tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23518493753138008732024-03-05T06:41:34.846-07:00dr. slumlordsanity is long gone; now it's just a family blogkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-58337907668097605202014-02-21T08:34:00.002-07:002014-02-21T08:36:37.556-07:00belle Today at school the kids could dress up like a character from Beauty and the Beast. <br />
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Katie in 2011 when she first got the Belle dress for her birthday.</div>
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Katie in 2014 after I altered the sleeves, let out the ruching, and let the bodice out 3/8 of an inch! </div>
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And not to leave Alex out, here he is after the loss of his first tooth in January. The second followed shortly thereafter.<br />
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<br />kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-49411667684560134762013-04-08T22:15:00.000-06:002013-04-08T22:15:32.093-06:00back in businessWell, it turns out that we are indeed pet owners and NOT farmers. The week before Spring Break we heard some serious squawking one morning. Roger leapt out of bed and saw French Toast flapping around. He went on a search and discovered that a fox had gotten the other 3 hens. A farmer would have had friends over for a nice feast that evening, but since we're PET OWNERS we had a funeral for the 3 casualties, talked Alex out of building a trap that would cut off the fox's head, and made plans for the acquisition of their replacements.<br />
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Today Murdoch's finally got their chicks in. We headed over after school to choose our new buddies. It's hard to think of anything even half as cute as a baby chick, but the look on the kids' faces as they hold their new little friends comes close.<br />
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The names have not been picked yet, but we now have a Buff Orpington, a Rhode Island Red, a New Hampshire Red, and a Black Australorp. I should have paid closer attention to which chick is which, because the first three are all golden and hard to distinguish between. Max chose his because the adults have black feathers with a green or purple sheen. I aimed everybody towards good layers - we'll find out how well that worked out in 6 months.<br />
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In other news, the question 'Can the Jeep really run out of gas?,' which has indeed been tested a number of times but never successfully answered, can now be laid to rest. As long as I am the one driving. Yet again, I ran out of gas RIGHT next to the gas station closest to my destination - in this case the one essentially across the street from my house. Luckily this only happens to me every decade or so, and luckily a nice gal pushed me off of Main Street with her Blazer, and I was able to make the 'walk of shame' carrying the gas can to rescue the Jeep before the rain started. We'll see if the promised snow arrives tonight, putting the cherry on top of this little sundae.kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-45031466824386758712012-11-01T10:48:00.000-06:002012-10-31T10:48:54.352-06:00gerbil mania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've now had the gerbils for just over a month. There simple starter homes have evolved into palaces, but I think the additions are over and we are just down to rearranging what we've got.<br />
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Max got his girl first - on his birthday. Her name currently is 'Miss Miss Mouse Speedy Young.' It changes pretty frequently. We should call her Dracula. She's a biter. Now that we have a little more experience with gerbils, it's obvious that she was older when we got her. She's gotten Alex pretty good twice, me once, and Max once - about 5 minutes after taking this picture. I thought he was going to remain unscathed. <br />
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Katie and Alex got their girls a couple weeks later. Their gerbils are sisters and sweet as can be. They are also about half the size of Max's gerbil, and I'm guessing 6 months younger. The pet store was NOT forthcoming on Max's girl's potential shortcomings. We hoped they could all live together, but I don't think these two would make it through until morning, so we have two separate palaces. Guess which one is called 'Alex SquirmyYoung.' The other is 'Addison Silky Young.'<br />
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This is just my favorite Max outfit of all time. He had a brief phase of having to choose different colored socks each day. Now that he has some dinosaur socks, he only wants to wear ONE pair of socks every day . . . new challenge. I just love that he's young enough to not care what anyone else thinks. He just knows what he likes, and that always involves green - usually at least part of his 'Hawaii' outfit. And a Snow White helmet works just as well for him as any other.<br />
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We recently walked around some ponds that had TONS of cat tails. Roger introduced us all to the fun of 'cat tail wars.' It's all fun and games until somebody gets one in the eye!<br />
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Max's preschool class made their annual trip to the fire station. I think it's great that the kids can see that the fire fighters are real people, and that they don't need to be afraid of them when they have all their gear on. Added bonus with Max's class is watching the fireman giving us the tour trying to get a word in edgewise over Max's preschool teacher!<br />
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<br />kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-47841343152426229742012-10-31T09:47:00.001-06:002012-10-31T10:50:14.456-06:00dinsoaur ridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The second week of October we had a day off of school, so we did a cousins adventure to <a href="http://www.mnhm.org/index.html">Morrison Natural History Museum</a>. It's a very small museum but SOOO cool, and just the right size and activities for our little people. Their claims to fame are the first stegasaurous and apatasaurous fossil finds, as well as some baby dinosaur foot prints.<br />
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The lower level has some casts of different predator skulls and an apatasaurous neck - the skull is still being removed from sandstone. The upper level has some triceratops fossils, some live animals, and a room with ongoing excavation work. We were lucky enough to arrive close to feeding time for the animals. The kids got to pet this snake before her snack. I think she got fed 8 mice!<br />
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The small size was again to our advantage, because everyone that wanted had a turn running the tools on the apatasaurous skull removal! We did not get to take a crack at the baby stegasaurous pelvis, because it was too small and fragile, and is the only known fossil of its kind in existence. Picky picky.<br />
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Outside, we could 'dig for fossils' in their big sandbox. Katie found a deer jaw, and Max 'discovered' the fossil of some kind of sea creature. Summer had a good time burying the other shovels and disrupting Alex's sense of order in the universe.<br />
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Inside a small outbuilding there was another 'fossil dig' sandbox where everyone could practice their finer excavation skills with paint brushes. Oddly enough, Alex lasted longer than anyone else on that one. Everyone also painted some dinosaur tracks. Don't ask me where they are now! That mystery remains for another days excavation project. Violet showed the most concentration - she was so intent with her painting.<br />
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Maybe next time we'll make it up to Dinosaur Ridge - a trail just outside of the museum where there are still plenty of fossils in situ. That might need to go on the summer time adventures list.kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-26022342266380551212012-10-30T11:07:00.002-06:002012-10-30T11:07:43.681-06:00Halloween Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year we finally went to Boo After Dark at the Denver Zoo. I love all the lights. We saw a few animals. Nobody loved the freezing cold night, but the bags full of candy made up for that in the end. Luckily we all ate dinner together at Margaret's house, because we then didn't find each other at the Zoo until the very end! Note to self: since cell phones exist, try actually remembering to bring yours!<br />
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Katie and our good friend Aly before we started exploring the zoo.<br />
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'Bat Boy' Alex and Max the black cat. The previous Friday we went to Bat Encounter at the Botanical Gardens. They had a few live bats that the presenter walked around. The smallest was the size of a gerbil - with wings. The largest he brought has a 6 foot wingspan! My photo-taking skills need some help, but here's one of them:<br />
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We are still working on getting our own bat house up. I wonder if they'll go after squirrels . . .<br />
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We managed to hit the bat exhibit in Tropical Discovery. I think Alex was equally impressed by the hundreds of bats in their fake cage as he was seeing them live and closer up.<br />
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Roger was Oma's designated driver for the night. Her knee seems to be better post-procedure, but still a little tender. Max and Alex did not mind doing a little hitch hiking.<br />
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The festive Andersons.<br />
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One very cute little bunny. Go ahead and try to offer your hand to help her walk - she'll just start to run in the opposite direction!<br />
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The grapes costume rides again! Saturday night we went to a carnival at our friends' high school, and Katie and I won in our age categories for the costume contest. Katie's competition was a little stiffer than mine: I was one of only two adults who actually dressed up, so we both got prizes.<br />
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I'd say it's a pretty good event when everyone is too wiped out at the end to even dig into their candy stash, and instead conks out on their neighbor! We'll probably go out for a little trick-or-treating Wednesday night, just for the atmosphere and because it's supposed to be a balmy 40+ degrees instead if 25!kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-37534943808550915982012-10-02T10:00:00.000-06:002012-10-09T08:03:14.457-06:00all i want for chirstmas . ..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One front tooth out. This one came out during gym class. It was hanging by a thread the night before, but after the drama and trauma of having mom and dad even THINK about helping get the tooth out, we told Katie that she was on her own. <br />
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The second front tooth followed about a week later. We didn't even try to help with this one. It also came out at school, which means that Katie scored a fun little tooth-shaped case to put it in. The tooth fairy forgot to come the first night, but luckily she got her act together the next!<br />
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This has nothing to do with teeth. I just needed to document how many rocks Alex came home with crammed into his pockets one day last week. What a nut. He's got rock collections all over the house. I think my favorite is his jar of 'the beauty rocks.' I'm not sure what significance each of these rocks has, but at this rate we'll have enough to fill in around the fountain planned for the front patio.kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-18504125695947258092012-10-01T18:30:00.002-06:002012-10-01T18:31:24.782-06:00four year old Max<br />
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This little nugget is now 4! This was supposed to be the 'off-year' for a friend party, but I caved. Max ended up having quite the birthday week. I fear the bar has been raised too high now for future birthdays. We really need to have dry ice around more often. After the party was over we<strike> made dry ice bombs</strike> learned about pressurizing gas in a fixed volume. That was one good thing I learned in my lab.<br />
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Dinosaur mania. The cake was strawberry, so the pieces looked suitably 'realistic,' although Max just really likes strawberry cake. He was not going for 'flesh-like' with his flavor choice.<br />
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Balloon pit on the trampoline - or 'T-Rex' stomp if we're keeping with our theme.<br />
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Make a dino out of play-doe.<br />
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Pin the horn on the triceratops. We also had pictures of a T. Rex, pterodactyl, and apatosaurus - or brachiosaurus depending on who you ask. The artistic quality was of course top notch. It will be harder and harder to have my drawings pass muster as my little people get older and more discerning!<br />
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We also had an excavation site set up in a kiddie pool, filled with chicken bedding and dinosaur figures to hunt for. We chased rocket balloons at the end while we waited for parents to retrieve their kids. Nobody cried, so this party goes down in the books as a success!<br />
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We hit Freddy's for lunch after the party. Yes, Max did eat all those fries. Alex wouldn't eat his hamburger because some mean woman cut it in half for him, thus ruining the flavor.<br />
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On Max's birthday we went out to dinner at Old Chicago, because the GREAT LLYODINI, or Royal-dini as Max keeps calling him, was there doing magic. The 'red light trick' is still everyone's favorite. After dinner we went to the pet store to pick out Max's present - a gerbil. We are now officially full of pets over here. Well, the fish situation actually keeps us just under 'totally full' on a regular basis. Here's hoping the gerbils fare better!<br />
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This little muffin just keeps getting more fun the older he gets;. We're sure lucky to have him in our family. My favorite thing about Max right now is that he likes to wear two different colors of socks. He takes the pairs apart so he can get the right color combination for the day. What a fun little dude!kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-49621045849241716922012-09-07T14:42:00.003-06:002012-09-07T14:42:50.183-06:00summer tripSomehow I got nominated to plan the Randy Reese family reunion. Here's the book I made of the reunion and the trip we took to get there. Someday there might be more text describing our adventures. For now, just the book. <br />
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<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EZM2TVs2aMXVA&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=118">Click here to view this photo book larger</a><div style="margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
Shutterfly offers exclusive <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books" style="color: #6666cc;">photobook layouts</a> so you can make your book just the way you want.</div>
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kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-68530909037279155702012-09-04T09:17:00.000-06:002012-09-04T09:17:03.540-06:00youth conference 2012Alternate title: 'The assignment that almost killed us', or 'Why I should listen to Roger more often.'<br />
<br />As it turns out, I am no as relaxed as I pretend to be. This is not news to Roger, but did/does cause him some grief at times. Once I finally chilled out - about the week before the event - things finally went a little better. <br />
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We camped in cabins up at Hermit Park near Estes. Perfect location. ROGER WAS RIGHT.<br />
The theme was 'get smart' - the vernacular of 'oh be wise.' That won out over my original idea of 'don't be stupid.' Positive seemed a better way to go.<br />
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Before we drove up to the mountains, we did a service project at the Community Food Bank. Best service project ever. It's near our community, the kids got a little education about who uses the resource, how many people they serve, and how much money that takes. Visible results quickly with a very human face. ROGER</div>
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IS A GENIUS!</div>
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(This is Roger and Bishop Merrill next to Sue, the volunteer coordinator. She is one powerful, tiny woman!)</div>
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Thursday night we had some speakers talk about how their life plans differed from what THEY planned, and how they learned to use the Spirit in figuring out what they really needed to do with their lives/education/etc. GREAT. Kat gets the genius award for that one. And my friend for suggesting two of the speakers at the last minute. It's always nice when you get to see why things don't work out they way YOU want them to because Heavenly Father has a better plan in mind. Sometimes even the organizers get to learn a little something too.</div>
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Friday morning we did the ropes course up at YMCA of the Rockies. This was probably my favorite activity of the whole adventure. The program director lead our group, and he was great. The kids failed one of the activities because they didn't follow directions and help each other like they were supposed to, and he called them on it. Not in a bad way at all, but talked to them about how they could have done better, and really emphasized that it's only truly a failure if you don't learn and change and improve from your experience. </div>
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Saturday morning on the way back home we went to Estes Park and swam for a couple hours. Which was nice since we didn't have showers up there. Roger and Travis had a nice diving board competition going - unfortunately the photographer needs to work on her speed shooting skills. She did OK when everyone was standing still though.</div>
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Overall two thumbs up.The kids had fun, the leaders had fun, the Bishop was booked with interviews the next week. Good stuff all around. And naturally our own kids didn't want their sleepover at Oma's to end. </div>
kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-70742636946249407382012-08-20T10:22:00.002-06:002012-08-20T10:22:20.468-06:00first day of school<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This girl is in 1st grade. Craziness.<br />
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Katie was a little nervous in the beginning - change does not come easily for this apple who landed right at the bottom of the tree - but then she spotted a buddy from her Kindergarten class, and things improved. At least for her. I was a mess. I think Kindergarten is easier for ME because it's only half day. Sending Katie of for a whole day just has turned me into jelly. Somehow between back-to-school night and the first day of school the headphones are already lost, so we're off to a great start! :)<br />
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This handsome fellow started school the following day. When did he turn into a BOY? He is definitely not a little guy any more.<br />
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Mr. Friendly had no trouble starting school. He popped instantly into line waiting to go in - he has the same teacher and room Katie had, and he's always the first kid to go up and introduce himself to the others at the park, so he was right in his element. I'm room mom again for Kindergarten, which should be a little easier now that I have some clue as to how things go.<br />
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Green Hawaii starts school this week. (These outfits from Oma were our official uniforms for summer. I tried to enforce a 'twice a week only' rule, but by the end of the summer that was out the window. It did make doing laundry pretty easy.) Every day he asks if he gets to go to school yet. Naturally the nerd in me delights that all my kids love school so much, but I do miss having everybody home during the day. Although I naturally have a list of projects to try and distract me and keep me busy . . .kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-73750941522123040162012-08-14T10:05:00.000-06:002012-08-20T10:23:52.279-06:00last hurrahTuesday before school started we decided we needed one more adventure while we could still go with everyone. By 'we' I probably mean the 'royal we' - a way for MOM to put off thinking about everyone heading off for school and growing up too fast!<br />
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Mag was up for the adventure so off to the zoo we went.</div>
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Winner of best outfit of the day.</div>
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Train riders.</div>
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Train lover.</div>
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I was really hoping that the Icee was going to splat him in the kisser, but it was too frozen.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Proof that I was actually there - and can you stand how cute Violet is in sunglasses?!</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"> Ice cream lovers.</span></div>
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Everyone pooped out by the end of the +90 degree day.</div>
kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-85509742092318000892012-03-20T15:51:00.003-06:002012-03-20T22:26:40.589-06:00Katie is 6!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This crazy kid is 6 already! Well, now she's been 6 for a whole month and a half. This was going to be the year of just having a family party, but somehow we ended up having a 'princess tea party' with just a 'few' friends. It only takes a few 6 year olds to turn any small gathering into banana land.</div>
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We had cookies and snacks and made bracelets. A good time was had by all, and I survived.</div>
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After the kid party we had a big kid party with Aunt Mag and Opa. Katie loves the latest addition to her princess dress collection courtesy of Oma. It's amazing how a fancy dress can turn any outing into something special.</div>
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Katie's current favorite cereal is 'Fruity Pebbles.' I don't know how that happened!<br />
Her favorite vegetable is still broccoli. She will at least try almost everything placed in front of her - I'm hoping she rubs off on her younger housemates.<br />
Her favorite season is summer, because 'we don't have to freeze our heads off.'<br />
Katie's favorite time of the day is the evening, 'because then I get to hang out with my family.'<br />
She is still enamored of princesses, and loves to sing all the time - she's singing with a children's choir this year - mainly because someone else does all the driving - and LOVES it.<br />
She loves doing craft projects, and asks daily about the progress on 'her craft room.'<br />
Her current heroes are her parents - here's hoping we continue to live up to that expectation!<br />
Her favorite books are 'Put Me in the Zoo' - thank you Aunt Pam - and her green book of Beginner's Books, favorite being 'Would you Rather Be a Bullfrog? - thanks Aunt Julie.<br />
She loves to make up stories with all her little figurines - her brothers provide moving van services when they need to move houses.<br />
Her career goal currently is 'kindergarten teacher at Twin Peaks.'<br />
Katie is so loving and so very loved. Alex has a hard time being separated from her, and for half a year talked Katie into sleeping on the floor in the boys' room so she would be near him. When she slept over one night at Oma's house for her 'make up birthday' (Oma had the nerve to go visit her children back East in February), Alex couldn't believe she was going to be gone for SO LONG. We have since negotiated that down to one night a week (Tuesdays if you're wondering).<br />
Katie is such a happy, genuinely nice girl. We love her to pieces!<br />
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Katie's self portrait in beans.</div>
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While not birthday related, this picture just had to be included. I cannot stand how cute this guys is!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5Opw1xkPjb42AqqRjBPu4CHu-pHrsdn2Ud4qP-Qnuk8JJKNRfFynff3eWRrIezt1J_3fS2VBhA-gKXFTW9y-BCLHF_6obY_3clVWnP-1eCC7GEgqAmds9uPyPUBmxxlV61qR5ua6w6k/s1600/feb+186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5Opw1xkPjb42AqqRjBPu4CHu-pHrsdn2Ud4qP-Qnuk8JJKNRfFynff3eWRrIezt1J_3fS2VBhA-gKXFTW9y-BCLHF_6obY_3clVWnP-1eCC7GEgqAmds9uPyPUBmxxlV61qR5ua6w6k/s400/feb+186.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-22539284520785983942012-02-29T09:33:00.000-07:002012-03-20T14:08:37.029-06:00phases 2 and 3Thank you Amy for kicking me back into action. We've been a little extra busy around here, and the lack of perceived progress on the basement made me hesitant to post the next phase. In my brain it wasn't done. But actually, phase 2 IS done, and wallboard gets to be it's own phase. I'm glad I finally downloaded some pictures - forward progress is being made, despite lame renters! The extra time has actually been good, allowing us to really think about what we want and add things we didn't initially plan on - things that are a lot easier to change now BEFORE wallboard is up and taped!<br />
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Roger rented a framing nail gun for most of the framing, but it had to be returned before everything got framed. This allowed our handy helpers to all be a part of the framing. Alex puts on his 'Mouse-ka-zoomer' to get those screws in, while Roger provides a little bit of extra muscle.<br />
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Dad/Opa helped a TON with the wiring. Of course, now there are plenty of outlets and plugs to be wired if anyone is interested in a trip to sunny CO! We wired the area next to the stairs for a future kitchen. I think Roger is most excited about the 12,000 channel sound system he wired down there<br />
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The kids are now more of a fan of the Pink Panther than I am! Luckily my contractor reminded me of the importance of long sleeves, so the itching from all the insulation didn't last too long. The kids made good runners, and Alex had fun standing on the board I used as a straight edge. It's amazing what a difference the insulation makes. Even though it's still open to the garage, the basement is a ton warmer - it's only heated by the boiler room, which is plenty. </div>
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Here's a peek at the back bedrooms. The top pictures are of Katie's - and my - new craft room. We moved the doorway so now you enter the room straight off the hall, and flipped the closet over to the wall next to the boiler room. It's deeper than usual, and there's now a linen closet on the left side that will be accessed from the hall. The bottom pictures are of the guest room. I had to get in a picture of one of the few things that didn't get changed. One wall that doesn't have to be taped! </div>
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Putting up the wallboard got put on hold thanks to some awesome tenants. We finally got them out Feb 7. My favorite comment from our SECOND visit to court, when they were asking for more time to move out, and I noted that they knew for at least a month that I wanted to evict them was 'We thought you'd change your mind.' Oddly enough, continuing to not pay rent did not help me change my mind.<br />
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Another favorite: 2 days after they finally were out (just 5 days after they said they would be) the calls about when they would get their deposit back started. Somehow they were under the impression that although they still owed us some rent and they left more pet damaged carpet than I've even seen, I would be returning their deposit to them. People are awesome! When I get totally frustrated by their shenanigans, I go sit in 'mom's blue truck' and calm back down again. I'm SOO glad I remembered to put that in the stipulations from court visit #1!<br />
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So, instead of working on our basement we spent Feb putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. We finished cleaning and rehanging all the doors on Monday. To celebrate, we started work on phase 3:<br />
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I forgot to take a before picture of the kitchen. Where there once was a wall between the kitchen and the stairwell (on the side of the dishwasher; right where Roger is standing in the picture on the right) and between the garage and the kitchen, there is now a big hole. Fortunately, plastic sheeting is actually not a bad insulator. Last night we put on part of the subfloor and moved the washing machine into its new home. The laundry area is now on the outer wall - allowing the dryer to finally vent correctly to the outside. The area where the washer used to be (where the electrical panel is) will be a little mud room. HOORAY for more space!!</div>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-48335135701130590882012-01-04T14:39:00.001-07:002012-01-04T14:39:42.572-07:00phase 1<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, before I go back to last summer and write down what we did before it gets lost forever in the abyss of my mind, I thought I'd do a marking for posterity of the first project that Roger and I are actually working on FOR OURSELVES! Here is what the front of our house looked like BEFORE the magic started to happen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ91MLgE-Q6WU259JMKuKUcfmWWlMDpotXiSgHR4Ze8NfzypfnnVxSkACvNSmyHz-1b2sOIo7qRKEjduKlXvsiMBKSOSDHxYmKcVEXiMjAKz7R97sW35Ri1XFrDSq98mnzNHqvBW7t4ww/s1600/more+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ91MLgE-Q6WU259JMKuKUcfmWWlMDpotXiSgHR4Ze8NfzypfnnVxSkACvNSmyHz-1b2sOIo7qRKEjduKlXvsiMBKSOSDHxYmKcVEXiMjAKz7R97sW35Ri1XFrDSq98mnzNHqvBW7t4ww/s400/more+027.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We took out the brick wall in front of the house with a minimum of effort. A little air hammer and some elbow grease and the bricks popped right off. Taking apart brick work doesn't seem so hard after all . . .</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;">We found some pretty huge wasp nests tucked away in there.</span><br />
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Here is what the basement looked like right after the tenants moved out. Please enjoy that mammoth stone non-functional fireplace while you can, because it's not going to be around much longer! Please notice the kitchen sink in the middle of the island. In case you've assumed that it drained directly below, you'd be wrong. Nastiest drainage pipe with more 90 degree bends EVER.<br />
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Christmas came early for Alex. Hello excavator, good bye tiny windows.<br />
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And hello mud.</div>
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Best work crew ever. Just think of what they'll be able to accomplish when I don't have to watch them all the time to make sure they're not going to hit each other in the head with their hammers! They're all great at taking the nails out of the walls, and Max is a pro at removing screws with the cordless drill. They don't each have their own tools yet . . . but they're earning them quickly!<br />
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Here are some of our favorite activities this month, excluding all the excavating and demolition, which of course are in a class unto themselves.</div>
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Opa's Christmas concert with the Colorado Mormon Chorale 12/2 got us off to a great start this year. They actually performed up in Longmont this year, so we didn't even have to drive far, making it much easier for us to be on time and not miss anything! The choir did a great job, and the Stake Center was so pretty.</div>
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Go see The Velveteen Rabbit at BDT. Really cute show. Even cuter baby afterwards at Red Robbing for lunch.</div>
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Cutting out snowflakes -from paper and doilies - was such a big hit we revisited it multiple times.</div>
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Christmas glitter nails - Katie went for alternating red and white on her fingers, and white and gold on her toes. Max went for green toes, and Alex declined, as he was too busy driving the train.</div>
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Train show in Longmont - not as big as the one in Denver, but still really good this year. Added bonus was setting up the Circus Train (electric O-gauge model steam train) and decorating it immediately with various nativity sets. When Roger's old train set arrived from Grandmother and Granddad, various nativity figures quickly made it to the flat bed cars for immediate transport.</div>
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Gingerbread houses! Alex made . . . a steam train, Katie made the station, and Max went for a regular house. The writing on the roof of Katie's is 'Cris' and 'Mis.'</div>
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The kids all had cute holiday programs at school. It's fun to see how much the classes change as you go up just one year in age.<br />
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Note to Roger: Max is not the shortest kid in his class, even though he is the youngest.<br />
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Note to Kat: please learn how to take pictures in focus!<br />
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Katie's class decorated mini-gingerbread houses after the singing program. This was my first experience with glue-gun-on-milk-carton graham cracker gingerbread houses. I'm still a bigger fan of the original, but there was no way I was going to make 30 'real' gingerbread houses. Another note to Kat: need more graham crackers and frosting for 30 houses!</div>
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Making beaded snowflake ornaments - and whatever else we come up with.</div>
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Movie night - always a hit with everyone. This one also got a repeat or two throughout the month.</div>
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Sleep over at Oma's house - this became plural after the main breaker blew. Original fears of a new panel were put to rest when Roger figured out how to fix our antique main circuit breaker. He then discovered that only half of the panel worked - the CITY gets to come and fix their part of the adventure now, as we only have power coming IN to half of the panel. (Playing electrician was NOT on Roger's list of fun activities, but he was doing cartwheels when he figured out the problems!)</div>
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Hot chocolate party. The kids cut out the extra marshmallows from candy making into fun shapes.</div>
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Make candy - FINALLY Katie is messier than me (her entire jaw bone was covered with chocolate).<br />
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Make Christmas cards - I'm so happy my kids like to play with paper and coloring!<br />
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Make deliveries -we're still trying to get to our best friends and to the fire station.<br />
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Camp out in the basement - this will require more sweeping<br />
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Zoo lights will be happening after Christmas - it just got too cold!<br />
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Hammond's Candy factory tour: TOTALLY great this year! The factory was in full production mode, so we could see them making lots of different kinds of candy, and all the packaging and other equipment going at full speed. And more exciting, KATIE LOST HER FIRST TOOTH WHILE WE WERE THERE! She pulled it out all by herself. I am trying to not freak out at the continual growth of my 'babies.'<br />
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Today (12/22) we woke up to THIS, so 'Have a white Christmas' will make the list after all! MERRY CHRISTMAS!</div>
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<br /></div>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-92206047437653986822011-12-23T06:00:00.000-07:002011-12-22T09:55:34.431-07:00decorations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year we finally graduated to a full-sized tree. It's fake, but it is taller than 3 ft. I'm glad we went with the shatter-proof ornaments - I'll save the glass for a less exciting year. The activity advent has moved to a home of it's own home. Highlights of some of our activities coming next . . .<br />
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The kids have really gotten into decorating their own rooms. The boys opted for snowflakes and ornaments on their window - they had a little help with the tree - and peppermint lights. The giant penguin snow globe complete with motion-detector-triggered music is a huge hit - thanks Oma. Katie made each of the kids' rooms a Christmas countdown sheet, so they can cross of the days until Christmas. She is also very particular about the other decorations in her room - she designed the 'HO HO HO' on her door, and has blue snowflake lighst and a miniature lighted Christmas tree in her room.<br />
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Also, she (well, I might have had some input there) decided that every door needed a wreath, so everybody picked out their ribbon and bows. I may need a tutorial from a more accomplished bow maker, but these worked for the under 5 crowd this year.<br />
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<br />kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-24391581793074283062011-12-22T09:35:00.002-07:002011-12-22T09:35:51.187-07:00todayIn order to remind myself that most days in December have NOT been about blowing the main circuit breaker to the house and having the power steering pump go out on the car, here's a start at what we've been up to this month . . .<br />
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Where to begin? We'll start with mom's birthday. This year we went with 'experiences' for presents. We went to Disney on Ice: Toy Story. In lieu of pictures, of which I took NONE, here is a quote from Roger: 'Hey. That didn't totally stink!' It was actually really good.<br />
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On her actual birthday, we went down to the Botanic Gardens for the lights. This is one of my favorite things in December, but luckily mom likes Christmas lights and the cold too. :)<br />
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It is so great to be able to do all these fun things with our cousins/family. Everyone should just move back to CO!<br />
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<br />kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-75138474143787162192011-12-02T18:16:00.000-07:002011-12-02T18:16:00.270-07:00train show in denver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We went to the train show down in Denver last Saturday - a little 'Advent Calendar Activities Preview.' SO much fun! So many train layouts. Alex made sure that he and Max had their engineer hats for the occasion. He is still very much a train guy. He set up 'Team GeoTrax' around the base of the Christmas tree on his own. My days as track designer are definitely numbered.<br />
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SO many G-gauge trains - almost makes you want to switch gauges and join the Garden Train Club.<br />
This layout needs to be replicated at our house. Rog liked the guy with a million relay switches - microcomputers in the track that automatically switched the track so the trains would change routes automatically and not crash into each other. Our switches are not quite that fancy . . . yet.<br />
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Alex could have stayed even longer. We only got him out of there with the promise of setting up the Circus Train with the new switches when we got home.kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-41045413494818707562011-12-01T18:13:00.001-07:002011-12-01T19:29:09.410-07:00what our christmas photo SHOULD have looked like<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to check out the dinosaurs. I thought the animatronic dinosaurs were AMAZING. I tried to talk Rog into driving down just to try for a family portrait with 'Sue' in the background, but no go so far. You'll just have to enjoy me feeding my niece to the beast. Hopefully it distracts from my crazy hair. <br />
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Alex was not a huge fan of the IMAX movie - 3D screaming T-Rexs don't seem to be his thing - but who doesn't love the 3D glasses?kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-10213014195687595832011-11-19T00:32:00.001-07:002011-11-19T00:51:42.050-07:00happy halloween, or WE'RE BACK!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thanks to Julie for the little kick I needed to get back in action. Here are some pictures - A LOT - from Halloween. We had a ton of fun this year.<br />
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The week before Halloween we went to my first corn maze, with Uncle Tom, Aunt Margaret and our cousins! We found one of the 2 bridges, shared a funnel cake, and had dinner at Chili's around 10 pm. Here's how much Katie and Alex enjoyed dinner:<br />
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The following Wednesday we woke up to this:</div>
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Luckily we live in CO, and it all melted in time for Halloween. Alex is completely enamoured with bats these days. He cannot get enough. Oma did a great job on his costume.<br />
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Max decided to be a skeleton, sans the scary mask.<br />
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Katie was 'Princess Aurora's mother' for Halloween, 'because queen rhymes with Halloween.' I need to get a good picture of her in her dress. This shouldn't be too hard since she likes to hang out in her finery.<br />
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On Friday we had a Halloween party at Aunt Mag's house. SUCH a fun time! Eyeball cake, haunted gingerbread house, party favors, and a pinata. Besides hanging out with cousins. Impossible to beat!<br />
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Max might have had a little too much fun destroying the gingerbread house.<br />
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Everyone like swinging at the pinata. Kalle and his friend Billy survived the evening unscathed.<br />
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We went trick-or-treating at the 'trunk or treat,' and also for REAL! So much candy, but so much fun. The weather was perfect for Halloween, and then it snowed again the next day. Next year, we're going to hit the BOO at the Zoo, just to have one more costume-wearing opportunity.</div>
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<br />kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-6062907319994234952011-08-27T23:59:00.003-06:002011-08-28T00:14:48.366-06:00reunion, anyone?When I find my camera cord, I will finally post pictures that prove that we did more than sit inside all summer, trying to hide from the heat. Until then, noodle on this, Reese . . .
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<br />About a year ago Pam nominated/appointed me to be President of the Reese Family Reunion Committee. Doesn't that sound fancy? Well, here's the plan.
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<br />Meet in Cedar City, UT sometime at the end of July/beginning of August for a long weekend - Something like arrive Friday am, leave Monday.
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<br />Why Cedar City, you ask? Well, there's a Shakespeare festival in Cedar City for the artsy among us. Zion's Park is about an hour away - and Cedar City claims to be 20 degrees COOLER. Vegas is a reasonable place to fly into and pop on over - I think about 3 hours. There's shopping in St. George. And it's about midway between CO and CA - our friends on the east coast and beyond will have to fly in anyway, so I tried to find a location drivable for approximately half.
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<br />Mag and I thought the KOA campground would be great for lodging - tent, cabin or RV sites are available in one spot, so everyone can decide how they want to sleep, but it will still be in one close area; playground and pool for playing; small store for everything we forget to bring. Check it out: <a href="http://koa.com/campgrounds/cedar-city/">http://koa.com/campgrounds/cedar-city/</a>.
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<br />We'll figure out the food and lodging specifics as the time gets closer - like when it's actually 2012! - but for now I'd really like to nail down a date, so that everyone has time to plan accordingly. Please vote in the comments for your preferred weekend:
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<br /><li>July 20-23 (we could celebrate some birthdays with this one, as well as potential for Pioneer Day festivities)</li>
<br /><li>July 27-30 </li>
<br /><li>August 3-6 - (happy birthday Dad!)</li></ul>
<br /><p>So, what works best for you? We will pick the weekend that works the best for everyone. I figured if we did it now, an entire YEAR in advance, it might work. And no, I can't believe I'm planning something this far into the future either!</p>
<br /><p>We're shooting for as many of the members of the immediate Randy Reese Family to attend, but I'm game for anyone else that wants to join in showing up as well.</p>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-7276873819143330702011-06-11T22:47:00.013-06:002011-06-11T23:07:31.595-06:00summer fun<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191748843128082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaYKdsMV5fxF1eD-WDKJhl6aezhK6oYYLm79y0EKhL7AwfozEA2OIGP-AFrdw1fyJnmoLu9_a6-c0QzPnHqEhu9kyvCHeqKvI5Sqbqk1NsvnoW-SOa2ZgdZwTBaBcNRV0AsZ5cNlqMrM/s400/0620116.jpg" /> June is off to a great start. We introduced Summer to the dog beach at the reservoir. She didn't mind the dogs too much, and she even favored us with her impression of Roger. And no one got burned!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617192369191426690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjoFOIVboNF9nNilRGEy3gI1ArQx9zhyphenhyphenlvMYOBufKBqyTdXYBRJtzriFMLcWUoVVAS4aeTF-kuDpbqGvWECjycoSGuYL_WpSSeBeSrQ4a5w4z1ADjNa7OGijsBgkL1mulGvowlMNhE_Q/s400/may+284.jpg" />We finally checked out the children's area of the Botanic Gardens and it is a blast! The amount of fun we had is inversely proportional to the difficulty of getting these 4 goofers to all look at the camera at the same time.<br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191505856691106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLf1vvnOf4u78ffra25108pq7qbqgVxaIRmImZgWCpWWhxSqz0L4gSwsHp0zbg20qb2LoOpGlbzza0jzIcz0USNxCvxCdzIUprXM4NiKEjBk1x3wksFsTLBqhUMqXFEgYBZG5TNTox9s/s400/0620112.jpg" />Katie and Summer thrilled all the Grandma's with their cuteness and matching sweaters. Alex was an owl for a while.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RGEgD54y2F8naQX2yM-YOarveUKpzC8J2vFj52aZw8oAzfJVO1MQNQdHSCX98qk2H0p8nIublWbuOycekOLjLqpLNzVskTbgqntrtZFJTF7zoovBrdRJMwoIJAUllKfyWm0XV_eZd8o/s1600/0620111.jpg"><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 288px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191594727866850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RGEgD54y2F8naQX2yM-YOarveUKpzC8J2vFj52aZw8oAzfJVO1MQNQdHSCX98qk2H0p8nIublWbuOycekOLjLqpLNzVskTbgqntrtZFJTF7zoovBrdRJMwoIJAUllKfyWm0XV_eZd8o/s400/0620111.jpg" /></a> No one could get enough of the suspension bridge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiJTTd3xWi41qs-0swz4WZ6YOq6nSaIaS7yRokHFgeAIT2vpWlrsj-g_5R7cnV65VQg3DPlWcbQyTHB9M0fCVvMbEj9V8Bt1QT8zqVSCUXcNpWC4xIyLJDmVz15wJwn-V-1FAY9srv8Y/s1600/0620113.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191383345565970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiJTTd3xWi41qs-0swz4WZ6YOq6nSaIaS7yRokHFgeAIT2vpWlrsj-g_5R7cnV65VQg3DPlWcbQyTHB9M0fCVvMbEj9V8Bt1QT8zqVSCUXcNpWC4xIyLJDmVz15wJwn-V-1FAY9srv8Y/s400/0620113.jpg" /></a> Alex the owl turned into BUGMAN for a while at the bottom, while Katie and Summer worked some dress up magic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAvXd6R4wRiriIEgASt1x3jlH3knrNT2G1ie8m0hnZhRJrmSyyzPV29CFG50gDaSi71BENvbNkZOJZbDF-LvmWFu9HTG21jcsrb8JG2SobP6kxck8vcgavDbL4g78vZItyGff68tGnUk/s1600/0620114.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191258313964418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAvXd6R4wRiriIEgASt1x3jlH3knrNT2G1ie8m0hnZhRJrmSyyzPV29CFG50gDaSi71BENvbNkZOJZbDF-LvmWFu9HTG21jcsrb8JG2SobP6kxck8vcgavDbL4g78vZItyGff68tGnUk/s400/0620114.jpg" /></a> The <strong>HEATED</strong> river was probably everyone's favorite, although Alex really loved the real kid-sized shovels. Katie even changed out of her dress to dig in the dirt.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQaqnymDJs0ujOp1qJwcpLGbZxX3EUF9YXkx0ybDHnBsd9lYJ_AY-T3Uq6p_jXNVS7k77-QftvHb8S0SMSbR8LNoSpmGverPNsbD5asTcZ8iRC8PCpZoXUzDStd5hlBOD4o02cOZWEYA/s1600/0620115.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617191076222858514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQaqnymDJs0ujOp1qJwcpLGbZxX3EUF9YXkx0ybDHnBsd9lYJ_AY-T3Uq6p_jXNVS7k77-QftvHb8S0SMSbR8LNoSpmGverPNsbD5asTcZ8iRC8PCpZoXUzDStd5hlBOD4o02cOZWEYA/s400/0620115.jpg" /></a> There are tons of things to climb upon or through, and then naturally leap off.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3ox7BMQAEUCth1iicKt7b8SomBn-CuZQrTfDHdR1yK59LbavP4CmVJFDfpUAPS2oJLiDDxcOWS-Me-_WV24TLKIqMRxMjUAs3GEkA5XZyD_GHMpue80BBNizX3TKChvK-S4dXOctMSI/s1600/0520112.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617190432734618914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3ox7BMQAEUCth1iicKt7b8SomBn-CuZQrTfDHdR1yK59LbavP4CmVJFDfpUAPS2oJLiDDxcOWS-Me-_WV24TLKIqMRxMjUAs3GEkA5XZyD_GHMpue80BBNizX3TKChvK-S4dXOctMSI/s400/0520112.jpg" /></a> This little beauty - Baby ViVi - joins us on all our adventures; she's just not quite as mobile as all the other cousins yet. We love watching Summer be a big sister, and everyone loves to hold that little nugget Violet.</p>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-1104613342409639082011-05-30T12:09:00.001-06:002011-06-10T12:54:24.172-06:00memorial day weekend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhrPC3xljAJLKt5T0EMf2pVxXpE1qne0ONQpkz46saqAXLXoLU36ErCm1V1YSe_NdVjtsav-B-s4p-e579VaSR5p60Hf_EinUus1S8RebNwzLKAmDlZ4ww3zaZww33Bt6lllK-w7q6Js/s1600/may+115.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616659368639400786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhrPC3xljAJLKt5T0EMf2pVxXpE1qne0ONQpkz46saqAXLXoLU36ErCm1V1YSe_NdVjtsav-B-s4p-e579VaSR5p60Hf_EinUus1S8RebNwzLKAmDlZ4ww3zaZww33Bt6lllK-w7q6Js/s400/may+115.jpg" /></a>Camping trip #2 for 2011. Memorial Day weekend, Roger took work off Thursday and Friday and we headed up the Poudre River Canyon along Hwy 14. We changed campsites every morning - driving approximately 1 mile between sites - and managed to find a spot each day even without reservations. Definitely spring camping - some rain, some wind, and the heater turned on a few times every night. I feel like a wimp sometimes that these little people think camping means sleeping in a 'house on wheels,' but then wake up and realize that if were tenting it, we would most likely just stay at home. There's still time for 'roughing it' when they're older!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7q2CaJhqKKmRypgWgzZkRkQGUN5rjyPUcEyjqx0Rx15ZAt2X5VT0ySO-Tmr6BoFp8Eq_LM2RXVpFxv_bW_E6OBTyHrQ6MhBn22ubxabtsQbkRAI09SaQXY-zuEi4KRoPFfonxWWYLY8/s1600/0520113.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616659125152821682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7q2CaJhqKKmRypgWgzZkRkQGUN5rjyPUcEyjqx0Rx15ZAt2X5VT0ySO-Tmr6BoFp8Eq_LM2RXVpFxv_bW_E6OBTyHrQ6MhBn22ubxabtsQbkRAI09SaQXY-zuEi4KRoPFfonxWWYLY8/s400/0520113.jpg" /></a>Campsite #1 - Lower Narrows. We had a nice spot on the end, with our own little beach to do what we all like best: Roger harassed the fish and the kids threw rocks and dug in the sand. I scored the post of water carrier.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_77CLrqTIoWNyhb3ZOn1HI_24gilVxk8GEG8T9hPsYaF9nVi5CEdOM0Up-MiZOrl-drRqKHkt9IQSN-yekYzNFfsMbbIfWbVj2buRAa0Ikdgvqp8RYLf1_cljrp4TgYfRVhfn2jk1N8/s1600/0520114.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616658937236513554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_77CLrqTIoWNyhb3ZOn1HI_24gilVxk8GEG8T9hPsYaF9nVi5CEdOM0Up-MiZOrl-drRqKHkt9IQSN-yekYzNFfsMbbIfWbVj2buRAa0Ikdgvqp8RYLf1_cljrp4TgYfRVhfn2jk1N8/s400/0520114.jpg" /></a>Katie likes to dress up for everything, including camping.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfwQRbYFzSXdhd7Sw8ydrmqXBaesjwAN2Kv4kF0mW-3xTguYPMG4Q-j1XuRRFKYJnqGH4bOO3lsatZS-bRJJ9tY7omrqDAH3C7_zEkrliH-enQ94HH52kpprOUgRPBKc5_B7n4PyyO4s/s1600/0520115.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616656286771532114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfwQRbYFzSXdhd7Sw8ydrmqXBaesjwAN2Kv4kF0mW-3xTguYPMG4Q-j1XuRRFKYJnqGH4bOO3lsatZS-bRJJ9tY7omrqDAH3C7_zEkrliH-enQ94HH52kpprOUgRPBKc5_B7n4PyyO4s/s400/0520115.jpg" /></a>Campsite #2 - The Narrows. Roger did some more harassing, me and my friends did some exploring. There are some nice campsites at the top of a hill that you walk into from your car. There is also a lot to be said for 'roughing' it in the RV, so that in the morning when you're moving on to the next site it only takes 5 minutes to pack up and head out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLbR0oZSzf_ZfdZG_RLOVSGaZgRKxxZk5N6cO6SVlsAJwXBnYDA2dGsueYYPiGmRhXYxSDqdU6bkjGa7B5Q6ak_WIgHAMttXkrTAASy3A2N7aZXn-qrK3xJazUk7wkoNgRRWUaJbfyMA/s1600/0520116.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 322px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616656126012312514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLbR0oZSzf_ZfdZG_RLOVSGaZgRKxxZk5N6cO6SVlsAJwXBnYDA2dGsueYYPiGmRhXYxSDqdU6bkjGa7B5Q6ak_WIgHAMttXkrTAASy3A2N7aZXn-qrK3xJazUk7wkoNgRRWUaJbfyMA/s400/0520116.jpg" /></a>There was TONS of wood to play on - we did some balancing and jumping and found a log that made a great teeter totter. There's Max giving his version of 'thumbs up.' It was good to have something to climb around on to warm up - definitely springtime in the Rockies.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqcJX7RPBaHxK6n40a_SC5A63VHOKFj6M_GEClozALXD_TTy9nfxIftSYQ2nQdeKbfa87SwwVlLD3OVEPM_U0s2tRtHc5qgGs6zkY3gxJ2BXzuuXGWdX3kHpH7vWzKuyrCVr1roO6Ets/s1600/0520117.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616655966305224706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqcJX7RPBaHxK6n40a_SC5A63VHOKFj6M_GEClozALXD_TTy9nfxIftSYQ2nQdeKbfa87SwwVlLD3OVEPM_U0s2tRtHc5qgGs6zkY3gxJ2BXzuuXGWdX3kHpH7vWzKuyrCVr1roO6Ets/s400/0520117.jpg" /></a>Alex had his first run in with a cactus on our first night. Luckily it didn't slow him down too much from hatching some games. The grabber thing we found the first night got some serious usage, from 'grabber attachment of an excavator' to oar to fire stick.<br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616662305850293314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl33O3ORsfeTAaBmcLCIw0WmLQ5uMUSqeH_yI3qfD7uoXt6teybkDcAJRsTafFRTa1V9P50u3utlxLyIU5Q6SZJw4_wllReGzIjtp6p6a8Xx_DmLN3UKBuw46YgZFXgCPSlbXsqEO3PHU/s400/may+079.jpg" />Campsite #3 - Dutch George. Pretty cold and rainy this day. Luckily there was a small boulder field to climb on rocks, and we made another teeter totter with a log. The folks next to us set up a bunch of tents with no rain flies. We couldn't figure out exactly what there plan was - especially as it was drizzling off and on all day. At night when it started to pour I really wondered how they were doing, but didn't get a chance to ask them in the morning as they had packed up and left!</p><br /><p>We did our usual morning twinking, and talked about whether we should just call it early and head home or keep heading up the canyon and try out another site. We checked out a few campgrounds, had lunch in Rustic, and then decided we might as well camp one more night. SO glad we did!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 390px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616655469743729986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_rXSsF4MqF-QEvR71TqcwtfWlkaqSaHqDQQDTvsdGv5afgyhDRf1FA4gWBhCME0Bj-EzAddEYEQb7PRRDzXwSKk5EsOXijgOXif2bvuMupVjbXWOE9562KtZ9Mw1eiUexYr24DBP1KY/s400/05201110.jpg" />Campsite #4 - Kelly Flats. Best campsite of the bunch - the return of the sun might have had something to do with it, but it also didn't hurt that we had an entire loop of campsites on the end all to ourselves . . .<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616655830999957442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEJweCArDenUaxHlHVHySb1n1yTrXq1IKmQAvYw3oWCHVbDL4aQmSgOyj8Kmf6ZNUBuOMzvZ-2xQ7_-KPLwWXcIUkHJpUXHk4z4-RqZnIHccdRrja_BUIllAAb-w1M4NbkTTn3aiZ5Xg/s400/0520118.jpg" />Or that our fearless leader finally caught that elusive fish! It made a nice addition to dinner.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616655647006197250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz9xD59RHhTYGx26f7tSUex7IduDbctz9L8H3KQmSpQ2xGgI9M_ksM2WuB4-qcm4OZFvWzaAvVhAHnLEmUtuwT3NUZuANfkHGQ055LOYO96NK4p6UUXRB4G9rvO3Wk4whNnm17CzaRpM/s400/0520119.jpg" /> </p>The kids had another nice afternoon of digging, hauling water, and throwing rocks. I played princess and sat by the river and sewed - in between water hauling duties. And it was finally warm enough for the popsicles! Seven was finally worn out and ready to rest.<br /><br />Great trip - and now we have some fun campsites checked out for when you all come to visit!kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-25991989831145600002011-05-28T12:55:00.000-06:002011-06-10T13:03:56.155-06:00a little less hillbillyWe have now progressed from this 'chicken house' in the living room<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616667278967030370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVFtXzqqy-I2XMSfoSgjX1iz1anBOXZEcpFIvvZeWDxTXoQDDk6YM8mHyOcYEAgXZlrMyiJZGzCVHsF7D8hgPmx98O43HfsilD0oHBb6wpth6AI6QDyjVoGzEhLOOuYC-4U5Zm-KK4L4/s400/march+083.jpg" />to a bigger house - still in the living room (because we're fancy like that and the 'maid' likes to dust)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbfjojB3ACjBLNzN9JdCQziSrX47P_MOB7Izal7D7EcXdm4b2laYU0m-C29QoY3WitZ-FRrh4ZqOs5-Uw6WAn6tBVDUd88LUmD6gnAbA_1lmFaflHmthyphenhyphenVmEJs8ZTzPKRHDgXq557HgI/s1600/march+114.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616667657132150018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbfjojB3ACjBLNzN9JdCQziSrX47P_MOB7Izal7D7EcXdm4b2laYU0m-C29QoY3WitZ-FRrh4ZqOs5-Uw6WAn6tBVDUd88LUmD6gnAbA_1lmFaflHmthyphenhyphenVmEJs8ZTzPKRHDgXq557HgI/s400/march+114.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQist4QMgbhzZ99iQCyIQhVWyjskIfP9i_Ox8UBOlNRvl_mZ66bXAfstuH0yJVcd7QiK8pLuaqh-iC24mdxNvXm5sw5ByvKHUlETOqrjP2NmFWb7glmA2DRscICJcBxIuoFVgzkNT5TM/s1600/march+117.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616667469073629058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQist4QMgbhzZ99iQCyIQhVWyjskIfP9i_Ox8UBOlNRvl_mZ66bXAfstuH0yJVcd7QiK8pLuaqh-iC24mdxNvXm5sw5ByvKHUlETOqrjP2NmFWb7glmA2DRscICJcBxIuoFVgzkNT5TM/s400/march+117.jpg" /></a> to their official house OUTSIDE!</p><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZZPaFxFrsJWa8roHHz3E6v1NpJcHC6xjrn-rADA6Watd5tfOYCQwo7e9dilcCkmJtM_Ci2O_DVt83ppGnWnK3-TinSHXL8_UqIqieUKPEqTJO7pglnW7mA8a34fWNJsKawvkk8P3W8g/s1600/0520111.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616666997377084866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZZPaFxFrsJWa8roHHz3E6v1NpJcHC6xjrn-rADA6Watd5tfOYCQwo7e9dilcCkmJtM_Ci2O_DVt83ppGnWnK3-TinSHXL8_UqIqieUKPEqTJO7pglnW7mA8a34fWNJsKawvkk8P3W8g/s400/0520111.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJpBIUf0WAq-96BsCX-40xKDkbyVYf3UP4Mu8VdkySdFHK1ssbPbS-ePgpEdvRZXGPD_sDWhfTRZMbUSK6tdqyDqi3s2JwDhcufq0CTGXKOJaCO3KFkG_zZ9CIj5fXUSGn_tFdr5jGnA/s1600/052011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616666877992116530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJpBIUf0WAq-96BsCX-40xKDkbyVYf3UP4Mu8VdkySdFHK1ssbPbS-ePgpEdvRZXGPD_sDWhfTRZMbUSK6tdqyDqi3s2JwDhcufq0CTGXKOJaCO3KFkG_zZ9CIj5fXUSGn_tFdr5jGnA/s400/052011.jpg" /></a>The girls are fat and happy, and increasingly difficult to catch! Now we just need to see some eggs!</div></div></div>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351849375313800873.post-41632588427676329852011-05-26T10:57:00.000-06:002011-05-25T11:08:09.778-06:00rain rain rainIt's been so cold this spring! It's the end of May and the lilacs are still blooming! We've only had popsicles ONE day . . .<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610701094832556322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnmJeHjlCs7u_gA301WL5rGCE62JbCEDyyYcKg3Pp0eu96-agiPLiJ5Nj_TommZC-3H_g7jwYyrhoHrh4bSy26PH-yjAQiFNLnR_aVPYh7EIpJLty-Fq3tEvUfmB3J6EqixKg8BInq_c/s400/may+017.jpg" />played in the sprinklers/watered the plants ONE DAY . . . .<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jTRxPX3x-GDQc0bO249GDhEW_pTGO0L_sSBBuFI3yMap-GlpF6d_EICjRWzhCZC3eKbg3u7eRKTPQ_KhXF3NEcrsY18s_WVaAGJzHxb8bffr1Ibcfa8i-giGbyZm_PWCLExAgv9Ogc0/s1600/may+008.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610699839030494002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jTRxPX3x-GDQc0bO249GDhEW_pTGO0L_sSBBuFI3yMap-GlpF6d_EICjRWzhCZC3eKbg3u7eRKTPQ_KhXF3NEcrsY18s_WVaAGJzHxb8bffr1Ibcfa8i-giGbyZm_PWCLExAgv9Ogc0/s320/may+008.jpg" /></a> and showed off our muscles ONE DAY. And that was WEEKS ago!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcp1Rr1tdX2X84lViDzN2YbFEg_e3XWp72a66L4pjotjfsEDp6KJmQuX7Wb19gicaI2eopkmv5qYkF9kOtmjuYboch3lRSpmV09nH068mqqU_bNztkDunnWaGUgIdRkQ7VcMiDOH1Tiw/s1600/may+013.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610699663877479538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcp1Rr1tdX2X84lViDzN2YbFEg_e3XWp72a66L4pjotjfsEDp6KJmQuX7Wb19gicaI2eopkmv5qYkF9kOtmjuYboch3lRSpmV09nH068mqqU_bNztkDunnWaGUgIdRkQ7VcMiDOH1Tiw/s320/may+013.jpg" /></a></div>kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451993399554292247noreply@blogger.com1