tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33013580298529158912024-02-20T23:56:31.933-05:00Byards' BywordsThe Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-23275497880332402672016-06-21T06:06:00.000-04:002016-06-21T06:06:31.817-04:00Hiccup #2: Can a Placenta Actually Do That?<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Alright, two posts ago, I mentioned that everything in the pregnancy is going great because we are seasoned veterans. But I also mentioned that there have been two tiny hiccups so far in our pregnancy. One was what I blogged about last--the antibodies developing in my body due to my negative Rh factor and our children’s probably positive Rh factor. The second hiccup was perhaps made more terrifying BECAUSE of our knowledge of the antibodies present in my body.<br /><br />First, let me preface this post by saying...it might make you squeamish. You might think it’s too much information, although I did try to write everything in as delicate a way as possible while still conveying facts and our feelings during that day. If that’s what you think, that’s fine. You are welcome to not read this post. However, I am a real person who had a real problem in my very real life. I guess if you can’t deal with reading about real life...you shouldn’t!<br /><br />May 5th. At school we were planning a full-blown active shooter drill for that day. We have one of these every so often to prepare the kids in case there ever is an active threat in our school. We prepare the kids to run (leave the building as stealthily as possible and get to a safe place), hide (lock ourselves in a room and barricade), or fight (try to take out the shooter if the first two options aren’t available to us and we encounter him). By state law we have to have a lockdown drill of some kind once a semester. Soft and hard lockdowns are different from active shooter drills because active shooter drills mean it is our goal to get the kids out of the building. In case you’re interested:<br /><br />Soft lockdowns--we can still teach class but no one is allowed to leave the room. These are used when administrators need to locate a specific student immediately but the situation is not dire enough to disrupt the schedule of the entire school. Also, this is what’s employed when the K-9 units are brought in to sniff lockers and the parking lot for drugs.<br /><br />Hard lockdowns--we stay IN the building but lock and barricade ourselves in. Teaching stops. There is an active threat but it’s outside the building. We have used this during armed police chases that are going on in the area but don’t affect the school directly. However, a crazy person could decide to pop into a school and do some damage, so that’s why we lock down...just in case.<br /><br />Active shooter/treat--we have a threat in the building and need to protect ourselves from the threat<br /><br />There you have it. But I digress…<br /><br />The staff had been preparing for weeks on how to move our 1,000 kids outside of the building as quietly and quickly as possible so as not to attract the notice of the “active shooter” (a police officer acting) while still being able to keep track of EVERYONE. Police were to be dispatched as if in a real incident to take out the “shooter” and medical personnel were arriving to take care of wounded students (theater students in make-up) so that everyone got practice on how to deal with this if it really did happen. I was nervous leading up to this because although there had been another drill of this caliber before, I was on maternity leave with Audrey. And it was the few days Kyle was in Guatemala, so he couldn’t debrief me on how it went. So I really had no idea how this was going to go and how I was going to manage my unruly freshmen class who had no idea how to be quiet or how to listen to anything…! This was estimated to take about three hours. No one enters the school property or leaves it during the three hours besides the police and medical personnel.<br /><br />The morning of the drill, I woke up to blood. And, so as not to be too graphic, let’s say...blood that made me concerned for the well-being of our unborn child.<br /><br />Not a lot of blood, but still, blood. Blood that didn’t go away when wiped.<br /><br />Okay, this could be anything, right? It might not mean what I’m thinking, right?<br /><br />I called Kyle in immediately to show him. We told each other not to panic. I would shower and get ready as usual and see how the bleeding continued. I told him to go back to bed to try to get more sleep since he didn’t have to be up for another hour.<br /><br />Talk about the worst moments of my life! I have miscarried before, but that seemed to pale in comparison with this. That time, I had only barely found out I was pregnant, we hadn’t felt the baby kick, hadn’t heard a heartbeat, hadn’t seen the baby moving on an ultrasound. We hadn’t told everybody...oh, Audrey. How would we tell her? How could we explain? Why was this happening? Was it something completely benign? Was I killing it? I had a doctor’s appointment the next week, so it had been quite awhile since I’d had my blood tested to see if my antibody levels had increased. Of course, I became immediately convinced that I was killing my own child and couldn’t do anything to stop it. I couldn’t help but become hysterical. Was the baby even alive anymore? I wasn’t far enough along to feel movement consistently, only intermittently. Sometimes I didn’t feel anything for days on end, so I couldn’t rely on feeling movement as a good tell. <br /><br />Kyle didn’t end up going back to sleep. Instead he was frantically researching online all the questions the doctor would likely ask when I called after the clinic opened. He did this so I could have a prepared answer and be monitoring myself over the course of the morning. And of course, this had to happen on active shooter drill day. If I decided to go to school, it wouldn’t be easy to leave. Do I need to go in to the doctor immediately? Is there any use in going immediately or would they want me to monitor carefully and have more information for them, thus an afternoon appointment? We were so worried and scared.<br /><br />Kyle and I cried together for a short while, holding each other and telling each other it would be alright. Kyle told me it that if something had happened to the baby that it wasn’t my fault. We prayed together, and he gave me a priesthood blessing. We kept checking to see if there was any more blood to worry about. After my shower, there was nothing. Kyle reminded me that the doctor told me implicitly to come in if I bled at all. They would need to determine the cause for the health of the baby. However, if the blood was a result of a miscarriage, there would be nothing that the doctors could do to save the baby. It was done and it was happening. It wouldn’t matter if I went in immediately or a week from then. We’d learned that the hard way.<br /><br />Since the blood was pretty much gone, we decided that I should go in for the drill and leave immediately after. I would be able to throw some subplans together, call my mom to have her pick up Audrey from the sitter and keep her overnight just in case I needed to have multiple tests done. I would be able to call the doctor’s office and set up an appointment and have some time to monitor my progress so they could make a more informed decision. Plus, the drill would certainly keep my mind on other things, so I wouldn’t fall to pieces all morning.<br /><br />It turns out we’d done the right thing because when I called in, the doctor requested I have an afternoon appointment anyway to keep an eye on things. It was probably the longest three hours of my life. I had to call to set up the appointment from the bus garage, the safe haven where I took my students after we got out of the building (in case you wondered, we did NOT encounter the shooter, although he came in on the same side of the building I am on. We hid first in a locked closet and then snuck out when we received word via the intercom that he was in a separate part of the building. The administrators were able to monitor the shooter using school cameras. Oh, and...my freshmen knew how to be quiet on that day. And they were quite good runners as we got out the door). <br /><br />After the drill was over, I left for the doctor’s office and got in right away. First they used the fetal Doppler to detect a heartbeat. What an excruciating moment while they were looking for it...but the doctor found it! Nice and strong, thank goodness. Also, she could hear through the Doppler that the baby was moving, although I couldn’t feel it. Whew. A vaginal exam told us the cervix was not at all opened, which would be the case if my body were preparing to expel the baby, so a miscarriage did not seem imminent. I wanted to throw myself on the doctor and hug her, but I just sat in relief instead. <br /><br />So, why was there blood?<br /><br />The doctor asked me all sorts of questions about my activities in the last few days, all of which yielded no information as to why I woke up to blood that morning. <br /><br />Finally she said that probably what happened is the placenta detached itself slightly from the uterine wall, causing blood as a result. Ummm...is that normal? I had certainly never heard of it before. She said it does happen and is usually not a problem. The problem usually repairs itself and everything is fine. I had instructions to continue monitoring and if the bleeding came back to call. Also, I was to not do anything strenuous over the next few days. And no more lifting of anything more than about 40 pounds.<br /><br /> The blood never came back. Everything is still looking fine. But man...what a terrible, terrible day. I went and got ice cream after I left the doctor as a reward for me for all the emotional stress and for the baby for being good and staying alive. I was so grateful that I was spared having to deal with another miscarriage. The day seemed so much more beautiful after that. The weather really was pretty nice that day; I just hadn’t noticed it before. I felt peaceful and happy. I left plenty of messages for Kyle explaining that everything was okay so he didn’t have to wait any longer than he had to to find out. All was rosy in our garden again.</b></span>The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-69821994043774959352016-06-21T05:55:00.003-04:002016-06-21T05:55:26.062-04:00Hiccup #1: The Rh Factor<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>You are forewarned...it's another long post. And it's sort of health-technical, so if that's going to make your eyes cross...!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Once we found out we were pregnant, I went to have it
confirmed at the doctor so I could begin having regular appointments. As typical, I peed in a cup and gave blood
samples and sat through a mini-orientation of “the folder”. The folder at my doctor’s office is
chock-full of all kinds of literature on anything about babies that you could
think to ask about throughout the course of a nine-month pregnancy and
postpartum. I remembered going through
“the folder” when pregnant with Audrey (I didn’t sit through “the folder” at
the confirmation of our first pregnancy...it was the Wednesday afternoon before
Thanksgiving and we all wanted to go home so I opted to come back for it at my
12 week appointment, which obviously never occurred). “The folder” with Audrey was intimidating
because I was a first time mother and the information was overwhelming. “The folder” with this baby was boring. There were some things I had forgotten all
about, like breastfeeding tips, PURPLE crying, skin-to-skin, etc. But as soon as the OB nurse mentioned all
these things, my brain was like, “Oh, yeah...I remember all that.” Cake.
We’ve got this. It ain’t my first
rodeo. I went home and sorted through
the folder, keeping like one thing to study because I didn’t need anything
else, and got rid of the rest. Things
were going to be so much easier the second time around because neither of us
were scared and we knew what to expect.
Plus, we were busy trying to keep a toddler alive, so we don’t have much
time to worry...<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A few days later, a nurse at the doctor’s office called with
the results of SOME of the battery of tests my blood was put through. All clear.
Everything looked good. I
humorously texted Kyle at work: “Blood
tests negative for STDs. Whew!” I’m sure he got a good eye-roll out of that
one. Audrey promptly got sick with an
ear infection, so I took a few days off work to stay home with her. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<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/AVvXsEi9y9yIDBNHaWe2vcdW-WKsZJSTcTqxtDo_w_MIV9mVF0x6p62Fgpfibv9D2pOA5KwgmQOR4I5ckA143L_vHPs7D2hIajOuonzozIhV3xFA4XNsTXh-gBY8z2IFM4DtUYDyHLtwougNAVw/s1600/13254523_10153648888938634_9074660860712837443_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y9yIDBNHaWe2vcdW-WKsZJSTcTqxtDo_w_MIV9mVF0x6p62Fgpfibv9D2pOA5KwgmQOR4I5ckA143L_vHPs7D2hIajOuonzozIhV3xFA4XNsTXh-gBY8z2IFM4DtUYDyHLtwougNAVw/s320/13254523_10153648888938634_9074660860712837443_n.jpg" width="238" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey learned to paint during one of the periods in which her fever broke</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>While she was sleeping off her fever one day,
the doctor called again, personally this time.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>She began with reminding me that I have a negative blood
type. Yes, yes I remember that. I’ve also shared that on the blog <a href="http://thebyards.blogspot.com/2013/04/baby-faq-and-pregnancy-test.html" target="_blank">here</a>. That was the reason I went to the ER after my
miscarriage--to get the Rhogam shot since I am a negative blood type. Read more about the Rhogam shot and what it
does <a href="http://www.thebump.com/a/rhogam" target="_blank">here</a>.
I also had the Rhogam shot during my pregnancy with Audrey at 28 weeks
and 24 hours after I delivered per procedure.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>“Well, it appears that the shot didn’t take. It is a very rare thing to happen, but it’s
possible. Your blood has antibodies
protecting you from the antigen found in positive blood types.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I was dumbfounded. I
guess I knew this could happen, but I never supposed it would happen to
me. Not to me! We were told it was so rare a thing. I think I almost dropped the phone. “So...what does this mean?”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I think the easiest way to do this is to tell you the
questions that I’ve asked my doctor(s) along the way and the answers that we’ve
been given. Obviously I’ve done a whole
lot more research on this than in my first pregnancy:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>Could you explain to me what all this means?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Everyone has two factors to their blood, the type (A, B,
AB, and O) and the Rh factor (positive or negative). If you know your blood type, you are
something like AB+ or O-. You need to
know both parts, because both are important.
The Rh factor is a protein (called an antigen) located on red blood
cells. Most people have the antigen and
their blood makes it naturally and has been doing so all their lives. To not have the antigen is not a bad thing
and typically does not make one bit of difference in your life, unless you are
pregnant or unless you need a blood transfusion. Just like the blood type, the Rh factor is
inherited from your parents. I inherited
a B- blood type from my parents. The
negative Rh factor is a recessive trait, like attached earlobes. This means that both my parents could
technically be a positive blood type, but they both had a negative trait that
they passed on to me instead of the dominant positive one. Since they both passed on the recessive trait
to me, I am recessive. I only have
recessive traits to give to my children, because that’s all that was given to
me. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Kyle, however, has a positive blood type. Since the negative is recessive, he could
have gotten a negative and positive from his parents, or two positives. It doesn’t matter if he got one of each
because the positive is dominant and will always overrule the negative trait,
just like it does in my parents. But,
that being said, since the positive trait is dominant and that is what Kyle is
likely to give, that means that PROBABLY all our children will end up with a
positive blood type. Mathematically
speaking, if he has one negative trait, then there’s still a 50% chance of the
baby being positive. If he has two
positive traits, the baby will always be positive. Doctors always will assume that the baby will
be positive in these situations and will act accordingly. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Having a child that’s a positive blood type isn’t
terrible. In fact, it’ll probably make
life easier in the long run for most positive Rh factor kids. People with positive Rh factors can receive
blood from those with positive and negative Rh factors (but don’t forget to
factor in the letter), whereas people with negatives (like me) can also only
receive from other negatives due to the antigens found on the red blood
cells. You can kind of think of it like
those who are negative have bodies that are naturally intolerant to the
antigens found on positive blood types.
Just like how giving milk to a lactose intolerant person will make him
sick, during a transfusion positive blood shouldn’t be given to someone who has
negative blood.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>To give you a good idea of how many people this affects, my
doctor estimated about 10% of the world’s population has a negative Rh factor
like me. Half of those are men. Since issues only arise during a transfusion
or pregnancy, that means that there are only 5% of people in the world (the
half of the 10% who are women) who have to think about the issue my doctor was
bringing up to me on the phone that day.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>Okay, so if my
baby is statistically likely to be a positive blood type and I’m a negative,
what does that mean will happen?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><o:p> A: </o:p>Most of the time, nothing.
That’s what the Rhogam shot is for.
5% of the world’s population are female who have negative Rh
factors. Some of those women are past
child-bearing years or choose not to have children, so maybe let’s say 4% of
women it is realistically affecting right now or will affect in the near
future. That 4% of people could be in
trouble during pregnancy years provided that the man who fathered their
children is a positive blood type (which, same statistics apply...90% chance
that he is). If he’s not, everyone’s off
the hook and there is much rejoicing.
Now, like in my case, I am of the 4% in child-bearing years with a
husband who is a positive. I have a 3 in
4 chance that I am pregnant with a positive baby. What could happen is if my blood EVER mixes
with that of my child (which is only a risk at a few specific times, like if
blood passes from the baby to me via the placenta, delivery, abortion,
miscarriage, bleeding during pregnancy, blunt trauma to the abdomen during
pregnancy, manual rotation of a baby during a breech presentation, and some
types of genetic testing), my blood COULD develop antibodies against the
antigen carried in positive Rh factors.
Antibodies could pose a threat to the health of the unborn child because
my body is working to protect ME. I will
never be at risk. But a baby could be.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Now, provided that these aforementioned women live in
developed countries with good medicine, they can be given the Rhogam shot,
which is designed specifically to help prevent those antibodies from
forming. My doctor stated medically the
Rhogam shot is 99% effective. 99%.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Guess what? I was the
one percent. *hitting my head on the
desk*<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So you’re telling me of the 4% of people in the world this
could affect, I also HAPPENED to choose a partner who was the opposite Rh
factor, I also HAPPENED to conceive a positive type child, I also HAPPENED to
have been the 1% in which the shot wasn’t effective, I also HAPPENED to have an
incident in which Audrey’s and my blood could have potentially mixed, and my
blood also HAPPENED to decide to do something about it and develop those
antibodies?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>“Yep. That’s what I’m
telling you,” said my doctor.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>So how long have I
had these antibodies?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: We’ll never know
for sure when my body started to produce them.
But I can pinpoint a window of time in which I developed this. I didn’t test positive for these when I got
pregnant with Audrey, so it wasn’t due to the miscarriage. I was permanently deferred from donating
blood about six months after I had Audrey, but I didn’t connect the two
together (yes, another side effect of this, I can no longer donate blood
because they can’t separate the antibodies out of my blood...my blood can’t go
to another negative person or they would face exactly the same scenario I’m
facing now, and it can’t go to a positive person because my red blood cells
would attack theirs). I’m guessing
contact occurred during delivery, although obviously it could have been sooner.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>How do I get rid
of the antibodies?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: I can’t. My blood has made them and will continue to
make them the rest of my life. The
interesting thing that was explained to me by my high-risk doctor is that the
levels of antibodies will vary.
Sometimes they will be higher (usually during a pregnancy of a positive
Rh baby) and lower at others (when I’m not pregnant and my body doesn’t
recognize a threat or when I’m pregnant with a negative Rh baby and my body
doesn’t see it as foreign), but they will always be there. Rhogam is actually useless to me right now
because its purpose is to prevent development of the antibodies, but it also
doesn’t hurt, so my doctors are going to continue giving me the Rhogam shot on
the off chance that maybe something good comes of it and it can keep my levels
low, but the Rhogam won’t make the antibodies go away. I am being monitored more carefully now
because statistically levels rise closer to the end of pregnancy, when the baby
is larger and their own antigens are fully functioning.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>What kind of
monitoring do I need</i>?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Besides my typical
doctor visits, I also need monthly bloodwork to watch the level of antibodies
my blood is producing, which will increase to bimonthly if the levels increase
quickly or drastically. Similarly, I
also need more frequent ultrasounds to ensure that the baby is not developing
anemia. I have had about five
ultrasounds so far (typical at this point is one to two) and will have another
in six weeks, and from there, about every three weeks (provided the antibody
levels don’t increase). If they are
found to increase, an ultrasound a week until birth. All the information is shared between my
family doctor and my high-risk doctor at the hospital, so there’s no delay in
information. Basically, a lot more
doctor appointments!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>What happens if
the baby is also a negative blood type?
Couldn’t it happen?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Since we don’t
know Kyle’s specific genotype (meaning if he carries the recessive trait or
not), there COULD be a 50% chance if he does carry it that the baby also turns
out to be negative. This exact thing
happened to my sister, who is also a B- blood type. Her husband is positive, she got the Rhogam
shots, etc. but my nephew turned out to be negative, too. That just tells us her husband has a 50%
chance of producing negative type kids, which is good in their situation! That means all the shots were moot, but it’s
better to be safe than sorry, huh? She
is statistically unlikely to ever develop antibodies. So there’s no way that my sister now has the
antibodies I have, because if her blood did mix with my nephew’s in any way,
they were the same type, see? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i> Can we get the
baby’s blood type tested, just to see if all this worry is even necessary?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: My high-risk
doctor explained that we can, but it’s extremely invasive and they don’t want
to do that unless my titer scores increase to more than 1:8 (I explain what
that means further down).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>Worst-case
scenario...what could happen to the baby?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Unless my levels
are off the charts (and so far, they’re not), with this baby, probably not
anything too terrible. Both my family
doctor and my high-risk doctor said that there is a safe zone of antibody
levels where the antibodies are present but are relatively harmless, and then
there’s an unsafe level in which action is critical depending on how high the
level, how many children I’ve had already, and what the baby looks like
(determined by ultrasound). An affected
baby would have a disease called hemolytic disease, which you can read about <a href="http://neoreviews.aappublications.org/content/14/2/e83" target="_blank">here</a>. They told me probably worst case scenario for
this baby since it’s the first I’ve had since developing antibodies is that
it’s born anemic. This might mean the
baby gets blood transfusions while in the womb (crazy what they can do with
medicine, huh?!) or after birth. It
might mean that if the baby is too anemic to be delivered vaginally that I have
no choice but to have a C-section instead.
Of course, my high-risk doctor said that blood transfusions, especially
in utero, are risky, but he also successfully performed TEN blood transfusions
on the SAME BABY before it was born! Can
you believe that?! I feel pretty
confident in him.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Notice I said that it depends on how many children I’ve had
before since developing antibodies? The
antibodies typically develop after the first baby is born or during a first
pregnancy. Since the antibodies take a
little time to mature into a real threat, it usually happens after pregnancy is
over and that baby is safe from the effects.
This is what happened with me. So
my pregnancy with Audrey was unaffected.
Depending on whether my levels dip or climb, each subsequent pregnancy
might end up being more and more risky.
Let’s say, IF this baby is anemic due to high levels of antibodies and
the levels never go down and I get pregnant again and begin with that high
level, that next baby would be more at risk for, let’s say, anemia AND heart
failure. If that baby lives somehow,
another baby might result in anemia then heart failure and as a result,
death. Because my blood killed it. Unlikely, yes. But possible?
Yes. Know what’s also
possible? My levels rise, enough for
this baby to have anemia. Then I am no
longer pregnant, and the levels dip to virtually nothing. I get pregnant again, but they never rise
again to the point where they are an actual threat to a subsequent baby. Next baby is fine. It just all depends.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>Will you then make
decisions about how many kids you plan to have based off all of this
information?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Yes. For future pregnancies, we might consider
getting my blood tested to see what titer score (again, in a second) I’m at
before trying to get pregnant to see how bad of a risk it might be to a
potential baby’s health. I doubt this is
our last pregnancy because everything is fine so far, but I guess it could be,
so I’m soaking it up and trying to enjoy it as if it is. You never know.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i> Am I at risk?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: No more than a typical
positive type mother is during a pregnancy.
My body is producing the antibodies because it sees the positive Rh
factor baby as a threat, so my body is working hard to protect me (and doing a
good job apparently, because I feel fine!).
I am at no risk as a direct result of the antibodies. I guess the only risk to my own health is if
we need to have a procedure in which to help the baby and I develop side
effects as a consequence from that.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>How are the levels
of the antibodies measured?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Titer scores. Every time I do bloodwork, they take a single
vial of blood. They test it for
antibodies. If it’s positive right away,
I have what’s called a 1:1 titer score.
That means they didn’t have to dilute it with anything; it tested
positive right away. Then they dilute it
with something (can’t remember what...the high-risk doctor told me, but I just
don’t remember). They dump out half of
my blood and put in half a vial of dilution, swirl, and test again. If the smaller amount of blood with the dilution
in it tests positive again, I’m now 1:2--one part blood, one part
dilution. They dump out some more,
supply another round of dilution, swirl and test again. If it’s another positive, it’s now 1:4--1
part blood, 3 parts dilution. Then it’s
1:8, 1:16, 1:32 and so on and so forth.
An easier way to remember the severity is give each one of these ratios
a number. If you’re 1:1, that’s level 1,
1:2 is level 2, 1:4 is level 3, 1:8 is level 4, etc. The bigger the difference in ratio, the
higher your level of antibodies is. They
will keep diluting and testing until the blood no longer tests positive, or the
antibodies are so faint that they’re ineffective. That tells you what level you are, which is
called a titer score. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I am currently--and have been for this entire pregnancy--a
level 2, a 1:2. The high-risk doctor
told me anything 1:8 (or level 4) or below is relatively safe...the antibodies
are there, but they’re not likely doing anything...hovering around, just in
case. If I were to get to a level 5
(1:16), that’s where we would need to begin to worry, because that’s the start
of a tremendous amount of antibodies in proportion to such a small amount of
blood. Remember the woman who had ten
blood transfusions on her baby in the womb?
She walked in at the beginning of her pregnancy with a 1:1024 titer
score (level 11). No wonder her baby was
in such danger! But the baby lived and
was healthy.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Q: <i>Should I be
worried?</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A: Our doctor
stipulated that in my case, any vaginal bleeding at all...ANY...I should come
in for a rhogam shot, just in case. I
should not hesitate to call. She made me
promise.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>But other than that, not really. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>There was one specific instance (the other hiccup I
mentioned at the end of the last post and which I will discuss in a future
post) in which I was worried. But
overall I feel pretty good, I feel good movement, and the baby looks great so
far...I have a positive outlook. I think
Kyle worries more than I do. As my
doctors have both said, it’s a pretty rare thing to have to worry about, but in
this case, rare doesn’t mean they don’t know how to treat it. Our issues are pretty treatable if they do
get out of hand, and if they get out of hand and are not treatable...we’ll
adapt. We’ll be okay. We’ll figure things out. It’s no one’s fault, not my parents for
giving me the blood type, not mine for having it, not Kyle’s for giving Audrey
a positive type to cause me to develop these issues, not Audrey’s for putting
me in a place to develop it, not the doctor’s because my body didn’t respond to
the rhogam, not mine because the antibodies are developing. It’s no one’s fault and no one has messed
up. We are getting wonderful care and I
am positive things will work out the way they are supposed to work out!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>For even more reading on our condition, check here and <a href="http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/The-Rh-Factor-How-It-Can-Affect-Your-Pregnancy" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://neoreviews.aappublications.org/content/14/2/e83" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-18155396639123588142016-06-21T05:50:00.001-04:002016-06-21T05:50:37.175-04:00Aaaannnddd We're Pregnant!<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well everyone, I’m going to take a minute to update with
some details of our second pregnancy.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been incredibly blessed throughout the course of
this wild now-24 week ride. We began
talking about getting pregnant again right after Christmas. We felt we had mostly unpacked, life was
becoming somewhat normal again after moving and the holidays. Audrey’s birthday is in September, so getting
pregnant in January would put us right on track for our three year plan of
kid-spacing. We were prepared to try for
several months, because we knew from experience that it could take awhile. If you’ve forgotten, it took us about four
months to get pregnant with our first baby (a miscarriage). Often times when I talk with strangers, I
will tell them it took us six months of trying before we were pregnant with
Audrey, but I word that very carefully, because I never intend to forget our
first baby.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are about 24 weeks pregnant now.
We started trying to get pregnant about 24 weeks ago.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, we got that lucky, just like with Audrey. After our miscarriage, we began trying again
right away, and we were pregnant with Audrey within the month. So, just like, Audrey, this baby was planned,
but completely unexpected so soon!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I put off taking a pregnancy test as long as possible,
because I didn’t want to have a negative test.
That completely deflates your heart.
I remember exactly the day we tested, February 9th. I had had a rotten set of parent/teacher
conferences the night before and felt literally sick to my stomach before going
to work that day. We just attributed it to
anxiety, but the feeling never went away.
After a whole day of it (even though school was fine that day and there
was truly nothing to cause me to continue to feel that way), Kyle insisted that
I test. What was easily one of the worst
days of the school year quickly became one of the best. We’ve taken lots of pregnancy tests
before...we’ve had a few pregnancy scares that came back negative, we had
several months of trying before our miscarriage that came back negative, our
first pregnancy in which the test barely registered as positive, Audrey’s test
that registered as definitively positive but it took a while. This baby?
Positive almost as soon as administered.
A very, very definitive line that wasn’t going anywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMLTTBAdGbCmie_Sh2jq5PvSa9mjhzqzGejPGhrRs2wTkbmlyhE1VgkNIZKaLfCEH0NUeZiGzoNNWSt_l3I_li3UKcLoy4F8oAMqx4P2aumy-QtvSDDbT_3VU0zoOSKfodXeRhJfVOcI/s1600/DSCF3223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMLTTBAdGbCmie_Sh2jq5PvSa9mjhzqzGejPGhrRs2wTkbmlyhE1VgkNIZKaLfCEH0NUeZiGzoNNWSt_l3I_li3UKcLoy4F8oAMqx4P2aumy-QtvSDDbT_3VU0zoOSKfodXeRhJfVOcI/s320/DSCF3223.JPG" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivCmSehgWkYQ2_8WqzzMT8NWZuSkup9UldF44VAkUqh_91jo6ZEAdthMfnmfoYDa0bmhrbqrxSY00FMWpVXXDLr2E2kGZe869hj_ekYut8IB7xl39DlVR6VzN6lLRgdQrtqv1gnwxHaU/s1600/DSCF3225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivCmSehgWkYQ2_8WqzzMT8NWZuSkup9UldF44VAkUqh_91jo6ZEAdthMfnmfoYDa0bmhrbqrxSY00FMWpVXXDLr2E2kGZe869hj_ekYut8IB7xl39DlVR6VzN6lLRgdQrtqv1gnwxHaU/s320/DSCF3225.JPG" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cue crying, shock, laughing, and Kyle declaring, “Well that
was easy!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pregnancy has been relatively easy so far in terms of
physically. I had a little more morning
sickness, food aversion, fatigue, and motion sickness in the first trimester
than with Audrey, but I never actually vomited, so I consider myself extremely
lucky. Our symptoms were pretty hard to
hide, so we came out and told everyone about our pregnancy earlier than we had
initially planned. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We announced to our families:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9holt9BqRvebzLTq4hyphenhyphen2VZGW3dAedm1hsXSOL6XzNsDXIVarFqGcGHf0DpXE7SwAbjaEW3VYOQpdtshHfOqlnCXN-e0MZNtrWt5MfGzbQft_lKu8mB_MtD_aEFX0kOJsnP_cnOPOAxQ/s1600/12717370_10205486103858736_3219358460746296546_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9holt9BqRvebzLTq4hyphenhyphen2VZGW3dAedm1hsXSOL6XzNsDXIVarFqGcGHf0DpXE7SwAbjaEW3VYOQpdtshHfOqlnCXN-e0MZNtrWt5MfGzbQft_lKu8mB_MtD_aEFX0kOJsnP_cnOPOAxQ/s320/12717370_10205486103858736_3219358460746296546_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everything was looking good until….<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We encountered our first of two teensy-tiny little hiccups
in this pregnancy.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-48993636378505092622016-06-17T22:33:00.000-04:002016-06-17T22:33:49.753-04:00Potty Training<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, if you read my coming-back post, you will know that
one of my goals this summer was to get Audrey potty-trained. And, thankfully, I think we’ve finally hit on
something that works for us!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To back things up, let’s recount how terrible--yes, TERRIBLE--potty
training has been so far.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey showed potty training readiness last June. Yeah, a whole YEAR ago. She was interested in watching others go
potty, she was able to stay dry for long periods of time, etc. In all the books I consulted they would print
a list of characteristics that show that your child is likely ready to potty
train. She hit pretty much everything on
the list. So, I figured I would give it
a go!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bad, bad choice. Of
course, there was no way for me to know that.
And, given the experiences I’ve had, even if presented with a child very
similar to Audrey now, I would probably still have tried the potty. I guess you never know. But Audrey did NOT take to pottying. We decided to do the bare butt method in
which you take diapers off so the kid could feel pee running down their legs
when they went. We gave Audrey lots to
drink and rolled up the rugs (we were in our old house still at this point
thankfully, or we would have had tons of carpet to contend with). She had some expected accidents and
appropriately freaked out that she had peed on herself. I would rush her to the potty so she could
finish peeing in there. Praise her. But looking back, she just seemed so confused
by the whole thing. I would set a timer
and put her on the potty every time the timer dinged, and at first she was
compliant and would sit. If I knew she
was due to pee and hadn’t for awhile, I would give her popsicles to keep her on
the potty until she actually went and then allow her to get up. I would praise her and be super ridiculously
over the top about it. Allow her to play
with play-doh as a reward (play-doh was new then). I kept track of the times she peed and
pooped, how much there was, how much made it into the potty, how resistant she
was to sitting on the potty.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<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/AVvXsEguR2m5QvNR5RzmfOvmIUFxmtpuxFyr9hrzefx1f-TDw3v3PjTA1cNPH5jbdLahx04mXYtD50YaSkBE81L43aEPne8qc8Wz_6RCr7HVTMoLTLWAnKpfwm47foZo-sJjUDvDChOtSCcC0Jk/s1600/Audrey+potty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR2m5QvNR5RzmfOvmIUFxmtpuxFyr9hrzefx1f-TDw3v3PjTA1cNPH5jbdLahx04mXYtD50YaSkBE81L43aEPne8qc8Wz_6RCr7HVTMoLTLWAnKpfwm47foZo-sJjUDvDChOtSCcC0Jk/s320/Audrey+potty.jpg" width="240" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was Audrey being "potty-trained" last year, eating a Popsicle and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This happened for about two days. We stayed inside and I thought I was about to
lose my mind because I never took my eyes off her the entire time. It was literally worse than being home alone
during maternity leave with a crying baby with no idea why. I of course had read that kids pick up on
this dread though, so I tried so, so hard to be happy and excited and promoting
the idea of peeing, thinking that it might just be a sucky week but so worth it
in the end. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The third day I thought we’d made real progress...she was
going longer and longer in between pee breaks...we were up to about an hour to
an hour and a half! I put training pants
on her (per the method I was following in a book). She had several accidents and went through
about eight pairs of underwear. Finally
I just let her be bare again. We went
several hours without peeing. “Nailed
it!” I thought.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day she also went several, several hours without
peeing. In fact, she only peed once that
entire day (during her nap when she had a diaper on). She started to resist the potty, screaming
and kicking and hitting and even biting me, which Audrey never did. She sobbed and threw tantrums if she even
looked at the potty. In the meantime, it
had also been awhile since she’d pooped, too.
I tried to give her more to drink, juice even, but she would drink only
very small amounts. It was almost like
she was on to me. I was at my wit’s end
trying to keep her hydrated and free of urinary tract infections or
constipation...I didn’t know what to do.
Finally, by the end of the week, Kyle took her potty while at
church. She bucked and screamed and
cried and hit him, too. After church
that day, we had a very serious discussion that we were doing more
psychological harm than teaching her how to potty. She just wasn’t ready. We put her back in diapers but left the potty
out in case she ever wanted to sit on it.
She didn’t. And she would scream
and get angry if we even suggested she sit on it. After about two more weeks of that, we put
the potty away. Throughout this time,
she still stayed dry in her diaper fairly well, she still was interested in
watching us potty, and, thankfully, she began to pee and poop regularly again. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, so she was too young.
She wasn’t mentally prepared.
That’s okay. We’d try again
later.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By about October, my sitter (who has trained dozens of kids
to potty) said she thought Audrey would be ready to try again. Audrey had noticed that the older three and
four-year-old girls wore panties and used the potty, and she wanted to play
with and be just like them. Okay, let’s
capitalize on that! We waited until
after we moved and got settled into the new house. I bought some pull-ups for at the
sitter. After being traumatized the last
time, I didn’t have the courage for cloth.
Also, our sitter wouldn’t be able to keep a constant eye on Audrey every
second of the day like I could because she also had other kids to watch. And, in both our house and the sitter’s
house, there was carpet in the main living areas where Audrey spent most of her
time. Pull-ups were the right choice
there.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey started slow.
She would tinkle in the potty if we forced her to sit on it, and then
finish in her pull-up. It didn’t matter
if we or the sitter made her sit there for thirty seconds or an hour. We tried rewards, but she didn’t show
interest in them. We tried bribery, but
nothing. Sometimes she would refuse to
sit on the potty even though it had been hours since she’d last gone. Just two months ago, Kyle threatened to spank
Audrey if she refused to sit on the potty because we knew that she KNEW how to
use the potty but was just being obstinate.
He offered her the choice and she took the spanking, which kind of took
us aback. The rest of the day when we
told her it was time to potty she would reply, “No, just hit my butt.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The really frustrating part is that she would teeter back
and forth. Some days she would do really
well, and some days she would do nothing on the potty. We even got her grandmas, her favorite two
people in the world, to try to help us.
My mom, who had me potty trained before 18 months, was at a loss. We would bring her potty out to sit on so she
didn’t have to go far to pee, and nothing.
Our sitter did the same, and no results.
When we told her that she couldn’t play with the big girls at the
sitter’s house until she peed in the potty, she lost interest in playing with
them. We would ask Audrey where babies
peed (diapers) and where big girls peed (potties). Then we would ask if she was a baby or a big
girl. She would say, “A big girl, but I
will pee in my underwear.” She knew the
rules but didn’t want them to apply to her.
AND she would come down hard on any kid she saw who had an accident or
who wore diapers, but it never occurred to her that she still did those
things. We just kept consoling
ourselves...time, time, time. No kid
goes to college in diapers, right? RIGHT?!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, a few days after school was out (so only a few
weeks ago), it was obvious that Audrey had to poop. And that she was pooping. We caught her early, so we rushed her to the
bathroom and put her on the potty. It
was traumatizing to her, but she went.
She was so proud that she had pooped in the potty and kept talking about
what a big girl she was. We talked her
up, too. When she pooped a couple of
days later, same thing. She screamed and
cried the whole time, but she pooped on the potty. And she was proud of herself.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At about this time, Audrey went to play for awhile at a
friend’s house and this friend had several Disney princesses that Audrey wanted
to bring home with her. I told her if
she was a good girl over the next few days (mostly I meant listening, going
down for a nap when I told her to, etc.) I would buy her the princesses. She was, so Kyle and Audrey and I went to the
store. We didn’t find the same ones, but
we found a busy book that came with a princess book, eleven princess figurines,
a charm bracelet, and a story sheet that you can put your princesses on to
play. We had a sudden inspiration...Audrey
had been having a few up days in a row with peeing on the potty...maybe we
could make this work? We made a deal
with her. Do a good job going pee on the
potty, and you can have one princess at the end of each day. A poop in the potty automatically guaranteed
a princess right away, no matter the time of day. She got to pick the princess, of course. Doing a good job consisted of going without
complaint when Mommy or Daddy asked and keeping pee out of her underwear (pull
ups). She agreed, although she probably
didn’t realize what she was agreeing to.
We gave her the book that night and put the princesses inside the
medicine cabinet in her bathroom so I could open the mirror and show her the
princesses I was holding hostage inside out of her reach. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3BmddODbIfmFO-vEO1o5DSchjW0qXEz3OeYksAvpi14VNRDPSNA-EWXSgQBlsmFy6ZxasNAbt4wCny6hMueQAE5Vz0RnT6NqbaWts5BL_AunCgxbbhPXjhJihvr4kVyMHDNYR53S9X0/s1600/Princess+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3BmddODbIfmFO-vEO1o5DSchjW0qXEz3OeYksAvpi14VNRDPSNA-EWXSgQBlsmFy6ZxasNAbt4wCny6hMueQAE5Vz0RnT6NqbaWts5BL_AunCgxbbhPXjhJihvr4kVyMHDNYR53S9X0/s320/Princess+1.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It. Worked. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, if I would have tried this earlier, would it have
probably worked? I’m guessing not. Audrey was in the right frame of mind FINALLY
in combination with having had a few successful pee days and two poops on the
potty (which were rough compared to peeing on the potty). Also, since I’m pregnant we’ve been talking a
lot more about babies and diapers lately, so she’s been seeing diapers get
stockpiled again. She is also very much
on board with being a big sister and a big helper, so I think it all finally
clicked in her head. Hallelujah!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagelg_fbJGpEhWoCjynS1-jm7bcHshS1sp16I6bbGpExUpNH5HsNt6QRjoxNRFOO3Ibgxsg29cOZxhyI7ZKZ8bOwrhnGKufG7eKCI9vM3uqaqYPXtX1jztd-2fS40j48MFaQKWBm0MgI/s1600/Princess+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagelg_fbJGpEhWoCjynS1-jm7bcHshS1sp16I6bbGpExUpNH5HsNt6QRjoxNRFOO3Ibgxsg29cOZxhyI7ZKZ8bOwrhnGKufG7eKCI9vM3uqaqYPXtX1jztd-2fS40j48MFaQKWBm0MgI/s320/Princess+2.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_eXuevy9b0WCmlOB71Bn2SkPKSJqy3SF9MgdyyQjIAUAH0u5SXzezbCaCWvEZfPomuRvkXOYyIM9HV9Fc84pLnkUJuV146Iyhkg2QZcTKjCOBETdUoUbGXnNYkAYSiD7bcTxWwNV_58/s1600/Princess+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_eXuevy9b0WCmlOB71Bn2SkPKSJqy3SF9MgdyyQjIAUAH0u5SXzezbCaCWvEZfPomuRvkXOYyIM9HV9Fc84pLnkUJuV146Iyhkg2QZcTKjCOBETdUoUbGXnNYkAYSiD7bcTxWwNV_58/s320/Princess+3.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7w9jo6sXbyW1x2mEfR0Y2IfAiT92_1jPlYoV7f_Nvm8NYKRMolaiU2i37jWuulVoot2eQo6Tpr-XNDAJAO2aKABQCG96RYL0APDdf4CYZ5IBJj1Y7tTppXqVKYm-tjlhHGIHp5YfuGd0/s1600/Princess+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7w9jo6sXbyW1x2mEfR0Y2IfAiT92_1jPlYoV7f_Nvm8NYKRMolaiU2i37jWuulVoot2eQo6Tpr-XNDAJAO2aKABQCG96RYL0APDdf4CYZ5IBJj1Y7tTppXqVKYm-tjlhHGIHp5YfuGd0/s320/Princess+5.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were some hiccups, of course. She went swimming in her kiddie pool a few
times during that first week and twice instead of going inside to pee, she went
over and squatted near a tree instead (once was my fault...she had just been in
to potty five minutes earlier so I told her she didn’t need to go...oops). That weekend Audrey went on a trip to
Michigan with my in-laws and the pottying was kind of rough since it was a
several hour drive and lots of fun in the pool, at the park, and at the
zoo. We waited until after the trip was
over to start big girl princess panties.
Audrey has had approximately a few accidents in her big girl panties, twice at the times I was talking to contractors for our
bathroom remodel, so I can justify those...she probably was too intimidated by
the strangers to come tell me she had to go. Another day she went through four pairs of panties, but we are chalking that up to her guzzling apple juice (which we usually do not allow). On the latter day, when she told me she had peed in her panties again, she yelled, "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" over and over again.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12l7TwyqhR3bmeLRdHL3m2YK8rLZkRTUBrb4qx-uRRG2R0BgLQP5hEUKiQHFy5QaeW-bVU3SKeITbUTdLSJAfp9trZUrNOyMEf48dAprjcmy97Fbu-3LtT4mXk6J9Lxekx0t7OryQ-oo/s1600/Princess+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12l7TwyqhR3bmeLRdHL3m2YK8rLZkRTUBrb4qx-uRRG2R0BgLQP5hEUKiQHFy5QaeW-bVU3SKeITbUTdLSJAfp9trZUrNOyMEf48dAprjcmy97Fbu-3LtT4mXk6J9Lxekx0t7OryQ-oo/s320/Princess+7.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya7Edkp5tyUBhlML8Jno8iOGx38kz3bhF-obseFi-XBBpQV-2cUnjFxy1WR1kri00lOoCtjCCSCixTYTF0e9vbaosyAvenujA0hOiGiEk_I7byj7i51VFKR5FthFktzesMreE7QXmiV8/s1600/Princess+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya7Edkp5tyUBhlML8Jno8iOGx38kz3bhF-obseFi-XBBpQV-2cUnjFxy1WR1kri00lOoCtjCCSCixTYTF0e9vbaosyAvenujA0hOiGiEk_I7byj7i51VFKR5FthFktzesMreE7QXmiV8/s320/Princess+8.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kRjH8_mhDcKWXrCJDQyC3za_vGh4IZsjW6w7pCRfPiJCmCL1Mng5eW8axqcVE5CCCvrRF3dssSMkQn6THPclhb2v-28SlE4u58TEMVN7pifurJ5LRuf-XgWAvInOGIk41arTx94wvYA/s1600/Princess+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kRjH8_mhDcKWXrCJDQyC3za_vGh4IZsjW6w7pCRfPiJCmCL1Mng5eW8axqcVE5CCCvrRF3dssSMkQn6THPclhb2v-28SlE4u58TEMVN7pifurJ5LRuf-XgWAvInOGIk41arTx94wvYA/s320/Princess+9.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now we’re about three and a half weeks out from starting the
princesses and two weeks out from panties.
We still have some major steps to take, though...she still is afraid to
poop in the potty. We have to sit down
and coach her through pooping, if she will do it at all. Also, she is getting better at lengthening
the amount of time between potty breaks (about 3 hours now!) but I’m still the
one telling her she needs to go. This
week we are going to try to allow her to figure out when she needs to go and I
will be quieter. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oSU1OnIOqLivW3sGJ5t5NCSjGkpD5-QBUFnx72-Cfz1rut8HhqnLH5L-155J4mJx1gq-ZMqyxIqJ5ktXRSFqms8I3kRk_qQ4rBy-O94kmp_mRQpXihQeEA5cP-UbhAjKZzD2WVs3Jco/s1600/Princess+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oSU1OnIOqLivW3sGJ5t5NCSjGkpD5-QBUFnx72-Cfz1rut8HhqnLH5L-155J4mJx1gq-ZMqyxIqJ5ktXRSFqms8I3kRk_qQ4rBy-O94kmp_mRQpXihQeEA5cP-UbhAjKZzD2WVs3Jco/s320/Princess+10.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9RE0H84ECMzf_sl4y9Gn4yySWlAIedrqZydc2qlFPgLJqCZzmXt9aU8zNe_zMuU6z7RPT8e4bLnDMNo1_TLLdTf6Cf0tMu9s8NugXmbzlylts9N2ny4oPsMc-LIadBL2AUoONgVupQA/s1600/Princess+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9RE0H84ECMzf_sl4y9Gn4yySWlAIedrqZydc2qlFPgLJqCZzmXt9aU8zNe_zMuU6z7RPT8e4bLnDMNo1_TLLdTf6Cf0tMu9s8NugXmbzlylts9N2ny4oPsMc-LIadBL2AUoONgVupQA/s320/Princess+11.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tIM4fjxJ3iFS5IvB3eLsQsrPJMPXbcc-TJhySG49NSJXUmhxXCK5zaJbwx5YBG4nzdRSFe6M3M21OeytOTFqyfRS9EUusWXy4Em205o0HBN2HfBIjvjI7MexfYR15Qls5ZvK0dXipVg/s1600/Princess+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tIM4fjxJ3iFS5IvB3eLsQsrPJMPXbcc-TJhySG49NSJXUmhxXCK5zaJbwx5YBG4nzdRSFe6M3M21OeytOTFqyfRS9EUusWXy4Em205o0HBN2HfBIjvjI7MexfYR15Qls5ZvK0dXipVg/s320/Princess+12.jpg" width="238" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m so relieved! Pun
intended! We are all very excited for
Audrey that she is doing so well. Audrey
is so proud to be a big girl. Audrey
still wears pull-ups (now named night-night underwear) for naps and at night,
but even those are drier in the mornings than usual, and the naps the last few
days have had zero pee in them. Although
we’re far from being completely trained, we’ve come a long way in the last few
weeks. Feel free to put another notch in
my parenting bedpost.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-30839622998359378282016-06-17T22:11:00.000-04:002016-06-17T22:11:32.833-04:00Hello, Linden!<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kyle and I looked at many homes in the fall, but most were not very great upon actually seeing them. As I mentioned, there was a house we became pretty excited about, but eventually went to someone else. Although we were frustrated and heartbroken at the time, we now see that it was for the best that we didn’t get that house. If we didn’t get that house, we wouldn’t have gotten ours.</b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Our Linden house was on the market for about two days when Kyle and I went to see it. We put in an offer the next day, (a Thursday) but found out we weren’t the only ones bidding. We were asked to come back with our highest offer and just to wait. </b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<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/AVvXsEgTQ-EmqTpsRpV7jQJ_eOKBt8NAOzkiwAjToqKSfqUJGO2BERKD5N12NpHiRmJb61wtvr1U4NoIyPuaqcCyjQWQbEsppJr01pqy0s7Bx_W1RJA4-vjGHekxNzxSK47BfZdH0l1_Rkaop3c/s1600/IMG_1274.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQ-EmqTpsRpV7jQJ_eOKBt8NAOzkiwAjToqKSfqUJGO2BERKD5N12NpHiRmJb61wtvr1U4NoIyPuaqcCyjQWQbEsppJr01pqy0s7Bx_W1RJA4-vjGHekxNzxSK47BfZdH0l1_Rkaop3c/s320/IMG_1274.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please excuse the fact that these are all screenshots...I wanted documentation of how this house looked before we got our hands on it. So far, we have re-seeded the front lawn, as you can see that it's a little patchy. The front of the old garage here looks white, but it really is yellow...the exact color of the rest of the house. The flowers are wonderful perennials...now I just have to keep up with them! It certainly is a lot more to weed!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were sick with anxiety. Every time my phone rang, I thought it would be our realtor. The sellers' realtor was supposed to meet with them on that following Saturday to go over all the offers, so we hoped to hear that evening. What actually happened was the other realtor had something unexpected come up and had to postpone his meeting with his clients until Sunday afternoon, so it was going to be another terrible day of waiting. I felt like I could throw up all day that Sunday. It was awful.</span></b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I woke up Saturday evening at about 11:45 PM with an idea that I should do more to help us get that house. I had no idea what to do though, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up again at about 4 AM with the same impression. I had just had a lesson the previous morning with the Young Women about following promptings of the spirit so I got up out of bed and went to our half-packed dining room to think. </b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Without really knowing what I was doing, I opened my chromebook to Google docs, thinking I would just type something up about what I was thinking, and I ended up with this:</b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><i><br /></i></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Sunday, September 13, 2015</b></i></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>To the homeowners of XXXX Linden Street,</b></i></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>My name is Megan, and after my husband Kyle and I visited your home for a showing on Wednesday, we were immediately impressed. We visited lots of homes that day and throughout the last few weeks, but yours stood out to us for several reasons, all of which were on our original wish list when we set out to purchase a new home. After the heartbreak of seeing a few “potential” forever homes slip through our fingers within days of coming on the market, we knew we had to act fast so that we could be considered buyers of your lovely home.</b></i></span><br />
<b style="line-height: 1.38;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></b>
<b style="line-height: 1.38;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>It’s hard to say what we love most about the home. My husband and I couldn’t stop smiling as we toured it and found new things to be excited about. He and I have very different priorities. I want ample space for our family to grow, and your home has it in spades. We have one daughter named Audrey who will be two tomorrow, and we plan to start adding to our family very soon. </i></span><i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we get your house, Audrey will be staying in the green bedroom, and she will have plenty of room to grow up there. </i></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<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/AVvXsEhu1N1E0fIk1BCHW7d_qBD7a4Q69XksBCRJisLmcPUaI-Iq08xEp8_nF0zjI5NyyBN1vdRBdSRWH6aRYxQcOIqtdTT71e8YOZMJdwBj3hSfdLzJG3CrVUhn2LdHreQPjqZ1W3cd7nNeK1Y/s1600/IMG_1290.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1N1E0fIk1BCHW7d_qBD7a4Q69XksBCRJisLmcPUaI-Iq08xEp8_nF0zjI5NyyBN1vdRBdSRWH6aRYxQcOIqtdTT71e8YOZMJdwBj3hSfdLzJG3CrVUhn2LdHreQPjqZ1W3cd7nNeK1Y/s320/IMG_1290.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Audrey's bedroom--the biggest bedroom in the house! That's alright, though, because eventually it'll be shared. That's a king-size bed in there, folks! Not bad for a house built in 1959.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBb_H8g8QhpAYIbqh28DULrzjT1-F78vm_KmxCE-kozrjMnuTqe-TycSF32CZikppbINxPxHqV7wll2YN_3Hlt66YSJwj0Y3SwWPeEaHOdIa-pCbdIRosrEB1xZKqv1yKq1mVjOvFMH0/s1600/IMG_1291.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBb_H8g8QhpAYIbqh28DULrzjT1-F78vm_KmxCE-kozrjMnuTqe-TycSF32CZikppbINxPxHqV7wll2YN_3Hlt66YSJwj0Y3SwWPeEaHOdIa-pCbdIRosrEB1xZKqv1yKq1mVjOvFMH0/s320/IMG_1291.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have since painted Audrey's room a very pale blue and ripped up these carpets to reveal the original hardwood floors underneath.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<br />
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<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/AVvXsEhy2vDzU3kwgK41RIUP7y70IwVgZ2HV6Uw3JJ341q70eUMRifzBg8qHODMtblUfcGD4l5Zr0S7XqqeIa-Ug5_xyachWDbD9hQok2R_4_Z3wtloXRX0-Ak-R0wCANecu5lcV54JFonBXZnc/s1600/IMG_1292.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2vDzU3kwgK41RIUP7y70IwVgZ2HV6Uw3JJ341q70eUMRifzBg8qHODMtblUfcGD4l5Zr0S7XqqeIa-Ug5_xyachWDbD9hQok2R_4_Z3wtloXRX0-Ak-R0wCANecu5lcV54JFonBXZnc/s320/IMG_1292.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was used as an..exercise room? It houses our computer and desk right now, but it will be baby's room in October. We removed the carpets and the walls are now a light gray.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8lab40GXg-ABcfrHwGX7h5rFh1I64N8XMiAsntOGHz4Lr4MPxWHIeMq67ZuqL0U-64FlretRnuZ_6xwQ7UI0_rSurE8tYAilvnPZBXRPEbBGNY9sNenfGao22C_Yz-e1QaBWiBnZst0/s1600/IMG_1287.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8lab40GXg-ABcfrHwGX7h5rFh1I64N8XMiAsntOGHz4Lr4MPxWHIeMq67ZuqL0U-64FlretRnuZ_6xwQ7UI0_rSurE8tYAilvnPZBXRPEbBGNY9sNenfGao22C_Yz-e1QaBWiBnZst0/s320/IMG_1287.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our bedroom. We haven't done much in here except accidentally scorch the carpet (oops). That's okay though because, guess what? Original hardwood floors underneath. We're thinking of covering the paneling with shiplap, but haven't gotten to that point yet. All in good time.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuTJVQYal60_0gZtYL1iD0JifTKgTm-3XL9hSR9PdBbrheCmn5G3I_-gtO5TjOFpUYXb606VBx2Z_Toh_HE0RPU_zi9LxISSv6eFMld7GCQpqSNMLkAHrvxwkwV0CN8v3wJvRfm43ptw/s1600/IMG_1289.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuTJVQYal60_0gZtYL1iD0JifTKgTm-3XL9hSR9PdBbrheCmn5G3I_-gtO5TjOFpUYXb606VBx2Z_Toh_HE0RPU_zi9LxISSv6eFMld7GCQpqSNMLkAHrvxwkwV0CN8v3wJvRfm43ptw/s320/IMG_1289.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone told me that babies come with a lot of stuff, and they were right! I wanted a designated playroom for Audrey and her future siblings because in our home right now we have to put several things in storage just to have enough living space, which is frustrating to all of us. </i><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We intend to make your formal dining room/piano room our play area because it has easy access to the backyard and is easy for me to watch the kids from the kitchen area. After it’s done being a playroom, I could easily imagine it being a room to hold our future piano--I very much want our children to have lessons. </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEiXJZejJmTvkW-1rn8iIkLnVFHgF0zVQPlspkQaoC7hH89r7xHl69wEdur1v6W8QXPnKjVyxKIAQccQdTDzS8lEEFdO9rs-Fce4qEr_UDg74YddCzO2XBEb8cps-bOLIMtaK3AtmAGHk7Q/s1600/IMG_1284.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJZejJmTvkW-1rn8iIkLnVFHgF0zVQPlspkQaoC7hH89r7xHl69wEdur1v6W8QXPnKjVyxKIAQccQdTDzS8lEEFdO9rs-Fce4qEr_UDg74YddCzO2XBEb8cps-bOLIMtaK3AtmAGHk7Q/s320/IMG_1284.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The previous owners used this room to house their piano and as a formal dining room. It's the playroom now. Still not painted, but that's in the plans for this summer. Carpet is newer, so it will be staying. This is an addition, so there's no hardwood floors underneath. We also plan to replace the light with a ceiling fan.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5GAqqLpDEueU2mueAFAdr9e8m2artZW9vah1NCXFa1TUeoukXsoCdnEyyS6gN9bz-CLcvmzyD33ObCNV_96DX92DcPxg3vh4OawuThIb73z8FWkpKVypH5ys-JV8UDT0CZ8EjVZg2Ko/s1600/IMG_1285.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5GAqqLpDEueU2mueAFAdr9e8m2artZW9vah1NCXFa1TUeoukXsoCdnEyyS6gN9bz-CLcvmzyD33ObCNV_96DX92DcPxg3vh4OawuThIb73z8FWkpKVypH5ys-JV8UDT0CZ8EjVZg2Ko/s320/IMG_1285.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEiV2AhM0rwF1RlQSQrGfX_geihqqK2UVUTUST5kbE7GcHSGr8gRh0nEjH3y04yF344-a_gOl3Z-jdlReY2KDvXVWjqw9JQD8GSGXQeEr5eahFpMvpxYt-9wz6rYSYnD2ClE2un9A4lO0gI/s1600/IMG_1286.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2AhM0rwF1RlQSQrGfX_geihqqK2UVUTUST5kbE7GcHSGr8gRh0nEjH3y04yF344-a_gOl3Z-jdlReY2KDvXVWjqw9JQD8GSGXQeEr5eahFpMvpxYt-9wz6rYSYnD2ClE2un9A4lO0gI/s320/IMG_1286.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This room is actually quite huge! It could be a living room in its own right if we wanted it to be!<br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></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/AVvXsEhBIu-t9olIWfOuVGM-SYeZYhDjCksnDxTsr1dD_KlYfbsYzxpnaWi2dBQX1tSF2Gn34SCVashON0loC5PWahRStjPSiEUVrGQnSXHDjYM2VCw8vXTZ_sKxaJWoK4uAJuOgGd44hJGBDno/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIu-t9olIWfOuVGM-SYeZYhDjCksnDxTsr1dD_KlYfbsYzxpnaWi2dBQX1tSF2Gn34SCVashON0loC5PWahRStjPSiEUVrGQnSXHDjYM2VCw8vXTZ_sKxaJWoK4uAJuOgGd44hJGBDno/s320/IMG_1175.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't have very many pictures of the house right when we moved in, but I tried to capture Audrey's enthusiasm for having a room for just her toys. Look how small she looks!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDr1cktSTZCHjBar_if9nvPF7PEhwM_f4bMhc7bmUBlM2RI1QG61X3JspOPrM1vaHTwFhdabWPV-M_0z_SxmiaoPgdJMRy6rVQtIOR02XiIbNLRGQLRQYYVQk7RIR-zGM295iwjokTVs/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDr1cktSTZCHjBar_if9nvPF7PEhwM_f4bMhc7bmUBlM2RI1QG61X3JspOPrM1vaHTwFhdabWPV-M_0z_SxmiaoPgdJMRy6rVQtIOR02XiIbNLRGQLRQYYVQk7RIR-zGM295iwjokTVs/s320/IMG_1178.JPG" width="240" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey pointing out to Daddy that there are skylights in this room.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<i style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also wanted to have a bathroom separate from the kids’, which is hard to find in a 1950s and 1960s style home. None of the homes we have seen so far in our budget had double sinks in the bathroom...my heart almost bottomed out when I saw yours! And as I continued through the bathroom into the master closet...let me just say I wanted to stay in that closet forever.</span></i></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><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/AVvXsEh2Ggb3GNUyYx3tJ9IjMxTSieDg6BaRhjzRHSJyiW3YndKQLY_GHxGKK1dtGRQZ6LDT8Oa90xWBjPXtALRtBlxfCqaQJuFqYHwdXnFHC0-9LDbj-4RGqLGol_PyGatMpke13KNWWCbVmS8/s1600/IMG_1294.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ggb3GNUyYx3tJ9IjMxTSieDg6BaRhjzRHSJyiW3YndKQLY_GHxGKK1dtGRQZ6LDT8Oa90xWBjPXtALRtBlxfCqaQJuFqYHwdXnFHC0-9LDbj-4RGqLGol_PyGatMpke13KNWWCbVmS8/s320/IMG_1294.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our bathroom (you can't see it, but our master closet is just off of this and it's HUGE).</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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_gqVkVUyZNKQG-LMFVJwDEeFB_yLCWxLORsSTSBYgPp_AFxArXGl_dUBSrtuOyJIU3Dk9R1Q2NYDwnHPQFfJaGU-2r1WjpnuRHJHbUk3sIoOmGaJIIbfl2PcHVmTPdUsY9lm8cqJXv3Q/s1600/IMG_1293.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gqVkVUyZNKQG-LMFVJwDEeFB_yLCWxLORsSTSBYgPp_AFxArXGl_dUBSrtuOyJIU3Dk9R1Q2NYDwnHPQFfJaGU-2r1WjpnuRHJHbUk3sIoOmGaJIIbfl2PcHVmTPdUsY9lm8cqJXv3Q/s320/IMG_1293.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see how there are even carpets in the bathroom? Yeah, that's getting removed in a couple of weeks.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>My husband of course is very particular about the yard, garage, and parking. He also was not disappointed. Your yard is very beautifully kept, and he fell in love instantly. The yard is wonderfully big for a Muncie home, and he commented often on the deck space in both the front and back of the home. Last weekend we had our daughter’s second birthday party with all of our family over, and we barely squeezed in (we have only a small strip of grass for backyard right now at our home, so going outside was not an option). At your home, we could easily visualize having family over for cookouts and allowing the kids to play in the yard. One of the best things about the home is that everyone would have a place to park instead of having to walk several blocks to our home. </b></i></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJcRS6s83gzhqeQqJyMhyKZXrqDwVKLsTZrXPAuoj0dQmVfvJ0B6DFYuW14uJVx4k530_4KYVtWApimtWt0U_C8UMG-zsgCxs_bpXXGLnfwiSXlY8BdDcPeN-Oct-VmZPEFAeSJject8/s1600/IMG_1297.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJcRS6s83gzhqeQqJyMhyKZXrqDwVKLsTZrXPAuoj0dQmVfvJ0B6DFYuW14uJVx4k530_4KYVtWApimtWt0U_C8UMG-zsgCxs_bpXXGLnfwiSXlY8BdDcPeN-Oct-VmZPEFAeSJject8/s320/IMG_1297.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEOOcsd6u-rs7f_ESoRbgkJFYh6Z_vYbtDSoWrzDimUn16GKKToBLX15q1gODFdLE9licth8fYKzmMohim0nG3_tDU0gasPZvhXtRRm6MvUoPTh0GslYHsi1STI4NfmRIZkuCqPNgCD8/s1600/IMG_1295.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEOOcsd6u-rs7f_ESoRbgkJFYh6Z_vYbtDSoWrzDimUn16GKKToBLX15q1gODFdLE9licth8fYKzmMohim0nG3_tDU0gasPZvhXtRRm6MvUoPTh0GslYHsi1STI4NfmRIZkuCqPNgCD8/s320/IMG_1295.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEh3aGkedEIU20X9vU6nl_98aDNafDovuTUdUfB_w8BXgLKlKvf6YHxmZTlOmEHW3DTLy6g8p9InBN8fVBMh7bAGCZKUORg58snVZ-w8DxTPsxPN2IWBp2JJEIcqSmxTlO32WPGIlUyHUeM/s1600/IMG_1298.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aGkedEIU20X9vU6nl_98aDNafDovuTUdUfB_w8BXgLKlKvf6YHxmZTlOmEHW3DTLy6g8p9InBN8fVBMh7bAGCZKUORg58snVZ-w8DxTPsxPN2IWBp2JJEIcqSmxTlO32WPGIlUyHUeM/s320/IMG_1298.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're now the proud owners of a riding lawnmower to make this all easy work for Kyle.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNGgupQmXKJtB-aaEur8OIvg0RDfSL8_3eZhEafVCrImbMKDK6IQSadSfPdT7JB_aE41kP2TjkWgX-lDqpNClyPn5wsvhXBgtpQd3-7mDiB_1P9lV2cEaKOhMC3NXaj7kN0YP9tQYk7w/s1600/IMG_1299.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNGgupQmXKJtB-aaEur8OIvg0RDfSL8_3eZhEafVCrImbMKDK6IQSadSfPdT7JB_aE41kP2TjkWgX-lDqpNClyPn5wsvhXBgtpQd3-7mDiB_1P9lV2cEaKOhMC3NXaj7kN0YP9tQYk7w/s320/IMG_1299.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Kyle also wants (but never dared dream he would actually get) his own little office, too, which he could have here. One of my husband’s favorite things about your home? The fireplace mantle, which he pointed out to me could hold our stockings at Christmastime. </i></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><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/AVvXsEi81Mut3krCJEiDaM8z4EYrl6o9tcOpg93hJBqmVqtXvtGQSYNuFGFSYd9FwQZXLHgbfvtZVfj-p4Qu2N4aIQiYMUKZJRuGh2gcOQZDPpBy7sdCVxi2OCbNIn98oHH3Bh9toJ4kFRXdnBA/s1600/IMG_1277.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81Mut3krCJEiDaM8z4EYrl6o9tcOpg93hJBqmVqtXvtGQSYNuFGFSYd9FwQZXLHgbfvtZVfj-p4Qu2N4aIQiYMUKZJRuGh2gcOQZDPpBy7sdCVxi2OCbNIn98oHH3Bh9toJ4kFRXdnBA/s320/IMG_1277.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What we use as our actual living room. Probably this will get made over next summer. Not pictured behind this room (about where the person taking the photo is standing) is another small room, used originally as an office. Kyle wanted it for an office at first, but we're going to make it a mud/laundry room instead.</span></b></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/AVvXsEjCmFtmEN5mBjr99gc3i3Cb6wqnHHBCusFVwf9TurdZDw6uMjAjFrupIZb4li3FkOL6WUh0_GaFzPQs_CvsTgyQzhpGe2IxfJxLmWyyyhIz6G7hGzJE7nDkEU0jidZAG5QIh9dzgX2moM8/s1600/DSCF3200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmFtmEN5mBjr99gc3i3Cb6wqnHHBCusFVwf9TurdZDw6uMjAjFrupIZb4li3FkOL6WUh0_GaFzPQs_CvsTgyQzhpGe2IxfJxLmWyyyhIz6G7hGzJE7nDkEU0jidZAG5QIh9dzgX2moM8/s320/DSCF3200.JPG" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey actually sitting in front of the fireplace during December.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTlcgzJevQ_3my2m2KVfQfXYyTHzr1bV0qBnFCLdvcMKNef-461vk14iUL-kEoX_LI8EfeoxgiBcIKAjH30XQtN38T9u6IUDHrC63uN0UImZFj7nEV6MnptZJXLHUEC7Hfo_hZVAp9Yk/s320/IMG_1275.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wanna know where our laundry is right now? In that closet with the white doors. Yep. Since this room used to be a garage, and the laundry was originally in garages when houses were built during this time, our laundry is in our living room. It actually hasn't been as weird as I thought...I'm actually a lot more on top of laundry because of it and can do laundry and watch TV at the same time! But...it is going to get moved eventually.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTlcgzJevQ_3my2m2KVfQfXYyTHzr1bV0qBnFCLdvcMKNef-461vk14iUL-kEoX_LI8EfeoxgiBcIKAjH30XQtN38T9u6IUDHrC63uN0UImZFj7nEV6MnptZJXLHUEC7Hfo_hZVAp9Yk/s1600/IMG_1275.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></b></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></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/AVvXsEhvcXmYpQ4LVwtWbGgSDObqJDtgF72YEwBLPcphmrGexs1191OYDyaQBtWxhzJ01b6RXkRzUL420nWaNiamRy1_pPlHeZo8cEKu0kVeFOdVQ9teYpcwTdVe4q62aiop0v64pVo-nmZhbWI/s1600/IMG_1280.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcXmYpQ4LVwtWbGgSDObqJDtgF72YEwBLPcphmrGexs1191OYDyaQBtWxhzJ01b6RXkRzUL420nWaNiamRy1_pPlHeZo8cEKu0kVeFOdVQ9teYpcwTdVe4q62aiop0v64pVo-nmZhbWI/s320/IMG_1280.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had this extra room at the front that we didn't know what to do with. We decided to make it a library. We have ripped down the bookshelves that were previously attached to the walls, painted the room a light brown, and taken up the carpets in favor of the original hardwoods. The piano the previous owner left for us will go in this room.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiallOfP4AY0xGBcbtyKxAdYDiPzQ-D1aJzrNBamRYLquXVrLn6UQ2Vl8LbaJz8TAvVnhzWZdWDcfQ3TgZYDjPEVdtSxcwJj5xVT29VutzTqQrzUt_tiK1KuMVpbG_zJFej4Jk3eLtSlWA/s1600/IMG_1279.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiallOfP4AY0xGBcbtyKxAdYDiPzQ-D1aJzrNBamRYLquXVrLn6UQ2Vl8LbaJz8TAvVnhzWZdWDcfQ3TgZYDjPEVdtSxcwJj5xVT29VutzTqQrzUt_tiK1KuMVpbG_zJFej4Jk3eLtSlWA/s320/IMG_1279.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>And Audrey’s favorite thing about the home? We told her we could eventually get a dog if we moved to a house with such a big yard. She adores dogs. </b></i></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>We both love that your home is in a safe neighborhood and everyone obviously cares for their homes. We originally wanted a dead-end street or cul-de-sac but never imagined that we could get something like it! I am a teacher, so a good school that is close by is important to me. Your home literally ticks off every item on our wishlist. If you select our offer, we would be excited to make it our forever home. We intend to be in our next house into old age, raise our children there, and spoil our grandchildren there. </b></i></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<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/AVvXsEjmYsmulhCCo_5JroeCXSOK0m0Fi8JMRq3XZvGvi4RmtXx1jRkN4iRyEC50UVhc2oyJLmg54OBCi3np220KcT2wCXtDjxEOk78-uiDgGIeypNVL5aDlAc0-KKHINlVKJ_CIE93sFLy7gnU/s1600/IMG_1282.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYsmulhCCo_5JroeCXSOK0m0Fi8JMRq3XZvGvi4RmtXx1jRkN4iRyEC50UVhc2oyJLmg54OBCi3np220KcT2wCXtDjxEOk78-uiDgGIeypNVL5aDlAc0-KKHINlVKJ_CIE93sFLy7gnU/s320/IMG_1282.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The thing I like least about the house is the kitchen. It's in the middle of the house (since additions were put on after the original construction) and gets zero natural light. But, I do like that it's sort of in the middle of everything. We will be adding more cabinets and re-configuring some appliances, I think, replacing cabinet doors and floors, lights, new appliances, etc...next year, when the budget will allow it.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEiZsItKtbHuLP1QZks3YTCmoP3AguaQGFiN_lOTIv4POixxs9RIRLouagb7s6zCrTMTytzCoZGRExytt2eU9GuOjdzUCnwm_RlhCXtWgoRYQxJQaPFAh3bhBlr45JGZYjyw6CSY1B3k1H8/s1600/IMG_1283.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsItKtbHuLP1QZks3YTCmoP3AguaQGFiN_lOTIv4POixxs9RIRLouagb7s6zCrTMTytzCoZGRExytt2eU9GuOjdzUCnwm_RlhCXtWgoRYQxJQaPFAh3bhBlr45JGZYjyw6CSY1B3k1H8/s320/IMG_1283.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As of right now the only things we've done in this room is rip out the appliance garage and take down the border. But paint is coming soon.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AacFjs04UWpPKpofcP588u1yxx7KPeT4LLDBCOtpLFKhCBu1gsRxRGs6At68hJQPCE6RimLbP24Hyt_cyhVSIzFb9btve5jq5LqCBoxZ2hXnx-VOLNQC7QL20D7HLpovxrtcq1wDd-s/s1600/IMG_1281.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AacFjs04UWpPKpofcP588u1yxx7KPeT4LLDBCOtpLFKhCBu1gsRxRGs6At68hJQPCE6RimLbP24Hyt_cyhVSIzFb9btve5jq5LqCBoxZ2hXnx-VOLNQC7QL20D7HLpovxrtcq1wDd-s/s320/IMG_1281.PNG" width="180" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Please understand that our offer might not be your best offer, but it is ours. The home is at the top of our budget, but we will gladly spend it to get all the things we want in a home. We close on our home at the end of this month and are moving out mid-October, so I know how important it is to be reassured that whoever purchases your home will take care of it and respect the memories made there already. Even if you do not choose us, I wanted to compliment you on the beautiful home you have created and wish you the best of luck on your new journey as well.</i></span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I signed the letter and ran upstairs to snatch if off the printer before I could lose courage. I hopped in my car (at this point, about 4:45 AM), went to the house on Linden, and snuck up to the front door and stuck it in the screen door. Then I tore out of there like I was being pursued. </b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kyle didn’t even know I had gotten up at all until I came back. When I explained what I had done, he thought I was crazy. It might actually have been one of the crazier things I’ve ever done…</b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I’m not sure if the letter helped us get the house. In fact, I’m not even sure if the previous owners saw it before they selected our offer. But I do know they saw it. They knew I was a teacher when I met them for the inspection, and that Audrey loved dogs, and what room was going to be hers. They even let us have one of their pianos for when we got Audrey lessons.</b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I about died of relief when our realtor Kathy called us that evening with the news. </b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Now that we’ve lived in the house for about six months, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Sure, it needs some work, but we love it. We truly do. When we pull in, Audrey loves to say, “Hey! It’s my house!” and that’s exactly how I feel every time we come home to it. When I look out on the backyard and see how much space we have, I still can’t believe it’s ours. </b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And every time we change something...even something small...I think to myself </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here’s to the beginning of a beautiful friendship</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-80137084469109731492016-06-13T00:09:00.001-04:002016-06-16T21:12:30.463-04:00Goodbye, Bethel.<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We loved our home on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Bethel Avenue</st1:address></st1:street> near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ball</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
My parents purchased the house in spring of 2009 as a foreclosure and we
all worked together to remodel it. Kyle and I bought the house in 2012.
It was always meant to be a starter home, not our forever home. It
was just too small and located too near campus for that. </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></o:p></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/AVvXsEgY3el-bGcjxhOVGW9hIvnItf1DzOPaI6coQS9kCnxMxryE0Yq3dT8euOIM4QYbc9fVOzzQbizkXNbZ8VAHAAN0lo6FyW1gN66_kboDkljkkI9DRIWO4p25jaRGOFs1auFhYPrgM_hfT_k/s1600/DSCF2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3el-bGcjxhOVGW9hIvnItf1DzOPaI6coQS9kCnxMxryE0Yq3dT8euOIM4QYbc9fVOzzQbizkXNbZ8VAHAAN0lo6FyW1gN66_kboDkljkkI9DRIWO4p25jaRGOFs1auFhYPrgM_hfT_k/s320/DSCF2829.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We'd always wanted to get the house painted, but we never got around to it.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M8WS2rqnZM8-vsIui_3x_fODJ-aaoLxMbJXOsrvt59d5fUWHsxVrGSrDCpPjnQcCEZxReEV9QOPPH-Rr2OlHy7Kj9pFzLOzfKHWxE7WSqhF-ws2qNTUZ9-_JN0UOwZBaXspHWxAOO7k/s1600/DSCF2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M8WS2rqnZM8-vsIui_3x_fODJ-aaoLxMbJXOsrvt59d5fUWHsxVrGSrDCpPjnQcCEZxReEV9QOPPH-Rr2OlHy7Kj9pFzLOzfKHWxE7WSqhF-ws2qNTUZ9-_JN0UOwZBaXspHWxAOO7k/s320/DSCF2832.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We brought every single one of those rocks from Portland. They're from my grandparents' rockpile that came out of their fields.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QuhcC3Pp0F-HkBgfNibb_8YwT-f-i4RCEzv3uC82dii5SolrjxNGsmoLs130MR3NgTRJTi4l8CN4O8swPeTHhNTQ5X0Kqn63UiJrSaktqsVKl9JaNCwVF7PiMltu-65U3CaDeYJXpJE/s1600/DSCF2833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QuhcC3Pp0F-HkBgfNibb_8YwT-f-i4RCEzv3uC82dii5SolrjxNGsmoLs130MR3NgTRJTi4l8CN4O8swPeTHhNTQ5X0Kqn63UiJrSaktqsVKl9JaNCwVF7PiMltu-65U3CaDeYJXpJE/s320/DSCF2833.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>One thing I DON'T miss...the cracked driveway! Weeds used to grow in there something TERRIBLE. And look how close to the neighbors! We didn't really notice it terribly, but now that we have a bigger yard, it seems strange!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6508Jl3eJJ71bJ89QDoH8NM8Rnls5tRky_H8lUg8rCLrS56OcHcUq3CD0OD-hb-00LBzCRm3O3WGArJ9sPWzPMwhQpD-JG25ZUDHlQWPYta9Sqx-ln1Kas7v6s1RMjU9Ox2gYNW6dd8M/s1600/DSCF2835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6508Jl3eJJ71bJ89QDoH8NM8Rnls5tRky_H8lUg8rCLrS56OcHcUq3CD0OD-hb-00LBzCRm3O3WGArJ9sPWzPMwhQpD-JG25ZUDHlQWPYta9Sqx-ln1Kas7v6s1RMjU9Ox2gYNW6dd8M/s320/DSCF2835.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This strip of grass was all the backyard we had. This whole driveway used to be yard, but that meant the only entrance was on a hill on a busy street, which was no bueno in the wintertime when ice accumulated! Now our driveway is completely paved (and smoothed), and I don't miss this gravel!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsGq6pa1rLW9VdCr8tyMTH5y-0Zx8sNR1G22H1iX6CusLLsV8DytaX-dF9Eg3Lu5kVnPaCsa4zDHlY-7xG8hbjgj2B2TDq3NTFPvUV-HodnKToFRE_oAJrdbWUwZ3IcTSRzk5q1wV-9A/s1600/DSCF2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsGq6pa1rLW9VdCr8tyMTH5y-0Zx8sNR1G22H1iX6CusLLsV8DytaX-dF9Eg3Lu5kVnPaCsa4zDHlY-7xG8hbjgj2B2TDq3NTFPvUV-HodnKToFRE_oAJrdbWUwZ3IcTSRzk5q1wV-9A/s320/DSCF2836.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We always hated this garage. It was never actually convenient to park in here because it took you so much more time to get out and open the old door. We put our garden on the side of the garage and tried to do some mulch around it, but the rain always washed it out. This garage got water in it often. Don't miss that.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We spent last summer doing a few odd and end projects. Mostly we painted the basement stairs, spruced up the grout in the downstairs bathroom, and did new flooring in the back entrance. We did these projects the last week of July.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></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/AVvXsEgDvhrJwsSLfMrdefezKJ82x7DdeMJfFTkF-ywKuFMF253zCUYsBfOWG1hBS9GhJL7IHDzd6-56nVjQ5vHEE9TPJd9HGWiU-qdBoA_bfcXeEkU6AjdJeBOElqCd5p7HQjT8rU8jKd9eiEg/s1600/DSCF2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvhrJwsSLfMrdefezKJ82x7DdeMJfFTkF-ywKuFMF253zCUYsBfOWG1hBS9GhJL7IHDzd6-56nVjQ5vHEE9TPJd9HGWiU-qdBoA_bfcXeEkU6AjdJeBOElqCd5p7HQjT8rU8jKd9eiEg/s320/DSCF2838.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I do miss my red doors! Wowzers! Look at that floor! And those painted stairs. It STILL seems weird to even just LOOK at that in a picture...not at ALL how I remember that entrance! This basement did get water a lot, which I don't miss. I also didn't like how the first thing you saw when you walked in WAS the basement. We used the side door most.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The first week of August, I had a very strange feeling in my chest and stomach. </span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle has always been pretty adamant about pacing our kids about three years apart. I told Kyle after Audrey was born that she was the only baby coming home to that house. With these two ideas rolling around in our heads, we planned to put our house up for sale in the spring of 2016 and hopefully move in the summer (so...now). We hoped we would have a baby sometime in the fall of 2016 or after (I’m due in October).</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>But that first Wednesday in August, I had a sudden feeling that we needed to put our house up for sale NOW. I’m not sure why I felt that way. I remember that I was sitting on the couch while Kyle was at work and Audrey was napping and I was looking at houses for sale in our area. This is sort of a silly pastime of mine. I still do it, actually! Anyway, I was looking and I wandered onto the realtor section of zillow, in which there are reviews of each realtor and how many houses they’ve bought/sold for clients recently, etc. I happened upon one realtor named Kathy Smith. I was reading her information and I just kept thinking over and over again, Now. NOW. It continued all day, even after Audrey got up and I put the computer away. So much so that when Kyle got home after 7 and I talked to him about it, I felt so sure about my prompting that I knew Kyle would certainly have to agree with me. It never even crossed my mind that he would say no.
</b></span></span></span></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/AVvXsEiBZhU3m9aVcYxxh67h5wXEiw_qY8HWCWUjS0yRg6OO5e__kSYCsdljmGgWJFqnf2Gf4eEKjCafo7-H72SBK03YZrHBkQmjA4ohEirKkK-K7s7YJt1KnsslOfoNunoLWeojxcz0YtV0wMU/s1600/DSCF2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZhU3m9aVcYxxh67h5wXEiw_qY8HWCWUjS0yRg6OO5e__kSYCsdljmGgWJFqnf2Gf4eEKjCafo7-H72SBK03YZrHBkQmjA4ohEirKkK-K7s7YJt1KnsslOfoNunoLWeojxcz0YtV0wMU/s320/DSCF2873.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The only thing I really miss about our old kitchen are the newer appliances (that's so easily fixable though...on the plans for next summer!) and the doneness of it. We were finally at a point in our living time in this home where most everything was DONE. Decorations were established...everything looked nice. Now, we're starting over from scratch. I guess if I give it about 10 years (extra time due to the new house being bigger), we'll be at that point again. Right? On another note...those uppers were not at ALL level. Good thing we showed it with all the greenery in place, or that would have been glaringly obvious...</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEcebOPdte3Rl7JbVzpOMT7iMNk9d5EDIp0bMygFYrc3DIVHY3zaJ3eHOILXmW56bFA0NKH0UdkwxOhAw_xBYCf0fMqpTtr3_jql4a8cfO6gtdgLbvEUcZqhTwbusFW3NkDPpAh_HpPg/s1600/DSCF2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEcebOPdte3Rl7JbVzpOMT7iMNk9d5EDIp0bMygFYrc3DIVHY3zaJ3eHOILXmW56bFA0NKH0UdkwxOhAw_xBYCf0fMqpTtr3_jql4a8cfO6gtdgLbvEUcZqhTwbusFW3NkDPpAh_HpPg/s320/DSCF2875.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEgXhEkuvtiZarOeu_ZjoDKcCcL1HQ79egc8iXDHaJktVd-jRVovvs01HCId7MYDL3GvRc5OzNXQPo5ZgttstuEaFiGg7QxfAXB_32Vgt9J5NKwSzlvjDluyakeLThyphenhyphenXeH-I9LF-aggzOB4/s1600/DSCF2877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhEkuvtiZarOeu_ZjoDKcCcL1HQ79egc8iXDHaJktVd-jRVovvs01HCId7MYDL3GvRc5OzNXQPo5ZgttstuEaFiGg7QxfAXB_32Vgt9J5NKwSzlvjDluyakeLThyphenhyphenXeH-I9LF-aggzOB4/s320/DSCF2877.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>While I miss the doneness of this kitchen, I do not miss the lack of counter space and the lack of dishwasher. We couldn't even put one in, really. It made for stacking of dishes and a feeling that the house was never really clean. This room took by far the most work of the whole downstairs.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He didn’t say no really. But he didn’t say yes. He was obviously blindsided by all of this. He was worried that if we put our house up for sale it would just sit until spring. Since we lived so close to campus, we assumed that the only people interested in purchasing our home would be those looking to rent it out. And you don’t typically find people to rent from you in September...people look to rent houses in spring and summer. Kyle had misgivings I think, but he didn’t really talk about them too much.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He thought about it for a day, and I did too. The feeling never went away. Finally, Friday morning he told me to call the realtor I found. I didn’t get to it until that afternoon and she was out of her office. She returned my call on Monday afternoon, came out to take measurements of rooms and pictures and brought forms for us to fill out on Wednesday, and the house was listed on Thursday before 8 AM...pretty much seven days after I first felt we should sell it.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></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/AVvXsEjOG2iPJet_deygScSQl-I0KDPrFoIcs7ML4TduRwv-k_CqZCTe36e2s2yc-zzbk_Tt8B-yAbHEChyOC3p1V7CSRNOrGFnUKZow0o3sgMfr19CjBVCT0CjCcFg_oBDcbfJIQ5AZswxJpps/s1600/DSCF2864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOG2iPJet_deygScSQl-I0KDPrFoIcs7ML4TduRwv-k_CqZCTe36e2s2yc-zzbk_Tt8B-yAbHEChyOC3p1V7CSRNOrGFnUKZow0o3sgMfr19CjBVCT0CjCcFg_oBDcbfJIQ5AZswxJpps/s320/DSCF2864.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ceiling fans and overhead lights in almost every room! We don't have those here. I do miss that. We don't have overhead lighting in some parts of the house because when it was built that was not a thing. See that corner china cabinet? I made a big fuss about taking it with us (it wasn't built in...we bought it specifically for this house) but I don't think I'll have anywhere to put it in the new house. I think I might have to eventually get rid of it :(</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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/AVvXsEigqfWUAZHwU-kIbNRy3lECQxtcAnvEa9BhGJ3yJxkpyQdmntTUyFP-LyI7oQ_XsP1Diq8EelO2GzDb2eCyY6HrNVO_oUatQylXnZDzYCO07xItq4_RNuEXqguH2bMDJGLzY3UX86XxJyM/s1600/DSCF2866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqfWUAZHwU-kIbNRy3lECQxtcAnvEa9BhGJ3yJxkpyQdmntTUyFP-LyI7oQ_XsP1Diq8EelO2GzDb2eCyY6HrNVO_oUatQylXnZDzYCO07xItq4_RNuEXqguH2bMDJGLzY3UX86XxJyM/s320/DSCF2866.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I think the dining room is one of the things I miss the most from our old house. We have an eat-in kitchen now...no dining room. I loved decorating it every season.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Surprisingly to us, people wanted to see it right away. We had twelve showings within the first ten business days. After ten business days, we had an offer. We negotiated and accepted a new offer two days later.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We had accepted an offer on our home...a home Kyle and I spent six years building together, the home we lived in after we were married, a house we had our first real fight in, the house we brought our baby home to, the house we adopted our cats in, the house we dreamed in. And four weeks before we hadn’t even had a thought of putting it up for sale.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></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/AVvXsEhKuNUUTVK6gupcPI-Xn3CT39McjJKqpjDPD_Amh2qW3uzMnHB7eNMiHo8vKLNgqWjuB_l2K7goioeI5ita1zHqP_mNjFtAycwItRdOOcc9602528aoP_tFtvgGgx_3gE726H86OSGagwI/s1600/DSCF2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuNUUTVK6gupcPI-Xn3CT39McjJKqpjDPD_Amh2qW3uzMnHB7eNMiHo8vKLNgqWjuB_l2K7goioeI5ita1zHqP_mNjFtAycwItRdOOcc9602528aoP_tFtvgGgx_3gE726H86OSGagwI/s320/DSCF2860.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This is where we spent most of our time. Most of the videos we took of Audrey in the first two years of her life were in this room.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSgTss_laTQN5OZOVO9Ra11Tw1hDPuypj3LI0OZEKNNDG9Q-pObQfVFUUEjWqVTRVo1EfIwf3WfCFudir0o44W8cE4swLpZvOEm7OgNCGcG9aeJ1PH226wQYlRqnykm32hIn45I7Hqog/s1600/DSCF2861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSgTss_laTQN5OZOVO9Ra11Tw1hDPuypj3LI0OZEKNNDG9Q-pObQfVFUUEjWqVTRVo1EfIwf3WfCFudir0o44W8cE4swLpZvOEm7OgNCGcG9aeJ1PH226wQYlRqnykm32hIn45I7Hqog/s320/DSCF2861.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This room got so much natural light...I loved that.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5Bowh3S_oP5eDm821TY5RdZ9r3LCJ927Z2xBTgi42K7_MMBTpb7h14ij_Bp4ORViGMsASNn1J5nxknTdNRFOW1_K6kjAb2dk9CICIsbQgfZqQs0gMazKHOLShetoRS0YH5RRostsPI0/s1600/DSCF2859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5Bowh3S_oP5eDm821TY5RdZ9r3LCJ927Z2xBTgi42K7_MMBTpb7h14ij_Bp4ORViGMsASNn1J5nxknTdNRFOW1_K6kjAb2dk9CICIsbQgfZqQs0gMazKHOLShetoRS0YH5RRostsPI0/s320/DSCF2859.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Those hardwood floors were to die for. We got really lucky with those</b></span><b style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</b><br />
<b style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></b></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/AVvXsEgINVyP9QkH8Xiztw6D_QNZ4YZAraRRo-3mkAPx9ghact71UjgqNQG1l9q-MhxT9MdicuYctrhhPjGWBmwV5Is28zJJ4FF1yZXPJLKfde5fGVL6Qv2FGMS59ga51-Zj9WK6Zy236KO8ZO0/s1600/DSCF2856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINVyP9QkH8Xiztw6D_QNZ4YZAraRRo-3mkAPx9ghact71UjgqNQG1l9q-MhxT9MdicuYctrhhPjGWBmwV5Is28zJJ4FF1yZXPJLKfde5fGVL6Qv2FGMS59ga51-Zj9WK6Zy236KO8ZO0/s320/DSCF2856.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Wow. I am still in awe that I once lived in a place that was so decorated. What does that say about our house now?!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMobLylOF2hTvJsaM6NgFFnL2ssAZqO0KIUK9cpiErehpM362YgqKbEPRK82IhdXdy7Zl9xbPvcHYiIEZiNdQd9f8buyY9Q-xKF3MWv8AuoYD2Wgck95iI6sDMgBxK9De6AXR3KZEA_Y/s1600/DSCF2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMobLylOF2hTvJsaM6NgFFnL2ssAZqO0KIUK9cpiErehpM362YgqKbEPRK82IhdXdy7Zl9xbPvcHYiIEZiNdQd9f8buyY9Q-xKF3MWv8AuoYD2Wgck95iI6sDMgBxK9De6AXR3KZEA_Y/s320/DSCF2857.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When that realization hit us, we balked a little. I had a prompting and we followed it. We hadn’t even begun to seriously look at houses for ourselves yet...we were too busy constantly keeping the house in pristine condition and worrying about our back-to-school schedule. But this was the first time in our
married lives that God didn’t have the next thing lined up for us and in our sight. We were scared we were making a big mistake.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></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/AVvXsEhpVhuT4g5DBKUhd_zg-rsW91BPHHm2VIAKq0Sx6AyCA4EthchhE1xq9_XRlR1ELSItsN4alHcnGoUh104dXRzDsSXjzg7Yykb39unzY9e4pb1Q0-7hGnDM28jsHZtqm5GH5h_6RrSylSU/s1600/DSCF2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVhuT4g5DBKUhd_zg-rsW91BPHHm2VIAKq0Sx6AyCA4EthchhE1xq9_XRlR1ELSItsN4alHcnGoUh104dXRzDsSXjzg7Yykb39unzY9e4pb1Q0-7hGnDM28jsHZtqm5GH5h_6RrSylSU/s320/DSCF2850.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This color was so funky, but it worked for this room. Kyle picked it. I think he picked it solely for its name--Guacamole.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVKdi7Zuckqnn_kk3bicpLe8iDHJ_gL0aub0pYtBHgxBI3YqSrv3mk2Kp3GgmNfn7r0xDhpT_Vy1-WOvjMdsDIz_Ce8JNcCMUkb0SUCN6D3PaF8lcTiWuPeILCo7vzlNDVgTC6HdsiGY/s1600/DSCF2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVKdi7Zuckqnn_kk3bicpLe8iDHJ_gL0aub0pYtBHgxBI3YqSrv3mk2Kp3GgmNfn7r0xDhpT_Vy1-WOvjMdsDIz_Ce8JNcCMUkb0SUCN6D3PaF8lcTiWuPeILCo7vzlNDVgTC6HdsiGY/s320/DSCF2851.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEg772Ur63Hyg5jvKlKPwsnP8C8Rzz07yF2mmRS7exitHTAAhR9FzuxcGsMvckeQSWiPpcUbypYi31aF4LkPQH-alOjpr2y7MQH1BYGS05_2klXXBHcLaqHpL96q1T1yYUkdIgW1xesYnac/s1600/DSCF2854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg772Ur63Hyg5jvKlKPwsnP8C8Rzz07yF2mmRS7exitHTAAhR9FzuxcGsMvckeQSWiPpcUbypYi31aF4LkPQH-alOjpr2y7MQH1BYGS05_2klXXBHcLaqHpL96q1T1yYUkdIgW1xesYnac/s320/DSCF2854.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This room was such tight quarters though...we couldn't even get a bassinet in here. I slept with Audrey out on the couch so Kyle could sleep and go to work during my maternity leave. Won't miss that!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivF6LYT1AeRYtq_mm24SUC7ZdRcZdCtvAGZrk-laIVGamzR4m4Gt-qt4Akfc6gWXi3deESk4WqvUrDIgI-I5Jcerz8RNSEAtg5Zy8k-i_E6k-zGUQ0oE8prlASWiIAbtssLtO9NKKyQY0/s1600/DSCF2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivF6LYT1AeRYtq_mm24SUC7ZdRcZdCtvAGZrk-laIVGamzR4m4Gt-qt4Akfc6gWXi3deESk4WqvUrDIgI-I5Jcerz8RNSEAtg5Zy8k-i_E6k-zGUQ0oE8prlASWiIAbtssLtO9NKKyQY0/s320/DSCF2853.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ugh this closet was TINY. Or maybe we both just have too many clothes. Don't miss this!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We began immediately looking for a new home for us. We found one we wanted right away. It was a foreclosure as well, and we were hoping to remodel the house and make it beautiful again. We put in offers on the house, but we were rejected and the house was sold to someone else. Our hearts were broken because we felt certain that home was for us and we felt more than ever that we should back out and stay on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bethel</st1:place></st1:city>. We trusted Heavenly Father would find something for us. We fasted and prayed and did everything we knew to be right, hoping we could have just a small idea of how we should proceed.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Eventually, we found our house on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Linden</st1:place></st1:city>. I will do a whole other post about that, though.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></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/AVvXsEhw-puPiA-7J1mqfs4n6d66MOJISTMkFJeq_4MtPfR4ywyvrOMre7o-ZBVthNuWreuA8h-6wNrJTzEl5oux5SSRF0CiAdphih83mCFAvgxkmC0yG25oPX1uPHMt88XBp38vtlsCjeQ64ak/s1600/DSCF2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-puPiA-7J1mqfs4n6d66MOJISTMkFJeq_4MtPfR4ywyvrOMre7o-ZBVthNuWreuA8h-6wNrJTzEl5oux5SSRF0CiAdphih83mCFAvgxkmC0yG25oPX1uPHMt88XBp38vtlsCjeQ64ak/s320/DSCF2841.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I loved Audrey's room dearly. It was so much smaller than her room now, but it was just perfect for a baby.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEuPuj8Z8MftFIeCclUs3p9QkcXnlKjZrjZntzcDY7gFbwHL_5bGB8fQb069_NBI6NzfbBoXO_xpfCtWDJhRXeK3d5lbcGmdVSU47iM21JxdCu0kIiuogQME41rmR6kAaRJKh-hHMm7w/s1600/DSCF2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEuPuj8Z8MftFIeCclUs3p9QkcXnlKjZrjZntzcDY7gFbwHL_5bGB8fQb069_NBI6NzfbBoXO_xpfCtWDJhRXeK3d5lbcGmdVSU47iM21JxdCu0kIiuogQME41rmR6kAaRJKh-hHMm7w/s320/DSCF2842.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEhL_k7n38ASy9kyPMxFbtHaBzLryK5MFJOBUoVZG74MBnxqpWtN1eghGHFLT6Sw5kTzQuDMHAFQvRezMZAwm6wx1NMcWrz_v323lwBQxuwFRQ2BLzyebfW8DkhyphenhyphenGqWx8nFOQwAAZvkLCzo/s1600/DSCF2845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_k7n38ASy9kyPMxFbtHaBzLryK5MFJOBUoVZG74MBnxqpWtN1eghGHFLT6Sw5kTzQuDMHAFQvRezMZAwm6wx1NMcWrz_v323lwBQxuwFRQ2BLzyebfW8DkhyphenhyphenGqWx8nFOQwAAZvkLCzo/s320/DSCF2845.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This bathroom looks cute, but don't let it deceive you. There's only the one downstairs. We all shared this. It's a pretty small bathroom to be the main one. Since there was no vanity, there wasn't a ton of storage space. It was pretty high traffic, so it was constantly dirty. We had to space out our getting ready so we wouldn't be running into each other. And...since it was so small, there was no way you could shower with the door close and then get out and expect to get ready without dying of heatstroke, so the door always had to stay open when showering. And if I was getting ready while Kyle was showering, forget it! Keebler was notorious for closing himself into the bathroom because the door swung open and shut so easily that we had to keep it closed unless we were going in and out of it. How backwards is that? Door closed when not being used, open when being used. Dumb.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We closed on our house on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bethel</st1:place></st1:city> on September 29, 2015. Surprisingly, the couple that bought the house planned to live in it themselves. She works at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ball</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>, so it was close to work for her. They have a young daughter, Abby, who Audrey became fast friends with during the inspection and closing. They were thrilled with the amount of space they were getting as they were moving from a very small apartment, so everyone was happy. We were so relieved that we did the best we could by our little house and didn’t sell it knowingly to someone who would trash it. These people intended to take care of our little house and make their own memories there. Per our agreement, we had an additional two weeks after closing to pack and move, so we were out by mid October. Audrey and I left on a Sunday afternoon and Kyle stayed until the last day (a Tuesday) to be close to work and close up the house. As Kyle put Audrey in the car, I walked around to every room in the house to say my goodbyes. I cried, particularly in our bedroom and in the kitchen. I’m crying as I write this! I had no idea a house could mean so much to a person. </span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></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/AVvXsEjzSOhyphenhyphenHSxEwJVUmy3AqqXgRlv8moqRdzCzgZMGohU9o4JacuY2jyWSx5f09-bDsyYvXhPyJYIS9UNvOwQKWokP0DeXrMnrmOpOzYpsXIlytnq6XalRivoe5F36pOF5Y7TprY5eCsZzEQo/s1600/DSCF2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSOhyphenhyphenHSxEwJVUmy3AqqXgRlv8moqRdzCzgZMGohU9o4JacuY2jyWSx5f09-bDsyYvXhPyJYIS9UNvOwQKWokP0DeXrMnrmOpOzYpsXIlytnq6XalRivoe5F36pOF5Y7TprY5eCsZzEQo/s320/DSCF2894.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The upstairs was open-concept and was remodeled the summer before Audrey was born. We used it as an office, a man cave, a playroom, and the cat's room (location of food, litter box, etc). As you can see, it was Kyle's superhero themed room, which was fun while it lasted! We hated those stairs, though...steep, no landing, and ended at the wall. Not safe for anyone but the cats! Kyle's one regret upon moving was that he didn't get to spend more time up here before we moved away. I think if we had remodeled this and finished it sooner than right before Audrey came, he would have.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R8LNQn6iZ8ybhV9JzGHfDS8oxiPEDYkOCFqJConp4Rzds-mcFHpt61eQfX5c0jeHx0eZXcjVoyzo8eNDWGmyTszs5HbqhmMqg5zbhbCMPd3_hgBoovI4XsrxEXJjJMz6kIiht55qfLU/s1600/DSCF2891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R8LNQn6iZ8ybhV9JzGHfDS8oxiPEDYkOCFqJConp4Rzds-mcFHpt61eQfX5c0jeHx0eZXcjVoyzo8eNDWGmyTszs5HbqhmMqg5zbhbCMPd3_hgBoovI4XsrxEXJjJMz6kIiht55qfLU/s320/DSCF2891.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Where Kyle watched all his superhero, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, etc. movies. Also any TV show he happened to be watching at the time. You can't see it, but on the other side of the recliner was our mini-fridge, which Kyle kept stocked with Mt. Dew so he literally didn't even need to get up from his chair to get (eyeroll). </b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWLB3d6srr_2D2oFiFGYzcYNgDNFWJm64dRzEQ_yVOZwsOiVupQF-MV7BhInmdSZms1F2UsLDRAVfXYPpRfJIhh-ugiUflsh1r-ZVWXqSWPpjh9W6c1wDAkEzUAeHhFgxnjo9uN5JhUk/s1600/DSCF2897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWLB3d6srr_2D2oFiFGYzcYNgDNFWJm64dRzEQ_yVOZwsOiVupQF-MV7BhInmdSZms1F2UsLDRAVfXYPpRfJIhh-ugiUflsh1r-ZVWXqSWPpjh9W6c1wDAkEzUAeHhFgxnjo9uN5JhUk/s320/DSCF2897.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Kyle used to dabble in art projects. This was supposed to be his art area for doing those fun things. Problem was, he never got around to it. We ditched that drafting desk before we moved. The art supplies are in baby #2's closet right now. I have a feeling a lot of them will be tossed before October...</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6pEfRJgbGrfDIyZN8cbE3A8i3bDjnWPvl7n1jtw1POpeYmwKw3YBYwbV05XBwWVVN90aynZaoXtRp5ikc-CvyVVik1JS40bN3IZaKa6kyhboyNXF_wPllkj9KZ18KMYpsKpZKXY8DHk/s1600/DSCF2898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6pEfRJgbGrfDIyZN8cbE3A8i3bDjnWPvl7n1jtw1POpeYmwKw3YBYwbV05XBwWVVN90aynZaoXtRp5ikc-CvyVVik1JS40bN3IZaKa6kyhboyNXF_wPllkj9KZ18KMYpsKpZKXY8DHk/s320/DSCF2898.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I did love our exposed chimney. And that desk area was pretty snazzy!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcF-Oz2WlpRkm8DM4JTy9gN9oCyf4tcx2rgYMPeWYCUJswponKMM9pSlk2CTW-Bwyc2sL9YmwdZ4kpKmPO3Z82twViwQDnJ_jUFm5lXe0crO-e3-dxnFta86UuGtwF0YSYRgExJKQEzk/s1600/DSCF2900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcF-Oz2WlpRkm8DM4JTy9gN9oCyf4tcx2rgYMPeWYCUJswponKMM9pSlk2CTW-Bwyc2sL9YmwdZ4kpKmPO3Z82twViwQDnJ_jUFm5lXe0crO-e3-dxnFta86UuGtwF0YSYRgExJKQEzk/s320/DSCF2900.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The unfortunate thing about this room was that because of the sloped ceilings there was a lot of wasted space. For example, all that space beyond the bookcase? We just kept crap there. It was a huge space, but not at all usable. Annoying.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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/AVvXsEjTproILF-9-OlxmvgZLtqAheaCORIuI2J2xQ6uGhYL6CfosFwor7xh71Kfuj26Ww_n3J_PLYYF3QuxtMpcjFdg3EndNLjKBMHQllkhgupxJPvwzrrVWSYztmTba52EMC3ySNAatcZrC3Y/s1600/DSCF2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTproILF-9-OlxmvgZLtqAheaCORIuI2J2xQ6uGhYL6CfosFwor7xh71Kfuj26Ww_n3J_PLYYF3QuxtMpcjFdg3EndNLjKBMHQllkhgupxJPvwzrrVWSYztmTba52EMC3ySNAatcZrC3Y/s320/DSCF2883.JPG" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Our upstairs bathroom floor was never this empty; we moved out the litter boxes to show how much space it had. But again...slanted walls. Not really the space you thought there was...</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElPjgy8Yh3bqY8HNEraFoXwDczooY1oxm2v9yJOP8unnIyQjTX1QZs7Gw8hHem_9oh7OHJMDEqT0r8RLIuF6JYH30kYslmmLsDAtHuZ-gmkB1yuXlaXf-yNHLkf4-IpIllRDPEnlSsIk/s1600/DSCF2890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElPjgy8Yh3bqY8HNEraFoXwDczooY1oxm2v9yJOP8unnIyQjTX1QZs7Gw8hHem_9oh7OHJMDEqT0r8RLIuF6JYH30kYslmmLsDAtHuZ-gmkB1yuXlaXf-yNHLkf4-IpIllRDPEnlSsIk/s320/DSCF2890.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEghyv5RXCmIqdie7pi8dNWJkg47LA6r4Rk3CDFCZjOTAqhQx1lUCJM_yAFqZLK8ZwQiqtehuIDM_UeEtQiSK7PaX40uCAvFpLR8IdpDzopgduv0TBvSPnx33NghQIRYj5-SIgv72XHt1Aw/s1600/DSCF2885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyv5RXCmIqdie7pi8dNWJkg47LA6r4Rk3CDFCZjOTAqhQx1lUCJM_yAFqZLK8ZwQiqtehuIDM_UeEtQiSK7PaX40uCAvFpLR8IdpDzopgduv0TBvSPnx33NghQIRYj5-SIgv72XHt1Aw/s320/DSCF2885.JPG" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>I think we only ever used this shower for like a week at the beginning of our last summer there while we were caulking the downstairs tub. We never used it besides then! It was just too out of the way to be a realistic functioning 2nd bathroom. We only ever used the toilet and sink if we happened to have to go while upstairs, but never in the summer time since the AC didn't reach back here. Although the upstairs looked done and was very nice, it never got used unfortunately.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Since we didn’t get possession of our home on <st1:city w:st="on">Linden</st1:city> until the end of October, we spent the two weeks in between at my parents’ house in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:city> (where I work) and Kyle commuted. We spend the weekends in Indy with Kyle’s family to give my parents a break from us so they could have the house to themselves again. </span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Moving was terrible; I don’t recommend it unless for a good reason. I hated packing. I hated living amongst boxes. I hated putting our stuff in storage. I hated not having everything on hand during the two weeks we were intransient. I hated not having everything right away once we moved in because we had to empty our units piecemeal after work. I hated not knowing where to put everything once we moved in. Even after we moved in until we were used to the new house (think the first two weeks of living there), I hated that we had moved. I missed our house with memories and although the new one had tons more space and was better suited to our needs, I felt very little connection with it.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">All it took was one Christmas there and that feeling was gone.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Some of my favorite pictures from the Bethel house:</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11986595_10153162996153634_7187929162805714992_n.jpg?oh=4ea522e83e1fd0f3b948d345cd8c470b&oe=580CB214" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11986595_10153162996153634_7187929162805714992_n.jpg?oh=4ea522e83e1fd0f3b948d345cd8c470b&oe=580CB214" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Oh, you know, just something that had to happen EVERY night because we had no dishwasher. Sad to say that Audrey became interested in doing this chore about two weeks before we moved...</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11216253_10153167536763634_3976435218812753597_n.jpg?oh=f12784020afd2f843b5868274b89f8b4&oe=57C2406A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11216253_10153167536763634_3976435218812753597_n.jpg?oh=f12784020afd2f843b5868274b89f8b4&oe=57C2406A" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Max knew how to get into this cabinet and would freak us out by batting at the inside of the door handle as people walked by.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11822599_10153098189403634_3881999304782890942_n.jpg?oh=97431598ff2741958e3b386ee7851bfa&oe=57CA0901" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11822599_10153098189403634_3881999304782890942_n.jpg?oh=97431598ff2741958e3b386ee7851bfa&oe=57CA0901" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Audrey and I are going to have to figure out a new place for first day of school pictures.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11401199_10152973430158634_6922380535798691616_n.jpg?oh=e3ee3aec229c1215f3545da0a6d8aed7&oe=57D3F401" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11401199_10152973430158634_6922380535798691616_n.jpg?oh=e3ee3aec229c1215f3545da0a6d8aed7&oe=57D3F401" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This was one of the first days of summer last year...sleeping in, beautiful weather, pancakes, pajamas, screened in porch...it was wonderful.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11126905_10152851600768634_8743571753000674947_n.jpg?oh=d21ef8572a35c1c15f9d1e399bbc655b&oe=58037F23" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11126905_10152851600768634_8743571753000674947_n.jpg?oh=d21ef8572a35c1c15f9d1e399bbc655b&oe=58037F23" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>One of the first nice days of spring in which we could open windows.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1970397_10152659356423634_6216963149220570641_n.jpg?oh=5c25a917ef341930de3229899e99a53a&oe=57FE198D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1970397_10152659356423634_6216963149220570641_n.jpg?oh=5c25a917ef341930de3229899e99a53a&oe=57FE198D" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>That one time Audrey became addicted to pork rinds.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1932452_10152472788603634_4750767599469524903_n.jpg?oh=52fb48c6a92e08b56c7b0b11e2f67bba&oe=57CE0BF0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1932452_10152472788603634_4750767599469524903_n.jpg?oh=52fb48c6a92e08b56c7b0b11e2f67bba&oe=57CE0BF0" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Missed the pillow!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10437433_10152249373198634_392230732655312160_n.jpg?oh=71dc61ce9346e591483ab041f05e1072&oe=57CA2555" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10437433_10152249373198634_392230732655312160_n.jpg?oh=71dc61ce9346e591483ab041f05e1072&oe=57CA2555" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Often the cats would pop in to make sure Audrey was getting along okay in her bath.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p206x206/1510725_10151913339598634_939334114_n.jpg?oh=4e4fd8e35f25de2bab64c5764c27eee7&oe=57C896B5" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p206x206/1510725_10151913339598634_939334114_n.jpg?oh=4e4fd8e35f25de2bab64c5764c27eee7&oe=57C896B5" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Audrey's first snow day with Mom and Dad.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1476577_10151885570008634_2005568619_n.jpg?oh=47f50a3ff730e94f803eff981a0d4342&oe=58019F7F" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1476577_10151885570008634_2005568619_n.jpg?oh=47f50a3ff730e94f803eff981a0d4342&oe=58019F7F" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>First day of Christmas break after Audrey was born...we were both hoping for some extra sleep the next morning. I don't know that it actually happened.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/999792_10151885536328634_1930614441_n.jpg?oh=f41bd11d2e11ede570e817fdcc0173db&oe=580258CC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/999792_10151885536328634_1930614441_n.jpg?oh=f41bd11d2e11ede570e817fdcc0173db&oe=580258CC" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>My sweethearts.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/379692_10151885493833634_1699772547_n.jpg?oh=af0c8433ae639d8605f265074a61f3c7&oe=57C7A779" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/379692_10151885493833634_1699772547_n.jpg?oh=af0c8433ae639d8605f265074a61f3c7&oe=57C7A779" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Batdad!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1536483_10151885466213634_354986211_n.jpg?oh=8387aeb7b1b60eb462acb8e3948c850b&oe=580ACD49" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="213" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1536483_10151885466213634_354986211_n.jpg?oh=8387aeb7b1b60eb462acb8e3948c850b&oe=580ACD49" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hanging out with the grandparents about a week after Audrey was born.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/398999_10151087538628634_1131312346_n.jpg?oh=a89b2aeee6067f84223c07cffecb88f0&oe=57D18F79" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/398999_10151087538628634_1131312346_n.jpg?oh=a89b2aeee6067f84223c07cffecb88f0&oe=57D18F79" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>That one time a raccoon knocked out our dryer hose, climbed into the basement, and we both screamed like little girls upon discovering him in the there when going to switch out laundry. The raccoon then proceeded to try to get out the same way he came, but in his anxiety he swelled and got stuck like this. We had to make like Rabbit in Winnie-the-Pooh and push him out! It took nearly half an hour to push him out of there. It was hilarious and terrifying. We had raccoon traps in our basement for about a month after that.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28970_400071113633_7011163_n.jpg?oh=a06e6deddcd64727ff293fd856c34856&oe=57CB282D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28970_400071113633_7011163_n.jpg?oh=a06e6deddcd64727ff293fd856c34856&oe=57CB282D" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>That one time (times about fifty thousand) that Tiger unrolled the toilet paper.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1917220_172371943633_3935055_n.jpg?oh=5635cf05dc185d939a166fc257d327ce&oe=580DB41D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1917220_172371943633_3935055_n.jpg?oh=5635cf05dc185d939a166fc257d327ce&oe=580DB41D" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Our first Halloween in the house. Wow! How undecorated it started out and we had about two sticks of furniture in the whole place!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11264982_3692260262812_8330861828227795537_n.jpg?oh=45861e60282c134bddaa8fbee8ba89c5&oe=5800984D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11264982_3692260262812_8330861828227795537_n.jpg?oh=45861e60282c134bddaa8fbee8ba89c5&oe=5800984D" width="240" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Our Bethel Avenue family</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Now I can drive by our old place and think suddenly, “Hey! I used to live there!” instead of thinking of it as MY house. Sometimes I even drive by it and forget to look at it. Once we had to stop by the old house to pick up a package (Kyle forgot to change our address in PayPal...oops) and when the new owners opened the side door, I was greeted by an unfamiliar floor and basement staircase. I had completely forgotten that we’d replaced the floor and painted the stairs. Audrey doesn’t recognize it anymore when we go past it. </span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I got over our <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bethel</st1:place></st1:city> house a lot more quickly than I thought I would and would like to admit. Seeing other people live there helps me to realize that it’s just not our house anymore, not like it used to be. Despite all of that, however, it will forever be in our hearts.</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12088516_10153213720623634_4302108174536670213_n.jpg?oh=1d71d0c3a9e18c608075eea203d62cdd&oe=57C6D8AD" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12088516_10153213720623634_4302108174536670213_n.jpg?oh=1d71d0c3a9e18c608075eea203d62cdd&oe=57C6D8AD" width="213" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The first and last picture we took of ourselves together in our house. They both were taken in the same place in our bedroom. I remember the top photo was taken the summer before we got married and we had stopped ripping down wallpaper in the bathroom (the first task to be completed) to have a microwave chimichanga dinner that we brought from campus. The bottom photo was taken the night before Audrey and I moved out for good, on the floor in the exact same place (which we could do because our bed was in storage). We were exhausted after a night of packing and loading things into the storage units. In both pictures, we were just happy to be together, no matter where we were or what was coming next.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-35012613712490857722016-06-12T22:26:00.001-04:002016-06-12T22:26:20.530-04:00Kyle Begins at Navient<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle interviewed for a position at Navient in a
section that just opened up in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Muncie</st1:place></st1:city>
about a month before we made the decision for him to find something else to do
for work. He was hired immediately and began work after a few weeks.
I was kind of nervous because neither of us have student loans and he
went in knowing very little about them. Kyle did about twelve total weeks
of training before he got on the phones in his own right. I think Kyle
and I both were surprised at how good at his job he is. Not because he’s
just a terrible worker or something like that...it just seems that his
personality fits so well with what he does in a way we never could have predicted.</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle answers phones at Navient and works with people who have questions about their payments. He
knows all about deferments, forebearances, the student loan laws in each state, the ins and outs of each type of loan, student loan forgiveness, income-based pay, I don’t even know what else. It makes my head spin to think of all the intricate details of student loans (and as of last fall, income taxes in
the state of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Indiana </st1:place></st1:state>when Navient picked up a Tax Amnesty Program that Kyle was a part of). He’s not the collector who calls and hassles people about their loans; he’s the guy people call when there’s a problem. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle has some social anxieties that made me worry about him taking this job. Kyle doesn’t like
to make phone calls personally, but it doesn’t bother him to take them. This social anxiety causes him to want to naturally resolve the problem as quickly as possible and get off the phone, which puts his stats through the roof on first call resolution and handle time per call. He has enough empathy
to console the borrower but not enough to draw out the problem, helping them to fix the issue the first time. Kyle also has a ridiculous talent for learning trivial information, so remembering all the individual procedures and protocols of his job was nothing for him. He scored 100% on every test he took in training since his initial twelve weeks and each training he’s done since. He’s been promoted already, given more responsibility, and gets regularly pulled off the phones and put into chat, which is basically a computer system in which other people who work at the call center can type problems they’re having into the system and Kyle answers them on how to handle the problems. He was selected as a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mentor</st1:place></st1:city>
in December for the incoming training group. He’s never missed a bonus. When there was a shift bid, Kyle was the second-highest ranking agent in the site for his department (the first highest was a transfer from Fishers, so he came in with experience already), so he easily got to choose whatever shift he wanted to work. This means he’s on an 8-5 schedule, whereas before he was on 10-7 with the group he came in with. His team leads and supervisors leave him alone because they trusts him and he knows what he’s doing. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle has worked so hard at Navient the first year he’s been there. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. When we were looking for jobs for him, we prayed so earnestly for him to find something that would benefit our family, and it seems that we’ve found it. The only thing that I wish is that Kyle had more time to write, which is the thing he loves. We are working on a way to make that happen for him.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been and are so blessed. At the forefront of all my blessings is Kyle, and Audrey and I love him so much. </span></b></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-55854332335535340642016-06-12T22:21:00.000-04:002016-06-12T22:21:55.772-04:00Kyle's Departure from Subbing<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is going to be a two-parter simply because
of length. </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle has actually been at his new job for over a year now. He started at Navient in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Muncie</st1:place></st1:city> in March of 2015 as a solutions navigator (I think that’s his technical title). Navient is Sallie Mae, by the way. Student loan place. It’s really funny; when people ask Kyle what he does and he tells them he works at Navient, hardly anyone knows what he is talking about, unless they’re young and have a katrillion dollars of student loan debt. And, sadly, a lot of them do. The rest of the people, we just have to say Sallie Mae, and they know.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Basically how Kyle arrived at his job is this...we needed money. We wanted to expand our family and buy a different house, and simply put, that took more money than what we were making. There were a lot of good things about his years of subbing and a lot of bad things. The list of bad things consisted mostly of two things. One was the pay was TERRIBLE. The other was there was nowhere to go from there; there was no job advancement, no promotions. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There were more good things, though. And I’m going to get a little sappy and dewy-eyed while I write this, because I don’t know that we appreciated what we had at the time. I think we worried too much about the bad things to truly see the good ones in their proper perspective. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">One good thing about Kyle’s subbing was we got to keep the same schedule and we got breaks together. I firmly believe that our relationship is as strong as it is because we got to spend so much time together, working at the same place, seeing each other all the time. We really did like it. Now it feels like we barely spend time together, although that really isn’t true (most of the time we’re parenting, though, so it really just feels like we are in the same room as each other, but we’re not hanging out together. Does that make sense?). But for the majority of his time subbing we also didn’t have any kids, so the time we spent outside of work together we were truly TOGETHER. I’m not sure what our marriage would be like now if we hadn’t had so much togetherness at the beginning. It would still probably be good, but not like it is now. We were very used to spending time together...we spent
four years of college together. It would have been so strange to just suddenly...not be together. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Another thing that was positive is he got to be there a lot during Audrey’s first milestones. He got to see her as much as I did, which isn’t like now. We really can’t help that she sees me more than she sees him now. Audrey stays home with me in the summer. She goes to the sitter with me and is in the car with me. She generally just SEES me more now that Kyle has a different job. But when he worked at school, she didn’t favor one parent over the other because she saw us the same amount. It was all equal. Which was a lifesaver for me, trying to plan for school and grade and doing the first-time parent thing.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Lastly, and this is probably the one that will have the most far-reaching consequences, Kyle got to really understand my job. Like it or not, not everyone knows what it’s like to teach. They just assume that since they’ve sat in a classroom before and watched someone do the job I do for 8 hours a day, 180 days a year,13 years of their lives that anyone can do it. Maybe I thought that once...I don’t know. But that just isn’t true. One of my college professors told our class my first year of college that teachers should marry teachers because no one else will understand your emotional baggage, the stress of it, the grading, why you can’t be fully at home even though you’re physically at home, etc. How you can’t just roll out of bed and go in to do a job...you have to literally create the job you need to do. There aren’t many professions like that. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle was never a licensed teacher, but he knows what it’s like, at least as much as someone who was never a licensed teacher could. He saw the kids. He knows what we have to work with everyday. He’s not disillusioned into thinking that just because you speak Spanish that you can wind up with a class of 30 who will be able to, too. Just because you have an English degree that you can help people learn to read (for goodness sake, I teach English and I don’t even know how to teach people to read. You learn to read in elementary school. I don’t teach elementary school. I know about as much as a plumber does about that). Kyle doesn’t think that just because you’re an engineer, you can walk into a room and make other people understand math. He knows that no matter what you do, some kids just refuse to learn. Or that some kids desperately want to learn but don’t have the mental
capacity to do so. Or that there are outside factors, like parents, lack of sleep, attention disorders, etc. that cause kids to not learn. That you can’t just assign 1,000 pages of reading a night because it’s just not going to get done. And I get that a lot of people intellectually know all of this, but they don’t KNOW it. They don’t realize it. They don’t feel the impact of it. They just intellectually know it and that’s
different than understanding it.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kyle did my maternity leave with Audrey and tried to memorize every kid’s name (he managed one class in 5 weeks, but that was about it; most teachers have all their high school classes down at the end of the first week of class). He tried to memorize what every kid’s IEP said. What kids were going on field trips and what work to get to them ahead of time. He made the copies and did the grading
(except the essays...he didn’t do those) and he did the novel reading with them (bless his heart...have you tried to teach a novel in front of a class of 30 that you’d never seen before? Even I haven’t done that). He didn’t do the planning itself, but he made sure to talk with me in depth about what needed to be done the week before and where the kids should end up. And if he had technology fail or a convocation that I couldn’t predict, he had to make decisions about what to do next with his end goal still in mind. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I remember going in once on my maternity leave and just seeing piles and piles and piles of papers
EVERYWHERE. On my desk, the floor around the desk, in front of the dry erase board, on top of my filing cabinet. I asked him if this was all stuff to hand back. “No,” he said defensively, “It’s stuff to grade. And don’t touch any of it; I know where everything is.”</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Most of all? At the end of the five weeks, he told me, “I could never do this.” He gained a lot of respect for what I do, which not many people have. I feel indebted to him for this. He never questions if I really am working hard or why I do what I do or make the decisions I make at work, because he knows he couldn’t do those things himself. Some teachers’ spouses don’t understand this, and I truly feel for them. For however many years I choose to work, I know Kyle will always be supportive, and not just for the money, because goodness knows there’s very little money in what I do. In fact, I could
make more money doing something else. He respects that this is what I want to do. There’s a big part of my life that I don’t have to explain; he’s been in the trenches and he just knows and appreciates.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">And you know what else? Because of his years of subbing, a job that earned him no respect and
virtually no money, I respect him more, too. I know that my job is not something he’d ever choose to do, so he’s not like just anyone else, either. He’s not one of those jerks who thinks anyone could just walk in and do someone else’s job. I thank my lucky stars for him and his experiences. I think it takes a person who knows himself well to be able to try his hand at something and say, “I just am not able to make this work.” Not because you’re CHOOSING not to, but because you don’t have what the job requires.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that’s how I feel about Kyle’s job, too.</span></b></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-75834076690467193132016-06-12T22:02:00.003-04:002016-06-12T22:02:58.985-04:00Back to the Blog<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So I originally wrote this blogpost about a month ago, and it's just been waiting to be posted. I won't change anything in the text, but obviously, summer is well underway...</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Whew! It’s been an awfully long time since
I’ve update this blog. Honestly, we’ve been very busy and I haven’t had
time for it. I sort of thought that I was done blogging about our family;
now that we’re growing, I think I will have even less time. However, I
decided to try to pick it back up again. Mostly this decision came from
the fact that (a) I’m terrible at keeping my own journal so I don’t record the
little moments ANYWHERE, (b) I will one day regret that, and (c) last time I
was pregnant and recorded very diligently in the blog about it. Those are
posts I go back and re-read most, and I certainly didn’t want to miss out on
that opportunity for Baby #2. So, here we are. No apologies for
missing the last several months; it was just life. </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guess I’ll try to do some small updates, but first, my summer plans:</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Grow a baby (obviously). Right now, thebump.com tells me </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">baby is growing his/her five senses. My body is literally making another </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">person’s nerve cells in the brain for taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> By next week, I can check making taste buds for baby off my to-do list. </span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13239331_10153668665728634_3784316593934270124_n.jpg?oh=344ef3ff28a363a108ec2d3b17f7024a&oe=57C22FCD" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13239331_10153668665728634_3784316593934270124_n.jpg?oh=344ef3ff28a363a108ec2d3b17f7024a&oe=57C22FCD" width="238" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20 weeks</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hang out with Audrey. It’s the last summer of her and me.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m really excited for this but also sad. It’s sort of a </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">bittersweet realization for me. I am going to soak her up this summer.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13254469_4265826201602_781138543340781259_n.jpg?oh=858bcf60833098a8c8c06a7a10073b72&oe=57CEDD7C" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13254469_4265826201602_781138543340781259_n.jpg?oh=858bcf60833098a8c8c06a7a10073b72&oe=57CEDD7C" width="240" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey and me at the Indianapolis, IN temple</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">3.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get some remodeling projects done. Did you know we bought a </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">house? So while we absolutely LOVE our new house for its location, yard, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">space, lack of wet basement, garage, etc. it is DATED inside. Very, very </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">dated. But I guess if we love it when its walls are ugly colors and the </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">carpets are old, we will adore it when we make it beautiful. So last </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">summer we had very few projects to do, and it was glorious. Now, we have tons, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">and my chest feels kind of heavy sometimes with all we want to do with it.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But, this is our forever house, so we have forever to get it all done…</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></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="http://pi.movoto.com/p/851/21374867_1_M3ufbv.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://pi.movoto.com/p/851/21374867_1_M3ufbv.jpeg" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our house in its listing picture</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">4.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go on some vacations. We plan to go to </span><st1:state style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;" w:st="on">Michigan </st1:state><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">with Kyle’s family for a week and to southern </span><st1:state style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Indiana</st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with my family for a few days.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m excited for both!</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Work in our yard. Our yard is HUGE compared to our old yard. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it certainly requires a lot more attention. </span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12974371_10153588979128634_56097646814352110_n.jpg?oh=9e7da4a67d7108d02c3b2e7158d700c7&oe=58069DC7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12974371_10153588979128634_56097646814352110_n.jpg?oh=9e7da4a67d7108d02c3b2e7158d700c7&oe=58069DC7" width="238" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey smelling our spring perennials</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">6.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">Potty train Audrey. Actually, this is more an Audrey to-do </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">item than for me. Audrey is essentially potty-trained. She just </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">refuses to go. So, maybe I will say or do something this summer to </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">trigger her to WANT to go. I guess the item on my to-do list should say </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">something like “figure out how to make Audrey WANT to go on the potty instead of </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">covering herself with a blanket and pooping in her pants and crying because </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">she’s NOT a baby anymore and she hates getting her butt changed”. </span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312904_10153676742333634_4194257636495290958_n.jpg?oh=e8a7c3389989afc28cf98d81328a8c46&oe=57C79F59" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13312904_10153676742333634_4194257636495290958_n.jpg?oh=e8a7c3389989afc28cf98d81328a8c46&oe=57C79F59" width="238" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey and her princess bribes--this ended up working pretty well!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></b></o:p><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kyle’s summer plans:</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">W</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">ork, work, work. Since my last post in February 2015, Kyle </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">has a different job. And he rocks at it! Bad news is...no more </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">summers off for him. Boo!</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grumbling under his breath when I insist that his time off from </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">work, work, work is taken up by my projects. See number 3 above.</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey’s summer plans:</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0px;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Swim. She only asked me about 30 times last night alone if </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;">we could get out her swimming pool. </span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0px;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -0.25in; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12985491_10153588979163634_4317447642534783485_n.jpg?oh=50eb752c31d037367a6d236d0fa12a52&oe=580E3B60" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12985491_10153588979163634_4317447642534783485_n.jpg?oh=50eb752c31d037367a6d236d0fa12a52&oe=580E3B60" width="238" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey swimming outside on a hot April Saturday.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> <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://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13015676_10153588979213634_7964860268493430114_n.jpg?oh=3610d4b4ab407ea75ca68c8f4e492ccf&oe=5806EDB3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13015676_10153588979213634_7964860268493430114_n.jpg?oh=3610d4b4ab407ea75ca68c8f4e492ccf&oe=5806EDB3" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl told me tonight she would love to be a mermaid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b></span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeah, I think we could do some real damage here!</span></b></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-9713718819016931122015-02-08T17:59:00.005-05:002015-02-08T17:59:57.601-05:00Siesta Key, Florida<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On our third and last full day in Florida, we went to Siesta Key. What a beautiful place! I could have stayed there all day long, and I think Audrey could have, too! This beach was so much more picturesque than Nokomis, although it was a lot further away. I'm glad we went, though!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEiM6iN8N8hu1hVZdFX7FAOh5B32P5bRGF6qxKvewp72OqbvFXrRCZSqGXbqQ92eArKPJ3eGTtyOkHwQhyUqKG6ZoOzaK8xjMoa28qft8AfmEmY3WJ1rBDVcCnFG-EWe1bpFNplWcXwmR6g/s1600/DSCF2507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6iN8N8hu1hVZdFX7FAOh5B32P5bRGF6qxKvewp72OqbvFXrRCZSqGXbqQ92eArKPJ3eGTtyOkHwQhyUqKG6ZoOzaK8xjMoa28qft8AfmEmY3WJ1rBDVcCnFG-EWe1bpFNplWcXwmR6g/s1600/DSCF2507.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first, Audrey was content to play in the sand while we unpacked.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZx5LkXMjiXJXDUcsZs265sKCIsSlM0rwjmOc2-kWw7vp7sxVwsiUSd4iCosri2UgskpnjuyST3ukf1mZ2We3GuJp3_K7IPSbbfM8gC8rjs5zl5NMcMM26MjC6_dYy8fbP-qftXhuIsk/s1600/DSCF2508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZx5LkXMjiXJXDUcsZs265sKCIsSlM0rwjmOc2-kWw7vp7sxVwsiUSd4iCosri2UgskpnjuyST3ukf1mZ2We3GuJp3_K7IPSbbfM8gC8rjs5zl5NMcMM26MjC6_dYy8fbP-qftXhuIsk/s1600/DSCF2508.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEibA1Lj_TaX1JdLvEcq2VKuRnZ9aCDwFZRE7iPZBggoAV945pNfw5pGg6DQGcebzxl3VlthqgyTdToQgb52Wft25fcrNm2o7Fbs2fWne0QWCjWQ3GX8l_QCAZUvKhM6b7AmBvMS8G2ARFI/s1600/DSCF2509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA1Lj_TaX1JdLvEcq2VKuRnZ9aCDwFZRE7iPZBggoAV945pNfw5pGg6DQGcebzxl3VlthqgyTdToQgb52Wft25fcrNm2o7Fbs2fWne0QWCjWQ3GX8l_QCAZUvKhM6b7AmBvMS8G2ARFI/s1600/DSCF2509.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dying to go to the water!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_DcsKDRENsC6E8sFlfwIDdGbhnAHlAJ9gQ-j2mB_JHD3RLXTnSuw3A_TwNDHPhBRtSpA4jj_wWyJnzadO8WP8fQSGt93yKwkrOsUtPd1zsyubrY4R9SN2LCIWkArBNHaCUc3VowMaIM/s1600/DSCF2510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_DcsKDRENsC6E8sFlfwIDdGbhnAHlAJ9gQ-j2mB_JHD3RLXTnSuw3A_TwNDHPhBRtSpA4jj_wWyJnzadO8WP8fQSGt93yKwkrOsUtPd1zsyubrY4R9SN2LCIWkArBNHaCUc3VowMaIM/s1600/DSCF2510.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEgwid_wVWc6XIkTWe68Bro9iNUqyKqv5SV9wzPCHttzuyclPTjGjKZJreL0Fsvzqmmr8QJNOuqkHWEgFhS6EppLgv_YVzV0UAGlFxC2Y04cupFrcseANa-N56qZxd4eBMpP6-QRzEHp6ts/s1600/DSCF2511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwid_wVWc6XIkTWe68Bro9iNUqyKqv5SV9wzPCHttzuyclPTjGjKZJreL0Fsvzqmmr8QJNOuqkHWEgFhS6EppLgv_YVzV0UAGlFxC2Y04cupFrcseANa-N56qZxd4eBMpP6-QRzEHp6ts/s1600/DSCF2511.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love this picture and those chubby thighs!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb9R_CgfoX7PKADhLk1xeEjHyUXmCGQS3Zks8Mvf9keAtSgwO30CJFCasq6-kgLfemhwZuJWUvaU_PjlzETCkuaapHpGLfJSJINaNXDggJj_O-w8tRVC32VF266xFs282XSxlkOCrnD0/s1600/DSCF2512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb9R_CgfoX7PKADhLk1xeEjHyUXmCGQS3Zks8Mvf9keAtSgwO30CJFCasq6-kgLfemhwZuJWUvaU_PjlzETCkuaapHpGLfJSJINaNXDggJj_O-w8tRVC32VF266xFs282XSxlkOCrnD0/s1600/DSCF2512.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEh4SNytJ3lPH1TYNQEtQ3kkl8l9B9iR3a4nB68_5mNLprThlZ-bzoODY_faH_OXN5Vq54PFSmZTGXIol3m_mwV5JhSOfUDqVTf2HeGPA72WpWg3_tfLvEL8F-A5cdmv0cpYQyX0WSkNY3Y/s1600/DSCF2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SNytJ3lPH1TYNQEtQ3kkl8l9B9iR3a4nB68_5mNLprThlZ-bzoODY_faH_OXN5Vq54PFSmZTGXIol3m_mwV5JhSOfUDqVTf2HeGPA72WpWg3_tfLvEL8F-A5cdmv0cpYQyX0WSkNY3Y/s1600/DSCF2513.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey ran headlong into the water, caught a big wave, and got bowled over. This happened three times right in a row before she learned her lesson and decided to be more cautious about running in. After the last time, she shook her finger at the water and said, "No, no, no!"</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU0mwzwv6a9YAS0F0EKP1UMiIqBk12oGJchk4931dK4h3iUqTNofMuTR_7TTx-cMX4dphT8s32V8sEwE1OATdzS-5DcFzwq82L0cFMX3NBSfl4tjl1DT0XE0ZsB2kqZhbgMPe1rwvWmE/s1600/DSCF2514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU0mwzwv6a9YAS0F0EKP1UMiIqBk12oGJchk4931dK4h3iUqTNofMuTR_7TTx-cMX4dphT8s32V8sEwE1OATdzS-5DcFzwq82L0cFMX3NBSfl4tjl1DT0XE0ZsB2kqZhbgMPe1rwvWmE/s1600/DSCF2514.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLx3BFSQhRin77AIlSp-Mj1LtEnVpDMGdLTTydRe-f8tloX81-gHvhc2gmq89c9EWXY3M8nebkRU0TJ51VrUoieIN5WiMrL-vFHJ411xXOEKfeyFNOssTFWo8qMVefrnJXLFr4Rlz-cM/s1600/DSCF2515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLx3BFSQhRin77AIlSp-Mj1LtEnVpDMGdLTTydRe-f8tloX81-gHvhc2gmq89c9EWXY3M8nebkRU0TJ51VrUoieIN5WiMrL-vFHJ411xXOEKfeyFNOssTFWo8qMVefrnJXLFr4Rlz-cM/s1600/DSCF2515.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxt3QIQGr0qYXwyr_cwRVzox_XepTIjSAZqetfJls0DRtVOBGswQGHglZfUfGhUKPgQ5wx-XQxFH6Or7qn0w1StU32MC3vyxYiUiEcUOqNpL45Bnrev6ZlHMU021G0_YnRB04i9JCqDA/s1600/DSCF2516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxt3QIQGr0qYXwyr_cwRVzox_XepTIjSAZqetfJls0DRtVOBGswQGHglZfUfGhUKPgQ5wx-XQxFH6Or7qn0w1StU32MC3vyxYiUiEcUOqNpL45Bnrev6ZlHMU021G0_YnRB04i9JCqDA/s1600/DSCF2516.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEg7lU8oSfhxYuqFikTwVak5Y-MJ0DFXyVGpr7GhNsyQozY08pfIZdXrwIn99GOg5IrGaqHZ7d2JMYJDBBF2fP_EG_IO9WKMx5w0SHS4evV5hVGdvv6AbBFc3XZBTcEeNR0xyGw7ZSf36qk/s1600/DSCF2517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lU8oSfhxYuqFikTwVak5Y-MJ0DFXyVGpr7GhNsyQozY08pfIZdXrwIn99GOg5IrGaqHZ7d2JMYJDBBF2fP_EG_IO9WKMx5w0SHS4evV5hVGdvv6AbBFc3XZBTcEeNR0xyGw7ZSf36qk/s1600/DSCF2517.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Got a little wet!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7T1kdpL7twjswCN-ww1JkeDwJxcnfgvIBSdjychIJHEGETXb9VLdiiRAu3UWwI2zMVwQGu9T7CAX63gLyNzdDfBUi92PqdlYqeRixm1Hfguxe0mEyg4clqvanyWU0m1m-TAMnlV7aXo/s1600/DSCF2518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7T1kdpL7twjswCN-ww1JkeDwJxcnfgvIBSdjychIJHEGETXb9VLdiiRAu3UWwI2zMVwQGu9T7CAX63gLyNzdDfBUi92PqdlYqeRixm1Hfguxe0mEyg4clqvanyWU0m1m-TAMnlV7aXo/s1600/DSCF2518.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEjFSGcRC-Miff16ZjYnA3tymrPKf7uel5KZZrGU-2MNQqjhvQJEuFn6fYxx7Cx0B-USyCTA9W_fZ4k4LIN-NdAhUjaOY-KeD0-wzKun7xYWi5cHTbGrhDof5hbMEAPIf6ko6SYvQLKxtZw/s1600/DSCF2519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSGcRC-Miff16ZjYnA3tymrPKf7uel5KZZrGU-2MNQqjhvQJEuFn6fYxx7Cx0B-USyCTA9W_fZ4k4LIN-NdAhUjaOY-KeD0-wzKun7xYWi5cHTbGrhDof5hbMEAPIf6ko6SYvQLKxtZw/s1600/DSCF2519.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another of Audrey's favorite beach activities was chasing seagulls.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLO942R9twEHdO_O4SGgjm-sr9gdnQzmrsJLvhnRodwabUZ1yyt-D2GWpPZNks5S_WhE3qKzn98qQkwd4clSepPn1grIxsbgR6BhDnpjMggEj_MD393l9Pkya0Qiq54Rp5gf2sKQew0g/s1600/DSCF2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLO942R9twEHdO_O4SGgjm-sr9gdnQzmrsJLvhnRodwabUZ1yyt-D2GWpPZNks5S_WhE3qKzn98qQkwd4clSepPn1grIxsbgR6BhDnpjMggEj_MD393l9Pkya0Qiq54Rp5gf2sKQew0g/s1600/DSCF2520.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEiH9grGRrwc6KrDa5-ddJfb12VXzeoVv_vABIFWWAi_FBFa8SdrhOYz3FmCPskJ0Y2yX_BGbJS2b7b2rFL7YgeJMdhAyRvAqU0iP_KIxp8wNx1XeKadFtgzVu4uXL8y822RZUG24GY2BXo/s1600/DSCF2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9grGRrwc6KrDa5-ddJfb12VXzeoVv_vABIFWWAi_FBFa8SdrhOYz3FmCPskJ0Y2yX_BGbJS2b7b2rFL7YgeJMdhAyRvAqU0iP_KIxp8wNx1XeKadFtgzVu4uXL8y822RZUG24GY2BXo/s1600/DSCF2521.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then she wanted to be like great-grandma and read in a beach chair. A breeze had picked up by this point, but it didn't phase Audrey.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliTRc_VvD8-L-pvEO1U2llYK_CNlCGoOmYWIdFoc2QoqD_yyck3oIdeDtAs49MPJk9Y1Zwjrx0dZ-9tfKk2iR8S3OhfX6LcxcrL3bIZG4X73R1o0F1RNLSAIF_Hv6xO8ofH3EiPlhvkk/s1600/DSCF2522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliTRc_VvD8-L-pvEO1U2llYK_CNlCGoOmYWIdFoc2QoqD_yyck3oIdeDtAs49MPJk9Y1Zwjrx0dZ-9tfKk2iR8S3OhfX6LcxcrL3bIZG4X73R1o0F1RNLSAIF_Hv6xO8ofH3EiPlhvkk/s1600/DSCF2522.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFaVWYydrvCmbCMpGjrMcnEfFEKwQVLdIJrxK1QSMbRsiyixYFI9D-sE5W7nBlX2ZVuG3UaYIhoDnJBFyWvZNU_3naKKCxUx-Qg99Bt4CPgJwPFw1cUWu697yoB2uJLAUcA0KBOgrj5s/s1600/DSCF2524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFaVWYydrvCmbCMpGjrMcnEfFEKwQVLdIJrxK1QSMbRsiyixYFI9D-sE5W7nBlX2ZVuG3UaYIhoDnJBFyWvZNU_3naKKCxUx-Qg99Bt4CPgJwPFw1cUWu697yoB2uJLAUcA0KBOgrj5s/s1600/DSCF2524.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdiLUbhQC3I2sHHVE8RmWc6V6WRQyfyKsdbrKHdI21QYQMzMcbl4VGCXwWARBrojH0sdiWmEbU_SyIT2MTeONLROFXsS2tw9PpK_uZ_-5LiLBKiaoLH3NJWxQsBU40mbyXpQcdoNsrfA/s1600/DSCF2526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdiLUbhQC3I2sHHVE8RmWc6V6WRQyfyKsdbrKHdI21QYQMzMcbl4VGCXwWARBrojH0sdiWmEbU_SyIT2MTeONLROFXsS2tw9PpK_uZ_-5LiLBKiaoLH3NJWxQsBU40mbyXpQcdoNsrfA/s1600/DSCF2526.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQviKXHt2oywGuKq_PnpMNgvDWo-eeSGJLItWWjLQDizK9ffEEpwilTUbbO7X6mT8s-EoknpdtBame6xhUstqUBmQ4KPxUYvZOQQaWHUQb11c-dyOp5Y-0MOrGfDieKh5VndYtgSf-hA/s1600/DSCF2527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQviKXHt2oywGuKq_PnpMNgvDWo-eeSGJLItWWjLQDizK9ffEEpwilTUbbO7X6mT8s-EoknpdtBame6xhUstqUBmQ4KPxUYvZOQQaWHUQb11c-dyOp5Y-0MOrGfDieKh5VndYtgSf-hA/s1600/DSCF2527.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way back, Audrey got a Siesta Key shirt. It's a little big, but I can't wait for her to wear it!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And those are the highlights of our Florida mini-vacation! Kyle and I each took a book; he finished his and I got 350 pages into mine. We didn't think about school or snow at all while we were gone, and I suppose that's the way it should be :)</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-49059455955179961982015-02-08T17:50:00.002-05:002015-02-08T17:50:46.431-05:00Punta Gorda, Florida<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day after we visited Nokomis Beach was really cool, windy, and a little rainy. This was good, because it was perfect weather for shopping and eating out! We went to Punta Gorda to meet up with Kyle's great aunt and uncle (his grandma's sister and her husband), who we haven't seen for...oh jeez...long time! They'd never met Audrey, so it has been awhile. They winter in Naples, I think, so it was a little further for them than us.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was also the morning that Audrey got her Clifford doggie in the mail. Audrey LOVES <i>Clifford the Big Red Dog</i>. She watches him on Netflix and has a Clifford stuffed animal at her baby-sitter's house. She'd taken to screaming if Vicki couldn't find Clifford for naptime or if she was playing with Clifford and we took her home, leaving him behind. We thought to order one just before we left for Florida and had it delivered to Dot and Gerry's house as a surprise. I don't know that she parted with him again the whole time we were there, except for when we made her give him up to go to the beach!</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL1gbhUVPzybsnEteITRBFt9F1PNQNvFD-S2Qvl3vKGW7pM7QPaLXnj981U6T528UxFYESLEgMHfoh3_xkzjH9urlDubREn7MUgMkvBjGxDTKmmpkH1Ji8lLxYnZKVClBq-Y1K7WDIp0/s1600/DSCF2499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL1gbhUVPzybsnEteITRBFt9F1PNQNvFD-S2Qvl3vKGW7pM7QPaLXnj981U6T528UxFYESLEgMHfoh3_xkzjH9urlDubREn7MUgMkvBjGxDTKmmpkH1Ji8lLxYnZKVClBq-Y1K7WDIp0/s1600/DSCF2499.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Doggie love!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0sh-cOZd1cgkaIHrlKPzT9xGhc8wHUucPf3JL_joHtQDtoLfhSI7vy8lQwT1wLQsukB5QGkAwWg8fJijbOBNu8qTsR7HPocLX8Gkt-XKlDrdIbYFIbnuKDWGaOLl6m3D0OzzrCfG8x8/s1600/DSCF2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0sh-cOZd1cgkaIHrlKPzT9xGhc8wHUucPf3JL_joHtQDtoLfhSI7vy8lQwT1wLQsukB5QGkAwWg8fJijbOBNu8qTsR7HPocLX8Gkt-XKlDrdIbYFIbnuKDWGaOLl6m3D0OzzrCfG8x8/s1600/DSCF2495.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ray, Kathy, Gerry, Dot, Gary, Audrey, and Kyle. I don't know what Kyle, Gary, and Audrey are doing here, but I think it's hilarious!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3wscGYzS30_8dXWsf2N-YJ0Sf0ol0o2zx_Cgc1d-3QS-Ufdn4_ishrtBlpbpFuqJ0Vm9ITZBw_36qqKPSUJCJGN_xKKAYUQMQwWT77sn0LBG5bxkBfPuaL1vnSoJuFsOFCCiMn6oebc/s1600/DSCF2497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3wscGYzS30_8dXWsf2N-YJ0Sf0ol0o2zx_Cgc1d-3QS-Ufdn4_ishrtBlpbpFuqJ0Vm9ITZBw_36qqKPSUJCJGN_xKKAYUQMQwWT77sn0LBG5bxkBfPuaL1vnSoJuFsOFCCiMn6oebc/s1600/DSCF2497.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some nice stranger told me I could get in!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way home, we visited Audrey's great-great-grandparents (Dot's parents). Audrey wanted to pick the flowers from the vase, but in the end, we convinced her to just smell them.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ta2OdXcjz_eQMrLDqguuqeSax5ujRbqGZ1gOCzhH5u9NIxnw9pV7Hu4ILUigkDq7-k1Otln-YNU1NjMBqx4mjRuxWeZAOY7ZmsYeNLYMmwyYFgC4nb1PXl-KCmgv32SPM8i6rbU_dFY/s1600/DSCF2500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ta2OdXcjz_eQMrLDqguuqeSax5ujRbqGZ1gOCzhH5u9NIxnw9pV7Hu4ILUigkDq7-k1Otln-YNU1NjMBqx4mjRuxWeZAOY7ZmsYeNLYMmwyYFgC4nb1PXl-KCmgv32SPM8i6rbU_dFY/s1600/DSCF2500.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG4EJVt-I_e3nC7h3g7IOUuPgoQzy0wzaDWFcgvw90wZNw9IyggKHLVLl0xrEw9VC3nEYdgX1Ra6i1MA3aVEgBqIb98fRJDl2y5oeCD2vtEbbmD30anSBTfK9D8rtTkavCKG0v7hF_1s/s1600/DSCF2505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG4EJVt-I_e3nC7h3g7IOUuPgoQzy0wzaDWFcgvw90wZNw9IyggKHLVLl0xrEw9VC3nEYdgX1Ra6i1MA3aVEgBqIb98fRJDl2y5oeCD2vtEbbmD30anSBTfK9D8rtTkavCKG0v7hF_1s/s1600/DSCF2505.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7acESZmBzMaaCoukCCm4lsrfQAMRxaKFybKAXuPIz3HHLyvf6nVqLEDv-Or8vzkFQeAJEezYDvlAMu6eMp50NCoGEEdtLFS0xjm49Ui_C1xE-CP5VQ63RC1WgDKiVxZSc-wyMXQkJwM/s1600/DSCF2503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7acESZmBzMaaCoukCCm4lsrfQAMRxaKFybKAXuPIz3HHLyvf6nVqLEDv-Or8vzkFQeAJEezYDvlAMu6eMp50NCoGEEdtLFS0xjm49Ui_C1xE-CP5VQ63RC1WgDKiVxZSc-wyMXQkJwM/s1600/DSCF2503.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEhsOXYMejhtgpL0Gqh9_LvCBw9WCYa19A_4ikAAAUeT1HMg9X4pUlGKAsD1PUhUw9YkVQppPM4_r5bLq_Ddky7X8fArQw7KT1GhYGBgrkBgIFHj1VveuFDhaVdAUOTkEOQ72BxYQIUGzLk/s1600/DSCF2504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOXYMejhtgpL0Gqh9_LvCBw9WCYa19A_4ikAAAUeT1HMg9X4pUlGKAsD1PUhUw9YkVQppPM4_r5bLq_Ddky7X8fArQw7KT1GhYGBgrkBgIFHj1VveuFDhaVdAUOTkEOQ72BxYQIUGzLk/s1600/DSCF2504.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually really love this picture. Families can be together forever!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC77IxdTcb7_KpGkQutTnQV26F10JNxRffaUMM0sV8ST6M-tzHCJQ64xYyhLz9tTBaI08OnQmBbetjFAfjKlDzvB8alZasJNukc1ZE0XxYYPfDovCanapXMkwXJExh9JU59oSIQ_dPNVk/s1600/DSCF2506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC77IxdTcb7_KpGkQutTnQV26F10JNxRffaUMM0sV8ST6M-tzHCJQ64xYyhLz9tTBaI08OnQmBbetjFAfjKlDzvB8alZasJNukc1ZE0XxYYPfDovCanapXMkwXJExh9JU59oSIQ_dPNVk/s1600/DSCF2506.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After visiting the cemetery, we got some citrus-flavored ice cream! Orange, pineapple, lime...it was delicious! They sure do ice cream right in Florida. </span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-31408395380606348502015-02-08T17:38:00.000-05:002015-02-08T17:38:06.096-05:00Nokomis Beach, Florida<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in November, my father-in-law Gary invited us to go with him to visit his parents who winter in Osprey, Florida (this is close to Sarasota). He decided to go at the beginning of February and given Indiana's track record with cold weather and snow in the winter, we decided to go for it! There were a lot of firsts on this trip, including Audrey's first plane ride and her first trip to the beach. She loved the warmer climate, especially since that meant she didn't have to wear socks! </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey's favorites in Florida:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) The beach </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Going on walks around the neighborhood and meeting doggies</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) Her great-grandma's desserts (there were ALWAYS desserts)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some pictures of Audrey while we visited Nokomis Beach and the Jetty.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEhUwBQ97E196_PboSRA1fjA4geow8aSF9uQ-RCPBBHjU63q0yXcHfsx9jtXLJOGCZu1Ak7oHSyKyVcizF41r-ex7n9Shh8fi_c-sgXxR7YOMyNs6hx_F6sndQWeXcX__dVWfovD10gyTqE/s1600/DSCF2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwBQ97E196_PboSRA1fjA4geow8aSF9uQ-RCPBBHjU63q0yXcHfsx9jtXLJOGCZu1Ak7oHSyKyVcizF41r-ex7n9Shh8fi_c-sgXxR7YOMyNs6hx_F6sndQWeXcX__dVWfovD10gyTqE/s1600/DSCF2446.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sundress! Here we are getting ready to go :)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP8_mELXLt4aphw8AuwelWnsO2kHxyaoWvauQPcFKXNuXIWNdeXVC1hPYLfgAWbAwXZ-NLYdMaQ21oi8RvKzSZolq7n5VbQBpyk6-Y3eiIndNeMb1Sq64hG0J3GBmKgwyjKJL79fnnWw/s1600/DSCF2448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP8_mELXLt4aphw8AuwelWnsO2kHxyaoWvauQPcFKXNuXIWNdeXVC1hPYLfgAWbAwXZ-NLYdMaQ21oi8RvKzSZolq7n5VbQBpyk6-Y3eiIndNeMb1Sq64hG0J3GBmKgwyjKJL79fnnWw/s1600/DSCF2448.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty excited to be out and about</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_NFv117OEvFHELPXwqOD5-5mSKjcXG-Aao7pF9uTcLfBOUkd1Ujg4QQtHXSdINhjYYwweZABw0BUEwmAdEyhwpAHpN3pxTQ6CGCASsiqQrUISpdWheeH3MLSDEa5FXiK0-8t495iW2o/s1600/DSCF2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_NFv117OEvFHELPXwqOD5-5mSKjcXG-Aao7pF9uTcLfBOUkd1Ujg4QQtHXSdINhjYYwweZABw0BUEwmAdEyhwpAHpN3pxTQ6CGCASsiqQrUISpdWheeH3MLSDEa5FXiK0-8t495iW2o/s1600/DSCF2450.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEjZ-oojjSPLPRsFBnK0NhYz0l7eGvsvV2RwajLHvpfeUvPazoijcBsqA9Gs7UIuCJ64JQpGJspcva5-qnA-VYUjiLr8EM2_ZZn2NOltvLBAx-0OGCvLHR7gXCnxShvUygm0ssRtFoZ2H9Q/s1600/DSCF2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-oojjSPLPRsFBnK0NhYz0l7eGvsvV2RwajLHvpfeUvPazoijcBsqA9Gs7UIuCJ64JQpGJspcva5-qnA-VYUjiLr8EM2_ZZn2NOltvLBAx-0OGCvLHR7gXCnxShvUygm0ssRtFoZ2H9Q/s1600/DSCF2453.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daddy got excited, too!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_1EcGfa7P8K3F_oXl7zz_V4n85B5ic0bhxEabVsT9EE88loG2hLaeCHgJihzpSQlsARgJ_KANdef5blxDsdNkRjs8AQE82H_QStKo1z4m8KkJ7Fn2e_zCvp-0HtBeuVNahmwFKpZXko/s1600/DSCF2454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_1EcGfa7P8K3F_oXl7zz_V4n85B5ic0bhxEabVsT9EE88loG2hLaeCHgJihzpSQlsARgJ_KANdef5blxDsdNkRjs8AQE82H_QStKo1z4m8KkJ7Fn2e_zCvp-0HtBeuVNahmwFKpZXko/s1600/DSCF2454.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey LOVED the water. She didn't care how cold it was! We were only planning on letting her get her feet wet, but by the end of our trip this dress and onesie were soaked and covered in sand. Thank goodness we put a swim diaper on her! Audrey would go be a mermaid if she could.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNGQiNjAb1iq0HrfIv6zdemL4G4JZICeQKlt3GRnlev5tu-Hc05yDSxd-hSg2si8F9S7cZIwCIqWjXJtI4whhxdbELoa8iJmloHo7ASsRD5j5KXbB5vIPreT9x5m05yJz34ndpx4m4-I/s1600/DSCF2456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNGQiNjAb1iq0HrfIv6zdemL4G4JZICeQKlt3GRnlev5tu-Hc05yDSxd-hSg2si8F9S7cZIwCIqWjXJtI4whhxdbELoa8iJmloHo7ASsRD5j5KXbB5vIPreT9x5m05yJz34ndpx4m4-I/s1600/DSCF2456.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwu8FnUKhzJhXkvxv4KaR9tyP5Fqej_KkVRxoZdv5sY7EctZ6C9XComh8SUbuKHFxuybmagzJN5J-wsopRgp_EASyXyQ_rRNG7NGXCPYMHzuO95DihdYyCG97Gj9Jlxv_N7F6AuZJffg/s1600/DSCF2457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwu8FnUKhzJhXkvxv4KaR9tyP5Fqej_KkVRxoZdv5sY7EctZ6C9XComh8SUbuKHFxuybmagzJN5J-wsopRgp_EASyXyQ_rRNG7NGXCPYMHzuO95DihdYyCG97Gj9Jlxv_N7F6AuZJffg/s1600/DSCF2457.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlyDnRoqsxEwUoVwLJ9jWQL1_PYQXo_lNcefWWnnJy1Z5d62qUSH1klDz7lLdpcuBNpXaIHWJ2iRTgFvxL5oQaWAwQOEIsQApNV55OYt7zYyar9B5qHO_ZKle_ELNjNJb_DXqvu8Lf9A/s1600/DSCF2458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlyDnRoqsxEwUoVwLJ9jWQL1_PYQXo_lNcefWWnnJy1Z5d62qUSH1klDz7lLdpcuBNpXaIHWJ2iRTgFvxL5oQaWAwQOEIsQApNV55OYt7zYyar9B5qHO_ZKle_ELNjNJb_DXqvu8Lf9A/s1600/DSCF2458.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTTNyB2A_ucT2-PKo-9vrqgIubkJfEedmJUzrJPwVmJGPgO_TXjbsHqHxwLhKFjC6SZbqDrR57phI41HcFR45NXQxJ7nAbLZsd7Qf83iKZWbzWf1bBkpynsur1CznC7SqFHq9nPHd-XI/s1600/DSCF2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTTNyB2A_ucT2-PKo-9vrqgIubkJfEedmJUzrJPwVmJGPgO_TXjbsHqHxwLhKFjC6SZbqDrR57phI41HcFR45NXQxJ7nAbLZsd7Qf83iKZWbzWf1bBkpynsur1CznC7SqFHq9nPHd-XI/s1600/DSCF2463.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEh1ARlurbU5KiOT3vh9NkVRA2B7yFstVSmoTK58dQb2eoLg6amLmqQ4gNNTY6AeFJ9pr40F-OYulVzZpWh9f6eV-biw0Gp2oKbKeZCOq4exQ5NkqvEmrYSMqYtfd-6lpSkfRip7s3ZlLAc/s1600/DSCF2464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ARlurbU5KiOT3vh9NkVRA2B7yFstVSmoTK58dQb2eoLg6amLmqQ4gNNTY6AeFJ9pr40F-OYulVzZpWh9f6eV-biw0Gp2oKbKeZCOq4exQ5NkqvEmrYSMqYtfd-6lpSkfRip7s3ZlLAc/s1600/DSCF2464.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a big wave would get Audrey and soak the bottom of her dress, she would yell, "Whoo!"</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPGzZedKpk3qByb-zOXi0mEbR6qTlzGqxn8J2qzcx4XrHZ-IxXhK8bbsqKqtIbVek0GO97EreZpwclfq-QTzwSHqJcL6w3_RA88yzciik-Ou5knhWK7NxHl9T8cfRJugjsUl8b4j7kTg/s1600/DSCF2466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPGzZedKpk3qByb-zOXi0mEbR6qTlzGqxn8J2qzcx4XrHZ-IxXhK8bbsqKqtIbVek0GO97EreZpwclfq-QTzwSHqJcL6w3_RA88yzciik-Ou5knhWK7NxHl9T8cfRJugjsUl8b4j7kTg/s1600/DSCF2466.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEjxsEt-2_FFuxNqdP9unKr_T2oVL_6QOEKmMXf0E9LGoZCGc8pD2DgQ1ft30IWvh4awe4kJ0qg43FmfiioC-cf5CFwTY4L4g4ojNyi3FIpItedHw3urksEKKIMyxfvYwWlEOEjzg1jHMAg/s1600/DSCF2467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsEt-2_FFuxNqdP9unKr_T2oVL_6QOEKmMXf0E9LGoZCGc8pD2DgQ1ft30IWvh4awe4kJ0qg43FmfiioC-cf5CFwTY4L4g4ojNyi3FIpItedHw3urksEKKIMyxfvYwWlEOEjzg1jHMAg/s1600/DSCF2467.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loved digging in the sand, too, and being covered in it! Look at those fat little sandy feet!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiDD_3DHyu08iTQFabAMoY5_bsMSCpxV8CXGmVKX-QIXw0UDqYGznGhk_gJ_Pu-FNYBPcGP-nlXHM5pP_b4olqKQioeip0ItL1GZWgjN7fN_Nnxcfp73SQ3NHMB9zWIIbxCv8IkSgV_g/s1600/DSCF2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiDD_3DHyu08iTQFabAMoY5_bsMSCpxV8CXGmVKX-QIXw0UDqYGznGhk_gJ_Pu-FNYBPcGP-nlXHM5pP_b4olqKQioeip0ItL1GZWgjN7fN_Nnxcfp73SQ3NHMB9zWIIbxCv8IkSgV_g/s1600/DSCF2470.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEgvJHzQcc7JLT-skeO8HIhTm7CaeffmBp-OSxurajRn2GoIUpSM-3kAmw2zHDIcfXgU2FDmdD4KjpqVJ9GVUbvFP7j-CO-d7hEU0kdogleUoXAENbeceR7GOsLOMu0R1hdsTQXaoHmZ7EY/s1600/DSCF2471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJHzQcc7JLT-skeO8HIhTm7CaeffmBp-OSxurajRn2GoIUpSM-3kAmw2zHDIcfXgU2FDmdD4KjpqVJ9GVUbvFP7j-CO-d7hEU0kdogleUoXAENbeceR7GOsLOMu0R1hdsTQXaoHmZ7EY/s1600/DSCF2471.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So concentrated :)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc8CteG0hktn1JEfjVYavjjrRYe8Qo4Jq6e_bCSqvnmJvzc3ni-pgyeaB28qhBpOeMsYGjZ_MmODLWhBYEWzm0ajbKBNoSKPAPfFnBH9hgCRLESZc2MVbnhSMDo74Qb7s1sk07fcIFZI/s1600/DSCF2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc8CteG0hktn1JEfjVYavjjrRYe8Qo4Jq6e_bCSqvnmJvzc3ni-pgyeaB28qhBpOeMsYGjZ_MmODLWhBYEWzm0ajbKBNoSKPAPfFnBH9hgCRLESZc2MVbnhSMDo74Qb7s1sk07fcIFZI/s1600/DSCF2472.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey liked to see how far away she could get before anyone came after her. It was about this far.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCnBcBFCk6mdpN4Sf0tQkiRLvr5IvRjTX53wur_Ips9VxzyA3BsXWYjZVxgapDexs_e-hkWsldy2MTpVnrTm14SQ3rihyphenhyphenq2JiA-ONVV5INodkLylIITrta0UcosnHRtoXW8ParDo_Vyo/s1600/DSCF2473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCnBcBFCk6mdpN4Sf0tQkiRLvr5IvRjTX53wur_Ips9VxzyA3BsXWYjZVxgapDexs_e-hkWsldy2MTpVnrTm14SQ3rihyphenhyphenq2JiA-ONVV5INodkLylIITrta0UcosnHRtoXW8ParDo_Vyo/s1600/DSCF2473.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEgzn6i0ok-eDPQmJp5b0i17tqo5zIfwavQc7Kp7gxBCyIY36fATdoGqLKkr6TCgeyhH1UvgWAUArwPhMNysUFfiAZqcOhqi898LY-xhwHFL9X0HxGJvRXcU7zUVrRDfckhZMvng-B04egc/s1600/DSCF2475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn6i0ok-eDPQmJp5b0i17tqo5zIfwavQc7Kp7gxBCyIY36fATdoGqLKkr6TCgeyhH1UvgWAUArwPhMNysUFfiAZqcOhqi898LY-xhwHFL9X0HxGJvRXcU7zUVrRDfckhZMvng-B04egc/s1600/DSCF2475.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey did like picking up some shells, too. She would put them in her bucket, then dump her bucket, then put them back in, etc.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUmMj63mZ6qrf-ePQcoXaGUqjOiVixMdsJF9nWvy-haufc88AYTBLgM8VeKER-5TEz2oh2ixm0D6-JVMvDkKmOzbOxnhPCCJB3N8hkIFOO6QK1vnstFoYX2COLCYAGNwGhFZ3aazAcH4/s1600/DSCF2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUmMj63mZ6qrf-ePQcoXaGUqjOiVixMdsJF9nWvy-haufc88AYTBLgM8VeKER-5TEz2oh2ixm0D6-JVMvDkKmOzbOxnhPCCJB3N8hkIFOO6QK1vnstFoYX2COLCYAGNwGhFZ3aazAcH4/s1600/DSCF2477.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we cleaned Audrey off and put her in some dry clothes, we went to a nearby park. Audrey loved the slide and swing.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiiX1qulsZiz7LTzDQVn1P87DJfiLkgjT_1Ei18vVYcYG4YQDSpkP6k-y720MhNUJz7YcC62ghZStZjZJxPybIEHO7GHWfJAdlI2M-HX4QB7pmWC1KYvCPNjHZOlYOesLElRzK0RgqVU/s1600/DSCF2478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiiX1qulsZiz7LTzDQVn1P87DJfiLkgjT_1Ei18vVYcYG4YQDSpkP6k-y720MhNUJz7YcC62ghZStZjZJxPybIEHO7GHWfJAdlI2M-HX4QB7pmWC1KYvCPNjHZOlYOesLElRzK0RgqVU/s1600/DSCF2478.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV2PfKsjtotPG0stdPZgmuBqa3yHUaFZ3XGsHNG5y0xfyWrIbT3HlRXkBZ-LPH2PaHCGDcTSCk0ZRIpD0-eINAJbx9hyphenhyphenvC0JoMShqyVykv7wDigRxXMLWaEDPt13LChtlrOL8lYw4n78/s1600/DSCF2479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV2PfKsjtotPG0stdPZgmuBqa3yHUaFZ3XGsHNG5y0xfyWrIbT3HlRXkBZ-LPH2PaHCGDcTSCk0ZRIpD0-eINAJbx9hyphenhyphenvC0JoMShqyVykv7wDigRxXMLWaEDPt13LChtlrOL8lYw4n78/s1600/DSCF2479.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWwVDbP9zLW23W-pH3cY4zLinxJPTqetdYeS1pISF5BVM-Du8Fg-nT6GHscN_4VyjL9-FWIlnFm8Hya3oaon99H3oWw3zDkNEtUpfeiwg5Ttni56UEti4JxcdOdmi0F_X01RAiXuVHaA/s1600/DSCF2480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWwVDbP9zLW23W-pH3cY4zLinxJPTqetdYeS1pISF5BVM-Du8Fg-nT6GHscN_4VyjL9-FWIlnFm8Hya3oaon99H3oWw3zDkNEtUpfeiwg5Ttni56UEti4JxcdOdmi0F_X01RAiXuVHaA/s1600/DSCF2480.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmr-9NjMRtM1H8prmz76_mquVST1ANVSJBY9sBByJVej2hcHd6II6TVjUFJAGycZTgx6KqTJMlYsG_wROc9su6VwI_JYQ8_vl758B7K-IAExz8I0ni6EQKaGeEbatbOstMYK3nzjk6R9c/s1600/DSCF2481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmr-9NjMRtM1H8prmz76_mquVST1ANVSJBY9sBByJVej2hcHd6II6TVjUFJAGycZTgx6KqTJMlYsG_wROc9su6VwI_JYQ8_vl758B7K-IAExz8I0ni6EQKaGeEbatbOstMYK3nzjk6R9c/s1600/DSCF2481.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEgshS3zuzya5iO3U1i9I6OkrVzAW7EnxWy4MIVg7c08FKo8mLg9LFAsYEShKgnDQjnsDHdiUr-WEm4GMXnT0AcVXk7Lu7tg-POutRqf3srSONEk383VuswJe1NMzhJh64GQsVaVM6pAVKg/s1600/DSCF2484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshS3zuzya5iO3U1i9I6OkrVzAW7EnxWy4MIVg7c08FKo8mLg9LFAsYEShKgnDQjnsDHdiUr-WEm4GMXnT0AcVXk7Lu7tg-POutRqf3srSONEk383VuswJe1NMzhJh64GQsVaVM6pAVKg/s1600/DSCF2484.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we finished at the park, we walked along the jetty, where Audrey got to see some cool birds up close. I'm pretty sure this one was contemplating how best to pick Audrey up and eat her.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7nWpMJbx2bc9J1mQ2tCPdo8ADI5TI1aXHGVae59Be4W3luHYHu_EfOaoE9NEw74kdZPfmydRyEuKFx1c2e0lUuPZywANLplkQf5gh2ngNDSfyqXUJuKLZG5AVkBDUKEBV9PYBPzaMU4/s1600/DSCF2485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7nWpMJbx2bc9J1mQ2tCPdo8ADI5TI1aXHGVae59Be4W3luHYHu_EfOaoE9NEw74kdZPfmydRyEuKFx1c2e0lUuPZywANLplkQf5gh2ngNDSfyqXUJuKLZG5AVkBDUKEBV9PYBPzaMU4/s1600/DSCF2485.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hSfFmJT3q3ETbX7CqhlujsKmZncjrUMcCPrSh6GDYuRP6eQYMbmiPVUyTbBJBDMc8B37ijqS5mOW93UYWzh27aAgRPQkQZLUHpHFExTLAUKIvx6VgN6AG1CIrEmx_uHQFTO_QiJX60c/s1600/DSCF2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hSfFmJT3q3ETbX7CqhlujsKmZncjrUMcCPrSh6GDYuRP6eQYMbmiPVUyTbBJBDMc8B37ijqS5mOW93UYWzh27aAgRPQkQZLUHpHFExTLAUKIvx6VgN6AG1CIrEmx_uHQFTO_QiJX60c/s1600/DSCF2486.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEgvQhyphenhyphenmtjKVK4vv6EeM16L9yOL_RXUXMN107yg6QE9GIHuBZpsYMXa8JAgEm4pdGNMQJ6ZdWqoEUd2s12hUzZ1i1sdvgXzVWMpJxbDrFY6AQ4JMllSEAMBHpOchXOEFeeORpWqZtBkkUF4/s1600/DSCF2492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQhyphenhyphenmtjKVK4vv6EeM16L9yOL_RXUXMN107yg6QE9GIHuBZpsYMXa8JAgEm4pdGNMQJ6ZdWqoEUd2s12hUzZ1i1sdvgXzVWMpJxbDrFY6AQ4JMllSEAMBHpOchXOEFeeORpWqZtBkkUF4/s1600/DSCF2492.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daddy and Grandpa with Audrey</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEjeLkZuR40BmbPKMzdyNvuk_mGpwqaeihZFJXPB-pMOmgoGw4MliU1WjvaJiWWVS3QAvjl7KIUiZ4yYN-7umr-ocazpdyr_33LSHsYcxvyju1CCRT1HnOYavN0DU7_lIOjqGUBbTbpBpLM/s1600/DSCF2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLkZuR40BmbPKMzdyNvuk_mGpwqaeihZFJXPB-pMOmgoGw4MliU1WjvaJiWWVS3QAvjl7KIUiZ4yYN-7umr-ocazpdyr_33LSHsYcxvyju1CCRT1HnOYavN0DU7_lIOjqGUBbTbpBpLM/s1600/DSCF2493.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sure enough, she conked out on the way home. What a tired baby!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJijGHCkc1aCVADkBtRgfaqQP9hNmleC2xJC2NTMxxAXsgN7UNZlR9pASvdgj3Q1is1E8ktgVi2cEdrfp7I1wnHmflD_17K9h8ZdsNpBo-OwiqpzHnCHd2rbP6Hya2fHDNsSdMD5oOtI/s1600/DSCF2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJijGHCkc1aCVADkBtRgfaqQP9hNmleC2xJC2NTMxxAXsgN7UNZlR9pASvdgj3Q1is1E8ktgVi2cEdrfp7I1wnHmflD_17K9h8ZdsNpBo-OwiqpzHnCHd2rbP6Hya2fHDNsSdMD5oOtI/s1600/DSCF2494.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Playing at the beach is hard work!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-35179896502432826172015-02-08T17:19:00.003-05:002015-02-08T17:19:52.197-05:00Extended Knittle Christmas 2014<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Not many pictures here, either! </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This was Christmas at my dad's side of the family. Audrey's favorite Christmas gift here? Diapers, ha! Well, that's about all she got. She did get a cute Batman shirt, though. In all honesty, this girl doesn't need any more toys! In the gift exchange I ended up with a folding table and Kyle got a Penney's gift card, which he used to buy new white shirts for church.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4aaechZ-jxfpWxl8LX0Qq4W0l0dQrQxcPgGWv65ZOYEauYhhDnxdcSgmx73AMQjFj_c1djXwNJzv0Bh31ZfwyxC2xKVkxvTaavudzR6abtlKl0TB4G7eeAFcdiJvZFL9Z_eLU6lsU7M/s1600/110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4aaechZ-jxfpWxl8LX0Qq4W0l0dQrQxcPgGWv65ZOYEauYhhDnxdcSgmx73AMQjFj_c1djXwNJzv0Bh31ZfwyxC2xKVkxvTaavudzR6abtlKl0TB4G7eeAFcdiJvZFL9Z_eLU6lsU7M/s1600/110.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz02BGx-QRqAZbCLzmWdY8-5sNoVc_iCqz5LiY_YqOEM6XpCmBPcWekEjWEwRyYcRHDhfsnob0eVizTokK9q2DbFzZv-9HcVDPTaRGIWUtlaYDM_MIov-XMDDfmfsRyly3BpazCegydh0/s1600/113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz02BGx-QRqAZbCLzmWdY8-5sNoVc_iCqz5LiY_YqOEM6XpCmBPcWekEjWEwRyYcRHDhfsnob0eVizTokK9q2DbFzZv-9HcVDPTaRGIWUtlaYDM_MIov-XMDDfmfsRyly3BpazCegydh0/s1600/113.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpR8Dg5cehG-K9E8XLkjFnr9qfQmZbtelTasfLRwfWQxPjBwB-moB0xZo1ofRxyW5dA2o1JqtLBVFBJexuZSUAAEWhnYp7EBXZ06zLaeQR9gGJOA8IPoQ_LhF8tebDfYWigmSfSYSC3hg/s1600/111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpR8Dg5cehG-K9E8XLkjFnr9qfQmZbtelTasfLRwfWQxPjBwB-moB0xZo1ofRxyW5dA2o1JqtLBVFBJexuZSUAAEWhnYp7EBXZ06zLaeQR9gGJOA8IPoQ_LhF8tebDfYWigmSfSYSC3hg/s1600/111.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEhAgDgNnDM7ZXxXQmtqNX6LpfDyAEupaa18ftRMviEEk_IDgJELcNIn4VsdtcxxC6eol7sMkGFbOYgkHnm7R_ylP7RyeadnK6O0F2zDROtlMtiUn5b12V0J5OzSehoOBvHRCLJioquje24/s1600/115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgDgNnDM7ZXxXQmtqNX6LpfDyAEupaa18ftRMviEEk_IDgJELcNIn4VsdtcxxC6eol7sMkGFbOYgkHnm7R_ylP7RyeadnK6O0F2zDROtlMtiUn5b12V0J5OzSehoOBvHRCLJioquje24/s1600/115.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>We made Grandpa and Grandma ornaments with Audrey's pictures in them.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39jlu1gAdl0kiZZHr47WmnyQ6MmbwCAZ5GzyXJFo3VtCLMBXMxOYClmY3-AbiGaCLc2-5R7ifrTP14lH9rodf0mTWDsmKFaqr_CGpByb2Aj4ixrcJ1FYO155cfXiStTQQRJY97DQmpeQ/s1600/117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39jlu1gAdl0kiZZHr47WmnyQ6MmbwCAZ5GzyXJFo3VtCLMBXMxOYClmY3-AbiGaCLc2-5R7ifrTP14lH9rodf0mTWDsmKFaqr_CGpByb2Aj4ixrcJ1FYO155cfXiStTQQRJY97DQmpeQ/s1600/117.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-13101789951430603282015-02-08T17:12:00.001-05:002015-02-08T17:12:24.992-05:00Christmas at Home 2014<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Wow...I literally took like one photo at our Christmas! It's of the presents under the tree! Too busy videotaping to really get too many pictures, I guess.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TpO0dxHtgoLhj5Yn7kh8QtxwOCgRVJvfdKR3UJzNMdPKKvCyJg0qPOK6kzSDG3yXXzPU_X3WYXbhluF32pbZ6ldGRj72I1w-LJ6sccgtdZLwFHCQWv3hO_Xx7T6oWbHhqvNo-7QrqLA/s1600/106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TpO0dxHtgoLhj5Yn7kh8QtxwOCgRVJvfdKR3UJzNMdPKKvCyJg0qPOK6kzSDG3yXXzPU_X3WYXbhluF32pbZ6ldGRj72I1w-LJ6sccgtdZLwFHCQWv3hO_Xx7T6oWbHhqvNo-7QrqLA/s1600/106.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>We are a little unique in that we don't do Santa at our house; all presents come from each other. We also decided last Christmas to get our kids four things for Christmas every year, so here's what Audrey got this time around:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Something you want</u>-- Duplo blocks (Kyle got these on Black Friday and almost got elbowed in the face by some other guy who wanted them for his kid!)</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Something you need</u>-- Pajamas</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Something unique</u>-- Hug-n-Hide Olaf (a tradition that we hope to start next year)</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Something to read</u>-- A superhero dictionary</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhvZXW2ms3vog8zkcSbhXrnkfJ-rD6alwhLGkyarG8VKPLmDfCFj8GN8LqyUAJYs_kHY8KNJYfpOscOqAuLRkwKAWqJBB6RFZ8JfRkHnZVf66X9jGr-CCgnbzP8kqw2afDkf4fIDvhZuwE/s1600/122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZXW2ms3vog8zkcSbhXrnkfJ-rD6alwhLGkyarG8VKPLmDfCFj8GN8LqyUAJYs_kHY8KNJYfpOscOqAuLRkwKAWqJBB6RFZ8JfRkHnZVf66X9jGr-CCgnbzP8kqw2afDkf4fIDvhZuwE/s1600/122.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This picture wasn't taken on Christmas, but soon after. As you can see, Audrey loves her blocks!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8ntamNQm3a51J1tZxO9V1C0aRzJTIsrF-UoJPzoKpYaf_Vs7x7lPFB34OxXLeClqDbxnO33PvRhERt7jzLE79o1thBJkDqthyphenhyphen_ryJqBNqnLG34gQ6fMav9LCq6SF-9d_ofiK-whYe0c/s1600/124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8ntamNQm3a51J1tZxO9V1C0aRzJTIsrF-UoJPzoKpYaf_Vs7x7lPFB34OxXLeClqDbxnO33PvRhERt7jzLE79o1thBJkDqthyphenhyphen_ryJqBNqnLG34gQ6fMav9LCq6SF-9d_ofiK-whYe0c/s1600/124.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Kyle and I decided on big gifts this year instead of smaller ones. I got Kyle teeth whitening for Christmas, our anniversary (December 30), and his birthday (February 12). He got me a coat and some new kitchen chairs for my birthday (December 2), Christmas, and our anniversary. It sure did make shopping just a little less complicated!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I never thought I'd be so excited about getting kitchen chairs! That's being an adult, I guess.</b></span>The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-265185521885742192015-02-08T17:02:00.003-05:002015-02-08T17:02:41.189-05:00Byard Christmas 2014<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>For Christmas Eve, we decided to make it a tradition to spend the day with Kyle's parents and go to Christmas Eve services with them. I don't have any pictures of the gifts Audrey opened at Gary and Michele's because Kyle took the pictures on his camera while I used the video camera to film Christmas. I'm pretty sure he hasn't taken the pictures off his camera yet, either. I will say that Audrey's favorite gift from her grandparents was her little slide. She loves it! My favorite was the first four seasons of <i>Downton Abbey</i>. Kyle got tons of movies, so it's hard to say what was his favorite!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve service, though. I love that decorated tree in the background! Wish Audrey was happier about being photographed though. She got a little grumpy toward the end.</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAUDBybrgJAZY_IPHjGXN-TfZcAKkJ7D9QfyhsewqBNYcxyA_ELJBgH-VZr9k7t1-IfFPfBYx9iilg3fQhZpyntEaNk7UQA3nKfgihHt1FR0wFZC9-XqIaoVSBVN3G4ePDLew6JfwVE8/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAUDBybrgJAZY_IPHjGXN-TfZcAKkJ7D9QfyhsewqBNYcxyA_ELJBgH-VZr9k7t1-IfFPfBYx9iilg3fQhZpyntEaNk7UQA3nKfgihHt1FR0wFZC9-XqIaoVSBVN3G4ePDLew6JfwVE8/s1600/101.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4ix2iO70dTwhCf7asNCbUtecAJ2_wKEa8vdhKyNdHNV5sy028164CpdCdTsX727RR8r70rsd1fjvq9ty2yuUJaOIDIGWWN3QcxrWpMkDrojsZ0wnFBjrhDEuLtVBJFZ3WTQW4i1xSr4/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4ix2iO70dTwhCf7asNCbUtecAJ2_wKEa8vdhKyNdHNV5sy028164CpdCdTsX727RR8r70rsd1fjvq9ty2yuUJaOIDIGWWN3QcxrWpMkDrojsZ0wnFBjrhDEuLtVBJFZ3WTQW4i1xSr4/s1600/102.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDRK3p9cn9-NCZVsAdXApgZvmFdm680y3OPUaL3XecNp0TVjxTPIzH-y_9JvyUpityMWqGCMzZB1-MkirmRoTRhyiRnOcf_qVsBBZzuTMyw8Qe-bulTCLwZsysDNYUSNwT2Gu_yXgxM8/s1600/103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDRK3p9cn9-NCZVsAdXApgZvmFdm680y3OPUaL3XecNp0TVjxTPIzH-y_9JvyUpityMWqGCMzZB1-MkirmRoTRhyiRnOcf_qVsBBZzuTMyw8Qe-bulTCLwZsysDNYUSNwT2Gu_yXgxM8/s1600/103.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-83260485647323067122015-02-08T16:56:00.001-05:002015-02-08T17:03:28.336-05:00Knittle Christmas 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The next Christmas was at my mom and dad's house on December 19th. I feel like we actually got more pictures of Calvin opening his gifts than Audrey because he sat still a lot better! It took so much longer than usual opening up gifts because both kiddos had to be changed, fed milk, etc. while we were opening. All in all, the opening process took about 2 hours!</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey's favorite gift was probably her popper. My favorite gift was the growth chart I got. Kyle's favorite? My mom did great this year and got him tickets to Comic Con in March!</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwb6Xz4htjTJtHl5ofemsocyKpL_Yd8VVKTkzW1lIBihh6Aq9z7L5e04BRXL-EHSx-DSHHn7nCiQmVb_-l9-M51RfUwoiNa1BZSs90nKfR_tlPn-W9hAgvtJNLAkhmcZB_emX58j6ST0/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwb6Xz4htjTJtHl5ofemsocyKpL_Yd8VVKTkzW1lIBihh6Aq9z7L5e04BRXL-EHSx-DSHHn7nCiQmVb_-l9-M51RfUwoiNa1BZSs90nKfR_tlPn-W9hAgvtJNLAkhmcZB_emX58j6ST0/s1600/013.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjAeSupwbmx2Ge8CjUUTLTt-DUJ9nDHAdsy2IHR_mg1HO8EB1Qa1xpgsXfz9qms1KWdc3fJzdx7ZC4bjI3w90Hq9WETZVJMI0Qo0Na7Lq_OTWk8W8TgGkJVQ4p-fLg5R2jZkUkWeXGdfxw/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeSupwbmx2Ge8CjUUTLTt-DUJ9nDHAdsy2IHR_mg1HO8EB1Qa1xpgsXfz9qms1KWdc3fJzdx7ZC4bjI3w90Hq9WETZVJMI0Qo0Na7Lq_OTWk8W8TgGkJVQ4p-fLg5R2jZkUkWeXGdfxw/s1600/014.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>That's a lot of presents for such a little boy!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVHEEMw4QRo-RtmxK7SOJv-J_ghOIxfUaXJtmBmaePE6jtmDJL2ZGBQty0_c0aLlBPWyePGc0rorYTsh-gp-pKBui4VUQO_ngI24leUwkZjNMmtFHdHsGWBUsmXV-zuxoOUidY8tQSHg/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVHEEMw4QRo-RtmxK7SOJv-J_ghOIxfUaXJtmBmaePE6jtmDJL2ZGBQty0_c0aLlBPWyePGc0rorYTsh-gp-pKBui4VUQO_ngI24leUwkZjNMmtFHdHsGWBUsmXV-zuxoOUidY8tQSHg/s1600/015.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qKXoq9hcRLCShWLiDBvL8qJzTBKbTDsYT0yRHa5q9jiDXGch4S4uIADOBI2B5492CDHvwsz506WUK3NV-Hng1GNHP-ydyHjzmIX7SX9kAog0kUXilOKNhFqCu_Y-7jWiPBD-hHEncWQ/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qKXoq9hcRLCShWLiDBvL8qJzTBKbTDsYT0yRHa5q9jiDXGch4S4uIADOBI2B5492CDHvwsz506WUK3NV-Hng1GNHP-ydyHjzmIX7SX9kAog0kUXilOKNhFqCu_Y-7jWiPBD-hHEncWQ/s1600/022.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZOJfd1arTeH3XOdRYmAqtNYCJJ-SwIfHVddrNlJGx1AvBD6IWc2vA3uqSJ2_gmTKO8JRJ5Ra5flno9q0XZo7rUPZYh_ySq9CpC7zRzOGcvKtjopGxx4syejOfyCWVw17JcgoM0tKgOI/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZOJfd1arTeH3XOdRYmAqtNYCJJ-SwIfHVddrNlJGx1AvBD6IWc2vA3uqSJ2_gmTKO8JRJ5Ra5flno9q0XZo7rUPZYh_ySq9CpC7zRzOGcvKtjopGxx4syejOfyCWVw17JcgoM0tKgOI/s1600/023.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdV_J2yrnBtuhQ-W3SIQkjMDjccGlBXXLs341ONuJro5nMxrSTjy88nDZPvsqg0hWple2SKJxQGYr89q0Py_wTeF1numOUPJ7qSbwu99VoFM6yqhgxqywnAL4rTvji04PgrB6OVz3Fag/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdV_J2yrnBtuhQ-W3SIQkjMDjccGlBXXLs341ONuJro5nMxrSTjy88nDZPvsqg0hWple2SKJxQGYr89q0Py_wTeF1numOUPJ7qSbwu99VoFM6yqhgxqywnAL4rTvji04PgrB6OVz3Fag/s1600/036.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEgdOzpYFfVARLGG-qt1bk5bRH_gT0gsKN4Qp3RHr_LpG6kH9IcbecNVXZPmodK_AQA21q4ZwYHX8RXiWvNIJwYL6EgG9WAH_iQfdwucMguyi_01JksvxaTsYbMRVNIipMPZ2TxO2mnHKIE/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOzpYFfVARLGG-qt1bk5bRH_gT0gsKN4Qp3RHr_LpG6kH9IcbecNVXZPmodK_AQA21q4ZwYHX8RXiWvNIJwYL6EgG9WAH_iQfdwucMguyi_01JksvxaTsYbMRVNIipMPZ2TxO2mnHKIE/s1600/034.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>He literally LIT UP when he saw the pillow baby Mom made him!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKjTCJCrANj3q7mnvUtI7hFM56f2jDOVpzrXHVtSkjBexRyIFUF1JxK2H2vY8W_DzqbHPQMoP8gTLlPm5iB6KBi4SyvBwxYYwVuxXsxtJyvA2MFUzr_-ze91Egeb7rMe9IZ-urjUVQYU/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKjTCJCrANj3q7mnvUtI7hFM56f2jDOVpzrXHVtSkjBexRyIFUF1JxK2H2vY8W_DzqbHPQMoP8gTLlPm5iB6KBi4SyvBwxYYwVuxXsxtJyvA2MFUzr_-ze91Egeb7rMe9IZ-urjUVQYU/s1600/019.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXhicVepYmmUtZPvB-iW1AHagsamMbjlCjdmCRoRZdLs___QmIyd17qh8vnOl5wpL7eX0ubRYniwMHCatii9xXLvQip6S2nFg6Zskxrmj1KGp60LRtNXgFRfd7h-m-alrkkf6EJ2oP6s/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXhicVepYmmUtZPvB-iW1AHagsamMbjlCjdmCRoRZdLs___QmIyd17qh8vnOl5wpL7eX0ubRYniwMHCatii9xXLvQip6S2nFg6Zskxrmj1KGp60LRtNXgFRfd7h-m-alrkkf6EJ2oP6s/s1600/024.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ptJEvP2qe7jhgyHvUrouFrPJguwmbcUCq8fkOTgVb4MAMYXNPJL2J-rdGgLgnvvy5PduEZPCpscFzJkTF1VO-59gCAO59zV_PcOKI1exuIAgdf_rprQ1RuDIsWsB-KhYlb_KS-w0SgA/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ptJEvP2qe7jhgyHvUrouFrPJguwmbcUCq8fkOTgVb4MAMYXNPJL2J-rdGgLgnvvy5PduEZPCpscFzJkTF1VO-59gCAO59zV_PcOKI1exuIAgdf_rprQ1RuDIsWsB-KhYlb_KS-w0SgA/s1600/025.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjSpogKesbCnYm-drFTUczj8lFMuy3mkDs_Scbrm6dbZQd-Y-DQMjbgdJ3eP8SqPDfHkPkQnhrFgvz_2IVL3PshgudA18jWNKam8V6FpuQijNcEDK5m4XZUrNF-XDoqsyLkSRV94159U/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjSpogKesbCnYm-drFTUczj8lFMuy3mkDs_Scbrm6dbZQd-Y-DQMjbgdJ3eP8SqPDfHkPkQnhrFgvz_2IVL3PshgudA18jWNKam8V6FpuQijNcEDK5m4XZUrNF-XDoqsyLkSRV94159U/s1600/026.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM8x4Rrov26dy0t9Dtsys7pjJiiA40agk5R9PM1CQy8Nakmv3mFVfVh6IcxzY4p7FeOTuQz1NhdvXdPUcUmYsJszMi_Y_73Efuu1faoJZdPO1AvRnSitKYiyDOzJOXBqnTxNl9cJYA24/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM8x4Rrov26dy0t9Dtsys7pjJiiA40agk5R9PM1CQy8Nakmv3mFVfVh6IcxzY4p7FeOTuQz1NhdvXdPUcUmYsJszMi_Y_73Efuu1faoJZdPO1AvRnSitKYiyDOzJOXBqnTxNl9cJYA24/s1600/027.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEi4FeiDGFK-qlEo2OII3swuGZnjZlcEmEKh_RJRWYsEA8wECKuNvkLld9PG7TgNr0EsxvpHUaJwUrdtxlIZRFwx6Dy-Etj3tDDBleNGAZbCnq-0Bm9e5GmKeVFOOsJssQHDyFcR6vQxRkg/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FeiDGFK-qlEo2OII3swuGZnjZlcEmEKh_RJRWYsEA8wECKuNvkLld9PG7TgNr0EsxvpHUaJwUrdtxlIZRFwx6Dy-Etj3tDDBleNGAZbCnq-0Bm9e5GmKeVFOOsJssQHDyFcR6vQxRkg/s1600/041.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>She loved this popper. She sometimes uses it to help me "vacuum" at home.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bcH0kmG_chC2Txi8a2EIrbvvJgDIZSFGpC3_QHK4DDMKxQ13QvLfdL_DKqBrE81RdjPjpv2rasObPTqthnigfR_CTEIPwTDPiWJl3E10n8pF36foQF65EklE0HPbJTvihF2V_jEPABo/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bcH0kmG_chC2Txi8a2EIrbvvJgDIZSFGpC3_QHK4DDMKxQ13QvLfdL_DKqBrE81RdjPjpv2rasObPTqthnigfR_CTEIPwTDPiWJl3E10n8pF36foQF65EklE0HPbJTvihF2V_jEPABo/s1600/035.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEggQ_MJmdaoRFmMPDHCeECVSHYxsyzHUYFaKPp1ukyUki1Ym4PBrKoTs1328mjzrvfuiCJSMmjjfGYYcl_McMbTO3iW2MrXfIa7VTleFz0hows0GrR5OI32Kep9ueOd_Jjng3LShjrQbc0/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ_MJmdaoRFmMPDHCeECVSHYxsyzHUYFaKPp1ukyUki1Ym4PBrKoTs1328mjzrvfuiCJSMmjjfGYYcl_McMbTO3iW2MrXfIa7VTleFz0hows0GrR5OI32Kep9ueOd_Jjng3LShjrQbc0/s1600/042.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>We made Mom and Dad a calender with both kids' pictures in it. It was probably my favorite gift that we gave all Christmas!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpXxPE8AB-NV3odZ3VvOBivtqvQKTNNti8guHcRvuTtiOq016u6n5OJFRd0gl-yvleQ8SAAB1lK02JQzgzr3m90TmlpkB4MyZiI2djCTo9dajW1cwb5owRFvxYtfXaN2Kx5240A4E_Eo/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpXxPE8AB-NV3odZ3VvOBivtqvQKTNNti8guHcRvuTtiOq016u6n5OJFRd0gl-yvleQ8SAAB1lK02JQzgzr3m90TmlpkB4MyZiI2djCTo9dajW1cwb5owRFvxYtfXaN2Kx5240A4E_Eo/s1600/043.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtYAp1vXD54dCjd-NKC9w6BpTnTaYrwUh0RDXpZIg1lZIdunVNJHzp9wHe4CShUnvcZODXD-vljtX2_l3Pq6QoOFwjuDuE8c3vZJO8EDah_LiJUHcS6vY4KgI5NZGKmVCSrVNiR1CBok/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtYAp1vXD54dCjd-NKC9w6BpTnTaYrwUh0RDXpZIg1lZIdunVNJHzp9wHe4CShUnvcZODXD-vljtX2_l3Pq6QoOFwjuDuE8c3vZJO8EDah_LiJUHcS6vY4KgI5NZGKmVCSrVNiR1CBok/s1600/044.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></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/AVvXsEiAiDj4yLfSdYQS5vXypQpda9ZORSF07hCiF6yP-DQoaa3DiDtMClGrPqM54tevnIWfpO8oTYlqK-Hi6yYhN14FF7ulmNQecpb6dnooSHbAmn9qhv_TtJAw1-i4-ll5KQTmrYPKFvWPGx0/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiDj4yLfSdYQS5vXypQpda9ZORSF07hCiF6yP-DQoaa3DiDtMClGrPqM54tevnIWfpO8oTYlqK-Hi6yYhN14FF7ulmNQecpb6dnooSHbAmn9qhv_TtJAw1-i4-ll5KQTmrYPKFvWPGx0/s1600/049.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Betsy and I got growth charts to measure our kids with.<br /></b></span></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/AVvXsEhXTL2KUI2fL-Q8coJR-_QsxvPtl5osX1hF9p05vi1ZpnJtqlAdPgWppOfMq2fzMS6v7SJ-ogZXjthtthhHasyEEcRZ2ifCLd8n0p2v5j2W4Wt4ZGJynyZbr6u0RsRcp50ruUEdwCV9lr8/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTL2KUI2fL-Q8coJR-_QsxvPtl5osX1hF9p05vi1ZpnJtqlAdPgWppOfMq2fzMS6v7SJ-ogZXjthtthhHasyEEcRZ2ifCLd8n0p2v5j2W4Wt4ZGJynyZbr6u0RsRcp50ruUEdwCV9lr8/s1600/051.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>First time opening presents wore him out! Audrey was down for the count not soon after!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii00hL8_oZb28noV4hhdJnu37D-DE08maEHa-7e4_-PJpJ9_DAQWCkGx_n41xBizo69Gr_bz5pIiOnywdFRRP8fwzjL1Nvw5myHrF0zL8qLoOn19euJL_CyWSSSLccLIlWyA_zOtBJ1v4/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii00hL8_oZb28noV4hhdJnu37D-DE08maEHa-7e4_-PJpJ9_DAQWCkGx_n41xBizo69Gr_bz5pIiOnywdFRRP8fwzjL1Nvw5myHrF0zL8qLoOn19euJL_CyWSSSLccLIlWyA_zOtBJ1v4/s1600/052.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-44569873685177721582015-02-08T16:42:00.003-05:002015-02-08T16:42:34.370-05:00Homan Christmas 2014<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been awhile since I updated! First let's get some Christmas pictures up...I'm going to try to do more pictures, less words (it just takes longer that way, and the pictures are what everyone is coming to look at anyway!).</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the Homan Christmas (my mom's side of the family). We had Christmas on December 13, 2014. We did something different this year and rented out a small church hall to have it at. It was really a lot more fun that way! Here's some pictures of Audrey at Christmas. We just had to dress her in a Michigan shirt since my mom's family is comprised of Buckeye fans:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEg5t2_F2pSL0boKazb2ETswBn-7Ri7wWHD9ml4sOuk4KDvkF4Se2EhyphenhyphenrTuocF_DRTWfFNZ5bgo5QYKm6q5JtrAbrBh3nl1Bs68sg5tP4ffwxvv1j4XoKALrY5e5aIz9m_8LjA476cnmtOA/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t2_F2pSL0boKazb2ETswBn-7Ri7wWHD9ml4sOuk4KDvkF4Se2EhyphenhyphenrTuocF_DRTWfFNZ5bgo5QYKm6q5JtrAbrBh3nl1Bs68sg5tP4ffwxvv1j4XoKALrY5e5aIz9m_8LjA476cnmtOA/s1600/001.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waiting to open presents</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41XCGjqGSUTvodl_9hju2w4HUd3OV8Asz3ljyndirhI6wXeTatMbMVGjwlbWLl3BIj4udyfMAYKJUSm0IsbYHYBA4IaOYXeT7ow6xdJkha5T1uiPe9hayzJ2K7pDNih8aTt6F3_7eAmw/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41XCGjqGSUTvodl_9hju2w4HUd3OV8Asz3ljyndirhI6wXeTatMbMVGjwlbWLl3BIj4udyfMAYKJUSm0IsbYHYBA4IaOYXeT7ow6xdJkha5T1uiPe9hayzJ2K7pDNih8aTt6F3_7eAmw/s1600/002.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty dang excited!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5lzmdSQx5J2IYn9pBx9sZpqPl7eJuOcA8TFlMGwYQDlxafhrGzrlOqvMw_7Uo9v-e38XXxGomfyhSIj7EJykBmauRCuqvl8aMs1AcrljnMbO3Daz2wIPlZDxExqJx_60slX_JtEgE-w/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5lzmdSQx5J2IYn9pBx9sZpqPl7eJuOcA8TFlMGwYQDlxafhrGzrlOqvMw_7Uo9v-e38XXxGomfyhSIj7EJykBmauRCuqvl8aMs1AcrljnMbO3Daz2wIPlZDxExqJx_60slX_JtEgE-w/s1600/003.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Calvin got to go before Audrey</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmQ086f25ZTpYOR0SlxzL9-T13qTLRotFLtVIHgbj6vsHq30nm6fCXxajZA9lkOHRuaZnY8USdMIASEdikjGH646hPo4pxAl5zKRJ6FBQ315RlayXeonKozmD48n5sBqzuG8KrfwtNYU/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmQ086f25ZTpYOR0SlxzL9-T13qTLRotFLtVIHgbj6vsHq30nm6fCXxajZA9lkOHRuaZnY8USdMIASEdikjGH646hPo4pxAl5zKRJ6FBQ315RlayXeonKozmD48n5sBqzuG8KrfwtNYU/s1600/004.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqOcPVI_LqYOxENfceda5gboWrpq7hT8KZ1hwac5BNmGMJWklLT8RhaRZ4SFtoxrszmxi6eko8Pn8Rl_EeqZDzgU5DZGlDurzsyZ0NQoN5a5Io_FXQ2yKHA4yOpL31XOi_6jOMenGON8/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqOcPVI_LqYOxENfceda5gboWrpq7hT8KZ1hwac5BNmGMJWklLT8RhaRZ4SFtoxrszmxi6eko8Pn8Rl_EeqZDzgU5DZGlDurzsyZ0NQoN5a5Io_FXQ2yKHA4yOpL31XOi_6jOMenGON8/s1600/005.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEhf51zlx9ZrJws2mSyP2Zmuh7tODZuIHVDUOzdG5DeKEddaEyzMjVGzaDZfI7Z0AJhaRh2B3h2PcjNBMye8v0xIWICuM5c-wNNKBED6pGkMr9kHLiGhRknSqh_XqRmNi3PSJFYCdMuLJcE/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf51zlx9ZrJws2mSyP2Zmuh7tODZuIHVDUOzdG5DeKEddaEyzMjVGzaDZfI7Z0AJhaRh2B3h2PcjNBMye8v0xIWICuM5c-wNNKBED6pGkMr9kHLiGhRknSqh_XqRmNi3PSJFYCdMuLJcE/s1600/006.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey's turn!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDmxyiDvqgj0UyMh4jjFitGo2wr0G4mDXncTAySAskx9CdeMwFzQ4YBTwZGnW1T-26_kBypuBSUS-VEHyGPNxGbA9TowXtfFFEZSteEclB1BmIP9PLRx10ZG5ysETr9Fa_PX9_60XEUs/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDmxyiDvqgj0UyMh4jjFitGo2wr0G4mDXncTAySAskx9CdeMwFzQ4YBTwZGnW1T-26_kBypuBSUS-VEHyGPNxGbA9TowXtfFFEZSteEclB1BmIP9PLRx10ZG5ysETr9Fa_PX9_60XEUs/s1600/007.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWpgXJbnuUMGJdiCOi_qcC1toE5SdjzV0bC84RrK4ue7rk1Ss5w1VHAiOESWt4wjTTw6bC8d6VLHSbUoySOjCr0M94PMFJBd2gL9FQ8CiyfXbmV7rdmHeK1m6hB8YW44T8NCaSJ8qjUc/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWpgXJbnuUMGJdiCOi_qcC1toE5SdjzV0bC84RrK4ue7rk1Ss5w1VHAiOESWt4wjTTw6bC8d6VLHSbUoySOjCr0M94PMFJBd2gL9FQ8CiyfXbmV7rdmHeK1m6hB8YW44T8NCaSJ8qjUc/s1600/008.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ7oA8RHmchm-KTWvJsBJoqAAeAC5UFur2S0pbsKU3dJoT59swPj8w-OawroER-kLTanASIEhCwymQDyNWji7w7wi3qmNKxRYvi_aTvOW_p5P4ZDmtzzJp5q68E2T2YjXkmf13kkg59U/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ7oA8RHmchm-KTWvJsBJoqAAeAC5UFur2S0pbsKU3dJoT59swPj8w-OawroER-kLTanASIEhCwymQDyNWji7w7wi3qmNKxRYvi_aTvOW_p5P4ZDmtzzJp5q68E2T2YjXkmf13kkg59U/s1600/009.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnme6jn4sdnRzZNcpkFAETnRxXmRxX686potqM6ukX-bSgB7KMWhaHiHze2rwLTuEe3YzrMjTqz7c8eKFKcgj5J_HzK14zc6S1f2vi4DjbCY17iGZcs071sQkffbVOsL3c7PH0MgB9v3E/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnme6jn4sdnRzZNcpkFAETnRxXmRxX686potqM6ukX-bSgB7KMWhaHiHze2rwLTuEe3YzrMjTqz7c8eKFKcgj5J_HzK14zc6S1f2vi4DjbCY17iGZcs071sQkffbVOsL3c7PH0MgB9v3E/s1600/010.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMBXnZOYcpmxlTicdmO36uN9n-moMKDbWSJRgk53FILpl9ReGppavCGszSJQNx4NPcFWK6bYvWzbEkjqTOGhQBSlTK2RYl5-kezBrnKvDc3-brw4aBVGLIt3leHpTycrF262nOvnK5_4/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMBXnZOYcpmxlTicdmO36uN9n-moMKDbWSJRgk53FILpl9ReGppavCGszSJQNx4NPcFWK6bYvWzbEkjqTOGhQBSlTK2RYl5-kezBrnKvDc3-brw4aBVGLIt3leHpTycrF262nOvnK5_4/s1600/011.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEi_Y6zIOjFViLgwGUSmsymsP-6Mm13pCzS7fG-j5eDvNOvnhkjge66273z1GAF0OE_JXFAk_y8z676LD2Sw19lVcW7gY5fcXgAvDbAyJ5Gc2cGcM99Ccq3lb_SYPPMm0Rz6DtYeVaiIpLs/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Y6zIOjFViLgwGUSmsymsP-6Mm13pCzS7fG-j5eDvNOvnhkjge66273z1GAF0OE_JXFAk_y8z676LD2Sw19lVcW7gY5fcXgAvDbAyJ5Gc2cGcM99Ccq3lb_SYPPMm0Rz6DtYeVaiIpLs/s1600/012.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish Audrey hadn't blinked! She got this cute little purse from Mom and Dad as well as a little puzzle.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-79428955598958409062014-11-08T17:55:00.000-05:002014-11-08T17:55:06.345-05:00The Indianapolis Zoo<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had originally planned a trip to the Indianapolis Zoo at the end of the summer, but we were so busy preparing for school, remodeling, and enjoying the air conditioner that it didn't happen. So, we went over fall break instead. Best. Decision. Ever. I've never seen so many animals out and close to the fence. I guess cooler weather IS better to see the animals. Audrey was in awe of most of the animals. She was pretty serious that day, although we did get some smiles out of her occasionally. I also liked going because she got to spend the whole day with her grandparents (Gary and Michele took off work to come) and it was pretty cute seeing the kids come to the zoo in their Halloween costumes. Because it was so chilly and Audrey doesn't like wearing costumes (yet), we put her in regular clothes.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some of the better pictures we got with my camera:</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3TRVx5ZOsoXBinc2OmlTgwYggIySwwDSvxx2-2gzNLohtFLIOZgjPQsxFYplO2Nn770XcyvbhlWtYTS_Xg9Iph0Jkq1WZCBq_zajcT2rDnqAnKsCcjPfQ9Ej6BGodLzvuAnB9cx6xuY/s1600/DSCF2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3TRVx5ZOsoXBinc2OmlTgwYggIySwwDSvxx2-2gzNLohtFLIOZgjPQsxFYplO2Nn770XcyvbhlWtYTS_Xg9Iph0Jkq1WZCBq_zajcT2rDnqAnKsCcjPfQ9Ej6BGodLzvuAnB9cx6xuY/s1600/DSCF2214.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Petting the fake snake at the Reptile House</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY5VNhh-qpjssrVzBnlCkIaAv4Um0zvBB-XhP4oHp3NN5X9I3zxv_DNfFvQgnucw6f5xNjIpamybPrVx_6U6eVBaZmCq5MrhyphenhyphenFTv9SBZSIlpPipF80_Lcoi3vJqg2eHqWDMGWJS2PpQ8/s1600/DSCF2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY5VNhh-qpjssrVzBnlCkIaAv4Um0zvBB-XhP4oHp3NN5X9I3zxv_DNfFvQgnucw6f5xNjIpamybPrVx_6U6eVBaZmCq5MrhyphenhyphenFTv9SBZSIlpPipF80_Lcoi3vJqg2eHqWDMGWJS2PpQ8/s1600/DSCF2217.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Orangutans.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FzFvYjLM_Hn1etafOODlvNy6uWz7XeMSQwo8MSkEB7eV8I1CrFdwMWZQes8w3VACRrzQLuYBLmkZXYQS7sD2U9JqWXOtGuPEjsYuohjnTJuKL4h_g_2qwYMdPYcqxMMu-OhEBZT5Qwo/s1600/DSCF2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FzFvYjLM_Hn1etafOODlvNy6uWz7XeMSQwo8MSkEB7eV8I1CrFdwMWZQes8w3VACRrzQLuYBLmkZXYQS7sD2U9JqWXOtGuPEjsYuohjnTJuKL4h_g_2qwYMdPYcqxMMu-OhEBZT5Qwo/s1600/DSCF2219.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Riding the carousel with Daddy.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGj6Mog_yaa9GDLlBPCRm1JA0iOPsiP4yZGYrTLKl-x75KIYXV_cXd7v4XBYvpDM12xO8of0ucL3yJC_av3Eas_h3pb67sHTw9zCa6rgWCKmg3t9yh9i9Mq-QiEaf0J_fPEArS4QPYXk/s1600/DSCF2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGj6Mog_yaa9GDLlBPCRm1JA0iOPsiP4yZGYrTLKl-x75KIYXV_cXd7v4XBYvpDM12xO8of0ucL3yJC_av3Eas_h3pb67sHTw9zCa6rgWCKmg3t9yh9i9Mq-QiEaf0J_fPEArS4QPYXk/s1600/DSCF2221.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Afraid for her life!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6TL31CzoCIwC20eWFpwDh4gInb6dDhiugkINpNRsi6ent4Pf_ROhV64xywIYmupi_EOsLPOtiub99BZLWahnpRCJxWgdMtOSoNu2i-hwCqxo5tl90ujD9Ds7eXKxZ6xyg8BqTE0qv8c/s1600/DSCF2227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6TL31CzoCIwC20eWFpwDh4gInb6dDhiugkINpNRsi6ent4Pf_ROhV64xywIYmupi_EOsLPOtiub99BZLWahnpRCJxWgdMtOSoNu2i-hwCqxo5tl90ujD9Ds7eXKxZ6xyg8BqTE0qv8c/s1600/DSCF2227.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The giraffes were so close!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJAd1ICdgmvTSogwYdT_zKEMC9yTG1D5n0TZdM7ik_bTg4frqVa-TgkBfScRAGxMYRuP1awCEhEjndoLFmFlcZ01gVUMNsdRByxSZR29s-GPLMNczPPPEPJ_1SiDNALo52P-R3RO3PMc/s1600/DSCF2230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJAd1ICdgmvTSogwYdT_zKEMC9yTG1D5n0TZdM7ik_bTg4frqVa-TgkBfScRAGxMYRuP1awCEhEjndoLFmFlcZ01gVUMNsdRByxSZR29s-GPLMNczPPPEPJ_1SiDNALo52P-R3RO3PMc/s1600/DSCF2230.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once he realized we weren't going to feed him, though, he ambled away.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG6VYx0GYLvh2vRFqwOjtId0qIbXm7ducPwKMC9UQBjjTwBory7ujttKzjV7NbHFLOn_1ARzPdyVWDD7okkCG2ygq81yQtRtvMG5cqeptXw1t5GNErk6Dq_bz3Vc2FLbp1FbS0q_Sk3Q/s1600/DSCF2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG6VYx0GYLvh2vRFqwOjtId0qIbXm7ducPwKMC9UQBjjTwBory7ujttKzjV7NbHFLOn_1ARzPdyVWDD7okkCG2ygq81yQtRtvMG5cqeptXw1t5GNErk6Dq_bz3Vc2FLbp1FbS0q_Sk3Q/s1600/DSCF2235.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rhinos!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouFKpKIw2YRqHlxEDJFcxzqFy8YcZdtEewp57MrSK30Sp7dK6HY8Heo42LkQVtX7dDljEiy6SiH5sK1n7DCUJrwzmEv1JS34zLfr5BYeMHSbC8l_5nWKRfZAlrwYuslKL_bW2Cmm83xs/s1600/DSCF2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouFKpKIw2YRqHlxEDJFcxzqFy8YcZdtEewp57MrSK30Sp7dK6HY8Heo42LkQVtX7dDljEiy6SiH5sK1n7DCUJrwzmEv1JS34zLfr5BYeMHSbC8l_5nWKRfZAlrwYuslKL_bW2Cmm83xs/s1600/DSCF2241.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lioness.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSy93uuAE-xC-ojpqbwRdwQnwluwGjl5Wmwcvli4IYgH3HfVt1G9aFivjl_fHklM45w3LQDnInaHpi9ILo20brBTZFpt6e6wohye63_eCNE45EG0zB1CZ1w9P7xt7hpufykKY31HnVj4/s1600/DSCF2242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSy93uuAE-xC-ojpqbwRdwQnwluwGjl5Wmwcvli4IYgH3HfVt1G9aFivjl_fHklM45w3LQDnInaHpi9ILo20brBTZFpt6e6wohye63_eCNE45EG0zB1CZ1w9P7xt7hpufykKY31HnVj4/s1600/DSCF2242.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz4Cp6h5yITA2ezxS3Tc15SerOddFmXWoU-x24gG8VxsPSAFTPz_G03TVRLbGpPCAVZdLblYYWNZcMRjDwG0kko8_TIJgDtfug6VT6hSKlsW0Hfgaz-s-FNElj4pNye9qt2m-7yO5rDQ/s1600/DSCF2243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz4Cp6h5yITA2ezxS3Tc15SerOddFmXWoU-x24gG8VxsPSAFTPz_G03TVRLbGpPCAVZdLblYYWNZcMRjDwG0kko8_TIJgDtfug6VT6hSKlsW0Hfgaz-s-FNElj4pNye9qt2m-7yO5rDQ/s1600/DSCF2243.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEiPFfwtOUtei-sGnczABDBGbxuQ4iremitlhguv3zPtCzIAEJvAMLAFpnA0jdpDneAc_4nI9sMAOLrLvSRVUWhdAvX-iGS83RaqQQZrgY-hmi6vLHUHN0iUqTJB01DrHPCsPGkHTshyphenhyphenUYA/s1600/DSCF2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFfwtOUtei-sGnczABDBGbxuQ4iremitlhguv3zPtCzIAEJvAMLAFpnA0jdpDneAc_4nI9sMAOLrLvSRVUWhdAvX-iGS83RaqQQZrgY-hmi6vLHUHN0iUqTJB01DrHPCsPGkHTshyphenhyphenUYA/s1600/DSCF2247.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lion! Audrey loved to see the "cat".</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkXi4-oS_5STulLc7CUbz2TDNyPxQuwYtmTB4e-sHf-f8UYWMeVq2-YpYyB9_gy0dLcaZTNRxLyyZ2yWK8zarFtHk_nFEKP7nLhtC3vMogWeKiQOhxia8Yf0MorLD41tbqIM0q0kxwMc/s1600/DSCF2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkXi4-oS_5STulLc7CUbz2TDNyPxQuwYtmTB4e-sHf-f8UYWMeVq2-YpYyB9_gy0dLcaZTNRxLyyZ2yWK8zarFtHk_nFEKP7nLhtC3vMogWeKiQOhxia8Yf0MorLD41tbqIM0q0kxwMc/s1600/DSCF2250.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cuddling cheetahs.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qtW8FFVb3esSRpsaxln0wCxkvzU2i7jJeR6bSTs8SOEzoRbm_6MVUopUTc0fQjclRN6gO92XdBYGirN4DkwlaHxzjzO57__iVEjMSyDC5-7iazunuXNv5NRLQ0omnTuBpQxN8zyticI/s1600/DSCF2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qtW8FFVb3esSRpsaxln0wCxkvzU2i7jJeR6bSTs8SOEzoRbm_6MVUopUTc0fQjclRN6gO92XdBYGirN4DkwlaHxzjzO57__iVEjMSyDC5-7iazunuXNv5NRLQ0omnTuBpQxN8zyticI/s1600/DSCF2252.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elephants.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY92SsHxcy3AYIUtdACyL-zz2MIMTczx2mYT0MTI0Vmu_gVIJhknhJRCY3mNcZ8V0O-vSUN5LaDHhIpZR1qkwobqS1lu9_J0izqVmcbP164qZJUtWKP9G0adfkSVqeJ6EZt0nAniLU9c/s1600/DSCF2256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY92SsHxcy3AYIUtdACyL-zz2MIMTczx2mYT0MTI0Vmu_gVIJhknhJRCY3mNcZ8V0O-vSUN5LaDHhIpZR1qkwobqS1lu9_J0izqVmcbP164qZJUtWKP9G0adfkSVqeJ6EZt0nAniLU9c/s1600/DSCF2256.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flamingos. </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Gc9yl0vwucDcTg5K4qMY_Bt1rrMsTXQyNIuFdNSkwm_PyIeqqixn-GMEQ4K_UxG8NdO-OcT427RP9nhLSfyOmcdkSVrNRC3RX-I7jyC2sqdIwfACCh_h5XFWuPy3lkb0UBynHoRZnk/s1600/DSCF2257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7Gc9yl0vwucDcTg5K4qMY_Bt1rrMsTXQyNIuFdNSkwm_PyIeqqixn-GMEQ4K_UxG8NdO-OcT427RP9nhLSfyOmcdkSVrNRC3RX-I7jyC2sqdIwfACCh_h5XFWuPy3lkb0UBynHoRZnk/s1600/DSCF2257.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We found this cute little play area near the flamingos. Audrey LOVED the slide!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKE6x6J7b-axrT7mlxlXv4a_p9ofwsOj65gxE0w9uehFC7DJqoNT_f3tikdtJgGY8lPB4uIJdbSRNWjSuKYmJrQjXfhmpwF_ffQoT4YgTSfFR65-ixDLKzzMvJVSvkuoy08MzqJ6cUQ7w/s1600/DSCF2259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKE6x6J7b-axrT7mlxlXv4a_p9ofwsOj65gxE0w9uehFC7DJqoNT_f3tikdtJgGY8lPB4uIJdbSRNWjSuKYmJrQjXfhmpwF_ffQoT4YgTSfFR65-ixDLKzzMvJVSvkuoy08MzqJ6cUQ7w/s1600/DSCF2259.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEgxnyfSgA6n98H5NYNdypMBfdfnmPtYUrePcnhacbCEK29YryDuX1F_G0wzeku8gmCx3DOJQWWfx0QC1_L-XumGrTvnW6G6tMnvStAtXHBO_NOONrJ6FCsIJTtEl4Rd7w-Ojgt_E69Rfew/s1600/DSCF2261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnyfSgA6n98H5NYNdypMBfdfnmPtYUrePcnhacbCEK29YryDuX1F_G0wzeku8gmCx3DOJQWWfx0QC1_L-XumGrTvnW6G6tMnvStAtXHBO_NOONrJ6FCsIJTtEl4Rd7w-Ojgt_E69Rfew/s1600/DSCF2261.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elsa (from the movie Frozen) was visiting the zoo!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ7kYcPJMVDQfc-YVugNiJ48-N4ASi-LlpnRvVtC3OI2xs3Y4sOonvGnXJJ4FMQ7bRV9TyxfkFd_XEOcEqz7K67or8Zh3s3tGcliUhB2gdtN1aySeX3nDib7FqonMKcgUn8SpxRnvsn8/s1600/DSCF2263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZ7kYcPJMVDQfc-YVugNiJ48-N4ASi-LlpnRvVtC3OI2xs3Y4sOonvGnXJJ4FMQ7bRV9TyxfkFd_XEOcEqz7K67or8Zh3s3tGcliUhB2gdtN1aySeX3nDib7FqonMKcgUn8SpxRnvsn8/s1600/DSCF2263.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This tiger was would pace around the rocks and logs and then come rub his head up against the glass. Every time he came by the glass, all the little kids screamed.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhYXIhLpdGLD9gpueVo3uFXY0enPA2R3goltjRRxBo6Lw-uW4rv6ENydSOyd9LFQYeiMIH6E9_ANctkzGpxuxt8RBZ1YVIPppDRNUkSqvurT1i7xsFPmlAcrL2hAqUWevZirLqD8JcqA/s1600/DSCF2265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhYXIhLpdGLD9gpueVo3uFXY0enPA2R3goltjRRxBo6Lw-uW4rv6ENydSOyd9LFQYeiMIH6E9_ANctkzGpxuxt8RBZ1YVIPppDRNUkSqvurT1i7xsFPmlAcrL2hAqUWevZirLqD8JcqA/s1600/DSCF2265.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seeing the tiger up close after the bigger kids left.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnJTCVtoSFQ_ixlR6g4lu6j7EndVM8bv5bovKLmoS5Wxyvqt5yVBzJir783VRGCN57J1mXTotMl68HOu4YHCvFiDR0x9qOAXAX5D_mpD9Mqti79ybEfiaSSDZnNuy2t0ABeaUS0XKcwU/s1600/DSCF2267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnJTCVtoSFQ_ixlR6g4lu6j7EndVM8bv5bovKLmoS5Wxyvqt5yVBzJir783VRGCN57J1mXTotMl68HOu4YHCvFiDR0x9qOAXAX5D_mpD9Mqti79ybEfiaSSDZnNuy2t0ABeaUS0XKcwU/s1600/DSCF2267.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bears!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBePVLqGhrRmijmR6De_gt1S_IxHoH2jB8L784cYC_sj0ZKjxCPHwK6lSkl0FMQq4ZGjjLpg4J0w5Os-APS_nIlCoONfP_Y69WHUFk6vqxxwIKNrM9EGWEfQ9EW6y8G6_0VHZjtceq49g/s1600/DSCF2269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBePVLqGhrRmijmR6De_gt1S_IxHoH2jB8L784cYC_sj0ZKjxCPHwK6lSkl0FMQq4ZGjjLpg4J0w5Os-APS_nIlCoONfP_Y69WHUFk6vqxxwIKNrM9EGWEfQ9EW6y8G6_0VHZjtceq49g/s1600/DSCF2269.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We even went to a dog show to see some amazing dog tricks. Audrey liked to say "woof" when they were running around.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note to self. Only go to the zoo in the fall. This is seriously </span></b>the best time to go!The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-11984464426530750202014-11-08T17:37:00.000-05:002014-11-08T17:37:03.796-05:00Trick-or-Treating at Grandma and Grandpa Knittles' House<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday, we were finally able to get out to my mom and dad's house to trick-or-treat (which also means I'm finally able to blog about it and put up pictures and not ruin the surprise of Audrey's costume!). This time, Audrey knew exactly what to do. The last several days, Audrey has been allowed to have a small amount of Halloween candy, so she is starting to understand what's in the wrappers. She also knew how to pick up candy piece by piece to put in her bag, although she did do some deliberating as to which would be most delectable.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7vH64r5YVYaMxadcfqK0xyMBKWdQFkGjcZvQaVbjOL9LVsQJhkAKiO2xFRCLIjgImesWIKxHv9iY6E9Xa_G0FvjfvpGvmM7aAiXP0QEZw3qRnbebJQV-7BobI3EZiwTxJZNZApgElhE/s1600/DSCF2291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7vH64r5YVYaMxadcfqK0xyMBKWdQFkGjcZvQaVbjOL9LVsQJhkAKiO2xFRCLIjgImesWIKxHv9iY6E9Xa_G0FvjfvpGvmM7aAiXP0QEZw3qRnbebJQV-7BobI3EZiwTxJZNZApgElhE/s1600/DSCF2291.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Pl6o1a5ukmNSDY1CzPoOi_d6sUjGhJyJbY-fT5s6dJdzinhVSOq6hpK6z0FYuCWZ5yktfm29l9FAiTsQtsRenoGAuwjbkJXypbJrS88ZVvccYl1tYlRunTkH3fDM1OSoPE5HHaQZ1Bw/s1600/DSCF2292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Pl6o1a5ukmNSDY1CzPoOi_d6sUjGhJyJbY-fT5s6dJdzinhVSOq6hpK6z0FYuCWZ5yktfm29l9FAiTsQtsRenoGAuwjbkJXypbJrS88ZVvccYl1tYlRunTkH3fDM1OSoPE5HHaQZ1Bw/s1600/DSCF2292.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Nv08NTiuvI_622zPl_HrfcGeU09NO_TwIHh02kM2W5XTRMxxrwn6o9qOY-gsJll4MyAOqzJO0qmXm2gRlVREORtCY2Zdj7DUOtlWpt_qbhQIdGF32wyh4MluooU9DCHNzI4_46I_YDU/s1600/DSCF2293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Nv08NTiuvI_622zPl_HrfcGeU09NO_TwIHh02kM2W5XTRMxxrwn6o9qOY-gsJll4MyAOqzJO0qmXm2gRlVREORtCY2Zdj7DUOtlWpt_qbhQIdGF32wyh4MluooU9DCHNzI4_46I_YDU/s1600/DSCF2293.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwPPLCpfCz-mDy2FMPm7brT7VlU2KpdlbMvXThY9rQwEZsqTLOP9e3iu3-93dehhfm5wlD4MZ8PXTzS6o5GUa1jHeDMTUvPuU8VGy5wwdSaWivTmIAkvIphjdMsUtvuddWr4Jf31Ig2c/s1600/DSCF2294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwPPLCpfCz-mDy2FMPm7brT7VlU2KpdlbMvXThY9rQwEZsqTLOP9e3iu3-93dehhfm5wlD4MZ8PXTzS6o5GUa1jHeDMTUvPuU8VGy5wwdSaWivTmIAkvIphjdMsUtvuddWr4Jf31Ig2c/s1600/DSCF2294.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEhk0ceCyv9Sp-hOd-tvf-AIibhrV1Pl-ZfWHBIdaRcUVgifTD67na6SsnIkjAeBiE27g9FTupxuSVMGGmoijgwHhbah__EOA5gBIFAr7MU6tFsoCLPA26kQl1oRJkqIEQBFplh-mIphMwA/s1600/DSCF2296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0ceCyv9Sp-hOd-tvf-AIibhrV1Pl-ZfWHBIdaRcUVgifTD67na6SsnIkjAeBiE27g9FTupxuSVMGGmoijgwHhbah__EOA5gBIFAr7MU6tFsoCLPA26kQl1oRJkqIEQBFplh-mIphMwA/s1600/DSCF2296.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we took the bowls away (she would have emptied them if she could), she then wanted to pick each piece out of her bag and lay it on the floor to examine it.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yp7FpD912CHxRpj1nQVrljyUR4mm0dO1VJr8XB9KBu-gjFY_wK8Efcr-cerirxGf_pz8ZPRCiTNwIzXwQ8JIWX0pS7kdrAfTJuNDNBmfl77dcA1Z3-cOHr4wCIhx17SPCMFx5EiDjvc/s1600/DSCF2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yp7FpD912CHxRpj1nQVrljyUR4mm0dO1VJr8XB9KBu-gjFY_wK8Efcr-cerirxGf_pz8ZPRCiTNwIzXwQ8JIWX0pS7kdrAfTJuNDNBmfl77dcA1Z3-cOHr4wCIhx17SPCMFx5EiDjvc/s1600/DSCF2290.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sweet nephew Calvin the Cow is going to be six months old in a few days! Next year, Audrey's going to have some competition in that candy bowl...</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtG-_MLWiFazTm6eIxDjmaBotiMWd_xnhyphenhyphenXcDwsTVWrR0L7Av1Gub2Ltoh4ChZUij-wuUUK3YoJfN-yZ_2ULbZOkHgsHZNFBtFlg5GrBXl5f8hzW47NP94uG92Jqt9oY13vmozbvPfPw/s1600/DSCF2297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtG-_MLWiFazTm6eIxDjmaBotiMWd_xnhyphenhyphenXcDwsTVWrR0L7Av1Gub2Ltoh4ChZUij-wuUUK3YoJfN-yZ_2ULbZOkHgsHZNFBtFlg5GrBXl5f8hzW47NP94uG92Jqt9oY13vmozbvPfPw/s1600/DSCF2297.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Calvin wanted his costume OFF.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaBSlQyOIhkJfZ1JcVibYv99PCF3OrutXm6mctA0BO8pSKoRPaNuXyIMBW3LxCAhCFlUIktkTAJY3LyEVy7AcQNshmT_bhvdIezdVqijQk7O5n3dVPnMS9tbHH7wX_ShKn1fPTRtSUwM/s1600/DSCF2299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaBSlQyOIhkJfZ1JcVibYv99PCF3OrutXm6mctA0BO8pSKoRPaNuXyIMBW3LxCAhCFlUIktkTAJY3LyEVy7AcQNshmT_bhvdIezdVqijQk7O5n3dVPnMS9tbHH7wX_ShKn1fPTRtSUwM/s1600/DSCF2299.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And since he was crying, Audrey wanted to get away from him!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love these little munchkins! I already can't wait to go trick-or-treating next year!</span></b>The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-78134782319781927332014-11-08T17:29:00.001-05:002014-11-08T17:29:31.140-05:00Trunk-or-Treating<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most years our ward has a trunk-or-treat party. If you're not sure what that is, basically we trick-or-treat in the parking lot of our church out of the back of our trunks! This way, we can all trick-or-treat together and it's less driving around or walking. Last year we didn't take Audrey because she was only about a month old, so we felt a little weird about that. This year, I think she did enjoy going from trunk to trunk with the other kids and learning that you get candy. At the first couple of trunks she just stood there, then at the next couple I showed her how to put the candy in her bag, then the cars after that I put her hand in their buckets and made her drop it in her bag. Finally, I thought she was ready to do it on her own, but she ended up trying to give the people at the trunk the candy from her bag that she'd already collected. Well, at least she knows how to share! By the end of the evening, she finally mastered it, and she LOVED pulling individual pieces of candy from the bowls to put in her Batman bag.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kyle and I dressed up for this, too. Since I was taking Audrey around, I made my outfit match hers. I went as Catwoman. Kyle stood by our trunk handing out candy to kids, and since there was a trunk decorating contest, he dressed up like Indiana Jones to match our Temple of Doom themed trunk.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEhCSgCIYHoY8hJ4Ice9fyJBjUjUaVWlcnkGkUJ-C79H7MkbI467gFHlNaXv_U7TsLfhrqtOoGj6qcA0nR23hEmGbb7keUTl7BomLwCpUv8kmgwLfs2k_mCspaE6_qlw56JOoxWfCjQg3uk/s1600/DSCF2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSgCIYHoY8hJ4Ice9fyJBjUjUaVWlcnkGkUJ-C79H7MkbI467gFHlNaXv_U7TsLfhrqtOoGj6qcA0nR23hEmGbb7keUTl7BomLwCpUv8kmgwLfs2k_mCspaE6_qlw56JOoxWfCjQg3uk/s1600/DSCF2283.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey and me leaving the church to begin trunk-or-treating.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuCawJOVPdYjS2Zeohom4Gwz5zgWSw6TjzNxLgezOzSdkpOE8mmYMJ95D6FHFS8PlLDxhLvGXoGWg2zvncWb3j6wsei4KsY-33avIS_4i7CX91Fgc1IGzQlcmaCs-I6fSprJn98oQ7VU/s1600/DSCF2285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuCawJOVPdYjS2Zeohom4Gwz5zgWSw6TjzNxLgezOzSdkpOE8mmYMJ95D6FHFS8PlLDxhLvGXoGWg2zvncWb3j6wsei4KsY-33avIS_4i7CX91Fgc1IGzQlcmaCs-I6fSprJn98oQ7VU/s1600/DSCF2285.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Batgirl and Catwoman! I had everything already except for the ears, gloves, and jacket. The ears and gloves we bought, and the jacket is actually my sister-in-law's that Kyle took from the guest bedroom closet when we were last visiting (thanks, Kels!)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauixp3paR2GADC5kBu_IpUzDa9s9X2KgYGhyphenhyphen-YtRhAq4InfAEOgIfC-hDhUHXGt_SJpCUMTkAnrucBqRs3JW81JxhMIeCm4-fYOnLr5t0cBNdPVX28-JtQEImNNMdnwB_6K9EogQurUU/s1600/DSCF2286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauixp3paR2GADC5kBu_IpUzDa9s9X2KgYGhyphenhyphen-YtRhAq4InfAEOgIfC-hDhUHXGt_SJpCUMTkAnrucBqRs3JW81JxhMIeCm4-fYOnLr5t0cBNdPVX28-JtQEImNNMdnwB_6K9EogQurUU/s1600/DSCF2286.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All Kyle's idea. The palm leaves are actually something I had stuffed in my closet at school, and the skull is something I set out in my room at school, too. Kyle painted cardboard to look like stone, set out a mask his dad brought us from Guatemala, and threw some fake webs all over the trunk. The treasure chest is something Kyle's grandpa made him when he was a little boy, and that's where Kyle put the candy. Also, did I mention he had the Indiana Jones soundtrack playing in the car as kids came? We won the contest.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJcBvxRSCxk1KWAVraM7VsGaSntaW5Ce7qgIOf803X-YhQxcG5Od2nbsaahL5e4bnLJMVYB8LAhGTMFtTIOQ0CXrqoIdpqGauQfJfFcMY8hzfHMAp-Cv_E1a1JBhqNIE3ZqNNdpkgw7s/s1600/DSCF2287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJcBvxRSCxk1KWAVraM7VsGaSntaW5Ce7qgIOf803X-YhQxcG5Od2nbsaahL5e4bnLJMVYB8LAhGTMFtTIOQ0CXrqoIdpqGauQfJfFcMY8hzfHMAp-Cv_E1a1JBhqNIE3ZqNNdpkgw7s/s1600/DSCF2287.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You call him Dr. Jones, doll."</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDna_C5iGv16Xi7bX2qNnLeyWCRS3Mfev9Kbrd0xjmENqp7G86IwcQOkCvUhubQylPP1NDCgY4H3RbuIMcetlw8KOvkDwpevmy5P1RwUelm5dLE21qxkjHavnOT1sa8tAzBPoJhhxn3lA/s1600/DSCF2288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDna_C5iGv16Xi7bX2qNnLeyWCRS3Mfev9Kbrd0xjmENqp7G86IwcQOkCvUhubQylPP1NDCgY4H3RbuIMcetlw8KOvkDwpevmy5P1RwUelm5dLE21qxkjHavnOT1sa8tAzBPoJhhxn3lA/s1600/DSCF2288.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Audrey was trick-or-treating, she ran after some of the bigger kids and tripped on a crack in the parking lot. She got a little road rash on her nose and forehead. Poor girl!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we finished here, we went to campus since they were doing their dorm trick-or-treating the same night. Everyone thought we looked great and gave us a whole bunch of candy. We considered it a very successful night!</span></b>The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-11196441176306454762014-11-08T17:14:00.001-05:002014-11-08T17:14:15.842-05:00Trick-or-Treating at Grandma and Grandpa Byards' House<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over fall break we spent a night in Indianapolis with Kyle's parents. A few hours before we left, we realized that this would be the last time Audrey got to see Kyle's parents before Halloween was over, so we figured we should pack up an outfit for Audrey to put on for her grandparents. We got out the costume box (packed full of kid outfits I've been picking up for super-cheap at garage sales for the last several years) and determined that about five or so outfits would fit Audrey right now. Once Kyle realized the Batgirl outfit would fit Audrey this year (the tag says 2T), he insisted that we stop looking at the rest of them.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So...not bad for throwing it together a few hours before we left the house! We had everything already! The dress, the gauntlets, and the cape were the actual outfit. We dug out a long-sleeved gold shirt out of Audrey's closet, and she had the black tights and black boots. The hairclip is thanks to our friends Kim and Phil Call, who gave them to us to stick on a headband for Audrey before she was born (we're still getting use out of them!). The batarang is Kyle's toy and the bag held comic books that Kyle had purchased earlier in the month. I was pretty impressed with us!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEi4yXBweqs-AoVcdR7pzBjmDluFqIzeifWnNNQCVQXeuGb_omuJN-t2YVeeV2_gJqw8jdspOE0mKX4Bfe5qA8UHCeNVif2TpFnafcPezx3dxpVY_Exbr_Bydr0NtxTiAPspmBW_AVdlqKs/s1600/DSCF2201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yXBweqs-AoVcdR7pzBjmDluFqIzeifWnNNQCVQXeuGb_omuJN-t2YVeeV2_gJqw8jdspOE0mKX4Bfe5qA8UHCeNVif2TpFnafcPezx3dxpVY_Exbr_Bydr0NtxTiAPspmBW_AVdlqKs/s1600/DSCF2201.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waking up from her nap and getting out of the car...a little confused about where she was.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3nFmWeUD2mEFEPp9mXsDBGm_AaKfxx5dFQlSd17fisnS3Ua4UreGeyrACF8kbwhWV_G341vdHcuNM3DNQeTKbvUVdBr_JaFEK27RJPfgBTD-QTuEwaGYGjeIcBzo7JHEVNZOvYyTk7o/s1600/DSCF2202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3nFmWeUD2mEFEPp9mXsDBGm_AaKfxx5dFQlSd17fisnS3Ua4UreGeyrACF8kbwhWV_G341vdHcuNM3DNQeTKbvUVdBr_JaFEK27RJPfgBTD-QTuEwaGYGjeIcBzo7JHEVNZOvYyTk7o/s1600/DSCF2202.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey actually really hates being in costumes and started to cry.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWPSLR02Y2qpkGqxvfc_cnAdDnE_pqUsGuiWuwZp2ruldE_pL3cQt1CpQZl1r0OT2lS0gBJUTOPBbRx9kgl1346xbOAmhG8psmEUE4YshRKfh-dLkGzMkN7oy5uCx946ELeQXIc6BePs/s1600/DSCF2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWPSLR02Y2qpkGqxvfc_cnAdDnE_pqUsGuiWuwZp2ruldE_pL3cQt1CpQZl1r0OT2lS0gBJUTOPBbRx9kgl1346xbOAmhG8psmEUE4YshRKfh-dLkGzMkN7oy5uCx946ELeQXIc6BePs/s1600/DSCF2206.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All better now that Grandma has me!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvusZkAZSdr8nQfznPLbIIQV8CFOEJQFe6hjiU1uGBRyFkVQsfOWGtRu6Gh1KLUnum8Fm-SFieiD-s12vDHKwR3QHdg7_NNHGHhhqWerFD78HwqYUlewHGn-xnOPw3A5anM6HIz50dS0/s1600/DSCF2208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvusZkAZSdr8nQfznPLbIIQV8CFOEJQFe6hjiU1uGBRyFkVQsfOWGtRu6Gh1KLUnum8Fm-SFieiD-s12vDHKwR3QHdg7_NNHGHhhqWerFD78HwqYUlewHGn-xnOPw3A5anM6HIz50dS0/s1600/DSCF2208.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went trick-or-treating at the Gundersons' house, my in-laws' next door neighbors. It was the first time Audrey solicited candy from someone who was NOT a relative. </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqvaldhHn3Lj_sLlekBoP_IErCxrQH1jJ1s9M7ogTI-bP1wbspGlBWCf9qwjtBlNMBE3L7xMQoSZ3RnN7YkB4I0wCeRS0uHuOD40DAi4vn__PC-klvAPmB5LPwJo_cslZLDecnAuaPe4/s1600/DSCF2209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqvaldhHn3Lj_sLlekBoP_IErCxrQH1jJ1s9M7ogTI-bP1wbspGlBWCf9qwjtBlNMBE3L7xMQoSZ3RnN7YkB4I0wCeRS0uHuOD40DAi4vn__PC-klvAPmB5LPwJo_cslZLDecnAuaPe4/s1600/DSCF2209.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Gunderson left to go get the candy. Audrey didn't really know what to do.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoRzFRQgHYWDD9D4HAh8bu3guQqwEjRC63FHHEzxWUdUFOoBFnfSuWqfA2lGSQfW9NgYRvVlyxO6Z1eEUhutb5nS476lR6LMRXluK14Cvh0_JZ_PrPxGtTYKEoqDOzwew1qQ3AlXbXu0/s1600/DSCF2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoRzFRQgHYWDD9D4HAh8bu3guQqwEjRC63FHHEzxWUdUFOoBFnfSuWqfA2lGSQfW9NgYRvVlyxO6Z1eEUhutb5nS476lR6LMRXluK14Cvh0_JZ_PrPxGtTYKEoqDOzwew1qQ3AlXbXu0/s1600/DSCF2210.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still NOT thrilled about being dressed up, even after we came back.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbiZZjiP3S1XpUaZpqFtOWe0Oex-39OJ3kVPk8OqBnhDFUue3EpIUswUrdpk2wzmxQsx4XhNrvAR8FE5_1yUrkR7ZXTXs7wR73lZ7WgQFMwtCuFvqboqF17ApLMPKRDXTiqHUj9rsDUA/s1600/DSCF2213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbiZZjiP3S1XpUaZpqFtOWe0Oex-39OJ3kVPk8OqBnhDFUue3EpIUswUrdpk2wzmxQsx4XhNrvAR8FE5_1yUrkR7ZXTXs7wR73lZ7WgQFMwtCuFvqboqF17ApLMPKRDXTiqHUj9rsDUA/s1600/DSCF2213.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a half hour or so, she warms up to it!<br /></span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-73550709672603657272014-09-28T00:26:00.003-04:002014-09-28T00:35:05.429-04:00Audrey's Wizard of Oz Themed First Birthday Party<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided a long time ago that Audrey's first birthday party was going to be <i>Wizard of Oz</i> themed. Kyle and I figured for each of our kids, we'd throw a very elaborate (in our opinion) first birthday party. We'd make lots of things, go all out on the decorating, etc. After that, we figure each kid would probably be old enough to at least express what kind of birthday party they'd like and we'd sort of follow their leads without going too extreme. Since I flat-out refused to have a Batman birthday party for Audrey, Kyle left me in charge of choosing the theme, and I thought <i>Wizard of Oz</i> would be adorable! I spent a good portion of the sum</span></b><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">mer researching on Pinterest different ways to pull off this <i>Wizard of Oz </i>look, and I was pretty pleased with the results! It took FOREVER to do the decorating (I took off work on the day before the party) and I'm so grateful everyone else was willing to help pitch in food so I didn't have to make all of that, too. I think one of the best things about the way the party looked was everyone exclaiming about the small details. I was slightly proud when my cousin asked me to plan her next birthday (she</span></b><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'s in her twenties). I think I could quit my job and make a career out of this, but I'd probably be too stressed out!</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We sent out an "Over the Rainbow" invitation to Audrey's party in mid-August. My super-awesome husband looked at one of the ones I liked on Google and painstakingly created it on Photoshop:</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBszqblnRGJekdTY3nAo3sJMylq-0ZcqS4xw6T4GoBm_JiNi7nxjlcj7_uhucq6BgNwhIO625Zqs7PBxWZjs1A_eM22OtAIV8wxoYEpi9Azz_UVAgSXCOxiVN9sBRM7tRJh-8LpnrmSDo/s1600/invite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBszqblnRGJekdTY3nAo3sJMylq-0ZcqS4xw6T4GoBm_JiNi7nxjlcj7_uhucq6BgNwhIO625Zqs7PBxWZjs1A_eM22OtAIV8wxoYEpi9Azz_UVAgSXCOxiVN9sBRM7tRJh-8LpnrmSDo/s1600/invite.jpg" height="254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This is what Kyle based the invite off of. I have ours saved in a file, but obviously won't post it here because it has my parents' address on it.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /><span id="goog_1032880249"></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Here's our best attempt at a <i>Wizard of Oz</i> themed party:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80zPe5vAw0nmxOhNFdO8ybe4NyX0GzzedJ0hB8AeFBN26wGbDNTNeErval7S6wHBcoCE4pxfDObboya3nbUdbkAOgDs_A0VYZ7IZyY1GdfA5VmkiH8EFZX3c3JF9ITbDcjWhOYm2-VzA/s1600/DSCF2123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80zPe5vAw0nmxOhNFdO8ybe4NyX0GzzedJ0hB8AeFBN26wGbDNTNeErval7S6wHBcoCE4pxfDObboya3nbUdbkAOgDs_A0VYZ7IZyY1GdfA5VmkiH8EFZX3c3JF9ITbDcjWhOYm2-VzA/s1600/DSCF2123.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RimkCxrH0sL1Pn5xAv6L6M_-8EWdaegZ45kWO3ZjkJd3gnlaK6tiyKmwabpSlO_cEK_D9KWNA2Xnb9k2kfqmfNUCLYA-9xNnU6S6yTlGOApK9ric1K9-vnET7WJN3AHmhWCmoXkiCTs/s1600/DSCF2122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RimkCxrH0sL1Pn5xAv6L6M_-8EWdaegZ45kWO3ZjkJd3gnlaK6tiyKmwabpSlO_cEK_D9KWNA2Xnb9k2kfqmfNUCLYA-9xNnU6S6yTlGOApK9ric1K9-vnET7WJN3AHmhWCmoXkiCTs/s1600/DSCF2122.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhJQY4dCpYaDX0ZvpllsWLs-c7X2uuOLvDPqPUxyUNQltVt3Rjg47zOSkwQAjiBhfzm5wjnAqfuNifS5Ff4_tlLEf5AFUVAmrq33tL_A0vFwVAVxPulMkOdBZp3WZwosyLcBqer-vLhuuM/s1600/DSCF2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQY4dCpYaDX0ZvpllsWLs-c7X2uuOLvDPqPUxyUNQltVt3Rjg47zOSkwQAjiBhfzm5wjnAqfuNifS5Ff4_tlLEf5AFUVAmrq33tL_A0vFwVAVxPulMkOdBZp3WZwosyLcBqer-vLhuuM/s1600/DSCF2137.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The balloons took about two hours to blow up, string with fishing line, and hang up with a ladder. However, I like the floating look the fishing line gives! It's cute, but so, so time-consuming. Only do if you have helpers. Thanks, Pinterest!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhtI3RfJ0QE5LhJqXQG1-vtp_eN3GByzdIkAYJJZCXOQFp9Arp9fGxpIakwSSbQ72VDQFKPiPyIdnmY8IgeOZEohwxo59c0uqeDbAgYsPavwthwRBjhLuD-wpOiDxB2fDagwtVS_zO8W-8/s1600/DSCF2128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI3RfJ0QE5LhJqXQG1-vtp_eN3GByzdIkAYJJZCXOQFp9Arp9fGxpIakwSSbQ72VDQFKPiPyIdnmY8IgeOZEohwxo59c0uqeDbAgYsPavwthwRBjhLuD-wpOiDxB2fDagwtVS_zO8W-8/s1600/DSCF2128.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Found awesome "Over the Rainbow" streamers at Party City</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjgTJe2IVf_P12v1j8fOox-UMOoiaOlz_o1cQlkVVUK8CtfnBIatY_VlpiyTnKGwc5HyjCF0CXmkMMhHtwRt3LVj0Ott15INdC4r-TaNU4sZkww1pr0pyyQmJ_ydqcMajwjf1FIhPFS7Kc/s1600/DSCF2124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTJe2IVf_P12v1j8fOox-UMOoiaOlz_o1cQlkVVUK8CtfnBIatY_VlpiyTnKGwc5HyjCF0CXmkMMhHtwRt3LVj0Ott15INdC4r-TaNU4sZkww1pr0pyyQmJ_ydqcMajwjf1FIhPFS7Kc/s1600/DSCF2124.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This "My Wish For You" box has a slot at the top for putting notes in. It locks on the side, too. The whole idea is to write notes to your kid and let them read the notes when they're older.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgcI1ra6MBVv94Qtc57MwBRNPV64-fFqzEDUTWOU3Dm5uOEvSd2bfpWEGK-i8FY9IUXANdxlmHKGgIrV0JmFqLRNSjpdn0bXkO6-0ftuSFAY4HHsdt8mlRtcbxkfQ3ztJ3vV8_PuK9tV8w/s1600/DSCF2125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI1ra6MBVv94Qtc57MwBRNPV64-fFqzEDUTWOU3Dm5uOEvSd2bfpWEGK-i8FY9IUXANdxlmHKGgIrV0JmFqLRNSjpdn0bXkO6-0ftuSFAY4HHsdt8mlRtcbxkfQ3ztJ3vV8_PuK9tV8w/s1600/DSCF2125.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I recycled these terra cotta pots from our wedding decorations. I painted them all up different colors, put quotes from the movie on them in Sharpie, and put different flowers/fillers in them to set around the garage. This wasn't a Pinterest idea...all my own! I don't know what to do with most of them now, and I hate to throw them away. I guess I can take them to school and set them out somehow...</b></span></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/AVvXsEjc9EYVPLWwAHi5l0iE3D_yF5wY_vjmAerZK58XzgEXeulBUlMHe0beWZuGfNIvZaErefz_KB8NofiFuzLi1y77XWlOZHTYnTn-jlLSzECS7LYXTzMXNRY-kDNbLzDDufuZeWj7yNdVJws/s1600/DSCF2126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9EYVPLWwAHi5l0iE3D_yF5wY_vjmAerZK58XzgEXeulBUlMHe0beWZuGfNIvZaErefz_KB8NofiFuzLi1y77XWlOZHTYnTn-jlLSzECS7LYXTzMXNRY-kDNbLzDDufuZeWj7yNdVJws/s1600/DSCF2126.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey's photo albums from her first year. We have up through 11 months in the albums now, and all I have to do is add her 12 month pictures and these to the albums! 600+ pictures (including ultrasound, bump, and maternity pictures) to date and put in sleeves takes A LONG TIME. But it was worth it!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipuUsyiEkEmcdGJKfXYsUBuioWz1yiY46ukNFurRCn0RSsMxv4NMkB3PgJcB9-4a2apXERmvCVYJT2jZt16ZNdcRy7Wbo813ed2a0mdYzDsAsCH74ZSIReRAQ8UD5zn_T2BskFZFuBxs/s1600/DSCF2127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipuUsyiEkEmcdGJKfXYsUBuioWz1yiY46ukNFurRCn0RSsMxv4NMkB3PgJcB9-4a2apXERmvCVYJT2jZt16ZNdcRy7Wbo813ed2a0mdYzDsAsCH74ZSIReRAQ8UD5zn_T2BskFZFuBxs/s1600/DSCF2127.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgBT4_4_1j7iY132UZO3lSHW5i7FHsuvbrU7YgWPxYFQ8-toKTdXfldPXtfboulVYcKsYl5nhuIza0Z5wS-yNs0o-U9Vr2_VaDrqcC3SlLKMQmL5xv6wEBE5J2inUIe6WRiBfvEJXfIdeg/s1600/DSCF2129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBT4_4_1j7iY132UZO3lSHW5i7FHsuvbrU7YgWPxYFQ8-toKTdXfldPXtfboulVYcKsYl5nhuIza0Z5wS-yNs0o-U9Vr2_VaDrqcC3SlLKMQmL5xv6wEBE5J2inUIe6WRiBfvEJXfIdeg/s1600/DSCF2129.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I printed this to put on the trunk as a shout-out to Professor Marvel, the fortune teller Dorothy visits at the beginning of the movie.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RD8Kw4cz3rdlTNkUbFn0Rv1_ngCsJS0VO9pAQmO96chDTCIDqGfkd2AZkgL8mSoJGEXGS7C91fdm_Ee-AQkte6AX0Jq0OHkJGKJa14R6AZMXfGmxAv_y3azEV08G2gCP5c0oUOTP2nE/s1600/DSCF2134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RD8Kw4cz3rdlTNkUbFn0Rv1_ngCsJS0VO9pAQmO96chDTCIDqGfkd2AZkgL8mSoJGEXGS7C91fdm_Ee-AQkte6AX0Jq0OHkJGKJa14R6AZMXfGmxAv_y3azEV08G2gCP5c0oUOTP2nE/s1600/DSCF2134.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEj6tvsqoraFfUb2CmVJmi_HqJcqD-U57hGJFwawmwnybv3R4Swic4M4ufqxlFYY0b5qqQcH-55wSROucHk2HSJUptqjOnF8YhoZ4BKi0KjdDJ6IF8wWcmaB58gBJr3oNN0oxDW3dIqmQ84/s1600/DSCF2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tvsqoraFfUb2CmVJmi_HqJcqD-U57hGJFwawmwnybv3R4Swic4M4ufqxlFYY0b5qqQcH-55wSROucHk2HSJUptqjOnF8YhoZ4BKi0KjdDJ6IF8wWcmaB58gBJr3oNN0oxDW3dIqmQ84/s1600/DSCF2135.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Yellow butcher paper.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBdBaQGsZDhDlwzcoFdGMxoLkA97gKIPBNL_d1nTn5KTT1k6ZRk0X4bUz42T3Y-j6eX7xA6rxgFaJmtKbqcd1y8BCdXfmN6vGHjxJP8tVLQq5raBN_OloMQh5Y-DyirwZTXxBzH8jpd4/s1600/DSCF2136.JPG" height="239" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sign on the restroom door. Pinterest idea!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBdBaQGsZDhDlwzcoFdGMxoLkA97gKIPBNL_d1nTn5KTT1k6ZRk0X4bUz42T3Y-j6eX7xA6rxgFaJmtKbqcd1y8BCdXfmN6vGHjxJP8tVLQq5raBN_OloMQh5Y-DyirwZTXxBzH8jpd4/s1600/DSCF2136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBv23ynGcjtb44hYmgLGxP9Q8_WlZBQIuBE4STrgtoQxLB6sL9HR2pvq__A32Z91ftEI38A78ikoVZ9OrBuJSX6LgEisDRRLencNsDwayQlk_dgTsb7-m8wYF4JII31wGistkoDv8dF4g/s1600/DSCF2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBv23ynGcjtb44hYmgLGxP9Q8_WlZBQIuBE4STrgtoQxLB6sL9HR2pvq__A32Z91ftEI38A78ikoVZ9OrBuJSX6LgEisDRRLencNsDwayQlk_dgTsb7-m8wYF4JII31wGistkoDv8dF4g/s1600/DSCF2132.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktNT1e8XGL4XQqUNuIwzrAVCOYIiClg23sisGuhdG3B-aEmT48zAU6oW2P2DO35BC09zCebHDXybe0ZdUBdFW-VH3bNn-czRq4Ux-Bjy9mgLvVnjOjandozc9KwRCK11umWxK2UPlIGY/s1600/DSCF2133.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also Pinterest! Kyle made these on Photoshop though, so I didn't have to make a REAL signpost!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktNT1e8XGL4XQqUNuIwzrAVCOYIiClg23sisGuhdG3B-aEmT48zAU6oW2P2DO35BC09zCebHDXybe0ZdUBdFW-VH3bNn-czRq4Ux-Bjy9mgLvVnjOjandozc9KwRCK11umWxK2UPlIGY/s1600/DSCF2133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEg1Z7kshy9_Z0ZsyuxOnaz6inSJ8PN9dEs0mJ8avZJtiQp2gA-CJKkQumDYt6HbxCYmdYlGUoSqyWgdj3waRT6Y2ihfmryKsBVgY-ltkRtGUG9sS9Vw0t0PhRxX_xh5q5Rc5ec1Mh-58OI/s1600/DSCF2130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Z7kshy9_Z0ZsyuxOnaz6inSJ8PN9dEs0mJ8avZJtiQp2gA-CJKkQumDYt6HbxCYmdYlGUoSqyWgdj3waRT6Y2ihfmryKsBVgY-ltkRtGUG9sS9Vw0t0PhRxX_xh5q5Rc5ec1Mh-58OI/s1600/DSCF2130.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So this is the scarecrow that sits outside our house in the fall. We usually stuff him with leaves, but I wasn't dragging leaves back to Portland. So, Kyle and I took walks with Audrey to campus and scooped up any Daily News issues of the campus newspaper we could find to stuff our scarecrow. It took a lot of newspapers!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEiU5vznw7uG_DHdezA4LM4JtSxqQZ2DuTB7BgW55beaQNhCCub7LjgmIA1MY08WdeccojsNXqcaJJT74xZdGLc43Him21ZRPwT6YIVxl1q2AXuFqVBKeSlTe8irsFpBhX1wEMHP7y9asiY/s1600/DSCF2131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5vznw7uG_DHdezA4LM4JtSxqQZ2DuTB7BgW55beaQNhCCub7LjgmIA1MY08WdeccojsNXqcaJJT74xZdGLc43Him21ZRPwT6YIVxl1q2AXuFqVBKeSlTe8irsFpBhX1wEMHP7y9asiY/s1600/DSCF2131.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I originally wanted to make the refrigerator an Emerald City, but we were conflicted about this because we figured we'd need to get things in and out of the refrigerator for the party. So, I think my mom came up with this idea. I had a poster board and extra streamers, so this worked perfectly!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEijsFc3RQmJBt4_B5tWB4xj-QTOwlZZMr2LerLhegu_FoX8w3qZioXi7IQX7uKMa6T9qNl8e2NoiifRf50O6BOaYmxJYS21CxtgGQavUB-2MnWqxBK1munMR0Q6QxfwjNqZmVInF6EpL14/s1600/DSCF2107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsFc3RQmJBt4_B5tWB4xj-QTOwlZZMr2LerLhegu_FoX8w3qZioXi7IQX7uKMa6T9qNl8e2NoiifRf50O6BOaYmxJYS21CxtgGQavUB-2MnWqxBK1munMR0Q6QxfwjNqZmVInF6EpL14/s1600/DSCF2107.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Some of the pots I made are on these tables and are hard to see. We had an awesome spread! And yes, we did give all the foods a <i>Wizard of Oz</i> name. Most of the names are similar to ones I found on Pinterest, although we did make quite a few up ourselves.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhhIrmFjKdx1A6ki_woTheP_qMbkT8YBQsczEsmfCsTLTwtS3bY9LAz288MZCwPRYguHOMmVz8xlmjPl4fOQhJmKDotOsnGjQlt3VPf2LEaKqCpGv6SFG7WNYCVIDyJDJhc3rzfSuy6Cwo/s1600/DSCF2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIrmFjKdx1A6ki_woTheP_qMbkT8YBQsczEsmfCsTLTwtS3bY9LAz288MZCwPRYguHOMmVz8xlmjPl4fOQhJmKDotOsnGjQlt3VPf2LEaKqCpGv6SFG7WNYCVIDyJDJhc3rzfSuy6Cwo/s1600/DSCF2108.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Brats. Kyle came up with the food name "If I Only Had a Brat". He was so proud of that fact and I'm pretty sure he told everyone at the party that he was responsible for this clever additive. It's better than the first one he came up with, which was "Meat Tornados". I vetoed that one because it sounded dumb.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEieIpzZbSJ6fPSGpnoQ_T86AcaOlOGVRQ-02-LoGgVZzOFDHlpJTEjOXXrccpN3hVfB0eXF84Fp5os9QVymXjLrt_QWNSdziy3Azuu91e4kNMx4lbTGG_ewIgut_7bAZRURRiYEecjzYeU/s1600/DSCF2109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIpzZbSJ6fPSGpnoQ_T86AcaOlOGVRQ-02-LoGgVZzOFDHlpJTEjOXXrccpN3hVfB0eXF84Fp5os9QVymXjLrt_QWNSdziy3Azuu91e4kNMx4lbTGG_ewIgut_7bAZRURRiYEecjzYeU/s1600/DSCF2109.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Totos (Hotdogs) in a Basket (Buns)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhAkBGrhtvfEv-9GhFcxV-8uMJDCMFDGvcSmYfHNK07BsIjfBn3R1r-w26W_cm-LF30aXgZtT8_6ZJZUoPMuybUho2GStydbi8HsYCjR1mGDah2hOCdaeTY2KFdeNnYWZAnExL3pPOTa1E/s1600/DSCF2110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkBGrhtvfEv-9GhFcxV-8uMJDCMFDGvcSmYfHNK07BsIjfBn3R1r-w26W_cm-LF30aXgZtT8_6ZJZUoPMuybUho2GStydbi8HsYCjR1mGDah2hOCdaeTY2KFdeNnYWZAnExL3pPOTa1E/s1600/DSCF2110.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mom made the "Yellow Brick Road Mac and Cheese", and Betsy made the "Emerald City Seven-Layer Salad". The pot at the back says, "Ding Dong! The witch is dead!" </b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEg_AO9jBefFArKid2CJbwo4h0E2OOMrFq9C-1V6-BfK3h6eFyYi-aJwoyfMwXmcYrUEuxtgph2V-aoTmB6BChOlnBDhyphenhyphen7Xw5vOMA1w4FX6rKroHvVHCiclcyu0nXr2hMkMqbL4mHeTZiPM/s1600/DSCF2111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AO9jBefFArKid2CJbwo4h0E2OOMrFq9C-1V6-BfK3h6eFyYi-aJwoyfMwXmcYrUEuxtgph2V-aoTmB6BChOlnBDhyphenhyphen7Xw5vOMA1w4FX6rKroHvVHCiclcyu0nXr2hMkMqbL4mHeTZiPM/s1600/DSCF2111.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>You can't really see the name here, but it's Mom's "Poppy Field Cheeseball". And the pot says, "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjlQ2NeK_ToCZaB_kvGuOMKWA47b4dUKUn_2xN0gzIWfwlbervTl5nug-uPH5ZngfGzYbSP_5Z4xO8xd86qFpI0flAdDrp1unY3JpjLM1PPRB8C3TJwAL6huu-uTLfQpIi8b1jvVplFXHQ/s1600/DSCF2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQ2NeK_ToCZaB_kvGuOMKWA47b4dUKUn_2xN0gzIWfwlbervTl5nug-uPH5ZngfGzYbSP_5Z4xO8xd86qFpI0flAdDrp1unY3JpjLM1PPRB8C3TJwAL6huu-uTLfQpIi8b1jvVplFXHQ/s1600/DSCF2112.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Michele brought the "Land of Oz Fruit Tray"</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhBnvejv2Tlyqw2E2xJE7bcDEA91q2O-e8m7Kx1UrazQjp5NSTBHbOPqfRmDKtM2QNS5kVMBI4iWg8gON2XaM_NzX-jgIh1BeAMZy1CGt7W9GF0n5SPj2DXG4dqBfwKZ4s6j_WeYzPnh9s/s1600/DSCF2113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnvejv2Tlyqw2E2xJE7bcDEA91q2O-e8m7Kx1UrazQjp5NSTBHbOPqfRmDKtM2QNS5kVMBI4iWg8gON2XaM_NzX-jgIh1BeAMZy1CGt7W9GF0n5SPj2DXG4dqBfwKZ4s6j_WeYzPnh9s/s1600/DSCF2113.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My grandma brought the "Gale Farms Vegetable Patch" (the veggie tray). Then also we have animal crackers and pumpkin dip.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhrSQ0h8qPrRdkdxReemCmtUCxA9uaotzPnKmmz4-_aRkNI2Yzx-svX5XFcQg6ebnwvNuR1hipuzPq8okMkImceK4oHeLjmTgyh-PfsmesRQNSJCLyXKqzmKp29gTj4VLRAmVapTk6poec/s1600/DSCF2114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSQ0h8qPrRdkdxReemCmtUCxA9uaotzPnKmmz4-_aRkNI2Yzx-svX5XFcQg6ebnwvNuR1hipuzPq8okMkImceK4oHeLjmTgyh-PfsmesRQNSJCLyXKqzmKp29gTj4VLRAmVapTk6poec/s1600/DSCF2114.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Tin Man Hats" (Hershey Kisses) and "Munchkinland Candy" (Skittles)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjSVNTf37IfGMrUu84ESv3en6stdM_-4t-SUvCohBjCwdz9R3qtdU7dmu3ZMJTwTc5IiU03TC4N7-vzCyQ8Sekih9OR2otZAe7cCBbJPVwWvS7SYXzH_-0w07oPualwFzz2xhzPng1IgLc/s1600/DSCF2138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVNTf37IfGMrUu84ESv3en6stdM_-4t-SUvCohBjCwdz9R3qtdU7dmu3ZMJTwTc5IiU03TC4N7-vzCyQ8Sekih9OR2otZAe7cCBbJPVwWvS7SYXzH_-0w07oPualwFzz2xhzPng1IgLc/s1600/DSCF2138.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Kyle bought this sign online for the party. Beside it is my iPod and speaker, which we used to play the movie soundtrack in the background.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></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/AVvXsEhOdjRilocSWncti12_zSeJ7OxVW_64eO1Pwp6MtLisSWeane9hxu73JlNixoshsP45YHnBJdcaHN2RqTrB5oNRH6YdkWLNmqrajEY7aDrh9l6hj7qoRT4WbwBIqhCWNWPwdm73n8ehUK8/s1600/DSCF2115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdjRilocSWncti12_zSeJ7OxVW_64eO1Pwp6MtLisSWeane9hxu73JlNixoshsP45YHnBJdcaHN2RqTrB5oNRH6YdkWLNmqrajEY7aDrh9l6hj7qoRT4WbwBIqhCWNWPwdm73n8ehUK8/s1600/DSCF2115.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The house that landed on the Wicked Witch of the East is really a set of shelves with black plastic tablecloths draped over them. I drew and cut out the windows and taped them on the house.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgZVSXL_0e1LXubBkpyjlxphXw5MpFetFCbWu9GDUyB8NWSKr84zPgFMi2va2g3EGk7ZR0wP18MNv4OAn8ltGCcGOroUEBfXOoEOEvHP0kIMxh20pFjNmf9WZ6alyQRwh-Ztmu9A1LKjzY/s1600/DSCF2116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVSXL_0e1LXubBkpyjlxphXw5MpFetFCbWu9GDUyB8NWSKr84zPgFMi2va2g3EGk7ZR0wP18MNv4OAn8ltGCcGOroUEBfXOoEOEvHP0kIMxh20pFjNmf9WZ6alyQRwh-Ztmu9A1LKjzY/s1600/DSCF2116.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So these are just regular knee-high white socks with black electrical tape for stripes. I already owned the shoes (idea from Pinterest). Kyle printed off the witch's death certificate from Google (my idea).</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEiJkVfbIoJ8_5YnZOdDzOtlIroolWT86K_NfmLM8sm7nmg4tn3Z5esYtuvV4zfSMwNKc5dDSeHG0sNdhQgn_4yvIoAZb9ZCukpGETxizv8c2cetGH-Jxv-h739a7PvNiMi3AJ8SIYGJ5u0/s1600/DSCF2117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkVfbIoJ8_5YnZOdDzOtlIroolWT86K_NfmLM8sm7nmg4tn3Z5esYtuvV4zfSMwNKc5dDSeHG0sNdhQgn_4yvIoAZb9ZCukpGETxizv8c2cetGH-Jxv-h739a7PvNiMi3AJ8SIYGJ5u0/s1600/DSCF2117.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Water and "Glinda the Good Witch Juice" (Pink Lemonade).</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgTpqsjvsPXfcz32jhzEGDkQ4Mx73q6rQ1md5h41ddapdoDfwtpSYcX9WRfCwHAii6yHfwc3HYjEzrq36Qg2584umc138oyIF2mqfjC6zETm9QNT1JN0puZDRaj3Vdn5AdnZMJbUaRMsCw/s1600/DSCF2118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpqsjvsPXfcz32jhzEGDkQ4Mx73q6rQ1md5h41ddapdoDfwtpSYcX9WRfCwHAii6yHfwc3HYjEzrq36Qg2584umc138oyIF2mqfjC6zETm9QNT1JN0puZDRaj3Vdn5AdnZMJbUaRMsCw/s1600/DSCF2118.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So this window frame was my idea! I think everyone said that it was one of the things they liked the most, which I was proud of. It's actually a window frame that came out of our house when we replaced windows five years ago, so it's super-old (1928). We've been keeping them in the garage, not really knowing yet what to do with them but wanting to do something...I actually thought I'd use it for a project at school, so I had already cleaned it off, distressed it, and had Kyle knock the glass out of it. I ended up bringing it along and taping blue and green paper on the back of it. I then drew a tornado in black marker. Then, Mom and I hung it. Easy peasy!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgzjyAeiPx2XXN5m5jcjdv1Q2X-XoEr69b8JeoBxVC73EtvERwKw4xmMwISqxYsNvQZjEhFgaV3hsAhhG36ACn5Vo7Okk-vFbvXWRZ_CUpUsOIxRsXRvstxb_z9NaoNYx28oIkwrWGebjU/s1600/DSCF2119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjyAeiPx2XXN5m5jcjdv1Q2X-XoEr69b8JeoBxVC73EtvERwKw4xmMwISqxYsNvQZjEhFgaV3hsAhhG36ACn5Vo7Okk-vFbvXWRZ_CUpUsOIxRsXRvstxb_z9NaoNYx28oIkwrWGebjU/s1600/DSCF2119.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I wanted something besides flowers in some of the pots, and Hobby Lobby was putting out some interesting Christmas decorations, so here's what I ended up with!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEfwmP6Bjsc-6tvCDtH4t-TKea1sz-_Td62xul6kUzd-QUk_inGOef9qTzREZwfYebhm6qwtuO3EBm-AHjh6xdLYMIkWhw2sNfgOqSM5F4s_voIC14jgI_uyukvgI2ycf0TC4MMR7WKA/s1600/DSCF2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEfwmP6Bjsc-6tvCDtH4t-TKea1sz-_Td62xul6kUzd-QUk_inGOef9qTzREZwfYebhm6qwtuO3EBm-AHjh6xdLYMIkWhw2sNfgOqSM5F4s_voIC14jgI_uyukvgI2ycf0TC4MMR7WKA/s1600/DSCF2120.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgEcP02t5K84zoQZ_u0u6JX37OokYG6WrNBxq8gpOqkGdjzb5X8op3qFAIDUbif3s4wY7BYhk1jedGl2UGhjjPKlUlgBaqP4glDaMzT0mgrdHUcB-4codbKPHZe4a-8VLPh9w0TRyga438/s1600/DSCF2121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcP02t5K84zoQZ_u0u6JX37OokYG6WrNBxq8gpOqkGdjzb5X8op3qFAIDUbif3s4wY7BYhk1jedGl2UGhjjPKlUlgBaqP4glDaMzT0mgrdHUcB-4codbKPHZe4a-8VLPh9w0TRyga438/s1600/DSCF2121.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This is the Wicked Witch of the West puddle. My sister cut out the puddle from green paper and we taped it down. We stuffed her hat with newspaper and just set it on top. I was afraid people wouldn't know what it was, so I wrote a quote from the witch on the puddle. It says, "You cursed brat, look what you've done! I'm melting, melting!"</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjcn7o6xvxKs7zyiVfGQqeHYzTST9Pox9Bu3rU_E1d-zTgvcg2Xu8vt814iiSb1XIIuvLPdV9GWbxYYI5_0z-D2tuGpCv7dfqjNbgrzYxFjf_QMbOzj-JD5FlUo4v7ov-BX-QyZb4VICfo/s1600/DSCF2139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn7o6xvxKs7zyiVfGQqeHYzTST9Pox9Bu3rU_E1d-zTgvcg2Xu8vt814iiSb1XIIuvLPdV9GWbxYYI5_0z-D2tuGpCv7dfqjNbgrzYxFjf_QMbOzj-JD5FlUo4v7ov-BX-QyZb4VICfo/s1600/DSCF2139.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Kyle also purchased these McDonald's toys online for a couple of bucks. The complete set came with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda. All of them came with a piece of Yellow Brick Road that hook together in a long chain. We ended up using them as centerpieces. Now I have them at school in my room because they are just so gosh darn cute!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEilEraVpazcMlWvxheHEJTQuX_k2k-IHQS1moM5ZpxHWMIQ-xsFgytvvnxqlD2KGKLx7vA70h2tiRf7K0kH8ooHO66lCF0R6VlUDejFzsD6YNwDx9MkBBMqAoMff9hsPo53jJz6A9WuBSM/s1600/DSCF2140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEraVpazcMlWvxheHEJTQuX_k2k-IHQS1moM5ZpxHWMIQ-xsFgytvvnxqlD2KGKLx7vA70h2tiRf7K0kH8ooHO66lCF0R6VlUDejFzsD6YNwDx9MkBBMqAoMff9hsPo53jJz6A9WuBSM/s1600/DSCF2140.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Baby food jars that were also recycled from my wedding. These are filled with Skittles and also used as centerpieces. I'm pretty sure I saw a similar idea on Pinterest, so I won't take credit for that one.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjwuOo4GI0zmKejuNLvn_A4V0eUYtbC8SwOoH32DKRDyey5CK2ETFXyPclhXqMxwXsY3k_Y21XCBQmw_DeV8eAcH4bZJi2qj1eK4gC0C5IkTfnTqcJz9mRD1sRP_4aiYP7A44X3RMv8w4o/s1600/DSCF2141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuOo4GI0zmKejuNLvn_A4V0eUYtbC8SwOoH32DKRDyey5CK2ETFXyPclhXqMxwXsY3k_Y21XCBQmw_DeV8eAcH4bZJi2qj1eK4gC0C5IkTfnTqcJz9mRD1sRP_4aiYP7A44X3RMv8w4o/s1600/DSCF2141.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Also found this on Pinterest. I bought some ribbon with rainbow dots on them, cut them to be about the same length, and Mom taped them on with purple masking tape. Mom also happened to have a Lion bib put away somewhere, so that was just perfect!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjUra82hfcn3BFaGdFNkbPwcgze90j4F-uUdqmAGCVBXuLWHXOXw9__x5RVuYCxAEKM_waenNTNzs26Eyds-AoraW3yxs3YFjJ-DKL7yxiMSOb4rNUUCuqilyLkxSNSNlTVmqiYJI_0LcM/s1600/DSCF2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUra82hfcn3BFaGdFNkbPwcgze90j4F-uUdqmAGCVBXuLWHXOXw9__x5RVuYCxAEKM_waenNTNzs26Eyds-AoraW3yxs3YFjJ-DKL7yxiMSOb4rNUUCuqilyLkxSNSNlTVmqiYJI_0LcM/s1600/DSCF2142.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Over the Rainbow" cupcakes that I made (funfetti with vanilla icing and sprinkles). I finally got a reason to use my Pampered Chef cupcake stand! We also had Melting Wicked Witch ice cream (mint chocolate chip), which is Audrey and Kyle's favorite!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhCw2GEpLUHb3-dpG1cAxTMtjaP4otaQhXAaEnyP-neWtvzrv0BmZP2id_78BaEt2jBOtc-rYkYR1xd6xnK5SCnD1lY6g9nKOKftXt4Estat_21Dn2Q0Pekf1EJ4jPX7BRTvU2mFNrlRkk/s1600/DSCF2103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCw2GEpLUHb3-dpG1cAxTMtjaP4otaQhXAaEnyP-neWtvzrv0BmZP2id_78BaEt2jBOtc-rYkYR1xd6xnK5SCnD1lY6g9nKOKftXt4Estat_21Dn2Q0Pekf1EJ4jPX7BRTvU2mFNrlRkk/s1600/DSCF2103.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Finally, the best part, Audrey dressed up as Dorothy. I found the tutu and bow at Once Upon a Child in Muncie and bought Audrey some new onesies to wear. Mom found the shoes on clearance at Walmart...and they were the perfect fit! The shoes were the most darling thing, and Audrey actually kept them on! I think she just liked to look at them occasionally...</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgx7ayrh-IvywXbf2EtXPdN3ROi4Z6iTslswf623tdN-EcykVfkQ-jR9EALqA7QeXwIL4Ykj9q55dNJmhgP3eCIpcwpGkEjMEGyjXKk2RtWoi6cUKg0lb4JXJDXE1rK7o_Cfz9_U_nkHrY/s1600/DSCF2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7ayrh-IvywXbf2EtXPdN3ROi4Z6iTslswf623tdN-EcykVfkQ-jR9EALqA7QeXwIL4Ykj9q55dNJmhgP3eCIpcwpGkEjMEGyjXKk2RtWoi6cUKg0lb4JXJDXE1rK7o_Cfz9_U_nkHrY/s1600/DSCF2104.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My brother-in-law Matt and my nephew Calvin</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xjbAEh4FMogXl7yqFxtPHt_q32Q4SwELCauXlqbcdtFK_0DD0AwwuarnCb70dPsRLO0W2xWiD2Jks4PiQ-Hagnt_GcjEl4p0qwBtlG6euna9V7iT57rK7xFfl_INOyrGS0ys7T9ptXQ/s1600/DSCF2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xjbAEh4FMogXl7yqFxtPHt_q32Q4SwELCauXlqbcdtFK_0DD0AwwuarnCb70dPsRLO0W2xWiD2Jks4PiQ-Hagnt_GcjEl4p0qwBtlG6euna9V7iT57rK7xFfl_INOyrGS0ys7T9ptXQ/s1600/DSCF2105.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhLWYW-7pKbRxPbfUB7KHcwe19riegCJX9PReaIEJtr_Gyw6iYAYyvt_RtbyLfCRFuGnB7kdOfqun03IUqFCv5nzeH-JaTf2wVhwXiVQS6UdPXzis6_SZv6SVYWWNpUBRreZ3WWSLFWzDY/s1600/DSCF2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWYW-7pKbRxPbfUB7KHcwe19riegCJX9PReaIEJtr_Gyw6iYAYyvt_RtbyLfCRFuGnB7kdOfqun03IUqFCv5nzeH-JaTf2wVhwXiVQS6UdPXzis6_SZv6SVYWWNpUBRreZ3WWSLFWzDY/s1600/DSCF2106.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Calvin has "ruby slippers" on, too!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_12cEshaMkHgG8ybvFZYi1nowUi3Xl9wrBOwhqCjzvyZTYm0-Dh3rs6Jg6OKd9z_GAWV3MK9Rc7niaSmFO4NRUN2sp2Oo7JBWFWgjcrTC8Jm0hSSWj_qgxUgW5JJGcfbYCNOLS5iCH4/s1600/DSCF2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_12cEshaMkHgG8ybvFZYi1nowUi3Xl9wrBOwhqCjzvyZTYm0-Dh3rs6Jg6OKd9z_GAWV3MK9Rc7niaSmFO4NRUN2sp2Oo7JBWFWgjcrTC8Jm0hSSWj_qgxUgW5JJGcfbYCNOLS5iCH4/s1600/DSCF2144.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey loved playing with the extra balloons that were laying around the garage.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgjY0OajfEYmYlkqnl8a0wvMr6fk_gymVnAJO80Gv0EN1Ep_LzTeB2itUG7RxyLF1qdCvAbPr7VhZ90ZLiVfsPmad8939xShnUSYMEu2GSLZ9Lt8OTdLOapvNEo8yw_cKl5GAWogMg64/s1600/DSCF2145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgjY0OajfEYmYlkqnl8a0wvMr6fk_gymVnAJO80Gv0EN1Ep_LzTeB2itUG7RxyLF1qdCvAbPr7VhZ90ZLiVfsPmad8939xShnUSYMEu2GSLZ9Lt8OTdLOapvNEo8yw_cKl5GAWogMg64/s1600/DSCF2145.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8XCBEmU5JLN80uNHfL27VHGI_hie-lEbHmkOR510Rz6l7owAUl5bauH2S_Q30mWCWEKRjndmzxak-TovFI6sEjSRGAZoY6bFmySz7eHUMBvrVp61Ung4D1Hzfudr6ajywlopGDC1D3o/s1600/DSCF2146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8XCBEmU5JLN80uNHfL27VHGI_hie-lEbHmkOR510Rz6l7owAUl5bauH2S_Q30mWCWEKRjndmzxak-TovFI6sEjSRGAZoY6bFmySz7eHUMBvrVp61Ung4D1Hzfudr6ajywlopGDC1D3o/s1600/DSCF2146.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM145AQo-oSx5nB_WvngXIReqEvzEeW_NABGNvVBNa10Y4ppYOUPSe42HM-5WHhvGCXOHXAFGr8xsRFZhfPnLgFTujsTqV3sHdsImBQT3IQdIPR7Qrw9_g8HRgPbr-gJ8TEOQUDn4_Hg/s1600/DSCF2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM145AQo-oSx5nB_WvngXIReqEvzEeW_NABGNvVBNa10Y4ppYOUPSe42HM-5WHhvGCXOHXAFGr8xsRFZhfPnLgFTujsTqV3sHdsImBQT3IQdIPR7Qrw9_g8HRgPbr-gJ8TEOQUDn4_Hg/s1600/DSCF2147.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy50fREKg_33R6_q4zu0KgvYQOApr09Z61b1xwFp-suOWGLrDQieuYY0XOP-mgHFNGDFrwvNu2sd11pytkvJ-lMh8HLxx-5DIvWX2C9Yby45IlaG3gmq6Nx-C1ZqYo-Lz5g4-zUtu-mYQ/s1600/DSCF2148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy50fREKg_33R6_q4zu0KgvYQOApr09Z61b1xwFp-suOWGLrDQieuYY0XOP-mgHFNGDFrwvNu2sd11pytkvJ-lMh8HLxx-5DIvWX2C9Yby45IlaG3gmq6Nx-C1ZqYo-Lz5g4-zUtu-mYQ/s1600/DSCF2148.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEh7dAkWUZJLs-2idPU9G7Qu7N5ixZUVapWFfsazkDSYYA1Yr8Jz8RF2uK9XpFgopPQxv0HEUGbzuK7zCAhOcqDMoQAKAZifah8nH7-XGfe_iFPAzGLOcCJ2V0UsoDnHnZ7udc4U-sIwhY0/s1600/DSCF2149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dAkWUZJLs-2idPU9G7Qu7N5ixZUVapWFfsazkDSYYA1Yr8Jz8RF2uK9XpFgopPQxv0HEUGbzuK7zCAhOcqDMoQAKAZifah8nH7-XGfe_iFPAzGLOcCJ2V0UsoDnHnZ7udc4U-sIwhY0/s1600/DSCF2149.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey did so well with presents. I guess I didn't realize it, but Kyle said it took about half an hour to open all of them, and Audrey just sat in my lap patiently while we opened them. By the time we got to the last few presents, she got the concept of ripping the wrapping paper off. She did NOT like to slow down to look at the clothes when she opened those, though...she liked opening toys a lot better :)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ55L5i_gIFV0cGsiLF2QpEUX0T_qfxSInJczgjonxD2o8PJ97GSO4ij3Sl_yEzIVUfSRErXXzA6pVM2BxzW23UIAVSvEtECz-jYM6Ql9oOKe5i_dMMdZu6Wc4o2JRLTyc61LojRtMOw/s1600/DSCF2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ55L5i_gIFV0cGsiLF2QpEUX0T_qfxSInJczgjonxD2o8PJ97GSO4ij3Sl_yEzIVUfSRErXXzA6pVM2BxzW23UIAVSvEtECz-jYM6Ql9oOKe5i_dMMdZu6Wc4o2JRLTyc61LojRtMOw/s1600/DSCF2150.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzbVZyHFsB5pSnGJYHJyYcHfQBmjSXkq1ki1Jn6W8LjMk7BnDshJXuPRqvP5cCn-GHMJ3fiWPyzMfjOBbb9ZkfEmGUzXMss4Pmgz5rd-WzQCsGxhsFBarD6vChBjmRMp5TAZLox3xZ-Y/s1600/DSCF2151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzbVZyHFsB5pSnGJYHJyYcHfQBmjSXkq1ki1Jn6W8LjMk7BnDshJXuPRqvP5cCn-GHMJ3fiWPyzMfjOBbb9ZkfEmGUzXMss4Pmgz5rd-WzQCsGxhsFBarD6vChBjmRMp5TAZLox3xZ-Y/s1600/DSCF2151.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoybBwUSkvfSkeFDNl8ok1_VGCjqAFurV96tyBroRKeE9SodRgQUtCsOsPNN8Cj3XtOyIex5swOMUKVf0Lr2gRal-RsIiPHXEmSiIgJrIHDIKi0O1-Zz4nwtbhZVRt5A24RMCTzWJ9JWY/s1600/DSCF2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoybBwUSkvfSkeFDNl8ok1_VGCjqAFurV96tyBroRKeE9SodRgQUtCsOsPNN8Cj3XtOyIex5swOMUKVf0Lr2gRal-RsIiPHXEmSiIgJrIHDIKi0O1-Zz4nwtbhZVRt5A24RMCTzWJ9JWY/s1600/DSCF2152.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO8XsOmUvxVu5xZF79zWVSXOZz7jk3t2IvUswH8D4slhnvcBu86heKjlZ1jhFnAvH-znWlYotU4HOcEz2-Ksc6zLV4lb8c9LkX5WDOD_qfdF781f3B07O8CH2y4qDTBauzPTKxkJOPRU/s1600/DSCF2154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO8XsOmUvxVu5xZF79zWVSXOZz7jk3t2IvUswH8D4slhnvcBu86heKjlZ1jhFnAvH-znWlYotU4HOcEz2-Ksc6zLV4lb8c9LkX5WDOD_qfdF781f3B07O8CH2y4qDTBauzPTKxkJOPRU/s1600/DSCF2154.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEehr9wUiNsAw3CpKUXyuN0NAuMgZsSQLkYVxAESSa7Sil6wNR9H3SBlvm09V2JPBWzHDmFd7bWOuJ0vqdHM0o_8oi_9YDfKKn4BvMhNr9rGAkxqxQodbnsd7es939jQlpJxtGUt-hlU/s1600/DSCF2160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEehr9wUiNsAw3CpKUXyuN0NAuMgZsSQLkYVxAESSa7Sil6wNR9H3SBlvm09V2JPBWzHDmFd7bWOuJ0vqdHM0o_8oi_9YDfKKn4BvMhNr9rGAkxqxQodbnsd7es939jQlpJxtGUt-hlU/s1600/DSCF2160.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBYR5TEa6HVytxXivSNESbE9Nx9C7cJxML2hRY1a0zWISHguTUef0Xp-6t_km68jpGayuGZoD_e8od3CyJuYxwGJryyN1GdcoYAS87x0lDsHXkhx5exSzKxl1LuiSo8CKLhuQbNH8x28/s1600/DSCF2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBYR5TEa6HVytxXivSNESbE9Nx9C7cJxML2hRY1a0zWISHguTUef0Xp-6t_km68jpGayuGZoD_e8od3CyJuYxwGJryyN1GdcoYAS87x0lDsHXkhx5exSzKxl1LuiSo8CKLhuQbNH8x28/s1600/DSCF2162.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEjpvChgfNlhKRi6CgHQ1B72afvG4d46vNADz9Ax-rsW84mmeqmqgY1y0cJ66jFawGDpfehyIvImteLM1cJXz_mpUMWkwnToopJhaIn6ak1WdnzT0U5zUt_ENUp-FoqHGY_HRRLePV0U/s1600/DSCF2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEjpvChgfNlhKRi6CgHQ1B72afvG4d46vNADz9Ax-rsW84mmeqmqgY1y0cJ66jFawGDpfehyIvImteLM1cJXz_mpUMWkwnToopJhaIn6ak1WdnzT0U5zUt_ENUp-FoqHGY_HRRLePV0U/s1600/DSCF2167.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<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/AVvXsEi7mGM8fZ18ksgsmgzmDkzGttXuinQE1vMTwpGYl2ibLqwgQ9rZE79j-qdZh7wuYxZIe6s61E-ykmLc0bhs5_XAaJoIDc0WTN7ozHb3kJ2M-77KMQ-oTGaqj5kA_22i714zO5t5tAzbC-M/s1600/DSCF2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mGM8fZ18ksgsmgzmDkzGttXuinQE1vMTwpGYl2ibLqwgQ9rZE79j-qdZh7wuYxZIe6s61E-ykmLc0bhs5_XAaJoIDc0WTN7ozHb3kJ2M-77KMQ-oTGaqj5kA_22i714zO5t5tAzbC-M/s1600/DSCF2170.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>There are tons more pictures of us opening presents, but these are some of the better ones.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEia3pWs6HNf4cA0Sybk7vx0kEc-gZBafzOV1nrYWbA13ibvcKHaAXAAc0G9pMY-tPT3T7VfxoYa6LeJ6I5RW0uL3H1-mFB_cq1I_ukbrg1TYkMOzTrk6Ug-bwWxqzfClACQL6QMBXPRgkg/s1600/DSCF2171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3pWs6HNf4cA0Sybk7vx0kEc-gZBafzOV1nrYWbA13ibvcKHaAXAAc0G9pMY-tPT3T7VfxoYa6LeJ6I5RW0uL3H1-mFB_cq1I_ukbrg1TYkMOzTrk6Ug-bwWxqzfClACQL6QMBXPRgkg/s1600/DSCF2171.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey also got some big presents! This rocking horse was made by hand by Kyle's grandpa! How cool is that! Audrey didn't really know what to make of the horse, but she thought he was interesting and sat on him.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK6sVmun-poj_xzdEuV0VBBHXv1Ozlfjrx2RCoHUcUlqc0NlWTB6Kqr_W5K3W5rDgXwsUJakvqzGxe5X3FwrJHerLHbR5l3aJPIFhC7gWjevttTBmT5BHhsnwB3OObES0ZpQRxNZtdP4/s1600/DSCF2173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK6sVmun-poj_xzdEuV0VBBHXv1Ozlfjrx2RCoHUcUlqc0NlWTB6Kqr_W5K3W5rDgXwsUJakvqzGxe5X3FwrJHerLHbR5l3aJPIFhC7gWjevttTBmT5BHhsnwB3OObES0ZpQRxNZtdP4/s1600/DSCF2173.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEht1ZS9ZA5sPEkQ9QepfxK6ItyJ44_ViqTX5fSagFSUQAz3Arudj6pMikKvOF3YPHcqi1xK96oULPfksUdocYDyWD0qyFeKZAhAI1S7ERgoLfmXFpmBkLIqAw71T2W8EoQiGmngYUNMios/s1600/DSCF2172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1ZS9ZA5sPEkQ9QepfxK6ItyJ44_ViqTX5fSagFSUQAz3Arudj6pMikKvOF3YPHcqi1xK96oULPfksUdocYDyWD0qyFeKZAhAI1S7ERgoLfmXFpmBkLIqAw71T2W8EoQiGmngYUNMios/s1600/DSCF2172.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My parents got Audrey a kitchen set to go with her play food. We actually just got this up at our house a week later (we couldn't bring everything back at once...it didn't fit in the car!). She loves to open and shut everything and turn on the grill.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FMgDEScF-qcAi9a5dICqrhel3KXE63Hv9Gw2u_HznhNjZpViXwH7F4nweRejvnAb4pmPdGq9yOYqBuyFOHzK2KbELJ_FfkXvwcIbjDDQ2t93H9rpBrBvDrNwq8WuJ0tNbgo4WNqSQiM/s1600/DSCF2176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FMgDEScF-qcAi9a5dICqrhel3KXE63Hv9Gw2u_HznhNjZpViXwH7F4nweRejvnAb4pmPdGq9yOYqBuyFOHzK2KbELJ_FfkXvwcIbjDDQ2t93H9rpBrBvDrNwq8WuJ0tNbgo4WNqSQiM/s1600/DSCF2176.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgzWxTA56O0DfOvFmf28vpCzV7gRiSqC3iiWXrvRCpitLa8JVJg9WVbIZeAm-UbcjosYOaAoe3w7LY3iXDcHUOFR0sVbzdkGMXW4iZ4WFaa7et-6yeLYvoUP-5wUIKJjtKWwwHZOl9L10g/s1600/DSCF2174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWxTA56O0DfOvFmf28vpCzV7gRiSqC3iiWXrvRCpitLa8JVJg9WVbIZeAm-UbcjosYOaAoe3w7LY3iXDcHUOFR0sVbzdkGMXW4iZ4WFaa7et-6yeLYvoUP-5wUIKJjtKWwwHZOl9L10g/s1600/DSCF2174.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>One thing Audrey also found interesting was the trash from the presents :)</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WI8QH7roBfCbOQ8rfh6uEVj_U6bV4fhOqxr0StISUwVhSbD02N-z8V4mWfxhWnEn-r0bEJmcXSEqLgf1fhm0mZ3hyphenhyphenkjk_KOhRxMWNoYDmJJ2NB4_WPPdry_AMLOrGVydJj2G8ikUn7Y/s1600/DSCF2175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WI8QH7roBfCbOQ8rfh6uEVj_U6bV4fhOqxr0StISUwVhSbD02N-z8V4mWfxhWnEn-r0bEJmcXSEqLgf1fhm0mZ3hyphenhyphenkjk_KOhRxMWNoYDmJJ2NB4_WPPdry_AMLOrGVydJj2G8ikUn7Y/s1600/DSCF2175.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEiBLtgml13I7Xi2jLO47j6xOY2W6zyykwNNWP-VDWODZiOQlI-ufRo-neEyoPvGccNnvLsjVLWT6hFOHvf9jcNqcQ95IXehrYpehs8gXPx6RGOHOksAeJuYKvjAPCLBzuwfW91b1I7lAjk/s1600/DSCF2185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLtgml13I7Xi2jLO47j6xOY2W6zyykwNNWP-VDWODZiOQlI-ufRo-neEyoPvGccNnvLsjVLWT6hFOHvf9jcNqcQ95IXehrYpehs8gXPx6RGOHOksAeJuYKvjAPCLBzuwfW91b1I7lAjk/s1600/DSCF2185.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After we had cupcakes, Kyle and his parents put together the wagon Gary and Michele got Audrey. She LOVES riding in this!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjBCm9hKri97K1EwpgHGXCFE2aY8a69V3E6m1pTluOt6OgzaGQTW_QhIWn6Zo9Re_UY_W529iloDeBJNsPSB8xVk-1qdsWSx4OUYiCLKbl6L0Q8RyyR05MCYAeZUhmhLyXw8hykgzMEc/s1600/DSCF2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjBCm9hKri97K1EwpgHGXCFE2aY8a69V3E6m1pTluOt6OgzaGQTW_QhIWn6Zo9Re_UY_W529iloDeBJNsPSB8xVk-1qdsWSx4OUYiCLKbl6L0Q8RyyR05MCYAeZUhmhLyXw8hykgzMEc/s1600/DSCF2184.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEhSn5yrqqDhtkYRD_DAVHdTG3TDulbxaZcCaIHR9HpI0WqHfK-BhslvNXSFt1gWMQpGyPsJwyT1ZGnobZ6E443LyA8KmrBMpWGOmDAFTby5hBzwQ9QkgSAsyIIJvfERU84K2EEVdKQ3Czw/s1600/DSCF2177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSn5yrqqDhtkYRD_DAVHdTG3TDulbxaZcCaIHR9HpI0WqHfK-BhslvNXSFt1gWMQpGyPsJwyT1ZGnobZ6E443LyA8KmrBMpWGOmDAFTby5hBzwQ9QkgSAsyIIJvfERU84K2EEVdKQ3Czw/s1600/DSCF2177.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cake time! Audrey SMASHED her cupcake into her face with no hesitation. It's like her whole life had been leading up to that single moment. I'm glad I had the video camera ready, otherwise I could have easily missed the smash!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeS-ocJxaNceSH60yC7KAUWyz15eSMWFORO6Nyrw_KC2W90LCSJqb_MOZGfK7BSh1-QPRULVwFWkRuAx1_Zv8o3J_3-2C0ja1Csn1BYQ9mvGasRklE45A8CaeN_EyWilAHVtqHXQQgVg/s1600/DSCF2178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeS-ocJxaNceSH60yC7KAUWyz15eSMWFORO6Nyrw_KC2W90LCSJqb_MOZGfK7BSh1-QPRULVwFWkRuAx1_Zv8o3J_3-2C0ja1Csn1BYQ9mvGasRklE45A8CaeN_EyWilAHVtqHXQQgVg/s1600/DSCF2178.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>We let her get as messy as she wanted! I also put her ice cream directly on her tray and she loved trying to hold the ice cream. Audrey had cake and ice cream in her hair, on her face, on her belly, and on her legs!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssQ8A3Ssvk0Y3cKFXrFd-Zs8RIoRSx7tnmCjdO5XITXvM3gGKrR9KpPSMkmHgwRque_0DtIdwfC2vZEA-okOgXGxsEOGxSpe_5Simxe7Aec-F0e0KqUN0PuryPYv4-OjTFqAbMIaR3lE/s1600/DSCF2182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssQ8A3Ssvk0Y3cKFXrFd-Zs8RIoRSx7tnmCjdO5XITXvM3gGKrR9KpPSMkmHgwRque_0DtIdwfC2vZEA-okOgXGxsEOGxSpe_5Simxe7Aec-F0e0KqUN0PuryPYv4-OjTFqAbMIaR3lE/s1600/DSCF2182.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before we put her in the bath, we let the puppy lick the icing off her legs and belly. Audrey thought that was pretty cool!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwv12ZBAt2JdsuAbaIZXsOy2MBzpsRZcEfrTDnm9cJt2l5tRpr3gtFdkATvUcoML6nX8kopG0UJfvs0ScTZr1Mze-zLl-8j7nuI0Yo-Mqje26mYCOGSb8JdVr_sULzORzlfI1Wq1EAiY/s1600/DSCF2183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwv12ZBAt2JdsuAbaIZXsOy2MBzpsRZcEfrTDnm9cJt2l5tRpr3gtFdkATvUcoML6nX8kopG0UJfvs0ScTZr1Mze-zLl-8j7nuI0Yo-Mqje26mYCOGSb8JdVr_sULzORzlfI1Wq1EAiY/s1600/DSCF2183.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>She also thought it tickled when he licked her foot, so she might have kicked the dog in the head...</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I also tried to get pictures of Audrey with everyone who was there, but somehow I didn't get one of her with my sister or brother-in-law and my mom never jumped into one, either. Also my brother, Nick, and his girlfriend, Janelle. But we got most everyone else!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEjAsBrginnpp14jLE27Ae0B9WdKutWFeO-yKDu0nYS38SvKcTVtTD7EzfJqPygVmw67GfOnFRGkk8Vk2G5omTnBysjbQh6cB7bLP2aC9ZRPMsSdVBgmnKPAroQoEz-24G0HieGzuStEmos/s1600/DSCF2180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsBrginnpp14jLE27Ae0B9WdKutWFeO-yKDu0nYS38SvKcTVtTD7EzfJqPygVmw67GfOnFRGkk8Vk2G5omTnBysjbQh6cB7bLP2aC9ZRPMsSdVBgmnKPAroQoEz-24G0HieGzuStEmos/s1600/DSCF2180.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My cousin Hilary came!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEj803wxidSDDKrOSxmYZUzcq6-hd-A-xber5Bj1wbP7P6WNLUkCa-m1urpNxB3FWIysarFcoMx_-I52ImKqtf-ftKetWWa4lN6FkTSgCHlye7Ksw4OYcHkHjQjRhAwPihJhb8IasS8PP7A/s1600/DSCF2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj803wxidSDDKrOSxmYZUzcq6-hd-A-xber5Bj1wbP7P6WNLUkCa-m1urpNxB3FWIysarFcoMx_-I52ImKqtf-ftKetWWa4lN6FkTSgCHlye7Ksw4OYcHkHjQjRhAwPihJhb8IasS8PP7A/s1600/DSCF2190.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Knittle</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgk5YjJllDBqTXwivZr2y2NQANiVC7c2ZKrrng9qRO7C5eNS5Itme58SR8I6DisSlP-A__fHj_UzMDkA2ty0R4yA6FrtZAYgGEqYRJzrjhy7Fy4GAAvSuOtA4oIWS_AWz_9uNugWqxbfvs/s1600/DSCF2191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5YjJllDBqTXwivZr2y2NQANiVC7c2ZKrrng9qRO7C5eNS5Itme58SR8I6DisSlP-A__fHj_UzMDkA2ty0R4yA6FrtZAYgGEqYRJzrjhy7Fy4GAAvSuOtA4oIWS_AWz_9uNugWqxbfvs/s1600/DSCF2191.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audrey with Daddy, Grandpa Byard, and Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Byard</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<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/AVvXsEgooTRLP6WKPkwaA_MPMelxicmP6CO3epSVum83lTu235ceTp87G0t_0K7VAoDqDai-vEHICcjGbQ-gCRvQB5slteVciCObxVXCOYGrEbbKfT16SsyiqOOUIPwJyWT3opkB7Am2CHd3IKc/s1600/DSCF2193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooTRLP6WKPkwaA_MPMelxicmP6CO3epSVum83lTu235ceTp87G0t_0K7VAoDqDai-vEHICcjGbQ-gCRvQB5slteVciCObxVXCOYGrEbbKfT16SsyiqOOUIPwJyWT3opkB7Am2CHd3IKc/s1600/DSCF2193.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Great Grandparents, Mommy, Audrey, and Grandpa Knittle</b></span></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/AVvXsEjYVmCW9EwyzdzWbgYUUBWktBHFSLBbgUjEr5uHfbwdMLC2i1I6h9SbCc6FHF7CDFFVFFJkC-DaSI-XfykH3FAuUjuuM2AKrkN8LQSky4PzQKXkIdE4vPaqMFYzRJ02AO40ds2WjbnyBD4/s1600/DSCF2195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVmCW9EwyzdzWbgYUUBWktBHFSLBbgUjEr5uHfbwdMLC2i1I6h9SbCc6FHF7CDFFVFFJkC-DaSI-XfykH3FAuUjuuM2AKrkN8LQSky4PzQKXkIdE4vPaqMFYzRJ02AO40ds2WjbnyBD4/s1600/DSCF2195.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></b></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Grandma and Grandpa Byard</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Not able to come but there in spirit were my aunt and uncle Brett and Teresa who live in Oklahoma and Kyle's other grandma who had a class reunion in Michigan on the same day. Also Uncle Jacob, Aunt Kelsey, and Brian.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Overall, Audrey was a great sport! I thought she'd crash after the party was over and we were taking things down, but she didn't. She stayed up super late and slept hard until the next morning. She was pooped, and so were we! Thanks to everyone who helped put the party together and also traveled from further away. This was probably my favorite birthday to date, and it wasn't even mine :)</b></span><br />
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-45923371900630255912014-09-27T18:50:00.001-04:002014-09-27T18:51:40.710-04:00Audrey is ONE!<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In our family, we always go out to eat for our birthdays. The birthday person gets to choose the restaurant, and usually we go on the weekend closest to the birthday instead of the actual day. Since our Audrey turned the big ONE YEAR OLD on September 14th (a Sunday), we decided to go out the Friday before her birthday after we got home from school. Since little Audrey wasn't able to let us know which restaurant she preferred, we chose for her based on her favorite types of food. So that led us to go to IHOP, since Audrey LOVES breakfast (especially, especially, oh especially breakfast sausage...that girl will sob if sausage is taken away from her). </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some pictures documenting our time there:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEhJ7RHGkUJJga2104cPac0k_cjsec-8Uqix1r8JOh5WieE6KGju5yQX1n_X9pPYCebHOHb4ipaKQd67bUE6ZGGbidPoiW6lAA1gt3KTSnfj70CieQ102RO1Rnz8A8pUGZzjiPW6bZ05vAA/s1600/DSCF2098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7RHGkUJJga2104cPac0k_cjsec-8Uqix1r8JOh5WieE6KGju5yQX1n_X9pPYCebHOHb4ipaKQd67bUE6ZGGbidPoiW6lAA1gt3KTSnfj70CieQ102RO1Rnz8A8pUGZzjiPW6bZ05vAA/s1600/DSCF2098.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kyle drawing some pictures to show Audrey on the back of his placemat</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEjX1Xjk7qOV3Ne8yfTIXGbCBMKYS8mdQouzx8bMCHNnlhfvkyB2yUgQdjVlaiA2Qj_RzRJdRBXw_092MS_zYFQON-X2sxD5xiRqgUaewq2eeVIPUNpAC4lNEhZEAh9X3aVkxGchEsNP6G0/s1600/DSCF2099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Xjk7qOV3Ne8yfTIXGbCBMKYS8mdQouzx8bMCHNnlhfvkyB2yUgQdjVlaiA2Qj_RzRJdRBXw_092MS_zYFQON-X2sxD5xiRqgUaewq2eeVIPUNpAC4lNEhZEAh9X3aVkxGchEsNP6G0/s1600/DSCF2099.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Patiently waiting to order our food</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEifNhOj0K8sn5rtZKQOFJK0p71QFQsghRimyo5Kxz7j_95ea2rqOAa_E5kuqT10SqcSVFfvf31gufkJqJY4mEHff6hwi0OOFcXOuSmt2PbNIUqEE6vh5c8Te-4Z2Xd7OQtnVlFdTcARV64/s1600/DSCF2100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNhOj0K8sn5rtZKQOFJK0p71QFQsghRimyo5Kxz7j_95ea2rqOAa_E5kuqT10SqcSVFfvf31gufkJqJY4mEHff6hwi0OOFcXOuSmt2PbNIUqEE6vh5c8Te-4Z2Xd7OQtnVlFdTcARV64/s1600/DSCF2100.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweet girl...love that smile!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEi5WfKAzL1WZnuTg1-esOG5LHlP83OMEvZp6Erkxyv8YYKwmo4zIe5msVit2broKlyEU0HLOKIznUreHBAB-Y-7Q9ijf18JMKwBLWpCGYI9d2407lN6nyHQCVUdZ9qKSUPouUsZUE7qFpY/s1600/DSCF2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WfKAzL1WZnuTg1-esOG5LHlP83OMEvZp6Erkxyv8YYKwmo4zIe5msVit2broKlyEU0HLOKIznUreHBAB-Y-7Q9ijf18JMKwBLWpCGYI9d2407lN6nyHQCVUdZ9qKSUPouUsZUE7qFpY/s1600/DSCF2101.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's me being so grateful that my body is not about to explode like this time the previous year.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey ended up getting her first ever kid meal that day, and we got her the Silver Dollar meal, which came with five mini-pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. She ate seriously half of her meal. I was shocked. She loves having her pancake bites dipped in various IHOP syrups, too. After we were finished, she insisted on walking out to the door by herself like a big girl, and everyone oohed and aahed over her waddle-walk the whole time. She just ate up the attention!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Audrey's actual birthday, we had a really low-key day at church and home. Audrey was very good at church and got a birthday sucker from the bishop. It was also her first time taking sacrament, and I must say that for two weeks in a row, she's been a lot more reverent and observant in Sacrament meeting now that she knows she's getting something! After church, we went to campus and took some one year photos.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some one year stats for Audrey:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Nickname: Little Éowyn</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Height: 31.5 inches</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Weight: 28 pounds</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Number of teeth: Eight (four bottom, three top, and a fourth top tooth just visible)</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can say with accuracy: Mama, Dada, KeeCat (kitty cat), Cat</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can do: walking, clapping, waving, wiggling tongue, drinking from straws</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Favorite toy(s): play food, stuffed dolly and dinosaur</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Favorite book: Princess Baby Night Night</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Favorite TV shows: Sesame Street, Fisher Price App Short Videos</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Favorite foods: breakfast sausage, suckers, mint ice cream, bananas</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Favorite song: the alphabet</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Favorite game(s): Peek-a-boo</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Most excited when: we get out of the car at Vicki's house (because she gets to see her friends and pet Toby, their dog)</b></span></span><br />
<br />The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-13798001222619483192014-09-27T18:07:00.000-04:002014-09-27T18:07:01.265-04:00Seeing Kelsey and Meeting Brian<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kyle's sister Kelsey came home last month from the UP! We were so excited to see Aunt Kelsey again, especially since the last time we'd seen her was last OCTOBER. I know...OCTOBER. And she brought her boyfriend Brian with her, too, for everyone to meet. He is real (sorry Kelsey)! In an effort to expose Brian to Indiana culture, one of the things we did was go to a Colts game. Kyle and I aren't very big sports fans and it was a pre-season game (so not too exciting), but it was a fun experience and it was fun to go with all of Kyle's family. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Poor Audrey did not come along...the game started at 7 PM and she goes to bed around 9, so that wouldn't have worked at all. We got the daughter of some of Kyle's parents' friends to watch her. I was super worried about Audrey, because it was the first time I'd gotten a baby-sitter who was not (a) her grandparents, (b) her aunt, or (c) her everyday sitter, Vicki. Also, Audrey was very serious all day and acted extremely exhausted during the afternoon, so I was worried she was getting sick. She perked right up the next day, though, because she cut a tooth! Thankfully, Audrey was very good for Sarah.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<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/AVvXsEiKV5VAZdLkccRI8t0CSaC9c8onBo1Is5G0-2ElRpVkkvkQ58d0lfBs41yLSRw0H6vdn8w2XhbwUObxlQyIEgfKl_ghSAzeMN1Z6H2CHxrmo3wxRldiBuyUEO-1-tPk486DK6DZnQGRTVw/s1600/DSCF2089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKV5VAZdLkccRI8t0CSaC9c8onBo1Is5G0-2ElRpVkkvkQ58d0lfBs41yLSRw0H6vdn8w2XhbwUObxlQyIEgfKl_ghSAzeMN1Z6H2CHxrmo3wxRldiBuyUEO-1-tPk486DK6DZnQGRTVw/s1600/DSCF2089.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only person to not wear blue to the game...! Poor planning :)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpSWBeM5xtatIKsZ2hU2PoWgmbRTcdYmr5uiwORhP3UnM3HmRjxNop57Sd3kqSde6T35jB_lz7IDODv_abuNmkukb83lZSFWG0jMRoEhVvWD-9R7tA4sh0vIslLF_8kr0Gk-9n6cpOH8/s1600/DSCF2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpSWBeM5xtatIKsZ2hU2PoWgmbRTcdYmr5uiwORhP3UnM3HmRjxNop57Sd3kqSde6T35jB_lz7IDODv_abuNmkukb83lZSFWG0jMRoEhVvWD-9R7tA4sh0vIslLF_8kr0Gk-9n6cpOH8/s1600/DSCF2092.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kelsey and Brian</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcnZrDQvtG-U7Py-ZMkG87bXVuSRn_Q1zXfIUTZepUWEjmxAFRzfVQ5RKIkUkm3Rs6nadtkbXfWnb3Sz3pLISSWvUj3YsNFCHLh23Cz7e1qQLhatkh997gQ1hyGDK6XKfqr2-vSNxCuI/s1600/DSCF2093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcnZrDQvtG-U7Py-ZMkG87bXVuSRn_Q1zXfIUTZepUWEjmxAFRzfVQ5RKIkUkm3Rs6nadtkbXfWnb3Sz3pLISSWvUj3YsNFCHLh23Cz7e1qQLhatkh997gQ1hyGDK6XKfqr2-vSNxCuI/s1600/DSCF2093.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gary and Michele</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_EmjvNM9XQko0rShxulqEKMxGYAv1H5rJTzmVkvQKX0seIDlQyFnnNss7JMbK7z5Zm1YaPQtoIY1F5WFtgZLL1wproTZZy9wXfujZHU9MP2X8C7wnD_XS0T0alsJhRJoiXt9I_Q1Ikw/s1600/DSCF2094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_EmjvNM9XQko0rShxulqEKMxGYAv1H5rJTzmVkvQKX0seIDlQyFnnNss7JMbK7z5Zm1YaPQtoIY1F5WFtgZLL1wproTZZy9wXfujZHU9MP2X8C7wnD_XS0T0alsJhRJoiXt9I_Q1Ikw/s1600/DSCF2094.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The people behind us were totally photobombing our pictures!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYh-ff0LsxQnrRnuC2DuBizAUiOrJ1J-Hz7Xu0e0qXndGc0oF3HiBgHRqaZLPhVSxpcdS5qjIZxsFg1g1iyVmz73iKSoD7tyr3sL3P-t07k_hTh6mQjmEv7dPRDcK0-Aax1qqT8G-rQjI/s1600/DSCF2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYh-ff0LsxQnrRnuC2DuBizAUiOrJ1J-Hz7Xu0e0qXndGc0oF3HiBgHRqaZLPhVSxpcdS5qjIZxsFg1g1iyVmz73iKSoD7tyr3sL3P-t07k_hTh6mQjmEv7dPRDcK0-Aax1qqT8G-rQjI/s1600/DSCF2097.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacob and Natalie</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSmEw2ULLSUHiKSdXuD6-G2M-_uFUE35pcIiRS5gxVQP7qKc6Wm28-VM3Ha-Ucw0ea6yuGjtqo-nn1AR8oFYXzmLJGWRTJ3aRy8OpyNwRzH96UfaiKDKgyRCtQmeCq6Hs0UykzMTECAo/s1600/DSCF2095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSmEw2ULLSUHiKSdXuD6-G2M-_uFUE35pcIiRS5gxVQP7qKc6Wm28-VM3Ha-Ucw0ea6yuGjtqo-nn1AR8oFYXzmLJGWRTJ3aRy8OpyNwRzH96UfaiKDKgyRCtQmeCq6Hs0UykzMTECAo/s1600/DSCF2095.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actors from our latest favorite show, Parks and Recreation, set in Indiana.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A great time was had by all. It'll be nice to see Kelsey and Brian again (hint, hint). Come back!</span></b>The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3301358029852915891.post-57138736774412500272014-08-09T23:01:00.000-04:002014-08-09T23:01:04.340-04:00Audrey's Growing Up... :(<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next summer update...how quickly Audrey's growing. Like the weeds I pull out of my flowerbeds! I can't believe she'll be one next month! She's really beginning to turn into a toddler and not so much a baby anymore :( She's learning so much. She just picked up waving although she's not very good at it yet, and she knows that we give goodnight kisses IMMEDIATELY after we finish saying family prayers at night. Seriously, she beats us to it and will plant a big one on us if we aren't paying attention! </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa3MHZdcJdWO-HdWR-oQuLOKPQMOObB8nZFZI5Tgy3yxUgDf0LnIa9A6H_yh8ZMkB3Cq3z_h8wG1QM0e_ukdLZnPF_wYENP-MpeF-MyT98zzaMq2ajoMOVak-Uh-gmreKsLKJjWCerqI/s1600/DSCF2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa3MHZdcJdWO-HdWR-oQuLOKPQMOObB8nZFZI5Tgy3yxUgDf0LnIa9A6H_yh8ZMkB3Cq3z_h8wG1QM0e_ukdLZnPF_wYENP-MpeF-MyT98zzaMq2ajoMOVak-Uh-gmreKsLKJjWCerqI/s1600/DSCF2001.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEiYAfoaFkl7yhy6h2L7I2TzMzDY3JSKZsUh67Zm_HSm0qLkZZhgjFU_YRHJ4IAOt-2jfPow221dh1JILKUab0Kyk3BLVQPt16camU28Irr7DW4sI6dVYyt8A4vXQ8P3InO6ROOfpVlDwJg/s1600/DSCF2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAfoaFkl7yhy6h2L7I2TzMzDY3JSKZsUh67Zm_HSm0qLkZZhgjFU_YRHJ4IAOt-2jfPow221dh1JILKUab0Kyk3BLVQPt16camU28Irr7DW4sI6dVYyt8A4vXQ8P3InO6ROOfpVlDwJg/s1600/DSCF2002.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She's moving around so much that we had to get some baby gates. Her favorite thing to do with this one is to give kisses through it to whoever is on the other side. Also she likes to hold hands through it or stick her feet through it.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP6-iNpZXegfksRG9NDt7A0qMXSoW-WNrWQaFkpQ8yOSGeqSidJ1irzdSLb2yHU3leDXn1PGtDhcZAfmxwStVQ9HjQp0TO-XI3fcEAo3dzzviU8GzYaERwTl2UBMfJQVerlbu4EX1nNg/s1600/DSCF2004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP6-iNpZXegfksRG9NDt7A0qMXSoW-WNrWQaFkpQ8yOSGeqSidJ1irzdSLb2yHU3leDXn1PGtDhcZAfmxwStVQ9HjQp0TO-XI3fcEAo3dzzviU8GzYaERwTl2UBMfJQVerlbu4EX1nNg/s1600/DSCF2004.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey is chasing the cats around everywhere! They hate it! They are still very good with her, even though we have to tell her, "NO!" when she pulls their tails. Still working on being nice to others.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg376jyEVBORluFO8X_Zn3q_0bJpr3Swqv9r4b5H9oQmleVHGIcHdRMZGitJGBSw6Yr6rIW8Wr2fnWJ96ISkQu8iUOEprPUkkDnUXIuIcU7tPtSveDJYXwzTkhWzIwMqLIADIm9S-GQems/s1600/DSCF2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg376jyEVBORluFO8X_Zn3q_0bJpr3Swqv9r4b5H9oQmleVHGIcHdRMZGitJGBSw6Yr6rIW8Wr2fnWJ96ISkQu8iUOEprPUkkDnUXIuIcU7tPtSveDJYXwzTkhWzIwMqLIADIm9S-GQems/s1600/DSCF2006.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></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/AVvXsEh_adE6Y1uAk3xWwBSHQc5zbQCF0EWvLDWlXEeirW7zkM0jPC5UVT20vd5xPBs_1uFRM0vwE2AumN7B16C5QEijhEXYd9lNStrW21oyhKD_DdHKjSj12froTVFV3bVhb_QDFMxGoQy3fYg/s1600/DSCF2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_adE6Y1uAk3xWwBSHQc5zbQCF0EWvLDWlXEeirW7zkM0jPC5UVT20vd5xPBs_1uFRM0vwE2AumN7B16C5QEijhEXYd9lNStrW21oyhKD_DdHKjSj12froTVFV3bVhb_QDFMxGoQy3fYg/s1600/DSCF2053.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audrey is getting such a personality, and her new thing is she loves to SCREAM! The more we ignore it, the louder she goes! She also likes to shake her head no.</span></b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>I love this little girl with all my heart...I never knew that I could love someone as much as I love Audrey. Sometimes I feel relieved when she goes to bed because she's worn me out, but I'm always excited to get her out of her crib the next day, even when she wakes us up earlier than we want! She's such a blessing to us. I don't know what we'd do without her.</b></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Byardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293334476257373773noreply@blogger.com0