tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71241738518989968312024-03-05T06:09:58.141-07:00cheyenne chroniclestales of our life in the wild westluckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-73009942298256826992015-01-18T22:28:00.000-07:002015-01-18T22:28:43.147-07:00PassportMy passport arrived by priority mail on Friday! It was a relief because I really needed it quick and had paid for expedited service. Now I can apply for my Chinese visa and get it in time (hopefully, you never know with these things!) for my trip next month.<br />
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I am going back to China for the first time since we left in December 1985. It's been 29 years. Wow. "Surreal" is how I would describe my feelings about going back to my native country. SO MUCH has changed since my family and I left China so many years ago - both with respect to the country and to myself as a person. Back then, China's meteoric economic development was in it's infancy: Deng Xiaoping had only announced the opening of China to the outside world a few years earlier. Hope and opportunity were not on most people's radar screen. Now,<a href="http://knoema.com/nwnfkne/world-gdp-ranking-2014-data-and-charts" target="_blank"> the size of China's economy as measured by GDP</a> is second only to the US. Then, I was a child, barely aware of what it meant to go to America, 美国(meiguo or "beautiful country"), the land of opportunity. Now, I am an adult - married with children - living the American Dream. We were embarking on a journey of which most of our <a href="http://www.chinatoday.com/data/china.population.htm" target="_blank">then more than one billion fellow Chinese citizens</a> could only dream.<br />
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Our good fortune came as a result of my dad's being found by his long lost father. Actually, it should be said that my dad was the long lost son. Long story short: Back in 1949, when the Nationalists were defeated by the Communists after a civil war, my grandparents were among the Nationalists who fled to Taiwan. Because my dad was only a baby at the time and fearing that he would not survive the trip, they left him with my grandmother's mother. After my great-grandmother passed away, as I understood it, there was some family drama and my dad was put into an orphanage. He was adopted by a couple in Guangdong Province where he was raised in a small village. My grandparents eventually divorced and my grandfather remarried. He and his new family ended up immigrating to the United States and settling down in the Washington, DC area. When my grandfather retired, he finally was able to find my dad with the help of one of my grandfather's brothers. My grandfather then somehow was able to get the Chinese government to allow us to come to the United States.<br />
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And, next month, I will be one of hundreds of millions of Chinese traveling back to their 家乡("hometown") to celebrate the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) with family and friends. It will definitely be an interesting experience to go back to a place I haven't seen in almost 30 years and barely remember. I'm sure I'll feel a bunch of different emotions, too. I'll be so happy to finally be back where my roots began and to see my grandma and other relatives. I'll also be sad that it took me so long to get there. I know I'll miss my husband and my kids a lot - this will be the longest I've ever been away from them. I'll worry about how my two-year-old will deal with my absence and about my husband being alone with them. Not that I don't think he could handle things with me gone but just that it's a hard job to take care of three kids all by yourself for days at a time, which I don't have to do because usually he helps out when he gets home from work.<br />
<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-17662790489176791342015-01-16T14:04:00.000-07:002015-01-18T21:26:10.800-07:00Starting Where I AmThis morning, I went visiting teaching. Visiting teaching is a program in the LDS Church where women get to visit other women every month. How it works is you get assigned a partner (another woman, or "sister", as we call each other) and you and your partner are assigned a number of other sisters that you are supposed to visit each month. I have five sisters on my list and currently I don't have a partner. I had one last year but she got moved so they're working on getting me another partner. The president of the Relief Society, an organization for all women age eighteen and older, is usually the one that makes the assignments.<br />
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My first visit was to Heather and it was really great to catch up with her on the holidays and how she and her family have been doing. Her husband is in the Air Force and has been busy with work and with flying helicopters. She has three boys so we were talking about school and science fairs. We also talked about the <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/01/the-attributes-of-jesus-christ-obedient-son?lang=eng" target="_blank">visiting teaching message</a>, which is in the Ensign, a magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love the messages we get to share each month because it's so uplifting and even though I'm the one bringing it to my sisters, I get just as much (if not more) out of it as my sisters.<br />
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My second visit was to Tiffany, who actually wasn't home when I arrived. I could tell she wasn't there because her minivan wasn't in the driveway but I rang the doorbell anyway just in case for some reason she was there even if her car wasn't. Because I didn't have my cell phone with me, I had to drive home to call her. Turns out, she had forgotten and had gone to Sam's Club but she was going to the church to meet her sister-in-law to set-up for the baby shower they were throwing for one of their visiting teaching sisters. She asked if I wanted to meet her there. I said sure, even though I wasn't sure because I had wanted to stop by Target to return a pair of pants and to buy a gift for the same baby shower. However, I figured that I still wanted to see her and to let Gordon play with her daughter for a bit.<br />
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I'm so glad we met up with them because I realized that sometimes a visit doesn't turn out as planned but is still beneficial. I was able to visit with Tiffany, give her a message, and help her and her sister-in-law get things ready for the baby shower. Part of visiting teaching is to serve those you visit. At the end of a visit, it is customary to ask if there is something your sister needs. When asked that question, most people would say no because they don't think they need it or don't like to ask for help. The best way to know if there's a need is to be observant and offer help when you see a need. A lot of times opportunities for service come up when you least expect it.<br />
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Later, as I thought about it, I realized that visiting teaching is something I truly enjoy doing but have struggled with doing because I get it in my head that it should be done a certain way so then I end up not doing it because I can't seem to get it done that way. I read an <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/01/a-potato-for-the-teacher?lang=eng" target="_blank">article</a> in the Ensign about a teacher who got a potato from one of her students. This student had wanted to give her an apple but she didn't have one so she decided to give her what she had, which was a potato. I love this story because it teaches us that we don't have to wait until we have an apple to give to give something. I don't have to wait until Tiffany asks me to help her to give help. I can be willing to meet her where she's going, which today happened to be the church. I don't have to wait for someone to be sick to bring a meal, I can do it when I am inspired to do it because maybe she had a hard day and was too busy or stressed out to cook.<br />
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The principle of giving what we have can also be applied to other areas of life and turned into "starting where we are". We don't have to wait until the stars align to do something, we just have to do it. It's especially applicable in making changes and improvements, which is very popular at the beginning of a new year. Whatever we think we need to do, just do it. Change doesn't happen over night but it can only happen if we try. Start where we are.<br />
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That's what I've decided to do with this blog. Often I think I would like to write something but I don't because I think it's not a good topic, or I'm too busy, or I don't have a picture I want, etc. Those are just excuses. So starting today, I am going to "start where I am".luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-20178559703770280152014-06-05T13:50:00.002-06:002014-06-05T13:50:23.536-06:00Being RealI've decided that maybe I have a hard time keeping up with my blog because I'm not being real. Let me explain. I have a hard time deciding what to write because I have mixed feelings about sharing things about my life. Blogging for me is part journaling and part sharing with friends and family. Sometimes, the two isn't really good together because it can get personal and it's hard to share something too personal with those closest to you. There's no anonymity. I worry about offending or hurting someone. Or, I worry about what people think... So, lots of times, I might want to write about something but opt not to for the aforementioned reasons. <div>
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Another reason I don't write a post is because I'm busy! I have a husband, three kids, a home, church, PTA, etc. Right now, my family takes up most of my time, especially my toddler, who still nurses and wakes up once a night. Most days, it's all I can do to keep up with the meals and the laundry. </div>
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Third, I don't think my life is that interesting. I've decided that I'm just a boring person and who would really want to read about me anyway? Sure, I have ideas and thoughts about different topics but they're not new. There are lots of really great blogs out there about all sorts of things. So, maybe, just maybe, there are those that are bloggers and there are blog readers. You need both types in this world!</div>
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The thing that keeps me blogging is mainly to keep in touch and to record some of those special moments that I'd like to remember. If I'm not too busy... ;-)</div>
luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-76953249636141472112013-07-01T18:09:00.001-06:002013-07-01T18:09:32.027-06:00One of Those DaysIt was one of those days - I felt dead dog tired because Gordon still doesn't sleep through the night. Never has. My other two kids had at least done some stretches of sleeping through the night by this age but for some reason this one doesn't want to. Anyway, he wakes up 2-3 times a night, sometimes more. I kind of wonder if it might be because of the helmet (we had to get a helmet to help get his head rounded out). It makes his head hot and sweaty so I think he gets thirsty.<br />
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So, he got up at 6:30 AM and I nursed him and he didn't want to go back to bed. Charlie was up so I put the baby in his pen and ask him to keep and eye on him so I could go back to bed. Charlie was practising on the piano and said sure. What a great helper! I figured it wouldn't be long before Dan was up so that was why I felt okay leaving him in charge. I'm always torn at this point about whether I should go back to bed or just stay up and get started on my day, but I just felt tired so I thought I'd just go rest a short bit.<br />
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Despite the extra rest, I still felt tired and rest of the day seems to float away. Nothing really got accomplished. I managed to get some exercise in, though it was interrupted by having to nurse Gordon. The rest of the day was spent trying to keep the kids from fighting and waking Gordon up during his nap, listening to Charlie complain about being so bored and whine about other things, trying to stay calm as the kids repeat everything I say just to annoy me, etc. Before I knew it, it was 3 PM. So, in order to salvage what was left of my day and at least get one thing done, I gathered up the laundry to take downstairs and start a load. That actually happened after 4:15 PM. Don't ask me what I did in the intervening hour because I can't remember. Anyway, it wasn't all bad, we were able to cut up some stars out of construction paper so we could decorate for the Fourth of July. Ellie was excited about that. And, we did get to read a book together. <br />
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It was just frustrating to not get much done when I'd made a long list of things that needed to be done that had been on my mind for a while. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who has days like this!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-1228634705631916132013-02-21T14:29:00.000-07:002013-02-21T14:39:35.767-07:00My JournalWhen I graduated from high school, a friend gave me a simple journal made of a three ring binder covered with nice fabric and filled with line paper. Because of that, when I was in college, I wrote in my journal just about everyday. Since then, I have always kept a journal but haven't been as consistent about writing in it regularly. Several years ago, I started writing my journal on the computer because it could be saved forever and took up less space. The only drawback was that we kept our computers in the basement and I couldn't always get on the computer. So a year ago, I signed up for an account on LDSJournal.com which allows you journal from anywhere you can access the internet. I didn't start really taking advantage of the website until last month when I really started feeling like I wanted to write more about my life and the things happening in our family. Just in the past two months, I have written a lot more often than I had been writing in any two month period over the past year.<br />
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LDSJournal.com is a great website for journaling! It's not just a place for writing journal entries, there's also a section where you can fill in information about yourself like your birth date, life events, your education, your family, etc. Every time you start a new entry, there's a prompt/question in case you need help thinking of something to write about. I feel it's important to write in a journal for many reasons. A few of the reasons are to remember important events and experiences, to process and deal with hardships, and to see patterns in your life.<br />
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One, a journal is a good way to remember your experiences. While we may think we will always remember the significant events in our lives, we often don't. For example, when our older son was a baby, I thought I'd never forget every cute little thing he did or milestones he reached but now that we're on our third child, I find myself wondering "when did Charlie start rolling over?" I am realizing that the older I get, the worse my memory is!<br />
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Two, a journal helps you think about your experiences and what they mean to you. When I have a problem or struggle, I write about it in my journal and just writing it down helps me feel better. It's like talking to a friend. I have gone back and read about those hard times and realized that I have grown and learned from those experiences. Being able to look back through my entries and knowing that I go through the hard times helps me have the strength and confidence to face my current challenges. Of course, I don't just write about the bad or hard things I have dealt with, I write about the good and happy things too. One of the main reasons why I started writing more in my journal is to document all the cute things my kids do or say.<br />
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Three, a journal helps you to see patterns in your life. This in a way is related to reason number two - when you write down your experiences, you are able to see a pattern in how you deal with situations. You can see your strengths and weaknesses. For me, I can also see how God's hand is evident in the things that have happened to me: How he has helped me during the hard times and how he has led me to where I am today.<br />
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This blog is also a journal of sorts but because anyone can see it, I obviously don't write about everything I would write about in my journal. I would be interested in hearing about your journals and other reasons why people write in journals.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-39728434682356917972013-02-13T13:31:00.000-07:002013-02-13T13:31:32.541-07:00Party Time!We had quite the celebrations for Ellie's birthday! On her actual birthday, we made cake and she opened her presents from us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun decorations!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting on the candles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding sprinkles to the cake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake was good!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She wrapped a present for herself!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presents!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lite Brite</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scooter!</td></tr>
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Then, we had the highly anticipated party with friends. She loved it! We had fun playing pin the heart on the giraffes and hitting the pinata. The Kai Lan cake turned out great! And, of course, she loved opening the presents. Best of all, her friends were there to share it all with her!<br />
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-57024343280135491972013-02-07T13:25:00.000-07:002013-02-07T13:25:02.434-07:00Happy Birthday, Ellie!This little girl has been looking forward to her birthday for months! Every time we go to a birthday party, she asks when her birthday will be. She knows the date, she just didn't know exactly how far away it would be. She's also been wanting to have her own party and celebrate! I'm telling you the anticipation has been delicious! We've talked about it over and over: who she wants to invite (Sadie, Whitney, Ava, etc.), what she wants to do (have a pinata, eat cake, open presents), the decorations (balloons of course!), etc.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Among Ellie's talents is creativity: She made this merry-go-round from tinker toys and a teapot lid.</td></tr>
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Ellie is a wonderful little girl. It's been so fun to watch her grow and see the things she does. She is happy, creative, strong-willed, persistent, and loving. I can't imagine life without her!<br />
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Somehow we are celebrating Ellie's birthday three days in a row. Tonight we will have little family thing with a homemade cake and ice cream and do presents from us. Tomorrow evening, we're going out to eat. Saturday afternoon is the party with her friends.<br />
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Her excitement makes me super excited! Here's a video of her talking about her birthday. Happy Birthday, Ellie!!!<br />
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-92197648235544063512013-02-06T12:57:00.002-07:002013-02-06T12:57:34.704-07:00Baby GordonI can't believe it's been four months since Baby Gordon was born... We're just barely getting adjusted to having a baby around the house again. Charlie and Ellie love their little brother and are always giving him kisses. They seem to have taken this home invasion in stride and haven't shown any signs of resentment that this little bundle has completely taken over our lives.<br />
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I've been meaning to sit down and write about the day he was born, something I make an effort to do so I can remember that special day. I should back up a bit and say that I started feeling pre-labor signs a couple weeks before the due date and was just uncomfortable physically. It was just difficult to really get much done with all that extra weight and pressure in my belly. I was tired a lot of the time but didn't sleep very well at night, getting up at least once or twice and then not falling back to sleep easily. Needless to say, not much got done around the house and what got done took a long time. I tried to stay with our daily routine as much as possible so we still got together with friends and do the things we like to do such as story time at the library or going to the park. I was still swimming a few days a week - although the day before the birth, I just didn't feel like it was a good idea so I didn't go.<br />
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Friday night, September 21st, I went to bed early because Dan suggested that it would be good to get some rest since the baby could decide to come any minute. He couldn't have been more right - at about 12:30 AM, I woke up feeling intense contractions. I got up and used the bathroom. I tried to relax and timed the contractions. After a while, the contractions weren't going away and seemed to get stronger so I told Dan we better get ready to go. I called the after hours line for the on-call ob and she called back a few minutes later. After I told her about the intensity and frequency of the contractions she told me to meet her at the hospital. Now I wish I wrote about this earlier because I'm trying to remember the details. My water broke while at home; I was in our sunroom addition where I was gathering my stuff for the hospital bag. I remember grabbing a towel that was on one of the chairs. Dan called a couple of people. The main person we had lined up to watch the kids didn't answer so we called another friend. She couldn't come but said she could send over her 18-year old son. We hurried into the garage and his car. He was very calm but I was in a lot of pain so I kept telling him to hurry. We parked the car in the parking garage and walked to the elevators to go to the first level registration area, but signs posted directed us to go to the ER entrance which required us to walk outside some distance. When we finally got into the ER reception area, the attendant helped us to the registration area. I opted to sit in the wheel chair on the way because walking was too uncomfortable.<br />
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I thought the registration process took too long because I had already pre-registered the week before. After about 5 minutes, we were directed to go upstairs where a nurse greeted us and helped us into a labor and delivery room.<br />
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Everything progressed rather quickly. They asked about whether I wanted an epidural which I said I did and told them the anesthesiologist I wanted. They refused to call him because he was not on-call. I was upset about that but there wasn't anything I could do about it. In any case, it ended up not mattering because there was no time for an epidural. We'd gotten to the hospital around 1:30 AM and the baby was born at 2:24. The ob arrived just barely before the birth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh396-FgY2YI3DCYKVYGbEpOU7YYINFo5hzGbHUKtKf2uTd32dtYJgm-mPtmuaDZRkCccFyfhhmN3hsQdWsVviHrCBRQxQqUiDRcg9PiKUS-ufIkLmtzvFqE5SmocmsMJTBYTzaBjbLO2g/s1600/SAM_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh396-FgY2YI3DCYKVYGbEpOU7YYINFo5hzGbHUKtKf2uTd32dtYJgm-mPtmuaDZRkCccFyfhhmN3hsQdWsVviHrCBRQxQqUiDRcg9PiKUS-ufIkLmtzvFqE5SmocmsMJTBYTzaBjbLO2g/s320/SAM_0636.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first few minutes after birth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82I9CusFt8Pakr4wvUeE1F_-LtvwvB-52uBYvpwq6e_c5raD-PvtsvME7nbNOaZVAQzSlcNf6ezpn9trUOzKjGFinIUx50c8iodJJRA6_51yG7lcN0k9a0tEQN5cLp-khq7K_bkcr3xc/s1600/SAM_0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82I9CusFt8Pakr4wvUeE1F_-LtvwvB-52uBYvpwq6e_c5raD-PvtsvME7nbNOaZVAQzSlcNf6ezpn9trUOzKjGFinIUx50c8iodJJRA6_51yG7lcN0k9a0tEQN5cLp-khq7K_bkcr3xc/s320/SAM_0650.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, everyone's happy he's finally here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBLBh2mF-sfC0tJzEkBLBo_HiWMk3Jnn5YdT6h7uk64ekYTQsMpV5ILxo5-HcAmdugA0WOspA7vae7W_gdax8H5UTuaNQj0islBNQxl7JRkNBPA2if2r4E7rU2czeo8NTVmm8j8q8fWA/s1600/SAM_0654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBLBh2mF-sfC0tJzEkBLBo_HiWMk3Jnn5YdT6h7uk64ekYTQsMpV5ILxo5-HcAmdugA0WOspA7vae7W_gdax8H5UTuaNQj0islBNQxl7JRkNBPA2if2r4E7rU2czeo8NTVmm8j8q8fWA/s320/SAM_0654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sweet little family.</td></tr>
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Oh, here's something funny... Since we'd bought a minivan a few weeks before Gordon was born, we decided to sell my car. It was actually kind of sad for me because it was the car I bought after graduating from college. I'm just glad I sold it to a friend, a girl I used to babysit! And, of all days, she came all the way from Utah to pick it up on this day. It was fun to see her and her sister and to have them meet Baby Gordon!!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-88053030283897961722013-01-30T16:55:00.001-07:002013-02-06T12:59:59.007-07:00Updates(Note: After reading the original version of this post, I decided to edit it. I'm trying to improve my writing and I realized that I could do better. Sorry if you got the email version of this and are reading it again!)<br />
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Party Supply Order<br />
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I promised to give an update on my order from Birthday Party Direct. We received the package on Tuesday, so it took them less than three business days to get it to me! That's very good service! My only complaint is that the edible image for the cake was smaller than I'd expected. Ellie was super excited when the package came and we opened it. She wanted to blow the balloons up right then and there.<br />
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My Wrists<br />
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My wrists seem to be holding up under the increased activity I've been doing. I do feel some discomfort sometimes but so far it hasn't been too bad. I am hopeful that this trend continues. It's hard to know how things will progress because it's only been a few days that I've had to be on my own so far. So, I'm still careful but I am doing quite a bit more because when you're a mom, there's no end to the work to be done.<br />
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Near the end of the day yesterday, I felt just a tiny bit of pain in the left wrist. However, it went away this morning. Today I did more than usual because a friend was coming over to watch Ellie and Gordon so I could go pick up my son from school and I didn't want her to see what a disaster my house was! I tidied up the kitchen and dining areas and living room and also folded and put away some laundry. It wasn't spotless but it was a lot better than before. Why is it that we women want to make it seem like our homes are always clean when they're not? Anyway, it felt good to get some work done. Before I had this problem, I used to complain about doing dishes or other chores but now I am grateful to be able to do those things. I guess it's all comes down to your perspective! Funny how one starts to appreciate certain things when one does not have them anymore.<br />
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Gordon<br />
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This sweet baby boy is the joy of our lives. Each member of our family loves him to pieces! I love watching Dan and our two kids interact with him. Seeing him always brings a smile to everyone's face. luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-579192237075160372013-01-25T10:54:00.004-07:002013-01-25T10:54:58.137-07:00Review of Party Supply WebsitesPer my post yesterday about <a href="http://cheyennechronicles.blogspot.com/2013/01/coming-back.html" target="_blank">Coming Back to Blogging</a>, I will be doing reviews of things that interest me and may interest others as well. The kick that off, I am writing my first review this year.<br />
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My daughter's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. Like most little kids, she loves birthday parties so of course I have to throw her one. The first thing we did was decide on a theme: Ni Hao, Kailan! If you don't know about Kailan, you are missing out! I wrote about <a href="http://cheyennechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/11/ni-hao-charlie.html" target="_blank">this cute show</a> several years ago.<br />
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I looked everywhere in Cheyenne for Kailan-themed party supplies but no stores carried them. Obviously, Kailan is not popular here! So I had to look online and luckily I found tons of websites that sold Kailan stuff. Yeah!<br />
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(This is an independent review. I was not compensated in any way for writing this review.)<br />
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I had to order from two different websites to get all the stuff I wanted. Party City had the dragon pinata and better prices on the invitations and table cover. Birthday Party Direct had the cake decorating kit and everything else. I'm getting the cake decorating kit because the store I'm ordering the cake from does not have the kit for Kailan.<br />
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Both websites were pretty easy to navigate and offered free shipping. Birthday Party Direct required a minimum purchase of $40 for the free shipping but Party City's minimum was only $20. My order for Party City was made last Wednesday evening and the stuff came this Wednesday so it only took four business days to get here. I just made my order from Birthday Party Direct yesterday so the verdict is still out on their delivery time.<br />
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After ordering, both websites asked me to fill out a survey on my shopping experience, which I did. The surveys were run by a third-party website, BizRate. At the end of Birthday Party Direct's survey, I was offered free subscriptions to four magazines worth $100 magazine which required me to pay a $2 processing fee per subscription. I was also entered into a drawing for $20.<br />
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Come back to read follow-up post on how Birthday Party Direct does on delivery time! luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-74796525810325169072013-01-24T18:37:00.000-07:002013-01-24T18:37:27.869-07:00One Day at a TimeEarly this morning, my sister left. For the past few weeks she's been helping me take care of the kids and home. To say that I'm grateful for her help would be an understatement. I really don't know how I could've survived without her.<br />
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I am trying to avoid the painful tendonitis (officially known as de Quervain's tenosynovitis, aka mommy wrist) I get after having every baby. Because this is my third baby, I am being extra vigilant about prevention. Instead of waiting for the symptoms to appear we are trying to head off the problem by wearing my wrist braces, taking anti-inflammatory medication, and by limiting the amount of lifting I do.<br />
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Right after Gordon was born, Dan took a week off of work to help with the baby and around the house. That wasn't just helpful because of my wrists but also for my recovery. The week after that I was on my own and the following week my mom came to help. She stayed almost two months until the week after Thanksgiving. That was a lifesaver! Even while she was here, I felt the symptoms start to crop up but because of her help, they didn't flare up into full-blown tendinitis. The day after she left, one of the young women from church started coming to help me until the Friday before Christmas. Then, we went on vacation to visit family for the holidays. Fortunately, after we got back from our trip, my sister was able to come help. I'm really grateful that at each juncture I was able to get the help I needed. Until now.<br />
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Today was really hard day physically and emotionally. In the past few days I have started feeling some pain in my wrists, probably due to my doing a bit more because I felt like I could and due to my being less vigilant about taking the medication. So for the first time in a few weeks I was on my own with the four-year-old and the baby all day. Gordon was more fussy than usual, it seemed. I felt sad that my sister had left. The reality of my situation set in and I just felt so alone. I wondered how I would be able to get through the next few days, weeks, and months until my wrists finally recover and I can finally resume my normal activities without fear of pain.<br />
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I know I am not the only person to suffer pain or struggle with things not turning out the way I want. Even though I've already been where I am before it's still hard to face this trial. I still need to ask for help, both from God and from those around me. That is also a hard thing to do.<br />
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I find comfort in knowing that I have survived this before and that I will eventually get through this again. I just hope that this time around things won't take as long to get better.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-31288927767654850172013-01-24T13:57:00.002-07:002013-01-25T09:58:46.707-07:00Coming Back to BloggingI've been trying to get back into blogging and am finally feeling up to it. This year I will be trying to post more frequently so be on the lookout for at least one post a week. I hope you will comment on the posts and look forward to getting better at blogging!<br />
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There will be a couple of changes to this blog. I will still blog about things happening in my life only more frequently. I will also be blogging about things I'm interested in, such as my hobbies and things I find useful in my life. So you'll see reviews about products and things that I like. I hope these reviews will be helpful. I will always disclose about the products, such as whether I receive compensation for reviewing them. I expect that most of the time I will be reviewing products independently because I want to be unbiased in my opinions. That way, readers know what I really think and what I actually use. <br />
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-17298651010298831912012-09-06T21:35:00.002-06:002012-09-06T21:35:33.113-06:00Pre-schoolEllie started pre-school yesterday. She has been looking forward to it ever since I mentioned the idea at the beginning of this year. It was kind of a sad day for me...she's getting so grown up!<br />
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After we dropped Charlie off at school, she asked if we were dropping her off at pre-school then. I told her that it wasn't until after lunch and she seemed disappointed. I asked her if she would miss me and she said no. So, when the time came and we arrived at pre-school, she didn't want me to go in with her. I told her I had to go in to say hi to the teacher. It's funny to me how Charlie was the opposite - he didn't want me to leave him. I did feel better later, after I picked her up, when she told me she had missed me. She's a funny girl.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-5590444268318387302012-08-29T15:18:00.001-06:002012-08-29T15:18:42.487-06:00Second GradeYesterday was the first day of second grade for Charlie. We had a fun summer but he was ready to go back to school. I'm so glad he likes school because I liked school too. Life is just better when you like school as opposed to when you hate it. There were some aspects of school, mainly social, that I disliked but on the whole I liked it because of the learning. The love of learning has been a great blessing in my life and the older I get, the more I realize how rich my life is because of it.<br />
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Let me stop before I get too far astray from the point of this post... I was really proud of both kids for getting ready without me having to do any yelling. We were actually early! What great start to the year. :-) Ellie was excited for school to start too. She is so ready for Kindergarten - even though it won't be for another year. She will start pre-school next week and she is so excited!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru2iQIMoSBStG9wF39awfDWBzfKEC43_FSn8fKzazsx6oNwOScso92F2RKRAYWxFb-ziAl7R0_a6s7zpJByzCSLpWMx294oDSGGEr4FH_bMbKAazvOk6iI3V1IhNgbKIKhU0EiQrnsi0/s1600/EandC082812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru2iQIMoSBStG9wF39awfDWBzfKEC43_FSn8fKzazsx6oNwOScso92F2RKRAYWxFb-ziAl7R0_a6s7zpJByzCSLpWMx294oDSGGEr4FH_bMbKAazvOk6iI3V1IhNgbKIKhU0EiQrnsi0/s640/EandC082812.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this picture, Charlie is making a silly face. He does these fake smiles whenever I take pictures of him now and I don't know how to get him to just smile his naturally cute smile. Oh well...</td></tr>
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-71430745290424393352012-08-01T14:57:00.003-06:002012-08-01T14:57:56.644-06:00NotesI love how my kids each have his/her own personality and make life fun. One of the best things about being a mom is sharing those cute and/or funny moments with my husband at the end of the day. Something I love about Charlie is how he communicates with us with notes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5dQfyn0zumhgrtjLm_oT4BGrHq0a44Kj4YTjpIg7O-ocrjbGx3-UwI4N0BTJsBhwXwy2H7oa1vExKeoPs3zAkE8vVhYAgal6avWurJgDqKYFkmbgl-sEgsdVYIYit6hezjnIcaUr42k/s1600/charlie_letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5dQfyn0zumhgrtjLm_oT4BGrHq0a44Kj4YTjpIg7O-ocrjbGx3-UwI4N0BTJsBhwXwy2H7oa1vExKeoPs3zAkE8vVhYAgal6avWurJgDqKYFkmbgl-sEgsdVYIYit6hezjnIcaUr42k/s320/charlie_letter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dear Tooth Fairy, I have to remind you that my loose tooth has a cavity. Love Charlie</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_vCkDb1lsrTzU2frPHXnyLrf1IR6rPW8YuocPkQyZqhQh5kw2ErTXb-H2qO5NnaaMqUTe4zEgWoTfqpbPulDb_TLK-9TZyZj9qF0yUWIdeugFXxDV6SBjrD4n4xPDRj4sT1H_cAAn6A/s1600/charlie_letter0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_vCkDb1lsrTzU2frPHXnyLrf1IR6rPW8YuocPkQyZqhQh5kw2ErTXb-H2qO5NnaaMqUTe4zEgWoTfqpbPulDb_TLK-9TZyZj9qF0yUWIdeugFXxDV6SBjrD4n4xPDRj4sT1H_cAAn6A/s320/charlie_letter0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rlp_IzYzmG_hjG5Yfahob0WRcjDKzd66tDBnBunflUbK_xSm2gegAQW3iAgCpAEVnqxuXCvNnqSKwW1vAn_If2frKm5e7IzUH5gtctcuBFVN4DJFYBLuikie9X_LQKWZ8Ocj246bMhw/s1600/charlie_letter0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Rlp_IzYzmG_hjG5Yfahob0WRcjDKzd66tDBnBunflUbK_xSm2gegAQW3iAgCpAEVnqxuXCvNnqSKwW1vAn_If2frKm5e7IzUH5gtctcuBFVN4DJFYBLuikie9X_LQKWZ8Ocj246bMhw/s640/charlie_letter0003.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ellie likes to call Charlie different nicknames sometimes. There was a period of a couple weeks when she called him Wyatt. Wyatt is a character on the PBS program SuperWhy.</td></tr>
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About a week ago, Charlie wrote a note on a sticky-note that said, "Very tired last night" and put it on his bedroom door. This is an imitation on a practice of my husband's - if he was up in the night and had problems sleeping, he'd stick a note on the bathroom mirror to let me know why he wasn't up yet.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-52421653529301496732012-07-08T07:25:00.002-06:002012-07-08T07:25:21.491-06:00Sunday MorningI'm enjoying a quiet Sunday morning before the kids wake up and the rush begins. Ah! There's nothing like sitting here and being able to think without interruption. I didn't mean to wake up quite so early but maybe being able to soak in some peace is just what I need to start off my Sunday. Who knows how many of these moments I'll get in the next couple of months? At least ones like today when I don't feel exhausted... because I know they will be few and far between after the baby gets here.<br />
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Last night, we had a rainstorm which lasted hours. The thundering and heavy rain started in the early evening and had tapered off to a drizzle by the time we went to bed. Usually, the rain here lasts about 30 minutes to an hour and occur in the afternoon. Dan had to go turn off our sprinklers. I was glad for the shower which brought cooler temperatures and hopefully an end to the wildfires in this region. Already, there have been reports in the paper that the lowering of the thermometer has had an dampening effect on the burning.<br />
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Well, I have lingered long enough. Time to get ready for the day!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-31063325612640783322012-05-07T10:35:00.000-06:002012-05-07T10:35:09.716-06:0020 WeeksI'm at 20 weeks now. Last night, I went to bed very late because we were planning our vacation for next month. I decided to skip my morning swim in favor of getting a little extra sleep, which was a hard decision for me since I haven't missed any days in the past few months. I love my routine and hate to mess it up! However, I've learned to accept that I need to slow down and not be too hard on myself for it.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I'd slept horribly but decided to do my regular 32 laps anyway. Throughout the rest of that day, I kept feeling contractions - not a good feeling since I was only 14 or 15 weeks along. I realized then that pushing myself so hard was not the best thing to do.<br />
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Learning accept that I can't be all and do all has been a lesson that I'm sure I'll still struggle with for the rest of my life. I think it's just the nature of women to want to do more and more. It doesn't help when you have things like Pinterest, other websites, and media out there seemingly telling us what we should do or be. A few weeks ago, I read a couple of things that have brought home to me the falsity of these ideas. Comparing myself to what I perceive to be the image of perfection is destructive and unfair to myself. It's much more constructive to focus on what's important to me and my family than to chase after moving targets of what might be considered the ultimate thing of the moment.<br />
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In the spirit of doing it my way and ignoring Pinterest, I'm throwing an old-fashioned birthday party for Charlie. It's going to be at the park, so I don't feel like I have to make my home look perfect for anybody. We're just going to have pizza, pop, and cake. Last Saturday, we went to a birthday where one of the moms made rainbow cupcakes. It looked really neat! IF I have time, I might do that. I'm not going to come up with any fancy games or elaborate activities. We're going to let the kids eat, play, and have fun. We might fly kites, play tag, swing, etc. We're going back to simple and old-fashioned. Oh, and, I'm not doing any special treat bags. I think it'll be fun!<br />
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(By the way, I did have an ultrasound today. I was leaning toward not finding out the baby's gender but my husband thought it'd been good to find out so I did. But, since I won't be talking to him until tonight, I will announce the result after I've told him. Sorry for the suspense! ;-) )luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-47658256518959906022012-04-23T17:18:00.001-06:002012-04-23T17:18:09.798-06:00Not SureSorry for those of you who got a half-finished post about our spring break. I will be finishing that up soon. I just need to take some time figuring out how to upload the pictures from our new camera. <br />
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Meanwhile, I've been just trying to keep up with everything while getting more pregnant. I've had to pack away most of the clothes I'd been wearing and am wearing clothes that are one to two sizes bigger. I don't really fit into the maternity clothes yet. I'm hoping I don't have to buy too many new maternity outfits but I might have to since this pregnancy is during a completely different time of year than my other two. Being pregnant during the summer is going to be interesting as I tend to get really swollen at the end. Also, I remember always feeling so hot!<br />
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I'm still exercising and swimming (but I will need a new swimsuit soon
as the one I'm wearing is getting pretty tight). I feel really good and
whenever I'm tempted to skip a day I remind myself that that would just
be the first step down the slippery slope of inactivity. I can tell
that I've been sleeping better and feeling more energetic than during
previous pregnancies.<br />
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This is week 18 which means I can find out if it's a boy or a girl in a couple of weeks. However, I haven't decided if I want to know. It might be nice if it's a surprise.<br />
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-61681972024032567982012-04-11T17:11:00.001-06:002012-05-18T14:05:51.075-06:00Spring BreakIt's been over a month since we went on our trip to DC. I was waiting for some pictures from my mom's camera but since I still don't have them, I'm just going to post this for now and put in some of those pictures later.<br />
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We had what felt like a whirlwind trip with something going on just about every day. We left our house around 7 AM so we could get to the airport in time to catch our flight. Even though our kids are a little older and travel better now, it still seems like such a big hassle every time we fly. I'm sure it's a combination of the long drive (about 1.5 hours) to the airport, the hauling of the luggage from the parking lot to the airport, the getting through security, and finally getting to the gate. Add in the bathroom stops and trying to get food, not to mention any flight delays, and it's really a pain. I know I shouldn't be complaining because we always enjoy ourselves when we get there but the whole process of travelling is not enjoyable. We've actually been pretty lucky with our trips in the past couple years since there haven't been any major delays. So I wasn't surprised when our flight ended up being delayed - for the most unexpected reason: snow. We've been having such warm weather that it took us by surprise to see snow while driving to the airport.<br />
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When we finally landed and got our luggage and rental car it was almost 9 PM. We still had about an hour of driving to where we were staying so we stopped by Famous Dave's for dinner near the airport. It was our first time eating at a Famous Dave's and it was pretty tasty!<br />
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We stayed at the home of some good friends since my parents have cats (Dan and the kids are allergic). Also, Dan needed exercise equipment for his back, which my friends happened to have. It was really wonderful of them to let us stay there. Actually, it worked out that they were gone on vacation until about the day before we left. The only downside to this arrangement was that we were 40 minutes away from my parents'.<br />
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On Wednesday, we went over to my parents' house, which they moved to last year. We hung out there and then stopped by my grandparents' graves.<br />
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On Thursday, my parents and sister came over to my friends' house. After my dad left for work, the rest of us went to Brookside Gardens. There were two connected greenhouses with gorgeous plants and flowers inside. Outside, the flowering trees, tulips, and daffodils were at the height of bloom. The kids especially liked the turtles in the ponds. We didn't mean to stay long but after walking around the gardens we decided to walk through the woods by a lake. Then we saw a miniature train on which we've ridden during our last trip and... since Charlie still loves trains, of course we just had to ride it. Also right next to the train ride was the carousel ride, which we also had to go on because Ellie loves that. We took a different route back to our car which led us through some playgrounds. The kids played there a while. On the way, we went down a graveled hill and poor Ellie tripped. So, that was the end of our perfect day.<br />
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Friday morning we rode the Metro to meet my sister and aunt at the National Air and Space Museum. My kids loved riding the train and the escalators. We really didn't see that much of the museum except the exhibits on flight. Then we had lunch at the McDonald's inside the museum, which was the biggest McDonald's I'd ever been to - it had about 10 lines and was two levels.<br />
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We then headed to the National Zoo, one of my favorite places to visit in DC. It's near and dear to my heart because I'd spent one summer volunteering there during high school. I have fond memories of riding back and forth on the metro several times a week and getting to see the non-tourist parts of the zoo.<br />
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The walk from the Metro station to the zoo entrance is quite long so I was surprised that Ellie walked the whole way without complaining. We had a lot of fun seeing all the animals. Most memorable were the pandas and the lions. There was a long line for the pandas which for some reason were inside instead of outside. The second panda we saw had just turned away from us when we walked up to look at it. Ellie thought it was hilarious that it showed its bottom to us. She kept laughing and laughing... I have to say, going to the zoo with my kids is so much more fun than going with people my age.<br />
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One of the reasons we made this special trip was to attend the wedding of my dear friend Jaya. She and I go way back to the fourth grade when we decided to be "best friends". Even though we've taken different paths in life, she and I have always remained good friends. I'm so glad we were able to be there for her and her husband's special day. The wedding was beautiful as was the couple!<br />
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Another special treat was being able to attend church in my "home" ward in Laurel, Maryland. Although I have been away for more than a decade, I love how it always feels welcoming. Last but not least, we got to enjoy an Easter feast with some of my favorite people!<br />
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<br />luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-84168344908580071122012-04-02T14:05:00.000-06:002012-04-02T14:05:45.162-06:00FourIt's really embarrassing that I'm writing about this right now...almost two months later.<br />
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Ellie turned four in February and we had a birthday party planned for her. Unfortunately, February was a bad month for sickness in our family and poor Ellie got sick several times! We had to reschedule her birthday party twice. But, I was determined she was going to have her birthday party because she was looking SO forward to it. Every day leading up to it she would ask if it was her birthday yet. <br />
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So we <u>finally</u> did have a birthday party for her at McDonald's and she was so happy! It was worth the price to not have to clean up and decorate. <br />
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Ellie definitely brings a lot of joy to our lives! Here are just a few things I love about Ellie:<br />
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* She has a great sense of humor.<br />
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* She makes everything fun! For example, since the weather's been nice lately, we've been going on walks as a family. Ellie started noticing all the fire hydrants we pass. Now, she'll point out every single fire hydrant she sees. She calls them "hire fydrants". She's super adorable in the way she reacts when she sees one.<br />
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* She's very sweet and loving. Her hugs and kisses will melt your heart!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-73790830713894352002012-03-21T13:04:00.000-06:002012-03-21T13:04:54.007-06:00I Recommend This BlogI like to read some blogs and there are a few that I read regularly. Today I read a really great post at <a href="http://www.71toes.com/">71 Toes</a> that I wanted to share because it inspired me and helped me feel good. I hope you like it too! This blog is so great and so is the lady who writes it! In case the link doesn't take you directly to the post I'm talking about, it's titled "being enough". I just love what she wrote because I'm always trying to do better and sometimes it's hard when it doesn't seem like I'm doing enough.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-5686263180970979482012-03-15T13:44:00.000-06:002012-03-15T13:44:26.523-06:00GrowingYesterday, I went to see someone I hadn't seen in over four years: my obstetrician. She did an ultrasound to determine my due date and printed out some images. I was surprised at how far along she said I was - 12 weeks 4 days. Because I'll be 35 soon, I have to decide if I want to have all those tests done to determine if baby has any problems. Bah! I really don't want to have go through with all that stuff but I guess it's good to be prepared mentally & emotionally. Not that I think there should be any problems.<br />
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Baby is about 6 cm from head to bottom. In the second image, you can see a hand.<br />
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I've had a lot more nausea than with the first two but otherwise I feel pretty good. This will be my healthiest pregnancy yet since I've been eating healthier and exercising more regularly than during my previous pregnancies. Yesterday morning, I did 32 laps at the pool. I hope I can keep being physically active all the way until September 22nd!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-55672129574983559562012-03-02T16:47:00.000-07:002012-03-02T16:47:58.240-07:00MusingsMan, I'm terrible at this blogging thing! I've been getting major insomnia now that Ellie likes to wake up at odd hours wanting to use the potty. I don't know why I have such a bad time trying to fall back to sleep. Part of the problem is I always end up thinking - one thought leads to another and before I realize it I've let my mind wander for two hours.<br />
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One of the things I usually end up thinking about is how I could write about this or that on my blog but do I ever actually do it? No, because I always forget. But, I do always think I would like to write more than just once or twice a month. I'm not sure why I want to write more seeing as how my audience is tiny but I guess maybe if I did write more I might get more people interested in reading it.<br />
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Tonight my husband and I are going on a date! We really try to go on them more often but it usually ends up being once a month (maybe twice if we're lucky). It's really nice that we have a few baby-sitters to call on and the kids get excited about having a baby-sitter. :-)<br />
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Our standard is going out to dinner and then seeing a movie. It's pretty much the only thing to do around here, especially when it's cold and windy. There are a couple of restaurants we really like - one is more upscale and pricey and the other one is cheaper and faster but still good. The nice place was one we just went to on Monday night as a family (paid for by a work-related vendor!) so tonight we're going to the second one. Yummy! I can't wait to spend some one-on-one time with my honey!<br />
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If anyone has some fun date ideas, I'd love to hear about them!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-55496275317977158242012-02-14T10:38:00.000-07:002012-02-14T10:38:26.144-07:00Change of PlansWell, sometimes things just don't work out the way you imagined. In my last post, I talked about going to grad school. Having done it for about five weeks, I came to the realization that it isn't the right time for me to pursue that goal. So many factors went into my final conclusion.<br />
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First, the time and energy necessary for my program was more than I could handle. It was exhausting and stressful just to drive the 50 minutes to class. You may think 50 minutes isn't too bad but you don't live in Wyoming. The highway between Cheyenne and Laramie can be treacherous between October and May. Even just a little snow can make the drive dangerous depending on the temperature and wind conditions. Blowing snow is a common occurrence leading to low visibility. Couple that with a steady stream of semis that regularly traverse this artery and you find yourself holding on to the steering wheel with white knuckles. In addition, I was spending a huge amount of time studying and doing the assignments (okay, I only had one assignment at the time). It was also affecting my sleep. The nights before the days I had class, I was sleeping very poorly which was bad because then I didn't have the energy I needed to make the drive and pay attention in class.<br />
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This leads me to the second, and the most important factor: my family. I was stressed-out and not having a lot of time to spend with my family or for taking care of them. Sure I made sure they were taken care of but in the back of my mind I was thinking about when I could study and not really enjoying my time with them as much as I could.<br />
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In addition, I still had my calling and my PTA position. So, after much thought and prayer, I decided it just wasn't the right time for me to go to grad school. Maybe I'll reconsider when both kids are in school and when we live somewhere closer to a school or with more reasonable road conditions.luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7124173851898996831.post-69107351185181538632012-01-08T21:32:00.001-07:002012-01-08T21:33:12.614-07:00New Year, New OpportunitiesHappy New Year!! Last year was great and this year's going to be even better! I know it will be.<br />
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I'm so excited for my goals this year because they're mostly extensions of my resolutions from last year. I'd always been frustrated by new year resolutions because like most people, I would make them and by the end of January they would be forgotten. Last year I changed how I made my resolutions - I made sure they were specific and achievable. For example, instead of saying I would lose weight, my goal was: lose 1 to 2 pounds a week for a total of 15 pounds. What really helped me with this goal was WeightWatchers. (Note: I'm not in any way being compensated for this!). I started this goal near the end of January and by May I had met my goal. And, I have maintained that weight since! So with that and some other goals achieved last year, I'm ready to commit to improving on those goals this year. Bring it on!!!!<br />
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One very thrilling area I'm working on is getting my masters degree in mechanical engineering. I'm starting a class tomorrow at the University of Wyoming. Things are not quite official yet but I've been told I'll probably get in and one of the professors said he could probably find funding for me to take the class. That means that I would probably not have to pay tuition at the very least and I might even be able to get funding for expenses like textbooks, travel, and babysitting. We'll see. I'm nervous about how much time taking this class will take because it's a 45-minute commute each way three days a week and I would have to carve out time to study. Plus, my math is rusty so I will have to study more than the other students. I'm trusting that if it's the right thing for me, it will all work out.<br />
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I will end here since I have to go work on another goal, get to bed by 10 PM!luckyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00900710976482183072noreply@blogger.com1