tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34860507712183601892024-03-12T19:44:34.211-05:00Carel ChroniclesEdward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-81015380626882231612012-12-25T23:54:00.000-06:002012-12-25T23:55:42.622-06:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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May God richly bless you this Holiday season. Here is our growing family's quick pose. Yeah right, it was like pulling teeth to get a smile out of everyone at the same time. </div>
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Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-11959843595580148802012-09-08T23:41:00.001-05:002012-09-08T23:42:02.055-05:00Elsie Jane - 5 beautiful months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This baby is beautiful and precious in every way. So, so sweet...she melts my heart. Thank you Jesus for the gift of Elsie Jane.<br />
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<br />Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-51075796756161342462012-08-01T20:43:00.001-05:002012-08-01T20:45:35.987-05:00Jake & the snake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What would you do if you found this in your chicken coop? If you were
Sophie, you would rescue your little sister as she was about to stick
her hand in the hen box, run in the house, and call big brother to the
rescue. Fortunately this one was just a rat snake but we still had to
take care of it as it was a danger to our chickens and was eating the
eggs. This 6 footer had just devoured 5 of them...eggs that is</div>
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<br />Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-30993671702198094832012-06-06T20:54:00.001-05:002012-08-01T20:45:04.629-05:00Elsie Jane - 2 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My, how time flies when you're having fun. If only the 9 months prior went just as fast. Besides having a cold for 3 weeks at just 10 days old, Elsie has been easy and so happy all the time. And yes, I know...she's Ed's clone. Looks just like her daddy. She is a sweet sweet girl.</div>
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She is super smart too...always diligent in her studies. </div>
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<br />Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-88218588609356014782012-04-30T23:30:00.000-05:002012-04-30T23:36:47.321-05:00Elsie's Birth Story, Part 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We returned to our bedroom to allow Gretchen to rest and regain her strength. Rene’e counted fingers and toes and completed the newborn testing. After nearly an hour we called everyone in and announced our little one’s name, Elsie Jane, God is my oath and God is gracious.<br />
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<b>Elsie Jane, by Jacob</b></div>
<b> </b>I can’t explain what it felt like when the towel was removed from Elsie's body, happy and relieved mostly. It was so wonderful to be close when she drew her first breath. To see the joy on everyone’s faces when she came up was amazing. They all held their breath, many different squeals and “Good job Gretchen”. I love holding her and looking at her tiny hands and fingers. I have never been around for a birth. It was pretty fast, at least it seemed to be to me. <br />
Elsie, I hope you grow up to be a woman who serves God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. I love you, Jacob<br />
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<b>Elsie Jane, by Sophie</b></div>
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I woke up with people all around me: Mrs. Ortley, Miss Vicki and Miss Jody. I knew then my mom was in labor. I was so thrilled that I jumped out of my bed. I walked out and there was a tub in the middle of the living room floor. I really did not know how to react at first. I went into my mom and dad’s room where my mom was laboring. I told my dad that the first and last thing I prayed for the night before was this. Once my mom got into the tub, we all gathered around and got ready to meet the new baby. Right when the baby came into the my mom’s arms, we hurried and covered it with a towel. None of us knew what it was yet and were all eager. I got the honor of cutting the cord. I carefully took the scissors and cut. It was like cutting a hose. About 15 minutes after my mom had the baby we found out the gender..... IT WAS A GIRL!!!! Wow 4 girls; I was so exited. I immediately started making phone calls to family and friends. After my mom and the baby took their bath we found out how much she weighed and how long she was. 9.1 just like me. I was so tickled. And to make things better, she was as long as me too. I felt like I was very special at that moment. After all of the emotion was done and every body left, besides Miss Vicki, all of the kids watched a movie. But I could not pay any attention. All I wanted to do was stare at the new baby. </div>
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<b> Elsie Jane, by Vivian</b></div>
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<b></b><span style="font-size: small;">What did you think about being able to watch your baby sister be born?</span></div>
<i>I thought it would take a long time so I thought it would be boring.</i><br />
<i>The best part was getting out.<br />
First the head came out, then belly, then body (which Vivian refers to as the private area), then the feet.</i><br />
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What did you think when we found out it was a girl?<br />
<i>We have a lot of sisters.</i><br />
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The first time you held her, what did you think?<br />
<i>She felt light.</i><br />
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What was the best part about holding her?<br />
<i>Her hands...they are so soft and small and I like the way it feels when she holds my finger.</i><br />
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Should mommy and daddy have more babies?<br />
<i>YES!</i><br />
How many?<br />
<i>10</i><br />
Why?<br />
<i>Cuz little babies are so cute!</i><i><br />
</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKmJIzrQVWs-YDnr8-OOJ5Beg7BKi7Aa67YC44wk_SxqtTNkHgwDq0Rfq9F2vrFuENrLkzCg7PtpxEUrO6DbgnCnhWdUTR6AwmYM22obIy6W82qcR_-BirFQCSzNwvB5znrbAMYX5sdA/s1600/EJCB+%28111+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKmJIzrQVWs-YDnr8-OOJ5Beg7BKi7Aa67YC44wk_SxqtTNkHgwDq0Rfq9F2vrFuENrLkzCg7PtpxEUrO6DbgnCnhWdUTR6AwmYM22obIy6W82qcR_-BirFQCSzNwvB5znrbAMYX5sdA/s400/EJCB+%28111+of+111%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuqRR_TWVzHyr6C3wd7ioND36X6dluNzuwQsc4NHCMNqm9j9BtMK1iGCw8BjayyFdQmNZSrNJqDcgZWFENQXGaJrH5rGAcPAjlY-b8SgoV1A89CXShPy91YVe-I4hm1i_vrTGu2Iv0B8/s1600/EJCB+%28110+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuqRR_TWVzHyr6C3wd7ioND36X6dluNzuwQsc4NHCMNqm9j9BtMK1iGCw8BjayyFdQmNZSrNJqDcgZWFENQXGaJrH5rGAcPAjlY-b8SgoV1A89CXShPy91YVe-I4hm1i_vrTGu2Iv0B8/s400/EJCB+%28110+of+111%29.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-19677510794293179612012-04-16T08:43:00.003-05:002012-04-18T20:08:48.021-05:00Elsie's Birth Story, Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6U1DtWwtCSMU3FxhnvRZXfyzZ7JOvUhnSfeiGnlR84l_XiX8HLPzBDp-zDPpK7VkgFMBPCC8tWuuaxGkW1VV7zTgNI3eZdPgWpyTlDg0Zr_W-KxIsbZdiA4FTVtSmdE3sQI2y6WViO4I/s1600/EJCB+%2829+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6U1DtWwtCSMU3FxhnvRZXfyzZ7JOvUhnSfeiGnlR84l_XiX8HLPzBDp-zDPpK7VkgFMBPCC8tWuuaxGkW1VV7zTgNI3eZdPgWpyTlDg0Zr_W-KxIsbZdiA4FTVtSmdE3sQI2y6WViO4I/s400/EJCB+%2829+of+111%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Once Gretchen got into the tub, things began to move very quickly. She had three or four contractions and then began pushing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmOJKnb1R_twR5dAZuH9HPVxdl3CdrP3Mh6GOjnWU61U79x1UQwdaWAFxAb5_oGb_OEfSGqNlTEZ7XhPSH5Dusb8GbHORzIjzWsidyAuAXOGdNb6MZUOltc8pyJ8700KP9bnZd-amgcE/s1600/EJCB+%2846+of+111%29_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmOJKnb1R_twR5dAZuH9HPVxdl3CdrP3Mh6GOjnWU61U79x1UQwdaWAFxAb5_oGb_OEfSGqNlTEZ7XhPSH5Dusb8GbHORzIjzWsidyAuAXOGdNb6MZUOltc8pyJ8700KP9bnZd-amgcE/s640/EJCB+%2846+of+111%29_2.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>Rene’e is our amazing midwife. When having a home birth, the prenatal care is done in our home, with the midwife, so by delivery time we had been meeting regularly with her for about seven months. It is quite a bonding experience going through this process with someone. Throughout the ups and downs of pregnancy, there are many very vulnerable moments to share. Having done this once before with Amelia, we have come to love and appreciate Rene’s very much. She is a sweet, kindhearted and gentle person. She exudes experience and confidence. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbueLolKv37MCNnYJpeOrBKsOceuYOOdZ61xkOdLVF_P08a69iiR9lpnRlsIVvKq_Nl9z13Q-wZ-AAigLOAMWdij6kuFjP8JE8t_OXHiae9Vrm4RYzKqqBBv8M5240R83GMtfn-A38-I0/s1600/EJCB+%2848+of+111%29_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbueLolKv37MCNnYJpeOrBKsOceuYOOdZ61xkOdLVF_P08a69iiR9lpnRlsIVvKq_Nl9z13Q-wZ-AAigLOAMWdij6kuFjP8JE8t_OXHiae9Vrm4RYzKqqBBv8M5240R83GMtfn-A38-I0/s640/EJCB+%2848+of+111%29_5.jpg" width="426" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8qBFGHOEkXlQ-jPlsD-eJw8-hHMWetJv02INXN4Z2ZSNpgJAz5KVxsiWnnMB84CFnRUyLya9PO-gaX049IH8M22V6r3mX3tfFEokZHyRSQR8lL-u8-MOI86jg0UtpPzlFM3Sut0bvbw/s1600/EJCB+%2848+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>During our last birth Gretchen became a little ‘restless’ during the final moments and moved abruptly about in the water. Rene’e was not having that this time. Not even a little bit. During and between a push, I heard our gentle southern belle midwife pronounce with great authority, “Girl, don’t you fight me!”. WOW! Where in the world did that come from? The sweet “honey darling” went to “girl don’t you fight me” at neck breaking speed. Where ever it came from, it worked. Gretchen calmed and focused pushing Elsie out during the next contraction. As Elsie came up from the water, we quickly wrapped her to conceal the gender. Not even the midwives saw. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdpwVmwBtykgN-WOU-YWl1Lfz-sWxf3LxfpQMb-G3RUadfRaqESU_huRfRjryc8yJiM_FZFn3MuUZNAPJHZFhqrPitNvg6GBaxw7a_LQAnuZPQKVQNJKuCNqC4uGs4fxggupkjNCUhMA/s1600/EJCB+%2849+of+111%29_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdpwVmwBtykgN-WOU-YWl1Lfz-sWxf3LxfpQMb-G3RUadfRaqESU_huRfRjryc8yJiM_FZFn3MuUZNAPJHZFhqrPitNvg6GBaxw7a_LQAnuZPQKVQNJKuCNqC4uGs4fxggupkjNCUhMA/s640/EJCB+%2849+of+111%29_2.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>The kids gathered around to Gretchen’s side, as we held our baby, not knowing whether we had a son or daughter. There were tears of relief and tears of joy, bursts of laugher and sighs of relief, as the sweet and penetrating presence of God was felt as we together experienced the miracle of new life. The child we had known for nine months in the womb and the child God had known before the foundation of the earth, was now nestled safely in our arms. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTitFBo21LbdT4PquMRRW2HiHWCwoJmw-bsTwQUeMT5Q0jVVA1y3bFWtWePmtNfkpWFI8Su42T4tC7cb4XFVHWdT7wOAc8bvUXHzcoMzNOMtAhelraUc86W8rFmeejkNEZchluY5pcPQY/s1600/EJCB+%2853+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTitFBo21LbdT4PquMRRW2HiHWCwoJmw-bsTwQUeMT5Q0jVVA1y3bFWtWePmtNfkpWFI8Su42T4tC7cb4XFVHWdT7wOAc8bvUXHzcoMzNOMtAhelraUc86W8rFmeejkNEZchluY5pcPQY/s640/EJCB+%2853+of+111%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWJLErkd9xpVsD4ZyJH5EQCHMDuDyxCq0FVGP35Y-9xKkxS4dUYuwEPUhv8jHHsSyjVKtmfNMjEuXPFDa8g6Me5i9dxk57pCgeMJEBzdl7R-vZicso13Pfbo-kQ-v1a_ebyJ70S4By80/s1600/EJCB+%2858+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWJLErkd9xpVsD4ZyJH5EQCHMDuDyxCq0FVGP35Y-9xKkxS4dUYuwEPUhv8jHHsSyjVKtmfNMjEuXPFDa8g6Me5i9dxk57pCgeMJEBzdl7R-vZicso13Pfbo-kQ-v1a_ebyJ70S4By80/s640/EJCB+%2858+of+111%29.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After waiting several minutes, much to the chagrin of our ‘dream team’, we pulled back the towel to find out together the gender of our new baby. The kids waited with much anticipation and strained to see…. a girl! The next and most obvious question was, “What is her name?”. However, that was to remain a surprise for later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51cvQuwXmN5Q6Z9ZqcOevDnNOOtvqFdnnC3AHkc5-x5ERdzKao4Fj1PdtcTYDM7-mquJcUFICHq0UJjikecRKsCufU8xPLkFHnazovjselNkinfNttsSftRxFkOo-9qlRoMewUyw32eQ/s1600/EJCB+%2861+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51cvQuwXmN5Q6Z9ZqcOevDnNOOtvqFdnnC3AHkc5-x5ERdzKao4Fj1PdtcTYDM7-mquJcUFICHq0UJjikecRKsCufU8xPLkFHnazovjselNkinfNttsSftRxFkOo-9qlRoMewUyw32eQ/s400/EJCB+%2861+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> Following in Jacob’s footsteps with Amelia, Sophie was to cut the cord. With Renée’s and my assistance, Sophie proudly completed her task. <br />
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Thanks for journeying along as I have shared our story. My prayer is that perhaps in some small way God has spoken to your heart along the way. May God bless and comfort you.<br />
<br />
Ed <br />
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Final post coming, with more great pics and the kids’ perspective.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-1321980121018608062012-04-08T22:53:00.002-05:002012-04-08T23:06:56.994-05:00Elsie's Birth Story, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjMk7MJtOtuR9wti9P3gKnyeCgChfgE3fbwq8La0uTWD05l_inLgOLVSmvXHpFXrC7E2y7De_FluujUZ0n1-3iShdj-CtGGcDHRBtb2n3S8zqSswzajCC65XxzTA_CT-w-Obl5RWzGok/s1600/EJCB+%2811+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjMk7MJtOtuR9wti9P3gKnyeCgChfgE3fbwq8La0uTWD05l_inLgOLVSmvXHpFXrC7E2y7De_FluujUZ0n1-3iShdj-CtGGcDHRBtb2n3S8zqSswzajCC65XxzTA_CT-w-Obl5RWzGok/s640/EJCB+%2811+of+111%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>During our walk Gretchen contracted seven times; I knew the time was getting close. Interestingly enough, shortly after beginning our walk, our neighbor drove slowly by and rolled down his window to check on us. During our brief conversation, I could feel Gretchen’s grip tighten and her body tense as she began a contraction. She kept a somewhat pleasant expression as she completed our brief comments and said our farewell. Wow, is that graceful or what? We later realized the baby was born 40 minutes later.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9N3LaU5pf8ARQvJ9EsNlKEkt5aSe44Sky5hJ3geF4zw0SMkbqpCXJ_kB2ajG5nbdQ_3JxNjQpfidqIJRcgLRdj9reGbMdEsSHFo2EOVFS4qphFkwFFKbqgBlV0a7bDtO7i9CXJ8EZBzE/s1600/EJCB+%2824+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9N3LaU5pf8ARQvJ9EsNlKEkt5aSe44Sky5hJ3geF4zw0SMkbqpCXJ_kB2ajG5nbdQ_3JxNjQpfidqIJRcgLRdj9reGbMdEsSHFo2EOVFS4qphFkwFFKbqgBlV0a7bDtO7i9CXJ8EZBzE/s640/EJCB+%2824+of+111%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Gretchen was still doing really well with the contractions. She went to our room and lay on the bed for two contractions and then knelt for two more. At this point she told Rene’e she needed to get in the tub. I, being amazingly in tune with what was going on with my wife's body and unbelievably intuitive, thought to myself, "What is she thinking? She is going to sit in this thing for hours. This is going to be awkward just hanging out in the birthing pool. What if the water gets cold? Little did I know we were 10 minutes away from having our baby. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTecFaF4sKe4iuBsY2p2MrJK9RMgtBuCA8OgT_bOGI5dE44A4vzKxhQTuAZeDMNE5-nFFDrVSvs1RwpljVrt03pbLIxnTKk9kDL-uKS0YZPf5KPjwgLMmYhR0qz3w9C-eXYhXC7hyphenhyphenYZE/s1600/EJCB+%2823+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTecFaF4sKe4iuBsY2p2MrJK9RMgtBuCA8OgT_bOGI5dE44A4vzKxhQTuAZeDMNE5-nFFDrVSvs1RwpljVrt03pbLIxnTKk9kDL-uKS0YZPf5KPjwgLMmYhR0qz3w9C-eXYhXC7hyphenhyphenYZE/s400/EJCB+%2823+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>For our four previous deliveries, Jody, our long time family friend, was the only person present besides the doctor/midwife. However this time was different. Gretchen had invited Vicki and Melinda, both of whom are also dear friends. This was our labor and delivery "dream team”. Gretchen had given everyone specific roles so everything would go smoothly. To really appreciate this to its fullest, I will have to recap Amelia’s birth for a moment. Amelia was our first home birth so we didn’t know quite what to expect. Jody had traveled from Illinois to be there and was going to help out. And help out she did! She was given the responsibility to manage kids, prepare food, entertain the midwives, video and photograph the birth, cheer lead and do anything overlooked in proceeding list. And while she did as well as one could expect, the thought occurred that perhaps she was a little overloaded. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUTwXV8nFdHThS5mPOB67r6cg-VLQ1gGW8AYrxamc131lBLAA808HvTvSzOhw-weMUQaTTEXIN2PuiOewIjRdmd4zphTAi_FBxWiqbcUXwtEUapk9cxjsdE9p1A6w7Z6Tz01UWztRP4/s1600/EJCB+%288+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUTwXV8nFdHThS5mPOB67r6cg-VLQ1gGW8AYrxamc131lBLAA808HvTvSzOhw-weMUQaTTEXIN2PuiOewIjRdmd4zphTAi_FBxWiqbcUXwtEUapk9cxjsdE9p1A6w7Z6Tz01UWztRP4/s640/EJCB+%288+of+111%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Vicki has a servant’s heart as big as Texas and as a side note, has a personal conviction that any food must be prepared with cheese, cream, butter, sugar (or all if possible). Good choice. Her role was to be an advocate for the kids to make sure they were not over looked and FOOD, cinnamon rolls to be specific. During the final hour, the smell of made from scratch, ten sticks of butter and one bag of sugar, cinnamon rolls wafted gloriously through the air. We love Vicki.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuk7g_e5TAEUnFI_ICcJJ5FRGOOV5au28jMn3PVvx9a-Qmd8ZZELRdOdf__OBf6iR5WkUfFaJS_tQFEZn_VV7KaFw3mswwKyusgo1fsQLJlgZzjasZO_C5EPWQhxnDy4gnwVpCsXP4oPQ/s1600/EJCB+%2831+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuk7g_e5TAEUnFI_ICcJJ5FRGOOV5au28jMn3PVvx9a-Qmd8ZZELRdOdf__OBf6iR5WkUfFaJS_tQFEZn_VV7KaFw3mswwKyusgo1fsQLJlgZzjasZO_C5EPWQhxnDy4gnwVpCsXP4oPQ/s400/EJCB+%2831+of+111%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Melinda, who is an amazingly talented photographer, was to photograph the entire process. I didn’t realize that Melinda also has stealth like speed and ability to camouflage herself among trees and bushes to catch the perfect shot. At one point, as I was helping Gretchen during a contraction at the foot of our bed, I felt footsteps across the other end as Melinda repositioned for a better angle. Melinda’s creativity goes far beyond being a great photographer. We were blessed to have her there and got great moments captured to cherish and share. <br />
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That left Jody to cheer lead and video which is a much more reasonable expectation. Naturally, Jody still entertained the midwives.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18tSEQ56d0TMuKE_8K8kUDQZcRxJ_vGtfb7w3DszDn9_fHzJM60Q0P1X0phNBzDEircFPMBSkX8vRU8T7zeRHeRmY0tEBirtW-dRY9nycTTRhOD0UorgZBwkizuHZFQaUr4GYs_H7yJQ/s1600/EJCB+%2843+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18tSEQ56d0TMuKE_8K8kUDQZcRxJ_vGtfb7w3DszDn9_fHzJM60Q0P1X0phNBzDEircFPMBSkX8vRU8T7zeRHeRmY0tEBirtW-dRY9nycTTRhOD0UorgZBwkizuHZFQaUr4GYs_H7yJQ/s400/EJCB+%2843+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>We had spoken with the kids ahead of time about being present during the birth and the following was their responses: <br />
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Jacob exclaimed, “Seriously… gross…no way would I want to be there. I will MAYBE be in the next room. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaAA3DFuC_sLKlaqd8Ik_KuOBArwhaWniczNKd066LgDUH6it_LpPqQr7UVAyzkomC3YWG-BEKuv0S7uzBuEHEkb9G8KguM_lgsQryzYr_FDjAW9Qmf-xpNum5W5bQMsfLd74AjeGCac/s1600/EJCB+%2825+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaAA3DFuC_sLKlaqd8Ik_KuOBArwhaWniczNKd066LgDUH6it_LpPqQr7UVAyzkomC3YWG-BEKuv0S7uzBuEHEkb9G8KguM_lgsQryzYr_FDjAW9Qmf-xpNum5W5bQMsfLd74AjeGCac/s400/EJCB+%2825+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sophie’s response was, “Yes absolutely, just try to stop me…go ahead just try!”.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdc__KOk2xj-2yddilruphhru4C5koWca1VlqjNAtSsZDWYcuyS1vTBGrAZKwduBXVMoreglvS32jvfms70HEqM4BSTPzsTQkv9Crtn3IXCqFx3rk-5sxYgbw4Gmk2AC2C3ioownZE64/s1600/EJCB+%2835+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdc__KOk2xj-2yddilruphhru4C5koWca1VlqjNAtSsZDWYcuyS1vTBGrAZKwduBXVMoreglvS32jvfms70HEqM4BSTPzsTQkv9Crtn3IXCqFx3rk-5sxYgbw4Gmk2AC2C3ioownZE64/s400/EJCB+%2835+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Vivian’s response was, “Sounds boring… will there be someone to play with?”.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WoDnqotZdNYdlvg5AyAUlYdxzI8hT7cTqVvbQsycRv6lDLyS_J1RrRgY0zGyCsmAorkH3Ndgf67zwO-Il8mXI074JP6aJ2tUstFRzEwh7wNq_uyLGvuXx61oA6hlgnDGInzahX91F-Y/s1600/EJCB+%2855+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WoDnqotZdNYdlvg5AyAUlYdxzI8hT7cTqVvbQsycRv6lDLyS_J1RrRgY0zGyCsmAorkH3Ndgf67zwO-Il8mXI074JP6aJ2tUstFRzEwh7wNq_uyLGvuXx61oA6hlgnDGInzahX91F-Y/s400/EJCB+%2855+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amelia’s response was, “Yes mom and dad. I love and cherish you both so much. I will be there to share this moment with you”…. Not really, I made that up. I’m sure that was what she was thinking.</div><br />
Jacob couldn’t resist and came in to be close. At one point he was cowering next to the couch peeking over the arm of the chair. We woke Sophie 20 minutes before Gretchen delivered and she sat front and center. Jody stepped in to get Vivian minutes before delivery. Viv sat groggily on the couch trying to figure out what was going on. Millie was the last to join the party and verbalized her displeasure with being woken from a very pleasant slumber. She finally calmed down and sat gazing curiously trying to figure out where the new cool looking baby came from.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHIKN8g2mNimP23bJokQ3pAHO5Zl3TZNqVwz7RKhbo2-pVt1wrZcN8KoORSaQaFIwh45a_i3Xn82vClZjm5pF_mgmVFj2dwXJ-2diLOEyI0lOyMKlY7hlGOAX3KhKyCUvb-M2S3NeCb8/s1600/EJCB+%2839+of+111%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHIKN8g2mNimP23bJokQ3pAHO5Zl3TZNqVwz7RKhbo2-pVt1wrZcN8KoORSaQaFIwh45a_i3Xn82vClZjm5pF_mgmVFj2dwXJ-2diLOEyI0lOyMKlY7hlGOAX3KhKyCUvb-M2S3NeCb8/s400/EJCB+%2839+of+111%29.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> For those of you not familiar with how a home birth works, I will briefly explain our experience. Most of the labor was spent walking outside, in our bedroom either lying or leaning against our bed or kneeling on the floor. We had calm classical music playing in our dimly lit room. The flickering soft glow of a candle bounced silhouettes against the wall and a hint a lavender essential oil hung in the air from our diffuser. Gretchen remained calm and in control. I helped her pace her breathing and supported her through contractions. When she entered into transition she moved to a birthing tub we had set up in our living room. She wore a dark loose gown so she could be both comfortable and modest. The entire process was a very sweet and bonding experience. Sharing such a surreal and wonderful miracle together as a family will be marked in Gretchen's and my mind forever. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Part 3 coming soon. </div>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-29599420353741726542012-04-06T15:39:00.003-05:002012-04-06T16:20:21.785-05:00Elsie's Birth Story, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXmiot-aY2DWOG-ml4GwC4J54pF7F2f8s0VrIGt_O_nfdU_9eDSGHlFrryBFgpD_bjmh7cJxxSVNHCgmaEmapBKJI1Umm5QqFHbdo5aR9LhYFOi9Lo-MVwYbs8B7clDnbsqnHtN06xAg/s1600/EJCB+%2810+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXmiot-aY2DWOG-ml4GwC4J54pF7F2f8s0VrIGt_O_nfdU_9eDSGHlFrryBFgpD_bjmh7cJxxSVNHCgmaEmapBKJI1Umm5QqFHbdo5aR9LhYFOi9Lo-MVwYbs8B7clDnbsqnHtN06xAg/s640/EJCB+%2810+of+111%29.jpg" width="419" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>For 9 months I planned to have a March baby. We have had children born in December, January, February and April. I planned for Elsie to come in March and never considered the possibility of going a week late and having her in April, not to mention being born on April Fool's Day. So I was delighted when labor started in the wee hours of morning on March 31. I stayed up late visiting with my friend Jody, who by the way was to catch a plane home on the 31st. This was her second flight booked for home. She decided to miss her earlier flight back and extend her trip by a few days in hopes this Carel baby would make his/her appearance. So my first contraction was at 1:09 am, minutes after going to bed for the night...or so I thought. They were sporadic but kept coming, some 8 minutes apart, some 12. I wasn't so convinced it was the real thing. I text this message to my midwife at 3:15am, "Been contracting since 1am. 8 to 12 minutes apart. Were 30 sec long. Now 45 sec long. All while laying on left side in bed. Haven't gotten up to walk yet. How close do they have to be before I know it's true labor?". I know this is baby #5, but my water broke before labor ever started with 3 of my babies. You know it's the real deal then. I didn't hear from Rene'e but decided not to call her yet. I woke Ed and asked him to walk with me. Walking made the contractions come every 5 minutes but they weren't as strong. I was confused. I called Rene'e at 4:30 am and explained to her what was going on. I told her I was fine, that the contractions weren't that hard yet but wanted to give her a heads up. She decided it would be wisdom to head in my direction since she is over an hour's drive away. I also woke Jody, called my friend Vicki who had a very important role and my friend Melinda who was to photograph the moments of the day and of course the birth.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLh_IkLPk64ctVLqr8iUCO6vNWBydoPbDIuIGrBtxe4qqJLrfl02JbuTXseqZipQjPng952xZMJC25fV6Hwq6Lh_PasWsZU8LOMlvwJaav-9lHq1ZtZg9oYo-PR_2DMchLrHUPhB1O-M/s1600/EJCB+%286+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLh_IkLPk64ctVLqr8iUCO6vNWBydoPbDIuIGrBtxe4qqJLrfl02JbuTXseqZipQjPng952xZMJC25fV6Hwq6Lh_PasWsZU8LOMlvwJaav-9lHq1ZtZg9oYo-PR_2DMchLrHUPhB1O-M/s640/EJCB+%286+of+111%29.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>Rene'e, the world's most awesome midwife, arrived at 6:15 am. She checked on the baby, then checked my cervix. I was dilated to a 7!!! Woo hoooooo!!! I couldn't believe I had gotten so far with such little effort. Unfortunately my blood pressure was elevated to a level she was concerned about. I had to stay in bed to labor. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL2oYxNM66DFdGH4mGk6BEbsOL3S2PGVDhhXbUQXpvvvSj_Kvf1gVIcIoM_K_GY_KJAcgx59VbluhGhdmF_ibRLGt93JxCqDp5PjNFF77EOn5l0fBw7OfCQYwe50O_cg2E7iaZKHtXSI/s1600/EJCB+%287+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL2oYxNM66DFdGH4mGk6BEbsOL3S2PGVDhhXbUQXpvvvSj_Kvf1gVIcIoM_K_GY_KJAcgx59VbluhGhdmF_ibRLGt93JxCqDp5PjNFF77EOn5l0fBw7OfCQYwe50O_cg2E7iaZKHtXSI/s400/EJCB+%287+of+111%29.jpg" width="323" /></a></div>After one hour of laboring in bed, Rene'e checked me again...still a 7. Oh NO, I was NOT going to take 5 hours to get to a 10! At that point I asked Rene’e if I could go for a walk to move things along. BTW, remember Jody had a plane to catch and this was going to be a March baby. Rene'e had agreed to the walk under one condition, we had to be back in ten minutes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLOWXTyPh_ftXIiyon8dNUP33ZV3P4608tzP43lc_C9RrT3s5aFpAhu_jxHRobmgL7RgRxbnYnhGlHXITWdSCJX9qFTVIEuS_A8OzcH-tWAolV2cbmjHGpkYgzq2XlNTgXjQ1axcWijs/s1600/EJCB+%2816+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLOWXTyPh_ftXIiyon8dNUP33ZV3P4608tzP43lc_C9RrT3s5aFpAhu_jxHRobmgL7RgRxbnYnhGlHXITWdSCJX9qFTVIEuS_A8OzcH-tWAolV2cbmjHGpkYgzq2XlNTgXjQ1axcWijs/s640/EJCB+%2816+of+111%29.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>Our 7:30 am walk was beautiful. The temperature was perfect and our part of Texas full of color. About half way up the road, we realized we were being followed by Melinda who was hiding amongst the trees like a paparazzi.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutk0lAP7ttkUJpi5aD6QHMvpnfFZz_sySAp-SYrnzA7dtPJP3ctEumUDbaDUp6wolR2xNEJKcBsCLD7Fxu8juc6aarEciOLndqjk_Wo59_sjQvYY3urM6rIDo280iAlOBNy8ESjOYZew/s1600/EJCB+%2818+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutk0lAP7ttkUJpi5aD6QHMvpnfFZz_sySAp-SYrnzA7dtPJP3ctEumUDbaDUp6wolR2xNEJKcBsCLD7Fxu8juc6aarEciOLndqjk_Wo59_sjQvYY3urM6rIDo280iAlOBNy8ESjOYZew/s640/EJCB+%2818+of+111%29.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>The walking increased the strength of my contractions making me realize it wouldn't be long before my baby was in my arms. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaURG104GFFtTGKRYSnzOAaucc6THfj1O1qhjt7mOnhLBbgIVoKRI0UidqhuAbZjcm37m8Y5ajGqjiDXhS-888hFII0zlfbTt9vBdqtwhd9brwP-tctoOVepUL-_9tqUtRQlE8sbYSec/s1600/EJCB+%2821+of+111%29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaURG104GFFtTGKRYSnzOAaucc6THfj1O1qhjt7mOnhLBbgIVoKRI0UidqhuAbZjcm37m8Y5ajGqjiDXhS-888hFII0zlfbTt9vBdqtwhd9brwP-tctoOVepUL-_9tqUtRQlE8sbYSec/s640/EJCB+%2821+of+111%29.jpg" width="448" /></a></div>Melinda stopped us in the front yard for a quick smile for the camera. She told me to look natural. Seriously? Natural? Okay, everything else about this labor is natural. So this is the "natural" look of a 41 week pregnant mama who hasn't slept a wink and been laboring for 6 hours. No photo shopping the bags under these eyes. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-47897882500833950552012-04-03T21:50:00.011-05:002012-04-05T21:31:07.762-05:00Elsie Jane Carel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsQLVlDrMTdWiCkTpONff8davhPno4mliXmF5hLl4rUdQgpeZiZxqYiqBHv0_4Cd9LgsOEaE3zJgKUH29AL5BtjCzJ0V4pORTHkNZoGuoVB_q2GtZXia4_zKqbpGR9dZjmdi004oxIk0/s1600/DSC_0146.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727373833618212290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsQLVlDrMTdWiCkTpONff8davhPno4mliXmF5hLl4rUdQgpeZiZxqYiqBHv0_4Cd9LgsOEaE3zJgKUH29AL5BtjCzJ0V4pORTHkNZoGuoVB_q2GtZXia4_zKqbpGR9dZjmdi004oxIk0/s640/DSC_0146.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" width="425" /></a><br />
She’s here! This has been an unbelievably long nine months for our family, but our wait is over and we got to meet out little girl on Saturday morning March 31 at 8:19. Sophie was glad to share her title as the largest of the Carel babies when her newest sister joined her weighing 9 pounds 1 ounce. And as if sharing her sister’s birth weight wasn’t enough, Elsie Jane measure 21” in length which was also Sophie’s birth length.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSvMT2ZOKoyacUBL-3GmdXmDllFVCv5pq33c5ouzLijoovOBqmaMutbkkiHk0kXzSG0hJYQeLWtxlZya435d33z5zeuNydvTAvRhGSqXcZyYeKE9d6SD4o3KuDsdQv-4gjuwlQghfSwM/s1600/EJCB+%252887+of+111%2529.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727373493351523698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSvMT2ZOKoyacUBL-3GmdXmDllFVCv5pq33c5ouzLijoovOBqmaMutbkkiHk0kXzSG0hJYQeLWtxlZya435d33z5zeuNydvTAvRhGSqXcZyYeKE9d6SD4o3KuDsdQv-4gjuwlQghfSwM/s400/EJCB+%252887+of+111%2529.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a><br />
So I am going to take a moment and be a bit politically incorrect. Excuse my indiscretion here. Over the past months I cannot tell you how many times I have heard something along these lines, after telling telling someone my wife and I were awaiting the birth of baby number five: “You know how to stop that don’t ya?” or “Wow, are you Catholic or Mormon?” or “What did you do to deserve that?” Most of the time I would just smile and express how happy we were. Sometimes, feeling a little antagonistic, I would reply a little less than kind. However, just to set the record straight, I am neither Catholic or Mormon and indeed I do know how to ‘stop that’. However, what did I do to deserve this? Other than the unexplainable grace, mercy, blessing and favor of God, I am not sure. The indescribable joy of seeing my newest daughter brought up to her mother’s chest, while surrounded by my four other children and close friends, yields me speechless. I guess I am just a guy who is crazy enough to believe scripture when it says “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3 ESV<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LKr4_rHFFpFETp9FU9tU71zGk7dxEpLJQsaF_1fgVx-OUcAl5WShWKfdTpHp2O5SQuVhmC6Zs6t8-a_SLoWtWgiruBQJ9c4FVxmVmiuGzVVHVoqAZoWx5xSsxD9XqRX9LyibkbKhq1s/s1600/DSC_0202.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727372951023261634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LKr4_rHFFpFETp9FU9tU71zGk7dxEpLJQsaF_1fgVx-OUcAl5WShWKfdTpHp2O5SQuVhmC6Zs6t8-a_SLoWtWgiruBQJ9c4FVxmVmiuGzVVHVoqAZoWx5xSsxD9XqRX9LyibkbKhq1s/s400/DSC_0202.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a>Over the next couple of days Gretchen and I will share our amazing story of Elsie Jane’s arrival. So if you’re so inclined, you can come along as we share.<br />
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Elsie means God is my oath and Jane means God is gracious.<br />
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May God be your oath and be gracious to you.<br />
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EdEdward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-57180677824798998742012-03-26T23:51:00.006-05:002012-04-05T21:32:31.418-05:00Patience is a Virtue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj836NqGHzatue4d7qaomdFp5ZvWYq7fzb_XAdTjN1k4o3aQdsNcobo_8ZDshjqZsG28ygKHTEotxmdDFhdkggoqnGuA7ovlia3GeKPOFSPtYz1t2FBDd-y7e_LhUffmauQ2-FQ3aMXDfE/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724441645473137362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj836NqGHzatue4d7qaomdFp5ZvWYq7fzb_XAdTjN1k4o3aQdsNcobo_8ZDshjqZsG28ygKHTEotxmdDFhdkggoqnGuA7ovlia3GeKPOFSPtYz1t2FBDd-y7e_LhUffmauQ2-FQ3aMXDfE/s400/DSC_0260.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
My due date was today. I'm trying to remember March 26 was an estimate. That's why they say plus or minus 2 weeks. When you're planning a natural childbirth, you don't get to pick your baby's birthday. It gets to be a surprise. That's part of the fun! Doesn't feel so fun when you're going into the plus days. Once my baby is in my arms, I will never care I was a few days late.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XKxolwDcY3QedqGxIxffJ9W3pAlJeKAugOaqHvBeCt_1NoNPpm-_9wyhC-hyChNKoyzML3p0HLi6Gk6eh3trjINxS3yv5Jbcx4HBXRNcQ5_HdnbEaqHrHMP_fAMbzNxe2Re7O5Xsg1M/s1600/DSC_0061.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724445079528102866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XKxolwDcY3QedqGxIxffJ9W3pAlJeKAugOaqHvBeCt_1NoNPpm-_9wyhC-hyChNKoyzML3p0HLi6Gk6eh3trjINxS3yv5Jbcx4HBXRNcQ5_HdnbEaqHrHMP_fAMbzNxe2Re7O5Xsg1M/s400/DSC_0061.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXYs8J9FID907cMcXcJ01auN7rrMMdzl9hRmZ87xHEspahKpTBhDU2fVsSnWHL0qGc1tB8pG5FVxJu90IFgPRLTNOOHqMtpJ4rPnC9naPZok77TtSkGLzongI-9YoSyUJLiwBZc6wvFQ/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724445937138229890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXYs8J9FID907cMcXcJ01auN7rrMMdzl9hRmZ87xHEspahKpTBhDU2fVsSnWHL0qGc1tB8pG5FVxJu90IFgPRLTNOOHqMtpJ4rPnC9naPZok77TtSkGLzongI-9YoSyUJLiwBZc6wvFQ/s400/DSC_0200.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBPEeQ72_rwa0DV85ZF6hpIS8rBHsdcYr3bJVx41dWkU50twQKLG9HmYJzfSWk83GDv-8zaLocI0HDsuP6WAJmOgsvLuHEybBAHOUE5ey9BpWv6I4LHieZs-3oYnDLio6uqbcZUyh6_w/s1600/DSC_0185.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724446502928458626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBPEeQ72_rwa0DV85ZF6hpIS8rBHsdcYr3bJVx41dWkU50twQKLG9HmYJzfSWk83GDv-8zaLocI0HDsuP6WAJmOgsvLuHEybBAHOUE5ey9BpWv6I4LHieZs-3oYnDLio6uqbcZUyh6_w/s400/DSC_0185.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-61414696856692348812012-03-21T23:35:00.009-05:002012-04-05T21:31:58.214-05:00Just because I can still call her babyShe's still my baby girl and always will be MY girl. However, her status will change in a matter of days. Her new title will be BIG sister. And boy is she going to be excited to have a little person in the house to mother.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ciHGgBcR8jAuYt3v3waEakqShx7goeZWQyOVkrY6-A_VQtH0f9yfkL8YWzgpEKaoPr0nVZtCxFFZa06ELDBWAe1bZp45LOPWdpsx5N5TlVWRkfZNxHKvHv7jex5TNR-4h9UXRESXvI/s1600/DSC_0067.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722578435300078210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ciHGgBcR8jAuYt3v3waEakqShx7goeZWQyOVkrY6-A_VQtH0f9yfkL8YWzgpEKaoPr0nVZtCxFFZa06ELDBWAe1bZp45LOPWdpsx5N5TlVWRkfZNxHKvHv7jex5TNR-4h9UXRESXvI/s400/DSC_0067.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsInvHcIKjX-SS3ErPGdKPJygUBOTq38ZxA4Jb3MvFKRj1pufrkFJUBvrU9Dc3lR9Zn6aZxq0y7-JaFGBIDvQdkIrkPdj4tgQ8wzO6hDcXzRmuqYf5b8d4Fwbibb8jHF-TBYn4SVwum8/s1600/DSC_0098.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722578078333341954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsInvHcIKjX-SS3ErPGdKPJygUBOTq38ZxA4Jb3MvFKRj1pufrkFJUBvrU9Dc3lR9Zn6aZxq0y7-JaFGBIDvQdkIrkPdj4tgQ8wzO6hDcXzRmuqYf5b8d4Fwbibb8jHF-TBYn4SVwum8/s400/DSC_0098.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBcV2EgfAREMWdYEvZJSYFtoBXEJmnlyP5CwdWoH6fcifUWML_p2t7SBeEgroAr-Vb8xD95N_yKqdDsuMa3YTIqrCeNb4-FmxLPeO5TLEgqyjv_5IdGRIE90_SXEYLPjAdBVm1Fe2Weo/s1600/DSC_0069.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722580189622124162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBcV2EgfAREMWdYEvZJSYFtoBXEJmnlyP5CwdWoH6fcifUWML_p2t7SBeEgroAr-Vb8xD95N_yKqdDsuMa3YTIqrCeNb4-FmxLPeO5TLEgqyjv_5IdGRIE90_SXEYLPjAdBVm1Fe2Weo/s400/DSC_0069.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OYI3XCY8xxu_wYjgo703M0xT9-jtVowDZtixdd-vt9m8dUIjPEXzpjpPCu_PJQsyNL_JGBCeyUoiaZoUDX6ajJ-DsAnjpSTZOdLlSOIfZIigBWanjOiR7I2TLIdBsLp-suTCivGMZCg/s1600/DSC_0362_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722575965681889010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OYI3XCY8xxu_wYjgo703M0xT9-jtVowDZtixdd-vt9m8dUIjPEXzpjpPCu_PJQsyNL_JGBCeyUoiaZoUDX6ajJ-DsAnjpSTZOdLlSOIfZIigBWanjOiR7I2TLIdBsLp-suTCivGMZCg/s400/DSC_0362_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-74258143008331972722012-02-26T20:23:00.028-06:002012-04-05T21:32:48.897-05:00Carel KiddosJacob turned 13 in December. His favorite things to do are playing and exploring in the pastures with the dogs and building crazy inventions. He also likes to read and play his guitar and ukulele. Jacob watches the girls like a hawk and is such a protective big brother. Not looking much like our little boy anymore, as boyhood is shedding away and a young man is beginning to appear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-VCXeI3idWZMeJdF5jiX2JaB5XCZiTfcNxNH6KyRSerxQk3qo5a27uINOa6q5VCtp657efaLD_mXn1JIuwZK-XBW1Yo_HUgXnuiDcCi4T7k9tuc_e1EaVzg8GdYPtSJae88ReklCVHE/s1600/DSC_3735.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713669457545581986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-VCXeI3idWZMeJdF5jiX2JaB5XCZiTfcNxNH6KyRSerxQk3qo5a27uINOa6q5VCtp657efaLD_mXn1JIuwZK-XBW1Yo_HUgXnuiDcCi4T7k9tuc_e1EaVzg8GdYPtSJae88ReklCVHE/s400/DSC_3735.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
Sophie is about to turn 11. She is often second momma in the house to her younger siblings. Without her second pair of helpful hands I am not sure how our house would run. She plays the piano every free moment she gets and has won numerous "Superior" ribbons playing at her music festivals. Sophie is mature beyond her years and is a great teacher and encourager. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVCMesgV0bQtWlSAdM8unUoKsSA-P7CXoOFYFX1EP2CydIXArZDn9ZhgTbNwJrSUoYEd9fW-ixXGB6c_e05gZ2lNhuXWp3fEPx3ieyBfU6SusXXB_IsWoWpEt-7t6R9GWpNxyC5wD2mU/s1600/DSC_4172.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713638712999625842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVCMesgV0bQtWlSAdM8unUoKsSA-P7CXoOFYFX1EP2CydIXArZDn9ZhgTbNwJrSUoYEd9fW-ixXGB6c_e05gZ2lNhuXWp3fEPx3ieyBfU6SusXXB_IsWoWpEt-7t6R9GWpNxyC5wD2mU/s400/DSC_4172.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></a><br />
Vivian turned 6 this month. She counted down the days to her party. She asked me, "Will I grow all at once and get bigger on my birthday or just a little at a time?" She is super sweet and can quickly bring a smile to my face with her wittiness. A few weeks ago during church she leaned over and smiled at me and said, "Finally!", when she heard the pastor say "in conclusion." I did not disillusion her by telling her that meant nothing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4fAIJNOcfT0ICmerLtgUmgvQUsnv8DpA7SHQf29uYeXUZYa8LM06pfSVcK7xaFxXCLMaMgGtYC_o5miFxkhk9YVPhP1A9IDHunxhDcsBM-p0pRMbV9k54wfVypjbvsQ2zjuartsv-0o/s1600/DSC_3877.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713647958772174306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4fAIJNOcfT0ICmerLtgUmgvQUsnv8DpA7SHQf29uYeXUZYa8LM06pfSVcK7xaFxXCLMaMgGtYC_o5miFxkhk9YVPhP1A9IDHunxhDcsBM-p0pRMbV9k54wfVypjbvsQ2zjuartsv-0o/s400/DSC_3877.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Amelia turned 2 in January. Yes I said<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 2</span>! Whew...she is giving us a run for our money. Have you ever laughed when your child did something incredibly cute and at the same time very naughty? Well, that is our Millie. She LOVES to tell (yell) the dogs NO! Sassy and sweet is our little Millie.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2613BRJTMdMpW7EgrWVXZJ3pxndPG1fvAEBpkorhEmIdBSv4tI-svIgPdQkUR2avBRmbf6y1fwVpon2GvRw_Weom2NoAtmuKGI0okQm_D-tW8zMoZe1iVzp9K-VkG3C8r7SDZDb7c-kY/s1600/DSC_4130_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713637505548550354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2613BRJTMdMpW7EgrWVXZJ3pxndPG1fvAEBpkorhEmIdBSv4tI-svIgPdQkUR2avBRmbf6y1fwVpon2GvRw_Weom2NoAtmuKGI0okQm_D-tW8zMoZe1iVzp9K-VkG3C8r7SDZDb7c-kY/s400/DSC_4130_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 286px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>And baby 5 is coming in just a few short weeks. I'm not sure what I will write about him or her in a year or so but I could probably make a good guess. Ever seen a child sit and play sweetly with great contentedness for hours without a peep? Neither have I. Gretchen and I don't seem to make that flavor. Our DNA seems to produce beautiful and creative, little mischievous energy ridden go a hundred miles an hour kids....but I wouldn't trade them for anything!Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-36529835854628569832011-06-27T22:11:00.011-05:002011-06-30T19:24:30.061-05:00Rylee<div style="text-align: center;">Introducing my new niece, Rylee Lynn...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAF70m1JDWctrLFIGPplcWOFZ99B72YfNgFD7bCAgAlHu5yuNktajDzTZGn_TEDLTyQf0xvSU1RD5tqm8ZNvtoeTHfbGM4lM-9ilpVbcsr0XfjMmUg64ngL_IWJs1sA0aAMlqD6SJaxo/s1600/DSC_0129_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAF70m1JDWctrLFIGPplcWOFZ99B72YfNgFD7bCAgAlHu5yuNktajDzTZGn_TEDLTyQf0xvSU1RD5tqm8ZNvtoeTHfbGM4lM-9ilpVbcsr0XfjMmUg64ngL_IWJs1sA0aAMlqD6SJaxo/s400/DSC_0129_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105034478243794" border="0" /></a>in Grammy's garden<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVzlm6slmz7gYH-sJgQAlySBN50F83WRX3uV4o7zHysLTvv56Mtu4Egrw5zvlmZOYoHaYGWT_9Oq5_9Aw5zzW5Dbex284AwNZu-TcHus_lAa5M2oew9JgznKRBPzokjus7JESMBTT6VE/s1600/DSC_0177_2_2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVzlm6slmz7gYH-sJgQAlySBN50F83WRX3uV4o7zHysLTvv56Mtu4Egrw5zvlmZOYoHaYGWT_9Oq5_9Aw5zzW5Dbex284AwNZu-TcHus_lAa5M2oew9JgznKRBPzokjus7JESMBTT6VE/s400/DSC_0177_2_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105030001440482" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLrAwbYWhNJI1m0mvYY2PZoDGHD03-JSYQmQ1qskH67uKKFb2s1r1bh5PL9Raqs7KqCkYiNVknHq4U9praTxxgC9Y2M9u-A9VfMm1AwP_HesuHI5k6ZWBBukSvMq5FbZQxwzIPo_VX9M/s1600/DSC_0165_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLrAwbYWhNJI1m0mvYY2PZoDGHD03-JSYQmQ1qskH67uKKFb2s1r1bh5PL9Raqs7KqCkYiNVknHq4U9praTxxgC9Y2M9u-A9VfMm1AwP_HesuHI5k6ZWBBukSvMq5FbZQxwzIPo_VX9M/s400/DSC_0165_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624172692217788770" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKoBWGNpvIzFkQUPsYngln69Pd4bhGRcPCBDj-rTPqFsncl0XaFzpT2gI4nwLT9nP4I9tOPMFhCEy0fWDi-ZvCc13EKV8xI-K0DESsYYFiEuGsqI0SDJqrW2al_23uCTZO1KdM6LwbRk/s1600/DSC_0217_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKoBWGNpvIzFkQUPsYngln69Pd4bhGRcPCBDj-rTPqFsncl0XaFzpT2gI4nwLT9nP4I9tOPMFhCEy0fWDi-ZvCc13EKV8xI-K0DESsYYFiEuGsqI0SDJqrW2al_23uCTZO1KdM6LwbRk/s400/DSC_0217_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623106491647680466" border="0" /></a>sweet face<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6wKVtzS2jlURdlij3Gq15ZQEbgFIVwkiPRSoV13BUweE2ne2AC-CYP7DJgIw8Zo9YKNEd86fbUqjyCTNCSBC4KugSsbHyAEL_tags4duY1hEoEHPdo0RWabKGHDEHHYMOWitqjV7gWc/s1600/DSC_0221_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6wKVtzS2jlURdlij3Gq15ZQEbgFIVwkiPRSoV13BUweE2ne2AC-CYP7DJgIw8Zo9YKNEd86fbUqjyCTNCSBC4KugSsbHyAEL_tags4duY1hEoEHPdo0RWabKGHDEHHYMOWitqjV7gWc/s400/DSC_0221_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623104070520428258" border="0" /></a>the Mommy<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb49LbVVkulacEXaT5wmcVbNz8YsgAYGehku0FwttxRwxGr433IyDB6_YldE_6JTNyri4LPfPN80Fga-M5Sy9ggjKdjihXDf3PQdFxonmUMNxN8v_Fg2q859TfbytDv9n2XnFUD8Vk8wk/s1600/DSC_0250_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb49LbVVkulacEXaT5wmcVbNz8YsgAYGehku0FwttxRwxGr433IyDB6_YldE_6JTNyri4LPfPN80Fga-M5Sy9ggjKdjihXDf3PQdFxonmUMNxN8v_Fg2q859TfbytDv9n2XnFUD8Vk8wk/s400/DSC_0250_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623104067358227362" border="0" /></a>the Daddy<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1B98iUTdRmL3ajLOcBR_vnFK4EWm9LpWXeDX27SeZYQyrwVHYE8d0s6eqd_DxwopjGIdilXO5x3kbNVR7aI3LXV4kzyM_sC4jF6mqFMpxwnQBWrY8bm4ud8m2-8K2DyPRZadrFaqpmy4/s1600/DSC_0114_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1B98iUTdRmL3ajLOcBR_vnFK4EWm9LpWXeDX27SeZYQyrwVHYE8d0s6eqd_DxwopjGIdilXO5x3kbNVR7aI3LXV4kzyM_sC4jF6mqFMpxwnQBWrY8bm4ud8m2-8K2DyPRZadrFaqpmy4/s400/DSC_0114_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623103518758476114" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2JYxrVIb7tOuWmYdeVewIW795OT5_CZczTEyC8UNtWg1U-jcrM-lzD5qhrvIemoNbbgIxPNIKjBbgNa49JiD7hocgR4Pc3je_8FjVO8sN-Yixg_kOJTDFDiXEKz5YLN9K602zNg8v4A/s1600/DSC_0203_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2JYxrVIb7tOuWmYdeVewIW795OT5_CZczTEyC8UNtWg1U-jcrM-lzD5qhrvIemoNbbgIxPNIKjBbgNa49JiD7hocgR4Pc3je_8FjVO8sN-Yixg_kOJTDFDiXEKz5YLN9K602zNg8v4A/s400/DSC_0203_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105038636993586" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkpOrJ7y4p7HYm35ihXxi5RjR05C9XB3JdgmjE5MiuLl-IDGiLmoE2s_Xkja46WGdUBa3sJKxJ-exwGoLpksYGI2BfK2fVdlTNguGFVJRb6OekmcO79wA9GD67Z2HK5dmlY5b4mRAZOc/s1600/DSC_0182_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkpOrJ7y4p7HYm35ihXxi5RjR05C9XB3JdgmjE5MiuLl-IDGiLmoE2s_Xkja46WGdUBa3sJKxJ-exwGoLpksYGI2BfK2fVdlTNguGFVJRb6OekmcO79wA9GD67Z2HK5dmlY5b4mRAZOc/s400/DSC_0182_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623103522215481602" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhcBI2JCg6kCjZKvDDVMZrdi_8Vg3W3owk17iDUO-dtqVXiQaApYHK3nEgTMuHMqWuMRqKsWck9pO1TMaz2BIg-Zq_fLZAYAd5eL4F3RuT4TPT6atxkr0FrXlEcb86WqcF8EU_rbmvH8/s1600/DSC_0178_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhcBI2JCg6kCjZKvDDVMZrdi_8Vg3W3owk17iDUO-dtqVXiQaApYHK3nEgTMuHMqWuMRqKsWck9pO1TMaz2BIg-Zq_fLZAYAd5eL4F3RuT4TPT6atxkr0FrXlEcb86WqcF8EU_rbmvH8/s400/DSC_0178_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623103521605033410" border="0" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-20250817373361573832011-04-04T20:37:00.009-05:002011-04-04T23:44:51.984-05:00Descriptive WritingWhat pleasure and satisfaction I have to see my children succeed in all they do. To watch them grow spiritually and see godly character develop in them brings me joy beyond measure. My children have special gifts and talents as all children do. Jacob has always been creative at everything he puts his hand to, including writing. Here is a paragraph he wrote for his descriptive writing class last week.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQR93ruvLJvU12oymSWkgLTVAgfqGET4Q9UltAV91a2TpDjV9QOOHpjMYmM9BjcilgOmDgwbAUzdIZ-TOMSaWYxiLOrxghtsj6uHiR_RI2lNCOmURoc2uT-gIkI1ZsIyFGbSvKIyD-F8/s1600/DSC_0627.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQR93ruvLJvU12oymSWkgLTVAgfqGET4Q9UltAV91a2TpDjV9QOOHpjMYmM9BjcilgOmDgwbAUzdIZ-TOMSaWYxiLOrxghtsj6uHiR_RI2lNCOmURoc2uT-gIkI1ZsIyFGbSvKIyD-F8/s400/DSC_0627.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591911855678794482" border="0" /></a><br /> Water was trickling into my mouth and nose. It felt as if I had a bonfire inside my lungs. Up! I jumped off of the pebbly death bed beneath me and gasped for a breath of fresh air. Oh, the pure joy in that breath. I felt as if I had gone from being tortured to the pleasure of finishing my math lesson. Just like smelling a fragrant flower and that scent flees too quickly, I was sinking. “Help!” I cried, but no answer. As I sunk down to my watery death, I thought maybe I would be able to jump off the bottom again. Up! This time there was a couple next to me. “Help!” I screamed, but to my horror they didn’t hear me. Up, down, up, down. Finally, after what seemed to me like an hour, I saw my dad approaching. “Thank you, Lord,” I thought to myself. I clutched on to my dad’s shirt as I was being carried back. I whispered to him, “Thank you.”Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-67913526702961759122011-03-16T21:23:00.003-05:002011-03-16T21:35:02.276-05:00Our News AnchorEd and I were sorting through pictures tonight and found this video clip Sophie made with her camera. We've never seen it before and laughed very hard. Enjoy!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2GGBj4aJzrUOH6uTdTB36IbvkQg24l7sM4qiVN_5CSxn85BWn-OYPZ97WNsyF82jf5dBxIS9Ug4RVHXOU5g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-19357308164114234252011-02-10T20:51:00.006-06:002011-02-10T21:06:27.943-06:00Coming To Theatres Soon!!This is Jake's new movie project. Dedicated to Grandpa Jack who provided the soundtrack.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzlMR6d2fKIkA7OAV80t8fi8vZAEHghs3kMVn5rcLLKdLsRXC0l1OwPdIywgT8Sigd811m89oaOxfU8mHfhng' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-39303645856402912102011-01-16T22:19:00.024-06:002011-01-16T23:47:42.006-06:00She's 1!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzlX0F1EhfK49YcZczFBUe7mRr6Nur5GULwKxW4mxIprsTyvB5WlbnajpBYhMAgClq9wn-CGap_Rscd0mr4Wp3zBE2SBUiUErI4U8drebxw5LsKagg1yLpojOmPCyIo9T-WK_w-b3yKI/s1600/DSC_0551.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzlX0F1EhfK49YcZczFBUe7mRr6Nur5GULwKxW4mxIprsTyvB5WlbnajpBYhMAgClq9wn-CGap_Rscd0mr4Wp3zBE2SBUiUErI4U8drebxw5LsKagg1yLpojOmPCyIo9T-WK_w-b3yKI/s400/DSC_0551.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563020945206399570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wZb_laFFgroOWZvflyb-zBUkTg6PALTHeOBtUPld1PpeQmPDm2C6f53eSNB-vGfjrsNXhygM7H3P6IuL-LyyA7_LFRkHmct4VUslnRQWdVOxcjMhcpn6iS5l3luNymFzISssM3tlKZs/s1600/DSC_0592.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wZb_laFFgroOWZvflyb-zBUkTg6PALTHeOBtUPld1PpeQmPDm2C6f53eSNB-vGfjrsNXhygM7H3P6IuL-LyyA7_LFRkHmct4VUslnRQWdVOxcjMhcpn6iS5l3luNymFzISssM3tlKZs/s400/DSC_0592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563019566457190386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BDDqbcfDNmoRH7oxXbFN_r1Hg_ls2CbvNiUUacZgk0FfGiMtUcG_1FiEyPLByVctfxwj9Sr7RkG3auXLQfx_hQGWzU6r0nkBg6mZw8i4LoUD-xEaWWGmGDYg0fLx967eeZ4k5o5OI3A/s1600/DSC_0611_2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BDDqbcfDNmoRH7oxXbFN_r1Hg_ls2CbvNiUUacZgk0FfGiMtUcG_1FiEyPLByVctfxwj9Sr7RkG3auXLQfx_hQGWzU6r0nkBg6mZw8i4LoUD-xEaWWGmGDYg0fLx967eeZ4k5o5OI3A/s400/DSC_0611_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563019564142157746" border="0" /></a>Fourth baby and I've finally decided not to introduce sugar just because its their birthday. So Amelia got a muffin made from scratch: freshly ground flour soaked in homemade buttermilk, farm fresh eggs, real maple syrup, and cultured cream cheese colored with beet juice instead of frosting. She loved it! This was probably the sweetest thing that has ever touched her lips. Plus, I didn't fear she would make herself sick after gorging herself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQMwKthX89mC3Ejw9bDdht7vYh2-h7cnL3FyuqWadYX3SqNP5q5PFxsE20zGa9qd1gLJTBuvB-XWHYFpaNi_dnatPB-nja_8b4j5A558HNcfptqQ3CD5nBakkxM6WS7YqV9KLmWV1TmY/s1600/DSC_0616.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQMwKthX89mC3Ejw9bDdht7vYh2-h7cnL3FyuqWadYX3SqNP5q5PFxsE20zGa9qd1gLJTBuvB-XWHYFpaNi_dnatPB-nja_8b4j5A558HNcfptqQ3CD5nBakkxM6WS7YqV9KLmWV1TmY/s400/DSC_0616.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563017453496155554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndilSHZqZxl4tW3pZik1O9WfO1NJ1gSks_XPNZmjySZ96NGK7pFXvbKVJPssEOcsjqALX0TeumaApMcALrnrFQvLH5U1Fslo1pnHObLavwFma1I-uP0ts1Jh6sUv49HK_uO_K9ZJLMNA/s1600/DSC_0640.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndilSHZqZxl4tW3pZik1O9WfO1NJ1gSks_XPNZmjySZ96NGK7pFXvbKVJPssEOcsjqALX0TeumaApMcALrnrFQvLH5U1Fslo1pnHObLavwFma1I-uP0ts1Jh6sUv49HK_uO_K9ZJLMNA/s400/DSC_0640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563017451454987266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfJdf5oVX3wX4PPM9Uzx7mZp4mH5MjEJCtKyttCg5oF4dKqi4f8wz22mCJvqIgSit71rzjuhGcZAzXMb4RyLAZBzg9qacCvOhDB7P-g2ikfiWmWneNnFDGao1MlTtBdqqBtvoiZ52kO4/s1600/DSC_0641.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfJdf5oVX3wX4PPM9Uzx7mZp4mH5MjEJCtKyttCg5oF4dKqi4f8wz22mCJvqIgSit71rzjuhGcZAzXMb4RyLAZBzg9qacCvOhDB7P-g2ikfiWmWneNnFDGao1MlTtBdqqBtvoiZ52kO4/s400/DSC_0641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563017442829179826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyfZHQLPdDcWWZ0HTow7nIk9GLFZesmQk__80hvJ0VqQw7exJ5smGx0pf_qKQjsoraKFXK9Qgo0Utp4qlX9CFuST50379NgoOXcxRONJvAUVMsxm1_Pbb1KoeyFjMxLSWuHpaKJCYQ7k/s1600/DSC_0647.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyfZHQLPdDcWWZ0HTow7nIk9GLFZesmQk__80hvJ0VqQw7exJ5smGx0pf_qKQjsoraKFXK9Qgo0Utp4qlX9CFuST50379NgoOXcxRONJvAUVMsxm1_Pbb1KoeyFjMxLSWuHpaKJCYQ7k/s400/DSC_0647.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563015446016230738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxQNGEajhp2DlT00z__-MBqXwuYIh90COD8z4W81OQh5Hdwze7pRce58oU-2YZLA8ugnyf80QDVeAF92HD0l43M5sXOHz-u4grzCO1c8mcKJVMICFAujKFBhbPLr6HurPh51oxMoNH4/s1600/DSC_0657.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxQNGEajhp2DlT00z__-MBqXwuYIh90COD8z4W81OQh5Hdwze7pRce58oU-2YZLA8ugnyf80QDVeAF92HD0l43M5sXOHz-u4grzCO1c8mcKJVMICFAujKFBhbPLr6HurPh51oxMoNH4/s400/DSC_0657.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563015444447825266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI3P9KnbGu593YIxbXVNDyVBLNMrmzDrtab7IVbTnq1_J4xL1xNdoi7gCzmvx08le8KTXPtRIe-WYHGXTzGHh39eJEuGwXuqAgh2MqE0qF2PRErZewh0BCVN-VCQ4CAJR9-r6C6rLzEM/s1600/DSC_0667.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI3P9KnbGu593YIxbXVNDyVBLNMrmzDrtab7IVbTnq1_J4xL1xNdoi7gCzmvx08le8KTXPtRIe-WYHGXTzGHh39eJEuGwXuqAgh2MqE0qF2PRErZewh0BCVN-VCQ4CAJR9-r6C6rLzEM/s400/DSC_0667.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563014713441249250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB32vuqVTS2DOEBKhtfoD05tR-Yb54c3ae_rbrEY5lqJgvzR6fW6A6L6j7jU14wRod1rtNZFs1BNfgzCSy-Ajg7QP6lPiRBtf91WDpp3vvmPLggV9d4-RmuDCy4G49MrQkw3ENLX5hjc/s1600/DSC_0677.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB32vuqVTS2DOEBKhtfoD05tR-Yb54c3ae_rbrEY5lqJgvzR6fW6A6L6j7jU14wRod1rtNZFs1BNfgzCSy-Ajg7QP6lPiRBtf91WDpp3vvmPLggV9d4-RmuDCy4G49MrQkw3ENLX5hjc/s400/DSC_0677.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563014120505064034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEEgdAf93lgBXqdfdgvk4kvHZsYS8JxXesWHspmGsviTu8nokt1n2ggqhmaxPPDI8CF3ANSJrz_cFK6xgKpQA1Kq7Be5nEPIocZDZGl11VPOmTaW2zpkFEjiYA_-ykS-EfPOeT89WZNc/s1600/DSC_0680.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEEgdAf93lgBXqdfdgvk4kvHZsYS8JxXesWHspmGsviTu8nokt1n2ggqhmaxPPDI8CF3ANSJrz_cFK6xgKpQA1Kq7Be5nEPIocZDZGl11VPOmTaW2zpkFEjiYA_-ykS-EfPOeT89WZNc/s400/DSC_0680.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563014115084204466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtgiQkQ_d-ZGUcsshhDeH5s6L0REdjAb45r0OEg7BuH-e8BYnlOnTpbQXxp2CEVV_lfGJWUNh441R3CjGZh8r-2sToAuH1pZ2urp5BK-c5IzvC5zGjy08A5ZOqArXHVMzO7vYIZVl_mQ/s1600/DSC_0692.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtgiQkQ_d-ZGUcsshhDeH5s6L0REdjAb45r0OEg7BuH-e8BYnlOnTpbQXxp2CEVV_lfGJWUNh441R3CjGZh8r-2sToAuH1pZ2urp5BK-c5IzvC5zGjy08A5ZOqArXHVMzO7vYIZVl_mQ/s400/DSC_0692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563013326701778754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFyYrO2iAkgQCWNYR9O7XVrIFlBF6mepa-zHIZrhjZTFZUfhiwv5UAISlZfHe8VvE9BjAJWBwM9qn4a9SdJB4CcE7EvtY0kktBvb3INlA6U-v1NsLpikwr328j405MkY1b9kGLxkuOk0/s1600/DSC_0684.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFyYrO2iAkgQCWNYR9O7XVrIFlBF6mepa-zHIZrhjZTFZUfhiwv5UAISlZfHe8VvE9BjAJWBwM9qn4a9SdJB4CcE7EvtY0kktBvb3INlA6U-v1NsLpikwr328j405MkY1b9kGLxkuOk0/s400/DSC_0684.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563013320883718978" border="0" /></a>This is one of Amelia's favorite friends, Mr. Hale. How sweet, she's sharing her muffin with him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2lS_YeWvye-zgd6lJHSjR88_FXRubchxzwZsfqcLg6ynID4bGyECyENQsuHJLR9jEhoyENJGeZ3yHmOcJQh2enuXPG6pDMdlzAoKsgTsVim49OEkai_A9WWgSWLXjvFNzBoTl2wi3Mc/s1600/DSC_0706.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2lS_YeWvye-zgd6lJHSjR88_FXRubchxzwZsfqcLg6ynID4bGyECyENQsuHJLR9jEhoyENJGeZ3yHmOcJQh2enuXPG6pDMdlzAoKsgTsVim49OEkai_A9WWgSWLXjvFNzBoTl2wi3Mc/s400/DSC_0706.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563011854546485394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJV5JUxSrSzGoVWtoAKrgKh52040rywOETG6-Mc4dOmcNaTRTXO4gar8h1LJ35K3KOdOe5k5tkv9R_sQxYMyc-P3Bg6uXypJREA9VIJZ0f45pkByDSz1AMeWz53-eNNPWLPTEKa8QbbFc/s1600/DSC_0707.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJV5JUxSrSzGoVWtoAKrgKh52040rywOETG6-Mc4dOmcNaTRTXO4gar8h1LJ35K3KOdOe5k5tkv9R_sQxYMyc-P3Bg6uXypJREA9VIJZ0f45pkByDSz1AMeWz53-eNNPWLPTEKa8QbbFc/s400/DSC_0707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563009637389623650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb3ReMhE29GiY2BdEpWQv9M5TdMEx92uXd8-8kWyPavovLkupEZ37qpTjyoX8M3mYYZSxxVdDede5tmfv5kSwL8bZUgjcJvERfs4zU7K3ZXTe95_aHk9dVEp9v84bcBnCcEuk_GI1NFQ/s1600/DSC_0712.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb3ReMhE29GiY2BdEpWQv9M5TdMEx92uXd8-8kWyPavovLkupEZ37qpTjyoX8M3mYYZSxxVdDede5tmfv5kSwL8bZUgjcJvERfs4zU7K3ZXTe95_aHk9dVEp9v84bcBnCcEuk_GI1NFQ/s400/DSC_0712.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563009633823016034" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aiyaEqr-wSt4wXjw6K2Ns5fETzTv_EsnXVqV-NJUq9wu5AUsGE6ayJqBC1sRAHLN8mW4-wypectuaK6qjajgHtYsDga5NFyKdpfjiNLNaxWmLNr-y6Mqk2Gk-PV3uAIhHU8B4307VBE/s1600/DSC_0564.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aiyaEqr-wSt4wXjw6K2Ns5fETzTv_EsnXVqV-NJUq9wu5AUsGE6ayJqBC1sRAHLN8mW4-wypectuaK6qjajgHtYsDga5NFyKdpfjiNLNaxWmLNr-y6Mqk2Gk-PV3uAIhHU8B4307VBE/s400/DSC_0564.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563020946223717810" border="0" /></a>Amelia loved her presents but she loved Lucy's Rosy doll even more; so much that she cried every time it was taken from her. At the end of the party Miss Vicki made a special trip to buy Amelia her very own Rosy. Miss Vicki is the best!Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-3882877230982244922010-12-18T22:55:00.008-06:002010-12-18T23:30:08.952-06:00By Popular Demand - Amelia 11 months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWJc-kTAiCXuvddDGa6deCkZjNurAXXacW5aoEcyFTwBSCIGZtU89x1V-RBojPryteJsTi-sA_-ZRqrclAbgullt-ygCEuEKWPPlMC0trXFzEKLGwu-X5TMWXdmm0Ms9XwMK-ps-6-WM/s1600/DSC_0306.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWJc-kTAiCXuvddDGa6deCkZjNurAXXacW5aoEcyFTwBSCIGZtU89x1V-RBojPryteJsTi-sA_-ZRqrclAbgullt-ygCEuEKWPPlMC0trXFzEKLGwu-X5TMWXdmm0Ms9XwMK-ps-6-WM/s320/DSC_0306.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552259930830596706" border="0" /></a>Gone are the days of turning my back for even a split second. She’s walking, talking, and keeping us on our toes; not to mention she puts everything in her mouth...e v e r y t h i n g. I won’t tell you what, it’ll make you gag. But she is sweeter than pie and such an obedient little girl. Here are some pictures from the past month to catch you up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1mAZu6ab9xZK61fRADw6nWucQbO32YFBJS-WI6-hqE1JNimNkMmc_c4ozqz9l07-4NVgBO_YouX9ZU2WhxPxkfa2rLyVfZhKJ_RiGHZELPPXTo6WRiMEDDaF4cH2yi9POTIXASIi-wQ/s1600/DSC_0084.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1mAZu6ab9xZK61fRADw6nWucQbO32YFBJS-WI6-hqE1JNimNkMmc_c4ozqz9l07-4NVgBO_YouX9ZU2WhxPxkfa2rLyVfZhKJ_RiGHZELPPXTo6WRiMEDDaF4cH2yi9POTIXASIi-wQ/s320/DSC_0084.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552259927934344706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzyeE4gkvAasd-052wGxQkPa__fPuYQlevOqJK2VXAj5bezYs9bxeiPOXuZx_oJJMaOf8VvtZMqToNlkLCsArRzYedXl-urZWK8Tf-OeECWvObopMOxTfXVkMAbkVa_GIyGsege8sQCA/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzyeE4gkvAasd-052wGxQkPa__fPuYQlevOqJK2VXAj5bezYs9bxeiPOXuZx_oJJMaOf8VvtZMqToNlkLCsArRzYedXl-urZWK8Tf-OeECWvObopMOxTfXVkMAbkVa_GIyGsege8sQCA/s320/DSC_0009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552259923253518018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMaFGhiNGQhf-pVCdGThDZQ4zZAT0hqRp6vldhTYOnGqnJ_KqTk2qfG2hw-QrCQbV9N-FBZDi4N9pjWDOOxlJMtDcz58jfLZ9gAuOJDongnhEScauu2hXjGdCKjv6DDyeUiN7AiZp4Tg/s1600/DSC_0038.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMaFGhiNGQhf-pVCdGThDZQ4zZAT0hqRp6vldhTYOnGqnJ_KqTk2qfG2hw-QrCQbV9N-FBZDi4N9pjWDOOxlJMtDcz58jfLZ9gAuOJDongnhEScauu2hXjGdCKjv6DDyeUiN7AiZp4Tg/s320/DSC_0038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552259288421492066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeh5ktE11-Iv4ImkaDGPxxXvNnk_Du33UDKGCTxD8as0iV5vdDFWPi9S7ptRfV0VrsMNeAolNWjsqlZfGG1QD5GWBxNhQNeNZHSeOQiqWmlkr4TxYowJPJzCEmu3gX5hZTUYKIFpu9qw/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeh5ktE11-Iv4ImkaDGPxxXvNnk_Du33UDKGCTxD8as0iV5vdDFWPi9S7ptRfV0VrsMNeAolNWjsqlZfGG1QD5GWBxNhQNeNZHSeOQiqWmlkr4TxYowJPJzCEmu3gX5hZTUYKIFpu9qw/s320/DSC_0258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552259286512931730" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbECauo9fJ1Kg0OmKYdBXsq8dKKMKl_bAPzbqlazq7G9zIlaNyHdDm-w1yPiYtr-tTE2i23qBVXcM_3vrx-CzstwHaXxYHgrhUsQthwaEjHtg2QOD0ok6tHfVS77jPAKL3eSMD-SRu5P8/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbECauo9fJ1Kg0OmKYdBXsq8dKKMKl_bAPzbqlazq7G9zIlaNyHdDm-w1yPiYtr-tTE2i23qBVXcM_3vrx-CzstwHaXxYHgrhUsQthwaEjHtg2QOD0ok6tHfVS77jPAKL3eSMD-SRu5P8/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbECauo9fJ1Kg0OmKYdBXsq8dKKMKl_bAPzbqlazq7G9zIlaNyHdDm-w1yPiYtr-tTE2i23qBVXcM_3vrx-CzstwHaXxYHgrhUsQthwaEjHtg2QOD0ok6tHfVS77jPAKL3eSMD-SRu5P8/s320/DSC_0007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552253212393854594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7rmNSBpBppHWsjEoSbrIvlGhADerIchX6HlXjSVv2uY67yydeUOhTIvguq8A8xfsKaMm7spX-LnS5L2ZB8AXJcKqyoyYktEH2LPtv4nzwXJzCSircqylzz6gO-_Z_VS93abJGmws9kE/s1600/DSC_0318.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7rmNSBpBppHWsjEoSbrIvlGhADerIchX6HlXjSVv2uY67yydeUOhTIvguq8A8xfsKaMm7spX-LnS5L2ZB8AXJcKqyoyYktEH2LPtv4nzwXJzCSircqylzz6gO-_Z_VS93abJGmws9kE/s320/DSC_0318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552253219474610722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbECauo9fJ1Kg0OmKYdBXsq8dKKMKl_bAPzbqlazq7G9zIlaNyHdDm-w1yPiYtr-tTE2i23qBVXcM_3vrx-CzstwHaXxYHgrhUsQthwaEjHtg2QOD0ok6tHfVS77jPAKL3eSMD-SRu5P8/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg"><br /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-32968461177511928532010-12-14T22:04:00.018-06:002010-12-14T23:15:51.548-06:00Homeschooling Helps<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;">Jacob and Sophie just completed the first session of a homeschool online writing class with <a href="http://www.home2teach.com/">Home 2 Teach</a> . They logged on to their class every week for an hour of instruction where they interacted with their teacher and classmates. They had three assignments due every week: a vocabulary assignment, a paragraph, and typing assignment. The class covered: grammar, spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure and reference materials to name a few. One aspect I liked about the class was that I was not able to help them AT ALL. There were tears the first week, but then the kids grew confident and were determined to hand their assignments in on time in order to make it to the Honors Club; which, by the way, had nothing to do with a grade. They typed all their lessons in MLA format and e-mailed them to their teacher. She would correct spelling errors in blue and grammar errors in red. They would then correct their original paper and re send. Sometimes they had several revisions before she sent them an e-mail saying, "This draft looks great, Sophia. You have corrected all the errors and your sentences flow smoothly. You are done with 4B." Teacher Kim. or "Looks great, Jacob. I like how you used "with that" as an alternative transition word. This is a nicely written paragraph; your sentences flow well. You are done with 4B." Teacher Kim.<br /><br />Week 5 they wrote a paragraph where they had to persuade or convince using four reasons why their audience should believe. I was quite impressed with what they came up with.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Carel1<br /></div></div></div><br />Jacob Carel<br /><br />Teacher Kim<br /><br />Fundamentals 1<br /><br />12\12\2010<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Every Child Should be Homeschooled<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> I believe every child should be homeschooled. One, your child goes to school at seven in the morning and comes back at five o clock with an hour of homework. After that it’s usually time to eat and go to bed, so you really don’t get much time to bond with your child. Two, when your child goes to school, you really have no idea who they could be influenced by .Three, some children need one on one teaching. Four, your child won’t get sick as often because he is crammed in a school room with twenty other kids or more. Five, after a while your child will come to love you and come to you for help. Six, it has been proven that home schooled children are smarter; for instance, I know a girl who just turned nineteen and already finished her bachelors degree. That is why I believe every child should be homeschooled.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Carel1<br /></div><br />Sophia Grace Carel<br /><br />Teacher Kim<br /><br />Fundamentals 1<br /><br />12/6/2010<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Every Girl Should Babysit<br /></div><br />I think that every girl should babysit; it would give them full responsibility for when they grow up. They will learn how it would be when they have children. And it will leave them to be able to take care of a child. It is also a really good way to earn money and a fun way to earn money. I also think it is good to have a little fun with the the kids. You can take things and teach them how to do some of those things. That’s why I think girls should babysit.Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-57263851860490287612010-10-15T23:30:00.014-05:002010-11-07T00:03:31.155-05:00Our Pasture Paradise<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGnrwXq8J25VHC4U06V3g5GGk5AHiKRgiXjn4O8tIv-vbHlvd1ETOsahSrrdyCafh3AkF1xYYoQDmowY-PA6JZzGHF7YGPLc9sjnjI297tnZqi4bI2rPfrA-p5vnh_H9cv4X3IH-9ANU/s1600/DSC_0197.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 521px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGnrwXq8J25VHC4U06V3g5GGk5AHiKRgiXjn4O8tIv-vbHlvd1ETOsahSrrdyCafh3AkF1xYYoQDmowY-PA6JZzGHF7YGPLc9sjnjI297tnZqi4bI2rPfrA-p5vnh_H9cv4X3IH-9ANU/s320/DSC_0197.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528508094170279842" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKotEVG8S2JH2mWw5sFn8C5lj4PW8WAKQiWtuPquFa-35s4bLFfrJuNbGjAsEGVhkmYOMiLEk22Ev-pNAYJMPdGBuBVAgGafXcBNIbFhyphenhyphenVXI0BT1OcX171mRqjUsQjSCtEQ1lca5Od9Q/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKotEVG8S2JH2mWw5sFn8C5lj4PW8WAKQiWtuPquFa-35s4bLFfrJuNbGjAsEGVhkmYOMiLEk22Ev-pNAYJMPdGBuBVAgGafXcBNIbFhyphenhyphenVXI0BT1OcX171mRqjUsQjSCtEQ1lca5Od9Q/s320/DSC_0208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528502643228045314" border="0" /></a><br />Well we made it to the end of our living in the office, packing, construction, living in limbo season of life and crossed the finish line. See Millie in the beautiful new farm sink with the 100 year old restored planks for the backspash and oak countertops. We loved it.......while it lasted. With the passing of the above mentioned season of life and enjoying our freshly renovated home for a total of one day the unthinkable occurred, a broken water pipe in the wall. Can you say flood? Yes we had water seeping under our freshly handscraped and sealed hardwood floors just days after they were finished. Now we get to start all over again. Have you seen <span style="font-style: italic;">Groundhog Day</span> where Bill Murray woke up in the sleepy little town over and over again reliving the same day? That's us. And while I know there are much greater tragedies in life, this one took the skip out of my step and the whistle from my lips.<br /><br />So we breathe deep, thank God for his greatness and Allstate insurance for their policy and move on again. We have torn out much of the damaged material and will commence the renovation again next Thursday. We will keep you posted.<br /><br />What's in store you ask? New cabinets, floors, trim, plumbing, paint and about four weeks with no kitchen...again. We are accepting dinner invitations.<br /><br />EdEdward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-48473223989726555902010-09-08T13:26:00.008-05:002010-09-08T13:45:32.746-05:00A mockeryHave you ever been made fun of or mocked? By your own child? It’s usually not a laughing matter but this had me in tears. The kids love to get on Photo Booth and make little video clips. This one was saved in the archives. Ed said Sophie had me nailed...how embarrassing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzbtJf_-9E3PcOxS7opMWDWmPqUTNmIknb582E9al7r8U8Oo3XYm58-xK5xphAmYvg-ov2jZw7u4oyrIpjvKg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-79573431051735416422010-09-06T22:45:00.013-05:002010-09-06T23:21:35.420-05:00Normal???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPAGlT2YdO0RFv9pqa2tf7Y7ekfZbZaZy0uthovRvMi3j4lUliB9aKBg8xuUoUOPFqylsyn7oUUQzJ7ROIgGhl7-k3ldN0elhR8SewGy37moyYjkZquIBRLswiTTbBu4mx50DKEB7jeE/s1600/DSC_0064.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPAGlT2YdO0RFv9pqa2tf7Y7ekfZbZaZy0uthovRvMi3j4lUliB9aKBg8xuUoUOPFqylsyn7oUUQzJ7ROIgGhl7-k3ldN0elhR8SewGy37moyYjkZquIBRLswiTTbBu4mx50DKEB7jeE/s320/DSC_0064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514020526293988162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymk2S5CZlUIq-guDjBijbcQsz41PTpr8Qh8SiSiunEh7CrOxZNwlXLq_imlQ0U49WJdrYWiYi1_w-6CjAuZvuxNHFC0rGUsiLDsFAIWgHJ78ND1o3oZ_VHAd3Z13SCA89SLUOAXc6Is/s1600/DSC_0069.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymk2S5CZlUIq-guDjBijbcQsz41PTpr8Qh8SiSiunEh7CrOxZNwlXLq_imlQ0U49WJdrYWiYi1_w-6CjAuZvuxNHFC0rGUsiLDsFAIWgHJ78ND1o3oZ_VHAd3Z13SCA89SLUOAXc6Is/s320/DSC_0069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514020522560813490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">My kids aren't normal</span>....and I am so glad. At a time when normal for kids is living indoors in large sealed climate controlled homes watching Disney, Nick, MTV, PS 1, 2, 3, X-Box, WII, DVD, Blue Ray, Chat, IM, Text, Face Book, and 15 different practices/camps/private lessons, today my kids played with card board boxes, crayons, spray paint, and a dolly for most of the day.<br /><br />Here’s what we are doing these days. We are fasting media. But before you call CPS, let me explain. We have never been much of a media family, in fact in our 16 years of marriage I think we have had cable for about 2 years. Not because we’re broke and it didn’t make the budget, but because we always had an intrinsic gut level feeling that it is a huge life sucking brain vacuum. So rather than participating in a voluntary TV brain lobotomy, we talk, play and hang out with each other, read, or work around the house.<br /><br />Have you ever gotten one of those chain e-mails that talk about the good ole days when kids were free to roam and play, the kind that make you long for a time when life was more simple? Yeah me too, but guess what? It still exists if you can unplug long enough to notice. This brings me back to our media fast. We had noticed our kids being unusually restless and discontent over the past several months. Comments like, “I’m bored” and “there is nothing to do” or “it’s too hot” or "its too cold” became normal. In the past the kids loved to read. In fact, I would at times pick up 20 to 30 books Gretchen had on hold at the library and the kids would bombard me when I got home to see if the books they ordered were there. We realized that we had unwittingly let media/games via the computer take a dominant role in their daily activity. Not unsupervised, but stuff like lego.com, Godtube, WebKinz, and NetFlix. We said we didn’t have TV, but streaming cartoons and family flicks through the portal of Netflix is kinda like TV. Right? So we wanted to simplify and get back to basics to see if it impacted our kids attitudes. Guess what...it had. It’s been amazing to see the kids become content again with sketching notebooks, board games, books, and yes, cardboard boxes. I have not heard I’m bored for awhile now and loving it.<br /><br />Here is another great benefit. They don’t want a bunch of stuff or think they are fat because they are comparing themselves to toothpick girl on whatever teen rave sitcom. Advertisers spend millions and millions of dollars and thousands of intellectual hours figuring out how to make our kids discontent. Not just with stuff like toys, but with who they are. All so they will go out and drink their earth saving water or wear their hip (or far below the hip) jeans, or use their sport equipment so they won’t be losers anymore and will finally attain “coolness” ..... for a moment.<br /><br />So don’t go and throw your TV out the window or bash your computer screen just because my kids dig playing in cardboard boxes and read books, but give it a shot and see for yourself. Set aside a period of time, unplug and watch your kids (after they start breathing again from an anxiety attack) begin to master the art of creative play and thought. It may take a bit of an adjustment period, so don’t, after only missing ONE of their favorite shows, give up. And don’t give up because your neighbor, or family members think your are a freak. Hang in there and see what exciting and creative being your child will become.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0AyeBKpIwXpVL64TLsUUxq8A6B-UU3HwPPBcI2NI6MqiH4clW68sReyRouhhAb_H0wZ0uz95ND9Zbm9hFeeeYA8lBlKKpTE0IC0khh-eCiwZMLNSOpjijbEueTihpTx5cNXNgkXckAA/s1600/DSC_0080_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0AyeBKpIwXpVL64TLsUUxq8A6B-UU3HwPPBcI2NI6MqiH4clW68sReyRouhhAb_H0wZ0uz95ND9Zbm9hFeeeYA8lBlKKpTE0IC0khh-eCiwZMLNSOpjijbEueTihpTx5cNXNgkXckAA/s320/DSC_0080_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514019622295096562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3XtZLQLD7RABHBVXP_a1zdAa1_WCFLUp0s_fDvPNo93MFOyvwIL_kn8ATcV4w6Bc_Mu0qnonBATQPLC5kXE7Bn2Ju3UGGmhXPUhqIGdZntM8I8yXvrGqGa0HEhbSqIM8-w4SI-UV7nA/s1600/DSC_0082_4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3XtZLQLD7RABHBVXP_a1zdAa1_WCFLUp0s_fDvPNo93MFOyvwIL_kn8ATcV4w6Bc_Mu0qnonBATQPLC5kXE7Bn2Ju3UGGmhXPUhqIGdZntM8I8yXvrGqGa0HEhbSqIM8-w4SI-UV7nA/s320/DSC_0082_4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514019610584472418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0y5tK2JuVNpwZb8TjKje14RhasbdRIrQWLHL-Oz96-O-fG6_jRn7c9UOOnCQ_RiBg72O8FZVM9gtrKAR3S-wBi2ync9dc494d5JnZ6WBV1iEu5F1HWIgXKCI-lpkodItIl_NHRJiWoA/s1600/DSC_0087_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0y5tK2JuVNpwZb8TjKje14RhasbdRIrQWLHL-Oz96-O-fG6_jRn7c9UOOnCQ_RiBg72O8FZVM9gtrKAR3S-wBi2ync9dc494d5JnZ6WBV1iEu5F1HWIgXKCI-lpkodItIl_NHRJiWoA/s320/DSC_0087_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514019187497651730" border="0" /></a>And by the way, don’t worry about peer pressure. Your kiddos might become influencers on your street when they cruz their tricked out cardboard box by.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlrmJI486MTq9R6wxPk5evCtysZLj-dXsCYVNAFlBI4hGu1Pz59kxkWZHWnNIMT-gyywnA9PifXRaeTGJ-9otEY-7gFHodkVFJojXShJqlosHff0PQFHstVUmMfms9Y7HPH0Z6J42Qns/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlrmJI486MTq9R6wxPk5evCtysZLj-dXsCYVNAFlBI4hGu1Pz59kxkWZHWnNIMT-gyywnA9PifXRaeTGJ-9otEY-7gFHodkVFJojXShJqlosHff0PQFHstVUmMfms9Y7HPH0Z6J42Qns/s320/DSC_0089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514019177021111202" border="0" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-89521394823132733732010-08-31T21:10:00.012-05:002010-09-01T09:09:29.882-05:00Amelia - 7 1/2 months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBTbIP2c-JyNFbOXqwV0GqcXKLPROBEuHTkUTIZEteqp8ByAViZt82wINaQreDyeqJyKHc6nRqBAvA3fVLSQG1TNI0ePOi3dQP_Q5WqP4pu7Wa6IIUSHGTn5eJ-lPmsYmZF1vjNjouJ0/s1600/DSC_0105.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBTbIP2c-JyNFbOXqwV0GqcXKLPROBEuHTkUTIZEteqp8ByAViZt82wINaQreDyeqJyKHc6nRqBAvA3fVLSQG1TNI0ePOi3dQP_Q5WqP4pu7Wa6IIUSHGTn5eJ-lPmsYmZF1vjNjouJ0/s320/DSC_0105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511770566568834274" border="0" /></a>Amelia is on the move. The kids have so many nick names for her but the newest is "Hot Shot" cuz she thinks she is BIG stuff. Not only is she crawling but can go to a full stand from a squatting position without the support of a piece of furniture. My babies all walked before a year but I don't remember any of them standing at such an early age. Oh, do babies grow too fast or what? I am grateful God gave Amelia to us. She has been so much fun and has blessed us beyond measure.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz6A-r2PFSaPvVOlkMMzKQVYTZcU8b114h6pAsXQMa9fTrAa3uJ_7A_p3I4tpjx1CslpNBjPJVoxcCvX7qgJfwBd018zA6VE3ynf9r0dDfPqftefUzuM3HMUrMpnZA51z3GstVSPEchw/s1600/DSC_0123.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz6A-r2PFSaPvVOlkMMzKQVYTZcU8b114h6pAsXQMa9fTrAa3uJ_7A_p3I4tpjx1CslpNBjPJVoxcCvX7qgJfwBd018zA6VE3ynf9r0dDfPqftefUzuM3HMUrMpnZA51z3GstVSPEchw/s320/DSC_0123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511770559674418818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBPrdM0yOz-uIjxgn5G7m4kT2x4sXDi-93IgItKN4EUI9YAAVOLoJmFH6kvbdemiZTuoDCvM-ydQFqbel5LVzKLfS7rWgI6g71YIIRKBHYElScNbXpUgWOMTWJSBvH6JIEtL0grn5pw/s1600/DSC_0131.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBPrdM0yOz-uIjxgn5G7m4kT2x4sXDi-93IgItKN4EUI9YAAVOLoJmFH6kvbdemiZTuoDCvM-ydQFqbel5LVzKLfS7rWgI6g71YIIRKBHYElScNbXpUgWOMTWJSBvH6JIEtL0grn5pw/s320/DSC_0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511768995571300930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQj8GxZXle5nPpQY9Rlzk3XKMXKCCIrTniWKRgPHC0YZnvG_jZTIbjp5KnI9TchpuABQ_OSujYQgHrb-q97vGnX7GzzRF-9w8_8FeiyiDz9AnGvCrunWxVYWtfFZX_OAg0OOcMVmaHJDM/s1600/DSC_0133_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQj8GxZXle5nPpQY9Rlzk3XKMXKCCIrTniWKRgPHC0YZnvG_jZTIbjp5KnI9TchpuABQ_OSujYQgHrb-q97vGnX7GzzRF-9w8_8FeiyiDz9AnGvCrunWxVYWtfFZX_OAg0OOcMVmaHJDM/s320/DSC_0133_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511768986161049602" border="0" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-86680265403321801912010-08-25T10:50:00.021-05:002010-08-25T21:47:10.971-05:00Movin to the Country<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mrloZbrmJpWAixVhXtzdgTOURwFuGPoKKNQzN4ND2GRATw09wRm1DHfmDKeZn-dtTVAFljsqTQVAxtZHrdBIxX6NXpafpnRVjHizjeO2cUv3oF2PaoXcZNlXRivomNvRm0xRFD0hpYE/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mrloZbrmJpWAixVhXtzdgTOURwFuGPoKKNQzN4ND2GRATw09wRm1DHfmDKeZn-dtTVAFljsqTQVAxtZHrdBIxX6NXpafpnRVjHizjeO2cUv3oF2PaoXcZNlXRivomNvRm0xRFD0hpYE/s320/DSC_0097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509387030284252402" border="0" /></a>All packed up and ready to go!!!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z2UJSkRL6T7XnHtaFrYGUoZvsvl7DHLpqv3BCWU0gxd6X9jWodlSu4ufOrQStKllPD3xEEDgpVcUt__-ykl6daU5S-isbxUBeY4CZfYdpLglxcsl7GvAGljidc7yLHiMglr2ykRo05M/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z2UJSkRL6T7XnHtaFrYGUoZvsvl7DHLpqv3BCWU0gxd6X9jWodlSu4ufOrQStKllPD3xEEDgpVcUt__-ykl6daU5S-isbxUBeY4CZfYdpLglxcsl7GvAGljidc7yLHiMglr2ykRo05M/s320/DSC_0009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509387022608996690" border="0" /></a>The lane to our new house.<br /><br /></div>For those of you who know us know we have dreamed of living and raising our children in the country. The time has come. The Lord has brought us an amazing property within 15 minutes of our church home instead of the 40 minutes we have been driving every Sunday. This is something we have put much thought and prayer into but didn't know that God would have something in store for us NOW. Back in May, a family in our church phoned us and asked if we would be interested in purchasing their home on 7 acres, backed up to their neighbor's 3,000. We had shared with them just weeks prior that one day we really wanted to be closer to the church and on a few acres in the country. So here we are...listed our home in McKinney in July, got a full price offer in August, close this Friday, move out the same day. Here's the fun part...we get to live in Ed's office for 4-6 weeks, one room, no kitchen, 4 children, two dogs, and 1 cat. I'm trying very hard to keep a smile on my face. Our new home needs lots of TLC but thankfully I have an amazingly talented and creative husband who plans to do some great things with the house. I am most excited about are new hardwood floors and a farmhouse sink in my kitchen. More pics on this later. As for the outdoors, we plan to have our own mini homestead with a large garden, berry patch, cows, chickens, laying hens and possible milking goats. Any tips or advice on any of these are more than welcome.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqX-nG28iXSDln7hiqJ4dVUDwxKfQh962qD8K_7xNR5dqpo6qOEJpIL7CtGO-ZuyMboCO0gXuAWWcNNzdDXy2CfUdndZfeKTrHFrf70gp3eq7BMLmDWZPUZt08Jntlx_hyphenhyphen82VOxkuHcQ/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqX-nG28iXSDln7hiqJ4dVUDwxKfQh962qD8K_7xNR5dqpo6qOEJpIL7CtGO-ZuyMboCO0gXuAWWcNNzdDXy2CfUdndZfeKTrHFrf70gp3eq7BMLmDWZPUZt08Jntlx_hyphenhyphen82VOxkuHcQ/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509385163180676930" border="0" /></a>Front yard.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_8e1x0RxXAl-iXtoVQoXkUuEqPxvTM0vqkESSRLGn92A9CFs7SOKWThYUK2y9ANrGAg4RHH-9s7Du34NwuVun6tENvR-LG7pZoRSz-YAywteuDFaPTDMrKZrmDKbwIhwB7gkGDKxHdE/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_8e1x0RxXAl-iXtoVQoXkUuEqPxvTM0vqkESSRLGn92A9CFs7SOKWThYUK2y9ANrGAg4RHH-9s7Du34NwuVun6tENvR-LG7pZoRSz-YAywteuDFaPTDMrKZrmDKbwIhwB7gkGDKxHdE/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509385155831612994" border="0" /></a>Back yard.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA_FbTkw-6p1179xWMuc_iZBkJytoUFtDXDs9RO75OJ315uvT_1pTvTVAnpfDgxWneCQqK5GHntAi7uo0MKytNIXAnWhl1i5bPt1XMm7OB9rElXPG2riAcr5vz2LIjvKMEkSLcwp69gU/s1600/DSC_0030.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA_FbTkw-6p1179xWMuc_iZBkJytoUFtDXDs9RO75OJ315uvT_1pTvTVAnpfDgxWneCQqK5GHntAi7uo0MKytNIXAnWhl1i5bPt1XMm7OB9rElXPG2riAcr5vz2LIjvKMEkSLcwp69gU/s320/DSC_0030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509381925714158002" border="0" /></a>Fishing on our new neighbor's pond. I think we caught over 10 fish.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi31YGJjczcxDvSr2C2eyS0Ax1nL7rJLqrTTl5370J_K3mgUJ4I76Nt_r1xvnZnKCsSJh6sQoqQjfvK7fDo7tjuGgGiHtH92bJWNE0UwmzAMP2Zdo-8p3Lg1n9M3uc7JdSDe8HYCd9XQ/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi31YGJjczcxDvSr2C2eyS0Ax1nL7rJLqrTTl5370J_K3mgUJ4I76Nt_r1xvnZnKCsSJh6sQoqQjfvK7fDo7tjuGgGiHtH92bJWNE0UwmzAMP2Zdo-8p3Lg1n9M3uc7JdSDe8HYCd9XQ/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509381921590750274" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Yt6-jQus0z7RRD-oJ-pPri3Lq-cuPjDfu3VL_maTHderXA7Hz8o6QRC14Nb7vvPzQrvhJDB_WXqRzlTE08Z8NdiV_uStqwlvm1ecz3qhI_PecDghv-ltG-0NAoEATVwzZNflmJ_90A/s1600/DSC_0051.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0Yt6-jQus0z7RRD-oJ-pPri3Lq-cuPjDfu3VL_maTHderXA7Hz8o6QRC14Nb7vvPzQrvhJDB_WXqRzlTE08Z8NdiV_uStqwlvm1ecz3qhI_PecDghv-ltG-0NAoEATVwzZNflmJ_90A/s320/DSC_0051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509380233467373458" border="0" /></a>I keep telling the kids raw food is best. I didn't mean for Jacob to take me so literally.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_Ei42JBw_Lxm75uO48gqlGxmMa9osfv5MczeW7td2jbtoms09RRF1JJjG2pum9F5la4Kwrm2nyjq7JjpAkpMQRF-NgZtqwxKQNMmdsn0xwnE3sdScYxMWu6i4zuCW31UPe6X0IgrEps/s1600/DSC_0053_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_Ei42JBw_Lxm75uO48gqlGxmMa9osfv5MczeW7td2jbtoms09RRF1JJjG2pum9F5la4Kwrm2nyjq7JjpAkpMQRF-NgZtqwxKQNMmdsn0xwnE3sdScYxMWu6i4zuCW31UPe6X0IgrEps/s320/DSC_0053_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509380221738470130" border="0" /></a>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486050771218360189.post-40091013173783379652010-08-21T22:59:00.007-05:002010-08-21T23:23:13.243-05:00A MEMEOk Fine!!! You win Vicki. I'll do it.<br /><br />1. What do you normally smell like? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">my homemade lavender & patchouli lotion</span><br /><br />2. How far away do you live from your parents? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">813 miles, 13 hours 32 minutes according to Google maps</span><br /><br />3. Are you happy with your job? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Wouldn't dream of trading it</span><br /><br />4. What did you get in the mail today? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Haven't a clue. Avoid checking the mail. (Sorry Vicki. I know you never got this about me.)</span><br /><br />5.How do you like your steak cooked? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">medium...a little pink in the middle</span><br /><br />6. What do you usually order at Taco Bell? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Hmm, can't say I frequent Taco Bell. Maybe a crispy taco supreme</span>.<br /><br />7. Have you ever sat all the way through Gone With the Wind?<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> Yes</span><br /><br />8. Have you ever been to Mt Rushmore? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">No</span><br /><br />9. Where is your favorite place (that you have actually been to)? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Estes Park, Colorado. Can't wait to go back and take the kids. </span><br /><br />10. What is your favorite candle scent? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Patchouli</span><br /><br />11. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Not really.... Is that an answer???</span><br /><br />12. Have you ever been to NYC or LA? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Neither and have no desire to go to either</span><br /><br />13. Are you currently planning a trip? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Just got back from family camp. Illinois in the late fall.</span><br /><br />14. Do you prefer to pack your own groceries?<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> If it gets me home faster</span><br /><br />15. What is your favorite snack? <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">ice cream if I'm bad, apple and peanut butter if I'm good</span>Edward and Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04653174042966130146noreply@blogger.com1