTM7SHbxWC_j0kZ15KHeAg5p2LEdBOPYBOaJXjKXg8egTM-8t-/s1600/DSCF1234.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEbreF_wXiTNAcWGSUyfm8QfiHc1uVsUpZLCKB0qqElI4ZJsgs5zXpcJm88VWHcdGkqJWbxDnxPI2f5wphra8cUB0ZMgvL-Y21DUgilFV1sqKFucFtdFkZWpJItVBeMPeBjN2jUi8mB_X/s1600/DSCF1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEbreF_wXiTNAcWGSUyfm8QfiHc1uVsUpZLCKB0qqElI4ZJsgs5zXpcJm88VWHcdGkqJWbxDnxPI2f5wphra8cUB0ZMgvL-Y21DUgilFV1sqKFucFtdFkZWpJItVBeMPeBjN2jUi8mB_X/s1600/DSCF1242.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with a walkie-talkie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEERUyaLwA_tL5pTdE4kA6nePMGT8H_o2AKs8kRjgnabuHoGWPU_rGaaIMOkRoJIC4qohMwaUJnNunwYqDdl_QJo6Qi5lT54ldmlqp-ahNY6UmGajJRRZLVhY25wuJ-vdWeR45MTWnbTkO/s1600/DSCF1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEERUyaLwA_tL5pTdE4kA6nePMGT8H_o2AKs8kRjgnabuHoGWPU_rGaaIMOkRoJIC4qohMwaUJnNunwYqDdl_QJo6Qi5lT54ldmlqp-ahNY6UmGajJRRZLVhY25wuJ-vdWeR45MTWnbTkO/s1600/DSCF1235.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We have had so much cake in the house for the last few weeks that I'm pretty sure I never want to see a cake ever again. Ugh, definitely way too much of a good thing!<br />
<br />
And of course Mira got another gorgeous dress, and of course it was from my Aunt Ellen, who has some really excellent taste in little girls' dresses. Growing up I absolutely LOVED getting dresses from Aunt Ellen and we're just continuing the tradition with Mira. Another home run!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiHVJHKFBH0fmWvrn_Gmp9ghTxY1ubQS67Gu_mDvNpOzrMcQwIxToiLH37okaSLag-m5gquGL18V7X1B79CuVS3dKuOBbfHRzhM5YQtMdST4q1uk4GGi3NWDTIKy8TgH5TPJNCuWQSvL4/s1600/DSCF1245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiHVJHKFBH0fmWvrn_Gmp9ghTxY1ubQS67Gu_mDvNpOzrMcQwIxToiLH37okaSLag-m5gquGL18V7X1B79CuVS3dKuOBbfHRzhM5YQtMdST4q1uk4GGi3NWDTIKy8TgH5TPJNCuWQSvL4/s1600/DSCF1245.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8IMHOEkagIUhyphenhyphenEWeCsty4p4Zr-yGwPXDK3KbW-qkZmaHPwbD1_kdCRknVNy7hwfCNyWLp6RrNCJJbsw055iz-Jd0llRL_x7A-GT2XHWuqDrYn14YPjGYXwh26hk1QdQ5pCUECCSjApc6/s1600/DSCF1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8IMHOEkagIUhyphenhyphenEWeCsty4p4Zr-yGwPXDK3KbW-qkZmaHPwbD1_kdCRknVNy7hwfCNyWLp6RrNCJJbsw055iz-Jd0llRL_x7A-GT2XHWuqDrYn14YPjGYXwh26hk1QdQ5pCUECCSjApc6/s1600/DSCF1247.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiH78NpK74gNqw5q9V-K1Jck1JlPib0ExIw20tehHxJrtUTPuZrqXon1YgT5WTRSc1L21hoZNkGZhL_J7IiYuv6XxkRsxl3e4HSgYGYZakIVcLdrc5PqQKHEqF1jDxuGGOODg02ltFA0F/s1600/DSCF1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiH78NpK74gNqw5q9V-K1Jck1JlPib0ExIw20tehHxJrtUTPuZrqXon1YgT5WTRSc1L21hoZNkGZhL_J7IiYuv6XxkRsxl3e4HSgYGYZakIVcLdrc5PqQKHEqF1jDxuGGOODg02ltFA0F/s1600/DSCF1248.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a goof!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgguq1dJBq0AkfKiTGisNF6wgrukySVqTvjXqKpEerfZNT4JlTYnip3mT5Nbk6wdoByUDn3gkGcn77rKv3MHaU9qTYHJBFTBzBduHOB3e1o05LJrvjvQALblOZJwLeq2cUYX7cAaE1MEX9/s1600/DSCF1249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgguq1dJBq0AkfKiTGisNF6wgrukySVqTvjXqKpEerfZNT4JlTYnip3mT5Nbk6wdoByUDn3gkGcn77rKv3MHaU9qTYHJBFTBzBduHOB3e1o05LJrvjvQALblOZJwLeq2cUYX7cAaE1MEX9/s1600/DSCF1249.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
I kinda hate to say it, but after a super cold and snowy start to winter, I think we're done seeing snow in the valleys for the season. I guess the universe is making up for how awful it was last winter. The sad part about winter being over is <sniffle> the ski season is just about done. Boo. It took forever to get enough snow at the resort to actually go skiing and it's already starting to melt. Mark and I went up a few days ago and at the bottom of the hills the snow was so slushy it felt like water skiing. (Clarification: I've never skied on any surface other than snow but had I ever gone skiing on water I think this is what it would have felt like.) It was the first time we'd gone up since we took Mira and had our little fiasco and while we were on the Cabriolet Lift we were both noticing how small the gap is that Mira's foot had somehow managed to fall through. It can't be more than a few inches at the widest parts. It was sobering and at the same time relieving that she honestly wasn't hurt. (And apparently not traumatized at all because when Mark and I came down in our ski gear she pouted and said, "Me go ski, Mommy Daddy!" So I had to promise to take her skiing again soon.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, the point of this is that on this most recent trip, Mark finally talked me into taking a lift called 9990. The significance of this lift is - well, these are your options to get down the mountain once you get off the lift.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5FbXKi3bCgo2YZOtCEaKQza85qHSYUMjqOlYLfL3R0fyW0oFUWXl_ro2S7CFcgMzvJP375Gr8LqEZ-3icnB5J9OAgSX59b2G4ZASDUHOKQ8nwV6aBZCAX50lQhsg2RASZ0r-rhKE5da_/s1600/IMG_5338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5FbXKi3bCgo2YZOtCEaKQza85qHSYUMjqOlYLfL3R0fyW0oFUWXl_ro2S7CFcgMzvJP375Gr8LqEZ-3icnB5J9OAgSX59b2G4ZASDUHOKQ8nwV6aBZCAX50lQhsg2RASZ0r-rhKE5da_/s1600/IMG_5338.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz5bj0w5FG-8S7OzAfiFwOIOSyK67-iSDBuBOVk5ExKEfXj8ng8NaVzpdjuLOue0okPPmYijaOj4iOZ2G3ywRmKGWJxbvxVKV7pLCVqpI0hnIILFJOcXpXFbwjvhmZvHr-fGZfUwYeXL4/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz5bj0w5FG-8S7OzAfiFwOIOSyK67-iSDBuBOVk5ExKEfXj8ng8NaVzpdjuLOue0okPPmYijaOj4iOZ2G3ywRmKGWJxbvxVKV7pLCVqpI0hnIILFJOcXpXFbwjvhmZvHr-fGZfUwYeXL4/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
As you can imagine, I put off getting on this lift for the last few years because I didn't trust myself to get down safely, but Mark kept insisting that he wouldn't take me up if he didn't think I could get myself down. (I guess everyone gets down eventually, and possibly on a stretcher with the help of Ski Patrol, but what he meant was he knew I could get down the correct way on my own power.) So finally (mostly just to get him to shut up) I caved. Not only did I navigate my way down safely, once we got to the bottom I skied right back in line to go again. I hate it when other people are right (kidding, sort of). I do have to admit, it was a challenge but definitely doable. Confidence-booster much?<br />
<br />
So while we're enjoying out last little bit of winter skiing, down in the valley it's definitely starting to feel like spring. One day Mira and I sat outside and ate a carton of strawberries in the sunshine.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpQ-ijJ7bB3CxG2_3sEXSHpSWTF5Ol1jP2uJS_Mow7i8RVf3BbWjbgK1G4AYMBt7HAIYNUNb5QGpS2sDJqP8AyIHY2_JxSpDx00xDYyfJPI5oTPJRBPCkjIPch1koVDZQr6MoRraZrakW/s1600/IMG_5333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpQ-ijJ7bB3CxG2_3sEXSHpSWTF5Ol1jP2uJS_Mow7i8RVf3BbWjbgK1G4AYMBt7HAIYNUNb5QGpS2sDJqP8AyIHY2_JxSpDx00xDYyfJPI5oTPJRBPCkjIPch1koVDZQr6MoRraZrakW/s1600/IMG_5333.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LGCOTig_4tsQA-aRxvmwY7QSqCQaAp4sN3m0mPxQtb9TJbFRTw63LLfPgZYVnjoivo6qbWr5ixXez7lz1EJ-5u8xtwDhtT-cvvohvkS3R6fK6Gn0oxTytamjMtdKVL01xVEPEyaWW0Of/s1600/IMG_5335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LGCOTig_4tsQA-aRxvmwY7QSqCQaAp4sN3m0mPxQtb9TJbFRTw63LLfPgZYVnjoivo6qbWr5ixXez7lz1EJ-5u8xtwDhtT-cvvohvkS3R6fK6Gn0oxTytamjMtdKVL01xVEPEyaWW0Of/s1600/IMG_5335.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB05wpENUGbPnBhWF-dFPof4tkJRlejPMeEGtVGBfIDXSe_LbwOlwRTnVJ8JZDZ7UYy8exyIyW6QWci493wbv3Gw6r5-fNsBeJatwwv6KJpv3FDg5xW_7Ka41M-ONRtKaFsojjaIOWhlR/s1600/IMG_5336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB05wpENUGbPnBhWF-dFPof4tkJRlejPMeEGtVGBfIDXSe_LbwOlwRTnVJ8JZDZ7UYy8exyIyW6QWci493wbv3Gw6r5-fNsBeJatwwv6KJpv3FDg5xW_7Ka41M-ONRtKaFsojjaIOWhlR/s1600/IMG_5336.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
This girl is turning out to be a real ham. She's starting to do things that she knows will make us laugh. One day I was going over picture flashcards with her and set aside the few that she had trouble with. One of the words was "banana." So I started working with her to get her to sound out "banana." After a few tries she seemed like she had it so I showed her the picture of a banana and asked her what the picture was. Clear as day she says, "Boat!" Then she ran off and that was that. I'm glad she has a sense of humor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgworip4W3ma_OvsnunjZgoAsBt0iJkqCip9S5DsJ5c2xzMZuP1wo383D_Vd2vTVgcvuYOEjpY5OWAsNsshABLuBk1oJX-myHh_36oIXU9-9wiN0DcFn8PxCocUjnj6Zpx-rnf-kjeJQX/s1600/IMG_5347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgworip4W3ma_OvsnunjZgoAsBt0iJkqCip9S5DsJ5c2xzMZuP1wo383D_Vd2vTVgcvuYOEjpY5OWAsNsshABLuBk1oJX-myHh_36oIXU9-9wiN0DcFn8PxCocUjnj6Zpx-rnf-kjeJQX/s1600/IMG_5347.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0A5D4TkfXBvByv3pf5KcET-9dE-VtzXqPxpE69rXfaULNs2LQSPtJqdhmJyQZZV9itz1f_C3EYcyQwFvzwsweVdP_Ms_4fpkCjDNPNQzDkRQs-Y-The1QbtB2ViGFuf6pd74MkFlHLq4/s1600/IMG_5348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0A5D4TkfXBvByv3pf5KcET-9dE-VtzXqPxpE69rXfaULNs2LQSPtJqdhmJyQZZV9itz1f_C3EYcyQwFvzwsweVdP_Ms_4fpkCjDNPNQzDkRQs-Y-The1QbtB2ViGFuf6pd74MkFlHLq4/s1600/IMG_5348.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibK9C9cFQuOeMvnrKVvjmLXP0CSr9ZPsYrh1W45hyCprZpKupiLfN-7uobtO6DLjlqS7aaqx65IHNA5_dyC6WWOo8fop-BpBz7hHXrXc5RL4GLtw9DX6QAvDxeiKBE4D9rNoT1uqtDcGn/s1600/IMG_5349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibK9C9cFQuOeMvnrKVvjmLXP0CSr9ZPsYrh1W45hyCprZpKupiLfN-7uobtO6DLjlqS7aaqx65IHNA5_dyC6WWOo8fop-BpBz7hHXrXc5RL4GLtw9DX6QAvDxeiKBE4D9rNoT1uqtDcGn/s1600/IMG_5349.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsKHQ4EqLxOmuFdsYP14ALKjinkG7eS8FC4GHZpEjdNQ96FzhQo3Y4uHTJnCVLYc7UoA6KNLGX83lxpgtDHk75lJmNyG3PL2XUoSUE6qGTQWgcut7-g5Pz6a3x1ra44AqtemRtDv6rvf3/s1600/IMG_5351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsKHQ4EqLxOmuFdsYP14ALKjinkG7eS8FC4GHZpEjdNQ96FzhQo3Y4uHTJnCVLYc7UoA6KNLGX83lxpgtDHk75lJmNyG3PL2XUoSUE6qGTQWgcut7-g5Pz6a3x1ra44AqtemRtDv6rvf3/s1600/IMG_5351.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQGIF8wzeN1W0N28mMeKAIO9qEWQnMuMSxJ8vhPgkfeNodzWAR3I6PXyqhWEeXZ_OTIU1h5REiSznu-u1uZ7np8mCr99feiyQ7l8N8uoWnnsPA1JVpov1sRPk9K0e0omjlQPDW_kQr71a/s1600/IMG_5352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQGIF8wzeN1W0N28mMeKAIO9qEWQnMuMSxJ8vhPgkfeNodzWAR3I6PXyqhWEeXZ_OTIU1h5REiSznu-u1uZ7np8mCr99feiyQ7l8N8uoWnnsPA1JVpov1sRPk9K0e0omjlQPDW_kQr71a/s1600/IMG_5352.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/V35Mw_VT-vw/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/V35Mw_VT-vw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/V35Mw_VT-vw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Being funny is tiring too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy0doRjZg4wtStXnrE2JSIbDMXJ0EJE_GMTXtUbHPNDY5wbj-sOLT49zCAUXNQWbG5G5KEfmU6rkAp_UDhTHuviDqvp2LsXJ2XV9FM8WoEb6Izif9iX50h2enCcRFo0gNkpvovXNTcST8/s1600/DSCF1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy0doRjZg4wtStXnrE2JSIbDMXJ0EJE_GMTXtUbHPNDY5wbj-sOLT49zCAUXNQWbG5G5KEfmU6rkAp_UDhTHuviDqvp2LsXJ2XV9FM8WoEb6Izif9iX50h2enCcRFo0gNkpvovXNTcST8/s1600/DSCF1251.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8VrtfdtL8DwIv3lkNcSkU4UVKseqjObzldX7I0MtmVHKsklNuiS1ODjtY3R7naGQNVNPMqhxzvef_GPynSP4MBqbHjRhQuIDJlmxVwtQHWSoPnbDWyfI99xKPzF9f70re_ddjI3qehlM/s1600/DSCF1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8VrtfdtL8DwIv3lkNcSkU4UVKseqjObzldX7I0MtmVHKsklNuiS1ODjtY3R7naGQNVNPMqhxzvef_GPynSP4MBqbHjRhQuIDJlmxVwtQHWSoPnbDWyfI99xKPzF9f70re_ddjI3qehlM/s1600/DSCF1252.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFlIWFhgBGAKCNpPCu_SI-iVp3ttEaArnIAOzn4T4_RVJtoflKdJF9n-cUW9W40c60DXokiMpcVat924V6WlbvUcf01eJ8Sq5oDCW9mTvY1Xho_P1foBaVeci-uALQMbJhm0LzBuca3eG/s1600/IMG_5337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFlIWFhgBGAKCNpPCu_SI-iVp3ttEaArnIAOzn4T4_RVJtoflKdJF9n-cUW9W40c60DXokiMpcVat924V6WlbvUcf01eJ8Sq5oDCW9mTvY1Xho_P1foBaVeci-uALQMbJhm0LzBuca3eG/s1600/IMG_5337.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We can't get her to take a nap anymore, and she's starting to think it's funny to get out of bed every 3 seconds at bedtime (too bad Mark and I don't find it as funny as she does), but every once in awhile she's so exhausted she poops out on her own.<br />
<br />
Speaking of poop - if anyone can give me some advice on how to train Mira to stop doing that in her underwear I'd love to hear it. We're lucky if she <i>doesn't</i> poop in her underwear and it's so frustrating because she obviously knows when she needs to go and where it needs to go but she won't do it.<br />
<br />
But on a less frustrating note - a few days after her birthday she announced that she wouldn't be going to bed in her diaper anymore. I was at work when she made this announcement so when Mark notified me via text what was going on, I felt surprised and apprehensive but a bit relieved that I was going to be working a stretch of shifts so if she had an accident, it wouldn't be me having to clean it up. (How awful is that?) So she went to bed with her underwear on, and guess what - in these last few weeks she's only wet the bed <i>once</i> at night! And that one time she was <i>so</i> upset - it was devastating to her. (Now why can't she feel that way about pooping in her pants?)<br />
<br />
Lastly, I just have to share this. There's a patient at my work that I've taken care of several times and the last time I walked into the room for the shift the patient's mother had left a note for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryjKD0ulZyyuy_04cNfJehc768OvenXy1Q6hEefEiK2S_oY4lAL3Hmm5hWaY82yHhhfSh_5WeK7Oit82wv-m9aoJI5Nst1Rry0yF3HeVzb9NN4rOBJn1GfnQtxzOEAsv05o5hyVdo2Fey/s1600/IMG_5346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryjKD0ulZyyuy_04cNfJehc768OvenXy1Q6hEefEiK2S_oY4lAL3Hmm5hWaY82yHhhfSh_5WeK7Oit82wv-m9aoJI5Nst1Rry0yF3HeVzb9NN4rOBJn1GfnQtxzOEAsv05o5hyVdo2Fey/s1600/IMG_5346.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
How sweet is that?? Every time I've been assigned this patient I'm told by the day nurse that the mother was so excited when she found out I was going to be the nurse for the night. Sometimes I feel like my job is pretty thankless but stuff like this makes it totally worth it. (So if anyone is ever unfortunate enough to end up in the hospital - try to remember to thank your nurse. Really. It will make their week, promise.)Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-66437351753654229342014-02-23T21:55:00.002-08:002014-02-23T21:55:43.270-08:00Three Years Old<div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Well, it's official - my child is now 3 years old! It just doesn't seem possible that it's been that long. I can barely remember what it was like to have a baby to take care of. Mira is definitely not a baby anymore - still a little kid, but so grown up!<br />
<br />
For Mira's birthday, instead of getting her a present that she would probably forget about in a few days, Mark and I took Mira skiing. In retrospect it may not have been the best idea, since she's at the age where trying to get her to do even the simplest thing (such as keep her gloves on so her hands stay warm or put her hat on or even just walk in the direction we tell her to) is a huge battle. But since she falls into the "4 and under" age category, her lift ticket was free, and her ski equipment rental was only $15, so money-wise it was a good choice. And she's so active I'm always trying to find physical things for her to do. It ended up being a bit more hassle than I'd anticipated (don't get me wrong, I definitely figured it would be a hassle, but I keep forgetting just how difficult it is to take Mira in public until we get out in public) but it was still fun.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures of Mira getting ready to hit the slopes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dLRwvogdS1viTxJ6i8qUCFvKKIhvkIYVcIgYhed6HJ4vA6_vP1sSYWQjJzzJ4Z3u60IQHrukP6aLxmt4B5RqjFrshNLczpKEvMLwYfpYMF8yOZRnQbe-RCma0pWMsEZiZHcDscnFC5Ok/s1600/IMG_5261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dLRwvogdS1viTxJ6i8qUCFvKKIhvkIYVcIgYhed6HJ4vA6_vP1sSYWQjJzzJ4Z3u60IQHrukP6aLxmt4B5RqjFrshNLczpKEvMLwYfpYMF8yOZRnQbe-RCma0pWMsEZiZHcDscnFC5Ok/s1600/IMG_5261.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CaVN_4iXWgS3GlgO4DdSLrWCzvSAoii10_gxvNn53FkmnsPs3PKT6Zm72oSgYSAm9QoIIfFQVv23cl49hsnpZw4Fu1ns8WURKY9ly0rameDTxEaiCbYqcU4RtunN4NUbfNyG0UnlR7fE/s1600/IMG_5262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CaVN_4iXWgS3GlgO4DdSLrWCzvSAoii10_gxvNn53FkmnsPs3PKT6Zm72oSgYSAm9QoIIfFQVv23cl49hsnpZw4Fu1ns8WURKY9ly0rameDTxEaiCbYqcU4RtunN4NUbfNyG0UnlR7fE/s1600/IMG_5262.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05-cCjQ-FQ30rmBFFUiH49wyLOMmp9JYBhyphenhyphenmLk3Zqk3XVt2i_2cHl-c0tqZpPqwA1dJlVzNM71J9tVgkwAvFHoLli2IEtxLSutXtc7eANkXzqaNVVEx1hi4zYs_jdGWDga0ouNA-3cgjx/s1600/IMG_5263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05-cCjQ-FQ30rmBFFUiH49wyLOMmp9JYBhyphenhyphenmLk3Zqk3XVt2i_2cHl-c0tqZpPqwA1dJlVzNM71J9tVgkwAvFHoLli2IEtxLSutXtc7eANkXzqaNVVEx1hi4zYs_jdGWDga0ouNA-3cgjx/s1600/IMG_5263.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjYmDdE4wvm9vaho21_1VKnKVjjsCS2afsSLkCAjo9O_sTeIVufeT-2-_F9MkD4G3tFPtQSVV8M4XZL-AEnHEUUojozmLRs7G1VHWZd79P1igoz02XQEj700JsKCpFCtkfB9RZodZWgjH/s1600/IMG_5264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjYmDdE4wvm9vaho21_1VKnKVjjsCS2afsSLkCAjo9O_sTeIVufeT-2-_F9MkD4G3tFPtQSVV8M4XZL-AEnHEUUojozmLRs7G1VHWZd79P1igoz02XQEj700JsKCpFCtkfB9RZodZWgjH/s1600/IMG_5264.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her snowsuit was a present from Mark and me too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFHV_TsI2k8H6siMqIN7952hpYWo5oYoTsxnSa-pPey8H-J31qeheruLjcITV-jOYiP5g0Lgr895LWxa0tdEFeGHm1CiXAuQhe_MJ9wT1UiGn9F1p661Gwb9tYdOiaqsRNfOmIUkfPzQZ/s1600/IMG_5265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFHV_TsI2k8H6siMqIN7952hpYWo5oYoTsxnSa-pPey8H-J31qeheruLjcITV-jOYiP5g0Lgr895LWxa0tdEFeGHm1CiXAuQhe_MJ9wT1UiGn9F1p661Gwb9tYdOiaqsRNfOmIUkfPzQZ/s1600/IMG_5265.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the cuteness!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp0vSwjYDsKn5HkmffkN5gzknAwMHywbsrqH_m3UrRFRK7I1bfh7CVFik3kpF5Sfd2y6VrLpKPRD43shuPj4TiE_8G7MF0N1TRKSKnzQdEDCCTAOeBNLvcVh3sX-iKOokcjxYvyNsRiV3/s1600/IMG_5266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp0vSwjYDsKn5HkmffkN5gzknAwMHywbsrqH_m3UrRFRK7I1bfh7CVFik3kpF5Sfd2y6VrLpKPRD43shuPj4TiE_8G7MF0N1TRKSKnzQdEDCCTAOeBNLvcVh3sX-iKOokcjxYvyNsRiV3/s1600/IMG_5266.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1PBDcjlgTWjY_X6o-ZDA0oRd11U3axQNEr-mdW44Urgwrlx_bwYhxu1K84dp0olHHJDjTJabVPYXTLYpMhSo0s3QnoV969Qgc5Xkv_9c80hulBBKytAIiyLdnkGHkv0WmhSNCOkF84hK/s1600/IMG_5267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1PBDcjlgTWjY_X6o-ZDA0oRd11U3axQNEr-mdW44Urgwrlx_bwYhxu1K84dp0olHHJDjTJabVPYXTLYpMhSo0s3QnoV969Qgc5Xkv_9c80hulBBKytAIiyLdnkGHkv0WmhSNCOkF84hK/s1600/IMG_5267.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
It felt like it took for-freaking-ever to actually get to the slopes, because first we had to walk to the open gondola lift that would take us from the parking lot to the base of the resort (and trying to get Mira to walk in her ski boots while juggling her skis and our skis took awhile), then we had to get her lift ticket, then we had to take the lift to the base, then we had to take another gondola to the main lodge on the mountain, and <i>then</i> we had to take the ski lift to the top of the beginner hill. Mira hadn't slept much the night before so by the time we got up the hill to actually start skiing I think she was already pretty frustrated. I also think she thought the chair lift was more exciting than skiing because we'd get her partway down the hill and she'd start to cry, point at the chair lift and say, "Up! Up!" So I'd tell her we could get back on the chair lift but we would have to go down before we could go up again. I have to agree with Mark's assessment that she was probably a bit too young still, because she can't really grasp the concept of snowplowing or turning on her own yet, but I'm still glad she got the experience. Here are some videos of us taking Mira down the hill.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GZjOEfisj6I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/G9Gj0VUuhMI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/G3IdCG55J0Y?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
The other really time consuming part was when she decided she needed the potty. We put her in a diaper, just in case, but she wanted to use the potty and I'm not about to discourage that. But of course by the time we could get to the lodge, get her to the bathroom, get all her layers off, get her on the potty, get her layers back on, wash hands, get back outside and get all her equipment back on, it took about 7 hours. Okay, clearly that's a <i>slight</i> exaggeration, but it still did take awhile, and she went potty twice (but I should point out how impressed I was that she stayed dry for the whole outing). The point is that ate up a lot of time and energy for Mira, and then she wanted to eat lunch, so the end result is after just a few runs down the beginner hill she was pretty much done. So we got back on the gondola to the base. She actually had a lot of fun on the gondola - she got excited watching for the other cars coming from the opposite direction and when the gondola jiggled as it passed over a pole she thought it was absolutely hilarious. Observe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yndDq8wd8ss?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5wl79ZUDXFA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/n-2uW6o2T-k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And some super awesome family pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvS_5VM0OtyqjdK8gnphrn-Vi_Hei_FHOUav9D9n_JOOvKVvkUbkriz6Bylsaw5SuB4qjHxadVpAl-LVI2hCDCGnTWJdbte7oHn8Z4ZAlS9aDjMhQDNLWohfwUfXlyzE8V1ZX-CaPk29G/s1600/IMG_5273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvS_5VM0OtyqjdK8gnphrn-Vi_Hei_FHOUav9D9n_JOOvKVvkUbkriz6Bylsaw5SuB4qjHxadVpAl-LVI2hCDCGnTWJdbte7oHn8Z4ZAlS9aDjMhQDNLWohfwUfXlyzE8V1ZX-CaPk29G/s1600/IMG_5273.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFr3Lw4w_zytikHhtZKTYyrZRnMaQ3F3CwC43F8LogNXXIX45yNf7pHV0wELOkHRPhQ5yPaVfX05uDb3iExL7WZYzeFLQZxBqz-a6sqJkS_DmmLXNKaDjDJ3_smw56ybfksPmPZglTemv/s1600/IMG_5274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFr3Lw4w_zytikHhtZKTYyrZRnMaQ3F3CwC43F8LogNXXIX45yNf7pHV0wELOkHRPhQ5yPaVfX05uDb3iExL7WZYzeFLQZxBqz-a6sqJkS_DmmLXNKaDjDJ3_smw56ybfksPmPZglTemv/s1600/IMG_5274.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKpzv-Nd5xpiRMvQtkldmXeYJulmmVZod7P7yWkZ4htA39ZLqtnTkW6L7NwnA5dpYHaVOhgxNYAT0Mkoi6sx0IPbWjn7Y4fPvWQNS0gGdhEjR1zcriybQd92gJVb1Tc1tG-mrmw8uTvcE/s1600/IMG_5275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKpzv-Nd5xpiRMvQtkldmXeYJulmmVZod7P7yWkZ4htA39ZLqtnTkW6L7NwnA5dpYHaVOhgxNYAT0Mkoi6sx0IPbWjn7Y4fPvWQNS0gGdhEjR1zcriybQd92gJVb1Tc1tG-mrmw8uTvcE/s1600/IMG_5275.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Once we got to the base, we remembered there's a small little terrain park for kids so we took Mira there, walked her up to the top of the small inclines, and let her go. At first she thought it was funny to lie down but we kept telling her to stand up, and finally:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfABoi56hgQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vn8qIUIGS9w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fg5d1Prbh4Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJgoQZoWCXE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I love how proud of herself she is!<br />
<br />
She had a lot of fun with that so we took turns sending her down the small hill several times until she started to get tired again and we decided to call it a day. So we got on the open gondola lift to the parking lot.<br />
<br />
That's when it got scary.<br />
<br />
I'm not always very good at describing things so here's a picture of what this lift looks like.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0zXvTXXtcCoExGP46DykVuaupP9MMvkjEkH1cww4FwPvk1MG_PB-2Tg7hqs0_L15ABIldxrikUY_cM2zG0RyWXjF92pW3T6ien-gPheIWjB0PyjeeRr520Yp7mHoSXE6_jWIM0Zz9eGg/s1600/cabriolet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0zXvTXXtcCoExGP46DykVuaupP9MMvkjEkH1cww4FwPvk1MG_PB-2Tg7hqs0_L15ABIldxrikUY_cM2zG0RyWXjF92pW3T6ien-gPheIWjB0PyjeeRr520Yp7mHoSXE6_jWIM0Zz9eGg/s1600/cabriolet2.jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top part at the resort base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeUNrNIv3A2jeGD7_rXEaEDLlV8ZwaCzN6IYMsDtC6P0mvpMLyo_eOj9d7hua4t7fpGMvDDa7nozKcniMn2l8WcpOEgb46-LVJ3d55kUiJHwFVqx5h6Vfcc9L54sNDZCcv1OHDQuOerPd/s1600/cabriolet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeUNrNIv3A2jeGD7_rXEaEDLlV8ZwaCzN6IYMsDtC6P0mvpMLyo_eOj9d7hua4t7fpGMvDDa7nozKcniMn2l8WcpOEgb46-LVJ3d55kUiJHwFVqx5h6Vfcc9L54sNDZCcv1OHDQuOerPd/s1600/cabriolet.jpg" height="347" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom part at the parking lot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As you can see, you stand in it and as you reach the concrete platform to get on or off the doors slide apart and you enter or exit the lift as it slowly travels around the platform, then the doors close at the end of the platform and the lift goes on its way. Our lift car arrived at the parking lot and the doors opened, as Mira went to step off, her foot slipped into the very small gap between the lift car and the concrete platform. Mark and I dove for her as fast as we could, but the lift was still going and as it continued forward, Mira's ankle got crushed between the lift and the concrete. <br />
<br />
It was one of those moments that dragged but yet in reality things were probably happening faster than we perceived. I jumped off onto the platform and tried to wrench Mira's foot out, tried to unbuckle her boot to pull her foot out, but it was too tight. Mark managed to brace himself halfway off the lift and somehow, <i>somehow</i> pushed against the lift hard enough to keep it from going any farther, but more cars kept piling up and banging into our lift and each time it wedged Mira's foot in tighter. Mira was shrieking hysterically, Mark and I were screaming at the lift operator to stop the lift, a woman who was standing in line was frantically trying to help me pull Mira to safety. I looked up for a moment to see what was taking so long and there, in the booth, was the lift operator, <i>playing on his cell phone</i>. <br />
<br />
After what felt like a lifetime of screaming and trying to get this guy's attention, the lady who had been helping me ran up to the booth and dragged the guy out, yelling at him to "get off your f*cking cell phone and stop the damn lift." I was so focused on Mira I didn't hear this next part but apparently he said something to the effect of, "It would have stopped on its own eventually anyway."<br />
<br />
I'm completely unclear as to how this guy left without Mark punching his face in, or worse - it says a lot for Mark's self control. (A friend of mine who heard this story told me Mark should have killed this guy, except that we don't want Mark going to jail, but Mark <i>should</i> have beat this guy to within an inch of his life for this and he probably would have had some help too.) But the operator saw what was going on, stopped the lift, and we were finally able to pull Mira's foot free. And then all I could do was sit on the ground and hug her. I honestly don't remember a whole lot of the next several minutes. I remember the lady giving the operator an earful (as she should have, and I'm glad she did because I was too focused on Mira to do it myself) and she stood with me for awhile until more people started arriving. I remember Mark helping me pull Mira's ski boot off and telling me to look at her foot to make sure it was okay. Her ankle seemed okay but she didn't want anybody near it. I remember trying so hard not to lose it because I needed to stay calm for Mira, who cried inconsolably for about half an hour. I remember seeing people stuck on the lift watching and actually felt bad for them being stuck up there but there was no way around it. I remember someone came up to me and offered to take us up the to clinic at the base so Mira could get checked out. I'm pretty sure I remember an older lady coming up to me, near tears herself, giving me a hug and telling me how sorry she was we had to go through this. I kind of remember chanting to myself that Mira was okay, just to remind myself that somehow she really was physically fine.<br />
<br />
I remember all these upper-management-level people from the resort started to show up and I specifically remember one of them getting on his knees to talk to me and check on Mira, and he gestured towards the lift operator and said emphatically, "That guy, he WILL be taken care of." I had this random mental image of a mafia hitman getting involved when he said that. They got to work trying to fix the lift - it took a good 5-10 minutes to get it going again. Then a bunch of them escorted us into the booth to talk with us while ski patrol checked out Mira and we filled out an incident report. Meanwhile one of the managers had dragged the lift operator to stand on the concrete platform and was standing with him, forcing him to actually watch everyone get on and off the lift (as he should have been doing to start off with).<br />
<br />
I won't go over too much what happened next except to summarize with 1) the assistant manager for the lift operations apologized many times over, assured us that it is in their policy that employees may NOT use their cell phones while on duty, they were taking this situation very seriously and "that guy" would be dealt with, and 2) ski patrol examined Mira's ankle and leg very carefully and Mira (who thankfully had finally calmed down) sat through it and even managed a couple of smiles.<br />
<br />
I'm completely convinced that the only reason Mira still has her foot attached to her leg is because she was wearing her ski boots. Thank everything that ski boots are so rigid - if we'd gone snowboarding for some reason there is no way she would have avoided going to the hospital. I had a few panicked thoughts while her foot was stuck that we were going to end up at my work. And how is Miss Mira doing? Well, by the time we got back home she was smiling and laughing, and only once did she bring up what had happened. I think I was helping her use the potty and she pointed to the inside of her ankle (where there was a small little red mark) with a concerned frown on her face and said, "Mommy, me owie."<br />
<br />
Me: "Oh, yeah, you do have a small little owie, huh? But it's just a tiny little owie, and you're okay now."<br />
<br />
Mira: "Oh. Yeah."<br />
<br />
And that was it. By the end of the day she was running and jumping and dancing around like usual and, we hope, she's forgotten about this. We haven't brought up the situation again since we don't want her to focus and fixate on that part of it, but she hasn't mentioned it either.<br />
<br />
As for how Mira's parents handled the situation, when we got home Mark had a few beers and I seriously considered chugging a bottle of wine but I didn't. Mark also had a hockey game that night so I think that helped him too. I've heard stories about how parents get superhuman strength when their child is in danger but that was the first time I'd ever seen it. Mark honestly saved Mira by doing what he did. If the situation hadn't been so terrifying and traumatic I would have been amazed that Mark pulled that off. Mark describes this as the second scariest thing Mira has ever put us through. (The first was when we had just found out I was pregnant and I almost miscarried. I would almost disagree and say this experience was much worse.)<br />
<br />
An interesting side note is that when Mark's daughter Jintelle was about Mira's age, she got her foot trapped in a shopping cart at Kmart and it took hours to finally get her out, after her foot was starting to turn blue from losing circulation for so long. Not too long after Kmart's shopping carts went from metal to plastic with holes too small for extremities to get stuck in. So apparently if you are one of Mark's offspring, you're going to get your foot trapped in something in dramatic fashion. Mark also mentioned that since he's so accident-prone it was really only a matter of time until one of his kids showed the same tendencies. I'm not sure I can handle Mira being this kind of accident-prone!<br />
<br />
But anyway, we're going to follow up with the resort in the next few days to make sure they're going to do something to ensure something like this doesn't happen again. We don't want money or free lift tickets or anything like that - we're not one of those people that like to go around suing for millions of dollars because the coffee cup doesn't say "Warning Hot Coffee" on it. We just want to make sure the resort takes this seriously enough to encourage a culture of safety with its employees. Otherwise I'm happy to let it go. Mira is fine (she's tough stuff, that's for sure), we're still going to take her skiing (but maybe not for a little while), and we're still going to keep skiing. Accidents happen, but the issue is that lift operator was not paying attention and the situation could have been handled much faster and not gotten out of hand had he been doing his job.<br />
<br />
Well, moving on. I mentioned that the binkie would go away when Mira turned 3, which it did. She got ready for bed and asked for her "pink bink." I mentally took a deep breath and told her that binkies are only for little babies, and when babies turn 3, like Mira, they're not babies anymore, and the binkies just disappear and we can't ever find them again. She didn't believe me at first but when I put her to bed without the binkie... boy, she wasn't happy. She screamed for about 45 minutes while I shut myself in my bedroom. What I didn't expect was after that 45 minutes, she fell asleep, and she stayed asleep. And she hasn't asked about her binkie ever since then. Um, wow, that went A LOT easier than I expected! I'm going to miss her sweet little hum that she would do when she was falling asleep with her binkie, but as I said, babies grow up and don't need binkies anymore.<br />
<br />
The other big change was Mira finally graduated from a crib to a toddler bed. Mira was beyond excited about her brand new bed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhypKM9BXjY5rauiPZCrA02VRkzjUAz1FKboooFs29AonDxnfou86MtjJHCtPbeIrwfTCrzU2djuhsw_ysT-H5T1_w_b11GX_XUhxbP-3rtLhQEPKCbrVvvmKH1r67FnGGL5fYfNvRCfS/s1600/IMG_5315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhypKM9BXjY5rauiPZCrA02VRkzjUAz1FKboooFs29AonDxnfou86MtjJHCtPbeIrwfTCrzU2djuhsw_ysT-H5T1_w_b11GX_XUhxbP-3rtLhQEPKCbrVvvmKH1r67FnGGL5fYfNvRCfS/s1600/IMG_5315.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht1oH1ZmKmlqWtmxVyl16Ng_hyhjYTwj2QXyP6IGCVohQsBlNRIkOjASwyG7c6FSj36B5RZya8_u1j2s33hSNER7FiEkzxOvuB7Vs9gkUq5qugal3T42kt-K795tErd61udCacEdsYMs9/s1600/IMG_5316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht1oH1ZmKmlqWtmxVyl16Ng_hyhjYTwj2QXyP6IGCVohQsBlNRIkOjASwyG7c6FSj36B5RZya8_u1j2s33hSNER7FiEkzxOvuB7Vs9gkUq5qugal3T42kt-K795tErd61udCacEdsYMs9/s1600/IMG_5316.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqS8v1I47tD2pd5dqcUtf1mtOYrfMZTcIxG7tDEJmBqypnccweHHY-7r3x4lTbEU96TVKYTcepUZz29wmrA4qT3l_9efsqcfDBKyStdmgqnykr-0FgSXQ6si_G8FhfSJYYwpZB_KJq8B9/s1600/IMG_5317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqS8v1I47tD2pd5dqcUtf1mtOYrfMZTcIxG7tDEJmBqypnccweHHY-7r3x4lTbEU96TVKYTcepUZz29wmrA4qT3l_9efsqcfDBKyStdmgqnykr-0FgSXQ6si_G8FhfSJYYwpZB_KJq8B9/s1600/IMG_5317.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANu35JCLVRtTXY3_lhcbCmIKpJvlYVSSu9Rtdfp5qmXV4NYRVoSJwLW-_06_A18MxZVzkvqrhMfaXmJQk7IhavTb0nnlOG2rxK0UxZaMJ9ALFgE7At4ALBA5D-AByjsaRXIp6eEHoqaFR/s1600/IMG_5318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANu35JCLVRtTXY3_lhcbCmIKpJvlYVSSu9Rtdfp5qmXV4NYRVoSJwLW-_06_A18MxZVzkvqrhMfaXmJQk7IhavTb0nnlOG2rxK0UxZaMJ9ALFgE7At4ALBA5D-AByjsaRXIp6eEHoqaFR/s1600/IMG_5318.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
I was also anticipating a huge battle getting her to stay in bed at night, but the first night she only came out once, and that was it. Ever since then when we put her in bed at night, she stays in bed! That's two big surprises for me (that I'm very excited about).<br />
<br />
"Mira" is a Russian name that means "peace" but it must have been Opposite Day when we decided on that name because she is anything but peaceful! </div>
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-66445588814094618252014-02-18T23:54:00.000-08:002014-02-18T23:54:12.898-08:00Potty Training and Becoming a Big GirlHere is a haiku I wrote to commemorate the potty training experience:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Potty training sucks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's so very frustrating</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When will it be done?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I guess I don't have room to complain since, knock on wood, we're pretty much out of the woods by now, and that's exciting for me because I wasn't really planning on pushing it until Mira actually turned 3 and here we are already done. But there were a few weeks when I was ready to pull out my hair (especially the increasing number of gray ones that I'm sure are a result of this) and just give up and put her back in a diaper. But she finally decided she was ready, and compared to other moms I've talked to, we had it way easy here.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We kinda started with potty training last month but we weren't very consistent with it at first, just sitting her on the potty a few times a day and hoping for the best. I tried to make sitting on the potty something she wanted to do, so that was her time to get the iPad. She was starting to get the hang of going pee in the potty and we'd give her a sticker for her potty chart every time she had a success, then when she filled up a chart she got rewarded with new underwear with Princess Sophia on them. So then we started putting her in underwear and told her to keep Sophia dry. It worked occasionally. For the longest time we were sitting her on the potty every hour and a half to two hours just waiting for her to go, and half the time she wouldn't go until 5 minutes after we got her off the potty. So we'd make her clean up her mess and we'd try again but it was getting really old really fast. She definitely knew what the potty was for but she wasn't very good at recognizing on her own when it was time to go. It was so frustrating. And let's not even get into getting her to go poop in the potty - but I knew that would be an issue so we won't go there.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally what made everything click for her was some advice from a work colleague who has 4 kids. She suggested that when Mira is wearing underwear, check her every hour or so to see if she's dry. If she is, she gets rewarded <i>then</i> because that reinforces being dry. So we gave it a try and the next day she had it figured out! It's been quite awhile since she's had an accident. I was so nervous to try taking her out in public in underwear but she's got this. Now if she has to go she yells out, "Me pee! Me pee!" Or if I ask her if she has to use the potty the answer is usually yes - she doesn't always end up going but I'd rather take her and have her just wanting the attention than the other way around. She's usually dry in the mornings too, so we're pretty much potty trained! The diaper pail got thrown out last week. Almost 3 years exactly it's been a fixture in our bathroom but not anymore. Whew! The only part that's harder for me is that if she says she need to go potty, I have to drop everything and run her to the nearest bathroom (more so in public than when we're at home). In some ways, it was so much easier to just leave her in a wet diaper until an opportune time came about to change her. But it's still nice to not have diapers to worry about anymore - at the very least we'll save quite a bit of money!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9z5mPOBbs4_5C7QUJrHL9wFMn0-SVg0sslZjx6CCRPeU6NTLYlB2-hj7ITjYCpYiZCKgw2PCGxorGscB0-P7Xvm7Nr6qwfpy04njGv358L8-FoLQDDlDj-yXQQ3wDVZZVoQktgI0D5FIE/s1600/IMG_5184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9z5mPOBbs4_5C7QUJrHL9wFMn0-SVg0sslZjx6CCRPeU6NTLYlB2-hj7ITjYCpYiZCKgw2PCGxorGscB0-P7Xvm7Nr6qwfpy04njGv358L8-FoLQDDlDj-yXQQ3wDVZZVoQktgI0D5FIE/s1600/IMG_5184.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The easiest way to learn is to teach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4FJKHO4owWAHDqLtF4Q9l7vamu6aJL0n2NA2HoYCvAePacFCJ1F3-6A8yfD3ysJoay8NHPbsd_Ck3zG09EbCHz_iMNfgzPoAhGBKgfxDf-kbKRDRWJxoROcHPy_KNtrDsH7jUUsjFOdV/s1600/IMG_5185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4FJKHO4owWAHDqLtF4Q9l7vamu6aJL0n2NA2HoYCvAePacFCJ1F3-6A8yfD3ysJoay8NHPbsd_Ck3zG09EbCHz_iMNfgzPoAhGBKgfxDf-kbKRDRWJxoROcHPy_KNtrDsH7jUUsjFOdV/s1600/IMG_5185.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Turning 3 is definitely the cutoff for really being a big girl. Besides learning to use the potty, Mira's crib will finally be switched to a toddler bed (this will happen in the next day or so) and - gulp - her binkie will go away for good. We started with taking the binkie away for naptime - which translates to Mira screaming in her room for an hour every afternoon. I think maybe once she's actually slept during naptime. I have to say that I've noticed that my temper is much shorter by the end of the day now that she's replaced naptime with screamtime. Not just listening to an hour of screaming every day and feeling like a crummy parent but now I don't get that break that I apparently was really needing. She honestly needs the extra sleep too but she hasn't figured that out yet, so we've compensated by moving bedtime up by half an hour. I'm honestly very anxious about when the binkie goes away at night. She's been so good about going to bed without a fuss for a long time and based on how naptime has gone, I'm not anticipating bedtime to go well for awhile. I know the binkie has to go sometime but I'm very much dreading this experience.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaucpkousvsWF148psAPE6QHdc0m0xjB1RGW5X1zbMSy-B-LdxwMW6iQ2HYEokrN7Dr8qoG2TuGsSDI99Nb6JQYEWG9dlvlHMSYGsD7pLoa-ow7GyBr8DYeZLOQLs00_L5pBDGOHJxzXf/s1600/IMG_5183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaucpkousvsWF148psAPE6QHdc0m0xjB1RGW5X1zbMSy-B-LdxwMW6iQ2HYEokrN7Dr8qoG2TuGsSDI99Nb6JQYEWG9dlvlHMSYGsD7pLoa-ow7GyBr8DYeZLOQLs00_L5pBDGOHJxzXf/s1600/IMG_5183.JPG" height="400" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So long, sleep. Nice knowing you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mira is an active little girl (which is why we chose her birthday present the way we did - an entire post will be dedicated to this), and this is her new favorite game to play.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCP6Pl75RrY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
In other news, I did something I swore I never would do. I've talked a bit about the Advanced Modules available through my work, divided into Metabolic, Respiratory, Neurotrauma and Cardiovascular groups. It's a year-plus of classroom lectures, hands-on patient experiences, research, presentations, and other studying and paperwork that reminds me a lot of nursing school, except I get paid to do this learning. I swore when I got hired that I would <i>never</i> do the Cardiovascular module, mostly because of a traumatic experience I had during my senior capstone. But management beat me into it anyway and so - last week I successfully completed my oral examination and completed my training in the Cardiovascular Module. So much for sticking up for my convictions. But believe it or not, I actually really enjoy these patients. Go figure. And I get a lovely 2.5% pay raise for being slightly smarter! So yay me.<br />
<br />
And since I need to brag about Mark too - here's a video of him showing off his skiing. This was at the bottom of a black diamond mogul run. Show off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TVDQWjJdRPc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And some nice scenic views of the Canyons. Man, I love this place.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPR2fN-FQKFvUpFMBUE1LdsCizZAdcQg0l8oNTtWB7DF0agdyzUhEnQJ3oNfToOyjGRBOFEKuEx2gYSqgUi1pV-5wdtmQhSD5Li_ESN78YIczyKkOMhXo4Gitbpx2wzFd_7nAzDjS2Xj1/s1600/IMG_5217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPR2fN-FQKFvUpFMBUE1LdsCizZAdcQg0l8oNTtWB7DF0agdyzUhEnQJ3oNfToOyjGRBOFEKuEx2gYSqgUi1pV-5wdtmQhSD5Li_ESN78YIczyKkOMhXo4Gitbpx2wzFd_7nAzDjS2Xj1/s1600/IMG_5217.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52YEC_cOS-nsG7JhdGEkF3X0ZfDks2ALvB1QuFvNnD03bSJ5wnfAwZ3SkPbp3yRkMHk0I9NlJK6po_DttyL_27vIiBldnJzTiR_P9qDUJXwv2-u2XHoiKHTMcafSr1vW3WB1zxXX7znWy/s1600/IMG_5236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52YEC_cOS-nsG7JhdGEkF3X0ZfDks2ALvB1QuFvNnD03bSJ5wnfAwZ3SkPbp3yRkMHk0I9NlJK6po_DttyL_27vIiBldnJzTiR_P9qDUJXwv2-u2XHoiKHTMcafSr1vW3WB1zxXX7znWy/s1600/IMG_5236.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Mark is still not employed right now, but he's testing with a local department soon and he's put in for a few other positions and hopefully one of them will pan out. I love how he's not stressed now and I hope that doesn't change once he's working for a department that actually invests in its employees instead of trying to beat them down. We will continue to keep everyone posted but the aggravating truth about getting hired on in law enforcement is it takes about 5 million years to jump through all the hoops to get through to a job offer. Which is probably to the benefit of the public because you don't want to find out your police are selling crack out of their house or something but you still wish in this situation there was a fast-forward button somewhere.Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-89341700191111475672014-01-31T20:11:00.001-08:002014-02-01T13:41:26.347-08:00Training, Playing, and TransitioningMy excuse for the delay in the writing of the post is that it seems like we're barely at home long enough to relax. I'm still not a fan of cold weather but you'd never think that with all the fun we've been having.<br>
<br>
I never would have thought to take a 2 year old ice skating but we've taken Mira a couple more times (so that Mark can get some exercise and ice time when he's not playing hockey, and it's cheap) and she loves it! Although the last time we took her she started to get frustrated because she wanted to go faster and she hasn't quite figured it out yet.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/j0bgLutXSYI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I love that she gets so excited about anything active. Mark and I have decided that our present to her for her birthday will be to take her skiing. I'm sure that will be fun!<br>
<br>
Speaking of skiing, we've been able to go several times but sadly the snow isn't exactly the best right now. But hey, at least there's enough to have fun. We've been doing lots of half-days which I actually prefer to spending the entire day skiing. That's definitely the nice part about having a season pass is we don't have to exhaust ourselves trying to cram in as much fun as possible.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9Q70uYRi6q2W0LS3zpIWbO0Ow9mt5xbqnGm8sbJLCQeBZOpCK2IyPNMSyqH6GLza8zO2UhU1ilr_UqfOu2f5SnezDd2WpM2AEYeOJQ9nnorhslhv7PnsJOy2Rf13NMP1Gj8HC0tuweGc/s1600/IMG_5065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9Q70uYRi6q2W0LS3zpIWbO0Ow9mt5xbqnGm8sbJLCQeBZOpCK2IyPNMSyqH6GLza8zO2UhU1ilr_UqfOu2f5SnezDd2WpM2AEYeOJQ9nnorhslhv7PnsJOy2Rf13NMP1Gj8HC0tuweGc/s1600/IMG_5065.JPG" height="225" width="400"></a></div>
Mark has signed up for the second half of the Rookie League's hockey season so he's been keeping busy with practices and games. In addition to that, he also signed up to play in the annual Guns and Hoses Hockey Tournament. I think most people know already but it's a hockey game with cops playing against firefighters and all the money goes to a fund to support families of fallen police and firefighters. So in addition to getting to watch a fun hockey game we're supporting a great cause as well. It was so much fun! There were two leagues playing. Mark was in the B League, which was players who hadn't played in the tournament in the last few years, and the A League was made of the more experienced (I guess) players. The Guns hosed the Hoses in both games. Yay guns!<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPsRAvosgRhgJg9vu449RymIQbIQKsuK6GfnDinDf3kOXFV4YrSBbeRnG0Qf7512ombuCVwBCxDmY_PqLeSoaIsKRGR4Dqziajdiiu_6-bXMixx4e_0utD2ivPuXqryXIKpVectppzMWw/s1600/DSCF1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPsRAvosgRhgJg9vu449RymIQbIQKsuK6GfnDinDf3kOXFV4YrSBbeRnG0Qf7512ombuCVwBCxDmY_PqLeSoaIsKRGR4Dqziajdiiu_6-bXMixx4e_0utD2ivPuXqryXIKpVectppzMWw/s1600/DSCF1144.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During warm-ups.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvysELu02_GkrWoP_qTvFqeIlxOMbRRbMABx4r5az00E2jnxrWZHSZKNazGYoraxKyDJXUvGlUmMZqXKqZoQbFW4Q72W72w-GxL4hHBBY9T3Xg_Ubk_gHMExa_i58T1v9kQErxH2IvVYOD/s1600/DSCF1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvysELu02_GkrWoP_qTvFqeIlxOMbRRbMABx4r5az00E2jnxrWZHSZKNazGYoraxKyDJXUvGlUmMZqXKqZoQbFW4Q72W72w-GxL4hHBBY9T3Xg_Ubk_gHMExa_i58T1v9kQErxH2IvVYOD/s1600/DSCF1146.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBobbCaENrTCf9jMqXJhPNRZttYkkTkbZvzw3-JFGnL_rUL-UtC_HUImH6_XuIoILvUPLtAx7iCMGlQjYa5bvKKCHwrBwaKBRbzC4nzjRwIL3iltasWr0MJDOMwZg0F_GiM__gPtFq0IUS/s1600/DSCF1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBobbCaENrTCf9jMqXJhPNRZttYkkTkbZvzw3-JFGnL_rUL-UtC_HUImH6_XuIoILvUPLtAx7iCMGlQjYa5bvKKCHwrBwaKBRbzC4nzjRwIL3iltasWr0MJDOMwZg0F_GiM__gPtFq0IUS/s1600/DSCF1147.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-jWXk5e8HdOC21Qq7vTKU5dcgWMf6yT9FoPFDcixdzKRpKi8TV0uNVW5Mx4YpaFtdkiJqr4rteoADZzQOsDPG66UbYwINTx3dmwhrZtgMFCu9Y8VD4jf1UlqyBRJ9sNrjuITBrnB0KYW/s1600/IMG_5174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-jWXk5e8HdOC21Qq7vTKU5dcgWMf6yT9FoPFDcixdzKRpKi8TV0uNVW5Mx4YpaFtdkiJqr4rteoADZzQOsDPG66UbYwINTx3dmwhrZtgMFCu9Y8VD4jf1UlqyBRJ9sNrjuITBrnB0KYW/s1600/IMG_5174.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2T5fUFrz6Q17JKzAwvTajxY-9k4T_5i9HcO5XNT6-Yq3dxZ4nNJh6qooyxkzERWJi1gj5fBVZveLa0cjCylEjzWkBR92yzuUQm-CeKsuF2rNEWHiEKXLnZGd4S7TXffI0arFaPCebCBkm/s1600/DSCF1149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2T5fUFrz6Q17JKzAwvTajxY-9k4T_5i9HcO5XNT6-Yq3dxZ4nNJh6qooyxkzERWJi1gj5fBVZveLa0cjCylEjzWkBR92yzuUQm-CeKsuF2rNEWHiEKXLnZGd4S7TXffI0arFaPCebCBkm/s1600/DSCF1149.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I absolutely LOVED the police tape on the Guns' jerseys. Total win.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4E7t-8seDTVJE2PRpUJRHD34xTHPPx7weADp_1taWA4n3o4hMGbQ3QtrKiTr8kJGhR_FCK3VDmDnql50PpdzziI3BZJX-0kMsgOMqy-2cMzbGDTcnmeU0x7-sWLvAwCKOMD16LG-12Ne/s1600/DSCF1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4E7t-8seDTVJE2PRpUJRHD34xTHPPx7weADp_1taWA4n3o4hMGbQ3QtrKiTr8kJGhR_FCK3VDmDnql50PpdzziI3BZJX-0kMsgOMqy-2cMzbGDTcnmeU0x7-sWLvAwCKOMD16LG-12Ne/s1600/DSCF1161.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFY9jhYurQ00mx6P7LxJ-zGIxaR60_NaE-W-yqgTOzQPpxM9Hb_cffVzVz5ice6deS_PuZ3OSGbsq9Ohz9hSAnZlbNpJq8BfAxI2mL6-GmD2kgHKdKtnrzwjuThmwG_LFTzdo_-LSyIMEh/s1600/DSCF1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFY9jhYurQ00mx6P7LxJ-zGIxaR60_NaE-W-yqgTOzQPpxM9Hb_cffVzVz5ice6deS_PuZ3OSGbsq9Ohz9hSAnZlbNpJq8BfAxI2mL6-GmD2kgHKdKtnrzwjuThmwG_LFTzdo_-LSyIMEh/s1600/DSCF1165.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-yHNRRG-joqoKeq5Ww4pKmGoET8fnpCtl2mGRHDJAaeKZiiNW5G9lzkucR-5imG2_9J191HllpQluHO-n5HQIznhdmTUpRBQxsY1A5ZNPHkPgf40pMI5BNdoVyN2iVHlGAyOwahDHDua/s1600/DSCF1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-yHNRRG-joqoKeq5Ww4pKmGoET8fnpCtl2mGRHDJAaeKZiiNW5G9lzkucR-5imG2_9J191HllpQluHO-n5HQIznhdmTUpRBQxsY1A5ZNPHkPgf40pMI5BNdoVyN2iVHlGAyOwahDHDua/s1600/DSCF1173.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guns win!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi542v1jxyH5hyQYEGKl_S_UGiMoDxKGGK1WyksQpcOjcp-mPG-Ozoa_EtydqjRJ70qtZ4AY3fvxH_QA0SpWqeegq1dxvMG4wfmMTnXCvh_GHD3shxhIMEDuzfNO26K7EANIMfzQ84DIEiA/s1600/DSCF1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi542v1jxyH5hyQYEGKl_S_UGiMoDxKGGK1WyksQpcOjcp-mPG-Ozoa_EtydqjRJ70qtZ4AY3fvxH_QA0SpWqeegq1dxvMG4wfmMTnXCvh_GHD3shxhIMEDuzfNO26K7EANIMfzQ84DIEiA/s1600/DSCF1174.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnzzO2ICWrNJ8HR_0XqaINkwt86Gr3exPt0nHtpWCnxfFriMx0VnYCDiRCRLKHau65n5l_j-l2k9Fw08J0qmbRjVw2ZDLfw1HZqEWMWsZmyO-S7SDU6AmFP6MFaq7i7NRq1cS4CkkV8pV/s1600/DSCF1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnzzO2ICWrNJ8HR_0XqaINkwt86Gr3exPt0nHtpWCnxfFriMx0VnYCDiRCRLKHau65n5l_j-l2k9Fw08J0qmbRjVw2ZDLfw1HZqEWMWsZmyO-S7SDU6AmFP6MFaq7i7NRq1cS4CkkV8pV/s1600/DSCF1176.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWLSobvtOX2H-0FlhPiMWonSM-AfxIed5VYQ4bEvOTrKTSKhFJHWv4RG9OfHcbu6QSFRi4cvPX6ynoThteQFHNRgtgtRQqZI0zTH2IGL5grIdTqF0d2cjPUuyhgDtXvMj488RYJIl-8jp/s1600/IMG_5177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWLSobvtOX2H-0FlhPiMWonSM-AfxIed5VYQ4bEvOTrKTSKhFJHWv4RG9OfHcbu6QSFRi4cvPX6ynoThteQFHNRgtgtRQqZI0zTH2IGL5grIdTqF0d2cjPUuyhgDtXvMj488RYJIl-8jp/s1600/IMG_5177.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
I didn't get any pictures during the A League game, mostly because Mark wasn't playing in that game but also because I had to chase Mira around because she was tired and done with sitting still. I have to add that during the National Anthem, we stood in the stairway and I showed her how to stand still and hold her hand over her heart and she proceeded to belt out her own version of the anthem. A family near us thought this was the cutest thing they'd ever seen and the mother gave Mira a high-five afterwards. Mira definitely is not one to get stage fright.<br>
<br>
As for me, I've been training for a 10K. It's been a slow process since I'm paranoid about injuring myself (I only do a long run like this once a week since I feel so achy and exhausted afterwards), and I don't enjoy running on a treadmill but it's still better than running in the snow and ice with the icky inversion. But I can do it!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZHafNBKdcgn0rBmS9LgvIayPO6TLBzR12eIucRDyqLdxnHnY9SWEe6gGOOllQXtpRYYY4of8swDBE_ikZOLXzseS66VIYIT3YTus14wXOVjEJat7SkP8bRYRxLiHX3I8Br6UDQpy1BXK/s1600/IMG_5133.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZHafNBKdcgn0rBmS9LgvIayPO6TLBzR12eIucRDyqLdxnHnY9SWEe6gGOOllQXtpRYYY4of8swDBE_ikZOLXzseS66VIYIT3YTus14wXOVjEJat7SkP8bRYRxLiHX3I8Br6UDQpy1BXK/s1600/IMG_5133.PNG" height="400" width="225"></a></div>
I'd say being able to run 6.2 miles in under an hour is pretty damn good. So now that I am capable of consistently running that distance in my goal timeframe, it's time to find a race and sign up! It's been so empowering for me to realize what I'm capable of doing - especially since I never considered myself a runner!<br>
<br>
So those are the good things that are going on with us now. Unfortunately life really likes to wait until you finally have your ducks all in a row and then lob a massive curve ball right at you. This has been in the works for awhile but a few weeks ago everything kind of culminated in Mark losing his job - but to be more specific, he was forced out.<br>
<br>
Long back story but here it is if you want to find out. A couple years ago the police department where Mark had been working for years hired a new police chief, whose previous job had been the assistant police chief for West Valley City PD. Those of you who live in Utah will have an "aha!" moment after reading that. For everyone else, WVC PD in the last year has been in the news a LOT for rampant unethical abuses of power by most of the administration, which of course would have included Mark's chief. The WVC chief left, and Mark's chief put in for WVC chief - he didn't get it, luckily the department hired someone from out of state and from what we can tell he's been doing his best to turn some things around. However, a lot of the old administration is still there. More on that later.<br>
<br>
So Mark's chief has a background of working as an administrator in a department that is notorious throughout the state for having corrupt administrators. How bad could it be, you might ask? Well, to condense the story, Mark had to take a report for a neighboring city due to a conflict of interest that was discovered at the scene. One of the people involved decided to get an attorney involved, who tried to do what attorneys do best, which is to say distort the truth so people don't have to take full responsibility for their actions. After getting pestered by this attorney for some amount of time, Mark's chief told Mark he needed to change his report to, basically, alter who had actually been at fault at the scene. <br>
<br>
I'll let that sink in for a minute. Mark was asked to <i>lie </i>in a <i>legal document</i> and change who was at fault so that his chief could get an attorney off his back.<br>
<br>
Mark, of course, refused to change his report. It was unethical, lying, and just plain wrong. I'm very proud of him for standing up for his convictions, and also for standing up to his tyrannical chief who clearly didn't know or care what actually happened.<br>
<br>
I'm assuming that Mark's chief is so used to leading by fear and intimidation and getting what he wants all the time that when someone finally stood up to him, he was stunned and had no idea how to proceed. I'll tell you that he did not handle this well, not by a long shot. His response was to single out Mark and start making his life a living hell. Mark was verbally abused on a regular basis, had internal audits and investigations started on him for doing his job correctly, got chewed up for doing nothing wrong. It's impossible to not bring that home with you. Finally Mark was given two options. He could resign, or he could be terminated and get a file full of bad recommendations that would basically keep him from ever working in law enforcement ever again. We honestly did consider termination so we could turn around and sue for hostile work environment and wrongful termination, but in the end Mark decided that he just wanted to be done with the whole mess and resigned. Wrongful termination or not, being fired in the law enforcement community basically guarantees you'll never work in law enforcement again anyway.<br>
<br>
So we've been in a transition period for the last few weeks. Mark's severance was enough that we can go a couple of months before we really need to worry about money but it's still stressful. Mark has put in for a couple of other police departments but it's a very long process to get hired in law enforcement. Ironically one of the departments he put in for was WVC, but he decided that even if it was the last law enforcement job on the planet and they offered him a job, he would still turn it down, so he's not going to go through with that application. I'm relieved - I had really mixed feelings about him working there in the first place. Almost every day WVC is on the news for some homicide or string of violent robberies or whatever - I'm selfish enough that I don't want Mark working for a place like that. Not to mention, plenty of the old administration is still there, and Mark's old chief is still really buddy-buddy with lots of people there, so how safe would he really be if he went there? We've tossed around the idea of Mark just working in law enforcement part time and going in a completely different career direction (there's an oil refinery nearby that apparently pays well), and we've even talked about Mark leaving law enforcement entirely. He can get retirement at 20 years in law enforcement and he's 10 years in now. It would be nice to get the retirement at 20 years but as we've discussed, that retirement by itself won't be enough income to support us, and Mark is adamant that he does not want to do more than 20 years in law enforcement. So that means he'll be about 50 years old when he retires and then he'll still have to work to bring in enough money for us to make it. Starting an entirely new career at 50 is not impossible but definitely not easy or ideal. When you look at it like that, it might actually be better to have him start over now since he'll need to at some point anyway.<br>
<br>
The frustrating thing for me is Mark is a <i>fantastic</i> police officer and he did nothing wrong but because of a &&*%!@&(^%$@#%$@ he not only lost his job but has lost his passion for what he does. Clearly law enforcement is a profession you do because you love it, not for the money or the praise or admiration of the public. It's so infuriating for me that one bad, horrible excuse for a human could do this to a good person and get away with it. But it is what it is, and here we are making the best of the situation. We'll be okay, we'll get through this but for now it's stressful and scary.<br>
<br>
I have to add that the past few weeks while Mark has been at home and away from all the stress he's had to deal with at work, he has been <i>such a better person</i>!! So I'm glad he left for that reason alone. :)<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhop7t7bWIop_Ks6NfJt7oA693j_8SLZ2t1VdTOyn-vYsOdFnRnrGLACLs1fpXzDlAvwpU-ccpyRvn4snK9LVnF39dgZUOMXLADlcl2WNDY7WY6GiPYAKmCkWSCuWLRNJeB9SelXmblfhRX/s1600/DSCF1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhop7t7bWIop_Ks6NfJt7oA693j_8SLZ2t1VdTOyn-vYsOdFnRnrGLACLs1fpXzDlAvwpU-ccpyRvn4snK9LVnF39dgZUOMXLADlcl2WNDY7WY6GiPYAKmCkWSCuWLRNJeB9SelXmblfhRX/s1600/DSCF1125.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira is glad too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll wrap up this very long post with some random pictures and we'll keep everyone posted.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jdPcv-I_Tu787agxrTMX1b1YHA0wp1mJdJkdjnw0pHNEGmBI2-lM7FCyCoBfTHwdOZfdR4Xge0z1cFt0BqRg3UQcQmtHBNt546FVdPE7AByYQnUVB1r11hqw4PYiX-JyhsuE1hQlpDg_/s1600/DSCF1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jdPcv-I_Tu787agxrTMX1b1YHA0wp1mJdJkdjnw0pHNEGmBI2-lM7FCyCoBfTHwdOZfdR4Xge0z1cFt0BqRg3UQcQmtHBNt546FVdPE7AByYQnUVB1r11hqw4PYiX-JyhsuE1hQlpDg_/s1600/DSCF1135.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've taught Mira to put her leftovers in the dog dish. Notice how messy it gets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PcBccZGUo8J0Fv9DNfXH4Mg5fxw5MF8Wr0wO2YokzYECsX9m9gpFi0jeicaLzz2fCg4ZX6ObdfrLMPt5-7WW38S_aO23RTXnU6oWgA5W074JZ1yebM8ZlaEones8qKwJe_ZB_kLx6X1F/s1600/DSCF1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PcBccZGUo8J0Fv9DNfXH4Mg5fxw5MF8Wr0wO2YokzYECsX9m9gpFi0jeicaLzz2fCg4ZX6ObdfrLMPt5-7WW38S_aO23RTXnU6oWgA5W074JZ1yebM8ZlaEones8qKwJe_ZB_kLx6X1F/s1600/DSCF1133.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food on the dogs' backs, the cupboards, the walls...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWz2BuvP2oAsAw0ZC3LZDHWBMK7n_EkFA0ym-KgcS7DrYXNPQsZ9OYNAWyJitRUonAI3F1l67H_7Ojy6T5PiwcTAARyimIGfIvq2MMzE2bpCKjTESOTQJ8ZHv5SsdsX-UzSOA5H5zc2pbj/s1600/DSCF1137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWz2BuvP2oAsAw0ZC3LZDHWBMK7n_EkFA0ym-KgcS7DrYXNPQsZ9OYNAWyJitRUonAI3F1l67H_7Ojy6T5PiwcTAARyimIGfIvq2MMzE2bpCKjTESOTQJ8ZHv5SsdsX-UzSOA5H5zc2pbj/s1600/DSCF1137.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twirling and dancing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEjbChv7lW2BPV-1ku92zCY3RusJ-BY2Nii3z0WUygMZJYAd3BZFJjaEyOQi1wnh_7ksN0jhSW9PQrZHnxjoqit-SWkuo6xzE-SnPJl-fI4Wg-KQXBPtac_6vYyD-m4x-5fbQ03VCX4CF/s1600/DSCF1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEjbChv7lW2BPV-1ku92zCY3RusJ-BY2Nii3z0WUygMZJYAd3BZFJjaEyOQi1wnh_7ksN0jhSW9PQrZHnxjoqit-SWkuo6xzE-SnPJl-fI4Wg-KQXBPtac_6vYyD-m4x-5fbQ03VCX4CF/s1600/DSCF1127.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly kitty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0mioQOiPwbB7v_OFSooEXM_ipPouZHHorQ_Df-_BKTz9kYag29S6IZZAM2zWpr5jppm-MhFdJPCObPoK3SDu7MLrjeR0Ve0qu35mspNzW2eoOTGhskjIDsaT0thZxF8XYcBtbfNdSdKG/s1600/DSCF1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0mioQOiPwbB7v_OFSooEXM_ipPouZHHorQ_Df-_BKTz9kYag29S6IZZAM2zWpr5jppm-MhFdJPCObPoK3SDu7MLrjeR0Ve0qu35mspNzW2eoOTGhskjIDsaT0thZxF8XYcBtbfNdSdKG/s1600/DSCF1141.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first attempt at making sukiyaki. It wasn't too bad but not nearly as good as my grandmother's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ9WyO8iGRvfQMa0YlzcUkE5IMiL4J3Eb-5ro1mUeCOa8IAAlFBJWO0h8EpZ5uAUdk7WJGEB9CwYNqfKUoCszdEWKAqpUjCWaRLk8GhwlgVEZZbbnvc3g7_nBr39V3D3YRAFtGcFLFH9y/s1600/IMG_5148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ9WyO8iGRvfQMa0YlzcUkE5IMiL4J3Eb-5ro1mUeCOa8IAAlFBJWO0h8EpZ5uAUdk7WJGEB9CwYNqfKUoCszdEWKAqpUjCWaRLk8GhwlgVEZZbbnvc3g7_nBr39V3D3YRAFtGcFLFH9y/s1600/IMG_5148.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring with Grandma.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7hO61Lr7poHrFAmsrdje8pE6pniuUtyvdQ72mUdMkMw0HlJ2a70Kv332MFkQkWswRTx30mIjy0vJv6Ue_ajc-wlCpQv7LS9txOqjVC9hXwblWFaN6t53EGvutyZN_qqem66Y8dYFcOkk/s1600/IMG_5149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7hO61Lr7poHrFAmsrdje8pE6pniuUtyvdQ72mUdMkMw0HlJ2a70Kv332MFkQkWswRTx30mIjy0vJv6Ue_ajc-wlCpQv7LS9txOqjVC9hXwblWFaN6t53EGvutyZN_qqem66Y8dYFcOkk/s1600/IMG_5149.JPG" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-86402122463023377602013-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:002014-01-01T00:47:03.147-08:00...And a Happy New YearAnother year has, somehow, already ended. I'm honestly surprised that it's the end of the year already. The older I get, the faster life goes.<br>
<br>
I guess I'll have to include the obligatory Christmas pictures in this post. The holidays are one of the times when I really realize what the life of a nurse entails. I don't care so much about Christmas itself - I find the holidays in general are over-hyped and way over-commercialized, not to mention stressful. However, I do care about spending time with my family and the nice thing about the holidays is that everyone with an office job (which is the majority of the population) gets time off to spend with their loved ones. I like to say that the jobs that are the most crucial to the functioning of society are the only ones that never get to take holidays (which says a lot for those in government, ha ha). Obviously Mark and I are used to having to give up time with our own families so we can literally save other people's asses and generally I don't mind too much, since we both knew what we were getting into when we chose our careers and if we haven't accepted it by now we really ought to be reconsidering some decisions we've made. But this year I felt a bit resentful because I drew the short stick and got scheduled to work 7 PM - 7 AM Christmas Eve, and again 7 PM - 7 AM Christmas night. So I got to make the eternally frustrating and no-win decision between sleeping and spending a sliver of time with Mark and Mira. I'll admit it, I was grouchier than ever before about having to work an entire holiday. Before Mira I would prefer to work the holidays to get the extra money but now I want to spend time with her, especially since she's getting older and is really starting to notice when I'm not home.<br>
<br>
But as I talked about briefly in a previous post, sometimes all you need is a fresh perspective to change your attitude. The PICU was very full over the holiday with a much higher than normal census for this time of year. That means there were all those families with critically ill children, stuck in a hospital for the holiday. As crappy as it is for me to spend my holiday working in a hospital, at least at the end of the 12 hours I can swipe my badge, clock out, go home and leave the hospital behind. These families can't do that. Sometimes I feel less altruistic about my job than other times, but the bottom line is I chose nursing as a career to help people, even if the timing is less than fantastic for my family. Sometimes this job feels more selfless than I ever planned on (and same for Mark's job).<br>
<br>
So enough ranting about how the scheduler apparently hates my guts enough to give me a crappy holiday schedule. When I got home from work Christmas morning, I stayed up late so we could open presents with Mira. We didn't go too big because 1) she really wasn't expecting presents to start off with and 2) we figured she would get spoiled by her grandparents, which she did. Her big present from us was a Cabbage Patch doll. I remember my Cabbage Patch doll that I got as a kid and it was a bit nostalgic for me.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZSGyRrzBHxZWxc4q9IekiBszCiswvCnTFxBXlVo-Z-i5tsbN0Zk6F2eJOD83AhUA0maM_5BddPs97OptyosuryFUM3E7H879C1si9tc79LmFjVllkaBqMrKVGWz8pE9THBMXI4RgMS-f/s1600/IMG_5015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZSGyRrzBHxZWxc4q9IekiBszCiswvCnTFxBXlVo-Z-i5tsbN0Zk6F2eJOD83AhUA0maM_5BddPs97OptyosuryFUM3E7H879C1si9tc79LmFjVllkaBqMrKVGWz8pE9THBMXI4RgMS-f/s400/IMG_5015.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VuOgDSiPtB9jnHbGiHL-hIM80fNap8_20xqaD-BtD53K3cU1lESSqdY_pd_PJXvUp5kCR7rNKd0UOTeo4iRxOthdIO941PMX8-caVe5Rc08mcBgtcVdWjJDovWdcUps7xA6-NRZ9qHcf/s1600/IMG_5017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VuOgDSiPtB9jnHbGiHL-hIM80fNap8_20xqaD-BtD53K3cU1lESSqdY_pd_PJXvUp5kCR7rNKd0UOTeo4iRxOthdIO941PMX8-caVe5Rc08mcBgtcVdWjJDovWdcUps7xA6-NRZ9qHcf/s400/IMG_5017.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPybCpDy26oQdKBpuwUFJ4ICjQNYynNMOEWr-FtMaJPfwNFD_sdVebM4g0vPPTKLtvdfNf9kE2ufUM4YUxBtrCW20VK47hAr9Y0Dv-2SOfjrJUbJUEeGLfuLSPbdFLfeK-5kWxI9-BRjx/s1600/IMG_5021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPybCpDy26oQdKBpuwUFJ4ICjQNYynNMOEWr-FtMaJPfwNFD_sdVebM4g0vPPTKLtvdfNf9kE2ufUM4YUxBtrCW20VK47hAr9Y0Dv-2SOfjrJUbJUEeGLfuLSPbdFLfeK-5kWxI9-BRjx/s400/IMG_5021.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0LN_CtQk8Vwwqb1k_rUEwsFN5CYekgdXR77FkuQp8tCurxPtSRkxHMqXdLTYQYLfUS-vie3kN7QwPyTMdjESVKx94MLN4d9tSDgvS4wER1Dds65vUZFbObxr902PFqvaCsEsdg5vpZuO/s1600/IMG_5022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0LN_CtQk8Vwwqb1k_rUEwsFN5CYekgdXR77FkuQp8tCurxPtSRkxHMqXdLTYQYLfUS-vie3kN7QwPyTMdjESVKx94MLN4d9tSDgvS4wER1Dds65vUZFbObxr902PFqvaCsEsdg5vpZuO/s400/IMG_5022.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKZywpMx2Y2xOYnA1gNHOh_Mgk0mc7gOr0but9ViQDNn-KtlFyIfOs-1_4ItPhuAcTgQsnpWozqK52tjBl2tlAfiuTjtyjdUicadmfECCPBpGLAL55iY3kitWVJfgdGyUnglG34q2zlYi/s1600/IMG_5023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKZywpMx2Y2xOYnA1gNHOh_Mgk0mc7gOr0but9ViQDNn-KtlFyIfOs-1_4ItPhuAcTgQsnpWozqK52tjBl2tlAfiuTjtyjdUicadmfECCPBpGLAL55iY3kitWVJfgdGyUnglG34q2zlYi/s400/IMG_5023.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5eHNiqBpOL9vME4Hm2loQxDnmqYxhq0yxxgfx_gVUX527tnoFDbEOyG3dOQjQlRKVFMZqw3sN96veWIGddBhHwvT60wTTJOZboq-BlcVPdL2yLOdbmxBG9XKKeHBPfF5Y-zWDPt5KgbM/s1600/IMG_5024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5eHNiqBpOL9vME4Hm2loQxDnmqYxhq0yxxgfx_gVUX527tnoFDbEOyG3dOQjQlRKVFMZqw3sN96veWIGddBhHwvT60wTTJOZboq-BlcVPdL2yLOdbmxBG9XKKeHBPfF5Y-zWDPt5KgbM/s400/IMG_5024.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX8gEGNIVit1HG1p7hdJwC8Uh-AYUTiQu1dYToyPpdMs_XvAIW5o996zYBG_NMjAWWR3n0vQsz9dHb_p2YGjCu14Mn9psi9qnwVI0wLPOTkxmAmYrr0qr5PalREuELGvmjXGeFuIVj-OM/s1600/IMG_5025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX8gEGNIVit1HG1p7hdJwC8Uh-AYUTiQu1dYToyPpdMs_XvAIW5o996zYBG_NMjAWWR3n0vQsz9dHb_p2YGjCu14Mn9psi9qnwVI0wLPOTkxmAmYrr0qr5PalREuELGvmjXGeFuIVj-OM/s400/IMG_5025.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vXax57-RCJ4XOIX79FDUTCbSArh_R3ARH4sIJ5k3JnIcBlkWP3FLvNFac2yTJ29SIHjCwRz3dgiSZcIrNdI7kzK1s7QoJ8rs1b8SRDKWDH3y_upjjEuB0Jf2Slvc-jOonpgS0npCtoZ5/s1600/IMG_5026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vXax57-RCJ4XOIX79FDUTCbSArh_R3ARH4sIJ5k3JnIcBlkWP3FLvNFac2yTJ29SIHjCwRz3dgiSZcIrNdI7kzK1s7QoJ8rs1b8SRDKWDH3y_upjjEuB0Jf2Slvc-jOonpgS0npCtoZ5/s400/IMG_5026.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuYESvK9kA9o9TlnfVWvAfCHNROUtcxRywTYUZWzxZ2iilJTTXCIBiCNK709SvPVrphbUFr8OkFXkdrFa6Tk-G4sSHz8Ea5hH7nPxihzdCI1C6zlc0Vl7A8VfV9eWEhxdwe6G1XsNOhDG/s1600/IMG_5027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuYESvK9kA9o9TlnfVWvAfCHNROUtcxRywTYUZWzxZ2iilJTTXCIBiCNK709SvPVrphbUFr8OkFXkdrFa6Tk-G4sSHz8Ea5hH7nPxihzdCI1C6zlc0Vl7A8VfV9eWEhxdwe6G1XsNOhDG/s400/IMG_5027.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSudWqZOMVP5l8f1I_gS4gkaZd_pleOqMoMEFFc7rIuhkE41KHJD_BODMIAgifDRSE2Iui1tijb_oMiTl0dvLyIDr7L0JW7BuaJ5sc6Qn7vgfWC7kZn066V80bqNsUsLNhWlXE4LNIxhe/s1600/IMG_5029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSudWqZOMVP5l8f1I_gS4gkaZd_pleOqMoMEFFc7rIuhkE41KHJD_BODMIAgifDRSE2Iui1tijb_oMiTl0dvLyIDr7L0JW7BuaJ5sc6Qn7vgfWC7kZn066V80bqNsUsLNhWlXE4LNIxhe/s400/IMG_5029.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_mLhrSuNFqy5h6oQCJTO5eXqzHNMgYptTq6b_NOXgAqYSnKrqoKJVC4v8P_4aQhUqfJGdG6m2cw6Gbg2jL9OsL_Oo10Y849yKG7_QH6hyphenhypheno1eDyxzNs2DxvQsEC0c-gWKy1vxgIlIhxvw/s1600/IMG_5030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_mLhrSuNFqy5h6oQCJTO5eXqzHNMgYptTq6b_NOXgAqYSnKrqoKJVC4v8P_4aQhUqfJGdG6m2cw6Gbg2jL9OsL_Oo10Y849yKG7_QH6hyphenhypheno1eDyxzNs2DxvQsEC0c-gWKy1vxgIlIhxvw/s400/IMG_5030.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Qpq7ZjIz9fd8DII24-6dUJ2ozC85Lm8Wm5ICnOYXSU6Mdom1XxsAfxQaqiJWK1B2edzJQd5x-c-Qz6zD7KRK47sTrcB-cr4mE-iG5pCK11BLbIOmlpmXXTHfW16RXKoJEI2fTxro82R/s1600/IMG_5031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Qpq7ZjIz9fd8DII24-6dUJ2ozC85Lm8Wm5ICnOYXSU6Mdom1XxsAfxQaqiJWK1B2edzJQd5x-c-Qz6zD7KRK47sTrcB-cr4mE-iG5pCK11BLbIOmlpmXXTHfW16RXKoJEI2fTxro82R/s400/IMG_5031.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
Mark and I also exchanged gifts. I gave Mark a pair of expensive running shoes that he's been eying, and Mark gave me a new camera to replace the one that took a dunk in the Atlantic last month. I'm still mad at myself for that but the new camera is, umm, freaking awesome! Mark definitely put a lot of thought and research into choosing it. We also got a ski rack for the SUV, which I'm very excited to try out.<br>
<br>
After staying up as late as I deemed safe I crashed into bed so I could be somewhat rested before going back again. Mark took Mira out to see a movie in the theater with some family. Apparently after they got home she was so worn out from all the excitement all day that she actually <i>fell asleep on the couch</i>. I don't think, besides when she was a baby and would fall asleep all the time, she's ever fallen asleep on the couch before. Absolutely amazing.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikarMOh4TuU4f_0dLC6z13Re3Cn1a8-9ZZQv0-J3R_a6pF5CpvVIhB3WSBoHf_gRKBw4y9LDl8FvmFXd3lcKigo0qmrO7z0y_zBvP-zq2y3Ma_b0kv4baA75H9o9x1I5ta49ZJh36Rf5N/s1600/IMG_5033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikarMOh4TuU4f_0dLC6z13Re3Cn1a8-9ZZQv0-J3R_a6pF5CpvVIhB3WSBoHf_gRKBw4y9LDl8FvmFXd3lcKigo0qmrO7z0y_zBvP-zq2y3Ma_b0kv4baA75H9o9x1I5ta49ZJh36Rf5N/s400/IMG_5033.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9km-Bz3sTdXcy12gd-z38PLuRXzLGT5S0RLTIFYfm6V9noQIqzjaDuU9Es6fq2BnHQpWCcoVmKWD2WXMostOwe4M4fW2unebiVRlRIpHO4qk22v2_-a3kkhqDl6RGWwSKPwBuKoxQ0DMC/s1600/IMG_5034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9km-Bz3sTdXcy12gd-z38PLuRXzLGT5S0RLTIFYfm6V9noQIqzjaDuU9Es6fq2BnHQpWCcoVmKWD2WXMostOwe4M4fW2unebiVRlRIpHO4qk22v2_-a3kkhqDl6RGWwSKPwBuKoxQ0DMC/s400/IMG_5034.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
That has got to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen.<br>
<br>
Trying to coordinate with my family to exchange gifts with them has been a pain too, again mostly because of my work schedule. It took until today to get everyone's presents where they needed to go, except apparently I've got one from my dad that still needs to migrate my way so maybe we're not actually done. Besides working the entire holiday, I also decided I'd be nice and work an extra shift since we were so busy, which fell under the category of "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time But Then I Regretted It." So that was close to 50 hours in one week. I'm really hoping I'll stop regretting my selfless act of altruism when payday comes around. But anyway, Mira made out like a bandit from my dad.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNOnk46EtOMmK1YV2vtosPM7FW9ophrBwdI7GFuFLYN9nLmWBDwZhhY9k2j5Hd_35BwgpCgAr4N6u3wJlen_oLTickb8MO75gsT0bvpffpePOAT0guHURWw-MmUAIssP1V2420K6PwZA/s1600/IMG_5040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGNOnk46EtOMmK1YV2vtosPM7FW9ophrBwdI7GFuFLYN9nLmWBDwZhhY9k2j5Hd_35BwgpCgAr4N6u3wJlen_oLTickb8MO75gsT0bvpffpePOAT0guHURWw-MmUAIssP1V2420K6PwZA/s400/IMG_5040.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireAV1hyL9Mj6FsfsccZZclK-FrCan400P49VishLLyJG7F_zPRajAnGs0yKa6SOh3Qrr5xHaXajEmlSb4CVUfllBwgVDBXINzOq0klhx6g9LuauncZqOxYRddeCCxNXZntpmzzE2mfb7E/s1600/IMG_5041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireAV1hyL9Mj6FsfsccZZclK-FrCan400P49VishLLyJG7F_zPRajAnGs0yKa6SOh3Qrr5xHaXajEmlSb4CVUfllBwgVDBXINzOq0klhx6g9LuauncZqOxYRddeCCxNXZntpmzzE2mfb7E/s400/IMG_5041.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_2dP22o8rAW3VawkuwkpnelZRRP7T_r51pbxzaR9Vf9VAwa85ilHwCtsAPPzWpnBtM_mPYFL9KgomNa0X1fYG_4rKQOJWoK0A5Vy7TFqp0VEzUHflfFO1PtXAMxTi5B_XrfFnULytGDg/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_2dP22o8rAW3VawkuwkpnelZRRP7T_r51pbxzaR9Vf9VAwa85ilHwCtsAPPzWpnBtM_mPYFL9KgomNa0X1fYG_4rKQOJWoK0A5Vy7TFqp0VEzUHflfFO1PtXAMxTi5B_XrfFnULytGDg/s400/IMG_5043.JPG" width="400"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjqcSvuqIVWpmDh7Cr6FdKjP_O1SYNhfSQbYI4TyZt4PXz7ZNubaA68uUahVmdR7FpT3F2z_0BoTNTG_SbqqhAEoTB4JvmveHyXg22tBnWrUDDDIf63ZdMk970FmNp0Si1HZYfB_dXsdm/s1600/IMG_5046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjqcSvuqIVWpmDh7Cr6FdKjP_O1SYNhfSQbYI4TyZt4PXz7ZNubaA68uUahVmdR7FpT3F2z_0BoTNTG_SbqqhAEoTB4JvmveHyXg22tBnWrUDDDIf63ZdMk970FmNp0Si1HZYfB_dXsdm/s400/IMG_5046.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
Then my Aunt Ellen found a dress that had Mira's name all over it so she sent it over. Mira was trying to pull it on over her clothes the second she pulled it out of the package. She's such a girly girl, I love it! And I got a chance to try out my new camera.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8dpI37Hz5Rmmnq4U46LdsIid-ixMrViPhef4bbGOVPyVarKSvH0V7PBl-mR-VrXF3coRoovpCeGbF-XL3svnwuKwsb66dPkNd6K3xNZWu4lHXRIKpTICrVEXe4tPfOg-F0Dl_0S6dsfQ/s1600/DSCF1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8dpI37Hz5Rmmnq4U46LdsIid-ixMrViPhef4bbGOVPyVarKSvH0V7PBl-mR-VrXF3coRoovpCeGbF-XL3svnwuKwsb66dPkNd6K3xNZWu4lHXRIKpTICrVEXe4tPfOg-F0Dl_0S6dsfQ/s400/DSCF1104.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgKWzRhDI2mjwYSDMfEWe4S6mIDNJ75_NZakuy6fFdOlNoBtkZowppvq5C0t34tML11Qt9Jl1xb9UEHXPhtB0ZtMRsUS-JZoAct9BCL_js4gnZg0akbmu3imrJClk_TOmjsTY9A0RZLJq/s1600/DSCF1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgKWzRhDI2mjwYSDMfEWe4S6mIDNJ75_NZakuy6fFdOlNoBtkZowppvq5C0t34tML11Qt9Jl1xb9UEHXPhtB0ZtMRsUS-JZoAct9BCL_js4gnZg0akbmu3imrJClk_TOmjsTY9A0RZLJq/s400/DSCF1105.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslntXIzk_cJQ6DsXUpYkiGs5kgB3mPHiLSBRQXXCxTT3pR8KJkaXUuM7GrEM10JMjA2-faXn-kvmioZQa_8oD5wJKsxK6i3jCse_Eam52EUsMrD7kIMgcO4r6E0o7pIOUx50tjMDb6zk9/s1600/DSCF1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslntXIzk_cJQ6DsXUpYkiGs5kgB3mPHiLSBRQXXCxTT3pR8KJkaXUuM7GrEM10JMjA2-faXn-kvmioZQa_8oD5wJKsxK6i3jCse_Eam52EUsMrD7kIMgcO4r6E0o7pIOUx50tjMDb6zk9/s400/DSCF1106.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtor2cZ8mzffQ2gpQdYj1abZKHQyTbor7MnY46EMS4Z7gRzy3CRj1KikiMyoiBZdeW_I9Fnj5ruGpnEU5nZgNbrsTDYO6vE66g3TNRt66Hd9wpNhQ-UXxOQyZHtVC2If6VfYGjp-vcvBDg/s1600/DSCF1108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtor2cZ8mzffQ2gpQdYj1abZKHQyTbor7MnY46EMS4Z7gRzy3CRj1KikiMyoiBZdeW_I9Fnj5ruGpnEU5nZgNbrsTDYO6vE66g3TNRt66Hd9wpNhQ-UXxOQyZHtVC2If6VfYGjp-vcvBDg/s400/DSCF1108.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
And she'll get even more when I can figure out what to get her with the money my grandparents sent. Maybe a new outfit for her doll. Yep, she's spoiled. I'm not sure now why I thought it was avoidable...<br>
<br>
I took Mira to visit my mom today and she was so tired she fell asleep after we'd been driving for less than 5 minutes.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMLGaDfwGo0bcK0HWVNxV4-kZdcHfo3GTJwkBI5k9fLRDJYwPzgzu1v7krBXkhuQZYdHQngD-khFCEkHZnG6Hlt9pN__Zy2RboruLUErNMSAji3RLPPQPuWIksF5FssE2eiYRj19f9sSN/s1600/IMG_5047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMLGaDfwGo0bcK0HWVNxV4-kZdcHfo3GTJwkBI5k9fLRDJYwPzgzu1v7krBXkhuQZYdHQngD-khFCEkHZnG6Hlt9pN__Zy2RboruLUErNMSAji3RLPPQPuWIksF5FssE2eiYRj19f9sSN/s400/IMG_5047.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
Not taking a nap every day has definitely resulted in a sleepier child. So when she does fall asleep we run with it. I decided I'd hang out in the car once we got home so she could get some sleep and while I was enjoying the silence I noticed this scene from <i>The Birds</i> happening in our yard.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUintSulNU4MLVv1wB6RYA4GoJBhX35Nx3Wd3kCGNUPTvO3s8u1wCnmJJS812cQPGMQ4libPDN87PDtJCdAIhRDPt4O0O4FEEKp33cKNWQcZpzmSASxh2V4ejvR-HOXgSyUlK0iM_yPH6f/s1600/IMG_5048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUintSulNU4MLVv1wB6RYA4GoJBhX35Nx3Wd3kCGNUPTvO3s8u1wCnmJJS812cQPGMQ4libPDN87PDtJCdAIhRDPt4O0O4FEEKp33cKNWQcZpzmSASxh2V4ejvR-HOXgSyUlK0iM_yPH6f/s400/IMG_5048.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
And now for the obligatory New Year's Resolutions. I'd like to be more patient and less high-strung as a parent, for starters. I'd like to make a concerted effort to make more one-on-one time with Mark. I'd like to run a 10K. And I'd definitely like to learn to stop rushing around, all the time, and be more laid-back.<br>
<br>
Check back in one year and we'll see how things went.<br>
<br>
Have a very happy New Year!Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-58840576457776315862013-12-23T12:07:00.000-08:002013-12-23T12:07:39.665-08:00Winter Weather Can't Slow Us DownNow that we're going to be seeing white and freezing our extremities off for the next few months, it's time to get started with our winter activities. The one we were most looking forward to is skiing, although we've only been able to get up to the resort once since they opened about a month ago. Mark got switched to night shifts, which has made coordinating our schedules a nightmare. But we'll make it work.<br />
<br />
Even though skiing has been tricky to make happen, there are other fun activities we've been up to lately. A couple weeks ago I took Mira sledding with my dad and sister Sara. Mira had a BLAST! We'd sit her on the front of the sled and she would giggle the whole ride down the hill.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/myFhrHvEFC0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUH13M6GS0Cv7N5otjm6pSaZpGFAwVMnoVLJ25oUqt0cGWeXsQLCgOyWk16-P3MTcWPX21UvKmsRprM_BqPAQ2x6FON7HRpL9OZph2WF_YyN_EO3j5y__wKWddOCk9bri4quGdlNuZCM8/s1600/IMG_4981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUH13M6GS0Cv7N5otjm6pSaZpGFAwVMnoVLJ25oUqt0cGWeXsQLCgOyWk16-P3MTcWPX21UvKmsRprM_BqPAQ2x6FON7HRpL9OZph2WF_YyN_EO3j5y__wKWddOCk9bri4quGdlNuZCM8/s400/IMG_4981.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitching a ride back up the hill with Auntie Sara.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZWTSQdqSK2g2er7oIS99SPngWBT7Dwq8-unm5qfcQz8pD4ZepTGhGbuw2ftVji8p4V2RYefSD_zGimLChNwMTds8iWvczlplcgWim8hZiJsLnpGKIO5JLEJd6FwG8vA3OQk4hZj_vko9/s1600/IMG_5008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZWTSQdqSK2g2er7oIS99SPngWBT7Dwq8-unm5qfcQz8pD4ZepTGhGbuw2ftVji8p4V2RYefSD_zGimLChNwMTds8iWvczlplcgWim8hZiJsLnpGKIO5JLEJd6FwG8vA3OQk4hZj_vko9/s400/IMG_5008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Bonus: she got a really good nap afterwards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJJEiN3nNswgYWnNe126Zu-8L4S4jknak4VlWkXq3UUsRqOhgoKZFpcKxxkrkkRfDtcxB6DwZDEmhJvfTKNv8oXbe6ou_g6FggCE1SqRy2FMmVDHrNMd02ysO2Ufymhccz4QxUZ4tV4_P/s1600/IMG_4983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJJEiN3nNswgYWnNe126Zu-8L4S4jknak4VlWkXq3UUsRqOhgoKZFpcKxxkrkkRfDtcxB6DwZDEmhJvfTKNv8oXbe6ou_g6FggCE1SqRy2FMmVDHrNMd02ysO2Ufymhccz4QxUZ4tV4_P/s400/IMG_4983.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
The next winter sport we introduced her to was ice skating. I'll be honest, I wasn't so sure she was going to like this one, but clearly I don't know my own daughter very well if that's what I thought. She loved this too! It seems like anything active is something she'll enjoy, which is definitely a good thing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6sD6_xo97mCGLJyx1VMmylvJzX7JJyilCwy2LtcYxnLE7y8mNvy7iPmjzqeLny1TRlcsnf4fX4jBi4I6Y-50dNUYHBTzTbqM37Xn5KgyeFcwuLjh8T0GLDvBPftloRHrmJgXpLLZgWRc/s1600/IMG_4986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6sD6_xo97mCGLJyx1VMmylvJzX7JJyilCwy2LtcYxnLE7y8mNvy7iPmjzqeLny1TRlcsnf4fX4jBi4I6Y-50dNUYHBTzTbqM37Xn5KgyeFcwuLjh8T0GLDvBPftloRHrmJgXpLLZgWRc/s400/IMG_4986.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at her cute little skates!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjY0jDAzb6UZWi8R7wncK0jvodahxgx6gYvaD71BTXZgdmycNViXXB5QREN3xEwpxR0FwET3WCjDi_1UffGj9FZ-UmMRua3tR3vArbHrQ188PEcw56HsJIeHOkQ0pR3JbpWZAPHR1rUC/s1600/IMG_4987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjY0jDAzb6UZWi8R7wncK0jvodahxgx6gYvaD71BTXZgdmycNViXXB5QREN3xEwpxR0FwET3WCjDi_1UffGj9FZ-UmMRua3tR3vArbHrQ188PEcw56HsJIeHOkQ0pR3JbpWZAPHR1rUC/s400/IMG_4987.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
We started her off with one of these cool little walker dealies that I wish they'd had for bigger people like me.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fDhfU1tVS3-RPFKOmn5l6nZZ9bYXD9ugg1QF7e-Ac5mEYlWSvYEeYoQ7gZKMHwqT3Gg6vFfZeUkwfo2OcbygScvCpkRZj4zjWRTuJcq2rnWXNx6GNlIRtpbkAFXYblUlga4pXjTPosoG/s1600/IMG_4991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fDhfU1tVS3-RPFKOmn5l6nZZ9bYXD9ugg1QF7e-Ac5mEYlWSvYEeYoQ7gZKMHwqT3Gg6vFfZeUkwfo2OcbygScvCpkRZj4zjWRTuJcq2rnWXNx6GNlIRtpbkAFXYblUlga4pXjTPosoG/s400/IMG_4991.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She dragged me around the rink.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a few laps around the rink she got bored with the walker and wanted to hold our hands while we went around. She found out pretty fast that Mark is a much better skater than I am and would go fast with her, so eventually she didn't want me helping her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSW7iMWznW83UARGQFw3HoHDbipncUzzbhT2j8tTIZsELLtF6Kq9qKlK11JHZypCgDs6kvhUt3QsQJXP9GmjVe13WfYPoi2GhR7wqxuqTXZmrrrt7BXJzpnvxxp6NmdGCCeRCIMBXhTiJk/s1600/IMG_4988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSW7iMWznW83UARGQFw3HoHDbipncUzzbhT2j8tTIZsELLtF6Kq9qKlK11JHZypCgDs6kvhUt3QsQJXP9GmjVe13WfYPoi2GhR7wqxuqTXZmrrrt7BXJzpnvxxp6NmdGCCeRCIMBXhTiJk/s400/IMG_4988.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9gHCV9fprY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And it's probably a good thing I didn't help her very much! I only fell down a couple of times but this is what my knees look like now:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryQ9xxsDPcu3MeuG9XLPNQu1laFO8toSVgLvcojRkJcCBeYIFwhyphenhyphenP2QHlF8wnYSoXxXHdJ-fcDXdgjyrXL-hY1ollGx0SEa1jb7XKlk77ymQT_9kO7oU5AXcmP7ftZYF1U66fG9p9EoT9/s1600/IMG_5013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryQ9xxsDPcu3MeuG9XLPNQu1laFO8toSVgLvcojRkJcCBeYIFwhyphenhyphenP2QHlF8wnYSoXxXHdJ-fcDXdgjyrXL-hY1ollGx0SEa1jb7XKlk77ymQT_9kO7oU5AXcmP7ftZYF1U66fG9p9EoT9/s400/IMG_5013.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViZkteLK3quSkWQKhP6043AFl_xuw-raYilbzkdwnwBm2ZSSjLZ4ykm2p-F_QHDFC8qL21ZuOeHWfYq2pDh-Ba4nBx0aLq8Rw17ZXh4JwC7u1W-ANGPRXQEC98_2CTWKqnPL6_YXs0RNS/s1600/IMG_5011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViZkteLK3quSkWQKhP6043AFl_xuw-raYilbzkdwnwBm2ZSSjLZ4ykm2p-F_QHDFC8qL21ZuOeHWfYq2pDh-Ba4nBx0aLq8Rw17ZXh4JwC7u1W-ANGPRXQEC98_2CTWKqnPL6_YXs0RNS/s400/IMG_5011.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Apparently skiing technique and skating technique aren't interchangeable. Both times I fell, I'd started to lose my balance so I instinctively responded the way I would if I were skiing and started to lose control: I crouched down and leaned forward. The crouching down probably wasn't too bad of an idea, but unlike skis, ice skates have toe picks. Just in case anyone was wondering, catching your toe pick and falling smack dab onto your knees on the ice is actually quite painful and I don't recommend it.<br />
<br />
And who could forget the holidays? I'm not as stressed about the upcoming holidays as I normally feel I am, mostly because I'm excited to see Mira's reactions to getting her presents this year. We haven't talked very much about Santa - we've mentioned that someone named Santa will bring presents in the near future but that doesn't mean very much to her. And now that I think of it, Mira is not unaccustomed to receiving presents for no reason. (Last year we were walking through the jewelry section of the store and one of the salesmen gave Mira a teddy bear.) But she's old enough to get excited about receiving things so that will be fun.<br />
<br />
It wouldn't be the holidays without a good party, and since Mark and I both missed out on our respective company parties because, surprise, we were both working our shifts, we went to an ugly Christmas sweater party at a friend's place. Apparently ugly Christmas sweater parties are all the rage now because when I went to find some ugly sweaters, there were absolutely none to be found, Christmas-themed or otherwise. Not even at the thrift stores did I find anything. So we made our own. (As a side note, going through Walmart getting supplies for our ugly sweaters and listening to all the terrible Christmas music gave me a headache and homicidal tendencies. I am so ready for that part of the holidays to be over.) Here are our creations:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFvevyPxcPu8i7J6dkZ6lFtfkO1eTwUMKYJw68g67nz7_dDXTVKeKUPlY9KlcneV6xeI00I1dhhbLuZC1Y2g5HHQbee8dcUdxyLp6rCb_7hkfIGPncyxOsc2U4v0Djwx4biNwvM__Ox18/s1600/IMG_4994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFvevyPxcPu8i7J6dkZ6lFtfkO1eTwUMKYJw68g67nz7_dDXTVKeKUPlY9KlcneV6xeI00I1dhhbLuZC1Y2g5HHQbee8dcUdxyLp6rCb_7hkfIGPncyxOsc2U4v0Djwx4biNwvM__Ox18/s400/IMG_4994.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
As you can see, mine is definitely gaudy and just too much. It's a bit hard to see, but notice there's a bird on my shoulder.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxKudY-jHk-Z5jXshMjcnkMI2BTtB78ze4-uJGrQXaAKZVRRxBBEfsV2UTyHYglznIBISjMWl66IIkqpNKqyMijgztrKko2MTNOQPswFCdDcUM7kYKgukRG_fwjHMDomo3yT6pa_VCNGl/s1600/IMG_4997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxKudY-jHk-Z5jXshMjcnkMI2BTtB78ze4-uJGrQXaAKZVRRxBBEfsV2UTyHYglznIBISjMWl66IIkqpNKqyMijgztrKko2MTNOQPswFCdDcUM7kYKgukRG_fwjHMDomo3yT6pa_VCNGl/s400/IMG_4997.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Here's a closer look at the whole thing, if you can stand to look at it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-Wh5M93ckZjy655GPirwI-OaoSzN9jOXnzUDgIQGRwLM5mS1TQ3LbroBdNX4Kvn4HbjvvR6Vv2EkNSA6jI1tDP7Xt-jgNJuPkOyLk7X5wSmRw8c47z3dg_yTyD-U3VgBtxCQMo96H4pG/s1600/IMG_5003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-Wh5M93ckZjy655GPirwI-OaoSzN9jOXnzUDgIQGRwLM5mS1TQ3LbroBdNX4Kvn4HbjvvR6Vv2EkNSA6jI1tDP7Xt-jgNJuPkOyLk7X5wSmRw8c47z3dg_yTyD-U3VgBtxCQMo96H4pG/s400/IMG_5003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And here's Mark's seriously ugly sweater. All he did was pin an advent calendar to the front of his sweater and I think I have to give him the win for the most atrocious sweater.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_CiN8evfRJoAlJrxlelLpIJBIbq1J07vBX4_q31D5TyjR93W6d807Fm9yOnybxrUQl4ne05KVtbN5vj3_ATwlWnehz1E_cH8-kONofmuzfdOwYufbiEPT4QX67fr5_-sBdHAGUYkuhA_/s1600/IMG_4993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_CiN8evfRJoAlJrxlelLpIJBIbq1J07vBX4_q31D5TyjR93W6d807Fm9yOnybxrUQl4ne05KVtbN5vj3_ATwlWnehz1E_cH8-kONofmuzfdOwYufbiEPT4QX67fr5_-sBdHAGUYkuhA_/s400/IMG_4993.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Yep, that's pretty awful.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-82386830730964260612013-12-16T12:22:00.001-08:002013-12-22T15:48:27.989-08:00The Brat Years, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I keep swearing to myself that I will not take Mira into any store for the next 10 years because of how much work it is. It's always so much faster and easier for me to wait until she's asleep for the night and then run out to do the grocery shopping then. As we all know, however, this is not always possible. </div><div><br></div><div>A couple weeks ago Mark and I were out with Mira and we had to stop by the store for one thing. It's just one thing, I thought, and I have help this time. How bad could it be?</div><div><br></div><div>Mistake number 1 accomplished.</div><div><br></div><div>Before we even went into the store I told Mira that we were not going to get a cart. We were just going to run in, grab our one item, and leave. So, we weren't going to get a small shopping cart that she could push around. We weren't going to get one of those carts with the car she could "drive" either. We weren't getting a cart, period. She nodded and said "K" as if she understood. Boy was I dense. As soon as we entered and she saw the rows of shopping carts, she wanted to get one. I reminded her that wasn't going to happen.</div><div><br></div><div>That was temper tantrum number one, and we hadn't even made it inside the store yet.</div><div><br></div><div>Mark carried her inside, which she didn't approve of so she started screaming, " I DOWN!! I DOWN!!" He tried to set her down but then she wanted to run off. I captured her and told her that her choices were to be carried by Daddy or to hold Daddy's hand. After temper tantrum number two she settled grudgingly on holding Daddy's hand. But of course she could still grab for everything at eye level and try to pull Mark any which way she could, so I grabbed what we needed and we hurried to the checkout.</div><div><br></div><div>While I was waiting to pay, Mark saw a friend of ours so he carried Mira through the line so he could stand and chat. As I was handling the transaction, I could see Mark trying to talk while holding a flailing, arching, kicking child who was still screaming, "I DOWN!! <i style="font-weight: bold; ">I DOWN!!!</i>" Finally we made it out of the store and I remarked that this was why I didn't like to bring Mira into any store.</div><div><br></div><div>Mark appeared surprised and said, "What? I thought she was perfect!"</div><div><br></div><div>While I recover from my moment of flabbergasted speechlessness, I would like to point out that while Mira's behavior is perfectly <i>appropriate </i>for her age, it doesn't mean I enjoy dealing with it. And maybe Mark would like to volunteer to do all the grocery shopping with Mira from now on.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-T8J5zVoaoIarx4TqDePUUqtqPmKeLw5j8P28kwStZ8Z-3MElV1aGPqZFBG-sFBxND2squC2gXsxNlmh0o0EcwfczSnQtMOJfzrn4RSoqj5Gq7GRCEgvK9iWm7PAjC2qc1thBu0OVS77A/s640/blogger-image-596952434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-T8J5zVoaoIarx4TqDePUUqtqPmKeLw5j8P28kwStZ8Z-3MElV1aGPqZFBG-sFBxND2squC2gXsxNlmh0o0EcwfczSnQtMOJfzrn4RSoqj5Gq7GRCEgvK9iWm7PAjC2qc1thBu0OVS77A/s640/blogger-image-596952434.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-49212571387971087322013-12-09T23:21:00.001-08:002013-12-09T23:21:09.672-08:00Recovery TimeI'm going to start with some additional pictures from Florida. I brought my camera with me and was taking pictures of Mira in the water when I obviously did not secure it well enough and it fell into the water. Just in case anyone was wondering, sea water kills cameras pretty much instantly. Sadly it's beyond repair. I'm really upset at myself for that. But a few days ago I decided I should see if, by any chance, the memory card had survived and guess what - it had!! So here are a few more shots of Mira, in which you will notice she becomes progressively wetter and wetter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMMIB-dsyFTpE_wG6XWX9wSUeSZIVVRhttgRfHcxdfJ62RNtq4X81NnAAetxNbeWNuZJwdw6Tgj-4HcS_E5cjZIDFwa79PIrdROf0rCyzjaebw6bB3IwvWn-JbecUr793HCJuwFPMCGZg/s1600/DSCF1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMMIB-dsyFTpE_wG6XWX9wSUeSZIVVRhttgRfHcxdfJ62RNtq4X81NnAAetxNbeWNuZJwdw6Tgj-4HcS_E5cjZIDFwa79PIrdROf0rCyzjaebw6bB3IwvWn-JbecUr793HCJuwFPMCGZg/s400/DSCF1087.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoD8p99GEqfISTvAfohk0ak7YBKuqt1wSWrkubRoNchyQV8We6Lk9Bw1cMAmp9CPg_JwlHI7wr6TAv_uS_Pttl7iBND0HEpfr4lFaOGz-X-vFMYcPOhf7HKIsxweiYTt0HWW49zgPMj_6/s1600/DSCF1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoD8p99GEqfISTvAfohk0ak7YBKuqt1wSWrkubRoNchyQV8We6Lk9Bw1cMAmp9CPg_JwlHI7wr6TAv_uS_Pttl7iBND0HEpfr4lFaOGz-X-vFMYcPOhf7HKIsxweiYTt0HWW49zgPMj_6/s400/DSCF1091.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6_8zjGAMY0XIt-31nA5EMrHTSL-KQ3Rf4m6NwaTJuPM2oo5el5t2LpFdGglmKWsVLp5xJyiDWr2zwrqGluMB_vRrjJnFbHYHeZY1TcfjX8mZREngJ3OQFLujzMX9FrksB37sxjXiNpCE/s1600/DSCF1092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6_8zjGAMY0XIt-31nA5EMrHTSL-KQ3Rf4m6NwaTJuPM2oo5el5t2LpFdGglmKWsVLp5xJyiDWr2zwrqGluMB_vRrjJnFbHYHeZY1TcfjX8mZREngJ3OQFLujzMX9FrksB37sxjXiNpCE/s400/DSCF1092.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90tk9OHSrhyLLJYiVhp4c972ZjnIy3gO5kNleLa8X4LB9TdsCfUreUOYwcMVRLNHGw1MPHfrZ-eu4_T_5AEYIRQvKKBeE0otAMQChGTK3sy-hihL5FB0FsU3UIxATyVfbYqFk7c7jB5-K/s1600/DSCF1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90tk9OHSrhyLLJYiVhp4c972ZjnIy3gO5kNleLa8X4LB9TdsCfUreUOYwcMVRLNHGw1MPHfrZ-eu4_T_5AEYIRQvKKBeE0otAMQChGTK3sy-hihL5FB0FsU3UIxATyVfbYqFk7c7jB5-K/s400/DSCF1094.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjUohnneVYAdNUVkJNPm3xe8P8z1cnRBwo8PUiap6NK2Zrn3cx9jntquFzzpUBIPjkKACZaHKF0olR-GpoUMgFmhd8BjQQ4MuazDSUQ4lDXY2wEVxsof-MBtGgVd0X9P6EoxSLHdzARvj/s1600/DSCF1095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjUohnneVYAdNUVkJNPm3xe8P8z1cnRBwo8PUiap6NK2Zrn3cx9jntquFzzpUBIPjkKACZaHKF0olR-GpoUMgFmhd8BjQQ4MuazDSUQ4lDXY2wEVxsof-MBtGgVd0X9P6EoxSLHdzARvj/s400/DSCF1095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCqXUjdPEC2orbk5a6ENdkPh0shEyg5fvhefYWqs9Y3k5fbPtEPZEeq-i2JzzSd1s4jMohdeEARei0PlWBb_Nx98oPPSzej4VVsyYjsghI_xoZ0VjDCy9mbX78FaxlNBd1Crxh4UCUdQk/s1600/DSCF1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCqXUjdPEC2orbk5a6ENdkPh0shEyg5fvhefYWqs9Y3k5fbPtEPZEeq-i2JzzSd1s4jMohdeEARei0PlWBb_Nx98oPPSzej4VVsyYjsghI_xoZ0VjDCy9mbX78FaxlNBd1Crxh4UCUdQk/s400/DSCF1096.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEePDNFPlIgqrrUfKpmS4SuxxN0gFtD3H2DZV353lufzvJZh00wlyneU430S1AW5lzyoM2klfM7L5XNEzJwjOmnpe7zfqGBA2fCGClespIfYwTK1o2d2fhFHdQa6-W5wxf2MTVMGu7RIf/s1600/DSCF1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEePDNFPlIgqrrUfKpmS4SuxxN0gFtD3H2DZV353lufzvJZh00wlyneU430S1AW5lzyoM2klfM7L5XNEzJwjOmnpe7zfqGBA2fCGClespIfYwTK1o2d2fhFHdQa6-W5wxf2MTVMGu7RIf/s400/DSCF1098.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoWil9WrShc2CgEYyxlpgXQx_TyNSi_35PSijd9NBSCerXLRhD5rixf4acXncJ128NkoRz1p-EAdz2Trgl8jWFGDTtZVte3HjEGNoVq-PfYKLf-_1HueC5gtpNgtWzcMXfKMu3Dc9N38O/s1600/DSCF1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoWil9WrShc2CgEYyxlpgXQx_TyNSi_35PSijd9NBSCerXLRhD5rixf4acXncJ128NkoRz1p-EAdz2Trgl8jWFGDTtZVte3HjEGNoVq-PfYKLf-_1HueC5gtpNgtWzcMXfKMu3Dc9N38O/s400/DSCF1099.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlCxlZpkzqkYn5_UUgIO1se5De8lobeisemwXvgOuxQhpkVy2XJD7Ae0aVXiWJ4GOPLLjc423y7G_8g9v2nPf2bGg2kFY-3miiXzCtRoZ0gPhcu5cUrrxTRvBAcd3pMydiYKjzmxQYBu-/s1600/DSCF1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlCxlZpkzqkYn5_UUgIO1se5De8lobeisemwXvgOuxQhpkVy2XJD7Ae0aVXiWJ4GOPLLjc423y7G_8g9v2nPf2bGg2kFY-3miiXzCtRoZ0gPhcu5cUrrxTRvBAcd3pMydiYKjzmxQYBu-/s400/DSCF1100.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2wezdITF7F7prRuV-IVxM9thKFYet9_DBsDPXfYoG6R_R4oLpY7FCjbHWbKA1xfQ4pk6TIScQO8-z9O4ry8KjrPCy0LTqJ-2aRuMIdcbJZDzQDvt3JZtqDGvrHb0HERmB3-iZrKJxh5H/s1600/DSCF1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2wezdITF7F7prRuV-IVxM9thKFYet9_DBsDPXfYoG6R_R4oLpY7FCjbHWbKA1xfQ4pk6TIScQO8-z9O4ry8KjrPCy0LTqJ-2aRuMIdcbJZDzQDvt3JZtqDGvrHb0HERmB3-iZrKJxh5H/s400/DSCF1101.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
And some pictures of Jacksonville Beach, and a couple pictures I got from Mark's phone.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEe76BughR51ZHzhmmIzkUKjrErr_Fi-Wal6oEI_Y_YUfh-MjYEhEqNYBQH2PSL7GmkMHSVoZ-RMOCPmNPnKaAxC-LJXuli-eLnZs3LX17tlQcn5Qq6C_-VhIlJM9Tm_TJQevVI4rSdnA/s1600/DSCF1088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEe76BughR51ZHzhmmIzkUKjrErr_Fi-Wal6oEI_Y_YUfh-MjYEhEqNYBQH2PSL7GmkMHSVoZ-RMOCPmNPnKaAxC-LJXuli-eLnZs3LX17tlQcn5Qq6C_-VhIlJM9Tm_TJQevVI4rSdnA/s400/DSCF1088.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyfskBbC1O2I5NSdxQsMtcfv-Uc4Wr3L3ewT_2sIZRzQOPaIZIjuxVQPORJdWiguZOYd0S8pX85g5G7jnh-ZhLh2lLxy4gXkXs8CdTu1rlMQ2jPm3zKAoB7G3Pm_OqJUw4XWvvsmub4AW/s1600/DSCF1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyfskBbC1O2I5NSdxQsMtcfv-Uc4Wr3L3ewT_2sIZRzQOPaIZIjuxVQPORJdWiguZOYd0S8pX85g5G7jnh-ZhLh2lLxy4gXkXs8CdTu1rlMQ2jPm3zKAoB7G3Pm_OqJUw4XWvvsmub4AW/s400/DSCF1090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aHnuB9kvOHvXrBhGUED_dKRRHYNyklAP9a_nU0o20mf-A-ZVIHED4aWqwosL5BjQdsexwiclYuL1lOGsGtw9F1f7lF_uMVaJ1TZIv9p1QRNZe7sjVSMipAnUJGSd2KHHYAkm-F0hzqws/s1600/DSCF1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aHnuB9kvOHvXrBhGUED_dKRRHYNyklAP9a_nU0o20mf-A-ZVIHED4aWqwosL5BjQdsexwiclYuL1lOGsGtw9F1f7lF_uMVaJ1TZIv9p1QRNZe7sjVSMipAnUJGSd2KHHYAkm-F0hzqws/s400/DSCF1097.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh1c232DPM3MIxoufu4YOC7MgeBdkPLH5mUv4RmEERqAxlLjfwTQXVCYL9A72-vpLbv2SzmNiduLJ45kfpn-Nn-XCikCOE70zlw3y2CwD_9t4ULgMtTBoEeLTR2bX219owkyJSq4GCUys/s1600/IMG_4940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh1c232DPM3MIxoufu4YOC7MgeBdkPLH5mUv4RmEERqAxlLjfwTQXVCYL9A72-vpLbv2SzmNiduLJ45kfpn-Nn-XCikCOE70zlw3y2CwD_9t4ULgMtTBoEeLTR2bX219owkyJSq4GCUys/s400/IMG_4940.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTPXyLlx8BKJg9dlNXA4NiJ0MUEXZKPlQd_OfL1XLiRcEsmwVA6WcD8UL9WNaI3ObTTLcwv5ElBWMeUD75alQRs1w1j43xSgqaFSRNISA4sJuUG_HGIAKNKseIVT3a6Ad6Ugr6vCH8KST/s1600/IMG_4941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTPXyLlx8BKJg9dlNXA4NiJ0MUEXZKPlQd_OfL1XLiRcEsmwVA6WcD8UL9WNaI3ObTTLcwv5ElBWMeUD75alQRs1w1j43xSgqaFSRNISA4sJuUG_HGIAKNKseIVT3a6Ad6Ugr6vCH8KST/s400/IMG_4941.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Once we got back to Utah a few things happened. The first is that Mira has pretty much given up napping. Mega boo. The weird thing is even though she's been so used to naps she's still in a fairly good mood by the end of the day. I might push her bedtime forward a little just for my sanity some days though. She'll still nap a couple times a week but she's basically done. Watch out world, my afternoons just opened up!<br />
<br />
The next thing that happened is we all had our turn getting sick. It started with Mark right about the time we got back with some nasty respiratory virus (which he's still battling, so even though I'm a nurse and not allowed to diagnose health problems I think his cold turned into bronchitis and he's also suffering from a case of male stubbornness). The next week it was my turn. Luckily our census is low at work so it was actually easy to get a day off without using a sick day. And even though we had our fingers crossed that Mira wouldn't be next, it was her turn too. We were at one of Mark's hockey games when I noticed she wasn't feeling well. She fell asleep in the middle of the game and I could feel her poor little body burning up through her clothes. I managed to get a few pictures of Mark before the game but I think from now on if I want to actually watch Mark play hockey I'm leaving Mira with someone else. We went to another game last week and I spent so much time chasing Mira I didn't get to see the game.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2_ZNhArERwDh4r-gq93ygbWGwTKiG1fYIFbDVhsJ5ko5x216OyjwyawRIYzjwzoX4hfmbhIvlC1ybaaRVjUQopBcD3LBXBATnawXYTzUXYJyG_8GuruEL5Xsl6Tb1ESpd-AoeqvvNgFO/s1600/IMG_4788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2_ZNhArERwDh4r-gq93ygbWGwTKiG1fYIFbDVhsJ5ko5x216OyjwyawRIYzjwzoX4hfmbhIvlC1ybaaRVjUQopBcD3LBXBATnawXYTzUXYJyG_8GuruEL5Xsl6Tb1ESpd-AoeqvvNgFO/s400/IMG_4788.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6aM43SRKsB2pblWnPIpeGCMEzBTmCMX8JGOzkARgLoM2bF7v6-K4AlWkq900Gu7EMlNwj2iOQzsD9V2eqUiGH5trcY-NCNrN_hlS9ICyrmKkonc-nQMihmvRFtxG72KM5Naxi8Y8CSTw/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6aM43SRKsB2pblWnPIpeGCMEzBTmCMX8JGOzkARgLoM2bF7v6-K4AlWkq900Gu7EMlNwj2iOQzsD9V2eqUiGH5trcY-NCNrN_hlS9ICyrmKkonc-nQMihmvRFtxG72KM5Naxi8Y8CSTw/s400/IMG_4789.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenGcLt9fPBBzdDz4uJxTg3IPT9CFHx1VRetB7k5N2v6GkSO-EbQCpTJd3q3LBXk0v8W9T6gYQdSGcVu3hATTvGhygvKz5L7qH-L3sGOtiLz9dDo7el34Q20N1F93ruijejjhaPtr6Vrpg/s1600/IMG_4790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenGcLt9fPBBzdDz4uJxTg3IPT9CFHx1VRetB7k5N2v6GkSO-EbQCpTJd3q3LBXk0v8W9T6gYQdSGcVu3hATTvGhygvKz5L7qH-L3sGOtiLz9dDo7el34Q20N1F93ruijejjhaPtr6Vrpg/s400/IMG_4790.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmKVlIl69GMhXFeVRUNhbtj7SBRIVv9WFnI09r9vIejmK7GTJNr5rI986ZBRSXHX0ts21cbY84CtmgmLvM7SsR56thmq0kcAwp7RsIt4w0ieWbb6IakBVpCoT7V-E5mGmiTGVGkqr8cVn/s1600/IMG_4791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmKVlIl69GMhXFeVRUNhbtj7SBRIVv9WFnI09r9vIejmK7GTJNr5rI986ZBRSXHX0ts21cbY84CtmgmLvM7SsR56thmq0kcAwp7RsIt4w0ieWbb6IakBVpCoT7V-E5mGmiTGVGkqr8cVn/s400/IMG_4791.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHVU2MyCldXqS-5MtWRQ1aCW0y3gA-RFzEdHvun2rdg59KI3RUw3KJZBDbJ5iJQIDJgr362KgFHLjg4LAQzOzGQck7cp8VWsak_SSVK4rhSwy0rn4Avqp7Dl-yUNYJ9eM_xg9kIHdRiLp/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHVU2MyCldXqS-5MtWRQ1aCW0y3gA-RFzEdHvun2rdg59KI3RUw3KJZBDbJ5iJQIDJgr362KgFHLjg4LAQzOzGQck7cp8VWsak_SSVK4rhSwy0rn4Avqp7Dl-yUNYJ9eM_xg9kIHdRiLp/s400/IMG_4792.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQe_xRSKT-1KfMjp1VvnpRLl_Wcakili1ptczRGz_NKrrRTa3unFnrSjwBifDWo_RGuuRKBq_x6yVGdXoNIFUwCOLEiufMfPbbk81MYR0kTYrNSja7b6U-e8hfc9B-pECSbQdJ8StBu9k/s1600/IMG_4793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQe_xRSKT-1KfMjp1VvnpRLl_Wcakili1ptczRGz_NKrrRTa3unFnrSjwBifDWo_RGuuRKBq_x6yVGdXoNIFUwCOLEiufMfPbbk81MYR0kTYrNSja7b6U-e8hfc9B-pECSbQdJ8StBu9k/s400/IMG_4793.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Too bad the shots are blurry. I should have brought my camera... oh, right.<br />
<br />
The next day was Thanksgiving. I had been planning on taking Mira to my sister's for dinner with the family but when she decided halfway through the day that all she wanted to do was cuddle with me on the couch (not complaining about that but it's not normal for her to sit still) and her temperature was 104.1, our plans changed. Her temp was probably actually higher than that, since all we have is an oral thermometer and we couldn't get her to put the probe under her tongue, so her temperature with the probe just sitting in her mouth was 104.1. And of course we were out of children's Motrin so I had to run out and buy some. Normally I refuse to purchase anything on Thanksgiving or the day after, just on principle, but clearly I had to make an exception. Luckily her temp came down 6 degrees after Motrin (yikes) and I decided I was very thankful that I have access to medication on a holiday. My family understood why we weren't coming over (we had had Thanksgiving dinner with Mark's family the previous weekend so at least we got some turkey) and we spent the day on the couch.<br />
<br />
I did end up taking Mira to the InstaCare once she was on day 5 of 100+ degree fevers and she developed a really nasty cough, but mostly because Mark was freaking out and really worried about her. My nurse brain was telling me that she could still be managed at home (good color, making wet diapers, no stridor or increased work of breathing, in no apparent distress) but I still took her in. She was diagnosed with croup, given a dose of steroids and a popsicle (she's going to love going to see doctors now), and we were sent on our way. And besides a little bit of a cough she's definitely over being sick. Yesterday she was upset about something and almost gave Mark a concussion with a puzzle piece. Okay that was an exaggeration, but she did chuck a puzzle piece at Mark's head and we're not really sure why. Good thing she was contrite after her time out.<br />
<br />
The other thing that's happened is winter. And highs in the 20s. Which means lows in the single digits. But it came with some snow, which Mira was very excited about. She kept begging me to take her outside when it was like 16 degrees but she did have fun in the snow. We definitely gave her an appropriate middle name after all.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsR2P60_nICPtI0a2MVclPRdwIq3CwzzBeCyD_l_K27hyphenhyphenqgQahalhLHMbhfbVcatgx2r03dupZ7WH7NqDpF9V1NMjy3Ay5PjJFT8K-z9ct3SGuY8mgcYw6BP8a4wHB_MyXBbl8psRa6I5U/s1600/IMG_4899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsR2P60_nICPtI0a2MVclPRdwIq3CwzzBeCyD_l_K27hyphenhyphenqgQahalhLHMbhfbVcatgx2r03dupZ7WH7NqDpF9V1NMjy3Ay5PjJFT8K-z9ct3SGuY8mgcYw6BP8a4wHB_MyXBbl8psRa6I5U/s400/IMG_4899.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISovdrI6uIzW1v7n60RiYyRmvld-3B-BsGsMNjQiu6zMjHZO5ggpIhP8po5CPFsQtdjdULiUjk_Puw53rXRBskt7yuY65lMP7vx6TeHltmEUKIZTlcrbeohVPv5llsKgw39_KQZvb0xd1/s1600/IMG_4900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISovdrI6uIzW1v7n60RiYyRmvld-3B-BsGsMNjQiu6zMjHZO5ggpIhP8po5CPFsQtdjdULiUjk_Puw53rXRBskt7yuY65lMP7vx6TeHltmEUKIZTlcrbeohVPv5llsKgw39_KQZvb0xd1/s400/IMG_4900.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0alWVIQXhnRXpQ7JiH8D-JldfN_UtqDSA36WBjtY6lB-SUBfqdkYSJRQFv670UPNF5QEWWhdFrds_S7z4P4ea9zzHLJ6_NM_b2NL4wYRgwiSB_Hbsc5GNruiYTglrp1sTP4C_04Q5m8_/s1600/IMG_4901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0alWVIQXhnRXpQ7JiH8D-JldfN_UtqDSA36WBjtY6lB-SUBfqdkYSJRQFv670UPNF5QEWWhdFrds_S7z4P4ea9zzHLJ6_NM_b2NL4wYRgwiSB_Hbsc5GNruiYTglrp1sTP4C_04Q5m8_/s400/IMG_4901.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioIpKFHw1v0Ea1Zra-NCQzwX-73SQ7_eklYfGvEwWaJw0cluZ5dRz1h-AZBOknvuvPzfaYUVI1ywDBIjnN71TCm49mzZfjf8YldTSDvbcO4Rc34MpiePTOfNv2FOtN2UZdliKS4WUVfgO/s1600/IMG_4902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioIpKFHw1v0Ea1Zra-NCQzwX-73SQ7_eklYfGvEwWaJw0cluZ5dRz1h-AZBOknvuvPzfaYUVI1ywDBIjnN71TCm49mzZfjf8YldTSDvbcO4Rc34MpiePTOfNv2FOtN2UZdliKS4WUVfgO/s400/IMG_4902.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nnS0Qe0Fx188stxu6ujZlQsFFPTTBFmG7FyX9mI602F8GCEzK9XYpUAUR_ma-G2r2iuriAuDqhAwVQmShroV1zBH5_kaTxI1_ADZ-v2QETMQsjmhRT9ASzrxW3GbN3Nc-hLs0JpolaR5/s1600/IMG_4903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nnS0Qe0Fx188stxu6ujZlQsFFPTTBFmG7FyX9mI602F8GCEzK9XYpUAUR_ma-G2r2iuriAuDqhAwVQmShroV1zBH5_kaTxI1_ADZ-v2QETMQsjmhRT9ASzrxW3GbN3Nc-hLs0JpolaR5/s400/IMG_4903.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IaltUR7NJl4maTAWODdivLh1C-h6FEFVhyTpx9wxo-wBxIR6v3i9JOBLTbY4D6GT2_xELZgptiWLylqHrA1FIh9j-u5-A9rJDdiY8CTC2xcPr_saO7wg3JgbAspl48rN2L1MELCfoAGo/s1600/IMG_4904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IaltUR7NJl4maTAWODdivLh1C-h6FEFVhyTpx9wxo-wBxIR6v3i9JOBLTbY4D6GT2_xELZgptiWLylqHrA1FIh9j-u5-A9rJDdiY8CTC2xcPr_saO7wg3JgbAspl48rN2L1MELCfoAGo/s400/IMG_4904.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD1UG3x0NnGbWToVJXLMrnaFXKQ5s6mp9O6jV28fwH4mXNSUVUSsf2tM3bQMFh8M7W8q7idz9PYzGLXsctRnAYiAPCDJ3C2jMF2IQQUe-vdCl3ZsY335Zk9O5WprAdsECV3SuP67XuYb3/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD1UG3x0NnGbWToVJXLMrnaFXKQ5s6mp9O6jV28fwH4mXNSUVUSsf2tM3bQMFh8M7W8q7idz9PYzGLXsctRnAYiAPCDJ3C2jMF2IQQUe-vdCl3ZsY335Zk9O5WprAdsECV3SuP67XuYb3/s400/IMG_4905.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA-ywMByHtrJjm-evP5JvPx37eWPcAFcjMw4AbIPcqoZGvzsK2OZDIp_m-kl_rEMb7RQpl2U8GMrKT6yq8SjPHG7DC0zwKaDCIbYHqpMMk-axy125_2jFQ8_ROIvLxQjurJR-X6rgoiRI/s1600/IMG_4906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA-ywMByHtrJjm-evP5JvPx37eWPcAFcjMw4AbIPcqoZGvzsK2OZDIp_m-kl_rEMb7RQpl2U8GMrKT6yq8SjPHG7DC0zwKaDCIbYHqpMMk-axy125_2jFQ8_ROIvLxQjurJR-X6rgoiRI/s400/IMG_4906.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyHekkAVmC1ubMjdgn5rpVJnRouK6bnOb5ct9KIdbo9IoWkwtXhuXqF7Ae2Hs0CoClbRyPlYAVx22o5BrODoZ00-wxQgfGSOqV3CwBoXwvoDmZmOzPqK-IJm2JZiGwj7ZIapA0JqqloBd/s1600/IMG_4907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyHekkAVmC1ubMjdgn5rpVJnRouK6bnOb5ct9KIdbo9IoWkwtXhuXqF7Ae2Hs0CoClbRyPlYAVx22o5BrODoZ00-wxQgfGSOqV3CwBoXwvoDmZmOzPqK-IJm2JZiGwj7ZIapA0JqqloBd/s400/IMG_4907.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeWnINXZvufaLUjFuadml8UEa8yBNgyHnMSdD8N942XA0M1NXWffz-2O6lakvEhSxfbDbgBXdM-sImGa2I5mZ3_VkYyKrjV4rz02nr9uzF4h0txHOHozMACp7IBd76uyDKJ4zYAvN5-j3/s1600/IMG_4908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeWnINXZvufaLUjFuadml8UEa8yBNgyHnMSdD8N942XA0M1NXWffz-2O6lakvEhSxfbDbgBXdM-sImGa2I5mZ3_VkYyKrjV4rz02nr9uzF4h0txHOHozMACp7IBd76uyDKJ4zYAvN5-j3/s400/IMG_4908.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22OAIvJzQJGaA5oeUWdo8WVdTgza-OksNhBSeuk_UnQhPqDTCQH2_eUXNSShoes5AcAW9SDNeKTFmuq7x6_NhJFCusKwG_ns1qXyPO5MXa4Ripzw5WI1cVS82Jy3hWt8wozRykzJUa5P9/s1600/IMG_4909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22OAIvJzQJGaA5oeUWdo8WVdTgza-OksNhBSeuk_UnQhPqDTCQH2_eUXNSShoes5AcAW9SDNeKTFmuq7x6_NhJFCusKwG_ns1qXyPO5MXa4Ripzw5WI1cVS82Jy3hWt8wozRykzJUa5P9/s400/IMG_4909.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVVj5bGXGOd4lUWIxJlwg4to8Eq_Wl83rwnDZWU0LRXHzT2FIHypugdEZT4zyjRn-ZhJRVzWf3vUXb_dy9UEJ-_rCSe8FaCECdd_kkpNQiuOYMMrhjyi2S2OYHdVMw2zXZGJPWOMZZyRz/s1600/IMG_4910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVVj5bGXGOd4lUWIxJlwg4to8Eq_Wl83rwnDZWU0LRXHzT2FIHypugdEZT4zyjRn-ZhJRVzWf3vUXb_dy9UEJ-_rCSe8FaCECdd_kkpNQiuOYMMrhjyi2S2OYHdVMw2zXZGJPWOMZZyRz/s400/IMG_4910.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyM_Qg7HjJXQF7wDATqX5FWPc2NHjEz6siykeuDTY1fcpGxWuQdO7o9oJHQl1Of2asnVP9EBcO3j4v3JZs9N32GTTaHl8FzdXf4wG24-LJ-bItv2x92XCgH6LW1GjH3F5E0vQHRvxfMSp/s1600/IMG_4911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyM_Qg7HjJXQF7wDATqX5FWPc2NHjEz6siykeuDTY1fcpGxWuQdO7o9oJHQl1Of2asnVP9EBcO3j4v3JZs9N32GTTaHl8FzdXf4wG24-LJ-bItv2x92XCgH6LW1GjH3F5E0vQHRvxfMSp/s400/IMG_4911.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUZPAdAJfOjyYRLAFKLFvNgO6SDOs08HqXo7bmVED2yU3tk6Tr7yNmkBv580tRiBRWl0yFCRGZLmO7-v6hJsOt1VDq4e1jpJ5RMUF2rUW1ylDTHE34tks8xEAyW0U1mEgwu1vALgi6eqN/s1600/IMG_4912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUZPAdAJfOjyYRLAFKLFvNgO6SDOs08HqXo7bmVED2yU3tk6Tr7yNmkBv580tRiBRWl0yFCRGZLmO7-v6hJsOt1VDq4e1jpJ5RMUF2rUW1ylDTHE34tks8xEAyW0U1mEgwu1vALgi6eqN/s400/IMG_4912.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I showed her how to make a snow angel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdcbNq_OKIuSHKMZe_LErlEyLlIHuIy6DjaDLUcPkXmng_mEr1WUHPg-Xh0TBVKL_3RJ0RU3fqA_1Y76OivC_Dql32cn_Fag2aLso_ETBspMQ9jxF69upDOwFxNoOlSAJVfNAjM34EMn1/s1600/IMG_4914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdcbNq_OKIuSHKMZe_LErlEyLlIHuIy6DjaDLUcPkXmng_mEr1WUHPg-Xh0TBVKL_3RJ0RU3fqA_1Y76OivC_Dql32cn_Fag2aLso_ETBspMQ9jxF69upDOwFxNoOlSAJVfNAjM34EMn1/s400/IMG_4914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2db5aeViRZEip_wrhakLtdlleWUEM6199nfroHe1sZzX4fy4cDJ4o7SjVQ5B1OI3oKcarTj6rP-Iw-SfrFFR-9mdTMV62Ub1UnpJoHqCIXPYmD3L4hfW7ItorMqR4bcY2G_XeV8rjU3yz/s1600/IMG_4915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2db5aeViRZEip_wrhakLtdlleWUEM6199nfroHe1sZzX4fy4cDJ4o7SjVQ5B1OI3oKcarTj6rP-Iw-SfrFFR-9mdTMV62Ub1UnpJoHqCIXPYmD3L4hfW7ItorMqR4bcY2G_XeV8rjU3yz/s400/IMG_4915.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljr-wh_PgP9LauR4HVjIp46Xce4LnvGqV2i3perqNabnf-jpZ2idNEW_ZuyaB4p0qr7sA5Y2_biRUWLZn_x-KFGkeTgdG-uc3WX_YnJ_mAQD2l3blX4ejLv-nHcTLUp6JN_83T2VnXcxm/s1600/IMG_4916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljr-wh_PgP9LauR4HVjIp46Xce4LnvGqV2i3perqNabnf-jpZ2idNEW_ZuyaB4p0qr7sA5Y2_biRUWLZn_x-KFGkeTgdG-uc3WX_YnJ_mAQD2l3blX4ejLv-nHcTLUp6JN_83T2VnXcxm/s400/IMG_4916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And what better way to finish off than with a mug of hot chocolate?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBYvRqkFSeXIxrm7kHzZLjLd_vWbiWf3D9-l3djhyNwnwurI4JT_q5boMtA0JrkB-36LM3UQUeFcxEbiaZ27asrrGkrlD5zebYO_mrLefSvRLIOcre_BfURaLCuAz7VHpYbS2qYY6WxpW/s1600/IMG_4917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBYvRqkFSeXIxrm7kHzZLjLd_vWbiWf3D9-l3djhyNwnwurI4JT_q5boMtA0JrkB-36LM3UQUeFcxEbiaZ27asrrGkrlD5zebYO_mrLefSvRLIOcre_BfURaLCuAz7VHpYbS2qYY6WxpW/s400/IMG_4917.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
A few days ago I took Mira to my mom's for a belated Hanukkah celebration. We missed the actual holiday because Mira was still sick. Mira got a few presents from her grandma, which she loved, of course.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfbc6q-e-bLwNMjd88yaynkLCrzOmAxC9-XfAXazNRD-JMcRObM726anmjG45QCINXHlFeSoa_HyYWqM0g9iBb5-c1Z5IHbhXAHukTOVdhUQyZ0qObIoZpVevt1lhGezAPPHzCG5EloBV/s1600/IMG_4924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfbc6q-e-bLwNMjd88yaynkLCrzOmAxC9-XfAXazNRD-JMcRObM726anmjG45QCINXHlFeSoa_HyYWqM0g9iBb5-c1Z5IHbhXAHukTOVdhUQyZ0qObIoZpVevt1lhGezAPPHzCG5EloBV/s400/IMG_4924.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to Grandma's house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSFTahaINGv3WhjCG19fTW_tROELOd543_-Nuo0Um3rPZVgzIr0Txffpi_bZ9r2imGvi9k3QQw0rIzCtKQ8SVpybXlmi2Q1t1ck5aLCpq6BX5Q31Q16UnjdPJxklAgM4Ai3ZS8s5U6vRP/s1600/IMG_4925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSFTahaINGv3WhjCG19fTW_tROELOd543_-Nuo0Um3rPZVgzIr0Txffpi_bZ9r2imGvi9k3QQw0rIzCtKQ8SVpybXlmi2Q1t1ck5aLCpq6BX5Q31Q16UnjdPJxklAgM4Ai3ZS8s5U6vRP/s400/IMG_4925.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmqcbPR_pOLaEdMmlcxOhNLPpuvu7Gcz1-PumdCE1s0NXlU_Vw0HPw7ckGWR9FA7mZ-rDQPT5G1GNYksd6YEuKk-DaT5Hk2lk6wXo5AIaFUvnvf_dazTFjE6JRsyd6aKHerC4SYbut8fS/s1600/IMG_4926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmqcbPR_pOLaEdMmlcxOhNLPpuvu7Gcz1-PumdCE1s0NXlU_Vw0HPw7ckGWR9FA7mZ-rDQPT5G1GNYksd6YEuKk-DaT5Hk2lk6wXo5AIaFUvnvf_dazTFjE6JRsyd6aKHerC4SYbut8fS/s400/IMG_4926.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfQ3XS0eWumOQdWdGRmx6rPJHcYyJLfXwaQ5UsOPM8STtH2Uq8QHt18mwTdtpYG5G2xZf2iBD7KwPxCupYLxeD-KdLPPZqTA5Ydz5hz5A-TPB3tHZmrOOKzGZR3wRzrR-MPZ3GhOPvVxH/s1600/IMG_4928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfQ3XS0eWumOQdWdGRmx6rPJHcYyJLfXwaQ5UsOPM8STtH2Uq8QHt18mwTdtpYG5G2xZf2iBD7KwPxCupYLxeD-KdLPPZqTA5Ydz5hz5A-TPB3tHZmrOOKzGZR3wRzrR-MPZ3GhOPvVxH/s400/IMG_4928.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6mVBLD_X6LjV16Uvftj4P8Lsg3OnIILQirfYlGKRUfG2_NJzrC1gcHVCtYoDatzzW0wW3tYue4OOSE3cOVhKVB4pR9IrEpJXmV6Vr6RePWEwS8ITmx2Pr5pU5FbxtSuObYWDRtXj2ro0/s1600/IMG_4929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6mVBLD_X6LjV16Uvftj4P8Lsg3OnIILQirfYlGKRUfG2_NJzrC1gcHVCtYoDatzzW0wW3tYue4OOSE3cOVhKVB4pR9IrEpJXmV6Vr6RePWEwS8ITmx2Pr5pU5FbxtSuObYWDRtXj2ro0/s400/IMG_4929.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_t1kStMFtjuHjQMhRSEDjYMXpikxv523mjTA7d7Z-o-CZoSv1MgYvM1flIh5_GiKFLAHNjHBxx5-0pHqAG8DCbGYvhZcCq1ClbPLUWMxtbx2jVOEHY5yttm_qB-nXvZCJXjw22z_lSqNU/s1600/IMG_4931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_t1kStMFtjuHjQMhRSEDjYMXpikxv523mjTA7d7Z-o-CZoSv1MgYvM1flIh5_GiKFLAHNjHBxx5-0pHqAG8DCbGYvhZcCq1ClbPLUWMxtbx2jVOEHY5yttm_qB-nXvZCJXjw22z_lSqNU/s400/IMG_4931.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Then we rode the new streetcar that goes through Sugarhouse. Mira was so excited to ride a "choo choo" and kept making references to the train we had ridden in St. Augustine. This girl loves trains!<br />
<br />
And finally here are a bunch of random pictures.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy54xZgv5QkgaHGlis4cs_6wRUa-HzHPKtGLaUa-uje7i3Vt00i6XriO3KTLyPm6xyczaYg-L24Vf_uJBq0-9kwBERiOdIOH-na-U6_9wnly8swgPcdifXW-2OQWI1xbN34rZ1vFG-MEo/s1600/IMG_3998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDy54xZgv5QkgaHGlis4cs_6wRUa-HzHPKtGLaUa-uje7i3Vt00i6XriO3KTLyPm6xyczaYg-L24Vf_uJBq0-9kwBERiOdIOH-na-U6_9wnly8swgPcdifXW-2OQWI1xbN34rZ1vFG-MEo/s400/IMG_3998.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with Daddy waiting for Mommy to get home from work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCnkyL2k2WbSj4ytUuoVSTq9AxYHneTGpCpEqO41fkx419Uo7VFdziEQGdbxT0f-cqlQEmG2MmsuS6131HC2oBz-QtJf_OaEIdj7BZrsMUHsnjIRYNOEf1Y7Ak6mPBVAV9-_abTWvIkan/s1600/IMG_4333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCnkyL2k2WbSj4ytUuoVSTq9AxYHneTGpCpEqO41fkx419Uo7VFdziEQGdbxT0f-cqlQEmG2MmsuS6131HC2oBz-QtJf_OaEIdj7BZrsMUHsnjIRYNOEf1Y7Ak6mPBVAV9-_abTWvIkan/s400/IMG_4333.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grumpy face because I told her she couldn't sit on the coffee table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFCL_9sCr5DH-E_JtLbU018jyc5Kbf5OVWhVMC2nzLe0ZuGiuIUcA1CsP-LSjwogyISnjyRurlNJFHw44pRYurwVPcuy1g4uJFEfh8Sm-fHwGWrVIQvbBN2z7Y_Vc17TcDMdXRyDvMnHR/s1600/IMG_4374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFCL_9sCr5DH-E_JtLbU018jyc5Kbf5OVWhVMC2nzLe0ZuGiuIUcA1CsP-LSjwogyISnjyRurlNJFHw44pRYurwVPcuy1g4uJFEfh8Sm-fHwGWrVIQvbBN2z7Y_Vc17TcDMdXRyDvMnHR/s400/IMG_4374.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washing the dishes - or just playing in the water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKatt4VmgBGyl_4IlUGY-q7TJSGfyPHG7FxtZ-pMF1zh4fKah8-sw8jh8haveAKjNpQ5L1SMX-xzegGdDK3q_X-VerOoN_i-S5hZAIDmAFG5DFsf9zZ6CPoo5wjEdw8KpkcsVpniVJ7Iwc/s1600/IMG_4386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKatt4VmgBGyl_4IlUGY-q7TJSGfyPHG7FxtZ-pMF1zh4fKah8-sw8jh8haveAKjNpQ5L1SMX-xzegGdDK3q_X-VerOoN_i-S5hZAIDmAFG5DFsf9zZ6CPoo5wjEdw8KpkcsVpniVJ7Iwc/s400/IMG_4386.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking her doll on a walk (before it snowed, obviously).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bxymzV_bqemrK-LlQYUr6pGwmLesm1wdhz56B6QzRqluz_jgiciTOJp9BH78izaZo83GnJP0ttxkrlrU1qYHP7OoRXrfNCXesJK81iuB-bn_r-ovJg3EQAh86xr5JtAOJpmQ5gPfUdBR/s1600/IMG_4387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bxymzV_bqemrK-LlQYUr6pGwmLesm1wdhz56B6QzRqluz_jgiciTOJp9BH78izaZo83GnJP0ttxkrlrU1qYHP7OoRXrfNCXesJK81iuB-bn_r-ovJg3EQAh86xr5JtAOJpmQ5gPfUdBR/s400/IMG_4387.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRroe_TBGzYzcjNOwuW3FPTT1fMzz9ISD-dSQfjYm41LDR0zj4SPdf8T4yDZh_sD6bk8TifnrAdLqng11Mwl36hBSx01TAfaPIbN-RSJflI9XNnG7f-lu8D-io8I6vIO8-aNmE8c1aQA5/s1600/IMG_4388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRroe_TBGzYzcjNOwuW3FPTT1fMzz9ISD-dSQfjYm41LDR0zj4SPdf8T4yDZh_sD6bk8TifnrAdLqng11Mwl36hBSx01TAfaPIbN-RSJflI9XNnG7f-lu8D-io8I6vIO8-aNmE8c1aQA5/s400/IMG_4388.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disclaimer: she chose her outfit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd9MB25-HL15pu1dRvIOjpJAL9PT1XqNRANSk3Cglnf_mx1G-Fd7TtzsRhrUdeVLH1RCse2_6-gWhF_7YPmI2kwEQHjaB27PxD6ta_CArOZHxvukKRUPukLXgd3kdnoD4YOt_2dH78Fxt/s1600/IMG_4553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd9MB25-HL15pu1dRvIOjpJAL9PT1XqNRANSk3Cglnf_mx1G-Fd7TtzsRhrUdeVLH1RCse2_6-gWhF_7YPmI2kwEQHjaB27PxD6ta_CArOZHxvukKRUPukLXgd3kdnoD4YOt_2dH78Fxt/s400/IMG_4553.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing Mommy's glasses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV3aBtLjoa14gSIpt8qe83eU5ziUoQwdbUkZyDkgfmbOLOaf8KojMFanxxedP_g-u7LRyDtRdnhS6F59_LFdRk4nxcsIqePu4_LTocag0WUFi_0Csjtngx9-cx5fsdQlVTWBNC1DFS_H7/s1600/IMG_4554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV3aBtLjoa14gSIpt8qe83eU5ziUoQwdbUkZyDkgfmbOLOaf8KojMFanxxedP_g-u7LRyDtRdnhS6F59_LFdRk4nxcsIqePu4_LTocag0WUFi_0Csjtngx9-cx5fsdQlVTWBNC1DFS_H7/s400/IMG_4554.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating one of her favorite snacks, nori.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9zfHn_POAyx5lMBCJ3adPlQFvyUsUV5XBA-yHNh9Qe25hk9R5o1WB2T_Jfdos-bXHkMCoSyLavtLkPdt00dMb3E1jX-DcD9D2SPDpYYkwO5pZHVw4mtkUHS-ngrNfoEw8CQJq8NtDpP9/s1600/IMG_4555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9zfHn_POAyx5lMBCJ3adPlQFvyUsUV5XBA-yHNh9Qe25hk9R5o1WB2T_Jfdos-bXHkMCoSyLavtLkPdt00dMb3E1jX-DcD9D2SPDpYYkwO5pZHVw4mtkUHS-ngrNfoEw8CQJq8NtDpP9/s400/IMG_4555.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Smile!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYypUhH2xv6A8b1nL0-8O5VwhuE8Ugymorsh1AoYqmxcEaGNNf9g56w3Ys6zrjCufNZr0rFqXj4eS9CYVEDMN3wwicA-vmfgOtYv1AhR0R3dGBScAIzrgPG9WiLCTPUlfJsgMTzeNU9cUx/s1600/IMG_4661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYypUhH2xv6A8b1nL0-8O5VwhuE8Ugymorsh1AoYqmxcEaGNNf9g56w3Ys6zrjCufNZr0rFqXj4eS9CYVEDMN3wwicA-vmfgOtYv1AhR0R3dGBScAIzrgPG9WiLCTPUlfJsgMTzeNU9cUx/s400/IMG_4661.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1R32ZQzOb36Z38l80fbMDlvny5unFaIs5NC5BcVZsMwr0ZSHicqvQBu6mfhQzv23lpnHr-pl9B4KnO1gTvG8MZxLjH9ky1V2BmJjtBVfoGUHzBvCox83j6g-PpdJZ5KGfhnsiSD4pDys/s1600/IMG_4880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1R32ZQzOb36Z38l80fbMDlvny5unFaIs5NC5BcVZsMwr0ZSHicqvQBu6mfhQzv23lpnHr-pl9B4KnO1gTvG8MZxLjH9ky1V2BmJjtBVfoGUHzBvCox83j6g-PpdJZ5KGfhnsiSD4pDys/s400/IMG_4880.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was while she was sick, hence the binkie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last exciting bit of news is that Mark's daughter Jintelle has moved back to Utah with her boyfriend for awhile! So to celebrate we took them out to eat at out favorite Japanese restaurant. Actually it's the only Japanese restaurant for miles but they do have really good food, even if it's a bit Americanized. We took the occasion to order the chef's choice sashimi platter. Whoever says Japanese food is not an art form is deranged, to say the least.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit23LHOLszblybvA47ig3hVli7Zz9-wmJB6GpaWII_GWPLnUVC457ANp6Wr1YU68Sc_P4wnKa1Lv0wRBGuhMbrVGU7so1aSYVOUhHkVxug7U62UQMvrd7e9SJ7LWkwFEXBR5j8RNl_r4dL/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit23LHOLszblybvA47ig3hVli7Zz9-wmJB6GpaWII_GWPLnUVC457ANp6Wr1YU68Sc_P4wnKa1Lv0wRBGuhMbrVGU7so1aSYVOUhHkVxug7U62UQMvrd7e9SJ7LWkwFEXBR5j8RNl_r4dL/s400/IMG_4935.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Impressive, right? And really good too.<br />
<br />
Hope everyone is having a relatively stress-free and healthy holiday season!Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-34641075044285473182013-11-26T01:28:00.003-08:002013-11-30T00:19:57.867-08:00Jacksonville 2013Finally we had our trip to Jacksonville to visit my grandparents! I'm so glad we've been able to make it every year for the past few years. Mira and I flew out first since Mark wasn't able to get as much time off work. I'd been telling Mira every day for a couple of weeks leading up to the trip that we would be flying on an airplane and she'd be alternately excited or worried but obviously she didn't know what flying on an airplane was all about. She's flown before but this would be the first time she would actually kind of comprehend the experience. I was excited for that but also very anxious about how well she would handle being confined in a chair for almost 5 hours all told. I packed Benadryl just in case.<br>
<br>
Mark had said that he wished he could see how she did when the plane took off and I'd been wondering if I would dare defy the FAA and record her reaction during takeoff but luckily, literally just a few days before we left, the FAA and Delta decided it would be safe to use electronics on an airplane for the entire flight. Turned out I didn't have to worry about getting in trouble with the government after all!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_mQ5-Iwv57r6t3zRR0Y-nWNPZtzZJvmRrNWDEA5lBK5Y_Bd41WiiuRC7AQgaDNpV8VbG5Ijilh0T3f26lU8oeEl2WS4Vf0ymz9ZL-V5OO7Dt8nj7yf_3iqrUJwLOVBbQmxRt8gsAxVJf/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_mQ5-Iwv57r6t3zRR0Y-nWNPZtzZJvmRrNWDEA5lBK5Y_Bd41WiiuRC7AQgaDNpV8VbG5Ijilh0T3f26lU8oeEl2WS4Vf0ymz9ZL-V5OO7Dt8nj7yf_3iqrUJwLOVBbQmxRt8gsAxVJf/s400/IMG_3995.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVE8Dl0EbnUA6NVCg-D13KXdqoRx1oPvAkIYZm4fwAw6naE-kQDwHY3M-OO4vqSRcnm4Tc3Akx2AMyrmMLjkYy39G0-aXImafXMDamOQXcLHJfIcz-GDBgw6gmCyxpCki69zWpQAy1qG3/s1600/IMG_3996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVE8Dl0EbnUA6NVCg-D13KXdqoRx1oPvAkIYZm4fwAw6naE-kQDwHY3M-OO4vqSRcnm4Tc3Akx2AMyrmMLjkYy39G0-aXImafXMDamOQXcLHJfIcz-GDBgw6gmCyxpCki69zWpQAy1qG3/s400/IMG_3996.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taxiing on the runway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5kEZZkUbM1c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And surprisingly the flight went quite smoothly. Mira played on the iPad for most of the flight and was perfectly happy with that. We had a connection in Atlanta that ended up being about how I'd envisioned. It was a tight connection to begin with but out flight was a little late getting in so I really did end up having to carry Mira while I sprinted through a crowded airport because, as I'd suspected, we had to go from the far end on one terminal, take the subway to the next terminal, and then go to the far end of <i>that</i> terminal. Mira probably loved the "choo choo" more than the plane ride. I was really glad I'd packed plenty of snacks because our connection was so close I didn't have time to buy us lunch. But typically, Mira did much better than I'd expected and we made it to Jacksonville unscathed.<br>
<br>
Mira decided right away that she loved Paw Paw and it wasn't long before she was following him everywhere, inviting herself onto his lap, and making him read her books a few dozen times. It always amazes me how social and friendly she is. <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JYXiPJLX1Hu2wmssOdMXxPQsqjQPtBW946XB4KMN04QzkeP3ciy6HaeOwsBELET8Gp5xhqXKNA5CL2tyRgbKcnPRT0phL45s2aRXhJWBGgpGZXIOiUwf1Eqw2G0v0LcxDvREZtkvdzgU/s1600/IMG_4012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JYXiPJLX1Hu2wmssOdMXxPQsqjQPtBW946XB4KMN04QzkeP3ciy6HaeOwsBELET8Gp5xhqXKNA5CL2tyRgbKcnPRT0phL45s2aRXhJWBGgpGZXIOiUwf1Eqw2G0v0LcxDvREZtkvdzgU/s400/IMG_4012.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
And eventually she was getting him to dance with her.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yDDPlE7erZDDnTUA_TH2ii_CPCM7-_-NF5O-5ZioR6dD_oxMIf9NUDu0cWOmYDF4cMpXJMFs0xTJ9NmQNdYLAI1M2Yuwjknm49_0gcfqety6lg5-zq1NioWJruyVQJf-euDwFSipL34g/s1600/IMG_4082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yDDPlE7erZDDnTUA_TH2ii_CPCM7-_-NF5O-5ZioR6dD_oxMIf9NUDu0cWOmYDF4cMpXJMFs0xTJ9NmQNdYLAI1M2Yuwjknm49_0gcfqety6lg5-zq1NioWJruyVQJf-euDwFSipL34g/s400/IMG_4082.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rFAlebz6OqyacQEWkQtk6izav0J5b3wRfiHASts9JEHuTa12MIpryHAhkRIYh2HecZy7rSxkB5fdMtL73jB8GpME6waGaeSWQ2i6zXoVRy1vU8OPkiFsA7yV2qL6MMZwX20KcyPQXE-l/s1600/IMG_4083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rFAlebz6OqyacQEWkQtk6izav0J5b3wRfiHASts9JEHuTa12MIpryHAhkRIYh2HecZy7rSxkB5fdMtL73jB8GpME6waGaeSWQ2i6zXoVRy1vU8OPkiFsA7yV2qL6MMZwX20KcyPQXE-l/s400/IMG_4083.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1s-UH5N1n1aa9NVqErBPKzroOosUc62dKhhFcDEcvfiHlmUbAJ56UCTu0S_Ewr4r8x1pPqVBVGI8q36Fq7PTUSz_STndqORupLGkGgKDUFFdabX3E2DcD0Eh9AdBdZohy4do856ChHSt/s1600/IMG_4084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1s-UH5N1n1aa9NVqErBPKzroOosUc62dKhhFcDEcvfiHlmUbAJ56UCTu0S_Ewr4r8x1pPqVBVGI8q36Fq7PTUSz_STndqORupLGkGgKDUFFdabX3E2DcD0Eh9AdBdZohy4do856ChHSt/s400/IMG_4084.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS17qJZhpqXfweVKmNWFNO813lSK2kTlpdQiSz0xM4eVdU1aIwnnRaSvhkOWkdr2DdBEmv4SBbapkdb4o5_ItVLjcgi9jT_YVSu7d7PfLLXcH0aEUi46rD9z0fCeEIpPgATJiu45u1BH-/s1600/IMG_4086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS17qJZhpqXfweVKmNWFNO813lSK2kTlpdQiSz0xM4eVdU1aIwnnRaSvhkOWkdr2DdBEmv4SBbapkdb4o5_ItVLjcgi9jT_YVSu7d7PfLLXcH0aEUi46rD9z0fCeEIpPgATJiu45u1BH-/s400/IMG_4086.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdNWYj4ecJq3NK6zf4Yp_pgGntTPIQ1wGi8bdgYelK_jR2RdL7Opkv6zcdM53BTHWYT1Lvka1EkS5kt7-xFqR0G0W7cQMbudbfU55TW5ZPTBJFtwg-C7-ybW8p9qEpS4hOJbW-gkV_EzP/s1600/IMG_4087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdNWYj4ecJq3NK6zf4Yp_pgGntTPIQ1wGi8bdgYelK_jR2RdL7Opkv6zcdM53BTHWYT1Lvka1EkS5kt7-xFqR0G0W7cQMbudbfU55TW5ZPTBJFtwg-C7-ybW8p9qEpS4hOJbW-gkV_EzP/s400/IMG_4087.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf4M2kDxn3auSVyxwbycAzfvntGl53n_9bhffnvi0Zwg1z4JzS3zrl4Fhr2WUlimpHSsouXpG8Eb6dMVLywlBGgyCecFJV1iSagjqS1QGG9ymWTygm5xzuSav8FYCHBqF0s55qvtYxh0D/s1600/IMG_4088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf4M2kDxn3auSVyxwbycAzfvntGl53n_9bhffnvi0Zwg1z4JzS3zrl4Fhr2WUlimpHSsouXpG8Eb6dMVLywlBGgyCecFJV1iSagjqS1QGG9ymWTygm5xzuSav8FYCHBqF0s55qvtYxh0D/s400/IMG_4088.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
One of the best parts of visiting my grandparents is being able to just chill out - and the first day we were there that's really all we did, which was nice. <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjR_kgUFRlrfnay9j5KAHsQzLWFWe3CcW3IaRfqJSRzDX-MmdwqV4VLy629eCLeo4j5S7-ZAaZoEcKjcMpaRAkx4UwBvk0xek410HL3ag4jbMgPaoZOSgbnvVDw3tkjtC7zU_kF6neQWY8/s1600/IMG_4013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjR_kgUFRlrfnay9j5KAHsQzLWFWe3CcW3IaRfqJSRzDX-MmdwqV4VLy629eCLeo4j5S7-ZAaZoEcKjcMpaRAkx4UwBvk0xek410HL3ag4jbMgPaoZOSgbnvVDw3tkjtC7zU_kF6neQWY8/s400/IMG_4013.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
Here is one of the very best parts of my grandparents' house - a traditional Japanese breakfast. I continue to maintain my stance that everyone should have a Japanese grandmother.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchGLVxIhrE0f7pYS-KWl6-X6sGxEBFyEl1GipfQ6830qw70nFUG974fjZX8zVwg_7fSsk70J7ErriuUtrS3ONnq9LUZj3PXeWtzGrpcSLYiVaTyVW0blkE1_mTmL2SgFIly-Hs0Yr4MjL/s1600/IMG_4044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchGLVxIhrE0f7pYS-KWl6-X6sGxEBFyEl1GipfQ6830qw70nFUG974fjZX8zVwg_7fSsk70J7ErriuUtrS3ONnq9LUZj3PXeWtzGrpcSLYiVaTyVW0blkE1_mTmL2SgFIly-Hs0Yr4MjL/s400/IMG_4044.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
And since November in Florida means temperatures in the 70s, I took Mira to the beach. I thought she'd have the most fun playing in the sand. Mark's parents have a sandbox in their backyard and every time we go to visit Mira makes a beeline for that sandbox, and what else is a beach but the ultimate sandbox? Mira was so excited she ran as fast as she could to get to the beach. As you can see, I had some trouble keeping up with her.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLdwSkVEss5sfEWsDS0dIsvvyLBM-upoD75EsmBIVmL0-Ln_T0Q9sK4tX67ilm4MHaFBjKVEgYRgfPoc7q-ExgF7lk12az_E5HO_PZ_6p6nZp48riZhShRhJd8z60OBJwr6tdbyxGOJeq/s1600/IMG_4040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLdwSkVEss5sfEWsDS0dIsvvyLBM-upoD75EsmBIVmL0-Ln_T0Q9sK4tX67ilm4MHaFBjKVEgYRgfPoc7q-ExgF7lk12az_E5HO_PZ_6p6nZp48riZhShRhJd8z60OBJwr6tdbyxGOJeq/s400/IMG_4040.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBINYDQXFvDbcstC_snskjhP9wdj7jY7qmmT48BV06WS6Ja1HGx5EPD2rs2rVzAE75aJFbLjMYRA3WnEyOTHVtK8UZPVBA8Iy-NrPU8O1JZoqzyyz3qWr4zIDk4H3KgkcIOD6lWEL233Q6/s1600/IMG_4041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBINYDQXFvDbcstC_snskjhP9wdj7jY7qmmT48BV06WS6Ja1HGx5EPD2rs2rVzAE75aJFbLjMYRA3WnEyOTHVtK8UZPVBA8Iy-NrPU8O1JZoqzyyz3qWr4zIDk4H3KgkcIOD6lWEL233Q6/s400/IMG_4041.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWndv6ReRZGYL2NW3tz2-XzCfJQTVQF20qobMP38L1Vi1rQ9rs5egWkicBqp2MeveJCAU9qyytYr4MNDoX4JWHZEq6d5fKOb03a0ybZZXfT4xeem8s4mHasKFuDv-xxX4TlD4AkTe4Xp6/s1600/IMG_4042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWndv6ReRZGYL2NW3tz2-XzCfJQTVQF20qobMP38L1Vi1rQ9rs5egWkicBqp2MeveJCAU9qyytYr4MNDoX4JWHZEq6d5fKOb03a0ybZZXfT4xeem8s4mHasKFuDv-xxX4TlD4AkTe4Xp6/s400/IMG_4042.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
Turned out she was WAY more excited about the water than the sand. I hadn't really dressed her for swimming since the water wasn't exactly warm but I'd expected we'd get our feet wet. Oh my goodness, she absolutely loved the water!<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/NuBUUd_2_uw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NuBUUd_2_uw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NuBUUd_2_uw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></object></div>
The next thing I knew, her shorts got wet from a particularly big wave. Next thing I knew, she got knocked over and got completely soaked - and thought it was the best thing ever! I should have just gotten her in a bathing suit to start off. She had such a fun time and even when her lips were purple and she was shivering the only way I could convince her to leave the beach was to promise her we'd come back the next day with Daddy. We'll definitely have to bring her back in the summer when the water is warm.<br>
<br>
So as promised the next day when Mark showed up we took Mira back to the beach, but it was cold and windy and definitely not good beach weather. Mira still threw a fit when it was time to leave and we had to promise yet again that we would come back the next day. I think I need to sign her up for swim lessons because clearly this girl would live in water if she could. <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutgfwlndPQasZ4HDn8ilSGLLiSmNcWnU3OIlvpVldqJJvESSD-6zRpg0xP1c8-nc470cVlGHZDKtrCO13nh2_OLUE84qLSN6rZYKWtldDFYwlnQ5zoSO2LkU3Q9pzs0pLbPTi5aRryhJ4/s1600/IMG_4089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutgfwlndPQasZ4HDn8ilSGLLiSmNcWnU3OIlvpVldqJJvESSD-6zRpg0xP1c8-nc470cVlGHZDKtrCO13nh2_OLUE84qLSN6rZYKWtldDFYwlnQ5zoSO2LkU3Q9pzs0pLbPTi5aRryhJ4/s400/IMG_4089.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
Poor Mark had a rough time. He's been having lots of back pain the past few months (more than he normally does) and so the day before he flew out he had had steroids injected into his back. After the injections he went to a concert (all hail Rob Zombie and Korn, apparently), and then after the concert he took the red-eye flight out so besides being stuck in a spacious, comfortable airplane seat for hours (haha) he was doing it all on no sleep. So it wasn't a huge surprise for me that by the next day he was in a lot of pain. I felt bad for him but he was stoic as always.<br>
<br>
The next day was warm and sunny again so at least it was good beach weather for Mira.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1nM53l2goGA56BuLePhKogODuKlzSViU-pu_uMlgjLrGiWXn0n1BqrwxDLvlpKzbq4mgvBn-ewn8Q0w804gJWfUCErE8oPGGgjU7D_wBfPyAD5gEaWhnT3PxbOM0iTcQyaEWPhxRsKjT/s1600/IMG_4098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1nM53l2goGA56BuLePhKogODuKlzSViU-pu_uMlgjLrGiWXn0n1BqrwxDLvlpKzbq4mgvBn-ewn8Q0w804gJWfUCErE8oPGGgjU7D_wBfPyAD5gEaWhnT3PxbOM0iTcQyaEWPhxRsKjT/s400/IMG_4098.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQJWiYJxPbn8O8x7vARk8rnYtcK9cnqD8EJtm-empf7l8RbvxJnMyFLSLcWyj2pQypURCNIW8JX68mvxgUckky17BtKTLfrwqi0ZeUidO4qIr7oMQI6aBkXpNpZz02dAffG0jAsVkw3Bp/s1600/IMG_4100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQJWiYJxPbn8O8x7vARk8rnYtcK9cnqD8EJtm-empf7l8RbvxJnMyFLSLcWyj2pQypURCNIW8JX68mvxgUckky17BtKTLfrwqi0ZeUidO4qIr7oMQI6aBkXpNpZz02dAffG0jAsVkw3Bp/s400/IMG_4100.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pEWdyYwM-TQ83_PBk852ZUfBXqCPCeP3asLsBA4oFgNG99QCFOpD0xWf-z-QqIClll-Wt3P0cNbnRdju_5__hJ_5yGqTkykDqjhqdEWnFwGb5Bx-0vFXEmJFLAvQh9KnhtxCz2UBEBxa/s1600/IMG_4101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pEWdyYwM-TQ83_PBk852ZUfBXqCPCeP3asLsBA4oFgNG99QCFOpD0xWf-z-QqIClll-Wt3P0cNbnRdju_5__hJ_5yGqTkykDqjhqdEWnFwGb5Bx-0vFXEmJFLAvQh9KnhtxCz2UBEBxa/s400/IMG_4101.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgfc5kTkw0yw4H35wSeRI6m7FKhkhYBTy8Sx0qKsieOvmCVzL76f224qDoI-VUdP6n_AzIgb2kSUxgGzZdn0fqi66axBgZijIrVEqlq3MhESbvaIlu7gZmYaKbfiCi3jrBDOJM5zg8vh3/s1600/IMG_4102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgfc5kTkw0yw4H35wSeRI6m7FKhkhYBTy8Sx0qKsieOvmCVzL76f224qDoI-VUdP6n_AzIgb2kSUxgGzZdn0fqi66axBgZijIrVEqlq3MhESbvaIlu7gZmYaKbfiCi3jrBDOJM5zg8vh3/s400/IMG_4102.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hZTmk2U85lSyZ61Y6hv73SZqw5sR0MKqFsMBoFU8dIdnSD4XitRQ_-nzNC18C3qH99QoBmLY-4_If1f-sKmjUPbDofOq03poDJhFWaHNOrgG3LXdhFaGXbBhyphenhypheng1SGMkxsC7Mc62gLlRD/s1600/IMG_4097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hZTmk2U85lSyZ61Y6hv73SZqw5sR0MKqFsMBoFU8dIdnSD4XitRQ_-nzNC18C3qH99QoBmLY-4_If1f-sKmjUPbDofOq03poDJhFWaHNOrgG3LXdhFaGXbBhyphenhypheng1SGMkxsC7Mc62gLlRD/s400/IMG_4097.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiU0kQFc65sOOVM5Hs0B2iOczExaN6KHAxgZMjrrcdi7i7zhkzyRs6doHGJF1gT2cl7RWXuQFoZe7OiVh5A6Y93m4VBsAb5zAuMcyCSaFOXLAeLBkVzqkMIFJlT1K3ERhmSpIgS7xDHZN/s1600/IMG_4099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiU0kQFc65sOOVM5Hs0B2iOczExaN6KHAxgZMjrrcdi7i7zhkzyRs6doHGJF1gT2cl7RWXuQFoZe7OiVh5A6Y93m4VBsAb5zAuMcyCSaFOXLAeLBkVzqkMIFJlT1K3ERhmSpIgS7xDHZN/s400/IMG_4099.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Ky4moD7wAU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mrhqzWRBbA8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
It might have come to your attention, based on the pictures and videos, that we were the only humans getting in the water. There were plenty of people on the beach but no one else was getting wet. The water really wasn't cold and since it had been snowing in Utah when we left for our trip, 70s felt really warm to us! My uncle, who also lives in Jacksonville, was surprised when we told him we'd gone to the beach and was downright appalled when we found out we'd actually (gasp!) gotten in the water. Apparently Jacksonville was in the middle of a cold snap when we chose to brave it and get in the ocean in November.<br>
<br>
It wouldn't be a proper trip to Florida without our annual trek to St. Augustine. We didn't really get the chance to do much in the way of sight-seeing or exploring since we had Mira (who by now was chronically sleep-deprived because she'd gone almost a week without a nap when she normally gets a 2-3 hour nap every day) but we did some walking around along the oldest street in the oldest city in the country, went to a new pirate-themed museum, ate lunch at our favorite restaurant (even though they don't serve gator tails any more - boo), and - the highlight of the whole trip for Mira - rode a red choo-choo train around the town. Even though we've made 4 trips to St. Augustine now, we always leave feeling like there was so much more we could have seen. I told Mark that next year we'll have to time our trip with some other family members so we could leave Mira with them to allow the two of us a proper sight-seeing trip. The very first time Mark and I came out to St. Augustine I was about 11 weeks pregnant and was feeling so sick it was hard to concentrate on much besides keeping my Zofran down and was so tired I almost fell asleep on a very uncomfortable stone bench in the middle of the Castillo de San Marcos. So even though technically we have been to St. Augustine without Mira it doesn't really count because she was making me feel so icky.<br>
<br>
Here for your viewing pleasure are a lot of pictures from St. Augustine. <br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntV4jXKfATnwI2h_Gs4xotMhgvolaeG5PAhgJK8hWhe_yavp_ggvVfdWd8R9zPt4UDnFH7QZFHRUNiZICRvbTfWSaXMjUWI1zV-CcDAj3boPwuTRQT4PZaChKBRhhvSHkCf3ca3f8v9n8/s1600/IMG_4314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntV4jXKfATnwI2h_Gs4xotMhgvolaeG5PAhgJK8hWhe_yavp_ggvVfdWd8R9zPt4UDnFH7QZFHRUNiZICRvbTfWSaXMjUWI1zV-CcDAj3boPwuTRQT4PZaChKBRhhvSHkCf3ca3f8v9n8/s400/IMG_4314.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ORIGINAL "Jolly Roger." Awesome, right? It's believed the name "Jolly Roger" came from the French "jolie rouge," or "pretty red," as the flags pirates flew were red and then later had the skull and crossbones.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJj2PZHtE6wquCoywaUPKHxHlCzUeEjh2u1xY24qZTAb2rvRbL2zVxKdsZ2Cp0u-A5nxNe9o8vaC4GLFxv0vzyTFpZ7Fd-lrELEE8Gt7Mb_LoD5MYyhuHY1zp7DzAS1MwsaNQjMTCccJz/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJj2PZHtE6wquCoywaUPKHxHlCzUeEjh2u1xY24qZTAb2rvRbL2zVxKdsZ2Cp0u-A5nxNe9o8vaC4GLFxv0vzyTFpZ7Fd-lrELEE8Gt7Mb_LoD5MYyhuHY1zp7DzAS1MwsaNQjMTCccJz/s400/IMG_4322.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MmZFMQNmgcMpkYjmu-oTBPmM_STOsbojgC0Txd0MR37-px47SDNFiqQTi-HdXdGxEoZN6HBJb08H3ETAEND66U40oX7AVmPHX6yGAS_mjBUcEtVDWC5Hiy1Hvnz9W35_JxLsaCBhxBGe/s1600/IMG_4321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MmZFMQNmgcMpkYjmu-oTBPmM_STOsbojgC0Txd0MR37-px47SDNFiqQTi-HdXdGxEoZN6HBJb08H3ETAEND66U40oX7AVmPHX6yGAS_mjBUcEtVDWC5Hiy1Hvnz9W35_JxLsaCBhxBGe/s400/IMG_4321.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoJkCStBRnd36mwy_RevZGn-7BN1dtZgeXQH2_sFtjt-79nv6RhT7ycbDPC2f-3E-Duz62KmU87e9ako8RjQhkpBsic3VXVZNodEKq0G983z0_nX9TiSAHeb96I6JZabMj8Kiw35GfJAO/s1600/IMG_4127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoJkCStBRnd36mwy_RevZGn-7BN1dtZgeXQH2_sFtjt-79nv6RhT7ycbDPC2f-3E-Duz62KmU87e9ako8RjQhkpBsic3VXVZNodEKq0G983z0_nX9TiSAHeb96I6JZabMj8Kiw35GfJAO/s400/IMG_4127.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original gates to the city.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZMB0EWHIfHNMujm68yqtfc4WGKGfJjIUSxKP3FMVMExKKsX6p257FA0IVYjctlex4sYPiJAW8lv48pqOYpw2WpSlAi3-hxpi4h2BMzJSKSQgfOTn2O1rjUdS67d2dQ_BRKcu5lcX33wu/s1600/IMG_4128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZMB0EWHIfHNMujm68yqtfc4WGKGfJjIUSxKP3FMVMExKKsX6p257FA0IVYjctlex4sYPiJAW8lv48pqOYpw2WpSlAi3-hxpi4h2BMzJSKSQgfOTn2O1rjUdS67d2dQ_BRKcu5lcX33wu/s400/IMG_4128.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjee0e0b1Hsf5-MdSEzjweRGUkjgO8pRM8R5zmlOpxTUuoLr3UuhALYSvY2NaBfnshhpyDD5ervabVa1YqrlPjbmsaQlWidSBzwtZp0yOCxlAm9pFmYb9WtlilAoz5OENck08PNK6krwL1M/s1600/IMG_4136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjee0e0b1Hsf5-MdSEzjweRGUkjgO8pRM8R5zmlOpxTUuoLr3UuhALYSvY2NaBfnshhpyDD5ervabVa1YqrlPjbmsaQlWidSBzwtZp0yOCxlAm9pFmYb9WtlilAoz5OENck08PNK6krwL1M/s400/IMG_4136.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same shot but in black and white - because anything old looks awesome in black and white.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGva_Zvj6GPE6Mqt6zNPelXwN7ZUrfL0XxAu8AT2qmsj_rkptjp_BDGjINydZOuiAtpY5e_wm4EPuCBkR_oB7BiuZqVBq7CT6yTT08wkXrYqp8KAQwsSK1zUAvECgRODANSGkUVONwFde/s1600/IMG_4129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGva_Zvj6GPE6Mqt6zNPelXwN7ZUrfL0XxAu8AT2qmsj_rkptjp_BDGjINydZOuiAtpY5e_wm4EPuCBkR_oB7BiuZqVBq7CT6yTT08wkXrYqp8KAQwsSK1zUAvECgRODANSGkUVONwFde/s400/IMG_4129.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Castillo de San Marcos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Dh3LRu8ITwSVW1UIfT-hGruASXikDFEYpkijoyf2ruyptqRvvKidOoB4iuYvD5E3ugYAb57KYOsaMrH2fqLSvN-zuNffLaiDHRrjXtNQJ4gywAazQKtarQHTzPGPwL_TkcnGJq_D0Ed/s1600/IMG_4130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Dh3LRu8ITwSVW1UIfT-hGruASXikDFEYpkijoyf2ruyptqRvvKidOoB4iuYvD5E3ugYAb57KYOsaMrH2fqLSvN-zuNffLaiDHRrjXtNQJ4gywAazQKtarQHTzPGPwL_TkcnGJq_D0Ed/s400/IMG_4130.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time Mira conked out on the train.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdGVTUSUhjnQuUbTN191mrsMlrl1CwI-HCFE1vYjEoc7Y5E56D0YWNn-7TvTVi_yRZ0oreXNXBEbzJGyqpF0qz9QZ1s9Hc2Ugu4NkDUodVdxea1Tk18_5mNmLxip4F8445Qs-Ov2OpbAP/s1600/IMG_4132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdGVTUSUhjnQuUbTN191mrsMlrl1CwI-HCFE1vYjEoc7Y5E56D0YWNn-7TvTVi_yRZ0oreXNXBEbzJGyqpF0qz9QZ1s9Hc2Ugu4NkDUodVdxea1Tk18_5mNmLxip4F8445Qs-Ov2OpbAP/s400/IMG_4132.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Santa Maria restaurant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNNQ_NaHOMaA4EJud2YJrC7rTnj8cRiv8BheIpoh_QqitLKkd5ofLOB6FJ2X436VILWhllXaD-ARljg0DREhCK2WDMYIuPLpxlUBK-f4CvgWkMwrQ9RKM5HYJ5am8AQlJbfSARdYv9vpa/s1600/IMG_4316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNNQ_NaHOMaA4EJud2YJrC7rTnj8cRiv8BheIpoh_QqitLKkd5ofLOB6FJ2X436VILWhllXaD-ARljg0DREhCK2WDMYIuPLpxlUBK-f4CvgWkMwrQ9RKM5HYJ5am8AQlJbfSARdYv9vpa/s400/IMG_4316.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaqnbo33A-5gVd2euq2rTxXgC1ARvSgwROEavf3R2uFlusvLIwwJtZte5A3wnWsBp9d8x2F_4UGoNFvEpbXdMCPfhr9ete3fXny7USbwteXZizeqH_BEAOavu8chyphenhyphen9gdx0p4dnuPBokzR/s1600/IMG_4317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaqnbo33A-5gVd2euq2rTxXgC1ARvSgwROEavf3R2uFlusvLIwwJtZte5A3wnWsBp9d8x2F_4UGoNFvEpbXdMCPfhr9ete3fXny7USbwteXZizeqH_BEAOavu8chyphenhyphen9gdx0p4dnuPBokzR/s400/IMG_4317.JPG" width="225"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretending to be a pirate - she was trying to pull her hair across her face like an eyepatch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FWDT6ZqKB8IYpGf8hvVWVWuDWQrZ-7erJy-jEQ8_yfUkFvKJGPnt1Rr0GQJTt2iaEMU_e-8f0dfgRTQLhuLRCNYksKE67052wEJ7UWDkgzbQFLDnhqQz2KEndpdfIs9bRoipeI3alxME/s1600/IMG_4318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FWDT6ZqKB8IYpGf8hvVWVWuDWQrZ-7erJy-jEQ8_yfUkFvKJGPnt1Rr0GQJTt2iaEMU_e-8f0dfgRTQLhuLRCNYksKE67052wEJ7UWDkgzbQFLDnhqQz2KEndpdfIs9bRoipeI3alxME/s400/IMG_4318.JPG" width="225"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That binkie ended up in her mouth more and more just to try and prevent meltdowns. Look how tired she is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rAR-QWZ57TpuMi-H2ZV9AuCvWhqu937wnk_SxxTL5KwW8Obh87yVgH6EWgvvBs9QieQ6lmzzdn-5V9KNyZKAdYgUdW8BV1OCvVd3x7eitCPwYwweSkA6F6M20jpPtYTEPtpxxmMIKfgD/s1600/IMG_4133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rAR-QWZ57TpuMi-H2ZV9AuCvWhqu937wnk_SxxTL5KwW8Obh87yVgH6EWgvvBs9QieQ6lmzzdn-5V9KNyZKAdYgUdW8BV1OCvVd3x7eitCPwYwweSkA6F6M20jpPtYTEPtpxxmMIKfgD/s400/IMG_4133.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlggc6PGB9Vl8Z0V7Q2WUSn6GzyHTWFG0-eJrZA7iUqXv-_ziG1CT4WM7MBDDi5ia1z3o-RJeLn5wojVRYlFXOXHgbqEk50od2XLbHFo7lwdRNJO-GIGoGCYqY7z7A3XzAuBQ2uh42dw4/s1600/IMG_4134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlggc6PGB9Vl8Z0V7Q2WUSn6GzyHTWFG0-eJrZA7iUqXv-_ziG1CT4WM7MBDDi5ia1z3o-RJeLn5wojVRYlFXOXHgbqEk50od2XLbHFo7lwdRNJO-GIGoGCYqY7z7A3XzAuBQ2uh42dw4/s400/IMG_4134.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s7BVFbL_jXLbiMDjVERNVG1QghwFT45DduV81l0fU3cG_k9bbt8VuYtKcqRK64xKhz8p0qehu6fBzqBEQHYtWnKOwjXcrhVW-JYc4KxHiF27g6WoVG4mQHClksBx6SYUpja0m0XKSHBG/s1600/IMG_4135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s7BVFbL_jXLbiMDjVERNVG1QghwFT45DduV81l0fU3cG_k9bbt8VuYtKcqRK64xKhz8p0qehu6fBzqBEQHYtWnKOwjXcrhVW-JYc4KxHiF27g6WoVG4mQHClksBx6SYUpja0m0XKSHBG/s400/IMG_4135.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAQ2xmsclEUfWhwAbHkrk9_VAxU9YZvPn1GkU2tOrMkm0SROYyVRhk6WKuTWZtYIiw4PEYEqdYULta0Xm47GU5bwKczq7eliNWCmNGIJ82Q6n47eKF0OGYc6UFotWl57WSkaiXGNjYB75/s1600/IMG_4137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAQ2xmsclEUfWhwAbHkrk9_VAxU9YZvPn1GkU2tOrMkm0SROYyVRhk6WKuTWZtYIiw4PEYEqdYULta0Xm47GU5bwKczq7eliNWCmNGIJ82Q6n47eKF0OGYc6UFotWl57WSkaiXGNjYB75/s400/IMG_4137.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tricked her into trying a lemon...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMhhFfC8j5-CGQzBwZhkEqB8umy4mFwQhQipHDtiM-LmQqwMgsxB-5YHnj6z9Nw1mtdGmYQIWvq2_XNNoDvNmJIRJJaB9KX7IO7fkK5Nnd-jJT0DuISP75t2W6SQ51YFM7YV6bA08MNtc/s1600/IMG_4138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMhhFfC8j5-CGQzBwZhkEqB8umy4mFwQhQipHDtiM-LmQqwMgsxB-5YHnj6z9Nw1mtdGmYQIWvq2_XNNoDvNmJIRJJaB9KX7IO7fkK5Nnd-jJT0DuISP75t2W6SQ51YFM7YV6bA08MNtc/s400/IMG_4138.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and she decided she liked it. Joke's on me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiAQDvf3cgrjLyyRTOC5Rzz3wZF1vNQTLXuONUngsqeGT8_1thbl4oac8SbSWQaUYR71sf7J0rBaBoeHNE8FHMkq_kxxM0r_GCo7FMG0psUPa3SEUSuAxc23XxTQh8VtRuoVRXOBUFNGa/s1600/IMG_4139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiAQDvf3cgrjLyyRTOC5Rzz3wZF1vNQTLXuONUngsqeGT8_1thbl4oac8SbSWQaUYR71sf7J0rBaBoeHNE8FHMkq_kxxM0r_GCo7FMG0psUPa3SEUSuAxc23XxTQh8VtRuoVRXOBUFNGa/s400/IMG_4139.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3tyL8FW2VRhkvhwiSe5P0p2lhG-2i-7CyfRfQoVc0Dqhs3bSfe8W2jIZnTqTxcrJPU1vQGv8VHZre1Ey7OlpaqtM1B2w45Bpl3FYFf3EvqDKofalX7eNG15iVbB2067JtCeMb4ZvPMzG/s1600/IMG_4140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3tyL8FW2VRhkvhwiSe5P0p2lhG-2i-7CyfRfQoVc0Dqhs3bSfe8W2jIZnTqTxcrJPU1vQGv8VHZre1Ey7OlpaqtM1B2w45Bpl3FYFf3EvqDKofalX7eNG15iVbB2067JtCeMb4ZvPMzG/s400/IMG_4140.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmvW8ZWPkZ1z3IL_2fS84t23MjkRhahRd6ZqPHUZI_swYgYc68Hy3XUtQNFtuELJ2KyShc9DMIxzKNKEw74XgPoEfunfzIaFHxh8zzByi0QXu4npcmqYl6K2c0erb6XC7la0ETxo-0XvP/s1600/IMG_4141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmvW8ZWPkZ1z3IL_2fS84t23MjkRhahRd6ZqPHUZI_swYgYc68Hy3XUtQNFtuELJ2KyShc9DMIxzKNKEw74XgPoEfunfzIaFHxh8zzByi0QXu4npcmqYl6K2c0erb6XC7la0ETxo-0XvP/s400/IMG_4141.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJVykCAdfiNDtGBVAUAvwWZWUNauN3edThnY3gLXqcqFs49EDJ3vuozmWT3zIEG651MfxUtBcg9L3-KNOWmCry6FoT3wYf3JtCqStJVz4szFSMMQoUeatXJo6Bc5CgvAmcEo7oBkZ4ZQq/s1600/IMG_4142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJVykCAdfiNDtGBVAUAvwWZWUNauN3edThnY3gLXqcqFs49EDJ3vuozmWT3zIEG651MfxUtBcg9L3-KNOWmCry6FoT3wYf3JtCqStJVz4szFSMMQoUeatXJo6Bc5CgvAmcEo7oBkZ4ZQq/s400/IMG_4142.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN5LB2JmQF_7m9BM29IfMNkskaN19TxwaKDQVLEN4Md23HbNNSE6HkJR_KHVOje23T72nQaYLZjMZ9IwVJ9wrCCtkNJ4FbSc8UUM_vNyryvTI8rYmVynnKQhR1fqIE6aul_kOapqoLJTV/s1600/IMG_4143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN5LB2JmQF_7m9BM29IfMNkskaN19TxwaKDQVLEN4Md23HbNNSE6HkJR_KHVOje23T72nQaYLZjMZ9IwVJ9wrCCtkNJ4FbSc8UUM_vNyryvTI8rYmVynnKQhR1fqIE6aul_kOapqoLJTV/s400/IMG_4143.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y_GZMSwVDp-TzoxtoViI0sOBQCTqR8g-FNHAyRaJT85KNvqiBjlpgT4SWiZ0XaUcvGGu9G9bw_FenGpL97FAsPuvwOz8xwHGctLK7GyTZViQOrBo-vKdQ0Ib4th05rECY8f37QmMPoE4/s1600/IMG_4144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y_GZMSwVDp-TzoxtoViI0sOBQCTqR8g-FNHAyRaJT85KNvqiBjlpgT4SWiZ0XaUcvGGu9G9bw_FenGpL97FAsPuvwOz8xwHGctLK7GyTZViQOrBo-vKdQ0Ib4th05rECY8f37QmMPoE4/s400/IMG_4144.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAa2Li-por_n_poB64osdhOKWahlwNd1nnO1AniAsOGzJj9MFRb1tobaXLtXozdvi2a0-iM4rgn_Xl0CCzJmfgd3OCSje9Xxrsfb-TiGKZsSkY4LD19-2zTNGx9mXLO9aHdbwQ0dPx9GtA/s1600/IMG_4145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAa2Li-por_n_poB64osdhOKWahlwNd1nnO1AniAsOGzJj9MFRb1tobaXLtXozdvi2a0-iM4rgn_Xl0CCzJmfgd3OCSje9Xxrsfb-TiGKZsSkY4LD19-2zTNGx9mXLO9aHdbwQ0dPx9GtA/s400/IMG_4145.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd0MlSvR71ny8eOE81snNJ62vOd7v2o8kri8H1NhWXXv9cSYUuwYDrtatbQBtVUxLDjQmLIhAnQVAnV13Y-y1uJZaQkWgNyMGf-7w4eWjbrkn4odUYhWCxo-LEoQIM86ZPetuk3GkyLlM/s1600/IMG_4146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd0MlSvR71ny8eOE81snNJ62vOd7v2o8kri8H1NhWXXv9cSYUuwYDrtatbQBtVUxLDjQmLIhAnQVAnV13Y-y1uJZaQkWgNyMGf-7w4eWjbrkn4odUYhWCxo-LEoQIM86ZPetuk3GkyLlM/s400/IMG_4146.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-YA48gsK2DxfeyMG3vHxM8kcuc1A029ch_UNQeBtjVLxLTZUdN4LCdyMWD82Atvuk-4qjCscFJLylK5jsbaaaEDsLfFxzNSBl_Rynqx-SR8iwPCg_TBUBz-jREz80oHy3tNChfsIFaNm/s1600/IMG_4319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-YA48gsK2DxfeyMG3vHxM8kcuc1A029ch_UNQeBtjVLxLTZUdN4LCdyMWD82Atvuk-4qjCscFJLylK5jsbaaaEDsLfFxzNSBl_Rynqx-SR8iwPCg_TBUBz-jREz80oHy3tNChfsIFaNm/s400/IMG_4319.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HAti9-NDGtQ0C_XKCrRTmZqCh9DZNHZXff_kP9NsegeoT9N-8ZxNhTFPyfNNbEF_Pu-iPnCQ1i5DyePkPefKDBfP6wVyzl-gKl1ohwmZPIiIjKT-3Vnv6aGbJyrdmat9K3GiH24vT97U/s1600/IMG_4147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HAti9-NDGtQ0C_XKCrRTmZqCh9DZNHZXff_kP9NsegeoT9N-8ZxNhTFPyfNNbEF_Pu-iPnCQ1i5DyePkPefKDBfP6wVyzl-gKl1ohwmZPIiIjKT-3Vnv6aGbJyrdmat9K3GiH24vT97U/s400/IMG_4147.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandfather gave Mark his cane for the day to help him out with all the walking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZ2qeuhXr2agxTTxEsJ2flkoQ91JHevcq-V4Zk9t3wX4fuBNtGjokJ46o6W5JHf3mU0COoSKzhtrJly4eu7YW7nxaK_4Y21dlKFCyWafhcCexrOwur510KeeLrYZ2SUnDLdPSdeogJBXO/s1600/IMG_4148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZ2qeuhXr2agxTTxEsJ2flkoQ91JHevcq-V4Zk9t3wX4fuBNtGjokJ46o6W5JHf3mU0COoSKzhtrJly4eu7YW7nxaK_4Y21dlKFCyWafhcCexrOwur510KeeLrYZ2SUnDLdPSdeogJBXO/s400/IMG_4148.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-Hd6uonfKoPIXKh4ApV36IeqAl0iEoHRfbAvorr9UmxxBroXWabHNYGhrpH5fSfDIQd6Mk9NlywvVN08kSkjL_cGBe1sNGGU5dTLnceQXMgdYAcaVp975i89HGDz0bQFf_RLqYz-evM9/s1600/IMG_4149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-Hd6uonfKoPIXKh4ApV36IeqAl0iEoHRfbAvorr9UmxxBroXWabHNYGhrpH5fSfDIQd6Mk9NlywvVN08kSkjL_cGBe1sNGGU5dTLnceQXMgdYAcaVp975i89HGDz0bQFf_RLqYz-evM9/s400/IMG_4149.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJokPLHYeh-3j5iYcpCepw09O5tnr54JBh7pgM-HgQyH2ObXvEL-l51WpnJv1I6MIAaPdN9UznI1EYq08XMa9F4uex5TAppaYz1zLCFJ3cnFxtOCIZ_Lpbfh5HghaqiBjNnMFwkFRIP4lq/s1600/IMG_4150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJokPLHYeh-3j5iYcpCepw09O5tnr54JBh7pgM-HgQyH2ObXvEL-l51WpnJv1I6MIAaPdN9UznI1EYq08XMa9F4uex5TAppaYz1zLCFJ3cnFxtOCIZ_Lpbfh5HghaqiBjNnMFwkFRIP4lq/s400/IMG_4150.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrT4BfZbtNwePfeh8QQxzKwKmxxny7fRYfzc2F7FECIVUsOuMB-K2bYfHeWxrgvsZ3oIcBpJKfd25Ca2ifFeuDhhl4ICPx3Gx1_ZmxBMtxnXwi3EogTf97voPCWcqHB9FXPqLFBOuGQOG/s1600/IMG_4151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrT4BfZbtNwePfeh8QQxzKwKmxxny7fRYfzc2F7FECIVUsOuMB-K2bYfHeWxrgvsZ3oIcBpJKfd25Ca2ifFeuDhhl4ICPx3Gx1_ZmxBMtxnXwi3EogTf97voPCWcqHB9FXPqLFBOuGQOG/s400/IMG_4151.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzK-kJnGT0o5VBfyc700xm1FIA3lJalo9CSpavcXf8-tFZ7Rqeo_7A3guT6I5g8uqQhx-UvjjYDGxl6qdlf_MN1NyU4AHPyIZ8yYiHxUJAJtOqIBMrtM8PHRG2bRbQj7Q_MFz1w_wAt68/s1600/IMG_4320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzK-kJnGT0o5VBfyc700xm1FIA3lJalo9CSpavcXf8-tFZ7Rqeo_7A3guT6I5g8uqQhx-UvjjYDGxl6qdlf_MN1NyU4AHPyIZ8yYiHxUJAJtOqIBMrtM8PHRG2bRbQj7Q_MFz1w_wAt68/s400/IMG_4320.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIJq1nMiGpCLYuo2KJbOLV2yArG1lbw2d435FBsGDPSnwTtIJ-P4lTn5G4paDG1wjtRihGYIwXJTqgEZ12PQDg87x5v6AMDyIprJND-lIWGlPJzZ-S_ZSJByV2cwkfFprB5fDylQ6lM0h/s1600/IMG_4152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIJq1nMiGpCLYuo2KJbOLV2yArG1lbw2d435FBsGDPSnwTtIJ-P4lTn5G4paDG1wjtRihGYIwXJTqgEZ12PQDg87x5v6AMDyIprJND-lIWGlPJzZ-S_ZSJByV2cwkfFprB5fDylQ6lM0h/s400/IMG_4152.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhrwaMOOSRKpdm9FnCmkqxkKh_JRtyPMoaBNGQa6-p6VdNsmKGF13tjniQc770g-XIrXmuOOxTLNt5nYMcWTi_bCrSwWJpqTMPPsHZuZLVSlJDJBvoXlDoO7hNO1H8O4-Y7R3YA-Vd0Py/s1600/IMG_4153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhrwaMOOSRKpdm9FnCmkqxkKh_JRtyPMoaBNGQa6-p6VdNsmKGF13tjniQc770g-XIrXmuOOxTLNt5nYMcWTi_bCrSwWJpqTMPPsHZuZLVSlJDJBvoXlDoO7hNO1H8O4-Y7R3YA-Vd0Py/s400/IMG_4153.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_MAMzDsST0ibaXVPsheaU3azRNxE_gf6k1wVPT-y4fBhiWoYvAPhvCEqfvq5ow8TjyhMjgxuuRYKFsovJ9LM5HmNquihlZCo8jtCHfAqpu61OWLUBbhjIfrfuh0EHJ55SXscC6uBxOaW/s1600/IMG_4154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_MAMzDsST0ibaXVPsheaU3azRNxE_gf6k1wVPT-y4fBhiWoYvAPhvCEqfvq5ow8TjyhMjgxuuRYKFsovJ9LM5HmNquihlZCo8jtCHfAqpu61OWLUBbhjIfrfuh0EHJ55SXscC6uBxOaW/s400/IMG_4154.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnt46swMeTkvoXy7z5fyTDbYiu75hL5dxdYYve-Q8jhYG3NeS11LYasiTkoYwokYc8OGN0Xv_qe19dgqC0T5FBgOIhhX6_q0XgxIeYs6y49SdTtz3C4Ntar2y-TMfTcMZJv5S0C7qOSNK/s1600/IMG_4155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnt46swMeTkvoXy7z5fyTDbYiu75hL5dxdYYve-Q8jhYG3NeS11LYasiTkoYwokYc8OGN0Xv_qe19dgqC0T5FBgOIhhX6_q0XgxIeYs6y49SdTtz3C4Ntar2y-TMfTcMZJv5S0C7qOSNK/s400/IMG_4155.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYWP2JWA6ibaqay8eSMqW1edI2WbUgV3Ml20T6PbcS7x2A6eiNY8-6uWG99AHrSqlmieQ-tj-PD9Eda0jOJ0Kguz6rKlIAXDkFz5O239xLgejfao4A7BUGXGvrqpGaaSxkE9Xjjy1hIdh/s1600/IMG_4156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYWP2JWA6ibaqay8eSMqW1edI2WbUgV3Ml20T6PbcS7x2A6eiNY8-6uWG99AHrSqlmieQ-tj-PD9Eda0jOJ0Kguz6rKlIAXDkFz5O239xLgejfao4A7BUGXGvrqpGaaSxkE9Xjjy1hIdh/s400/IMG_4156.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk_rY97vqkZIN73Gf9MfKiOzZvjhYp0bhWHAwOlRluvsN-x55H-qW88neVMayj_mVqAx1w6WshTx3slzfKGRpuzzT7Q9F5-IM6p77JAJvhcGEDsh7VJ_HOt-JY0Qv1DDSN1qphrMW9PnM/s1600/IMG_4157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk_rY97vqkZIN73Gf9MfKiOzZvjhYp0bhWHAwOlRluvsN-x55H-qW88neVMayj_mVqAx1w6WshTx3slzfKGRpuzzT7Q9F5-IM6p77JAJvhcGEDsh7VJ_HOt-JY0Qv1DDSN1qphrMW9PnM/s400/IMG_4157.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokAvROWvaHuI5yvfWCkjKE_NuISvrDMWo8TXwh9KPz6kt37p4nEvLOMbtCYWfXhmXxcdG8Kqwm_n5PQwkhPAnj4lUTWVX23G2hK8Q_iZT83UHjpfi0pSqdcIQ0FS5nKBzYtFOVsXKafYf/s1600/IMG_4158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokAvROWvaHuI5yvfWCkjKE_NuISvrDMWo8TXwh9KPz6kt37p4nEvLOMbtCYWfXhmXxcdG8Kqwm_n5PQwkhPAnj4lUTWVX23G2hK8Q_iZT83UHjpfi0pSqdcIQ0FS5nKBzYtFOVsXKafYf/s400/IMG_4158.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8E_BC1IQ1yso6XTMyAZFo7uBc9pnRX5gWI3y67svwepqzQ9esCxbMMpqgdUMeWeeIMZOXc338mjV5uYt7PBVY3VzoP_Q87-AZcHlg8QJADM_Nq-kDkQsHmo45GyGnibXAP5CpDn3Vwlb/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8E_BC1IQ1yso6XTMyAZFo7uBc9pnRX5gWI3y67svwepqzQ9esCxbMMpqgdUMeWeeIMZOXc338mjV5uYt7PBVY3VzoP_Q87-AZcHlg8QJADM_Nq-kDkQsHmo45GyGnibXAP5CpDn3Vwlb/s400/IMG_4159.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbG7eHyPBwe_m71_Bftn5tVVXFe7GxDjjucyc27KFnx02youuT3snQu6K0cfr4HVXqLkqfIakV-kbjgNGuoS9Z9qzDMSGxSTQ63RrORWArLeDQprEIkXiAXI1ynJgXvz0IvQldzegSo-5/s1600/IMG_4160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbG7eHyPBwe_m71_Bftn5tVVXFe7GxDjjucyc27KFnx02youuT3snQu6K0cfr4HVXqLkqfIakV-kbjgNGuoS9Z9qzDMSGxSTQ63RrORWArLeDQprEIkXiAXI1ynJgXvz0IvQldzegSo-5/s400/IMG_4160.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ux15UdFwET4gscpdjjN-jgvEnY4m2ewV_uM_vFjMHd0IglgXp5r5B79biRKbPcHlWTcAOJ-jtC6GA24O1Khhk1O2fLbHgbwq3HeM2vP5d-xbZid7dFlTvDMxO8FCDQahno4q4QMyHEYJ/s1600/IMG_4161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ux15UdFwET4gscpdjjN-jgvEnY4m2ewV_uM_vFjMHd0IglgXp5r5B79biRKbPcHlWTcAOJ-jtC6GA24O1Khhk1O2fLbHgbwq3HeM2vP5d-xbZid7dFlTvDMxO8FCDQahno4q4QMyHEYJ/s400/IMG_4161.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhAPectxbwOiNk5LqbodK0MvJ9lmRe87c1cjK5BW1cvuvJU8UwsmHZlzUS2c7l_n7AEw0sa8skxAkENOnEW0CehLQfOsBEf7kq8z1MdpmvtClDUzO0wlwIQplbnUZYBfG9CPvgNG4oXj2/s1600/IMG_4176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhAPectxbwOiNk5LqbodK0MvJ9lmRe87c1cjK5BW1cvuvJU8UwsmHZlzUS2c7l_n7AEw0sa8skxAkENOnEW0CehLQfOsBEf7kq8z1MdpmvtClDUzO0wlwIQplbnUZYBfG9CPvgNG4oXj2/s400/IMG_4176.JPG" width="225"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second time she conked out. Poor baby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After that it was nice to spend a slower-paced day at the house. Mira also got some pretty awesome new dresses from her great-grandparents. She was so excited with each one it was hard to convince her to try on the next one.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZGbJTBp0trALeC_Tufsep3WSK5nS8Kj67VKio753FfTssWZsycczdElgR8O13dAd4gAzLTwKIInhhg1UtXf2rStzgmtdWeCGFesJHGTCenQT6euCJ5FSn2oud05EJmLs5Ec0vUJJNZOw/s1600/IMG_4190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZGbJTBp0trALeC_Tufsep3WSK5nS8Kj67VKio753FfTssWZsycczdElgR8O13dAd4gAzLTwKIInhhg1UtXf2rStzgmtdWeCGFesJHGTCenQT6euCJ5FSn2oud05EJmLs5Ec0vUJJNZOw/s400/IMG_4190.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't get over how grown up she looks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQsNjWwZvtHukDiD4Q1YMo2OfYYHgI9X4s3mS-DCSvmIb0sTxAsBJEdwiDIJGOl0Dd6wSLPHame2xoA9_V0CcYX7fzD9tmh-vmTk8X186z9Vvgg7GP47kDUcwq5bqjHJOAxGL3-0kP-WL/s1600/IMG_4191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQsNjWwZvtHukDiD4Q1YMo2OfYYHgI9X4s3mS-DCSvmIb0sTxAsBJEdwiDIJGOl0Dd6wSLPHame2xoA9_V0CcYX7fzD9tmh-vmTk8X186z9Vvgg7GP47kDUcwq5bqjHJOAxGL3-0kP-WL/s400/IMG_4191.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every time we tell her to smile she does that with her fingers. So cute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6Xa-WMBuik3vBKwl__h59H1dVw-F5PYgP96nZv_tjUO5OKUyZLBbumTQvCoQ9djli3QcaGxTcmdcCaGtPgZaSxGnPBFumi8HvDibPrN2riE6VZiI42vsFYq-W_ZmlVhPpdLwCWWJKtvQ/s1600/IMG_4199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6Xa-WMBuik3vBKwl__h59H1dVw-F5PYgP96nZv_tjUO5OKUyZLBbumTQvCoQ9djli3QcaGxTcmdcCaGtPgZaSxGnPBFumi8HvDibPrN2riE6VZiI42vsFYq-W_ZmlVhPpdLwCWWJKtvQ/s400/IMG_4199.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXun_iJ6VmTCMzIkquD0KcwNLTrd7gYOWsCrVHPAyHdH9mSsTAjD8m_jmwERjKc2vE6oRcdG66hKfq9YgZzpv_OHT32ljsLcPbFLcDkpUqxwj0-jW9VVcbhB0zSCKqShgU35_2iS0akK1o/s1600/IMG_4200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXun_iJ6VmTCMzIkquD0KcwNLTrd7gYOWsCrVHPAyHdH9mSsTAjD8m_jmwERjKc2vE6oRcdG66hKfq9YgZzpv_OHT32ljsLcPbFLcDkpUqxwj0-jW9VVcbhB0zSCKqShgU35_2iS0akK1o/s400/IMG_4200.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6ErkbFLAP4GstD-wpoQUV4PbxLH2iMN_fpE3kHTH79ao1-UA_Ff-BqcnLPRQIfoHN3vTA2kbEh9dDEljltAhafxSd-cDSv2JQd5cXl87zE6ttVlgVc3iI8CorOdik97QPy-u-NSIqbDO/s1600/IMG_4216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6ErkbFLAP4GstD-wpoQUV4PbxLH2iMN_fpE3kHTH79ao1-UA_Ff-BqcnLPRQIfoHN3vTA2kbEh9dDEljltAhafxSd-cDSv2JQd5cXl87zE6ttVlgVc3iI8CorOdik97QPy-u-NSIqbDO/s400/IMG_4216.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY9sO1O1_cJOWr-G45mLoON9_PwQtAPXcv0359Yz4SjQcRKNLlD1fflrvNzt9vleJqNDQt-dZOhf1ksBadp3slTrwAQM_9tAVzw-aU4vs-bIJsCC4eUAlY2fUxdCibpIEARaEiBkUegay/s1600/IMG_4217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY9sO1O1_cJOWr-G45mLoON9_PwQtAPXcv0359Yz4SjQcRKNLlD1fflrvNzt9vleJqNDQt-dZOhf1ksBadp3slTrwAQM_9tAVzw-aU4vs-bIJsCC4eUAlY2fUxdCibpIEARaEiBkUegay/s400/IMG_4217.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0SwsM0x5GM23Ur4BHGBOFbZKjmdVMNnzx-XdCU9MULYpPjukcz5jQL8cxAlpZ6sIAu74W_DXVqZByr55p8aZpKOtuXLtOWj8xSgyYzG9hFCs22S-VEOwG3qMm3Bk_h9pnwKpri_p88M/s1600/IMG_4218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0SwsM0x5GM23Ur4BHGBOFbZKjmdVMNnzx-XdCU9MULYpPjukcz5jQL8cxAlpZ6sIAu74W_DXVqZByr55p8aZpKOtuXLtOWj8xSgyYzG9hFCs22S-VEOwG3qMm3Bk_h9pnwKpri_p88M/s400/IMG_4218.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
And then she got goofy and wanted to run around with no clothes on but accessorized with her new pink Hello Kitty backpack. It's getting to be such a wrestling match to hold her down so I can get her dressed that sometimes it's easier to just let it go - plus this was so silly. :)<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWIkzuWy3ebN9OVUuj5cNRZLdtpvKOVrwH0lZB8U1myC07XKJZnKczXU4lKeMEfwqEEoLLUuwkMAODM3Qg0ESmFuFpbLDDAU5L92Mfte2FtZfeSWm0DQoR0DU6hbAzPssgdtHr-hsxhVc/s1600/IMG_4207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWIkzuWy3ebN9OVUuj5cNRZLdtpvKOVrwH0lZB8U1myC07XKJZnKczXU4lKeMEfwqEEoLLUuwkMAODM3Qg0ESmFuFpbLDDAU5L92Mfte2FtZfeSWm0DQoR0DU6hbAzPssgdtHr-hsxhVc/s400/IMG_4207.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlMCMzM-jx34LhXMFWq9Ad8_J-sJGNr6tMAa7EqSPFZxkb8dTrib9nSrN5xd78wu0aXodaHALq00qK3Y0xn_kjYFuYZGHjsDEhmmc-RR68p_LYF03tAEGCufC3bLeTGzpIblpB2pfaeKi/s1600/IMG_4208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlMCMzM-jx34LhXMFWq9Ad8_J-sJGNr6tMAa7EqSPFZxkb8dTrib9nSrN5xd78wu0aXodaHALq00qK3Y0xn_kjYFuYZGHjsDEhmmc-RR68p_LYF03tAEGCufC3bLeTGzpIblpB2pfaeKi/s400/IMG_4208.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlTiS9_Fa4JzW8qYPCE5d9Ppc3zOZ4LMU6CVcPfgrckLlerHAMZVgp5XWMFGhispg0K32aBGokljGX7KDrpgD_-ybNKBWcyaJV_3qVzAxldDqOStS4G4pFN1Q9mvWq-m02PU_wT2Hu-3K/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlTiS9_Fa4JzW8qYPCE5d9Ppc3zOZ4LMU6CVcPfgrckLlerHAMZVgp5XWMFGhispg0K32aBGokljGX7KDrpgD_-ybNKBWcyaJV_3qVzAxldDqOStS4G4pFN1Q9mvWq-m02PU_wT2Hu-3K/s400/IMG_4210.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3ZxX2DOtJizXvbxxj7tCSi57cL-wr9qpWZfFDg0z1Ab0MOwPYF_YHCCt88UjyejoysaTlcH2xa1VfYhSjjT4ESedTYxi7-ziYo-N8GhJLP7WYVcQ-sCWrUQojzJW15J9ylmNSJf73nZv/s1600/IMG_4211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3ZxX2DOtJizXvbxxj7tCSi57cL-wr9qpWZfFDg0z1Ab0MOwPYF_YHCCt88UjyejoysaTlcH2xa1VfYhSjjT4ESedTYxi7-ziYo-N8GhJLP7WYVcQ-sCWrUQojzJW15J9ylmNSJf73nZv/s400/IMG_4211.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backpacks work best when they're upside down, in case you're wondering.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mira had a really fun time taking pictures on my phone, and some of them are actually pretty decent. Here are her photographic attempts:<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqWCcrbvky-49u3rk2U5NGnCsM8Ach4GriCCWhdk5XvjKOIo0AVa_0c3H1gIG1p3HCuzmuEkU7-LYPKa94cNsmxyoA9FYUfF6xjWtZPNPpuXD_KvSTf1Q8sYfpJBerflapaaDPbotw07e/s1600/IMG_3952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqWCcrbvky-49u3rk2U5NGnCsM8Ach4GriCCWhdk5XvjKOIo0AVa_0c3H1gIG1p3HCuzmuEkU7-LYPKa94cNsmxyoA9FYUfF6xjWtZPNPpuXD_KvSTf1Q8sYfpJBerflapaaDPbotw07e/s400/IMG_3952.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmq88_TdHiK0EGGF6jMkv4Y4ixOeDF2_4-tSwabB3eIFOQOsAv857-h90UGNEC4I1vaftcwlEmpgcbTEW3DAtNynXMnbBV3BUiWY-p4iuXubPXEy3aZiy98y2lSD8OiT3YGVafnjQZdXCU/s1600/IMG_4090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmq88_TdHiK0EGGF6jMkv4Y4ixOeDF2_4-tSwabB3eIFOQOsAv857-h90UGNEC4I1vaftcwlEmpgcbTEW3DAtNynXMnbBV3BUiWY-p4iuXubPXEy3aZiy98y2lSD8OiT3YGVafnjQZdXCU/s400/IMG_4090.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBjdFoM52Ycqq5Xwjk6aRmt8DDk2RNGivd9lG-gNJU50x0TZdUYYUGvuB-tGtT4WilXD_1reFi7GITDoSUQMR2o196hTuDu2LY117KgLaIOBOyHx9o5fA_T9RF5LQw9Qe40bH2re4DWqe/s1600/IMG_4201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBjdFoM52Ycqq5Xwjk6aRmt8DDk2RNGivd9lG-gNJU50x0TZdUYYUGvuB-tGtT4WilXD_1reFi7GITDoSUQMR2o196hTuDu2LY117KgLaIOBOyHx9o5fA_T9RF5LQw9Qe40bH2re4DWqe/s400/IMG_4201.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1-Bb8yUtWCyE3DexqjFN503zwnZi05lKm-RY7itYn2Q2ib-WBQt2vKZXAczkLvXYS58QLF2U3KiN5l9gb1W1yK-JBw7urWBAJ2KYw4fN4PiK5V3fjSX_Cz0fsaJ_bDRBA3ikYz8Na8Xg/s1600/IMG_4204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1-Bb8yUtWCyE3DexqjFN503zwnZi05lKm-RY7itYn2Q2ib-WBQt2vKZXAczkLvXYS58QLF2U3KiN5l9gb1W1yK-JBw7urWBAJ2KYw4fN4PiK5V3fjSX_Cz0fsaJ_bDRBA3ikYz8Na8Xg/s400/IMG_4204.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKNR48m11BORKoI0aXPJWJtJfzjA3ECRNoWHuV1YAn7dDP2SSrFSZMIn6OKlYGAD3iIH2qIf37i4_wVq-cfD-CM9IBiEw2wbAsx8BDqdar2286f1xLOghL6H0uwYhA0XAahFMsDxhSYE9/s1600/IMG_4205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKNR48m11BORKoI0aXPJWJtJfzjA3ECRNoWHuV1YAn7dDP2SSrFSZMIn6OKlYGAD3iIH2qIf37i4_wVq-cfD-CM9IBiEw2wbAsx8BDqdar2286f1xLOghL6H0uwYhA0XAahFMsDxhSYE9/s400/IMG_4205.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviTVWuY5w8cYEydeoimduLjpd4_nc44As7irs02avCUPsbaKNyuyLwFHyQdxNznlkQZ1YOucXcQjRbKT_xTP4t8J0Gd_RTj_7A4Z-VCG9RSLD-cVWhLCmy-p9CQsR3AGWZizaTaPi7XJq/s1600/IMG_4206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviTVWuY5w8cYEydeoimduLjpd4_nc44As7irs02avCUPsbaKNyuyLwFHyQdxNznlkQZ1YOucXcQjRbKT_xTP4t8J0Gd_RTj_7A4Z-VCG9RSLD-cVWhLCmy-p9CQsR3AGWZizaTaPi7XJq/s400/IMG_4206.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uyx6B2XUmYydW5bPUQW0iq-tKzO3TZ3ih9116qs5qmfiXYRZ2AGZdvaEXfMuEG2beS44rUeoOBW-LTyIOQdEbIdvkBlaxTHLplm2fCquo82QuXYr29obXlF_Lj5Vz8uFnuXFwN_0YPIB/s1600/IMG_4222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uyx6B2XUmYydW5bPUQW0iq-tKzO3TZ3ih9116qs5qmfiXYRZ2AGZdvaEXfMuEG2beS44rUeoOBW-LTyIOQdEbIdvkBlaxTHLplm2fCquo82QuXYr29obXlF_Lj5Vz8uFnuXFwN_0YPIB/s400/IMG_4222.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MXUUhuy_K3p332L6UOVMYSXC6X1qlaKg2kKi4FODhiCNmkfCkySCAD1djP_GZnCdKKwnohjn5BbmcdNkpGrYLm_pG_6auAzibfsvUGYm9cOtXt9DhFfg8W1Uz-3HNzKQbdlMRmzKgu1Y/s1600/IMG_4223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MXUUhuy_K3p332L6UOVMYSXC6X1qlaKg2kKi4FODhiCNmkfCkySCAD1djP_GZnCdKKwnohjn5BbmcdNkpGrYLm_pG_6auAzibfsvUGYm9cOtXt9DhFfg8W1Uz-3HNzKQbdlMRmzKgu1Y/s400/IMG_4223.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
She also took about 500 short videos of herself, and I promise someday soon I will splice them together to make one video instead of 25 one-second clips. Believe me when I say they are really cute but for now I'll just have to show this.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/p0rJHMoSoec?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And some pictures of my family.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHeCWcVN76S6d1RETWfgB0_MWF2Hmn_PnZ8H6RMa4qUtZYBvBWwdJQ7C6uvOMeEx9RVFxWtLUbsMe1zxhG1Djsfq2YWPDy6PvztDFSi43qi7gk9U8Prq0ngc8WU2LxPWOIXzrHCuEf5eZ/s1600/IMG_4219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHeCWcVN76S6d1RETWfgB0_MWF2Hmn_PnZ8H6RMa4qUtZYBvBWwdJQ7C6uvOMeEx9RVFxWtLUbsMe1zxhG1Djsfq2YWPDy6PvztDFSi43qi7gk9U8Prq0ngc8WU2LxPWOIXzrHCuEf5eZ/s400/IMG_4219.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira snuggled up to her Great-Aunt Phyllis - she just loves everybody!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VXFrp-LQKJ8e3eFmzFLtaiNmre5fgcDnYlPeFUmThVhxgeASRQX2_tTfiAlPxYBeJaUB_fcVe4tsTcFDWnJYo6bSn-PfWSVNfVSG2iFT07WAGA764Xed-SuQJcSauSaO2Wjgy17H-5If/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VXFrp-LQKJ8e3eFmzFLtaiNmre5fgcDnYlPeFUmThVhxgeASRQX2_tTfiAlPxYBeJaUB_fcVe4tsTcFDWnJYo6bSn-PfWSVNfVSG2iFT07WAGA764Xed-SuQJcSauSaO2Wjgy17H-5If/s400/IMG_4220.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrLBjwVSqcKXkm8L6UmgklX38qf3RhKRCZVqNpJ-IVOakwNzm9tD2IVt4G1opZ9pBVQjxbx34QC3NuT_ROOfBd7aoJj0tioguiS-0fPlWctPSpUkuxQE26UT7VjhurjqFIPKobt7qnLaw/s1600/IMG_4221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrLBjwVSqcKXkm8L6UmgklX38qf3RhKRCZVqNpJ-IVOakwNzm9tD2IVt4G1opZ9pBVQjxbx34QC3NuT_ROOfBd7aoJj0tioguiS-0fPlWctPSpUkuxQE26UT7VjhurjqFIPKobt7qnLaw/s400/IMG_4221.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0s24QRFdXRyDb8bmtDq7vDemu0WT8siNq8UcvTXBuOibWDjDkOGkblDKf5S6_1jhzqCY21zMhYT4QiobuQbXzx-xlSk0uKIDwlgNJks4_z-EylxbRLFdZSc6CbZfI0vcSZDtJqT4tf7Ma/s1600/IMG_4275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0s24QRFdXRyDb8bmtDq7vDemu0WT8siNq8UcvTXBuOibWDjDkOGkblDKf5S6_1jhzqCY21zMhYT4QiobuQbXzx-xlSk0uKIDwlgNJks4_z-EylxbRLFdZSc6CbZfI0vcSZDtJqT4tf7Ma/s400/IMG_4275.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5vUVV1pMcgqdl4Jnily2t3vWIAwFMLb2f49f4npRs8HvH9nHwb9GQHP35QrX0s_87h6x2VR5gDJ2_cB5gYmZMUakuu6hCVOUUWuhaBYbIMS6CulIFlOsRZQZoou1jFIa425D4f2GT3W1/s1600/IMG_4276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5vUVV1pMcgqdl4Jnily2t3vWIAwFMLb2f49f4npRs8HvH9nHwb9GQHP35QrX0s_87h6x2VR5gDJ2_cB5gYmZMUakuu6hCVOUUWuhaBYbIMS6CulIFlOsRZQZoou1jFIa425D4f2GT3W1/s400/IMG_4276.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira and her Paw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unfortunately by the end of the week Mira was one giant tantrum from all the excitement and lack of sleep.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfDQueeTIPudRXOb1vN5VArk9AynKidVtNceDuvyrigHFSj25ndGvObXsSaTulAD_a4cPjjGOZtPQyRXHF4H_bvYymRszay3jQEIa5xq13kmW1zM3fY9lOLewGluHZlIWe6-Z_j9Fxv0r/s1600/IMG_4288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfDQueeTIPudRXOb1vN5VArk9AynKidVtNceDuvyrigHFSj25ndGvObXsSaTulAD_a4cPjjGOZtPQyRXHF4H_bvYymRszay3jQEIa5xq13kmW1zM3fY9lOLewGluHZlIWe6-Z_j9Fxv0r/s400/IMG_4288.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbcQfcgqHNxKaleaceVdy8FtyZt7GfmfvuJQe0Kp9AXvgJs1WHqn-aAc6K18QklQRc4Idjx772Fgs8W_posOgI4aZF7ruAULQusX3hQVeN_ExwBMusNECGC8XuHUTHPJEvuO3XRUxchYV/s1600/IMG_4289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbcQfcgqHNxKaleaceVdy8FtyZt7GfmfvuJQe0Kp9AXvgJs1WHqn-aAc6K18QklQRc4Idjx772Fgs8W_posOgI4aZF7ruAULQusX3hQVeN_ExwBMusNECGC8XuHUTHPJEvuO3XRUxchYV/s400/IMG_4289.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjQy2GG94BiLWzBRfhn7RPnCpW41aD2NS6iV1OntDsE_lNyUHR9iJMRC1dC4MqNY_P2UOcvhiyLYNwxZKTf-uHDrHBRjC4Gndwr72Bu_TPNWqfrRztV988YsPTQY29JBAO4PcVkyh7ajO/s1600/IMG_4290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjQy2GG94BiLWzBRfhn7RPnCpW41aD2NS6iV1OntDsE_lNyUHR9iJMRC1dC4MqNY_P2UOcvhiyLYNwxZKTf-uHDrHBRjC4Gndwr72Bu_TPNWqfrRztV988YsPTQY29JBAO4PcVkyh7ajO/s400/IMG_4290.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
Poor thing. But maybe I can use these pictures to embarrass her when she's old, heh heh heh.<br>
<br>
Sadly, as it tends to happen, our trip came to an end way too soon. I'm always sad to leave family. I think my grandfather had the hardest time - he and Mira had become really attached to each other over the last week. My grandmother sent me home with some Japanese staples to get me by for a little while (miso soup and nori) and instructions to take good care of myself. Hopefully our next trip back isn't too far off so we can get Mira and her Paw teamed back up again.<br>
<br>
Mira did fairly well on the flight to Atlanta. She took some more pictures and played on the iPad some more.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSlu80pzpNH0CzRKB2MgNUhNk62vZZhA9jG7-4Kf37-wn4nNtAmbv7srcBmdu8X_5EHJqAPdDEsQFhxQwScwah1vU5dyiB-2-_5t0uRpsh6532Geyy5rb2ayzPZ2DPIsum2Tw9LY6cIgR/s1600/IMG_4297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSlu80pzpNH0CzRKB2MgNUhNk62vZZhA9jG7-4Kf37-wn4nNtAmbv7srcBmdu8X_5EHJqAPdDEsQFhxQwScwah1vU5dyiB-2-_5t0uRpsh6532Geyy5rb2ayzPZ2DPIsum2Tw9LY6cIgR/s400/IMG_4297.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fghyphenhyphenaHBoElaMn5RIzgj-8JNuGchuZ_EZgZJa7GbErPcx8FtVWTMTKuTlSAug-HdFls4CJodw-xDJZuh4Mso3wM4Tdw_fhAYHboMKEPIfR_jN4HPtf72udNVwEzQkUzzd_WJzIa-Ub0F3/s1600/IMG_4306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fghyphenhyphenaHBoElaMn5RIzgj-8JNuGchuZ_EZgZJa7GbErPcx8FtVWTMTKuTlSAug-HdFls4CJodw-xDJZuh4Mso3wM4Tdw_fhAYHboMKEPIfR_jN4HPtf72udNVwEzQkUzzd_WJzIa-Ub0F3/s400/IMG_4306.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
The problems started at the Atlanta airport. She wanted to go back to Paw's house and was crushed when we told her we weren't going back to Paw's house. She wanted to go back to Paw's house, not our house. Since she was so tired it was downhill from there, and fast. We had a couple hours between flights so we went to a food court for dinner. For once we didn't have to take the subway to go between terminals but not getting on the train caused a meltdown for Mira. Standing in line waiting for food was a meltdown for Mira. By the time we sat down at a table to eat she was so tired all she could do was cry. Actually, I take that back. She was so tired all she could do was scream and hit and throw and kick - she didn't even know why she was acting out at that point but it was all she was capable of. The pitiful part is that I was tired and exhausted and stretched thin myself so I wasn't even capable of dealing with Mira in the most appropriate way. Taking your kid on vacation really isn't much of a vacation. Parenting is hard. Taking your kid on vacation isn't a vacation from parenting, therefore it's still hard. This was even harder because Mira didn't nap (which is usually my time to take a breather and recharge), she went to bed late and often woke up in the middle of the night to look for me. I think most moms who read this will understand me when I say I felt like, despite the change in scenery and getting to see my family, I didn't actually get a break. I absolutely and completely love my daughter, but she is exhausting!<br>
<br>
Anyway, the point of all that is that when Mira had her total and complete apocalyptic nuclear meltdown in the food court in the Atlanta airport, I just couldn't handle it anymore. Yes, I will admit it, I had my own little meltdown too. I had run out of patience and didn't have the energy or the desire to handle Mira the way I should have. Let me tell you, it's hard to choke down a hamburger when you're also trying to choke down the biggest cry in recent memory. Mark of course has seemingly unending patience for Mira's tantrums and was able to handle her much better. I don't know how he's able to stay so patient with Mira <i>all the time</i> but I need to figure it out for myself. I like to tell myself that I'm a very patient person but I'm also a bit (or maybe a lot) high-strung, which doesn't always serve me well in situations like this one. So he went to solve the immediate problem by going to hunt down French fries for Mira since those are a food that she will eat 99.9% of the time and she was refusing everything else we had for her. To be perfectly honest, I felt like the world's most inadequate mother at that moment. Here I was having a meltdown because my daughter was having a meltdown, which put me at her level, and at the time I felt unsupported, although in reality Mark was just having to focus all his attention and energy on Mira since I was clearly not being much help. Thank goodness he was able to keep it together. Maybe that's his cop training that makes it so he can stay unruffled in incredibly stressful situations. <br>
<br>Once he had left the table a mother with about 3 young kids at a nearby table (who had clearly watched this train wreck go down) came up with one of those prepackaged cheese and cracker snack packs and asked me if it was okay if she offered it to Mira. I was so flummoxed that a stranger would do that. So while I blew my nose and composed myself this sweet woman helped Mira open the package and actually got her to eat the whole thing. She went back to her own kids, Mark came back with the French fries and was able to convince Mira to eat some of those too, and pretty soon it was time for us to catch our next plane. As we were standing up the mother came up to me with another snack pack for me to whip out during the next flight and told me "Good luck!" All I could say was "Thank you," and that seemed so inadequate for what she had done. I have never been so completely overwhelmed and touched by the actions of a complete stranger before. I had been beating myself up for not being able to be a halfway competent mother, and it would have been so easy for me to compare the disaster at our table to the well-behaved children at that other table and feel even worse about my inabilities. But I'm pretty sure that mother had gone through situations very similar to mine before and that was why she did what she did. And I bet there are (very few) times when I'm out in public with Mira and other moms are envious of how well she's behaving. (I doubt it but you never know.) It was a good dose of perspective for me.<br>
<br>Even if my perspective was a little clearer it didn't solve the problem of Mira being difficult. Mark took over with Mira so I could get a bit of a break and did everything he could think of to keep her distracted but by the time we got on the plane Mira was not pleased with anything, even though we gave her everything she wanted to try and calm her down. Finally I set her on my lap and rocked her, and no joke she had passed out within a couple of minutes. She was so tired her pacifier fell out of her mouth and she didn't even notice.<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqL0gJJyxQYzXrPfIDnGq_THYS4QLO9KyXUc5MqNwrjqNT44f9e9yaI3iFeTJcRR0fTOEB6Og5SWwAODYhLJTDp0UhGg-gY4kpGvOAs_I95CnRKLsqSrzZRtrjcuwpl51qLR6GnsODCiC/s1600/IMG_4309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqL0gJJyxQYzXrPfIDnGq_THYS4QLO9KyXUc5MqNwrjqNT44f9e9yaI3iFeTJcRR0fTOEB6Og5SWwAODYhLJTDp0UhGg-gY4kpGvOAs_I95CnRKLsqSrzZRtrjcuwpl51qLR6GnsODCiC/s400/IMG_4309.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly I was tired too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJoHfkWMlJMSAWtBYG4m8HSxZCG9Evsox1OgMuYV1mQMRR1-QV4XZi72l7KaDs2Sy5sji753Yrnju3Cfo2ADWD6wkDqgIYs_zcKMLEwszoOu3q0LQDjbAGRJjGTXgypb1u6mdGJ1M35Q_/s1600/IMG_4310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJoHfkWMlJMSAWtBYG4m8HSxZCG9Evsox1OgMuYV1mQMRR1-QV4XZi72l7KaDs2Sy5sji753Yrnju3Cfo2ADWD6wkDqgIYs_zcKMLEwszoOu3q0LQDjbAGRJjGTXgypb1u6mdGJ1M35Q_/s400/IMG_4310.JPG" width="225"></a></div>
As frustrating as she had been, there is nothing as sweet as having your baby snuggled into your neck, and I can't even remember the last time she'd slept on my chest. Oh, how I've missed that! She slept with her head in my lap for almost the entire flight, which gave Mark and me the chance to watch the in-flight movie uninterrupted, so it was sort of like a date! Mira woke up in time to watch the plane land. She still wasn't too keen on the idea of going home but her long nap had definitely calmed her down, and once we got home she got excited about all her toys that she hadn't seen in a week and wanted to play with all of them, and there were the cats and dogs too. So she made the transition fairly well. I've been showing her pictures of her great-grandpa so she doesn't forget him in the meantime. Today she was eating nori like it was candy (she might only be 1/8th Japanese but she loves Japanese food!) and she remembered on her own that it came from "Paw's house."<br>
<br>
Unfortunately since the trip she's almost completely given up her naps. She napped for almost 4 hours the first day back but since then she's napped not even half the time. The surprising part is she seems to be handling it really well. As in, she's still in a good mood by the end of the day and I've only put her to bed early a couple of times. I'm not ready to admit she's outgrown naptime yet... that would mean she's growing up some more... but on the other hand I've been feeling lately that our schedule is a bit constrained by naptime so maybe it's good that this is happening. We'll see.<br>
<br>
I'll end with this picture because it's just too funny. This was after one of her increasingly fewer naps. She had insisted on wearing her sunglasses to bed. When she got up I sat her on her potty and the whole thing was just too hilarious.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Dhm0fUYBhaaycXWQziVfx1lpgwM9Wz4B6-7eh5MCOpPlxGgK6sCntlWEgV-yfayMbsykPlRrbq_QDioCqnU1tuH_8hRQjFiE__7WDpdogBl1zgJPrsvOYvQ2Z2DZYAl4URsF0K9Lo6w/s1600/IMG_4312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Dhm0fUYBhaaycXWQziVfx1lpgwM9Wz4B6-7eh5MCOpPlxGgK6sCntlWEgV-yfayMbsykPlRrbq_QDioCqnU1tuH_8hRQjFiE__7WDpdogBl1zgJPrsvOYvQ2Z2DZYAl4URsF0K9Lo6w/s400/IMG_4312.jpg" width="300"></a></div>
And on another random side note, I took her to get her flu shot the day after we got back. I didn't tell her until they got us in the room that she was going to get a small little owie in her leg but I would hug her the whole time. And the medical assistant added that afterwards she would get a sticker and a sucker. She was not sure what to make of this information and I was ready for her to freak out, but believe it or not, she didn't cry <i>at all</i>. I was so impressed! And she would have gone through anything to get a sticker and a sucker. She saved her sticker and every time she sees it she remembers the owie she got in her leg.<br>
<br>
She might be a brat sometimes (I'll talk more about that in my next post) but she is unbelievably cute and I can't believe how much I love her.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-36053658749773924352013-11-13T14:09:00.003-08:002013-11-13T14:09:47.445-08:00Halloween 2013Another Halloween! I swear that happened so fast. This year we did a low-key Halloween. As I mentioned, Mark has had way too much on his plate lately to think about putting up all the decorations but in a way that was nice. Usually I help scare the kids as they come to get candy but now I could just concentrate on taking Mira trick-or-treating. This year I borrowed a costume from a friend for Mira, so she was a candy corn princess. Unique and very, very cute! I made a tutu to wear underneath the skirt so that her butt wasn't hanging out - that's what you get for having a tall child!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcaJKDPiOJH42JBiAuOscZW3qwNLCiohlsBd5X0wRIdnPjxW7Aj19k1upgi676uapxGmCM0QYhfBzpaAf6eQ7qMZOrWMbETzCpaQOPKgzo3LezOooj0v120LHVv8M83JtUMvUbEr6BNPV/s1600/DSCF1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcaJKDPiOJH42JBiAuOscZW3qwNLCiohlsBd5X0wRIdnPjxW7Aj19k1upgi676uapxGmCM0QYhfBzpaAf6eQ7qMZOrWMbETzCpaQOPKgzo3LezOooj0v120LHVv8M83JtUMvUbEr6BNPV/s400/DSCF1074.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz1oLuFHKA-NBaaFN4_Ga8-63YTuO0rMXLbzDAJDhdW8ot8wCVb6RBUjTmrseMt2ntjJIWTjHFE2b_AbnN9q0qO24AdtoCmjylZAGythZMvtrzFsfD3tu12UDdL45EuWWxirvTpPRKy_c/s1600/DSCF1075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz1oLuFHKA-NBaaFN4_Ga8-63YTuO0rMXLbzDAJDhdW8ot8wCVb6RBUjTmrseMt2ntjJIWTjHFE2b_AbnN9q0qO24AdtoCmjylZAGythZMvtrzFsfD3tu12UDdL45EuWWxirvTpPRKy_c/s400/DSCF1075.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5wFoR2qeYyC8RYp5bMvJrk5pX0Je1L9YNJXTkFy8MlSMXwOUGJwpC3PVSEHxzRHthUNFVtdYSUZU5IcGiqTyOms3QwIeBdQYYGRYXaTmy5QwmZBZIPQCkwz9A6xbeHGdM75b4ao_TMkG/s1600/DSCF1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5wFoR2qeYyC8RYp5bMvJrk5pX0Je1L9YNJXTkFy8MlSMXwOUGJwpC3PVSEHxzRHthUNFVtdYSUZU5IcGiqTyOms3QwIeBdQYYGRYXaTmy5QwmZBZIPQCkwz9A6xbeHGdM75b4ao_TMkG/s400/DSCF1076.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
Before we went around the neighborhood we met up with my dad and step-mom and took Mira along Main Street where various businesses were handing out candy. It took her a little while to get the hang of trick-or-treating because as soon as she got a piece of candy she would want to stop everything and eat the candy on the spot. She sure was excited about the idea of being handed candy everywhere she went though!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS2TpccJEvxxye1_hW6k0PZ8Sa1qL7SARiEfKDS5qmYrEJHd43oL-AD5n0G4ooz8_toFNoyr5VMMv8VdfbTx23QGwbIy-CEi12HZZZE1ycOXtwG2_7tlt8txp2oyjqk68ZdzlBguxhjF7/s1600/DSCF1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS2TpccJEvxxye1_hW6k0PZ8Sa1qL7SARiEfKDS5qmYrEJHd43oL-AD5n0G4ooz8_toFNoyr5VMMv8VdfbTx23QGwbIy-CEi12HZZZE1ycOXtwG2_7tlt8txp2oyjqk68ZdzlBguxhjF7/s400/DSCF1077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
After that we went home, I had to force her to eat a sandwich and not candy for dinner (she didn't like that idea and only my threat of confiscating her candy convinced her to eat her sandwich), and then we went around the neighborhood with my mom. I told her before we set out that our goal was to go to as many houses as we could as fast as we could to get as much candy as possible so we weren't going to stop and eat any of it until we got home. That seemed to make sense to her so off we went. It also helped that Ally's (our babysitter) 10-year-old daughter Emily went with us and so Mira was able to see how it was done. It was a lot of fun! We have lots of kids in our neighborhood and lots of the parents were dressed up too. And because we did so much walking Mira went to bed really easily afterwards, which is always a plus. I tried to get her to stand still for some pictures but that's pretty near impossible these days so I ended up with lots of shots her her back.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaT5R0bAFb1c5cy-o0hTTWKwrzPlPUIspJ6TlJD4IyaBB8xA9fO0oCCwlFvXvyZK5RqdNIRjeQXowAjt0GDi17_FdknksV17C_lGb4kvyxZowX_5rOnP4DSbhfct3C4-UL_Mzz6wR7HJZ/s1600/DSCF1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaT5R0bAFb1c5cy-o0hTTWKwrzPlPUIspJ6TlJD4IyaBB8xA9fO0oCCwlFvXvyZK5RqdNIRjeQXowAjt0GDi17_FdknksV17C_lGb4kvyxZowX_5rOnP4DSbhfct3C4-UL_Mzz6wR7HJZ/s400/DSCF1080.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lw40pTjIXo7JOM3wwWa5wB8eoe_JAgs5DwwVTI2jOsrGDy-8XgGUgeEVRAc8QTBY4q4oE0dg6BppPrkPCEIq7XyPmo1gWqAxQU24o7eI0NUB5w9pmNY1a4n-GlOLv_3t1F0JYLxF8mdx/s1600/DSCF1081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lw40pTjIXo7JOM3wwWa5wB8eoe_JAgs5DwwVTI2jOsrGDy-8XgGUgeEVRAc8QTBY4q4oE0dg6BppPrkPCEIq7XyPmo1gWqAxQU24o7eI0NUB5w9pmNY1a4n-GlOLv_3t1F0JYLxF8mdx/s400/DSCF1081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLamljzEPJS_S77mrFQZH7PPThx8tRTdW-7UgxWLqur89t6v_ABQvDBps_P-wzZWArc6Oh0JYQddBBb78TQTPuYjmkxir0X-BWSvQY9_dNq3xC9RYe-BJN04tjCwZpYlp2wJmqwE7r6HwA/s1600/DSCF1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLamljzEPJS_S77mrFQZH7PPThx8tRTdW-7UgxWLqur89t6v_ABQvDBps_P-wzZWArc6Oh0JYQddBBb78TQTPuYjmkxir0X-BWSvQY9_dNq3xC9RYe-BJN04tjCwZpYlp2wJmqwE7r6HwA/s400/DSCF1082.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zLT-Jcev0nM3KLJ9eOaULQtw5g_NmNCuVcuX7M3XsYV4iI9dbd1s_iEKm0_g4W3zK0V3m71DZSWVmimjopmJTSsL2G_5psHQsjokb3jEICAbpkDBusyFX8qxH0Ph8cHG4CQJF45pXCFC/s1600/DSCF1085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zLT-Jcev0nM3KLJ9eOaULQtw5g_NmNCuVcuX7M3XsYV4iI9dbd1s_iEKm0_g4W3zK0V3m71DZSWVmimjopmJTSsL2G_5psHQsjokb3jEICAbpkDBusyFX8qxH0Ph8cHG4CQJF45pXCFC/s400/DSCF1085.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF8JSqqCCgu7ePkVXwMQB45K18QLqoSaENTGMEPtxIaXfOVfKAyVw6ZVEHlqrte2haKswaxp5jvk06yAnsWOglQO9FmULkwFhIppGPI_jbKXunw58CBzcH05tX_ZLLWDSqpWwlNkZz6XY/s1600/IMG_3837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF8JSqqCCgu7ePkVXwMQB45K18QLqoSaENTGMEPtxIaXfOVfKAyVw6ZVEHlqrte2haKswaxp5jvk06yAnsWOglQO9FmULkwFhIppGPI_jbKXunw58CBzcH05tX_ZLLWDSqpWwlNkZz6XY/s400/IMG_3837.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest candy corn you've ever seen!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
We've managed to hold onto our nice weather so we've been taking advantage of it and spending time outside before it gets too cold and we're trapped inside for months. One of Mira's favorite activities is blowing bubbles and she's actually pretty good at it.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4d5_lLw2i4FNHdihV5Q86SJNQApHz3997wfJAH_u473GtiKfwNlSIOfyt64JWHMUWiBe6mL7qkzzu8rFThgl7zWPiDmrTpXmjm2FawFxLOx0TYNZHwTsL2wuRliYSG3emdl3uEj8KOD-/s1600/IMG_3844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4d5_lLw2i4FNHdihV5Q86SJNQApHz3997wfJAH_u473GtiKfwNlSIOfyt64JWHMUWiBe6mL7qkzzu8rFThgl7zWPiDmrTpXmjm2FawFxLOx0TYNZHwTsL2wuRliYSG3emdl3uEj8KOD-/s400/IMG_3844.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHI75kfviG5dIOCf_t64Zwm7OrJbE5VNwEUjAx57pZsf15UPewdLWfim59vl6FkD_eo2CZ4wlbNHNtd31mq7K-Y5qe_7ieBSctl9h280aAD6Wk1-FUU38SzB1Ux0XyHA9quVE-o6d-BvOm/s1600/IMG_3847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHI75kfviG5dIOCf_t64Zwm7OrJbE5VNwEUjAx57pZsf15UPewdLWfim59vl6FkD_eo2CZ4wlbNHNtd31mq7K-Y5qe_7ieBSctl9h280aAD6Wk1-FUU38SzB1Ux0XyHA9quVE-o6d-BvOm/s400/IMG_3847.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Yep, she is definitely a blondie! Crazy isn't it?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiiIvNjz8Uhg_wiQYQ0PAng6cZ1eV7WWw8cCYKHIEgfgqYaplagZpQmri2duw1OSQBsaqviQgJmmme7p-WRqSawvdR50vhcdIldyNbwt_qZMRgg_kpEyQqpTq3LLIHb_nRI9G6K3Angll/s1600/IMG_3730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiiIvNjz8Uhg_wiQYQ0PAng6cZ1eV7WWw8cCYKHIEgfgqYaplagZpQmri2duw1OSQBsaqviQgJmmme7p-WRqSawvdR50vhcdIldyNbwt_qZMRgg_kpEyQqpTq3LLIHb_nRI9G6K3Angll/s400/IMG_3730.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the fall colors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm not even sure what was going on in this next picture. She was "upset" about something but I don't remember what set it off. It was definitely mostly for show though because she wasn't actually upset. What a drama queen.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3mfjLQ0FoEyuGJ4lICBTieDNloVGkjb2zHUgwDM0MUBZlxYKlGopw4R3QnoPufbikOymzjxYrGkZz7xhGbb8QIW1wX-iOx252cMayhouw5bIhBO__aDXyAh04uDgG7RKvS46RxMoAaGX/s1600/IMG_3728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3mfjLQ0FoEyuGJ4lICBTieDNloVGkjb2zHUgwDM0MUBZlxYKlGopw4R3QnoPufbikOymzjxYrGkZz7xhGbb8QIW1wX-iOx252cMayhouw5bIhBO__aDXyAh04uDgG7RKvS46RxMoAaGX/s400/IMG_3728.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Utah being fickle weather-wise we went from beautiful sunny 70-degree weather one day to this the next day:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_AtEdoFA7JYnSXSWkzpSlPCh1IWLu8uiVrQHcFPmF8xPsTeIKNOuwWtRhNgmOgqG7z-spFzTwSSzbuMrY2YS6KSy1ZPmbj7MDMi_eDSrDy0IzVGvMpMiG37Cchh3-_gTA-x0o1lzLIRh/s1600/IMG_3992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_AtEdoFA7JYnSXSWkzpSlPCh1IWLu8uiVrQHcFPmF8xPsTeIKNOuwWtRhNgmOgqG7z-spFzTwSSzbuMrY2YS6KSy1ZPmbj7MDMi_eDSrDy0IzVGvMpMiG37Cchh3-_gTA-x0o1lzLIRh/s400/IMG_3992.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
A few days of that and it'll go back to sunny and warm for a bit and it'll go back and forth for a little while before we get snowed in. We have our ski passes again this year so finally I'm excited for it to snow, but I still wouldn't complain if it snowed more in the mountains than down here. Snow is pretty until you have to go out in it.<br />
<br />
I wanted to get this blog up quickly so I can concentrate on the next one, which has pictures from our Jacksonville trip. We just got back last night so today has been re-acclimating to being back at home and figuring out the routine again. Hopefully I'll have it up soon but to tide you over, a picture of Wally thinking he was going to be included in our packing list. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccRGbjjbjzSh0H74Lf65U8t7u5tQ58K-h29RGGkavvnLdCk-L33m45blSWzvQxqOVQnf7pGi5aNqaw8JdlHeR14ctCRLMagyQIEmGusU38mqJI6V_fB00eBWr7ehT_Ly6bua9870p7Dsv/s1600/IMG_3993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccRGbjjbjzSh0H74Lf65U8t7u5tQ58K-h29RGGkavvnLdCk-L33m45blSWzvQxqOVQnf7pGi5aNqaw8JdlHeR14ctCRLMagyQIEmGusU38mqJI6V_fB00eBWr7ehT_Ly6bua9870p7Dsv/s400/IMG_3993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-47113284989413082182013-10-21T20:07:00.003-07:002013-10-21T20:07:52.843-07:00It's Always SomethingIt's a law of the universe that when one thing starts to go wrong, stuff keeps on going wrong. I hope the rule that everything comes in threes is true because that should mean we're about done. Up until a couple months ago, we had had our credit card debt completely paid off for a few years. All we were making payments on were the vehicles and the associated insurance, the house (obviously), and my student loans (which, since I had the <i>amazing</i> foresight to graduate from a private liberal arts college, we will be paying off until I'm 80). Then stuff started to go wrong with finances. A couple years ago we bought a food vendor business. Last year it was very lucrative. This year we ran into problem after problem with getting into events and long story short we lost out on our spot for what should have been our big money-maker for the year. Let's just say we're out of a sum in the range of 5 figures. That's pretty much impossible to recover from.<br />
<br />
We figured we could limp by, and we could have except that our refrigerator decided it was done doing its job. This is an appliance you can't really live without for any amount of time so that had to be replaced. And that meant we had to open up a store credit so we could replace our fridge. At least we have 6 months to get that paid off before the interest sets in, but it really stressed me out that we had to open a credit account when earlier in the year we would have been able to pay cash.<br />
<br />
Next, it was the Mercedes. My work has been doing a lot of neverending construction for the last few months and what that meant was that inevitably something that didn't belong in my tire would end up stuck in there. It was just a matter of time, really. Unfortunately the screw punctured the inside edge of the tire, which can't be patched, which meant the whole tire would need to be replaced. And since the car is AWD, you can't just replace one tire without replacing the other 3 as well. So we had to buy a whole new set of tires - which was something else we couldn't afford out of pocket but you can't really drive a car without tires.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UwdrCdCjCBYwF5bHbpc1FFjS95NzYDD-8kvsaRqgF98E5p9n_grKc9DvBby-xTY3Q731PGLGx_0y-aR0lWDmymQDv1yuQ4Yx28bC1sYrSfoVH3ZHjUffBhwir0NQcvVbP7DBP5EJ04Yd/s1600/IMG_3690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UwdrCdCjCBYwF5bHbpc1FFjS95NzYDD-8kvsaRqgF98E5p9n_grKc9DvBby-xTY3Q731PGLGx_0y-aR0lWDmymQDv1yuQ4Yx28bC1sYrSfoVH3ZHjUffBhwir0NQcvVbP7DBP5EJ04Yd/s400/IMG_3690.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what $1000 will get you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Rather fortuitously (?), we had just opened a credit card account a couple days before so at least we were able to pay for the tires. And at least the new set has a lifetime warranty so if another byproduct of construction destroys the new tires they'll be replaced for free, which is a big relief since I'm pretty sure by now my work will never finish with the construction projects they have going on. And the old tires were more "sport" tires versus "all season" so with winter coming up the new tires should handle the snow a lot better. But still, that was money I'd rather not have to pay off after going so many years without having credit cards at all.<br />
<br />
The reason we'd gotten the credit card was to buy plane tickets to Jacksonville so we could visit my grandparents. That was something else we could have been able to afford without too much stretching earlier in the year except for... well, you know. Arguably a vacation should be something you put on the chopping block if you don't have the money but for me, this visit was going to happen and was not in the running to get rid of. Family is very important to me and not to mention we haven't had a real vacation of any sort yet this year, and you can't tell me that's helping our stress level! The nice thing about visiting family is all you really have to pay for is your transportation out there and then most everything else after that is covered.<br />
<br />
Very fortuitously for us, my dad came to the rescue with some Frequent Flier miles. He was able to cover the cost of 2 of our tickets and so we only had to buy one round trip ticket, which <i>really </i>made a huge difference. Love you Daddy! It'll be nice for Mira to have her own seat on the plane but that means we have to pay for Mira to have her own seat on the plane. I'm honestly quite nervous about the flight out because I'll be flying out with Mira on my own (Mark wasn't able to get the full amount of time off so he'll be coming out later) and I'm having recurrent nightmares and anxiety attacks picturing a) Mira having the world's worst and longest temper tantrum for the majority of the 3.5 hour flight to Atlanta and b) losing track of Mira in the Atlanta airport trying to make our connection. Or more likely c) me running frantically through the Atlanta airport juggling a thrashing toddler and our carry-on bags. Knowing me I tend to fret needlessly and things work out well but still, any of those scenarios is likely and I'd feel better if I had another person available to help me out. Luckily all three of us will be flying back together. I think the fun part will be seeing Mira's reaction to flying on an airplane. It's not the first plane ride she's ever had but the first she'll really appreciate and get excited about. If I wasn't so worried about the FAA hunting me down I'd record her reaction to taking off.<br />
<br />
One casualty of all the stress we've been under (and Mark especially due to additional crap trickling down at his job) is that our fantastic Halloween yard is going to be MIA this year. I'm not hugely disappointed - Halloween is Mark's thing and if getting the yard all tricked out is just going to add to his stress I'm glad he's not doing it - but it's still a bit of a letdown. But there's always next year. And that means I'll be able to focus more on taking Mira trick-or-treating, which I think she'll get very excited about this year. And there are still other Halloween-related activities, such as decorating pumpkins, which we got to do at Mark's parents' house last weekend. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa3Z4d4mCnacd8T4ETgyL7Je-6BPue8pku2w2vznMSeEeJCBMMzLiYVDnXa-He01AaYfhwCAWqxAH7B3X16_I2IzlLrGS8pN9SgWrnSk-x6IN1qgslDPOQWLnqtwyV7orqyzwTi2Nwi41/s1600/IMG_3683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa3Z4d4mCnacd8T4ETgyL7Je-6BPue8pku2w2vznMSeEeJCBMMzLiYVDnXa-He01AaYfhwCAWqxAH7B3X16_I2IzlLrGS8pN9SgWrnSk-x6IN1qgslDPOQWLnqtwyV7orqyzwTi2Nwi41/s400/IMG_3683.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtCumCCu10uIGegj2vAfe10B3Hx1UI_Cs103dNQa3FwiS4U2v05ObjnlpecqnhPaMY9YrHj1gqNtBLSY5Rxa4FqHfWv0dEXYPh19uaHBCU6GMok4zTff6DqeTqsmvYzNqbl85QPo97lb-/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtCumCCu10uIGegj2vAfe10B3Hx1UI_Cs103dNQa3FwiS4U2v05ObjnlpecqnhPaMY9YrHj1gqNtBLSY5Rxa4FqHfWv0dEXYPh19uaHBCU6GMok4zTff6DqeTqsmvYzNqbl85QPo97lb-/s400/IMG_3684.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpqT27eubjVlr5He4F6ixUnEgYAsyiSIQr-iBKkjdlnumr4RHLoNoiaPg4DV7pceQ91QIsnDwQTLQpfoVxXaIXDWoXDHthyphenhyphen3cvjfTXQHvrtCD2AM6mbhdQCOigB2w4Md9kIWXWH6Qzfdh/s1600/IMG_3685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpqT27eubjVlr5He4F6ixUnEgYAsyiSIQr-iBKkjdlnumr4RHLoNoiaPg4DV7pceQ91QIsnDwQTLQpfoVxXaIXDWoXDHthyphenhyphen3cvjfTXQHvrtCD2AM6mbhdQCOigB2w4Md9kIWXWH6Qzfdh/s400/IMG_3685.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't even know you could stab a pumpkin with pipe cleaners! Mark came up with that one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s63uVLlrCwz6bPGK6WHKFJ7VLB4KtOLnUwIkclcMrdiPoTS3DIq0yRCwH_qhWO0BEPNa7Su1fJzRfJXevghm5Wdyxr5HlkgOmFzSqsRXRdIgIH3zkmbdcO333bfTPextHXJveK1ew2yV/s1600/IMG_3686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s63uVLlrCwz6bPGK6WHKFJ7VLB4KtOLnUwIkclcMrdiPoTS3DIq0yRCwH_qhWO0BEPNa7Su1fJzRfJXevghm5Wdyxr5HlkgOmFzSqsRXRdIgIH3zkmbdcO333bfTPextHXJveK1ew2yV/s400/IMG_3686.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I feel bad for Mark because he's been having such a rough time lately and as it's mostly job-related there's not much I can do about it. Sometimes he'll seem like he's having a good day and then he'll say something like he wished someone had shot him while he was on duty today because he doesn't want to deal with it anymore and at least if he was killed on duty we would be taken care of monetarily. Umm yeah, just slightly disturbing to hear something like that. I wonder if all cops talk like this when they get overwhelmed or if it's just mine. But at least Mark has found a good appropriate outlet for his pent-up emotions: hockey! He recently joined a rookie league and he's always so pumped up and in a great mood for a couple of days after his practices. I'm not much of a sport person but of course now hockey is my favorite sport. :) I went to watch one of his practices and was really impressed with how well he's doing for someone who's never played hockey before! He's the one in the black jersey with red, grey and white stripes and the white helmet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rdce598fkhI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And of course we went to see the season-opener game of the Utah Grizzlies, our local hockey team. We won, of course. Go Grizzlies!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiq5wr7qN7_3QMq06oqXmH6NIRt74Gw9et2AuEJ6XrDPj-cunoess_vJh8RWclp1HvEJGs0Z9xyF8Hv44imqh8GeSaMDNoz4xKRKFyX1l1UqdeAx8mQYRSm3QYrpNKIfJbGXnM9ZsZSNu_/s1600/IMG_3691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiq5wr7qN7_3QMq06oqXmH6NIRt74Gw9et2AuEJ6XrDPj-cunoess_vJh8RWclp1HvEJGs0Z9xyF8Hv44imqh8GeSaMDNoz4xKRKFyX1l1UqdeAx8mQYRSm3QYrpNKIfJbGXnM9ZsZSNu_/s400/IMG_3691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
On to a different topic, as of this morning here is Mira's potty chart.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKgf_xvKWseF5MhjgLKl4vn44x_QTs9nALcwpjnjdqM6QwDirhxPVCQxxLSGGJ0Gy5YmgbdOCT77HTE9jVkNJgFZ2eRZWIJQENPvdh5HqGkszlcaVnZCHoSsnuJaDxqtbTFWwtTLfqTM8/s1600/IMG_3726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKgf_xvKWseF5MhjgLKl4vn44x_QTs9nALcwpjnjdqM6QwDirhxPVCQxxLSGGJ0Gy5YmgbdOCT77HTE9jVkNJgFZ2eRZWIJQENPvdh5HqGkszlcaVnZCHoSsnuJaDxqtbTFWwtTLfqTM8/s400/IMG_3726.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
She was doing really well using the potty at least a few times a day for awhile, then she got less excited and I stopped pushing it, mostly because I knew this trip to Jacksonville would be happening soon and I really didn't want to deal with a newly potty-trained toddler on a cross-country plane trip. But she'll still use the potty at least once a day, and if she's with me when I use the bathroom she applauds me so at least she's making the connection. Now I want a potty chart and a reward every time I use the potty.<br />
<br />
She's still super sneaky, especially since she's figured out how to quietly open up the door to the bedroom. I was talking to Mark while he was taking a shower one morning (I had left Mira on the couch watching one of her favorite shows so I figured she'd be riveted to the TV for the next few minutes), and when I walked into the bedroom I found this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhWuCHJbSGpY7tApyDwJVspClyZhsTUhoaeLgG06bvu9HIfCSNvJaeolIXbIuhSVnZza1md2bUgL8qXLPtiOzfM8QZIYrWYfA647L4J2zXkTkP3dyhPyxIF2IrcFAm3A1j8m_ckkmr4VR/s1600/IMG_3697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhWuCHJbSGpY7tApyDwJVspClyZhsTUhoaeLgG06bvu9HIfCSNvJaeolIXbIuhSVnZza1md2bUgL8qXLPtiOzfM8QZIYrWYfA647L4J2zXkTkP3dyhPyxIF2IrcFAm3A1j8m_ckkmr4VR/s400/IMG_3697.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oIFp1qgQCoO_BQCeDorkw4pRcH7M6Ym04j6ftYidS4tE3DnElttKVcIjZGzbJp2t5Qh4VnyzUq_3iyvBJpoSJ6oLI_whpYtO73DQrKHFF-fS5SiBomNqkJ4nUafDlthmjiQeSmK1Xayp/s1600/IMG_3698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oIFp1qgQCoO_BQCeDorkw4pRcH7M6Ym04j6ftYidS4tE3DnElttKVcIjZGzbJp2t5Qh4VnyzUq_3iyvBJpoSJ6oLI_whpYtO73DQrKHFF-fS5SiBomNqkJ4nUafDlthmjiQeSmK1Xayp/s400/IMG_3698.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLzSoIGgVhFDE1p5fNxZ5Uhlp66-Sr8pN7B3xG0-91bx2eDQZ0eOGVQo2GfNr4Sx0GVZxPGneAiGxnJDWsieaetZPF1vLcSj-WatosEvEpSV2Zxr7EJYib1hL5s6DTsy5ikJMhytGj_Yy/s1600/IMG_3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLzSoIGgVhFDE1p5fNxZ5Uhlp66-Sr8pN7B3xG0-91bx2eDQZ0eOGVQo2GfNr4Sx0GVZxPGneAiGxnJDWsieaetZPF1vLcSj-WatosEvEpSV2Zxr7EJYib1hL5s6DTsy5ikJMhytGj_Yy/s400/IMG_3699.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I'm not sure how she sniffed out that bag of Reece's Pieces but apparently she's got a nose for it. But she was very happy snuggled under the covers. (I always smile a bit to myself when I see her do this because before Mira was born Mark was adamant that she would <i>never</i> come into the bedroom after she outgrew the bassinet. Our bedroom is for us, went his reasoning. I'm sure he had every intention of firmly following through with this rule until Mira wrapped him around her little finger. This man loves his daughter so much! So now when she sneaks in and gets under the covers he usually ends up having a tickle match with her, unless by some chance she's sleepy enough she'll let him snuggle with her. I think she'll decide pretty soon that she's a daddy's girl.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eQdzjT_43gm7wCOsxXU8_frx3rALhPJbpoiJSv7j0LAXGD86QTF0glqdr-drSbGrJJ9vphxu3JdFW95vcekSojHY-fXMqMEskNeD2GvWiytEIOJ9LTTiupYBafYYoRu5j8JZxafHPbwD/s1600/IMG_3695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eQdzjT_43gm7wCOsxXU8_frx3rALhPJbpoiJSv7j0LAXGD86QTF0glqdr-drSbGrJJ9vphxu3JdFW95vcekSojHY-fXMqMEskNeD2GvWiytEIOJ9LTTiupYBafYYoRu5j8JZxafHPbwD/s400/IMG_3695.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPNegr63NcP6ZHTiTk-JKKEmB5Kt3lRIWkI8ukMMFr8sYFJdPcEHqc152sqo8sGCQiyj8LLCVi4T7X6OQtGE1CQR6DbKFx4U6lIL-amNHdmOyhist5Y9Xo9Yb4FXstUsHul4Y74SsRtUO/s1600/IMG_3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPNegr63NcP6ZHTiTk-JKKEmB5Kt3lRIWkI8ukMMFr8sYFJdPcEHqc152sqo8sGCQiyj8LLCVi4T7X6OQtGE1CQR6DbKFx4U6lIL-amNHdmOyhist5Y9Xo9Yb4FXstUsHul4Y74SsRtUO/s400/IMG_3696.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
We went to my dad's and stepmom's for dinner last night and dessert was frozen blueberries with whipped cream. You can't really tell how purple her teeth and lips are in the pictures but at least they're good pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzx7kh8PbVOLMBHVvEl-XdCL61s4MZtOlilCmup6R-nyjVdVrHrRhuFKEixVCLekgx99XRtbjf_OBpiUqeuBg7mmAB1KA9NA9cguy5oEC5ApV6S-lAZGrB427bu1rxDtY_RBZ_yJZmDDu/s1600/IMG_3701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzx7kh8PbVOLMBHVvEl-XdCL61s4MZtOlilCmup6R-nyjVdVrHrRhuFKEixVCLekgx99XRtbjf_OBpiUqeuBg7mmAB1KA9NA9cguy5oEC5ApV6S-lAZGrB427bu1rxDtY_RBZ_yJZmDDu/s400/IMG_3701.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVa9FpqQeCCb13Y_8WFac4PXivftvhIZYlpWvYrrwCvCE3V2QR700Htbp8D8srNV5uHigIRhe2yy4ABbeYHTAGD7AH3jamUJoBx3JkaWhiFufD6VZwhjwS9v4RR1IlSrn4be_2XS9vIzj/s1600/IMG_3702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVa9FpqQeCCb13Y_8WFac4PXivftvhIZYlpWvYrrwCvCE3V2QR700Htbp8D8srNV5uHigIRhe2yy4ABbeYHTAGD7AH3jamUJoBx3JkaWhiFufD6VZwhjwS9v4RR1IlSrn4be_2XS9vIzj/s400/IMG_3702.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Afterwards we took Mira to yet another park and she had a blast on the swings.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sw5zSOLkihCy3H2OVzTMC7jfedyI1VsRmD8vCJ8DC_kBnslSTgR8SGIGq65JeOr97SkoboEk9tTRJKFsXu5ZzRq1s6quFeSkkEnh7Q4u_8a5cxNSql8GvSy5LRckwhV0W8dO49K1k46v/s1600/IMG_3703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sw5zSOLkihCy3H2OVzTMC7jfedyI1VsRmD8vCJ8DC_kBnslSTgR8SGIGq65JeOr97SkoboEk9tTRJKFsXu5ZzRq1s6quFeSkkEnh7Q4u_8a5cxNSql8GvSy5LRckwhV0W8dO49K1k46v/s400/IMG_3703.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EAdGrISAeNE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And just because, a couple pictures Mira took of Neo. He was not feeling very camera-ready at the moment.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9BUS3ptTbgOOHLmKclwCnuny23L5lpK3sEoHs3tihuLxQoPX5biuX0abOnh3CwpeiCI_LVb581dTq1LsleRCrbqDFwN58QXBd5ZvbWttjEEZx5UygJbmy-0okQO6jVQwiSudLmmrDN4g/s1600/IMG_3710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9BUS3ptTbgOOHLmKclwCnuny23L5lpK3sEoHs3tihuLxQoPX5biuX0abOnh3CwpeiCI_LVb581dTq1LsleRCrbqDFwN58QXBd5ZvbWttjEEZx5UygJbmy-0okQO6jVQwiSudLmmrDN4g/s400/IMG_3710.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmnreWiYxIdOmONZbI4Icqxo-q2XTiCzkaT3FzGZNB9uk2DLgoM0ynPueaKGhNlX39t-XIe7zsSoi1dIsU5yrmDJkVYltRKo9WafQmqVstKlNhfoHppmTPm41svZbYvFCBMWD7N7bqbCD/s1600/IMG_3714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmnreWiYxIdOmONZbI4Icqxo-q2XTiCzkaT3FzGZNB9uk2DLgoM0ynPueaKGhNlX39t-XIe7zsSoi1dIsU5yrmDJkVYltRKo9WafQmqVstKlNhfoHppmTPm41svZbYvFCBMWD7N7bqbCD/s400/IMG_3714.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And a picture of Wally, just because he's weird. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJSSeZpy0QnRZvqlpX16CsOjhhKYa8noIUlEBD0Ux4_IgwrApB4ioHt39OTqAIweWFUdoU4k_CVzO51DR7w6ANFNZ6XsVULp8anZxlpWkGFZ6zJ8W24O4vvocFRrLbmmJawgyEDlMXsZ/s1600/IMG_3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJSSeZpy0QnRZvqlpX16CsOjhhKYa8noIUlEBD0Ux4_IgwrApB4ioHt39OTqAIweWFUdoU4k_CVzO51DR7w6ANFNZ6XsVULp8anZxlpWkGFZ6zJ8W24O4vvocFRrLbmmJawgyEDlMXsZ/s400/IMG_3682.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-348309291198157712013-10-13T19:53:00.002-07:002013-10-13T19:53:41.058-07:00Fall ActivitiesI think in the last few weeks Mira and I have spent more time outside than we have during the summer months - the weather has been so nice out here! Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year anyway but with an active toddler that doesn't enjoy sitting inside (ok who am I kidding, she hates to sit at all) this weather has been very helpful. We've had lots of fun going to the various parks in the neighborhood, and once my mom got to join us.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYTD_E919ZHLoSzIYgFfoglox1bzA6Uspsjd2YTQuqXGx72zbLOvDwzOvbOV71S0MU5kP0ykq1NmbLHoerH7kgecGZuPShahRqoSLplNqjYhc9yBjTeH7lAE_XA57hOCFNNSs0jPjyNno/s1600/IMG_3669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYTD_E919ZHLoSzIYgFfoglox1bzA6Uspsjd2YTQuqXGx72zbLOvDwzOvbOV71S0MU5kP0ykq1NmbLHoerH7kgecGZuPShahRqoSLplNqjYhc9yBjTeH7lAE_XA57hOCFNNSs0jPjyNno/s400/IMG_3669.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom is very hands-on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1Fsro3YgPNGcgxA3YoxkJQkPMQ_BpHSi4YHdoaDz8Va2qcvCdq601muk40xM1bHlRlYgl-W3DfN6u71nSm0RQP4gZNeUb2Hr37KyupgfqPaztfvD8OeAiaP1jxzE_-VkeNA9ywW70MR6/s1600/IMG_3670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1Fsro3YgPNGcgxA3YoxkJQkPMQ_BpHSi4YHdoaDz8Va2qcvCdq601muk40xM1bHlRlYgl-W3DfN6u71nSm0RQP4gZNeUb2Hr37KyupgfqPaztfvD8OeAiaP1jxzE_-VkeNA9ywW70MR6/s400/IMG_3670.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I have to say that I absolutely <i><b>LOVE</b></i> how this second picture came out. This was one of those shots that had perfect timing. And it certainly represents how active and busy and fun-loving this girl is.<br />
<br />
We also went to the children's museum again after a few months' hiatus. They've added some new stuff to the helicopter that Mira enjoys so much, including an injured patient and the Emergency Department from my work. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7PjoOVVIYLzq1m1jrIftexpF9WIYEOMeU68ZuUx4hk82Jvacrmc8iD0TiIrHTOqkCKVJ9Ihvos2rRAL7qdbihrffd8flaOTlBHvjG-eWaBecZi4seT9r9Wpeo170fva__YCvE8w5QSok/s1600/IMG_3651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7PjoOVVIYLzq1m1jrIftexpF9WIYEOMeU68ZuUx4hk82Jvacrmc8iD0TiIrHTOqkCKVJ9Ihvos2rRAL7qdbihrffd8flaOTlBHvjG-eWaBecZi4seT9r9Wpeo170fva__YCvE8w5QSok/s400/IMG_3651.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're starting her young!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I hear a lot from people that they can't believe how grown-up Mira is looking. She's definitely losing that baby look. I used to be sad and nostalgic about it but it's actually starting to be exciting for me to watch her grow up. Plus now that her hair is getting long I get to play with it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROhPlOO6P7UF0xr4omgZl6ZNoQG9OUH486lHS7qSe2pCVXjX2-X73EWM8snL6RANL8qJ5q1M1PFxQ_qyrjMuNNsDRaDDg_4j9c3EvTnFdcd4_ksqui5dBcZLbML08NXR_0S9_DClwnnHK/s1600/IMG_3646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROhPlOO6P7UF0xr4omgZl6ZNoQG9OUH486lHS7qSe2pCVXjX2-X73EWM8snL6RANL8qJ5q1M1PFxQ_qyrjMuNNsDRaDDg_4j9c3EvTnFdcd4_ksqui5dBcZLbML08NXR_0S9_DClwnnHK/s320/IMG_3646.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Mira is girly enough that she gets excited about getting her hair done... sometimes. Every few days she decides she wants to say "no" to everything and then it's just battle after battle all day long. Those days are hard for everybody. It's so tempting to just give in and save the trouble of dealing with a screaming child every five minutes! I guess that's what we get for having a diva princess.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGBAug5oalAL9KSuVZEhSMezslJMWbJzKidLtVq5r7o1CxiYQCd3F6IS0UssphpmgRMu8dtvDtk8CyfQJsxEciAjE_crLMxABqDYnYZd8RvGy4Evz078tqbbQJYa8u28gwdbE1Z-aWRbG/s1600/IMG_3672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGBAug5oalAL9KSuVZEhSMezslJMWbJzKidLtVq5r7o1CxiYQCd3F6IS0UssphpmgRMu8dtvDtk8CyfQJsxEciAjE_crLMxABqDYnYZd8RvGy4Evz078tqbbQJYa8u28gwdbE1Z-aWRbG/s400/IMG_3672.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-Ic-2CveSYcaNr_RwOeS5IxbvfeB_9HfkdL91OVHahVDGjsy3PV1Sb-V2Ev_xtnDg6q-jofDvyFkzpx1XN6s0SbUyo11FH5RfQbbS8lD0yVYgAcniBjp9q-6W-5qSugSoDEEr9cUhWlH/s1600/IMG_3673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-Ic-2CveSYcaNr_RwOeS5IxbvfeB_9HfkdL91OVHahVDGjsy3PV1Sb-V2Ev_xtnDg6q-jofDvyFkzpx1XN6s0SbUyo11FH5RfQbbS8lD0yVYgAcniBjp9q-6W-5qSugSoDEEr9cUhWlH/s400/IMG_3673.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
I was at work when Mark sent me these pictures and it made my night. Anything princess gets this girl's attention! And apparently when Mark tried to get Mira out of her princess dress she threw a <i>massive</i> tantrum. I was a little relieved that he was the one who got to deal with it that time. :) Mira has her daddy wrapped around her little finger, no doubt about it. Anything she does Mark thinks it's the most wonderful thing ever and he swears all the time that she's absolutely perfect - so I feel bad for any guy who thinks he's going to date Mira in the (very distant) future.<br />
<br />
Mira's other obsession these days besides showing everybody she comes across her pretty ruffly skirts/dresses that she insists on wearing is performing. Anything providing a slight elevation off the ground will do for a stage and she doesn't even need much of an audience to get going.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/li69Mixerbg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jm0rr-83RS0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
This one I think is hilarious. We tried to teach Mira the Chicken Dance and this is her version of it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jRhZfN-24SQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
And speaking of hilarious, this is what's starting to happen when she gets ahold of my phone these days.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/pjYOrVZo5G0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Most of the time Mira is very charming and hilarious and continues to surprise me with her grasp of the world. For example, she's starting to get the concept of counting and numbers, which is still a challenge for me most days so this one impresses me. (I like to say that I know enough math to keep my patients alive and that's as far as it goes.) If Mark and I are doing something together, like sitting on the couch, Mira will come up and point to each of us and say, "Mom, Daddy, Momdad, two!" and hold up 2 fingers. So I'll ask her how many it makes if it's mommy, daddy, and Mira. So she'll say, "Mom, Dad, me, three!" and hold up 3 fingers. She's actually really good about getting numbers right up until about 4 or 5 and then it gets sketchy, but still!<br />
<br />
And then some days she does stuff that makes me want to rip my hair out. For example, she thinks it's hilarious to ignore me and continue to go about her business when I'm calling her name. I don't find this particularly amusing, especially when I'm trying to get her attention to keep her from walking into the street or crawl underneath the car or something similar. So one day we were at the park and she was having one of those days when <i>everything</i> was causing a meltdown. Finally I ended the park visit early and started herding her home, which of course caused another meltdown but she calmed a bit when I told her we'd eat lunch when we got back to the house. So when we got home I told Mira I needed to use the bathroom real quick and then I'd make her lunch. This news caused another meltdown and rather than try to reason with her I just went upstairs to the bathroom. When I came back downstairs 60 seconds later, Mira was nowhere to be found. I called her name, and of course she didn't answer. I went through all the rooms in the house, and didn't see her. I didn't think she'd gone outside since both the front and back doors were closed (and when she's gone through the doors it hasn't occurred to her to close the doors behind her) but after ransacking the house and calling her and not finding any trace of her, I started to panic. I looked in the back yard and didn't see her, which meant she had to have gone out the front door. I frantically called Mark while I was running around the block; he gave me the number for dispatch and told me to call the police. Of course I'm screaming Mira's name and of course she's not answering. I got back to the house and was about to grab my keys so I could drive around and cover more ground when I just happened to glance out the back door and saw the top of Mira's head as she was running around in the back yard. I believe this is what other parents are referring to when they say parenthood is wanting to hug and strangle your kid simultaneously. Needless to say Mira got a very stern talking-to, which caused yet another meltdown. Naptime really didn't come soon enough for either of us that day. Luckily most days are not like this.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVQbgcm3seiR6rqmzY4e_IT10nb3W4TJbHW4GOvHkfaupPAY8JftkL2gYWeEm4vC5bDT1ElszV8OMzrGqTsRgj-ioTd9IHxqGyElkdGU-WZP8d5YSO8rp3A6pO3q934FFX5iGCRpv-LhN/s1600/IMG_3636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVQbgcm3seiR6rqmzY4e_IT10nb3W4TJbHW4GOvHkfaupPAY8JftkL2gYWeEm4vC5bDT1ElszV8OMzrGqTsRgj-ioTd9IHxqGyElkdGU-WZP8d5YSO8rp3A6pO3q934FFX5iGCRpv-LhN/s400/IMG_3636.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me? Naughty?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our new batch of chickens are starting to lay so now we're getting 3-5 eggs each day, which means everyone gets scrambled eggs or omelets for breakfast. We try to let the chickens wander around the back yard once a day, and one of the hens got brave enough to climb the steps to the back porch and investigate. Try to ignore how dirty the glass is and how cluttered the porch is.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHGvo3dVzRaxYBHHl8YPk7vrrJfo4HpB4FJ6fRugo8TKhzh4D4DkNbaZDY342Asx8hbpUSsF6XRK2SUCxzGKQg9EuFfFtpIqvp6zpfbSuQgDaTEDTLmaikFxsVksKv7ivQgQh1bkFTmWC/s1600/IMG_3676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHGvo3dVzRaxYBHHl8YPk7vrrJfo4HpB4FJ6fRugo8TKhzh4D4DkNbaZDY342Asx8hbpUSsF6XRK2SUCxzGKQg9EuFfFtpIqvp6zpfbSuQgDaTEDTLmaikFxsVksKv7ivQgQh1bkFTmWC/s400/IMG_3676.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ke_jtgUzgrOrgWkhxijceTtNH0syWG3sC0LoLnS_TF2Ke1OrE2Vf5VP7LHN9Ka5M9yMllf9OjIKQUqxWCrRbDgX_2OJrRPrYOVLCEYXn0ldxt0OHaM0Br3W3WU2v3eDhJ3OBOzXMe4GS/s1600/IMG_3677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ke_jtgUzgrOrgWkhxijceTtNH0syWG3sC0LoLnS_TF2Ke1OrE2Vf5VP7LHN9Ka5M9yMllf9OjIKQUqxWCrRbDgX_2OJrRPrYOVLCEYXn0ldxt0OHaM0Br3W3WU2v3eDhJ3OBOzXMe4GS/s400/IMG_3677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Mira screams and runs away when she gets near a chicken but I don't think she's actually afraid of them. She knows how to put on a show. (See videos above.)<br />
<br />
And now a story about this bizarre cat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLk9PzAdDzybvCig4JGKRxBsK2ANmJRJHsHT1mSlV03yfsLd6l5zNOuJIWECasEZRpCJMZArKPeLhlHqF9Ng0FFRIuLN_TJWqT03wtKJgcCJ1NCAYlS8v26JPeL8E6Y8su_iXR9VuQMD0/s1600/IMG_3552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLk9PzAdDzybvCig4JGKRxBsK2ANmJRJHsHT1mSlV03yfsLd6l5zNOuJIWECasEZRpCJMZArKPeLhlHqF9Ng0FFRIuLN_TJWqT03wtKJgcCJ1NCAYlS8v26JPeL8E6Y8su_iXR9VuQMD0/s400/IMG_3552.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yKOo-u2VU-73cfVAjoZdosdzyi0kpOAPbL2eyhzsuqpjoEAxbgotaVF4RZOd4nnN3YZ91kuhswYdVtsstOgBhFtAjA_0blRjCAq6rpjjDvH6gTDK5XSCimIRfn2AsIAxjmeZyQHqEPZ5/s1600/IMG_3649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yKOo-u2VU-73cfVAjoZdosdzyi0kpOAPbL2eyhzsuqpjoEAxbgotaVF4RZOd4nnN3YZ91kuhswYdVtsstOgBhFtAjA_0blRjCAq6rpjjDvH6gTDK5XSCimIRfn2AsIAxjmeZyQHqEPZ5/s400/IMG_3649.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
One day Wally came upstairs with what I originally thought was a toy mouse in his jaws, but then after thinking for a minute I remembered we didn't have any toy mice, especially ones that squeak. Besides the disturbing fact that we obviously have live mice in the house, Wally had somehow managed to get it and was playing mercilessly with it. Meanwhile my other cat Neo slept through this whole thing on the couch. Wally, who is declawed and has spent his whole life indoors, knew what to do with a mouse better than the prowling-around-outside-at-night-with-claws-attached Neo. Eventually I had to grab the mouse by the tail (shudder) since it was obvious Wally wasn't going to eat it, and went outside to give it to Isis, my outside cat. She of course knew what to do with it. Sorry to those of you who are squeamish or don't like to think about mice dying. Wally was rewarded with a kitty treat, and Neo got nothing for being lazy.<br />
<br />
Finally, yesterday Mark and I ran another 5K called the Hit and Run. For those of you who have seen the show Wipeout or American Ninja Warrior, it was kind of like that. My sister Sara, her friend Crystal, and her (Crystal's) father all ran the race.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Bq0TdEOmOEo9t4J7IBBXH5B6zp2PmsU1dNyso_K8d3xuvJK9mD6C_UFY8xNdL-5mZzo1TfDdhAQLiGaImFk97Qyhfl-1DnjnTMV3iz5zb578GN7APhdI0RqMVQPlqcP65Vw830ONa9kw/s1600/IMG_3675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Bq0TdEOmOEo9t4J7IBBXH5B6zp2PmsU1dNyso_K8d3xuvJK9mD6C_UFY8xNdL-5mZzo1TfDdhAQLiGaImFk97Qyhfl-1DnjnTMV3iz5zb578GN7APhdI0RqMVQPlqcP65Vw830ONa9kw/s400/IMG_3675.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Unfortunately we didn't have a designated photographer so we don't have pictures of us during the race but it was a lot of fun! This one we didn't run to get a good time of course but it was still a blast. We're hoping the race is put on next year so we can do it again with a bigger team. If you're curious as to what sorts of obstacles we had to conquer, here's the video the race organizers made.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sf1R65ewPmM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Apparently Mark and I only do unconventional races that involve obstacles or getting stuff thrown at us or wading through some substance or another.<br />
<br />Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-69597993092590960312013-09-22T13:09:00.002-07:002013-09-22T13:09:16.537-07:00Finding TimeI feel kind of bad that I spent so much of the last post complaining about how horrible my life is. Honestly, I really do know that I have things way easy compared to... Well, you know how you're not supposed to compare yourself to anybody except yourself. But I really was feeling worn out and at the end of my rope. It happens to everybody and boy does it seem to happen to me a lot. But one of the results of my job is that sometimes I get a really gut-wrenching reality check. I get new perspective about life. I have witnessed some heart-breaking events in my years as a nurse but this one... this one was especially difficult. When I came home from work I hugged my little girl extra tight and reminded myself that I am SO LUCKY that I can hug her and kiss her and that she is here to be her dramatic, sassy little self, because today a mother went home and will never be able to do those things ever again. Sometimes a change of perspective is all you need to change your attitude.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnfJsbg72mmQdxZmZXCmkNt8t86yi21F7xbtRDuILJyxp4v2krgjtZZcx_70y0eWGubdJhHOT4pLdwSSDvBwbnMYJTgp6a4oks28Pr5ekGGlZCU6LUw3CQj690xJIxnZPXt6mFGkw883g/s1600/IMG_3500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnfJsbg72mmQdxZmZXCmkNt8t86yi21F7xbtRDuILJyxp4v2krgjtZZcx_70y0eWGubdJhHOT4pLdwSSDvBwbnMYJTgp6a4oks28Pr5ekGGlZCU6LUw3CQj690xJIxnZPXt6mFGkw883g/s400/IMG_3500.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
One of the nice things about autumn (besides pumpkin-flavored everything and fall fashion) is that the weather is finally bearable, which means lots more outside time! We got Mira a scooter awhile ago but it's been so darn hot it just hasn't been worth anybody's time to teach Mira how to use it. She picked up on it pretty fast! Now she loves to take it around the block and I think eventually she's going to be a speed demon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W7r4aoWxusLt9dx811i6Z0vjT3Z9Icdvq6Dnn4cRiP8sj2lG6FrbwRSIEnGNTXd_VzqWx2iXY3zBnKNCT6UApxcRkSY2pfK6bK_HAx-3o5ry4VfUq8ElRove-5Ob_Org_5Xqw3AlFawl/s1600/IMG_3434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W7r4aoWxusLt9dx811i6Z0vjT3Z9Icdvq6Dnn4cRiP8sj2lG6FrbwRSIEnGNTXd_VzqWx2iXY3zBnKNCT6UApxcRkSY2pfK6bK_HAx-3o5ry4VfUq8ElRove-5Ob_Org_5Xqw3AlFawl/s400/IMG_3434.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKWnXHGsX6K56_1E9TPbJPg45v8Al49UOxy6MBDlECu4wXQrcWXNjzpQghwsrMppo4jxbe4CLzEwKp0Ani4vAfqXDSZXhWvW4P14gb6SIkRHnOlEmjsdPKscEuIXjD_Rj0EzExh7gUYlk/s1600/IMG_3435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKWnXHGsX6K56_1E9TPbJPg45v8Al49UOxy6MBDlECu4wXQrcWXNjzpQghwsrMppo4jxbe4CLzEwKp0Ani4vAfqXDSZXhWvW4P14gb6SIkRHnOlEmjsdPKscEuIXjD_Rj0EzExh7gUYlk/s400/IMG_3435.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8KEbwU8IFbk5mOdZYs0Bu_CEYWcduOhV3sxIS2Hgwigj_LMmbKDK3bW_nnDQMnlDpDfAXgd2rQcF5D2dAnHVTHPODqi77huOCJlhaej9zwJ8vkLj-P-hkdC9A1q-Nv-8zy_jWcZPC-hb/s1600/IMG_3436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8KEbwU8IFbk5mOdZYs0Bu_CEYWcduOhV3sxIS2Hgwigj_LMmbKDK3bW_nnDQMnlDpDfAXgd2rQcF5D2dAnHVTHPODqi77huOCJlhaej9zwJ8vkLj-P-hkdC9A1q-Nv-8zy_jWcZPC-hb/s400/IMG_3436.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/0_np8NZaB1I/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0_np8NZaB1I?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0_np8NZaB1I?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Mark and I also did something else we've been threatening to do for awhile but hadn't happened yet - we took Mira to the zoo. She was excited about the idea of seeing lots of animals, and I think she enjoyed the animals but the reality was that we were getting way into her naptime by the time we had finished at the zoo and she was too tired and cranky and impatient to worry about looking at some animals that weren't doing a whole lot (in her opinion). But we still enjoyed the outing and Mira still talks about the elephant and says she remembers the rhinoceros.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrFEaawyesfMC6Jy_hACr_6jchwlqdEyIObWlWWEZhmEXriDEtAwyY7lum7qUdYIrFWNHYUfKiPDSc4aDMcc9EGTasUDKz_cYAJLzp_FOeYTUC4PXLxDbkgWiQEKXmE6YLZmdoud9ocUP/s1600/IMG_3554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrFEaawyesfMC6Jy_hACr_6jchwlqdEyIObWlWWEZhmEXriDEtAwyY7lum7qUdYIrFWNHYUfKiPDSc4aDMcc9EGTasUDKz_cYAJLzp_FOeYTUC4PXLxDbkgWiQEKXmE6YLZmdoud9ocUP/s400/IMG_3554.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira and the polar bear.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCaWapenh77nEcJf_gqR7Q20vsuwLe-8InI1JGPsDzIUuXle9ecojthNl7i-hqIIgOJWnWEEtb-yLBkL4cacYIVxhmG2vmtqOVDXQteEE5SpzrB6Ln_JuOAcouaRDhmONa7yo6GvKaOrj/s1600/IMG_3555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCaWapenh77nEcJf_gqR7Q20vsuwLe-8InI1JGPsDzIUuXle9ecojthNl7i-hqIIgOJWnWEEtb-yLBkL4cacYIVxhmG2vmtqOVDXQteEE5SpzrB6Ln_JuOAcouaRDhmONa7yo6GvKaOrj/s400/IMG_3555.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting with the orangutan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSalOkdF1ODsJcl-dUvOowH5tS3YNJaXjAl2A6_evODgQ5DTtz8Adkj0NioE60UeadxT4QJcBfJT4E1vSaIPF-cv9jFz-SSOnj228hW80nH20b7TrqcaE7KiOESmg0kAtv9hFOBxedLS4/s1600/IMG_3556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSalOkdF1ODsJcl-dUvOowH5tS3YNJaXjAl2A6_evODgQ5DTtz8Adkj0NioE60UeadxT4QJcBfJT4E1vSaIPF-cv9jFz-SSOnj228hW80nH20b7TrqcaE7KiOESmg0kAtv9hFOBxedLS4/s400/IMG_3556.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcXqTptw1jZ6oWwg45_Al3zk16d5ItPRcFiF1D2QC0QlHFgzU5KL55bizCg80HN-aOZovXPyrXJnzm7Rjui33FrdRAwPl507dtYJ4bR1YwGuXquA0v_E1fs8DxhTqLCD8uYcP8546g45S/s1600/IMG_3605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcXqTptw1jZ6oWwg45_Al3zk16d5ItPRcFiF1D2QC0QlHFgzU5KL55bizCg80HN-aOZovXPyrXJnzm7Rjui33FrdRAwPl507dtYJ4bR1YwGuXquA0v_E1fs8DxhTqLCD8uYcP8546g45S/s400/IMG_3605.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
I look at these pictures and just can't believe how big she's getting - she's definitely a little girl! And one thing that goes along with being a little girl is learning how to use the big girl potty. Over the past few months we've been working on having her sit on the potty, first with her clothes on and then we moved to getting her to take her pants and diaper off. But up until a couple weeks ago she hadn't made the connection between sitting on the potty and actually <i>using</i> the potty. One day she was farting a lot and I thought, "You know, let's just see if this works." So I sat her on her little princess potty, gave her the iPad, and waited. About 20 minutes later, the potty starts singing and playing music (using positive feedback so she knows she did it right). And lo and behold, she'd done it!!! I got super excited, which I think caught her off guard, but then she got excited and I think that's what helped her make the connection. I thought, "Awesome, now we can really get going on potty training!"<br />
<br />
But the next day when I tried to sit her on the potty, she was terrified of the potty. I mean, absolutely petrified. I couldn't figure it out. She eventually sat, and went again, but she would scream in genuine terror whenever I mentioned sitting on the potty after that. Finally I was able to figure out that she was scared of the potty singing to her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCU8Xu1qd0sYQzd_wu7xscZ7oewZ3Oh869mjpYhQ5j0RRtWFH-Gr3SwDYFbRMxJc-O3pRk7sCxwKjDSz6nHDmAM9LgP4gKNpdbwgLo55lpvWC6HPC2lDDH76uToRT96pes8jMGTuWycj-/s1600/IMG_3348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCU8Xu1qd0sYQzd_wu7xscZ7oewZ3Oh869mjpYhQ5j0RRtWFH-Gr3SwDYFbRMxJc-O3pRk7sCxwKjDSz6nHDmAM9LgP4gKNpdbwgLo55lpvWC6HPC2lDDH76uToRT96pes8jMGTuWycj-/s400/IMG_3348.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
So I removed the part of the potty that sings but she was still <i>scared to death</i> to sit on the potty, and even if I was able to convince her to sit, she would go but then refuse to get up for fear of the potty singing to her. I wasn't sure how to handle it - she had to figure out eventually that there was nothing to be afraid of, but potty training is not something I wanted to her have bad associations with. Finally we put the smaller potty seat on the regular toilet and sat her up there, which worked okay (probably because it's too tall for her to try and make a run for it), and the last few days she's cried a little right when we sit her down but after I hand her the iPad she calms down and gets excited about the idea of another sticker for her potty chart and a treat. I'm not pushing it really hard at this point (I make her sit once a day, maybe twice if I'm feeling ambitious) but I'm just happy she's made the connection and hopefully she's not traumatized for life.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuH72rUk-GGe0EjDZ_UPEWz2n9pGuAcA-iIMEQS8U-jfscUdnwBR-YTRcUCaBmqqDZMErdzu_Qc3LyU4LkBOE-n2YPSjsdtgXg8QNheyNc3fQiYkBPOlWZos1mXiF_OUEM2vLiFTqQ3-wu/s1600/IMG_3355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuH72rUk-GGe0EjDZ_UPEWz2n9pGuAcA-iIMEQS8U-jfscUdnwBR-YTRcUCaBmqqDZMErdzu_Qc3LyU4LkBOE-n2YPSjsdtgXg8QNheyNc3fQiYkBPOlWZos1mXiF_OUEM2vLiFTqQ3-wu/s400/IMG_3355.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpjSpR0Hqs2-mWPhnzrdrahkJh6PYfKpRREnE6jmou3UXsphbCnslpezay5moGqnVVuwhV6sLlkQpxmzEKe1nCNWK05n81v8Y49c-QdXh2j6jU1BOo3yPdDoF99-EuUKdcbSbY49hsT8W/s1600/IMG_3356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpjSpR0Hqs2-mWPhnzrdrahkJh6PYfKpRREnE6jmou3UXsphbCnslpezay5moGqnVVuwhV6sLlkQpxmzEKe1nCNWK05n81v8Y49c-QdXh2j6jU1BOo3yPdDoF99-EuUKdcbSbY49hsT8W/s400/IMG_3356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7APYfLj16k9e_hX6QQ0ktotgjCuxRrhuK_FG6ABNcLFgXCkl0C6oU8TkWRLL4y2PmyKL4oqEng7ZeDCEPxIM2N5o8rZK4NUsAVHV_AcB0RNjOQdbqEJgTMTAxbRXHxlKZVEOuame9v449/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7APYfLj16k9e_hX6QQ0ktotgjCuxRrhuK_FG6ABNcLFgXCkl0C6oU8TkWRLL4y2PmyKL4oqEng7ZeDCEPxIM2N5o8rZK4NUsAVHV_AcB0RNjOQdbqEJgTMTAxbRXHxlKZVEOuame9v449/s400/IMG_3357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6NxmFDTl6nTvuR215F5-IMmM6PmcJCrQiCSE24GwXV_i2b0Gq3v9e0vc1qT7KJ7bkfcAhprZtbQxPe_CwPTK5KBZDf9_qcJO1M00jjVxILnGLB01YuILPY22TnOcz7xULuqQHq54yaXt/s1600/IMG_3607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6NxmFDTl6nTvuR215F5-IMmM6PmcJCrQiCSE24GwXV_i2b0Gq3v9e0vc1qT7KJ7bkfcAhprZtbQxPe_CwPTK5KBZDf9_qcJO1M00jjVxILnGLB01YuILPY22TnOcz7xULuqQHq54yaXt/s400/IMG_3607.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS8X7P5RsAXdWxIAbYFzdZiGeh6nD2DptScjL92fjMy99PVNLP9OpPoOL9NbPItuldlBtt7WdKuTHyQNWItxAshwmvAWW9q6Bfc3tDo6efLmt5-6iV-7Xr1YyY5irApMgSyeIrrgD1SUC/s1600/IMG_3608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS8X7P5RsAXdWxIAbYFzdZiGeh6nD2DptScjL92fjMy99PVNLP9OpPoOL9NbPItuldlBtt7WdKuTHyQNWItxAshwmvAWW9q6Bfc3tDo6efLmt5-6iV-7Xr1YyY5irApMgSyeIrrgD1SUC/s400/IMG_3608.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDysP3rGcz9LPdjzUxc4n6nw7MkCiI3ZtLp54Ep80trDLY_tiAZiCy5cXAaPW0mp17DZlySFrOO6ATgZbvIJw3KgrXIZ2QNnxgsULSfPpd-DZ3faVhlC3CQmmGK50x4Gf5gZiPs4nDwm8/s1600/IMG_3609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDysP3rGcz9LPdjzUxc4n6nw7MkCiI3ZtLp54Ep80trDLY_tiAZiCy5cXAaPW0mp17DZlySFrOO6ATgZbvIJw3KgrXIZ2QNnxgsULSfPpd-DZ3faVhlC3CQmmGK50x4Gf5gZiPs4nDwm8/s400/IMG_3609.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
One thing I hear from people frequently when they see Mira (or pictures of her) is that she is all girl. She's always wearing a skirt or a dress, has nail polish, her earrings, and bows/flowers in her hair. I'll admit that some of that is me but if you make the mistake of letting her choose what she wants to wear she <i>always</i> chooses the frilliest, poofiest, girliest dress. Lately I've been inclined to just let her wear a fancy dress if she wants to. We don't go anywhere fancy so it's not like we have to keep the dresses in good condition for anything, plus she's going to grow out of her clothes in the very near future and what good are dresses if you can't wear them? So I let her get all dressed up for no reason whatsoever. She loves it. She likes to pick up her skirt and twirl around and make sure that everybody she sees is impressed with how pretty she is (which really doesn't take much effort). Sometimes I'm amazed at how charming and outgoing my daughter is. Whenever we go out in public she cheerfully waves and says "Hi!" to every single person she passes, and if they don't say anything back at first she keeps saying "Hi!" until they notice her. Teaching her about "stranger danger" might be tricky.<br />
<br />
Of course she still has her naughty moments, although sometimes she seems so unconcerned with how upset I get at her that it makes me question whether I'm going overboard with her disciplining. But then I remind myself that throwing rocks is not and likely never will be socially acceptable so even if she makes <i>me</i> feel guilty for disciplining her I have to stick to my guns and follow through. Most of the time she's pretty good about not throwing a tantrum if I give her a choice and the threat of a consequence. The hard part is that it's constant. My dad, who survived three girls, has mentioned that Mira is like 4 kids in one. So now I feel validated for feeling overwhelmed! The nice part about her being so active is that, at 2 1/2, she still takes at least a 2 hour nap every day plus sleeps a good 11-12 hours at night.<br />
<br />
Some of what she does is totally just for show and I have such a hard keeping a straight face.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XndVLD9yhTE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
To help me manage my stress I've taken up a new activity - running. I've never enjoyed running but over the summer I decided I wanted to try something new and challenging and since running has never come easily to me I decided to give it a go. Honestly, the first month or so was awful. I felt so out of breath and sick to my stomach at the end of every run but I was determined to keep going. Finally, once I got to the point when I could run a 5K, I started to feel good while I was running. I'd found my stride, so to speak. I'm not following any specific training plan but I try to go for a run at least 3 days a week and at least 3 miles at a time. Last week I was able to go over 4 miles, and still felt pretty good at the end! It's pretty exciting, and I have an app for my phone that tells me how far I've run and my current and average pace, and I've found that I like to compete with myself to see if I can go faster/farther each time. So the next step was to sign up for a race. I don't count the Dirty Dash as an actual race since it was more for the camaraderie than for the racing when we did those. So yesterday Mark and I ran our first 5K race, the Heart Walk to raise money for the American Heart Association. It was nearby and definitely a worthy cause. Our goal going into it was to run the 5K in less than 30 minutes.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9IS7qdTN8e_0UW5zOvwg4JsOqYyQ7ubdaKjgaeJTccJtPNtQecMgItFOPVvm5DUbBzaD8-hy8GIUitCV9b3vLCiV_UJpp4XdQsPJLdm3dwFHVKb8YMnep7BaeKGTf-1_GDmQsxe5VLOP/s1600/IMG_3613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9IS7qdTN8e_0UW5zOvwg4JsOqYyQ7ubdaKjgaeJTccJtPNtQecMgItFOPVvm5DUbBzaD8-hy8GIUitCV9b3vLCiV_UJpp4XdQsPJLdm3dwFHVKb8YMnep7BaeKGTf-1_GDmQsxe5VLOP/s400/IMG_3613.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not only did we finish the race in less than 30 minutes, we were well under that - we crossed the finish line at 28 minutes 21 seconds! Not too shabby! We were so proud of ourselves, and now I think my next goal should be to run a 10K.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdwaiw3yqNEgtZrlwG69HFqdk7t-WDUEy7CVKsCtU9A5_WEERbYC0tKyzF3NsTRbYAmVoDE8e25vgN8aF6LbnVHNZyIv5wB6o_rH28D8kO0y8FikEv5fUOhQiyEYliRPNC4E0zjA-nvyD/s1600/IMG_3615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdwaiw3yqNEgtZrlwG69HFqdk7t-WDUEy7CVKsCtU9A5_WEERbYC0tKyzF3NsTRbYAmVoDE8e25vgN8aF6LbnVHNZyIv5wB6o_rH28D8kO0y8FikEv5fUOhQiyEYliRPNC4E0zjA-nvyD/s400/IMG_3615.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the race. That's not blood, it's colored corn starch. We can't seem to get through a race without getting covered in something.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And of course it wouldn't be fall without football! The only team Mark and I really follow is the University of Utah, and neither of us have attended that school, but I've worked with many residents from the medical school and it's better than any of the alternatives around here, especially since Utah doesn't have a pro football team. We're teaching Mira to say "Go Utes!" But for now we dress her up as a cheerleader on game days.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8hOZFW6RiIPZW8FwIV0oj96uvZL06HYPKAqDcDJ-nI9FzS_oDwtVqtX91dLMRm9Sq6Y3b40gfjpQOWSrxfpEu1oDckjj2DByVDjamGNzvTnLopsKBWKgybgqASUgaz4kwXys_LAv31Ni/s1600/IMG_3386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8hOZFW6RiIPZW8FwIV0oj96uvZL06HYPKAqDcDJ-nI9FzS_oDwtVqtX91dLMRm9Sq6Y3b40gfjpQOWSrxfpEu1oDckjj2DByVDjamGNzvTnLopsKBWKgybgqASUgaz4kwXys_LAv31Ni/s400/IMG_3386.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJKvGcYPJEKr2jAwLNdr4T3DcyqIzZXUWaxMVOteLy1XCzciCqfXJAAyPYFByUoNF5ZcFvCFkIGruyUhTyL6zntFihCJWmEvqIWtiwPuCaJrrge97Js1mPumYp8fo_GF9u5j5Z-sCpWJa/s1600/IMG_3388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJKvGcYPJEKr2jAwLNdr4T3DcyqIzZXUWaxMVOteLy1XCzciCqfXJAAyPYFByUoNF5ZcFvCFkIGruyUhTyL6zntFihCJWmEvqIWtiwPuCaJrrge97Js1mPumYp8fo_GF9u5j5Z-sCpWJa/s400/IMG_3388.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilD7y60OlKZCZKPGkS7kuDnmNetce46GbDB9cKjTAuqsuk4TfiGsYZ5XyBc5tpFw_rzgxXHK8M7QiLs8DRSQN2S6b6X430NWqiqADeZZNchEousWW3pfUBEkKhrWkr3r5smNYxb3G4ix_t/s1600/IMG_3389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilD7y60OlKZCZKPGkS7kuDnmNetce46GbDB9cKjTAuqsuk4TfiGsYZ5XyBc5tpFw_rzgxXHK8M7QiLs8DRSQN2S6b6X430NWqiqADeZZNchEousWW3pfUBEkKhrWkr3r5smNYxb3G4ix_t/s400/IMG_3389.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCdtmdj29VDH9UTjtfZhG0CpyktCS4lpHbphSgpgrKj8qMnI3DRQXiWLBoDZbRO_Gbgyus8wyMPdloLqjm_mAs2Y1r4tgFN7l32LnwccqrdJ9ogGA7t0pzq2s-cAk49G1-UTJx7UBRavw/s1600/IMG_3391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCdtmdj29VDH9UTjtfZhG0CpyktCS4lpHbphSgpgrKj8qMnI3DRQXiWLBoDZbRO_Gbgyus8wyMPdloLqjm_mAs2Y1r4tgFN7l32LnwccqrdJ9ogGA7t0pzq2s-cAk49G1-UTJx7UBRavw/s400/IMG_3391.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's eating a tomato. This girl LOVES tomatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyDaxba75Wbhlv-Xrc0vBry3yOaEzL0mN-o76iF1Yr61p1momQuuEcoyhGUrJENKTTYPF49aWl5MkMpbl6cvvd8rBQd0KkDji5mNeWO87qWGQLnvt1Zwmsy3XdaJdroGmfXvC4I_elham/s1600/IMG_3616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyDaxba75Wbhlv-Xrc0vBry3yOaEzL0mN-o76iF1Yr61p1momQuuEcoyhGUrJENKTTYPF49aWl5MkMpbl6cvvd8rBQd0KkDji5mNeWO87qWGQLnvt1Zwmsy3XdaJdroGmfXvC4I_elham/s400/IMG_3616.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And I leave you with one of my favorite pictures. Mira see, Mira do.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZYf8n9k8tlUKQd3rzaWZx4DNl0-e2QlURW1PQ-loTIByu8qwzXtamLwhsLup9xH-4EjneG0drYLCD5S5jVkB6CVp8cu889Y2keA_EwkRmyifQfTk0UvOdo4qN5eO1k177aGJ5aalZeth/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZYf8n9k8tlUKQd3rzaWZx4DNl0-e2QlURW1PQ-loTIByu8qwzXtamLwhsLup9xH-4EjneG0drYLCD5S5jVkB6CVp8cu889Y2keA_EwkRmyifQfTk0UvOdo4qN5eO1k177aGJ5aalZeth/s400/IMG_3477.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-86551568355570204372013-08-24T14:17:00.000-07:002013-08-24T14:17:29.738-07:00Life As UsualLately I've been feeling like my life must seem incredibly boring to everyone else. Everyone has had all these awesome vacations or they're planning something big like a Caribbean cruise or a visit to Europe or New York, and when people ask me if I have anything exciting planned I have to answer "Ummmmm... nothing?" Not that's necessarily a bad thing, but after our big trip last summer and the rough time Mark and I had for most of the last year it's been a bit of a downer to not have a big event to plan for an look forward to. (I'll be honest, I've wondered lately if my depression is starting to come back as well.) But on the plus side we're trying to scrape together enough money to visit my grandparents in Jacksonville in a few months. It won't be the best time of year to go, especially for taking Mira to the beach, but since we have to buy her a ticket now we're a bit more limited than in the past.<br />
<br />
But I am proud of myself because after thinking all summer that we should take Mira on a hike, a few weeks ago we finally did! It was just a short little hike up to a reservoir. If we hadn't had Mira we would have continued on a few more miles to a waterfall but by then Mira was tired and hot and cranky and miffed at us because we wouldn't let her go swimming in the reservoir so we cut it short. But otherwise it was a great little outing that was free and active, which is perfect.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6e9IQswM84FQgosDqeMf6VMG-VJPmICwJGDrtuPkwGzQJPbDPSVpn906rQmWEg2hvib8grYHPvRiId-xLS814qOaOmUB_awF8-TQiAiKkD1KOTI5k7DsmAIBQnDszE-ET85HhQXC_4JGe/s1600/DSCF1023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6e9IQswM84FQgosDqeMf6VMG-VJPmICwJGDrtuPkwGzQJPbDPSVpn906rQmWEg2hvib8grYHPvRiId-xLS814qOaOmUB_awF8-TQiAiKkD1KOTI5k7DsmAIBQnDszE-ET85HhQXC_4JGe/s400/DSCF1023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb5qFlf-1sMeFKI-jSp6_b1bifjOewSFssWwbztu2CSBeF308zANyowxDxzWOFwaLTT4FfDDhCG8GZsaye4tIsUx-9IXfA8nKmQ6b_XrbGf_pT5kafyAb3jpIKGN3OAICjQhXb4NkYqy4/s1600/DSCF1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb5qFlf-1sMeFKI-jSp6_b1bifjOewSFssWwbztu2CSBeF308zANyowxDxzWOFwaLTT4FfDDhCG8GZsaye4tIsUx-9IXfA8nKmQ6b_XrbGf_pT5kafyAb3jpIKGN3OAICjQhXb4NkYqy4/s400/DSCF1024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIBCzq9-f1jVt4SjOJLMgzqZziknb-sxAxsZY538MPjFKV7qo2-0YnoQ8SbjeB1K1BrzHp4EH2taJPJzENK6uHr7wzKTDAhQW_6plyNSfUyIXOqHAPPtfjOruodC9IV6xb2nRG4buEoNH/s1600/DSCF1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIBCzq9-f1jVt4SjOJLMgzqZziknb-sxAxsZY538MPjFKV7qo2-0YnoQ8SbjeB1K1BrzHp4EH2taJPJzENK6uHr7wzKTDAhQW_6plyNSfUyIXOqHAPPtfjOruodC9IV6xb2nRG4buEoNH/s400/DSCF1025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCoTheMc-scYbUoIPjQX45OnvbDNC2U2C9rdmDxqPVgx4NOOa14zB_f8r2bEvxS4ZlUcKAZaBEtIA8p90XbVJtiWjuz5K4ZlWU9CHkq27N6zJ6p5bd1ez98dSPMMdQpa8wTAvYHNzVTrG/s1600/DSCF1026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCoTheMc-scYbUoIPjQX45OnvbDNC2U2C9rdmDxqPVgx4NOOa14zB_f8r2bEvxS4ZlUcKAZaBEtIA8p90XbVJtiWjuz5K4ZlWU9CHkq27N6zJ6p5bd1ez98dSPMMdQpa8wTAvYHNzVTrG/s400/DSCF1026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDAK4V8hZhIqwx4eree8MxTM8Oeb_DXeOPSAlNkbnOFO3LAMefEYG5v1hRjSICuDH0_uuQa-ipJyYUeIWGpLiggiosmDyEV9N3YSJf9PkKkjtM_lRMOeK20X40qrs3DBh2GfBUvyKrq8U/s1600/DSCF1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDAK4V8hZhIqwx4eree8MxTM8Oeb_DXeOPSAlNkbnOFO3LAMefEYG5v1hRjSICuDH0_uuQa-ipJyYUeIWGpLiggiosmDyEV9N3YSJf9PkKkjtM_lRMOeK20X40qrs3DBh2GfBUvyKrq8U/s400/DSCF1027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33fEz98Dmjw5_JpgKX3_YzrpKmv07GIphXGco-MOrMDZHC4Xc_xq0HwX_nbQUu5v8NUn06-xv4j_Xq3JOvJYI16NFO1b5mF8rYDgz5QjsW_GojRlCiYCKxS-DcALVbm4ZDjEXJVJ6awjd/s1600/DSCF1028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33fEz98Dmjw5_JpgKX3_YzrpKmv07GIphXGco-MOrMDZHC4Xc_xq0HwX_nbQUu5v8NUn06-xv4j_Xq3JOvJYI16NFO1b5mF8rYDgz5QjsW_GojRlCiYCKxS-DcALVbm4ZDjEXJVJ6awjd/s400/DSCF1028.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salt Lake Valley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Kybg6a0Hq9LS-tKf-vYDZcsdvHN0SH-wFGmWNU9PYmI3ComU90kiLmEQoOtNryslFoRm88N1HWjf48sca7mMz1zgVQ3uGtvC6GToXX-cwnierzbuQiXlYqFHTkh7jSHCeydiwn4IE1e7/s1600/DSCF1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Kybg6a0Hq9LS-tKf-vYDZcsdvHN0SH-wFGmWNU9PYmI3ComU90kiLmEQoOtNryslFoRm88N1HWjf48sca7mMz1zgVQ3uGtvC6GToXX-cwnierzbuQiXlYqFHTkh7jSHCeydiwn4IE1e7/s400/DSCF1029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rfeZCnX_LPTZK_NYX0xZtUBhMUA-VS16sBUWvV79C1TBM9EDGifEsNlVCHVtOfZ1AhhwjAXZlvWyb9syH5wCs2SL8RzlYl4rdy6OOrq7mz2IWuubh5cDdirrnQFwVXxh5pLGb0QPGONd/s1600/IMG_3271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rfeZCnX_LPTZK_NYX0xZtUBhMUA-VS16sBUWvV79C1TBM9EDGifEsNlVCHVtOfZ1AhhwjAXZlvWyb9syH5wCs2SL8RzlYl4rdy6OOrq7mz2IWuubh5cDdirrnQFwVXxh5pLGb0QPGONd/s400/IMG_3271.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqVe739zkTwoMuQQLH-hqMS6-rJTFUi9MQv0bISLiDeZd565NvYpk2s1NVnmXKswhQc9UoDqjYSD0ff4M2wRgQR1-sB6XV3YrMwleR-Z9YMx4G5ZWPdl8FncvB9zqeHK9iXheX7qoVBaT/s1600/IMG_3272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqVe739zkTwoMuQQLH-hqMS6-rJTFUi9MQv0bISLiDeZd565NvYpk2s1NVnmXKswhQc9UoDqjYSD0ff4M2wRgQR1-sB6XV3YrMwleR-Z9YMx4G5ZWPdl8FncvB9zqeHK9iXheX7qoVBaT/s400/IMG_3272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3JaOYp9QmD-q7-7qe5-FFdSTqCHHeXlU_ga7tGvQNpMBJGl6Ioogogi25YaxoSRcfuzwvV-pw5cEYUh00ihruXlHozZXiVUPeaO1tKHJex0jIN0iP67BDZ-Qk0ATYckKBvwYTC-mxjwO/s1600/IMG_3273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3JaOYp9QmD-q7-7qe5-FFdSTqCHHeXlU_ga7tGvQNpMBJGl6Ioogogi25YaxoSRcfuzwvV-pw5cEYUh00ihruXlHozZXiVUPeaO1tKHJex0jIN0iP67BDZ-Qk0ATYckKBvwYTC-mxjwO/s400/IMG_3273.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0jSxncfqzgi_7Ou7Xdab2oB8lMqQfjse1136cO3GenNyjrM1QGCS1_pqeqlreqPIbtGUYea84M-0R5HgFog8LaxlNxp_WNbuZt-eWt96mf-vAcM_HGT3Kb21Vu9IdPYvm8hAFYHr4Y5Y/s1600/IMG_3274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0jSxncfqzgi_7Ou7Xdab2oB8lMqQfjse1136cO3GenNyjrM1QGCS1_pqeqlreqPIbtGUYea84M-0R5HgFog8LaxlNxp_WNbuZt-eWt96mf-vAcM_HGT3Kb21Vu9IdPYvm8hAFYHr4Y5Y/s400/IMG_3274.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QD_qkiHE0dMlEKGrVla2huaIZOeYRV2g-qH4UR2lXNegvvfk1cGt48M5fL2i6IKgThD1RRcUadXZsHAVnag275puY6OdY1UNuF0K6_8RsdRhzb-M3Vma0re2tj0B8STUf3W89mN6KO5M/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QD_qkiHE0dMlEKGrVla2huaIZOeYRV2g-qH4UR2lXNegvvfk1cGt48M5fL2i6IKgThD1RRcUadXZsHAVnag275puY6OdY1UNuF0K6_8RsdRhzb-M3Vma0re2tj0B8STUf3W89mN6KO5M/s400/IMG_3276.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved how clear the water was.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTMLtLWso_lh4d6MlEjTmP4mSWKjJyeIbP8VG0138jycQKnN1Lq97yU-X2si_TCNJLh1VWmdz8u2wx60rcoLHzTqCnApRYxPrgCdUboB39EIZceyDdWvecR4xcJH7ca0GsRNpzN_PabMY/s1600/IMG_3277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTMLtLWso_lh4d6MlEjTmP4mSWKjJyeIbP8VG0138jycQKnN1Lq97yU-X2si_TCNJLh1VWmdz8u2wx60rcoLHzTqCnApRYxPrgCdUboB39EIZceyDdWvecR4xcJH7ca0GsRNpzN_PabMY/s400/IMG_3277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1QQV5rHnVCEow6OCxcnt5uq1U95Hve-txmCfFVjxY2OH5Tg6YmgHNPIYQfS4qO7qcWDW5bKo3REGjxMo2dEBWFJVWzaR8HUg6f2MuGAyc3r5ru6cVLdzAfXveUk6-KNEeIguRSsierId/s1600/IMG_3278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1QQV5rHnVCEow6OCxcnt5uq1U95Hve-txmCfFVjxY2OH5Tg6YmgHNPIYQfS4qO7qcWDW5bKo3REGjxMo2dEBWFJVWzaR8HUg6f2MuGAyc3r5ru6cVLdzAfXveUk6-KNEeIguRSsierId/s400/IMG_3278.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvQwUVusv3zLPcXkXe0Yd3aZq2ZYbtLCAY4DVZJ8onNpuEzcir-83ia0y_SgyeHtrFlQmW2KhYioAEWvKqRbkqaZYp9jLq_gl4_XXM3pMMhEmdL2v4rye8KuIMxxyM9Rrx3IPsgv7ctc8/s1600/IMG_3279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvQwUVusv3zLPcXkXe0Yd3aZq2ZYbtLCAY4DVZJ8onNpuEzcir-83ia0y_SgyeHtrFlQmW2KhYioAEWvKqRbkqaZYp9jLq_gl4_XXM3pMMhEmdL2v4rye8KuIMxxyM9Rrx3IPsgv7ctc8/s400/IMG_3279.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSSZukC6bepZvKfAoTe4nelPQB9erSGmM3nGvefsbdv-PGHiyKdT56Mq0F5t4E4KjgsWhppQ-BPfavX_sHcuN7sTCqA2uyhJ6lDGf7Dk1nka53hSxXt9n4X92_oiO-rkztRvDyDIlZ5S5/s1600/IMG_3280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSSZukC6bepZvKfAoTe4nelPQB9erSGmM3nGvefsbdv-PGHiyKdT56Mq0F5t4E4KjgsWhppQ-BPfavX_sHcuN7sTCqA2uyhJ6lDGf7Dk1nka53hSxXt9n4X92_oiO-rkztRvDyDIlZ5S5/s400/IMG_3280.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Another outdoor activity I've gotten in the habit of doing with Mira (especially since summer will be over soon) is taking her to the splash pad. I've wanted to take her swimming at an actual pool again but when I balance it in my head, a swimming pool costs money and a splash pad doesn't, so for now we've just gone to the splash pad. Mira doesn't care either way. It took her a few tries to get okay with actually getting wet, but then she just ran around laughing hysterically through the water, and then occasionally stopping and belting out a song at the top of her lungs as if she had the most attentive audience in the world.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQn2EgwfqkST-3sa8Z4hua9UxfFjervlq1zXGXoKYF9D4cXBlX-6NFdrig73q9EImTnrlauOhOZb2Hb9F0NMFSBVYRtyVKkwBdrMpQZkPnT3iS4TNL4_7H84xyMi3cS8RL6VFQQF5jvSb/s1600/IMG_3291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQn2EgwfqkST-3sa8Z4hua9UxfFjervlq1zXGXoKYF9D4cXBlX-6NFdrig73q9EImTnrlauOhOZb2Hb9F0NMFSBVYRtyVKkwBdrMpQZkPnT3iS4TNL4_7H84xyMi3cS8RL6VFQQF5jvSb/s400/IMG_3291.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR434Mt75DEWXx4qQpQcnp4R759bodxw7GsWZHh_BR_Topi6sK-THIWXyK-jnEmJJW47t5N1swp1ZfD2W2FP8APJvCmhBA6MIYszlrtWHtKvtnSOiux46IkFuympa6bTOIgQ8IwyFqKok/s1600/IMG_3292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR434Mt75DEWXx4qQpQcnp4R759bodxw7GsWZHh_BR_Topi6sK-THIWXyK-jnEmJJW47t5N1swp1ZfD2W2FP8APJvCmhBA6MIYszlrtWHtKvtnSOiux46IkFuympa6bTOIgQ8IwyFqKok/s400/IMG_3292.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6arz-HcW24eWIBu8NbnvyITJ_exb3Ym3YdvbSBfrq5lB3zmZvTlWAYAwICJKMegLWixj0W6VKMAlp9K_eEZ41RsQYuPUtLzvkHeFUo3LqOkCKyWDj2WqTt-hPduuQBVabjAJF5CNLehLY/s1600/IMG_3293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6arz-HcW24eWIBu8NbnvyITJ_exb3Ym3YdvbSBfrq5lB3zmZvTlWAYAwICJKMegLWixj0W6VKMAlp9K_eEZ41RsQYuPUtLzvkHeFUo3LqOkCKyWDj2WqTt-hPduuQBVabjAJF5CNLehLY/s400/IMG_3293.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ix1FfRoU2HF9FHVf3htKir4RJmuVPBgoN79QRVEdN4FPcvIGW7-GaWC0Pt32aBHWawa9o18PLd8bHqqdUDDf7pX_yhWU3VSO31o2dYdb7uk-2cwdApiRq_YQo1z-xSM-K8wfSzej77FD/s1600/IMG_3294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ix1FfRoU2HF9FHVf3htKir4RJmuVPBgoN79QRVEdN4FPcvIGW7-GaWC0Pt32aBHWawa9o18PLd8bHqqdUDDf7pX_yhWU3VSO31o2dYdb7uk-2cwdApiRq_YQo1z-xSM-K8wfSzej77FD/s400/IMG_3294.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
It's really fun most of the time to play around with Mira outside and just be amazed at the stuff that she does. I blame her complete and utter lack of fear for this.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/_J8zXmGbH0U/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_J8zXmGbH0U?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_J8zXmGbH0U?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Seriously, I was probably 4 or 5 by the time I could do a somersault! I did not teach her this at all. Next it'll be cartwheels. She definitely loves to show off, which means she'll be an excellent performer.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/e6xez1-wl_A/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e6xez1-wl_A?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e6xez1-wl_A?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Her speech is also getting a lot better. She still has some trouble saying specific words that we give her but then she says a lot of phrases like "I did it!" (her current favorite, besides screaming "No, <i>I</i>!!" when she wants to do something for herself), "I see,""I don't know," and the one that surprised me the other day was when she came downstairs and announced, "Mom, I ray to eet!" So now I'm thinking we don't really need to take her to speech therapy.<br />
<br />
It occurred to me that Mira's tantrums don't seem as unpredictable these days, and when they happen they don't seem as bad, nor do they last as long. Although it could just be that I've gotten so used to it that it doesn't register anymore. However, what I have noticed is she is deliberately testing her limits <i>all the time</i>. So instead of a kid that unpredictably throws herself on the ground so she can dramatically scream and flail her limbs around, I have a kid that defies and provokes - and the angrier I get the happier she seems to be about it. Honestly I'm not sure this is much of an improvement, if at all. Add this to her curious personality and her lack of fear of <i>anything</i> and I feel like my stress level is worse than it's ever been. Mark's advice is to have fun with it. My (internal) response is that fathers are inherently the "fun" parent therefore for him this is great advice. For better or worse, the mothers often get stuck with the day-to-day disciplining - not that Mark doesn't discipline either, and we both work so it's not like one of us is stuck at home all the time, but let's face it, dads just have an easier time being fun and I just don't know how to be that kind of fun all the time. Interaction with people takes energy for me. Interacting with little kids takes even more energy. Interacting constantly with a defiant little kid (even though she's cute) without getting a break just drains every bit of energy out of me, and I can feel it happening early in the day too, so then I'm just emotionally exhausted all the time, and that just isn't a good feeling. (For those of you who don't understand what I mean, here's a really good article to read about <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/introverts-signs-am-i-introverted_n_3721431.html" target="_blank">introverts</a>.) So I don't know if I feel depressed and exhausted and completely over my head because I have bad coping/parenting-of-a-toddler skills or if I need to get back on antidepressants again or if I'm simply not getting time to "introvert" during the day or if these are normal everyday feelings for mothers of small children.<br />
<br />
Okay, rant over. Seriously, don't think I regret Mira, because I definitely don't. I love her to pieces and I'm so amazed that my daughter ended up being so charming, energetic, outgoing, friendly, fearless and unbelievably cute. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill3xf21YXJfNKzJhmEylavCYqtJpJjx-Mde_vudYOsIFDvysCU0AGLqkETq8DU3bxCsu-srYsx68qv-HnrQ7xLcDxJroGdUwCvgihzlPfwYQSvjTZr8ee13Efq28v3OSB64NWrb6h0_Wr/s1600/IMG_3349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill3xf21YXJfNKzJhmEylavCYqtJpJjx-Mde_vudYOsIFDvysCU0AGLqkETq8DU3bxCsu-srYsx68qv-HnrQ7xLcDxJroGdUwCvgihzlPfwYQSvjTZr8ee13Efq28v3OSB64NWrb6h0_Wr/s400/IMG_3349.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XgyHV065y2b2oVKe-3kpWjszKp-fslxdw8UawdC3qbSR9cj6MYPzVh6JIoDV-D1w8QRBX8uN0VqhwSyC0kt8aGuwfgrQ18MlH8yaFcoDVKkNKAXYRHSjdoCDHJTA2qIrE0Lcaao6BwaI/s1600/IMG_3350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XgyHV065y2b2oVKe-3kpWjszKp-fslxdw8UawdC3qbSR9cj6MYPzVh6JIoDV-D1w8QRBX8uN0VqhwSyC0kt8aGuwfgrQ18MlH8yaFcoDVKkNKAXYRHSjdoCDHJTA2qIrE0Lcaao6BwaI/s400/IMG_3350.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W8cArbJi78SfUFNn6Ny940J-Fq6FZSEkW9KHkmkUHRawZkPn-yNEBUU7dpmDUN4-pjdkok3iLNbur_RvugaNYamVetfeWEVYhk7y9xbQBWXwstjycCJcdsHaaFa14jKqEuEXsJLl_3Bn/s1600/IMG_3290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W8cArbJi78SfUFNn6Ny940J-Fq6FZSEkW9KHkmkUHRawZkPn-yNEBUU7dpmDUN4-pjdkok3iLNbur_RvugaNYamVetfeWEVYhk7y9xbQBWXwstjycCJcdsHaaFa14jKqEuEXsJLl_3Bn/s400/IMG_3290.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn1tZni7gP-SxPitDI9Td91PEuT92G5BX9IV3Doawe4iI6XI0VNQ1yjbHYCMQNBcO4W75BTJB18Gi0o6sSg7RYCU12P8fwSdVCqD5jJ1abyyfiRI6ajqyMTdfJO7pStsq5Sfbe178tGHj/s1600/IMG_3286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn1tZni7gP-SxPitDI9Td91PEuT92G5BX9IV3Doawe4iI6XI0VNQ1yjbHYCMQNBcO4W75BTJB18Gi0o6sSg7RYCU12P8fwSdVCqD5jJ1abyyfiRI6ajqyMTdfJO7pStsq5Sfbe178tGHj/s400/IMG_3286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AAxwjR7KwRvUGJX-2sIXlG-3KuU-7HMK9hFw5WK_r4wZm01Kjk6oY9ZqnVo11Z8Mhf4N4kBW_mTEVmKgkbmsqUyypQnN-4aWQ2EfoUNaPGOe3WnWxA05x-Co5pDkoskudRCZwVKPLyrw/s1600/IMG_3185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AAxwjR7KwRvUGJX-2sIXlG-3KuU-7HMK9hFw5WK_r4wZm01Kjk6oY9ZqnVo11Z8Mhf4N4kBW_mTEVmKgkbmsqUyypQnN-4aWQ2EfoUNaPGOe3WnWxA05x-Co5pDkoskudRCZwVKPLyrw/s400/IMG_3185.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding out if the garbage can has a heart beat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3js8eafBDOAoDK3nC9OJeU2pD3WYUoT0b_KIAc1JYLMG2zAaQgvKyCDCdpArPxkdYN8wOt6mpJBunrF6shDT10s4SMjPpLTddCthoHNG5yNceqtpiMHJkucQx33slbX5d_jVdLafbRg7P/s1600/IMG_3186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3js8eafBDOAoDK3nC9OJeU2pD3WYUoT0b_KIAc1JYLMG2zAaQgvKyCDCdpArPxkdYN8wOt6mpJBunrF6shDT10s4SMjPpLTddCthoHNG5yNceqtpiMHJkucQx33slbX5d_jVdLafbRg7P/s400/IMG_3186.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future nurse in training.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXSIzqK7BjstHDN32fko8g6lJL4iOGQELoASfpnWYeYQNc6ZWQCR4bi_cfDDTSB7Fy8CFc7E26ouovSJs-5Nxd0RjpgPPGGsIctcj01hsxNsZUd3jMGA7hziCYqc1XHFE63jpQ0DVWGHl/s1600/IMG_3187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXSIzqK7BjstHDN32fko8g6lJL4iOGQELoASfpnWYeYQNc6ZWQCR4bi_cfDDTSB7Fy8CFc7E26ouovSJs-5Nxd0RjpgPPGGsIctcj01hsxNsZUd3jMGA7hziCYqc1XHFE63jpQ0DVWGHl/s400/IMG_3187.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmALxyH96jnVxGd5xxXAzCLAhDERyITG1SZ0dQsl9WwAYKFx7Gq2OVkpJxxEWmokLjmxkUm5SRrYk2dPLeyWQHG1xYk2A2WOhuwbbbVkrM6mckk7pd3AkAGg441TXQEtEGnQmQU-wYwfL/s1600/IMG_3285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmALxyH96jnVxGd5xxXAzCLAhDERyITG1SZ0dQsl9WwAYKFx7Gq2OVkpJxxEWmokLjmxkUm5SRrYk2dPLeyWQHG1xYk2A2WOhuwbbbVkrM6mckk7pd3AkAGg441TXQEtEGnQmQU-wYwfL/s400/IMG_3285.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OVQa0RzLP4Sp6rZSC_87Gfpjlu6wVW5fiBXKJJuwMCSZVxhjgrlkglg5escfQEJ7r_OtUBqc8UlfRSjPZmnr3A45PfJHum-nAt3lzEggX4IAKO8Yul-v31SU6lNfB9GEBF05_A4NoDOR/s1600/IMG_3176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OVQa0RzLP4Sp6rZSC_87Gfpjlu6wVW5fiBXKJJuwMCSZVxhjgrlkglg5escfQEJ7r_OtUBqc8UlfRSjPZmnr3A45PfJHum-nAt3lzEggX4IAKO8Yul-v31SU6lNfB9GEBF05_A4NoDOR/s400/IMG_3176.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyihfHEtFbmIeLRemxQw_XhAIOsqKkufRExoBT6td6H3f2wUxWmAf95uxseoX_7CGjKHWaDuOK6U5w93gYvWrp0E3YQ6ha6gicf81F_GiyFo-BQa114vk6k-56L_1WoafIZcTLsN6P1NAU/s1600/IMG_3177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyihfHEtFbmIeLRemxQw_XhAIOsqKkufRExoBT6td6H3f2wUxWmAf95uxseoX_7CGjKHWaDuOK6U5w93gYvWrp0E3YQ6ha6gicf81F_GiyFo-BQa114vk6k-56L_1WoafIZcTLsN6P1NAU/s400/IMG_3177.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLN4AEF0UxwrLP1vmBN2BQJnuw4O2kMLvIGn7NbZS2nvuuF0CSwkpuJpIsIw7vWChGzuH7ZndO2cXmHVl7T1ZRqiW3UDWO8t3m1UsIejTd9edfO6VP6EWDIMxzH97XX0vLJVdvDBfVnta/s1600/IMG_3178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLN4AEF0UxwrLP1vmBN2BQJnuw4O2kMLvIGn7NbZS2nvuuF0CSwkpuJpIsIw7vWChGzuH7ZndO2cXmHVl7T1ZRqiW3UDWO8t3m1UsIejTd9edfO6VP6EWDIMxzH97XX0vLJVdvDBfVnta/s400/IMG_3178.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIe_WGwV61aBygtUR8Bh2xkwlfD4ztGcPScUyeUD4q7elMTCx04V4JB80Dke58ezqMgQTIKLKJoVl8yvmVBa489xpP6S7QqXGAmugIb_3ht2LW1v63ACrpfWHkJ_i-2FqoIuvFF-a-XoXF/s1600/IMG_3179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIe_WGwV61aBygtUR8Bh2xkwlfD4ztGcPScUyeUD4q7elMTCx04V4JB80Dke58ezqMgQTIKLKJoVl8yvmVBa489xpP6S7QqXGAmugIb_3ht2LW1v63ACrpfWHkJ_i-2FqoIuvFF-a-XoXF/s400/IMG_3179.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She couldn't figure out why the cat wasn't eating his twigs - but she kept trying.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUHIehy-oHbjt-_XdJMOlSw7TCXJubPMvpIwSXHIhGPf2yfhISk9e0-ayFEoYKxF8dt3pUDzhFkXjGc4yrWZMujYZ1tV7L5bwendxk_gMYIu72iY9v6wiQaJED3w47jZ4It2BJMzVkOiG/s1600/IMG_3180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUHIehy-oHbjt-_XdJMOlSw7TCXJubPMvpIwSXHIhGPf2yfhISk9e0-ayFEoYKxF8dt3pUDzhFkXjGc4yrWZMujYZ1tV7L5bwendxk_gMYIu72iY9v6wiQaJED3w47jZ4It2BJMzVkOiG/s400/IMG_3180.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QBzhz69TI2-V99MM70ksLYAG_EDr2IYOc9ewYnTxodiR3ka-ns9WMdn6avma1gMjUPxpZReeo8Q2VptUpqb3hvO4zIbJRI1pLfUytUWgyC9S-6fC11SieV1WsnXCLxwe3kA5cYua6axC/s1600/IMG_3181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QBzhz69TI2-V99MM70ksLYAG_EDr2IYOc9ewYnTxodiR3ka-ns9WMdn6avma1gMjUPxpZReeo8Q2VptUpqb3hvO4zIbJRI1pLfUytUWgyC9S-6fC11SieV1WsnXCLxwe3kA5cYua6axC/s400/IMG_3181.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSsnwsY-_j3RnkxgZnsbjlZSxiElQJhqG_lgfrAJxhC32xKPaSJcdFySjPaWttekxi7iKDwlsEsaUs9i3VpmujI7pOLQvPTAiidiTlIiAMSTeBauB9tQ5TSxSz1WjW96LZOFHa-kR5pwB/s1600/IMG_3182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSsnwsY-_j3RnkxgZnsbjlZSxiElQJhqG_lgfrAJxhC32xKPaSJcdFySjPaWttekxi7iKDwlsEsaUs9i3VpmujI7pOLQvPTAiidiTlIiAMSTeBauB9tQ5TSxSz1WjW96LZOFHa-kR5pwB/s400/IMG_3182.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMGjZ2_KICWuMnPEhZ1EaDbUrNIHnq8ZkJb1OvBwL4sxMjGC1yjV9mLlVghlNZzbTpcNkVxMdP_ywZsygl-Y2wsQvUvg5cvEsgfbklSk9ke6eKFmOGjeb3vm5j4lSpAAHxE6ZBhnNoPfQ/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMGjZ2_KICWuMnPEhZ1EaDbUrNIHnq8ZkJb1OvBwL4sxMjGC1yjV9mLlVghlNZzbTpcNkVxMdP_ywZsygl-Y2wsQvUvg5cvEsgfbklSk9ke6eKFmOGjeb3vm5j4lSpAAHxE6ZBhnNoPfQ/s400/IMG_3328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfXt0fjbvxQa53IC9WeDrrJ7BnE0yfLd8Fk6gv02U3KduANad-lHaX4L88aR-y-AIbi0qxj67kLUO1W8zYXwEvyNVwV969kSGN8vqo-AZKHFXt8119NNXTK9AJtD71o79Z41GQxvhKV4h/s1600/IMG_3329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfXt0fjbvxQa53IC9WeDrrJ7BnE0yfLd8Fk6gv02U3KduANad-lHaX4L88aR-y-AIbi0qxj67kLUO1W8zYXwEvyNVwV969kSGN8vqo-AZKHFXt8119NNXTK9AJtD71o79Z41GQxvhKV4h/s400/IMG_3329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbrfFj710Lt71jHNPDnrIBLQP4Nnl9UFBej-JyBlJ_P1nAD4JgXen3ktu9sCjfceRKXCfNTn_Gr8h5el6egw3AnZa17hn6QynLoxs49-e-d5sYJJNCRXEvmslxp0pVMs9TaSOXvhHpUHO/s1600/IMG_3172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbrfFj710Lt71jHNPDnrIBLQP4Nnl9UFBej-JyBlJ_P1nAD4JgXen3ktu9sCjfceRKXCfNTn_Gr8h5el6egw3AnZa17hn6QynLoxs49-e-d5sYJJNCRXEvmslxp0pVMs9TaSOXvhHpUHO/s400/IMG_3172.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I love these next pictures. Some of Mira's tantrums are understandable, and some of them are just Mira milking the situation and being dramatic. Everyone was right, girls are drama without having to be taught.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM9rD_EsCxMsEq4rUS4JWP1GH7mnDXQxLDJmdM0l1ivSjjqamoytLgbz9oZYwyuR4Z0c4RffgEtD-yy39Lf10cLLzS2Y9v2QafXttH2o8dfE2KWsS_ZOIUhKY4BNU9anR2gG99bB0xeha/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM9rD_EsCxMsEq4rUS4JWP1GH7mnDXQxLDJmdM0l1ivSjjqamoytLgbz9oZYwyuR4Z0c4RffgEtD-yy39Lf10cLLzS2Y9v2QafXttH2o8dfE2KWsS_ZOIUhKY4BNU9anR2gG99bB0xeha/s400/IMG_3173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7H7c6C8u-27XOTz7Vkw9joPWKAD1glrk_aUkXJqz05jBfV79eDhuQthRTakdjwXn0ACA1MLce6gvVVL5PVgfa2BmFma5X3dVKgGmwITlMWTi6RZvfQpEWoHgsH5R25LMmf82C78ywS6b/s1600/IMG_3174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7H7c6C8u-27XOTz7Vkw9joPWKAD1glrk_aUkXJqz05jBfV79eDhuQthRTakdjwXn0ACA1MLce6gvVVL5PVgfa2BmFma5X3dVKgGmwITlMWTi6RZvfQpEWoHgsH5R25LMmf82C78ywS6b/s400/IMG_3174.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG8ORHSgPjbDo0nmhSj90IBn6-qVDEoMq_Lz8TbMN2ahK6IinCvxkUP7PJzBeZgF7AE3Y5Nzq7Ctvb6Fm6bnHamySSlqhLLfFG148LZP4600cxFfLTJIxZW-Td4gRZ9xNpsZiUEKwyTJ_/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG8ORHSgPjbDo0nmhSj90IBn6-qVDEoMq_Lz8TbMN2ahK6IinCvxkUP7PJzBeZgF7AE3Y5Nzq7Ctvb6Fm6bnHamySSlqhLLfFG148LZP4600cxFfLTJIxZW-Td4gRZ9xNpsZiUEKwyTJ_/s400/IMG_3175.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the tragedy of it all...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By the way, if any of my parent friends want a good laugh, there's this hilarious website called <a href="http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com/" target="_blank">Reasons My Son Is Crying</a> that has really helped put a smile on my face on difficult days because it reminds me everyone else's little kid is also throwing a tantrum for ridiculous reasons. Actually, even if you don't have kids I think you'd get a kick out of it anyway, but I think it's especially funny for people who currently have small kids.<br />
<br />
I think my mantra these days should be "It'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphaseit's<br />
justaphaseit'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphaseit'sjustaphase." Maybe if I say it often enough I'll believe it. For those of you who are tempted to tell me to enjoy it while it lasts, I'm going to refer you back to my <a href="http://nurselani.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-brat-years.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a> in which I posted a link to an article advising people to say exactly the opposite of that phrase to parents of small children. :)Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-79183993722708387522013-07-30T13:12:00.003-07:002013-07-30T13:14:31.476-07:00Faster Than A Speeding ToddlerPart of being a normal toddler is figuring out ways to make your parents tear their hair out in various ways, or in other words, learning how to do naughty things in the blink of an eye. Mira has unfortunately learned how to open the front door and sneak out of the house in just a few seconds. One day I was upstairs (probably sleeping in between night shifts because I was unavailable to keep track of Mira) and Mark went into the garage for less than 10 seconds to grab something and when he got back the front door was open and Mira was nowhere to be seen. Luckily she didn't get very far but that was still scary, so we've taken to locking the front door to keep Mira inside.<br />
<br />
This next story of how fast Mira can be involves food. First of all I'd like to say that Mira will literally eat pretty much anything as long as she sees me eating it. That's how we can get her to finish eating her meals - I'll take a bite of her food and she'll gobble the rest of it. But anyway, we've gotten her to eat all sorts of foods that the average toddler would probably refuse to eat using this method, although some she just loves to eat on her own. One night I was washing zucchini for dinner. I set them aside, walked away for a minute, came back, and saw this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBDL2RcOZ6_guURML8v0eJ3V1YTJtC1IG-kdVGXZJhok8g9zULjzFCQj13uoAnpfVV2C7Z4nBThsMNXMmh50nu3ecAiFpsk6eU_v0c7Ue3MKHkbcyBnh97nUeSfJdENFjYH6ybVTo1GPD/s1600/IMG_2973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBDL2RcOZ6_guURML8v0eJ3V1YTJtC1IG-kdVGXZJhok8g9zULjzFCQj13uoAnpfVV2C7Z4nBThsMNXMmh50nu3ecAiFpsk6eU_v0c7Ue3MKHkbcyBnh97nUeSfJdENFjYH6ybVTo1GPD/s400/IMG_2973.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And there's Mira with her mouth full of something, chewing away, with a decidedly "innocent" look on her face.<br />
<br />
Mark: "Mira, did you take a bite out of this?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Yeah."<br />
<br />
Me: "Is it good?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Yeah!"<br />
<br />
Well, I guess I can't complain about her not eating enough vegetables. As we've established, she really does like lots of veggies: obviously raw zucchini, but also things like mushrooms, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. Her favorite food is probably cheese.<br />
<br />
Me: "What do you want for lunch?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "Cheese!"<br />
<br />
Me: "You can't have just cheese for lunch, silly. How about a sandwich?"<br />
<br />
Mira: "No, I want cheese!!"<br />
<br />
Me: "How about a <i>cheese</i> quesadilla?"<br />
<br />
God forbid we suggest a food without cheese for her or else we'll set off another tantrum. Someone said to me once that the reason Two is so Terrible is that it's so unpredictable what will set off a massive tantrum. In some ways that is definitely true - Mira can go from sweet and cute to screaming and hitting back to cuddly and smiling within a few minutes. However, some things are guaranteed to set Mira off and these days those things are me trying to help her with anything. Specifically, she has to be the one to open the door or turn on the faucet or pump the soap from the dispenser or squeeze the toothpaste onto her toothbrush or buckle herself into her carseat... you get the picture. Sometimes when I'm in a rush and just trying to get things done it's <i>so</i> hard to be patient and let her do things on her own but I really do try to let her do it, even though it takes 10 years. I keep reminding myself that the end goal is to teach Mira how to be an independent, functional adult - and one of the ways she gets there is for me to let her do stuff on her own. Man, this parenting gig is tough! :)<br />
<br />
I've been saying for awhile that I've been feeling burned out lately. The discussion about my work schedule keeps coming up but we'll save that snoozefest for another time. I've been working out more, which is cathartic in a way but at the end of the day I still often feel drained of energy. Honestly I feel like I need a vacation - which we haven't been able to pull off this summer because of our work schedules but a few weekends ago Mark and I did the next best thing, which was dump Mira off at the babysitter's and spend the night up at The Canyons in Park City. (My goal is to make enough money so we can buy a house in Park City - seriously it's one of my favorite places on the planet (the parts that I've seen anyway).)<br />
<br />
Our first thought was that The Canyons looks so different in the summer than in the winter. It's still pretty of course but in a different way.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8i7GX408TMi3QmbWVRcMzulXle9gaqkxpxR4Iy4U9-p7OpT1wx_o_B1OWjtpyF_V0vqIZ4rABujO8j3egmhh1lNKx3nVX59R2G8BFhb54LO-lkMdA12-CrwslevxaCkZmHoMt2RRJRhxY/s1600/DSCF0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8i7GX408TMi3QmbWVRcMzulXle9gaqkxpxR4Iy4U9-p7OpT1wx_o_B1OWjtpyF_V0vqIZ4rABujO8j3egmhh1lNKx3nVX59R2G8BFhb54LO-lkMdA12-CrwslevxaCkZmHoMt2RRJRhxY/s400/DSCF0959.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmtpZukHxX685hsY440qieX7tydXD7jsTHcamW1b_rjcC3MyCNx5C7EePDgeOMkGqmRyZzQhBmPZQNiBqpeKMURd0mRnCexqporumFWwyM-t2PRziCuVAUSlZnjtEU8cQ3_GbnxIuxLmt/s1600/IMG_2935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmtpZukHxX685hsY440qieX7tydXD7jsTHcamW1b_rjcC3MyCNx5C7EePDgeOMkGqmRyZzQhBmPZQNiBqpeKMURd0mRnCexqporumFWwyM-t2PRziCuVAUSlZnjtEU8cQ3_GbnxIuxLmt/s400/IMG_2935.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Resort Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here are some pictures of our super nice room - an affordable little splurge now but were we to get the same room during the winter it would amount to wallet rape.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0TnC-5mD5ILD9p7U8ttP4L7xkoGTbiPpWHP3Y320UEHSKW6xDCV4SV3-TCuR-GtYHbjJ7gjPXTWIlooe8ovNSC9VRCAX4hXdOxzElD2ce7BKsYuqGUWyJI8P3n8U8egwFXJNJp6LEQJM/s1600/DSCF0954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0TnC-5mD5ILD9p7U8ttP4L7xkoGTbiPpWHP3Y320UEHSKW6xDCV4SV3-TCuR-GtYHbjJ7gjPXTWIlooe8ovNSC9VRCAX4hXdOxzElD2ce7BKsYuqGUWyJI8P3n8U8egwFXJNJp6LEQJM/s400/DSCF0954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKEUNE9wPEmtpXRywXn9GDZ6JahmgkJomTH_WDKgPO9KPU9VDoYb3E-ups5sc0j7DXfDTW2mqb10qbXpXpaXPIoXaT3yohOPDzfddel0-jY56XCFYxRjsfv-tCVHryYnhoQjX5jBdYLXr/s1600/DSCF0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKEUNE9wPEmtpXRywXn9GDZ6JahmgkJomTH_WDKgPO9KPU9VDoYb3E-ups5sc0j7DXfDTW2mqb10qbXpXpaXPIoXaT3yohOPDzfddel0-jY56XCFYxRjsfv-tCVHryYnhoQjX5jBdYLXr/s400/DSCF0955.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVDqAt0C5K6mxVr8QSqoafPIGRPCHXuEuWqPaMIQrUXHsO9EEAJcSiPSUjBU7cvEFPcCM0UZF_Mzjz7fUFQXVEMHzGwBVldQi_t5u656ePCtrK98APZ4CVFbuJYrksnpPchtDnvjRbOr2/s1600/DSCF0956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVDqAt0C5K6mxVr8QSqoafPIGRPCHXuEuWqPaMIQrUXHsO9EEAJcSiPSUjBU7cvEFPcCM0UZF_Mzjz7fUFQXVEMHzGwBVldQi_t5u656ePCtrK98APZ4CVFbuJYrksnpPchtDnvjRbOr2/s400/DSCF0956.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqWrdWH6qojkgMsq54WW2vv6mwG9LsAbXXQAAIL1r-3SrYD6VcQQeRxEWeGuxg1bXMtP6yJX3ONYp7wyL0Vj-ii0ZBoUXegE018NWgeOxr5fiYWYkzlWhJGjxy27c_UhOva4g8iAMEV1S/s1600/DSCF0958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqWrdWH6qojkgMsq54WW2vv6mwG9LsAbXXQAAIL1r-3SrYD6VcQQeRxEWeGuxg1bXMtP6yJX3ONYp7wyL0Vj-ii0ZBoUXegE018NWgeOxr5fiYWYkzlWhJGjxy27c_UhOva4g8iAMEV1S/s400/DSCF0958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
For dinner we went to a six-course dinner with wine pairings at a restaurant called The Farm, in the Canyon's Resort Village. I can't believe we walked past this restaurant every single time we went skiing this winter and never went in - the food was absolutely amazing! We have a new favorite restaurant. Plus the wine was amazing too - what better way to unwind than have a gourmet dinner with lots of wine. :)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy421RkfPg26wnx-7eIGJ4PVCAENmIp_ba4NLNagNEEX2Odn3x-YRVgeKkFW9RY04-fC6AzIOESoI9zGtOCA2fPhvEHs7wRnZJkVRpNuoi8guX6iNL8yuRsnIfkv86onqD196mVwzfHyl/s1600/IMG_2936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy421RkfPg26wnx-7eIGJ4PVCAENmIp_ba4NLNagNEEX2Odn3x-YRVgeKkFW9RY04-fC6AzIOESoI9zGtOCA2fPhvEHs7wRnZJkVRpNuoi8guX6iNL8yuRsnIfkv86onqD196mVwzfHyl/s400/IMG_2936.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the rustic place settings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0PMOXqDbAE3mFy0bhnEnxruffpeZkKHZCqZ9UGEqCVHS2SZpTQPTBDbAH1Mtgw0iMbUWEnCdwcA0foCRYRWxdC01hic1zDNk7fHX1TScqAD7lp45qypq-sLIvR5L_lALdA7FQDSvbDLr/s1600/IMG_2937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0PMOXqDbAE3mFy0bhnEnxruffpeZkKHZCqZ9UGEqCVHS2SZpTQPTBDbAH1Mtgw0iMbUWEnCdwcA0foCRYRWxdC01hic1zDNk7fHX1TScqAD7lp45qypq-sLIvR5L_lALdA7FQDSvbDLr/s400/IMG_2937.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-dinner cocktail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkALfO0EOle2-FvCne_rHloydr3ThcPhF7qJAgVHlYujknp67FKXttX-AyDhhEr6CfdujKENRgKQHvCkTKidGVRYyc73jTJeF68Lg3BHDjqh-7t65n7pjsv4BQnM8ePeZbCynIfghG-Ou/s1600/IMG_2938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkALfO0EOle2-FvCne_rHloydr3ThcPhF7qJAgVHlYujknp67FKXttX-AyDhhEr6CfdujKENRgKQHvCkTKidGVRYyc73jTJeF68Lg3BHDjqh-7t65n7pjsv4BQnM8ePeZbCynIfghG-Ou/s400/IMG_2938.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mGNkVSL_JWFmdLc2dSg3FzUDazIZc-TLfC9IUU1A88MNqU0LLyXeesdUt8xdawT2brrXTg2elaLBejimU-OEBxCtL2dNj8qrcBpz-4zHbnh7lnB0dACJfcpOddEQyU72Blf93XySdeH9/s1600/IMG_2942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mGNkVSL_JWFmdLc2dSg3FzUDazIZc-TLfC9IUU1A88MNqU0LLyXeesdUt8xdawT2brrXTg2elaLBejimU-OEBxCtL2dNj8qrcBpz-4zHbnh7lnB0dACJfcpOddEQyU72Blf93XySdeH9/s400/IMG_2942.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlKW8L-RXkaVNjq3YWjZ42OxCPEHd8IbPaUHe-3F-bxiDkefPqTvFBAbI54aUZkGclALYuEgeAvr_2NWPI-O54ejSJ17wiy3PpDDW-PIbCc3PHB1aEfI3nRCdggNNplfuQ4TKTfYORolS/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlKW8L-RXkaVNjq3YWjZ42OxCPEHd8IbPaUHe-3F-bxiDkefPqTvFBAbI54aUZkGclALYuEgeAvr_2NWPI-O54ejSJ17wiy3PpDDW-PIbCc3PHB1aEfI3nRCdggNNplfuQ4TKTfYORolS/s400/IMG_2941.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP0Tnr5lR3jtUE_3Hsx6ek9XJpBHfUc1w_hyXBbDTQ-mMJOqGt2BUDt7xSWwlK1BG_Q6jzgPAKXUS-wb8JUK2s5Ta0hU5DI9x91fpWef7t6tzeDInqMCpeXNlSkSvlXRyqVDMEyZVhMTL/s1600/IMG_2944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP0Tnr5lR3jtUE_3Hsx6ek9XJpBHfUc1w_hyXBbDTQ-mMJOqGt2BUDt7xSWwlK1BG_Q6jzgPAKXUS-wb8JUK2s5Ta0hU5DI9x91fpWef7t6tzeDInqMCpeXNlSkSvlXRyqVDMEyZVhMTL/s400/IMG_2944.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcgPXkINc_fxqMhKsJOZcwJ8G3vGEvlHcwVCPrW-jzX9FZjOpV8xFtXPFpnN5dTZw_1SH-TmR-4AcOpGpTStw_NDVq6AN9ZNyurU_KqV8Ya0j-NaCtQWxJiB7jym4t1fFJurMXBGw38aZ/s1600/IMG_2943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcgPXkINc_fxqMhKsJOZcwJ8G3vGEvlHcwVCPrW-jzX9FZjOpV8xFtXPFpnN5dTZw_1SH-TmR-4AcOpGpTStw_NDVq6AN9ZNyurU_KqV8Ya0j-NaCtQWxJiB7jym4t1fFJurMXBGw38aZ/s400/IMG_2943.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
This was the first course. Obviously some bread and sliced meat but also <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="auto">pâté, pickled fiddler fern heads (which were really interesting), red currant jelly and some <b><i>UH</i></b>-mazing spicy mustard that tasted more like horseradish.</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8USqM1L0DjMx0UHaF1zfGR4ivzJkWs8fjTQmwMm9-ysVTFEhxDidS8I1sBEqT9JxSKXxQML0DLq7pgpce8jue5pXBG85LUypmDsA1Ko2qFGxPurbChw9rRu76oBlLge-ZwkwuIlK0JF53/s1600/IMG_2945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8USqM1L0DjMx0UHaF1zfGR4ivzJkWs8fjTQmwMm9-ysVTFEhxDidS8I1sBEqT9JxSKXxQML0DLq7pgpce8jue5pXBG85LUypmDsA1Ko2qFGxPurbChw9rRu76oBlLge-ZwkwuIlK0JF53/s400/IMG_2945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Next was pork belly ravioli. First of all - best ravioli ever. Second of all - what they did with those eggs is pure art.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKyyqNIp-7ldjUccAv09j15sq9hY7gwKf5pjoedwWy3TnsC6Zlz49GfNLKuz7qtwBchYzYxaoX96FxL-skmz6IcIei90bPfzBw3xNVQb_vazdGERzuZbTjudpFz3Q2qubsASREXim0wR/s1600/IMG_2946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKyyqNIp-7ldjUccAv09j15sq9hY7gwKf5pjoedwWy3TnsC6Zlz49GfNLKuz7qtwBchYzYxaoX96FxL-skmz6IcIei90bPfzBw3xNVQb_vazdGERzuZbTjudpFz3Q2qubsASREXim0wR/s400/IMG_2946.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The third course was the only one that I wasn't head-over-heels in love with. The frittered squash blossom was good but the sardine kind of put me off. It didn't taste horrible but they left the bones in, so the texture was not my favorite, and the overwhelming fishy smell just took away from the whole thing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaYO8apk3IWKHi3_JEZHrHCd48XEg1KMmI_msPPa1VjRvi8aUcTYvX6N-uvYBdQLjJUVxw72RqqYsB2UnpzywZganiEaItkta5OkkfPQg0v12yrRk-lBN9ZJ2of1pzbKAJlV8IUhyphenhyphenABMi/s1600/IMG_2947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaYO8apk3IWKHi3_JEZHrHCd48XEg1KMmI_msPPa1VjRvi8aUcTYvX6N-uvYBdQLjJUVxw72RqqYsB2UnpzywZganiEaItkta5OkkfPQg0v12yrRk-lBN9ZJ2of1pzbKAJlV8IUhyphenhyphenABMi/s400/IMG_2947.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Next was a melon and cucumber gazpacho. Now <i>that</i> was a lovely light and fresh summer soup! I wish I was talented enough to pull off something like this at home.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f9kgFVvXz-yQe2juyzK2Qb8r-g72azoebLFSa-dJulbDQeaQdifCZsON62jOsar-ajHxQWc2ac2Ck9QpzL-bPuZYmI_m6C4oHy0WQveeYpMclt_rSaArzIRvPt9lohYKWOBkco08RdG3/s1600/IMG_2949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f9kgFVvXz-yQe2juyzK2Qb8r-g72azoebLFSa-dJulbDQeaQdifCZsON62jOsar-ajHxQWc2ac2Ck9QpzL-bPuZYmI_m6C4oHy0WQveeYpMclt_rSaArzIRvPt9lohYKWOBkco08RdG3/s400/IMG_2949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The main course was (what else) lamb tenderloin. I'm salivating again just looking at the picture. Lamb is one of my favorites anyway (why oh why must baby animals taste so good????) but this was certainly some of the best I've ever had.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD-3h0xFonsYz2YuZxjQS-Uh4KbxM7BVmzPuDL0XeI2qNDHzRpotRALAJhB2ty_ZwCwhgpv6ErXzZ1khKQAFDS-49In3QQYIiTKv-JzCHQu3vsUvez9ZXPfBdxdKy30j0YHeFG-1_4mzl/s1600/IMG_2950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD-3h0xFonsYz2YuZxjQS-Uh4KbxM7BVmzPuDL0XeI2qNDHzRpotRALAJhB2ty_ZwCwhgpv6ErXzZ1khKQAFDS-49In3QQYIiTKv-JzCHQu3vsUvez9ZXPfBdxdKy30j0YHeFG-1_4mzl/s400/IMG_2950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
By now of course we were all feeling quite relaxed with all the food and wine - note all the wine glasses on the table. And if I look a little tipsy in the picture - it's because I am.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yUO9f4KH_7ehioTB829PynhzFRgZWYBaW_fohd3RrUrs47L9myNkx-y4tZhwTy1SA1JbVQlo3jzSm_v4Q3GKDC4LPZdlsgYm8fAah4FxeQwp5ZVSAcXE4PfQAtoIXIinfjYwO7uFHQMg/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yUO9f4KH_7ehioTB829PynhzFRgZWYBaW_fohd3RrUrs47L9myNkx-y4tZhwTy1SA1JbVQlo3jzSm_v4Q3GKDC4LPZdlsgYm8fAah4FxeQwp5ZVSAcXE4PfQAtoIXIinfjYwO7uFHQMg/s400/IMG_2952.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And finally dessert - chocolate and berry compote. Nuff said.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAunfHBe7QOYpoHYQm97TZogJ2VA4Q87yOnSpP0MrSR1fP56Q8NYrHSTihd-nUbDMYFSe5hCWwyNGhT8BZXwVjqUt-sWrXf_qRhskkgKCLAlOIZnEMyvKrVEYxIqoU0WgplSm8U4h42To/s1600/IMG_2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAunfHBe7QOYpoHYQm97TZogJ2VA4Q87yOnSpP0MrSR1fP56Q8NYrHSTihd-nUbDMYFSe5hCWwyNGhT8BZXwVjqUt-sWrXf_qRhskkgKCLAlOIZnEMyvKrVEYxIqoU0WgplSm8U4h42To/s400/IMG_2953.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And a couple cups of coffee to round off the meal.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3lOW5xel25oOif3gvSnZYgmcRe4cWpCyK1lDgqYAIrPJP-qL_nTQQ2AD_i1q3t7RYyEiaYpMbGg9iMn74soB8zfwPEDWYiKBEvjeIsu-AhRCGU1CwcA1FhZGBGncIIeEZcashJjJt0Oi/s1600/IMG_2954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3lOW5xel25oOif3gvSnZYgmcRe4cWpCyK1lDgqYAIrPJP-qL_nTQQ2AD_i1q3t7RYyEiaYpMbGg9iMn74soB8zfwPEDWYiKBEvjeIsu-AhRCGU1CwcA1FhZGBGncIIeEZcashJjJt0Oi/s400/IMG_2954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Getting back to our room was a bit of a challenge since I, in my tipsy state, had to pretty much carry Mark, in his very drunken state, back to the room. Thank goodness we didn't have to drive back to our room because neither of us were fit to get behind the wheel! We passed out (as in literally lost consciousness) but at least we slept well. (Don't judge - sometimes indulging in some additional alcohol is a great way to relax!)<br />
<br />
The next day we went on a hike up to the top of one of our favorite ski runs. It was gorgeous and an easy hike but there were SO MANY bugs it kind of ruined the experience for me. I hate insects and these were big annoying flying bugs. But still, hiking is hiking and now I want to start taking Mira on some hikes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRWwFYFmAKmTwAsITjtgSM-B0rKEJkEoUERmH2UkBhA2pWisCFide9CmIuA58bx_2tunXWEWPixDCnrTCSoclTBR6jsnRXGpoB9OLScVa-bbF1gcAHSwFgldAKXhtrybnTfwCdLuaVNGm/s1600/DSCF0961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRWwFYFmAKmTwAsITjtgSM-B0rKEJkEoUERmH2UkBhA2pWisCFide9CmIuA58bx_2tunXWEWPixDCnrTCSoclTBR6jsnRXGpoB9OLScVa-bbF1gcAHSwFgldAKXhtrybnTfwCdLuaVNGm/s400/DSCF0961.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnAP-Q8KbsQ0bw_rYas93qOeikthKs78SdR0gqodiU2u43vj5KEjm378R44vQj7vuSXCWiecJUd3e2Aa1GMTkoX-ow5YvIIRMV23jK2IJvO7E1Qb9rilqYfgd2nB9WBXeswb9AbsWROV_/s1600/DSCF0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnAP-Q8KbsQ0bw_rYas93qOeikthKs78SdR0gqodiU2u43vj5KEjm378R44vQj7vuSXCWiecJUd3e2Aa1GMTkoX-ow5YvIIRMV23jK2IJvO7E1Qb9rilqYfgd2nB9WBXeswb9AbsWROV_/s400/DSCF0962.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gzdF2ukweJ9tXJ_cwv8OOFfbvMSb_AtpLPgl9JIClkk64sg5VPN8e1SumbdyecBh7kiUljz__rSsok6Nrc6LYPd4KImrzDToDaCFnieh3iMPWLyIV9-3O6bd-Jskw17J_uRlvOovkJbq/s1600/DSCF0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gzdF2ukweJ9tXJ_cwv8OOFfbvMSb_AtpLPgl9JIClkk64sg5VPN8e1SumbdyecBh7kiUljz__rSsok6Nrc6LYPd4KImrzDToDaCFnieh3iMPWLyIV9-3O6bd-Jskw17J_uRlvOovkJbq/s400/DSCF0963.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5hg5FfDf8zbDRae8ROJpGDAzkxwmayhBIFoiG4onmw0xzs9zTL2bzg67EkWJBr5IY2A2H54y3XyTfJy4AB1sABPdAkf49hk8MzwAS8kb97EN-_i9Htjj5HiB_tVwC25oZ9Yk7Or_BRNH/s1600/DSCF0967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5hg5FfDf8zbDRae8ROJpGDAzkxwmayhBIFoiG4onmw0xzs9zTL2bzg67EkWJBr5IY2A2H54y3XyTfJy4AB1sABPdAkf49hk8MzwAS8kb97EN-_i9Htjj5HiB_tVwC25oZ9Yk7Or_BRNH/s400/DSCF0967.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHSH5mFmVlx4gbL3WL5Xw_2hKRioC9A1a7bSQJX0gJY536815rYuvgUVNxDELE95w17xhxWzcajkLpr-0Wyy-JstmYzERvgvqtb3IYrfXhYdxgUcUDnhEkjW5XMCPNLT1KJyNZVXak8V3/s1600/DSCF0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHSH5mFmVlx4gbL3WL5Xw_2hKRioC9A1a7bSQJX0gJY536815rYuvgUVNxDELE95w17xhxWzcajkLpr-0Wyy-JstmYzERvgvqtb3IYrfXhYdxgUcUDnhEkjW5XMCPNLT1KJyNZVXak8V3/s400/DSCF0968.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86Yr_w8HKD9P33C3NERKxwX-xOgtU_OpQ8DE1gJf0uuN34BWwDgxaqighpflJ1c-IzulHdgA7OZ-AYydnmBgTO1YoAjcHjEPpPFns5H0llkn95XiZZJgd2hKTIzPsorLuAdWyFmqTrtYj/s1600/DSCF0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86Yr_w8HKD9P33C3NERKxwX-xOgtU_OpQ8DE1gJf0uuN34BWwDgxaqighpflJ1c-IzulHdgA7OZ-AYydnmBgTO1YoAjcHjEPpPFns5H0llkn95XiZZJgd2hKTIzPsorLuAdWyFmqTrtYj/s400/DSCF0969.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS2z-GOB4YyyiQ4JQczVZlehSj1napTZRdMSrhCStSK1ufjq-Yi8sjsDg83iHlyMgrWeAovh8d-8Ms1KRKNVQUIiKHlQcnH0mjG46L5-NvRlvuHbd_dAl3wJBR2x8VsIMzXbap8xecfNR/s1600/DSCF0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS2z-GOB4YyyiQ4JQczVZlehSj1napTZRdMSrhCStSK1ufjq-Yi8sjsDg83iHlyMgrWeAovh8d-8Ms1KRKNVQUIiKHlQcnH0mjG46L5-NvRlvuHbd_dAl3wJBR2x8VsIMzXbap8xecfNR/s400/DSCF0971.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpNdJ_XWdLpZs7KmlC6spUtPwibhip4BlwkGc9VHwC0EZ3o58BTdW-RolYiWG4MtSwkk5jiSi3zSSjsYJicUkMfQze-UN6pLS_WMo3Mx5JvivuJuc1-FA-XGKE7KqqbzP_a_hriFJcYe4/s1600/DSCF0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpNdJ_XWdLpZs7KmlC6spUtPwibhip4BlwkGc9VHwC0EZ3o58BTdW-RolYiWG4MtSwkk5jiSi3zSSjsYJicUkMfQze-UN6pLS_WMo3Mx5JvivuJuc1-FA-XGKE7KqqbzP_a_hriFJcYe4/s400/DSCF0973.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrFTkLswb6Lb-jgPCY4qf_XD3qO-OKNpzaeSPZ6904Q0exapfSeVVt2_d-xY99GZwVtRwmhbcTaqtJ_XotobZd-LMRBXSTrGG9uqBAaXouvqiih90_6OqxfKBkGEKxbP30ZW3uKM_bhqH/s1600/DSCF0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrFTkLswb6Lb-jgPCY4qf_XD3qO-OKNpzaeSPZ6904Q0exapfSeVVt2_d-xY99GZwVtRwmhbcTaqtJ_XotobZd-LMRBXSTrGG9uqBAaXouvqiih90_6OqxfKBkGEKxbP30ZW3uKM_bhqH/s400/DSCF0974.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJuNHH-LGL9X392FBpNOPIDZWEzHbSEHCj7z00Vl31-B88adogmVyKX0m8VecwfPCxh2z8PzYzhIgTiT_jJcKFWFjiZabK0G72xumwIO-iXRkQbMOzXL9S93nEIpv5LsdcSkm47hvgeh0/s1600/DSCF0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJuNHH-LGL9X392FBpNOPIDZWEzHbSEHCj7z00Vl31-B88adogmVyKX0m8VecwfPCxh2z8PzYzhIgTiT_jJcKFWFjiZabK0G72xumwIO-iXRkQbMOzXL9S93nEIpv5LsdcSkm47hvgeh0/s400/DSCF0979.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jqScefNeFVnt4BQCY2yuRdRiJ2O4H96M5DdGK9U4s8nzQ8nC6mj2lOstPNjGHsGw1f0BVxtzbARlEfr9ZnxXKS6IUrnLT3b0JZn-B096fJ6RHiqTuEIZvu7zdzyDO-Cx9yWoCZj4L-ra/s1600/DSCF0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jqScefNeFVnt4BQCY2yuRdRiJ2O4H96M5DdGK9U4s8nzQ8nC6mj2lOstPNjGHsGw1f0BVxtzbARlEfr9ZnxXKS6IUrnLT3b0JZn-B096fJ6RHiqTuEIZvu7zdzyDO-Cx9yWoCZj4L-ra/s400/DSCF0980.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was, incidentally, the double black diamond slope I fell down. Mark wanted to hike it but we decided against it since falling down onto rocks hurts a lot more than falling down onto snow, especially when you start sliding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ0-2N7VjrsFeZMzOYKIZ-xv54pYq34oPlhr5nVTBx05x2hL8b-rP8oLOHm_9N1iDYszGrUzFFROjxfl21ZgFOSQCBpX4uL6dEQuOZOEyzvY8UvTSnc4aVnNBBdZYRa2z4kbHxE5PbW0k/s1600/DSCF0986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ0-2N7VjrsFeZMzOYKIZ-xv54pYq34oPlhr5nVTBx05x2hL8b-rP8oLOHm_9N1iDYszGrUzFFROjxfl21ZgFOSQCBpX4uL6dEQuOZOEyzvY8UvTSnc4aVnNBBdZYRa2z4kbHxE5PbW0k/s400/DSCF0986.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvYhqeRnUGLm5KUr4rqC8Phhv2LpaLfM-LDH7-FoP6RgDlZaJCDOqc7zcm4ra87DoqOp_Wewzf_NaOZfOIBAMClzHtJ0X5FBi4QDVNfjBF_z7BQqynvR9PUrSqlXcIDDMbENDk6tyoM8J/s1600/DSCF0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvYhqeRnUGLm5KUr4rqC8Phhv2LpaLfM-LDH7-FoP6RgDlZaJCDOqc7zcm4ra87DoqOp_Wewzf_NaOZfOIBAMClzHtJ0X5FBi4QDVNfjBF_z7BQqynvR9PUrSqlXcIDDMbENDk6tyoM8J/s400/DSCF0987.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp-SfvimtbHnz11jpODH4nq0Dowfr9o4jHYd6IKN8q4NPCG4k0YjRCdiHGeBRwhYj_A7QSKH9N1qcea-l682S9IzMZzo4UYpnqGkCt1IEWblyX_P3aDcNxrvSsFrU9LVvjgOOySdL8xtU/s1600/DSCF0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp-SfvimtbHnz11jpODH4nq0Dowfr9o4jHYd6IKN8q4NPCG4k0YjRCdiHGeBRwhYj_A7QSKH9N1qcea-l682S9IzMZzo4UYpnqGkCt1IEWblyX_P3aDcNxrvSsFrU9LVvjgOOySdL8xtU/s400/DSCF0988.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxqF9z3SmismaeTqvfNAOji38obyWbWX28uepRpU0FDla3Yj6Xk0xoEhiQs82lN1uhKnTyFl_vy3Yf5KMAgpxmQVWgDecm8VE6telAOk89sLGxuzk2rKb1bSzHq3XBwnX5itZTLoTZAvO/s1600/DSCF0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxqF9z3SmismaeTqvfNAOji38obyWbWX28uepRpU0FDla3Yj6Xk0xoEhiQs82lN1uhKnTyFl_vy3Yf5KMAgpxmQVWgDecm8VE6telAOk89sLGxuzk2rKb1bSzHq3XBwnX5itZTLoTZAvO/s400/DSCF0989.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadkWLclej3agxvMwv-kDTZxyagRfCO8kNUVpVibgbJr5V-oIE3SJU0AiGxznTu5zUAyLYZrkseIrLTzarjfmf1pxolh_kHgm71B2aJnkCHF0tMmrWlHAANWtbcZ610zxZbVXMCg5emaOb/s1600/DSCF0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadkWLclej3agxvMwv-kDTZxyagRfCO8kNUVpVibgbJr5V-oIE3SJU0AiGxznTu5zUAyLYZrkseIrLTzarjfmf1pxolh_kHgm71B2aJnkCHF0tMmrWlHAANWtbcZ610zxZbVXMCg5emaOb/s400/DSCF0990.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So weird to think that we skied down through this</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_li3jY28GejqEE5xwiOUH0AlBESKg1FGCdIE_j8WxtltZEOorrgrUBuyuCLmXryfw2orr3E3D6uEFQhueHVuKQURsy6sDMDex5WUHuATSSRC3_sNLRWHfQ_U99MQovQuCm3bztB94S9QP/s1600/DSCF0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_li3jY28GejqEE5xwiOUH0AlBESKg1FGCdIE_j8WxtltZEOorrgrUBuyuCLmXryfw2orr3E3D6uEFQhueHVuKQURsy6sDMDex5WUHuATSSRC3_sNLRWHfQ_U99MQovQuCm3bztB94S9QP/s400/DSCF0991.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWVccpq1J1OGr1SQbF0Md2_XvAxvpSNqTgJ17in2Mul_fMSlZhSgPa0kETp71WL-ndFyGCna2yVvv_cYx9OtSzeFHjTBkeo9pswF7C7RkakquFt0w31RyXpvJxDJDBWArl6cPjIVwHK0d/s1600/DSCF0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWVccpq1J1OGr1SQbF0Md2_XvAxvpSNqTgJ17in2Mul_fMSlZhSgPa0kETp71WL-ndFyGCna2yVvv_cYx9OtSzeFHjTBkeo9pswF7C7RkakquFt0w31RyXpvJxDJDBWArl6cPjIVwHK0d/s400/DSCF0993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bf18LizQsI7nwMdFvaCDywtgWRQv3ifBXRjl76H8GZwUx6H0W4W2T7Sf5Sot-jurptKcp4rnMnrzjzE7vYexxJYTr3nwX-5eIB04l8tD-ww3m9iz6GY6_-Pq_N2Uy9-rb6Y_QedSDgvd/s1600/DSCF0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bf18LizQsI7nwMdFvaCDywtgWRQv3ifBXRjl76H8GZwUx6H0W4W2T7Sf5Sot-jurptKcp4rnMnrzjzE7vYexxJYTr3nwX-5eIB04l8tD-ww3m9iz6GY6_-Pq_N2Uy9-rb6Y_QedSDgvd/s400/DSCF0995.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDYmFrrXRfY6d6pD7iqGhOYEMu8YITTCMTU3rxsrd5ZnfEpnRHUjkcpWA6YNDPLUOyVRSacwxAPJyt4xeFF7_DtOeHs9JhLhK9dA3cVykGComkxYkb8THm5VTN-cvy0Xl4GtsmfZKIz4v/s1600/DSCF0996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDYmFrrXRfY6d6pD7iqGhOYEMu8YITTCMTU3rxsrd5ZnfEpnRHUjkcpWA6YNDPLUOyVRSacwxAPJyt4xeFF7_DtOeHs9JhLhK9dA3cVykGComkxYkb8THm5VTN-cvy0Xl4GtsmfZKIz4v/s400/DSCF0996.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOBR03cC3XUbBWIoh27oorcP9LZXujdYaq7ubLChmzzYptcQRpP8I_Fr3nnUxm69UgejS1VUezlP923k6tTHeO7bA_NcTrj2gyOjt0pnHupMzjlwrDdRpqtpKvSX14tbOYqi26_NOPNFB/s1600/DSCF0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOBR03cC3XUbBWIoh27oorcP9LZXujdYaq7ubLChmzzYptcQRpP8I_Fr3nnUxm69UgejS1VUezlP923k6tTHeO7bA_NcTrj2gyOjt0pnHupMzjlwrDdRpqtpKvSX14tbOYqi26_NOPNFB/s400/DSCF0998.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovLQ8c7a4zB6ZCqSo1LXh2WLEtk5dYL5PnKvuq2nRw_mUDE5jY5Ab0UnwlFikgSPnr1ERE7Q04q5aTLK_mPU-q4zhFHfeW6mZ7EwjR1qUebbJbHjv73fqTKbeCmnpo5hJjB3BkPBi77aU/s1600/DSCF0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovLQ8c7a4zB6ZCqSo1LXh2WLEtk5dYL5PnKvuq2nRw_mUDE5jY5Ab0UnwlFikgSPnr1ERE7Q04q5aTLK_mPU-q4zhFHfeW6mZ7EwjR1qUebbJbHjv73fqTKbeCmnpo5hJjB3BkPBi77aU/s400/DSCF0999.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGNufZaoW2-7ozJTkXgMkmL8Ejc8eK_jDU-s_mZsYG4i57rRIZ82GkhlAo_2sqYn3wotjJegUj8PupvAMDa6jxQGcHGLINz-lSZrvGw1bjfcM4yW-wtsQd5UNBbnKub6C72q_X8PcXpcF/s1600/DSCF1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGNufZaoW2-7ozJTkXgMkmL8Ejc8eK_jDU-s_mZsYG4i57rRIZ82GkhlAo_2sqYn3wotjJegUj8PupvAMDa6jxQGcHGLINz-lSZrvGw1bjfcM4yW-wtsQd5UNBbnKub6C72q_X8PcXpcF/s400/DSCF1001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMQxstHU8s2SGU5fuV9-5qgTdU66eUlvDtRTmk1GnPbc2GcwSOulSjEWs5virVGsTBoFr5Ztj_vQQQATNuC5IFziiCruBK43qW1EhLULAZfY5VjM4z0746x-F3K8AkCekPnw8zllmbM7a/s1600/DSCF1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMQxstHU8s2SGU5fuV9-5qgTdU66eUlvDtRTmk1GnPbc2GcwSOulSjEWs5virVGsTBoFr5Ztj_vQQQATNuC5IFziiCruBK43qW1EhLULAZfY5VjM4z0746x-F3K8AkCekPnw8zllmbM7a/s400/DSCF1002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_kqE-P9qTvo9hT2uPmkWBJrZ619JTOvsNd_sf72AC0UT3lq8b4aM6ZGFoQnJpGEzJBVCfqJ1PncyPtDl_WXchu95fVPrHen-yexg0qLZzqZ-Bw9nJhDVfdp1ZO-ett4KmUqX7REjviW9/s1600/DSCF1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_kqE-P9qTvo9hT2uPmkWBJrZ619JTOvsNd_sf72AC0UT3lq8b4aM6ZGFoQnJpGEzJBVCfqJ1PncyPtDl_WXchu95fVPrHen-yexg0qLZzqZ-Bw9nJhDVfdp1ZO-ett4KmUqX7REjviW9/s400/DSCF1006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinball Alley was one of our absolute favorite runs to ski!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxD4O1xZBH7jZpW_qPe6j38krplsIO49qDn3FHsAfUW97hsGsTalg1MGehZg4zPca43NjOgFYSGovQGP9yDf7yiF5xzuaYRkLN9VXKLsEvQxbF32vKbLUmXYIWLfSTncug6MTb_i5prgu/s1600/DSCF1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxD4O1xZBH7jZpW_qPe6j38krplsIO49qDn3FHsAfUW97hsGsTalg1MGehZg4zPca43NjOgFYSGovQGP9yDf7yiF5xzuaYRkLN9VXKLsEvQxbF32vKbLUmXYIWLfSTncug6MTb_i5prgu/s400/DSCF1007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hunky hubby :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kME4-myMf3lOdMn9Yeq0GpZ7jb4E6edun8_VItKs80UrlRrek8zjA8yB_Gjuc4KbbaViPhtp2e0sKJy0WkwE0nu2h-Z6XQdbTntiWXANL4nSePjV0mboOpQ6keqrR_C5mYblekWdKVuU/s1600/DSCF1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kME4-myMf3lOdMn9Yeq0GpZ7jb4E6edun8_VItKs80UrlRrek8zjA8yB_Gjuc4KbbaViPhtp2e0sKJy0WkwE0nu2h-Z6XQdbTntiWXANL4nSePjV0mboOpQ6keqrR_C5mYblekWdKVuU/s400/DSCF1009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBImq7r_ucID0Ke9BhyrtDSW-9mZcfT56TPgV9VAUOJRRQlaU1jvba6s9k_JxpmtbytHnrMr-WHCrSZbN2mh8oJXgoDI_x2C34WotG8OvCwoF_1LESAAKThAGTRL_ILbSuhPF-YRna9kh/s1600/DSCF1010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBImq7r_ucID0Ke9BhyrtDSW-9mZcfT56TPgV9VAUOJRRQlaU1jvba6s9k_JxpmtbytHnrMr-WHCrSZbN2mh8oJXgoDI_x2C34WotG8OvCwoF_1LESAAKThAGTRL_ILbSuhPF-YRna9kh/s400/DSCF1010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl2S4MgBl9GdqLsiSQ2odoxSoQCRc5tyFV599ZuYIq0mwj47pR2qaUqmm6hyphenhyphenJG1L2b2V3hhvqsibctMOvXkQDwPQc5Wm14iYUEFAQfd0ljkRj8gO-ZvcTQ8YCTjQHNBZt7sI8KwzoE6H-/s1600/DSCF1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl2S4MgBl9GdqLsiSQ2odoxSoQCRc5tyFV599ZuYIq0mwj47pR2qaUqmm6hyphenhyphenJG1L2b2V3hhvqsibctMOvXkQDwPQc5Wm14iYUEFAQfd0ljkRj8gO-ZvcTQ8YCTjQHNBZt7sI8KwzoE6H-/s400/DSCF1013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uDHiler3LeK5mpVsiZ4FuSDo7YDq2m8iFzNuFz8fNZnGPimp5J4BcMvtpBOBxsdopN2PFMEmK3obRZwQfeLlhdHWBdoemH70Dro9IWlBRucIR56WVezVLtOw0UBYUaWrlE02k2QBgp51/s1600/DSCF1014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uDHiler3LeK5mpVsiZ4FuSDo7YDq2m8iFzNuFz8fNZnGPimp5J4BcMvtpBOBxsdopN2PFMEmK3obRZwQfeLlhdHWBdoemH70Dro9IWlBRucIR56WVezVLtOw0UBYUaWrlE02k2QBgp51/s400/DSCF1014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cub9cBRf4dwL_jM1nAQRes3axs0o2PLjQSGKIymQlRNS9dpreS4FVWNwdsiesoDrh9bPwdJ4JTFO3sm11Ysd6h26Ybr96Z0qRXux8SAdO1nCtUmSavwm8-OdqNRmwf3rLApbmPcP47WC/s1600/DSCF1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cub9cBRf4dwL_jM1nAQRes3axs0o2PLjQSGKIymQlRNS9dpreS4FVWNwdsiesoDrh9bPwdJ4JTFO3sm11Ysd6h26Ybr96Z0qRXux8SAdO1nCtUmSavwm8-OdqNRmwf3rLApbmPcP47WC/s400/DSCF1015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjQEObEUmtBptURoSt0Ds9voTM5uc0LaTCXh9mXZWVSlEULcluzrT8rfKUH6TXbFq-AsrQriln6nY2hoIXtRX78GTt2_5AfcSQDrcFhQhngmVrR8Nl3mYjMFprIkesS6a8iNlji1ckIyE/s1600/DSCF1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjQEObEUmtBptURoSt0Ds9voTM5uc0LaTCXh9mXZWVSlEULcluzrT8rfKUH6TXbFq-AsrQriln6nY2hoIXtRX78GTt2_5AfcSQDrcFhQhngmVrR8Nl3mYjMFprIkesS6a8iNlji1ckIyE/s400/DSCF1016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80MsLR3lXCC3_qHm47RUiJcRjbZdjYoVDsw3Ll4GQPQdmjgHn0Jst5fldilCeo50n2UsTrVZ1fKM_UDrWLgcfGdP-RtxDebT0ZcTq9gh0mlp15L9Gfl8wtNrX6ZPefWamfA3-VEi26OsV/s1600/DSCF1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80MsLR3lXCC3_qHm47RUiJcRjbZdjYoVDsw3Ll4GQPQdmjgHn0Jst5fldilCeo50n2UsTrVZ1fKM_UDrWLgcfGdP-RtxDebT0ZcTq9gh0mlp15L9Gfl8wtNrX6ZPefWamfA3-VEi26OsV/s400/DSCF1020.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRQEoq3hmWqlL2wqMm9Gr5SaFI-Kt06wrsCoGdNl0A4Dy1lbMtWr1JF9EXGVY_9pukrMko3Xb7TWQNn15Tn2ocA-VR7h4NzSpa4RINCL0xkZTwRM6vwj7yXZSU9_GMN61HYVDQ0Bmnh5o/s1600/DSCF1021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRQEoq3hmWqlL2wqMm9Gr5SaFI-Kt06wrsCoGdNl0A4Dy1lbMtWr1JF9EXGVY_9pukrMko3Xb7TWQNn15Tn2ocA-VR7h4NzSpa4RINCL0xkZTwRM6vwj7yXZSU9_GMN61HYVDQ0Bmnh5o/s400/DSCF1021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDfUd_1JXA8S1LViHkHLfbcx92On1fQAZqe2-dcldJ4Q1S8PR2o8Jh350BBGGTVY5Uvc1P9xLva_G5aGp2DIoudEWNFW3ND9gWBejpVArySS4VDx5o33arN0PzYpQo_G0m7BnX8bhqdxr/s1600/DSCF1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDfUd_1JXA8S1LViHkHLfbcx92On1fQAZqe2-dcldJ4Q1S8PR2o8Jh350BBGGTVY5Uvc1P9xLva_G5aGp2DIoudEWNFW3ND9gWBejpVArySS4VDx5o33arN0PzYpQo_G0m7BnX8bhqdxr/s400/DSCF1022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
That was a nice little weekend getaway. Utah really is great for active, outdoorsy stuff. Now we just need to get the liquor laws reformed.<br />
<br />
Speaking of kooky Utah, July 24th is Pioneer Day, when everybody who's Mormon gets super excited that someone else who was Mormon stumbled upon Utah in 1847. Which I've always found a bit self-righteous since if they hadn't found it in 1847 someone else Mormon certainly would have ended up in Utah eventually, and in fact a bunch of people called Native Americans had found Utah quite a bit sooner than the Mormons, but whatever. I benefit from it because if I happen to have to work Pioneer Day I actually get time and a half pay (only in a theocratic state like this could they pull that off), and the pyromaniac part of me gets to see an extra round of fireworks after the Fourth of July festivities are over. So I can't complain too much, but I can still chuckle about it.<br />
<br />
This year for Pioneer Day we were in the Bountiful Handcart Days Parade representing the Bonneville Masonic Lodge, of which Mark is Grand Master. I got to drive the Mercedes pulling the float. We knew that 5.5 L V8 engine and air suspension would come in handy sometime. Note the supercool Masonic decal Mark designed - I kinda wish we could have left that on!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gt-wOoQmnrsjgRgcX8zRwwtOPEakGIiMgz-eaVUMjWmvNi-uf0BwTPuk689oc4Gx3PemCIAGQPXda40gs1rek6y_0zaG8Zv38ZAs1OD7ktYJrO-vuOrohBkjY_7I06n2oupWn8v_YS72/s1600/IMG_3026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gt-wOoQmnrsjgRgcX8zRwwtOPEakGIiMgz-eaVUMjWmvNi-uf0BwTPuk689oc4Gx3PemCIAGQPXda40gs1rek6y_0zaG8Zv38ZAs1OD7ktYJrO-vuOrohBkjY_7I06n2oupWn8v_YS72/s400/IMG_3026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And how's this for a coincidence - my Dad and sisters were placed right behind us in the parade! They were representing the Coast Guard Auxiliary. And now I have to admit that with Sara and Penny dressed exactly alike I actually couldn't tell them apart until I got right up to them - how terrible is that?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44mcR3zOExYKJ95qFJBhD3kYnDYCddE2Ap7w5xXhXdrLq08WmnZfOke0trUJSm8lRLy9_LWF7YybFgctQGa6yP9QKkBe5_bfFQyjOfZFqd_z64R-4csCCbV_9jtYR5KQ_FuRu1ZgH8zIG/s1600/IMG_3020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44mcR3zOExYKJ95qFJBhD3kYnDYCddE2Ap7w5xXhXdrLq08WmnZfOke0trUJSm8lRLy9_LWF7YybFgctQGa6yP9QKkBe5_bfFQyjOfZFqd_z64R-4csCCbV_9jtYR5KQ_FuRu1ZgH8zIG/s400/IMG_3020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad and Sara.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl2XC5ZhDGGOE9kC0f0lGwUyAtkyntdu_PVhMPAyyXbFEKwqDmQ3NDt0yYKyr5B5840blLlHvF75Q60F1oDGuYbP6F-6qKixY3QJTMBsCmVBQA0JD0AuIp3BN3W5xWI_K18xF0CW66PLj/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl2XC5ZhDGGOE9kC0f0lGwUyAtkyntdu_PVhMPAyyXbFEKwqDmQ3NDt0yYKyr5B5840blLlHvF75Q60F1oDGuYbP6F-6qKixY3QJTMBsCmVBQA0JD0AuIp3BN3W5xWI_K18xF0CW66PLj/s400/IMG_3021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, Penny and Sara.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7fWb-Zb8sBPvOyG5494vWLvvN-xf4jt4AUKxTw3gxZEffsUSEbA2Ac90dZJ-el7QyIiRZRx600mve0Cj-cXXdxEwprkooQTdKLTDFkwLFmhPp6W9XTkwsrgsz7vPAxCxjpQM09ZBDxWs/s1600/IMG_3022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7fWb-Zb8sBPvOyG5494vWLvvN-xf4jt4AUKxTw3gxZEffsUSEbA2Ac90dZJ-el7QyIiRZRx600mve0Cj-cXXdxEwprkooQTdKLTDFkwLFmhPp6W9XTkwsrgsz7vPAxCxjpQM09ZBDxWs/s400/IMG_3022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We let Mira have her turn driving the boat. I think we're going to have to get this girl out on a lake soon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid201-OnzlRBddOnOOMiS-As0h4yxY_cvGmhWBT0G_bxBKmSB6_2weiTFEAvVtq7PDdBsDX15y3Sb9C1uP8O7CFsQ5PXMTX5dEJBdQ9o5hpUO-MOVX8aZxOQuOJD_AF90czcD80Etj7KHN/s1600/IMG_3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid201-OnzlRBddOnOOMiS-As0h4yxY_cvGmhWBT0G_bxBKmSB6_2weiTFEAvVtq7PDdBsDX15y3Sb9C1uP8O7CFsQ5PXMTX5dEJBdQ9o5hpUO-MOVX8aZxOQuOJD_AF90czcD80Etj7KHN/s400/IMG_3023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivO5pfhhaxS08cGjvn349fWrz-waGVrADgZD3BGPza4o_jULeDgeM8n5tvb9msASuyTGVqFqF7KrdBbA8VhmRUnOCteLEyTejg6wskaLm_mcanqmRbBUgSbtoLzXgh2BxOcucYbHBcUQH/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivO5pfhhaxS08cGjvn349fWrz-waGVrADgZD3BGPza4o_jULeDgeM8n5tvb9msASuyTGVqFqF7KrdBbA8VhmRUnOCteLEyTejg6wskaLm_mcanqmRbBUgSbtoLzXgh2BxOcucYbHBcUQH/s400/IMG_3024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUrnIUZ-kuLpsJ0aQ-XAIfADuSf75P8GRBVm2_8ojBlWmGNl7py3d6JwtutQjy5uUMWo5grVDFNKFOYYffnPHkrQZdSu8D0RRDkfS9-Sye71qXf2BPiFge_SzAx9mMcQD0GAGdpSPFzCt/s1600/IMG_3025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUrnIUZ-kuLpsJ0aQ-XAIfADuSf75P8GRBVm2_8ojBlWmGNl7py3d6JwtutQjy5uUMWo5grVDFNKFOYYffnPHkrQZdSu8D0RRDkfS9-Sye71qXf2BPiFge_SzAx9mMcQD0GAGdpSPFzCt/s400/IMG_3025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
After the parade we went home and made good use of our fire pit. I have to say this was probably one of the best home improvement projects Mark has ever done.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO98nyZFTXl8QCLzIIo6NmXnhYKrnzEWHn6B3tv2mES-6Ld2Jiy1PUoHzxYf343rxzCb9NGt9MbHr7puZMIocWBHxDOdYCpDmzVlfO4WV5kEkT2EEuxaHlWJ2J-VODMmzpVVeB_tV283L1/s1600/IMG_3027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO98nyZFTXl8QCLzIIo6NmXnhYKrnzEWHn6B3tv2mES-6Ld2Jiy1PUoHzxYf343rxzCb9NGt9MbHr7puZMIocWBHxDOdYCpDmzVlfO4WV5kEkT2EEuxaHlWJ2J-VODMmzpVVeB_tV283L1/s400/IMG_3027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
That night I kept Mira up late so she could see fireworks in our neighborhood. Several houses went nuts with some really good aerial fireworks so the three of us sat on the curb on the corner and watched fireworks explode on all sides of us. It was better than going to see the city fireworks! And Mira really does love fireworks!! She sat and watched and "Ooooh"-ed and "Wow!"-ed and never got nervous about the loud noises - honestly what 2-year-old doesn't get scared about loud fireworks going off less than 100 feet away?? I can't take credit for that. I was probably 8 or 9 years old before loud noises didn't scare me. But it was a great family moment - and Mira even grabbed my phone to take a picture of the fireworks.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64kCyLm_Aa6BOQwmWudNXoyLFp9tebMzuo32ZGX_RLlaObp8wbBCq2rOcxyoKaCuFp1MXbtKz7NSxWbNeS2GazKz5WOqAYAkFc4jyK7UnaWkjKQ19rUS6WIXAdPn2ne6HcdO2BOfMYS1J/s1600/IMG_3037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64kCyLm_Aa6BOQwmWudNXoyLFp9tebMzuo32ZGX_RLlaObp8wbBCq2rOcxyoKaCuFp1MXbtKz7NSxWbNeS2GazKz5WOqAYAkFc4jyK7UnaWkjKQ19rUS6WIXAdPn2ne6HcdO2BOfMYS1J/s400/IMG_3037.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's actually a pretty decent shot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After Mira went down to sleep, Mark and I stood outside where we could watch the city's fireworks show and when that was done we could walk right back inside without having to worry about crowds or sitting in the car for the next hour fighting traffic. What a great day!<br />
<br />
And speaking of Mira's photography skills - she's learned how to take some pretty decent pictures! She's taken some relatively flattering pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeQ-wSRnBSI1W0M0kHbrcEgrZlxkkNP513symobpOwogDw-VdV79IjyQbBaclr8dfKVpUGYx6xjkg7kZVqWNJg_zsay_vOjCeX1Ghath-6pOEKYQdp4IKGOt1YY4bJDQDXmP_jhgqeZZd/s1600/IMG_2999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeQ-wSRnBSI1W0M0kHbrcEgrZlxkkNP513symobpOwogDw-VdV79IjyQbBaclr8dfKVpUGYx6xjkg7kZVqWNJg_zsay_vOjCeX1Ghath-6pOEKYQdp4IKGOt1YY4bJDQDXmP_jhgqeZZd/s400/IMG_2999.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUm_faqNgTW5-eQQB3xqBD9YlmTeAKDBbSgk4zYOIuc6TUbOfk300oJ1RE4rSqffyH02_unvQrxUm5Utq1LkTFsz8dRBsYF6ZRj02f7FuvWeBId9csRVbuoe7NxZCldeHTnGqQviyO1Fc/s1600/IMG_3006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUm_faqNgTW5-eQQB3xqBD9YlmTeAKDBbSgk4zYOIuc6TUbOfk300oJ1RE4rSqffyH02_unvQrxUm5Utq1LkTFsz8dRBsYF6ZRj02f7FuvWeBId9csRVbuoe7NxZCldeHTnGqQviyO1Fc/s400/IMG_3006.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIdeK01saY-tUVX2WBVlZyY4qZeN3qiyDawBRX65CgrNt8Q-8uHo9VZZGYa_VOnq7XUx-l9XGnNQxLGAx7zR_VWsIcq2mZBhVmmKF2HDHkeAmzSefcKM3_N5jgEJzksV9GgbqAdEA0-2Y/s1600/IMG_3033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIdeK01saY-tUVX2WBVlZyY4qZeN3qiyDawBRX65CgrNt8Q-8uHo9VZZGYa_VOnq7XUx-l9XGnNQxLGAx7zR_VWsIcq2mZBhVmmKF2HDHkeAmzSefcKM3_N5jgEJzksV9GgbqAdEA0-2Y/s400/IMG_3033.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFLWx_PyBxM3zLUA1v3u8ZzVDl0GZDPAb9ij1F3O3McXqYBJ1-W6LYRc-E2RQbDXF1tOYaFPx6MNh6PgIB727gPmEsyhehz6VWfR3N0P7Qan6BBN7UwTBqc-Kul0vt2DQ-A1f1V7NGHL8/s1600/IMG_3034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFLWx_PyBxM3zLUA1v3u8ZzVDl0GZDPAb9ij1F3O3McXqYBJ1-W6LYRc-E2RQbDXF1tOYaFPx6MNh6PgIB727gPmEsyhehz6VWfR3N0P7Qan6BBN7UwTBqc-Kul0vt2DQ-A1f1V7NGHL8/s400/IMG_3034.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEF3mt8IpqYAFtdnk3YLAW41_BfACtiZjpc-n5lyPH7SDlZeBC9xQBHECTsVySFGyVWnEcFjuh1xZIvXv63V2ndQfi6rua2L_LZx49k53NcqsjJmBXoygrInUfjSCLV2njp49JDhJBnzqn/s1600/IMG_3075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEF3mt8IpqYAFtdnk3YLAW41_BfACtiZjpc-n5lyPH7SDlZeBC9xQBHECTsVySFGyVWnEcFjuh1xZIvXv63V2ndQfi6rua2L_LZx49k53NcqsjJmBXoygrInUfjSCLV2njp49JDhJBnzqn/s400/IMG_3075.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And some not-so-flattering pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rgyOnJDRsl1rYFnWyKT-8nDMClx_Oj60rMG1uW_2mxHNTmYXQV9BKy4AhRAGA81DcwvgwtuVAHiJ4ug4GmWCAPfQCwDKh_kdNKLlkxfuqhGTbAEpsnK14H6RgRdqV7wzdRsBMcnWJ4_C/s1600/IMG_3031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rgyOnJDRsl1rYFnWyKT-8nDMClx_Oj60rMG1uW_2mxHNTmYXQV9BKy4AhRAGA81DcwvgwtuVAHiJ4ug4GmWCAPfQCwDKh_kdNKLlkxfuqhGTbAEpsnK14H6RgRdqV7wzdRsBMcnWJ4_C/s400/IMG_3031.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
I guess even good photographers have their off-days.<br />
<br />
Here's a video of Mira and my mom having some fun. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdezKfglaYk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
And a video of Mira singing along to her new favorite show, anything involving The Muppets.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9p1J16JQYio?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I just can't believe how grown-up she looks now! It really hit me when I was able to do this hairstyle on her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtBnfCs14m0Qt_PkxsBujtilJ28O3mb6a7eCn4uYQ5b5JzrCn0WsPqHD8FltZhJ94xzM6r3IfBtRvfQOpAcUJgpdmtMiZZ5ZguKJ4CxWEm_Izk2LYj6cnw8CZ7ly27GAZJApOjrEMwGLo/s1600/IMG_2965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtBnfCs14m0Qt_PkxsBujtilJ28O3mb6a7eCn4uYQ5b5JzrCn0WsPqHD8FltZhJ94xzM6r3IfBtRvfQOpAcUJgpdmtMiZZ5ZguKJ4CxWEm_Izk2LYj6cnw8CZ7ly27GAZJApOjrEMwGLo/s400/IMG_2965.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And yes, she is really that blonde. That blows my mind too.Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317105090978275708.post-23905802999796244862013-07-07T20:59:00.001-07:002013-07-07T20:59:14.326-07:00Summertime Fun!There are a <i>ton</i> of pictures and videos in this post - you have been warned! Proceed at your own risk.<br />
<br />
I've already mentioned that one of the nice things about summertime is Mira can be a lot more active outside - and with it reaching the triple digits for several days already being outside typically involves water of some sort. Mira enjoys the water plus I can sit in the shade and take the opportunity to not be chasing frantically after a rambunctious toddler for a little while.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQUJ0txCh19zPbNt1-kuydCneiiOthEEUIeO57oAtpsq0I_5V4G9ahi0Ok3qNDTqdQaes6Nmer_2dUQEJugB1SZ08OtUi_T_6SYl2rq8tAVRzqXOX9kc7mHCcflcgzebibIym_v5kWGmb/s1600/IMG_2762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQUJ0txCh19zPbNt1-kuydCneiiOthEEUIeO57oAtpsq0I_5V4G9ahi0Ok3qNDTqdQaes6Nmer_2dUQEJugB1SZ08OtUi_T_6SYl2rq8tAVRzqXOX9kc7mHCcflcgzebibIym_v5kWGmb/s400/IMG_2762.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomMbG62s5CsBP7JJVPJz0FkQ3fXZ4nPaEy91waj6G9chDyhlkCyjpw81kvIk00EIwOT7l3c_rrtFBKRivbmxu5cXTkAqhrAVFM5J_pRGLXAQhI1VnduKp5K-5R2cOZVgBh_7VVMSFt1Qx/s1600/IMG_2763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomMbG62s5CsBP7JJVPJz0FkQ3fXZ4nPaEy91waj6G9chDyhlkCyjpw81kvIk00EIwOT7l3c_rrtFBKRivbmxu5cXTkAqhrAVFM5J_pRGLXAQhI1VnduKp5K-5R2cOZVgBh_7VVMSFt1Qx/s400/IMG_2763.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXybURHl9CbibGstKMdCddd2HeCTUxwuj0hhpJcJ3Us53o8cy9xTEGxDqcEyev6B7M0HsclgXBz6CxuhMSp5M2bzz295QrFIps8QcuQ0asYfrS3MsbH0SqVyjXOaqSFq5qre3J-GXUsniX/s1600/IMG_2765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXybURHl9CbibGstKMdCddd2HeCTUxwuj0hhpJcJ3Us53o8cy9xTEGxDqcEyev6B7M0HsclgXBz6CxuhMSp5M2bzz295QrFIps8QcuQ0asYfrS3MsbH0SqVyjXOaqSFq5qre3J-GXUsniX/s400/IMG_2765.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0U3MnA6KfZo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbEt6gzjRRghYVZVUmee4bmr_cl8bhBCmGgvyZgA7XH-whogmKs0eUMbCB5SYNKvC79aK7O2MQ_ETiHFJaGkQoCJyul0XS30cZPB_EHdD9nD7hAJZ-jg1U-zC5QE1KU80BYWKBBGIHNMi/s1600/IMG_2776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbEt6gzjRRghYVZVUmee4bmr_cl8bhBCmGgvyZgA7XH-whogmKs0eUMbCB5SYNKvC79aK7O2MQ_ETiHFJaGkQoCJyul0XS30cZPB_EHdD9nD7hAJZ-jg1U-zC5QE1KU80BYWKBBGIHNMi/s400/IMG_2776.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-ssq47Ls71-lMHCxMa5uUPjxnLYZbDd_lHZVw4nNBZnYzMApWC6srZIS91n5u-PC60LhZ6mvOmZfpiyy1ljEl2ApVGofYNt3vglL0OcR7xkEEqlVfOQu-4pg98g64GXhhB7airbpeorB/s1600/IMG_2777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-ssq47Ls71-lMHCxMa5uUPjxnLYZbDd_lHZVw4nNBZnYzMApWC6srZIS91n5u-PC60LhZ6mvOmZfpiyy1ljEl2ApVGofYNt3vglL0OcR7xkEEqlVfOQu-4pg98g64GXhhB7airbpeorB/s400/IMG_2777.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2UFvp4OvPyMD6fEf0dt0iq7oqOYE-68w9-Fa9XGx0iJR5bf7_4SgREbEwpTNpq6Dyj49kayrhqAaEssZ6pm-RYRs0vAlEweuSAEcig97LPNow5ZbC1rQZUIRHFyQ4CCSlNMGraqFGzXY/s1600/IMG_2778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2UFvp4OvPyMD6fEf0dt0iq7oqOYE-68w9-Fa9XGx0iJR5bf7_4SgREbEwpTNpq6Dyj49kayrhqAaEssZ6pm-RYRs0vAlEweuSAEcig97LPNow5ZbC1rQZUIRHFyQ4CCSlNMGraqFGzXY/s400/IMG_2778.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD3xONsi9z1mI_JEexd0xHB6pHeN1eiZYY9FNauX2rTgNlCLHSOr4Bo-_4MS2oqVydR_yRfYULyyOQ7WhzK_t1MMLdcneUKVCBA5F9pbWIs9Zs-jTIyYzbmRG7Qc2pCBLlKJhUO-ilUFa/s1600/IMG_2779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD3xONsi9z1mI_JEexd0xHB6pHeN1eiZYY9FNauX2rTgNlCLHSOr4Bo-_4MS2oqVydR_yRfYULyyOQ7WhzK_t1MMLdcneUKVCBA5F9pbWIs9Zs-jTIyYzbmRG7Qc2pCBLlKJhUO-ilUFa/s400/IMG_2779.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
A couple days ago I took Mira to the community swimming pool at my Dad's condo. It was the first time she'd been to a big pool (meaning not a little wading pool in our backyard). It took Mira a few minutes to figure out what she thought. My dad and sister Sara took turns holding Mira and walking around in the water with her, then I told Mira this was like the bath tub but better because in the pool she could splash and kick and jump. That got the wheels turning and pretty soon all she wanted to do was jump into the water - she started to get so excited about it that a couple times my dad turned his back for just a second and barely had time to catch Mira as she leaped into the water.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBa9TAoQweMeDSAl6kR3zbyA0Z9TLO5fHP5DUsseIj_ziJt2PQSbSPFp6usBWtc5FUmnfEFZy6eXkS1AUVHvIx8HI5k5buPozx3C0OaPAO2CVPsxDCuaiwUYOZJyoZVbQfa-BreZSf86L/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBa9TAoQweMeDSAl6kR3zbyA0Z9TLO5fHP5DUsseIj_ziJt2PQSbSPFp6usBWtc5FUmnfEFZy6eXkS1AUVHvIx8HI5k5buPozx3C0OaPAO2CVPsxDCuaiwUYOZJyoZVbQfa-BreZSf86L/s400/IMG_2836.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaphQMCnUIhowcZyy_WuHtZnhxAlp6h5HjEk2l3AQG4WF1Kd9Kwqz6GL4xwJMjW-_RwE_ZWuElTu3-e0KpRGgfjYzS8NpIHlrAgwFWXSCaq6gaWY8az2pfHLtH8kq2KTlT4c0WGDJEBMT/s1600/IMG_2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaphQMCnUIhowcZyy_WuHtZnhxAlp6h5HjEk2l3AQG4WF1Kd9Kwqz6GL4xwJMjW-_RwE_ZWuElTu3-e0KpRGgfjYzS8NpIHlrAgwFWXSCaq6gaWY8az2pfHLtH8kq2KTlT4c0WGDJEBMT/s400/IMG_2837.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1i8TXzCwLnu8522yW0Xh-tAKCZUaMhg1ziZXEj-i7lXk5SIHmHjOMgmN8yNh7p9qTwQ-A74De7nuRw7AuMU-Qzpy7zuBeeUp6KfVDlJTJ8hlOacIg3hO8tOpAmPUnlRZm45k-4nlyfm1/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1i8TXzCwLnu8522yW0Xh-tAKCZUaMhg1ziZXEj-i7lXk5SIHmHjOMgmN8yNh7p9qTwQ-A74De7nuRw7AuMU-Qzpy7zuBeeUp6KfVDlJTJ8hlOacIg3hO8tOpAmPUnlRZm45k-4nlyfm1/s400/IMG_2838.JPG" width="400" /></a><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i1.ytimg.com/s_vi/ZfQqrBm2Tqg/default.jpg?sqp=CNzY6I4F&rs=AOn4CLCEb4vhNXayjayot7ur3bjOuxHQyA"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZfQqrBm2Tqg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZfQqrBm2Tqg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i1.ytimg.com/s_vi/BGrcmYpzxqg/default.jpg?sqp=CNzY6I4F&rs=AOn4CLCBp60JF-BjLo7HEzugkSV7pnCk-Q"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BGrcmYpzxqg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BGrcmYpzxqg?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
By the end of it Mira was getting upset because we wouldn't let her paddle around unsupported - so apparently it's time to look into getting her into some swimming lessons. She definitely loved it!<br />
<br />
Mira also fancies herself to be a gymnast. She enjoys jumping on the trampoline and she tries to do somersaults and cartwheels by herself, so apparently soon it'll be time to look into getting her into gymnastics lessons. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVKNJxjkf4gm2LKbfyMBoYbGVMFtIIDhgcuOnm5iy8dA_XJzoAgpP_0XR91SwRfaOFeO5RjuJygFqJFgxpznYtMbh5BdXWFzIXd7xYy6qhnDN8ubzpc8IjQ2EPzHd83u0tZFPje0CPXMJ/s1600/IMG_2719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVKNJxjkf4gm2LKbfyMBoYbGVMFtIIDhgcuOnm5iy8dA_XJzoAgpP_0XR91SwRfaOFeO5RjuJygFqJFgxpznYtMbh5BdXWFzIXd7xYy6qhnDN8ubzpc8IjQ2EPzHd83u0tZFPje0CPXMJ/s400/IMG_2719.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let that demure little pose fool you!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7S8vj21Dnxa9uJawfXbOBLPfc_cdMjKFQnF0NNrZfrQ0rkzRbydZz2tmf0KP_nkn2p_V2AlFzdXf_0DZmELCPPIzG__Fha5lG8vNyYwj1LwW7dpDYsGyEfYyr0220NxBu1lptgW0FORN/s1600/IMG_2800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7S8vj21Dnxa9uJawfXbOBLPfc_cdMjKFQnF0NNrZfrQ0rkzRbydZz2tmf0KP_nkn2p_V2AlFzdXf_0DZmELCPPIzG__Fha5lG8vNyYwj1LwW7dpDYsGyEfYyr0220NxBu1lptgW0FORN/s400/IMG_2800.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkaMlPuNTGu_x9_1Yma4lguscpKA7ov07tkFLtcTjPSHeI8MZe9WYmywXWK22JiLI64mocDNWwL5edLnf62ZoTafzZ_m-y1qi7Tx1F0awX5k06RkIsONMDAFqxAU-NTrxKeDPDnwAudR9/s1600/IMG_2804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkaMlPuNTGu_x9_1Yma4lguscpKA7ov07tkFLtcTjPSHeI8MZe9WYmywXWK22JiLI64mocDNWwL5edLnf62ZoTafzZ_m-y1qi7Tx1F0awX5k06RkIsONMDAFqxAU-NTrxKeDPDnwAudR9/s400/IMG_2804.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqkXNUPqvG7oUqmcPtgNvdwfhQLrCvQKztoBpV73cNd64Yd3vTVRtvF8sBP27BytThK48a0PQ6d1wvcQo2Ayyxl3wK1qch1FDNOGMED6sf_-SVUIISTCgDStBfgUTLtXap8j6xcXJ1ETO/s1600/IMG_2805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqkXNUPqvG7oUqmcPtgNvdwfhQLrCvQKztoBpV73cNd64Yd3vTVRtvF8sBP27BytThK48a0PQ6d1wvcQo2Ayyxl3wK1qch1FDNOGMED6sf_-SVUIISTCgDStBfgUTLtXap8j6xcXJ1ETO/s400/IMG_2805.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiir-9k_dMEVGgSI_IUWH1kVBO4ILvkqhGfzCxqY_nW-fOJ8uaefSGMq2KPD79E__foci4l94o5j4VkIqTC4w0pqpGzBb7XMNdZ5ROUqKyPKCwahJ1cnq-QpG767qWlS-BLHPqOaINi461/s1600/IMG_2806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiir-9k_dMEVGgSI_IUWH1kVBO4ILvkqhGfzCxqY_nW-fOJ8uaefSGMq2KPD79E__foci4l94o5j4VkIqTC4w0pqpGzBb7XMNdZ5ROUqKyPKCwahJ1cnq-QpG767qWlS-BLHPqOaINi461/s400/IMG_2806.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEQ0AGmVYESfKFHZhonfM8XYR7Tn3O9XPYW73t0w5IpoIPC_Lm4MAtL9FzRkJSnqKDKSyN5mf_kqrTqayIsNkwW49A0RaujZo7vQVML5N6NtwWk2XxYoI6qRzdnY0vQ2QfVWiJWVFpieE/s1600/IMG_2807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEQ0AGmVYESfKFHZhonfM8XYR7Tn3O9XPYW73t0w5IpoIPC_Lm4MAtL9FzRkJSnqKDKSyN5mf_kqrTqayIsNkwW49A0RaujZo7vQVML5N6NtwWk2XxYoI6qRzdnY0vQ2QfVWiJWVFpieE/s400/IMG_2807.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJbqGDCZ8JZhxhsA_lXHF_mrsSPkHoZKQ000ol4psMDjlxlE_eUbRU14TX7XDSvoA2Shvwdls1u3UNEL1_UdIGSJsBOEPpibKF-B5aXoe6EmCmZ3TG4i_RCV7u0yZEZ2Wv-GUFFD1dkmu/s1600/IMG_2811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJbqGDCZ8JZhxhsA_lXHF_mrsSPkHoZKQ000ol4psMDjlxlE_eUbRU14TX7XDSvoA2Shvwdls1u3UNEL1_UdIGSJsBOEPpibKF-B5aXoe6EmCmZ3TG4i_RCV7u0yZEZ2Wv-GUFFD1dkmu/s400/IMG_2811.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
The outfit, as you may have guessed, was for the Fourth of July a few days ago. I tried showing Mira some sparklers the night of the third and she was sort of impressed with them. Sara and I helped her hold onto a sparkler while it was going off but while we were showing her the bucket of water to put the used sparkler in she reached for the wire with her opposite hand and got a small burn on her thumb. After that she didn't want to touch any more sparklers and amused herself playing with the hose (which is much more fun anyway). I was working the night of the Fourth but apparently this girl absolutely loves big loud fireworks! A bunch of our neighbors were setting off large aerial fireworks and Mira kept pointing and saying "Wow!" and wanting to get closer to them - and according to Mark she threw a fit every time he tried to get her inside for bed because she wanted to keep watching. She wasn't scared of the loud noises at all, which is impressive for a kid her age. I remember being scared of fireworks until I was at least 8 or 9 or 10 or something like that so she didn't get this from me!<br />
<br />
And of course Mira still loves to dance and sing. She has a stuffed dog that sings little songs and Mira has invented a different dance/singing routine to go along with each one. So now apparently I'm going to have to start looking into getting her into dance and choir lessons.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/Bm780nuB_Z0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bm780nuB_Z0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bm780nuB_Z0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Mark still complains that Mira doesn't like him but Mira is definitely starting to do better. Believe me, I can't wait for Mira to decide that's she's going to be a daddy's girl - although looking at the pictures it seems like she's getting there!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwddmuqpaEBDX0HT1ErwFdNaPX00j7TjcIlHyUjv70cOn5rssvF7lmEPKorIVg1J09i_wSYIQVNPy6moGd4mGbmjZq1z_l3yGRogWEmnQI4MyyWQHJ9qgLKq8KWgfYNf6c6Ka6pexWv1UP/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwddmuqpaEBDX0HT1ErwFdNaPX00j7TjcIlHyUjv70cOn5rssvF7lmEPKorIVg1J09i_wSYIQVNPy6moGd4mGbmjZq1z_l3yGRogWEmnQI4MyyWQHJ9qgLKq8KWgfYNf6c6Ka6pexWv1UP/s400/IMG_2710.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FhkbX2O-5a1hWOmXBVy_qe8_AFW5bBs9acLaZ9JB4oxbbHpS89BQUR2ONYbvrnXpatzngCb-cVepBNv-WJ_7wxQwpxvvWvBL9IwOWRfpRcvfQkoWRjI0UWoKft2Vt8AkfxVYE2DqacLz/s1600/IMG_2711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FhkbX2O-5a1hWOmXBVy_qe8_AFW5bBs9acLaZ9JB4oxbbHpS89BQUR2ONYbvrnXpatzngCb-cVepBNv-WJ_7wxQwpxvvWvBL9IwOWRfpRcvfQkoWRjI0UWoKft2Vt8AkfxVYE2DqacLz/s400/IMG_2711.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaming buddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_avmajxR5TZVKdrkaeEf9TxFNWM8CluZZz80wxV5_SW4hgQh7cA8NqtekjO_G1JqkGNn2s3gtUJ3UESSIFewvWCFTQihgzzGkvP-quoRVTwp05P-nO_ESl3rcR8LV0m5Upqhy4ADzgJmO/s1600/IMG_2712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_avmajxR5TZVKdrkaeEf9TxFNWM8CluZZz80wxV5_SW4hgQh7cA8NqtekjO_G1JqkGNn2s3gtUJ3UESSIFewvWCFTQihgzzGkvP-quoRVTwp05P-nO_ESl3rcR8LV0m5Upqhy4ADzgJmO/s400/IMG_2712.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
One day Mira was taking pictures of herself with my phone and Mark got in on the fun. Mira of course thought it was hilarious. At times like this it's pretty obvious where Mira got her goofy streak.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwzOJVAaIyzakKwskfaNQ8QOvrJ0aNOwl62Qb9ZzPwKwQYUhIweiaTc-sIBvVGDnWXWp6ZKkwoWmflIU8K9PKd063wvkFbCg2nR4Exu3QE2VDkWFX1Lu54-pZrT9xo9ik8y4VH_fF7xoZ/s1600/IMG_2656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwzOJVAaIyzakKwskfaNQ8QOvrJ0aNOwl62Qb9ZzPwKwQYUhIweiaTc-sIBvVGDnWXWp6ZKkwoWmflIU8K9PKd063wvkFbCg2nR4Exu3QE2VDkWFX1Lu54-pZrT9xo9ik8y4VH_fF7xoZ/s400/IMG_2656.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg6s0ReYhNYd6DvXKznGO9ge8T-RRatNcDy0Sl0zNmgNcFkyPpzoopoluc8I3-YJ1oTdGG2xBAjIOnmt_MnaUBlILErynPU-_EV8hCJ2NSS9wohQNoZvkawqScE4Wm_1IAyx5BZ435wpP/s1600/IMG_2654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg6s0ReYhNYd6DvXKznGO9ge8T-RRatNcDy0Sl0zNmgNcFkyPpzoopoluc8I3-YJ1oTdGG2xBAjIOnmt_MnaUBlILErynPU-_EV8hCJ2NSS9wohQNoZvkawqScE4Wm_1IAyx5BZ435wpP/s400/IMG_2654.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGSGmkt8FTahcZ_XaNSXa6Eqb72xLPswrHDIEFOeQZbuc-v7WJ5NRe-FHzoTRdxbGKeyNTN09JBHCOWJwSWByOxjXrUMrlb-yLxKG2yafNF2jwZzgQznf8ie3TBs6nBg7alKong6CbcI3/s1600/IMG_2655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGSGmkt8FTahcZ_XaNSXa6Eqb72xLPswrHDIEFOeQZbuc-v7WJ5NRe-FHzoTRdxbGKeyNTN09JBHCOWJwSWByOxjXrUMrlb-yLxKG2yafNF2jwZzgQznf8ie3TBs6nBg7alKong6CbcI3/s400/IMG_2655.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And speaking of goofy streaks, some pictures of Mira just being cute.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-K2RkF_UW6EpMWugGwnh6PFlbs820gWGWkQad6wIsz0tqmop9Sf5QZtW0MUD3fZASp_hqCVuYdbb2ic-R0-mC1eAg9rRicJ1W_woC7WsYBjVy5z2bTA_ztp76YiWIQEePfP9tsehbP6o/s1600/IMG_2681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-K2RkF_UW6EpMWugGwnh6PFlbs820gWGWkQad6wIsz0tqmop9Sf5QZtW0MUD3fZASp_hqCVuYdbb2ic-R0-mC1eAg9rRicJ1W_woC7WsYBjVy5z2bTA_ztp76YiWIQEePfP9tsehbP6o/s400/IMG_2681.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zR_2oBD-z3nQxS_KXQFpb27sgnF0mSdEuPK-RvO0G0JQeeMAFR4aZZS6jPkm_WLvlNT1-joFAFwZSqKRMgasOAVoIfW__XlJj0IO6XGQBAnAtClqgNeH3mOAgPfrK4v-hLkLtETAMWX/s1600/IMG_2703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zR_2oBD-z3nQxS_KXQFpb27sgnF0mSdEuPK-RvO0G0JQeeMAFR4aZZS6jPkm_WLvlNT1-joFAFwZSqKRMgasOAVoIfW__XlJj0IO6XGQBAnAtClqgNeH3mOAgPfrK4v-hLkLtETAMWX/s400/IMG_2703.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8zRuBjHEcBubUg590n571bO_uncQseu8EyotdxWUmYrsj9gGWSwuWNS31znolOtPv1iyDnxBSLCrvxbRDlws9X6Vsrnpe6T82fE1erv9OMO6_KURf4QCP31IrWtRnNPQ77Wlc7qP82PP/s1600/IMG_2702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8zRuBjHEcBubUg590n571bO_uncQseu8EyotdxWUmYrsj9gGWSwuWNS31znolOtPv1iyDnxBSLCrvxbRDlws9X6Vsrnpe6T82fE1erv9OMO6_KURf4QCP31IrWtRnNPQ77Wlc7qP82PP/s400/IMG_2702.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Stewie's tree - notice it already has apples on it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdl1EOYCJFICMQAnrSEkoz1T9isp2E766wnDku3bkvgd6f3aLQUftW1cohlFpCS2S9vDj7EZkqsMbfVAJLzc29L4iqkW-vUoJHQr5tpiKAlf5qXdtqU_I7aLMBc4VSazoqgxb12yXUFFx/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdl1EOYCJFICMQAnrSEkoz1T9isp2E766wnDku3bkvgd6f3aLQUftW1cohlFpCS2S9vDj7EZkqsMbfVAJLzc29L4iqkW-vUoJHQr5tpiKAlf5qXdtqU_I7aLMBc4VSazoqgxb12yXUFFx/s400/IMG_2834.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBRF8zAolH7OKy7GXLQDfgCvCcGF-J3VzkKwYYQjybQ-WHyNElFgg8t0eJDufihAwFDAQqKmAR3GY7CX-aBPQSGtCGZznaNgVeewIrAyx6SaQDpBWOVqnTskgoQtgE_lqOkAIuSplAJ4h/s1600/IMG_2547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBRF8zAolH7OKy7GXLQDfgCvCcGF-J3VzkKwYYQjybQ-WHyNElFgg8t0eJDufihAwFDAQqKmAR3GY7CX-aBPQSGtCGZznaNgVeewIrAyx6SaQDpBWOVqnTskgoQtgE_lqOkAIuSplAJ4h/s400/IMG_2547.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMr9RJOWgbtzsa84J8KFOOxhT4gfW0R3NAZGBldfvJsJTXH7P4HO8GOb6JgikxsfDuorBPr6eJDogQ1jxbFAErKToI2TiDcdRX1_x95rhkdjEePjXEbWZ3vdXuBKPNT2aT2mtuyB-Hqc8f/s1600/IMG_2679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMr9RJOWgbtzsa84J8KFOOxhT4gfW0R3NAZGBldfvJsJTXH7P4HO8GOb6JgikxsfDuorBPr6eJDogQ1jxbFAErKToI2TiDcdRX1_x95rhkdjEePjXEbWZ3vdXuBKPNT2aT2mtuyB-Hqc8f/s400/IMG_2679.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Mira certainly likes to take a lot of "selfies." Personally, I think "selfies" can be ridiculous, but Mira has no idea what she's doing, and this face is a lot cuter than any other "selfie" I see posted on the internet!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwFOLRSr8TZ2M5d5dc_G-HVf9_r-GS8GwudInK28EMyhsHLEvfb_q13ZEG8sny6ClXqq17xK4xDPk9syKVVG7fcKILjF7SNsiMjiw1sktlVOV2brYohKcAU7SDueRCCi3RLPHGLYHocQ0/s1600/IMG_2893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwFOLRSr8TZ2M5d5dc_G-HVf9_r-GS8GwudInK28EMyhsHLEvfb_q13ZEG8sny6ClXqq17xK4xDPk9syKVVG7fcKILjF7SNsiMjiw1sktlVOV2brYohKcAU7SDueRCCi3RLPHGLYHocQ0/s400/IMG_2893.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
And now that I've said I think "selfies" are ridiculous, here's one of me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZOW_sXJIEj4x80o9nkxdmlTV3KnghTmHW_C1OaQ-iDui21YXaXje4iEgSzJJ8Pf1mVDat6TzGfdzKtr-BFqUtxgxvL6RMSXmIfS3gsATymk15bY97MIAkvXVOvoMidWJlf8IfCP19utu/s1600/IMG_2835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZOW_sXJIEj4x80o9nkxdmlTV3KnghTmHW_C1OaQ-iDui21YXaXje4iEgSzJJ8Pf1mVDat6TzGfdzKtr-BFqUtxgxvL6RMSXmIfS3gsATymk15bY97MIAkvXVOvoMidWJlf8IfCP19utu/s400/IMG_2835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The only reason I took it is because I'm wearing surgical scrubs instead of navy blue scrubs. I don't get many opportunities to go to the OR during a clinical shift but when it happens it's awesome! The OR would have been a career option for me if only OR nurses got to do something involving patient care - since the surgical techs and the anesthesiologist get to do the fun stuff it's ICU nursing for me.<br />
<br />
For the most part it's been a fun summer. When Mira decides she's going to be cute and adorable I can manage the energy expenditure it takes to have a toddler with a mind of her own. Sometimes though, like today when I'd only gotten a few hours of sleep and was tired and impatient to start off with, she pushes every single button I have and by the end of the day I feel like her name is "NO!" or "STOP!" or "COME BACK HERE!" or something similar, and half her waking hours are spent in time out. My mantra these days is "It's just a phase it's just a phase it's just a phase it's just a phase." Seriously I have no idea how people can have more than one child! Maybe if I didn't work full time nights I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed about it but I feel like I <i>have</i> to work full time to get away. I guess with kids it's important to know your limit as to how many you can handle and for me, one is definitely my limit!<br />
<br />
One question I get asked a lot is if we've started potty training yet. Well, sort of. A few times a day I'll tell Mira that mommy has to use the big girl potty and would she like to come with me? She always gets super excited and runs as fast as she can to her little pink princess potty and plops herself down - fully clothed. (We've tried convincing her to pull her bottoms down to sit on the potty and she usually ends up having a tantrum on the floor at the suggestion. Occasionally we can bribe her to sit on the potty with her pants and diaper off if we sing endless amounts of songs or promise that she'll get to play with the iPad afterwards, so she will, but nothing has happened yet.) After a minute she'll grab some toilet paper and put a piece in her potty, then get another piece for me. Then she <i>has</i> to help flush the toilet and wash her hands. So she gets the ritual but I think if we were to push the potty training it would just be a bad experience for everybody at this point. One bit of advice I've heard from a mom is to not even bother trying to potty train until the kid turns three - once they're three it goes much smoother and is much easier so that's probably what we'll end up doing. Changing diapers is no big deal and definitely better than cleaning messes off the floor.<br />
<br />
And just for fun - random animal pictures.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB48LVIXryqe92n_hTIfm1T1Ua03G541-dlcrBEuOPfOrjckissQN43E_Btsrv2hBwCan-yp2quSnWH4YLidrylwq91sTkcXcth1qKmMnFOMNPjbLZtP_P8gIL3i8azWoysi7Tifjag6N/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB48LVIXryqe92n_hTIfm1T1Ua03G541-dlcrBEuOPfOrjckissQN43E_Btsrv2hBwCan-yp2quSnWH4YLidrylwq91sTkcXcth1qKmMnFOMNPjbLZtP_P8gIL3i8azWoysi7Tifjag6N/s400/IMG_2768.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice that the older and younger chickens keep themselves segregated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGpdmCM3uqZuN6XeEcRDg91W2DWnLhAG83TTjLTKaCKILHph-loM1FfdBTyIAVEEJm9xc2XrBHSJ2W5RgHwrtzNL0IZa1D3oSKyasYgTbdSpccuGfoIMCDL_UPztC8d2XGKoR_5uyTvFv/s1600/IMG_2799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGpdmCM3uqZuN6XeEcRDg91W2DWnLhAG83TTjLTKaCKILHph-loM1FfdBTyIAVEEJm9xc2XrBHSJ2W5RgHwrtzNL0IZa1D3oSKyasYgTbdSpccuGfoIMCDL_UPztC8d2XGKoR_5uyTvFv/s400/IMG_2799.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second a box shows up, there's a Wally cat on/in it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeiu44z3cnPTBg9YP3RDXx2yLPOVkImhLtbC1LkarrqCGLr2pZR14F3hM6DXNXcijuKA0mpDeEYR5bo2eGrgB0xGlOZFMOKTAQXouD7pRLVvhCDtAwo5TomeNz5Aq2D6jFM35BSYCeUF/s1600/IMG_2468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeiu44z3cnPTBg9YP3RDXx2yLPOVkImhLtbC1LkarrqCGLr2pZR14F3hM6DXNXcijuKA0mpDeEYR5bo2eGrgB0xGlOZFMOKTAQXouD7pRLVvhCDtAwo5TomeNz5Aq2D6jFM35BSYCeUF/s400/IMG_2468.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5O0FrPYplA1jRAVqUkZs39aD9YiEwHELc2r7PNneuAnj-gQ_FprRn7qC97LyPiKPXzMijThBam0J1KNEsvWXJpnuPYe96Qtq-m7dYjLqN0VQzt4qAK2qYcOM4pQpnCV7usUhWUtueUWwv/s1600/IMG_2524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5O0FrPYplA1jRAVqUkZs39aD9YiEwHELc2r7PNneuAnj-gQ_FprRn7qC97LyPiKPXzMijThBam0J1KNEsvWXJpnuPYe96Qtq-m7dYjLqN0VQzt4qAK2qYcOM4pQpnCV7usUhWUtueUWwv/s400/IMG_2524.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQKRb_iOp-N0FQU5DB2_T9QehU20vzSxq_HeU5pH0cq-Q-liqyQEUBPC_Dv4Ov0-F06nx3YU7DRLBz6BQ24xFkkBjAyRAmw7_6k0KocPeZ2o1Nc5sktcPQjh6KwD0zI5ffmYjTgbu6kGz/s1600/IMG_2525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQKRb_iOp-N0FQU5DB2_T9QehU20vzSxq_HeU5pH0cq-Q-liqyQEUBPC_Dv4Ov0-F06nx3YU7DRLBz6BQ24xFkkBjAyRAmw7_6k0KocPeZ2o1Nc5sktcPQjh6KwD0zI5ffmYjTgbu6kGz/s400/IMG_2525.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Elanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15507584108027688683noreply@blogger.com0