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Snowy Monday Mornings

Snowy Monday Mornings

Snowy Monday mornings make me long for summer – when children sleep in and no one cries about their clothes. That peaceful reign is distant from today’s anarchy. Bodies collide in hallways, shoes are wrestled onto unwilling feet, both food and clothing negotiations culminate in hysteria. We spill into the garage a cacophony of nagging and whining. Grievances abound until we reach the school’s circle drive – a place of injustice amnesia. Ill will erased, little limbs clamber for hugs,…

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Is Trouble Making Genetic?

Is Trouble Making Genetic?

Back when I was roughly Ellen’s age, I decided it was time to leave my mark on the world in a very literal way. My mother had previously been an Avon representative and had a good supply of nail polish. When she was occupied (I think gardening) a friend and I got into her stash and proceeded to paint everything – our bodies, my toys and books, the kitchen table – EVERYTHING. I don’t have any photographic evidence of my…

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The Saga of the Swing Set

The Saga of the Swing Set

Way back in February we had this genius idea of getting the kids a swing set for a combined birthday present. We even proposed the idea to extended family suggesting they might contribute to the playground fund instead of sending gifts. Even though the idea was not widely adopted (it seems there is some sort of a stigma surrounding cash gifts), we had already found a great deal on a swing set and committed ourselves to building it when we gave…

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Summer Lovin’

Summer Lovin’

Apparently, summer is over. I’m still not sure how that happened. Three months ago when preschool ended I made a master list of things I wanted to do. I even divided it into categories and made a master schedule for what days of the week I would attack different types of goals. Then I never looked at it until yesterday. Instead of feeling bummed that I didn’t successfully micromanage our summer, I’m doing a recap of the fun things we did do…

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Suddenly We’re Those People

Suddenly We’re Those People

When we only had one kid, it was easier to hide, but now that we have two kids it’s painfully obvious. We’ve become those people. You know the people I speak of. The ones that make you want to avoid any type of free day at the museum, the ones you don’t want to sit behind in church, and definitely not the ones you want to be sitting next to on a cross country flight. This last week has been…

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A Few Gems of the Kids

A Few Gems of the Kids

My mom takes amazing photos. She’s beautifully documented so many important events in my life from my wedding to graduating from college to bringing home my babies.  Pretty sure I’ve been the recipient of thousands of dollars worth of free professional photography over the years. Every time we visit I usually get some awesome pictures of the kids.  Here are some gems from out most recent trip to Utah.

Competition

Competition

It seems my kids now have some competition for favorite grandkid, so I knew a post about my kids was in order to remind everyone who really has the best kids. Alright, so their cousin is pretty dang adorable and I am as smitten as anyone (and dying to meet him)! We’ll let him be the favorite grandkid for now . . . Still, an update is in order. We’ve had a lot of rain this spring which has been awesome for…

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March Madness

March Madness

We haven’t really followed college basketball since we were in college, but nonetheless March is always a month of madness for us. Birthdays, anniversaries, crazy weather, pi(e) day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc. Throw in a cold circulating through the family, a class that steals most of our Saturdays, and a handful of Boy Scout related activities and things get pretty crazy. Since we last posted, we celebrated pi(e) day with an amazing coconut cream pie (find the sneaky whole wheat crust recipe here)….

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Five Things I Might Not Have Discovered If I Wasn’t a Parent

Five Things I Might Not Have Discovered If I Wasn’t a Parent

5. That fresh air, sunshine, and dirt really are necessities of a happy life. 4. How relaxing going to the dentist can be. I’ve always dreaded dental appointments (and I actually have pretty nice teeth so it’s completely unwarranted), but these days I look forward to anything where I just get to sit in a chair and do absolutely nothing. 3. That bedtime really is the most wonderful time of day. 2. How absolutely hilarious it is to have minions watch you…

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Why Co-Sleeping Could Never Fly At Our Place

Why Co-Sleeping Could Never Fly At Our Place

Previous to our marriage, Noel and I had roommates complain about our excessive tossing and turning and as newlyweds we’d often joke that mysterious bumps and bruises were casualties of sleeping in the same bed. These days we sleep like the dead, but when it sounds like an all-out brawl has commenced in our kids’ bedrooms, we repeatedly find ourselves wild-eyed and out of breath facing the calm exhalations of their dreams and not the intruder we expected. With us…

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