tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67783686548153521882024-03-07T17:46:10.693-06:00Nicoll Family BlogThe adventures (and misadventures) of the Nicolls.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352474771804198801noreply@blogger.comBlogger604125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-73078152759467639592015-02-09T11:55:00.000-06:002015-02-09T11:55:20.817-06:00Amazing feats of strength and endurance!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our Ruby is a climber... always has been. She climbed up onto our dining table before she was a year old. Anyhow, she has been taking a real rock-climbing class for the past eight months or so. She loves it. It is fun and challenging.</div>
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So I took Ruby to the rock wall at the gym on Saturday. And she decided to climb laps. Climbing laps means climbing up the wall, then climbing back down (instead of letting go and gliding down with the belay system) and when you get to the bottom, that is one lap, and then, without touching the ground or taking a break, you climb up again, and so on. It takes a lot of strength and stamina. Ruby beat her previous record of 6 laps. Then she made it to 10. Wow! But she kept going... for almost an hour... and she climbed 35 laps!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqzf7k-Zu-O11AxWtyBc2DotYDgDRLUztclsCOTK-NPCy6qQu69oeDDGa22TkHnTwoUaurlMelGj90dIMhadRwEmirwx3XoWiCZ0mo59eI1fFD_b5T_Qm0B8kS2hJs3amdtK-e07VApqY/s1600/WP_20150207_17_06_38_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqzf7k-Zu-O11AxWtyBc2DotYDgDRLUztclsCOTK-NPCy6qQu69oeDDGa22TkHnTwoUaurlMelGj90dIMhadRwEmirwx3XoWiCZ0mo59eI1fFD_b5T_Qm0B8kS2hJs3amdtK-e07VApqY/s1600/WP_20150207_17_06_38_Pro.jpg" height="355" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wall is 35 feet high. So she climbed 1225 feet up... and 1225 feet down... continuously without a break.</div>
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She ended up with two blisters. And she was "slightly sore" the next day. </div>
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Already she is planning to break this personal record.</div>
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Here is a little clip of her climbing a post at a soccer game. She grips the beam and uses 1/2 inch bolts/nuts as toe holds. <br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwiKPqlmvaRKsZFT0Tua7NU4Mk8w2Eb6kgBCY5RgM8JGO2tCZon2r_7T-BNmx8T60EIUfnqtzzr33D1i4rvvQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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My best is 4 laps... gotta work on that.</div>
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Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-15385561196112680632015-01-09T13:04:00.003-06:002015-01-09T13:04:47.308-06:00And so it begins... 2015!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cora started the new year with tooth #3 and taking steps! Slow down kiddo! </div>
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She loves taking baths. Here she is after a particularly messy dinner...</div>
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She also loves to crawl away at top speed mid-diaper-change... giggling the whole time!</div>
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June just turned 6! She has the honor of having the first birthday of the year.</div>
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June recently started reading really well. It is fun to watch her catch on and find a love for books like her big sisters. June got a baking set for Christmas, so she has taken an interest in the kitchen. She made jello for her birthday dinner... she requested chicken nuggets and fries for her special dinner... and jello.</div>
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Alli is almost 11. She is excited to be "almost a teenager." She sang a solo in the school choir concert and she joined the archery club at school. Alli continues to be a voracious reader. </div>
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Alli is starting a babysitting class. (I am pretty excited about that!) </div>
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Ruby has been taking a rock climbing class this year... it is her thing. At the gym where she climbs, there is an "around the world" challenge where climbers go around the entire room by climbing along the walls without touching the floor. It is really tricky. It takes lots of skill, strength, stamina, and problem solving to make it through. She has been working on this for over six months, and she finally got it!!!</div>
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Oh happy day! Here she is adding her name to the list of those who have conquered the around the world challenge. She was the first to complete it in 2015.</div>
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Ask Ruby to flex her muscles for you sometime... wow.</div>
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So you can see we are diving into 2015 full speed ahead! This will be a great year!</div>
<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-51958114022585102942015-01-09T12:40:00.002-06:002015-01-09T12:40:39.300-06:00What happened in December...Goodness! Is it really 2015?!<br />
December flew by in a blink... our December was packed with life!<br />
Here are a few highlights caught on camera...<br />
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Cora got a bike-like thing. She loves it. Her first words (besides mama and dada... which she is really good at) were "Go! Go! Go!" while sitting on her bike.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Cookies! We made lots of really great cookies in December... and they are all gone. Hmmm?</span></div>
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Check out these beauties that Alli made. Yes, that is a nativity scene made out of sprinkles!<br />
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Christmas morning photo on the stairs. Just let us open presents!!!<br />
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June got a Santa beard for daddy. Cora had mixed feelings about it.<br />
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After presents...<br />
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Okay. That wasn't all that happened. </div>
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It was a really busy month. In fact, I haven't sent out Christmas cards yet... hopefully we can get it together for a Valentine card??? </div>
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Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-72370571771128400432014-11-12T20:55:00.000-06:002014-11-12T20:55:03.343-06:00Halloween Twenty-fourteen!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Every October, I look forward to the Halloween costume choices of my children. Because they choose awesome stuff.</div>
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Drum roll please...</div>
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Alli chose Abraham Lincoln. Did you know she memorized the Gettysburg address (for fun!)?! We used the glue gun to attach bushy eyebrows to her glasses. The beard was also attached to her glasses frames.<br />
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And Ruby and June both wanted to be ninjas! This pictures cracks me up because June wore her coat under her costume for trick-or-treat and she somehow managed to create a double chin in this picture (if you know June, you know she is a bean pole). I also love the dramatic action in this picture.<br />
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Our blue-eyed brunette was Wonder Woman, of course.<br />
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We had two candy nights this year... trunk-or-treat at church and the neighborhood trick-or-treat.<br />
This is after the church party...<br />
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Not very cooperative for pictures...</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Yep. I dress up for Halloween. I was a Day of the Dead lady.</span></div>
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This is a view of the candy sorting/trading/binge after the neighborhood trick-or-treat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqnmNSBEOkar_owHCGmBnDf0z6lYbxjgpoQ7MUyeiyYCntIMnSyHw2N7Ocq2ZT_eLIEqwsL575xr1vXGa1UndyfwYLoMAkVv-2ETx_QXEXJdueifZBjK_CnbdQcIFepksRseZBk9OkBc9/s1600/untitled-044-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqnmNSBEOkar_owHCGmBnDf0z6lYbxjgpoQ7MUyeiyYCntIMnSyHw2N7Ocq2ZT_eLIEqwsL575xr1vXGa1UndyfwYLoMAkVv-2ETx_QXEXJdueifZBjK_CnbdQcIFepksRseZBk9OkBc9/s400/untitled-044-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Yes, there are a few extra kids in there... Alli's friends.)</div>
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Cora absorbing sugar through costume and wrappers... aaaahhhh...<br />
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...my feelings exactly. Happy Halloween!Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-16288773224424512422014-11-12T13:34:00.000-06:002014-11-12T13:34:13.289-06:00Warning: Cuteness overload!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our darling Cora is eight months old now. She is crawling all over and pulling herself up on furniture. She likes to feed herself... and she loves baths (those two go hand in hand).</div>
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The older girls love to play with Cora... sometimes they sort of play with her like a doll...</div>
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"She looks just like a Cabbage Patch Kid!" I hear this frequently. What do you think? Twins?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijv4iDynpWWh_zHJ-CBVCKj0HjlfUXvRXaJXjggy_3RsZ7vHdrVyrEf2LyW6Fuw_wtAIm1qMMO1ixU3ck5vKGqaN0XJ3DxTeKifmezyurVf78PoYt1jo9Zoq_llXaERVlhISWzlFUfUFq/s1600/20141111_131025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijv4iDynpWWh_zHJ-CBVCKj0HjlfUXvRXaJXjggy_3RsZ7vHdrVyrEf2LyW6Fuw_wtAIm1qMMO1ixU3ck5vKGqaN0XJ3DxTeKifmezyurVf78PoYt1jo9Zoq_llXaERVlhISWzlFUfUFq/s320/20141111_131025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Daddy has lots of fun with Cora too.</div>
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I have fun with her too...</div>
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-37827639180991849282014-09-16T09:03:00.002-05:002014-09-16T09:03:25.215-05:00Our little garden fairy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On Sunday, Alli asked if she could take Cora outside.</div>
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A few minutes later, she came back in and said, "Come look at what we did to Cora!"</div>
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And here is what I found...</div>
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The girls made a crown for Cora out of a chive, lavender and flowers.</div>
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Clearly Cora is okay with all her sisters do to her. The crown didn't bother her one bit.</div>
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Or maybe it did?</div>
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Ha! Love this face! I hope Cora is always patient with her sisters.</div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-31492231781482558182014-08-22T13:16:00.001-05:002014-08-22T13:16:28.379-05:00Life. And all we know about caterpillars.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This story begins with Bob.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi647_W5mpdtdjkkO_6AsD8ftTGQGmjFaxljFfjuy2TgPlRNIAUxZS3p5m5YYnAVUuumt515HN_guN1kQ6a0Y5O1yt8BeO9A0jwsh2lUgozLh9kWFvEOfbHIQMqRh49XXDHNon5sNoXG0/s1600/TN9A9157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi647_W5mpdtdjkkO_6AsD8ftTGQGmjFaxljFfjuy2TgPlRNIAUxZS3p5m5YYnAVUuumt515HN_guN1kQ6a0Y5O1yt8BeO9A0jwsh2lUgozLh9kWFvEOfbHIQMqRh49XXDHNon5sNoXG0/s1600/TN9A9157.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bob is a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar, and we found him in the garden munching on dill.</div>
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We potted a dill plant and brought it in the house... along with Bob. Bob ate and ate and ate. When he wasn't stuffing his face with dill, he rested until he was ready to eat some more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgco2J4G7v0ydcfq1f7lFhBCJvG9sRqvNX1fAol_i48PTmTOnaRUV1HB8ikd5FNMG7lfp52LTHqhk2psZZkB32NqzpzoUYd2YNdwQg9NXJQWZ8mOEJULBFVxwaBUUo8hoKV148Cs9_kZkK1/s1600/TN9A9274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgco2J4G7v0ydcfq1f7lFhBCJvG9sRqvNX1fAol_i48PTmTOnaRUV1HB8ikd5FNMG7lfp52LTHqhk2psZZkB32NqzpzoUYd2YNdwQg9NXJQWZ8mOEJULBFVxwaBUUo8hoKV148Cs9_kZkK1/s1600/TN9A9274.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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He grew very quickly. His wrinkles filled in, and then out! He got pretty chubby until one day, he spun some silk and started on his chrysalis.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQxMdXBngomeNyKALpvZgJS1CmMINIL_1CBtc3BTypbhBYRDCO5cQZcshfbGupgjc6DuDMaaYrIv77T5TmTdLornuRaLRH0ThyL3m5sqiJWSYNhZCQqygqq1LiqRtblV8dcFUzIUZ3F0B/s1600/TN9A9278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQxMdXBngomeNyKALpvZgJS1CmMINIL_1CBtc3BTypbhBYRDCO5cQZcshfbGupgjc6DuDMaaYrIv77T5TmTdLornuRaLRH0ThyL3m5sqiJWSYNhZCQqygqq1LiqRtblV8dcFUzIUZ3F0B/s1600/TN9A9278.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Here is the sad part... Bob died. He started the chrysalis phase, but he didn't progress past the picture above... and then he turned kindof squishy and brownish and stinky... and then we knew Bob would not be a butterfly.</div>
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But then there was a happy twist...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbM_T8GyGx_a79CES7jAdvZnpyUtlv3OdD3kNRCn2vmcfFMXf0auKUDFlcATUxL1TwxP00Y4M3CrR_IGyBn4svaUmIxceZ-bFAUWT-MEtQ4W_67anQMVPdwxdGyz3MIDpwCq4DvcANNB_/s1600/TN9A9272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbM_T8GyGx_a79CES7jAdvZnpyUtlv3OdD3kNRCn2vmcfFMXf0auKUDFlcATUxL1TwxP00Y4M3CrR_IGyBn4svaUmIxceZ-bFAUWT-MEtQ4W_67anQMVPdwxdGyz3MIDpwCq4DvcANNB_/s1600/TN9A9272.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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On the dill plant we brought into our house, there were three tiny butterfly eggs. So tiny we didn't really notice them until there were three tiny caterpillars munching away on the dill!</div>
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These caterpillars were names Stoneteller, Hailstar, and Brambleberry.</div>
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Just like Bob, they ate and grew and ate and grew and rested and ate and ate and ate and grew!</div>
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They were so big and plump!</div>
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Then one day we found Stoneteller running (as only a caterpillar can) across the kitchen floor. We picked him up and put him back on the plant.</div>
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An hour later, he was gone.</div>
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And then Hailstar disappeared.</div>
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And then I put Brambleberry in a jar!</div>
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The next day there was a beautiful green chrysalis in the jar...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeS-COJ55qw7QH6l19uBZ8-fuwl08QHUE1y_G1Ujh6SKfRw5JaJTk5YpIaT1WZocpegg4_Lc4xRf5YwThiW8zTgYOMDGRcxYapPGmOOxqfVb6pS7mdRHFQAsUSLhyphenhyphen7qq_lJkQ5Ga7qRn6m/s1600/TN9A0937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeS-COJ55qw7QH6l19uBZ8-fuwl08QHUE1y_G1Ujh6SKfRw5JaJTk5YpIaT1WZocpegg4_Lc4xRf5YwThiW8zTgYOMDGRcxYapPGmOOxqfVb6pS7mdRHFQAsUSLhyphenhyphen7qq_lJkQ5Ga7qRn6m/s1600/TN9A0937.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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I spent about two weeks looking around our house for chrysalises. And then one day after school, there was a butterfly by the back door!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NI2dXeCtV9Lx54qoI4hVBsQtf3zZQv-NDmJuGmrtZozG6NczXqadObl5oYM8Cf2YxZdnWLv8cL3bcbBKGaBsLbYhOhg9twcsdGxBCmZrh1BBiMWIHOVIlaCn3whpplPcvCZggOwqDJzI/s1600/TN9A0934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NI2dXeCtV9Lx54qoI4hVBsQtf3zZQv-NDmJuGmrtZozG6NczXqadObl5oYM8Cf2YxZdnWLv8cL3bcbBKGaBsLbYhOhg9twcsdGxBCmZrh1BBiMWIHOVIlaCn3whpplPcvCZggOwqDJzI/s1600/TN9A0934.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stoneteller was a boy (you can tell by the prominenty yellow bands on the back of his wings). We were delighted that Stoneteller made it to the butterfly stage (and was found at last!!!). We let him out and he flew away.</div>
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We did find his empty chrysalis on the side of our little plant table in the kitchen.</div>
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Here is a better look at the empty chrysalis...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDhu3jDFw_dk0lagnbm0jly03FLSr2eizo0rwgdSW_bGXOgo8ZSdF9yPERwsNH3qENSF69PKrPTyEfcs9NXen2QW45tVGF36jHYf8gqi-BExj4n9ODYO3mESHSQMEYYGg5Dwa-YkZANot/s1600/TN9A0939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDhu3jDFw_dk0lagnbm0jly03FLSr2eizo0rwgdSW_bGXOgo8ZSdF9yPERwsNH3qENSF69PKrPTyEfcs9NXen2QW45tVGF36jHYf8gqi-BExj4n9ODYO3mESHSQMEYYGg5Dwa-YkZANot/s1600/TN9A0939.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next morning, we noticed that Brambleberry's chrysalis was darker than normal. And while we were looking, it wiggled and split open! </div>
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I ran to grab the camera! </div>
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By the time I got back, Brambleberry had wiggled out and was lying on the bottom of the jar. Look at those tiny wings! (And that big bottom!)</div>
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The kids were already off to school... which was sad.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAycOyyAoWTVyhyphenhyphenIQAs7z8kpKhHNUHgA3Wmaqd1-MMiVOpZnyU4kOj6Hb4Xo-6ckYGMfeLKPeL_n0drckbU2-D84TlIMdjc_dlqkzxM5JaeSv9CUI_J1u0dwnlFrjqtSK_QunprmvVnWpa/s1600/TN9A0943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAycOyyAoWTVyhyphenhyphenIQAs7z8kpKhHNUHgA3Wmaqd1-MMiVOpZnyU4kOj6Hb4Xo-6ckYGMfeLKPeL_n0drckbU2-D84TlIMdjc_dlqkzxM5JaeSv9CUI_J1u0dwnlFrjqtSK_QunprmvVnWpa/s1600/TN9A0943.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I got her out of the jar...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx1wnuDAm0yoGMJ10lTDiNF3O6N1G_awI91Zu-9uWcCIXEP138X_wjFVwfFaulZSdRDZVNpwzQrhFlXgEroUAXtIN57PJ9k0RQSX0zd6t7wb2sygUXqfj_MEt-vsRuyWtOwcCn3qMZCww/s1600/TN9A0960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx1wnuDAm0yoGMJ10lTDiNF3O6N1G_awI91Zu-9uWcCIXEP138X_wjFVwfFaulZSdRDZVNpwzQrhFlXgEroUAXtIN57PJ9k0RQSX0zd6t7wb2sygUXqfj_MEt-vsRuyWtOwcCn3qMZCww/s1600/TN9A0960.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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And I put her on a plant near the window. It didn't take long for her wings to unfurl.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiu-AefQyGO5ZabxolGyul8wllMjK7z1QlIdfIgZn9_wEXyMbrqiAiFmKXzT42b0UXvfCZVryzSmeSfs-whsJ9B6aIwqABp44RWqQ_Wg509gZHUMK6_cKPkHLM9UqyV0Lai70B_pjAo1vl/s1600/TN9A0963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiu-AefQyGO5ZabxolGyul8wllMjK7z1QlIdfIgZn9_wEXyMbrqiAiFmKXzT42b0UXvfCZVryzSmeSfs-whsJ9B6aIwqABp44RWqQ_Wg509gZHUMK6_cKPkHLM9UqyV0Lai70B_pjAo1vl/s1600/TN9A0963.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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She gently flapped her wrinkled wings and they smoothed out and grew and grew.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQli6eW6sUhflc4LcEa-lP_ek0i64rtWc3_BZjEG1n6u7gEcWaTj-guZAek6CI9AxVGD2-bg7YJ1xR2pti6FnQ4Yg7XFfOtcOo0-kjVQ4YIjkwhnQArVVz4IcYL47FxJIry-VBO92tge12/s1600/TN9A0964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQli6eW6sUhflc4LcEa-lP_ek0i64rtWc3_BZjEG1n6u7gEcWaTj-guZAek6CI9AxVGD2-bg7YJ1xR2pti6FnQ4Yg7XFfOtcOo0-kjVQ4YIjkwhnQArVVz4IcYL47FxJIry-VBO92tge12/s1600/TN9A0964.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Her body seemed to slim down too.</div>
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Here is Brambleberry's empty chrysalis...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTkt7QcFBhyZfMieSM-IxDQgyt1deDdgTZu6VU0P6oYOoZAJJK3mhJ_cxV5hlLZvE6ZMaWZ7AafN6nAZNQybMVAa4gVvjVRECHmggt2IfKNsV4i7vMZ2lCQPNpuj6B2M05ZSp0HYWluoj/s1600/TN9A0969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTkt7QcFBhyZfMieSM-IxDQgyt1deDdgTZu6VU0P6oYOoZAJJK3mhJ_cxV5hlLZvE6ZMaWZ7AafN6nAZNQybMVAa4gVvjVRECHmggt2IfKNsV4i7vMZ2lCQPNpuj6B2M05ZSp0HYWluoj/s1600/TN9A0969.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before long, she was all stretched out and ready to go! Brambleberry is a female. You can tell by the prominent blue on the bottom of her wings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tez3zhFAphrGWnBGp7z_WKZB00BZqGV8iShAAC3lAwSc23DuurjkEqtppt1xdwNVCiucJDg2A1HVOUGSpfMjjZeSVXKeqpNBq8plbv4Hskgy-5aMzKi8LYZG4SzKw6LLuWjFKnG5kYMK/s1600/IMG_8221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tez3zhFAphrGWnBGp7z_WKZB00BZqGV8iShAAC3lAwSc23DuurjkEqtppt1xdwNVCiucJDg2A1HVOUGSpfMjjZeSVXKeqpNBq8plbv4Hskgy-5aMzKi8LYZG4SzKw6LLuWjFKnG5kYMK/s1600/IMG_8221.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a very rainy day, so Brambleberry stayed inside until the girls came home from school. She just rested on the plants by the windows.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23soTXB4r3TRqzTe5HiD0HGoEIPb3qlHcpB2GM4Fy-XWezo6rLAd_CjVGYavjRokAGzWm-vMzjnTQYdsBwzI6RtjglnuRsUBRGjDK1IavOKFqZTAWOGgH5NQIbkqMirrhtdzu6ruq6STN/s1600/TN9A0972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23soTXB4r3TRqzTe5HiD0HGoEIPb3qlHcpB2GM4Fy-XWezo6rLAd_CjVGYavjRokAGzWm-vMzjnTQYdsBwzI6RtjglnuRsUBRGjDK1IavOKFqZTAWOGgH5NQIbkqMirrhtdzu6ruq6STN/s1600/TN9A0972.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The girls got a good look at her and then we opened the door, and she flew right outside and fluttered away.</div>
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They grow up so quickly.</div>
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Sigh.</div>
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If you have been keeping track of the numbers, yes, there is still one missing. Hailstar is likely somewhere in our house. Hopefully he/she will appear very soon.</div>
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To see some of our previous caterpillar adventures, click <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/chrysalis.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/wildlife-on-our-patio.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/goodbye-parsley.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/happy-birthday-butterflies.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Yes, we do this often (yearly or so). Black swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on dill, parsley and fennel. We plant those things in our garden to attract the butterflies. And every summer we find caterpillars! Watching tiny caterpillars grow and change and become butterflies never gets old! It is magic every single time.<br />
<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-37265596231108813772014-08-15T10:51:00.001-05:002014-08-15T10:51:33.422-05:00Go Cougars!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If you follow BYU football, you might have heard about their countdown to game day (search <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/byu50" target="_blank">#BYU50</a> on Facebook). For the 50 days leading up to kickoff, a box of BYU football goodies is hidden in each state. A picture of the box in a certain location is posted every day. First person to make it to the box wins it.</div>
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So Andy has been following the progress of this countdown, and waiting for Ohio's turn (they are going through the states alphabetically).</div>
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Yesterday was Ohio's turn! Andy was at work when the picture was posted. The big blue box with the "Y" logo was in front of the Arnold statue... just a few blocks from Andy's work! Guess what?! He was the first one there!</div>
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I was at the elementary open house when Andy found the box. He called to tell me the good news. I thought he was joking at first. Nope. He came straight to the school. </div>
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When we got home, we opened the box and checked out the fun stuff... there was a jersey, t-shirt, stickers, license plate frame, end zone pylon, a football signed by all the great BYU quarterbacks, a bag, sunglasses, coupons, posters...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLABVMwbfl6jEbMSHlXuvwkYVQeraZPkRZ8lM-onrx40IOiox1Jv7TsDt7qjafAjqSooCA8FyqSon1pgpDA8usDCDw01vKLjtN1lBCjcilgZjl0W0qtj3YUsW5o-zm1PdKSF8Mzv3wyGi/s1600/TN9A0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLABVMwbfl6jEbMSHlXuvwkYVQeraZPkRZ8lM-onrx40IOiox1Jv7TsDt7qjafAjqSooCA8FyqSon1pgpDA8usDCDw01vKLjtN1lBCjcilgZjl0W0qtj3YUsW5o-zm1PdKSF8Mzv3wyGi/s1600/TN9A0349.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not gonna lie... the kids were a little disappointed. They were hoping for candy and stuffed animals.</div>
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(I was hoping for four scholarships.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnD8UJgaAH06JQaAyBQSNXoM3yG-IVJ1ACTFQUyqWlQqy1qUuTqmam-A6-YpvvXUOJdu6IlTSYyC1vOL84_HvNpYLbvWUCU5Huj8i18v5dSQGR7LnB3-Oe8a1y2VG8t-xJxVDiXUNxocCg/s1600/TN9A0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnD8UJgaAH06JQaAyBQSNXoM3yG-IVJ1ACTFQUyqWlQqy1qUuTqmam-A6-YpvvXUOJdu6IlTSYyC1vOL84_HvNpYLbvWUCU5Huj8i18v5dSQGR7LnB3-Oe8a1y2VG8t-xJxVDiXUNxocCg/s1600/TN9A0348.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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And so we donned our most festive true blue attire and had a little family photo shoot with our box of stuff...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje894NHii9lkZoZJqjiPLkY_VwPZz17qWzOCcCawJNFAqqYfk_WyQD_f8vO_9vcPfohRyzT-3Qg2ToShnSJij2s7vJiBlzRD6c8c0tD9iEI_pyTo-kotny1-yRTGfoabaI7ZxvN8yiKfH3/s1600/TN9A0355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje894NHii9lkZoZJqjiPLkY_VwPZz17qWzOCcCawJNFAqqYfk_WyQD_f8vO_9vcPfohRyzT-3Qg2ToShnSJij2s7vJiBlzRD6c8c0tD9iEI_pyTo-kotny1-yRTGfoabaI7ZxvN8yiKfH3/s1600/TN9A0355.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabS_R2VX5zDmHz6wj0KAmYgJlod5xiGGeSqPVkm3T97GbzY_aw_uZ918i8L_8hQ9U1rg0ipzp2YkBNZApqvH4EPY8JtiO04yKDLAkgG9ZIVBKLaObJhznNC7Lo3AhExJhzxHbYV0hDuqY/s1600/TN9A0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabS_R2VX5zDmHz6wj0KAmYgJlod5xiGGeSqPVkm3T97GbzY_aw_uZ918i8L_8hQ9U1rg0ipzp2YkBNZApqvH4EPY8JtiO04yKDLAkgG9ZIVBKLaObJhznNC7Lo3AhExJhzxHbYV0hDuqY/s1600/TN9A0357.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our littlest Cougar even has blue eyes! That is TRUE BLUE!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMvfmlROmTXuoamn4sIiI4tDRRvHqKE-m5Y9Mzgr1bmhy3ezkVXrS_AH9I8klkKWT8bcwVAo_Nn9DhvWQlQaFNe5REHj5Wk9M39ruJxmUWsEx0hBE50WiCVZaa0rJQb4NeFdJJpU-nCrj/s1600/TN9A0368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMvfmlROmTXuoamn4sIiI4tDRRvHqKE-m5Y9Mzgr1bmhy3ezkVXrS_AH9I8klkKWT8bcwVAo_Nn9DhvWQlQaFNe5REHj5Wk9M39ruJxmUWsEx0hBE50WiCVZaa0rJQb4NeFdJJpU-nCrj/s1600/TN9A0368.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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We made some awesome cheer formations! Go Cougars!</div>
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This season is so bright... gotta wear shades!</div>
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Touchdown!</div>
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Rise and shout the Cougars are out!</div>
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What do you think? Is this a Christmas card photo or what?!</div>
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Thanks BYU Football for the box of fun stuff! Go Cougars!</div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-17764533351846624772014-07-21T22:38:00.001-05:002014-07-21T22:38:15.968-05:00Bob the CaterpillarMy grandma wrote a book called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Please-Dont-Step-Elly-Kree-George/dp/0935741070" target="_blank">Please Don't Step on Me</a>." It is about bugs and the things they do to help us. <br />
Grandma passed away when I was pregnant with Alli, so my girls never got to meet her.<br />
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But I think they share her love of little critters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Vq3gFigR3ZtnMQkg6EyFBKxMnD9tvZy73N-DRK5uByqwmMm0400rJj79ij1j-X6dQua-jtoebxJcHpk0OKZrFX_w0icLK7lBFJtq_d-4CSW7GRjlaRwLVf64phTumzuQrbHjk-eW2GTO/s1600/TN9A9157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Vq3gFigR3ZtnMQkg6EyFBKxMnD9tvZy73N-DRK5uByqwmMm0400rJj79ij1j-X6dQua-jtoebxJcHpk0OKZrFX_w0icLK7lBFJtq_d-4CSW7GRjlaRwLVf64phTumzuQrbHjk-eW2GTO/s1600/TN9A9157.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a>Ruby and June found this guy outside... This is "Bob." Bob will become a black swallowtail butterfly soon. Bob eats dill... lots of it! <br />
We dug up a dill plant and potted it and brought it in the house. Bob is devouring that plant. He is getting bigger and shinier and smoother every day. The girls love to check on him and see how he has changed.<br />
Stay tuned... hopefully we will have a butterfly in a few weeks.<br />
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-34180359262960111912014-07-17T21:39:00.000-05:002014-07-17T21:39:24.582-05:00Cora: four months old!Time flies... seriously.<br />
Our Cora is already four months old (okay, that happened a few weeks ago... sheesh.).<br />
At four months, Cora weighed in at 15 pounds 7 ounces. And she was 24.6 inches tall. Not bad.<br />
I wrote <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/four-months.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a> when June was 4 months old. Check it out for comparisons. Who do you think Cora looks like? (I can see similar features from all of her sisters.)<br />
This was Cora's blessing day at church... Ruby was baptized the day before. It was really a great weekend. Grandma Utah made Cora's blessing dress. It was gorgeous. Grandma has made a dress for each of the girls.<br />
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This month Cora had her first pony ride. :) Grandpa Ohio helped her ride "Mindy" at our friends' home.<br />
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Cora definitely has blue eyes like her daddy.<br />
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She looks like a Hershey Kiss when she sits.</div>
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And her hair is thickest in the middle, like a mohawk.<br />
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Cora has adorable "triangle legs." You know, her legs are shaped like triangles... nice and chubby up top and cute little ankles at the bottom. (Alli coined that phrase. Brilliant.)<br />
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I think Cora will have curly hair. Her mohawk gets rather unruly and curly, especially when wet.<br />
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Cora's unique thing is the way she sings herself to sleep. She is our loudest/noisiest baby... probably out of necessity. Being the fourth girl is tough. When Cora gets tired, she starts singing to herself until she falls asleep. Pretty adorable.</div>
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<br />(I was going to post the video here, but it is not working currently... I will try to add it soon!)</div>
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Sleep. Cora was sleeping pretty well at night, but not the past few nights. I am trying to remember the last time I slept eight hours without interruption... or even six hours... sigh. Eventually, I will get to sleep through the night again. No worries.</div>
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Cora is absolutely a delight. We all love watching and helping her become someone amazing.</div>
.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-24556513627890958472014-05-15T14:21:00.000-05:002014-05-15T14:21:40.590-05:00a minute in the life of Cora<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our dear little Cora is two months old. </div>
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She is a joy to have around. She is so tolerant of the love and attention she gets ALL THE TIME. She is cooing and smiling now.</div>
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What do we love about Cora? Everything... but here are a few of the favorites...</div>
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I think Cora will have curly hair. Her hair has a will of its own... usually it is sticking straight up on top. And she has beautiful blue eyes accented by stunningly long eyelashes. We all love squeezing Cora's chubby cheeks. They are luscious.</div>
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These girls have their daddy's eyes.</div>
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-31233459961102354352014-05-13T09:00:00.001-05:002014-05-13T09:00:10.506-05:00Mothers Day!<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Mothers Day! This year there was no breakfast in bed because I was the first one up. I was asked to speak in church on Mothers Day... so I was up early going over my talk, getting dressed, nursing Cora, etc. Andy and the girls did make me a fancy breakfast (which included a little ice cream). I was nervous about Cora. Because I was speaking in sacrament meeting, I would be sitting on the stand in the front of the chapel... not with the family. Cora is a breastfed baby. I was afraid she would start crying during the meeting and my milk would come in, and ... well, you get the idea. Anyhow, she slept like a champ.</div>
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Here is my talk from Sunday... enjoy!</div>
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My most memorable mother’s day so far was a <a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-mother-day.html" target="_blank">few yearsago</a>. I was awakened in the early morning
hours by one of our young daughters. She
climbed into our bed and snuggled up close by my side. A warm feeling spread over me… and then that
warmth registered as wetness! The warm,
wet feeling quickly spread up and down my side… the side where my sweet
daughter was already sound asleep. I did
not have breakfast in bed that year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was asked to speak today about mothers and
motherhood. This is a really hard topic
to cover. I have an amazing mom. I know lots of mothers. I have been a mother for over ten years. But I don’t feel like an expert. In fact, the deeper I get into it, the more I
realize how much there is that I don’t know!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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But let’s start with the stuff that I know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are all children of God.
He loves us all and wants us to learn and grow and be happy. Heavenly Father designed families as a place
where we can find joy, and help each other learn and grow. From the beginning, woman was chosen to be
the mother. And she was given divine
power and authority to create and nurture Heavenly Father’s spirit children.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In his April 2014 General Conference address, <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng" target="_blank">Elder DallinOaks</a> said, “The greatest power God has given to His sons cannot be exercised
without the companionship of one of His daughters, because only to His
daughters has God given the power ‘to be
a creator of bodies… so that God’s design and the Great Plan might meet
fruition.’ (And there he is quoting President J. Reuben Clark.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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From the <a href="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/36035_000_24_family.pdf" target="_blank">Family Proclamation</a> we read: HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn
responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.
“Children are an heritage of the Lord” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/ps/127.3?lang=eng#2">Psalm 127:3</a>).
Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to
provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and
serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens
wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held
accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God has given mothers a great responsibility and a great
opportunity. What is the
opportunity? Motherhood teaches divine
qualities: humility, patience, love, and faith. As we love and nurture our families, we can
become closer to our Father in Heaven and develop divine attributes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I saw a meme on the internet this week. It said, “Behind every great kid is a mom who
is pretty sure she is screwing it up.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In preparing my talk today, I posted a few questions about
motherhood on my Facebook page. I
started with the question, “What is the most difficult part about
motherhood?” Several women
answered. The answers ranged from: the pressure to teach them <i>everything</i>, to not being able to have
children, to watching kids make mistakes, to dropping off an unhappy
preschooler, to feeling judged, to not having answers, to losing one’s sense
of identity, to putting kids to
bed… There were lots of answers, and
there were hints of insecurities in them all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In motherhood, just when you think you have it figured out,
everything changes. It takes a lot of
faith to keep going. There is so much
uncertainty as you face new and challenging experiences. Mothers know the enormity of the task at
hand, and often feel inadequate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Elder <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/05/because-she-is-a-mother" target="_blank">Jeffery R. Holland</a> teaches, “The very fact that you
have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust our
Father in Heaven has in you… If you try your best to be the best parent you can
be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects
you to do.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are many times, when as mothers, we don’t know what to
do. We must remember that we are not alone
in this adventure called parenthood. We
are partners with our spouses and with our Heavenly Father. We are stewards to the little spirits that
join our families. It takes humility to
recognize that we do not have all the answers.
And it takes humility to ask the One who does have all the answers. Our Father in Heaven has charged us with the
nurturing and raising of His little ones. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We must remember ...
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” <a href="http://classic.scriptures.lds.org/en/luke/1/37a" target="_blank">Luke 1:37</a>
That is what the angel Gabriel told Mary when announcing her divine call
to be the mother of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we seek help from Heavenly Father through prayer, answers
will come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elder <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/leader/boyd-k-packer" target="_blank">Boyd K. Packer</a> has said, “THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE
POWERFUL THAN THE PRAYERS OF A RIGHTEOUS MOTHER.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The divine work of motherhood is done by imperfect
people. As we turn to the Lord, He can
bless our righteous efforts. As we lay
our weaknesses and flaws before Him, he can strengthen and magnify us, so that
we can do this great work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elder Jeffery R. Holland says, “Yours is the work of
salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more that you
are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort,
however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sister <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/leader/julie-b-beck?lang=eng" target="_blank">Julie B. Beck</a> has said, “THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT A
MOTHER CAN ACCOMPLISH. RIGHTEOUS WOMEN HAVE CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY AND
WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is impossible for mothers to measure success for an
eternal responsibility based on a day, a week, a month, a year, or even a
decade. And we cannot measure success by
worldly standards. The car you drive nor
the clothes you wear, nor amount of toys
your kids have indicate the kind of mother that you are. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The moments moms feel success are often fleeting, sometimes
ordinary moments. One of my friends said
it this way, “ I have these moments with my boys when the world just stops in
its tracks.” She describes seeing her
son in a Scooby Doo costume, running down the sidewalk. And laying out on a blanket watching the stars twinkle in the night
sky. She goes on, “Why those
moments? I have no idea. They weren’t profound milestone moments. I think it is the simplest moments that are
sometimes the most profound of all.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In those simple, quiet moments, the Spirit can touch our
hearts. We feel divine joy and great
love. Those are truly the best moments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Motherhood teaches love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the movie Dumbo, a baby elephant is delivered by a stork
to a mommy elephant. The other elephant
ladies look on adoringly at the baby, until he sneezes and Dumbos oversized
ears are unfurled. One of the onlooking
elephants says Dumbo has ears only a mother could love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A mother sees not only what her child is, but what that child
can become. A mother loves her child when the child is
good and when the child is incredibly naughty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“MOTHERS ARE ENDOWED WITH A LOVE THAT IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER
LOVE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.” <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695247788/Marjorie-Pay-Hinckley--Every-bit-his-equal.html?pg=all" target="_blank">MarjoriePay Hinckley</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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At the birth of each of our girls, I have been struck by the
instant feelings of love that sweep over me like a tsunami. I want to care for and protect each one of
them. I want the best for each child,
and I would do anything for them. That
loves continues and deepens… even when they make bad choices. I love my girls so much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Charity is the pure love of Christ,… and whoso is found
possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/7.47,46,45?lang=eng" target="_blank">Moroni 7:47</a>) Jesus Christ is the perfect example of
love. He loves unconditionally. Mothers know unconditional love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There is great power in a mother’s love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mothers show love by nurturing. Mothers show love by forgiving. Mothers show love by discipline. Mothers
encourage and inspire. Mothers
help with projects and lend a listening ear.
Moms kiss boo boos and wipe away tears. These expressions of love
accumulate day after day, year after year.
The steady stream of love from a mother blesses her children.<o:p></o:p></div>
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President Abraham
Lincoln famously said, “ALL THAT I AM OR EVER HOPE TO BE, I OWE TO MY ANGEL
MOTHER.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abe didn’t become Honest Abe overnight. Honesty was taught at a young age, and taught
repeatedly, until it was a part of his soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is little instant gratification in mothering. Much of motherhood is planting seeds,
cultivating, and waiting and waiting and waiting for a fruitful harvest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Motherhood is a very dynamic process. Mothers help their children <i>become</i>.
Children change and grow and learn and develop. It doesn’t happen overnight. Mothers change and grow and learn and develop
right alongside of their children. We
are all works in progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My mom reminded me that having an eternal perspective
changes everything. <a href="http://ohiomars.com/index.html" target="_blank">My mom has ten children</a>. She said that sometimes she
felt like eternity was the amount of time it took to potty train certain
siblings of mine. Now her nest is empty…
sort of … she is the proud grandma to over 30 grandkids. She will tell you that she loved every phase
of parenting, but I am pretty sure she loves being a grandmother best.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a recent Mormon.org <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ4TPn8hjxI" target="_blank">mothers day video</a>, mothers are the "chief inspiring officer." I love that title. It is certainly a perfect title for my mother. She inspired us all to do great things, and she supported us in our many interests and activities even though she rarely had time to pursue her own hobbies, or read a book, or put her feet up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Motherhood teaches faith. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first motherhood experience came long before our girls
were born. When Andy and I were married
in the temple 13 years ago, a feeling come over me, and my perspective of that
moment changed… I could imagine our parents and ancestors behind us and our
future posterity ahead of us… and there we were kneeling across the altar,
covenanting with God, beginning our marriage.
We were part of an eternal family and starting our own eternal
family. That is where motherhood started
for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love the story of the 2000 stripling warriors. Their parents had changed their hearts when
they were converted to the gospel. They
covenanted to live in peace… never to go to war again. When their land was threatened, the sons,
knowing the importance of keeping covenants, refused to allow their parents to
go to war. Instead, those young men
defended their families and their country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and
they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their
own lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not
doubt, God would deliver them. And they
rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our
mothers know it. (<a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/56.47-48?lang=eng" target="_blank">Alma 56:47-48</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The repeated testimonies of their mothers were ingrained in
their hearts. Their mothers’ strength
blessed and strengthened those young men.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are a covenant people.
We work with the Lord in accomplishing His work, which is to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
When we do our part, the Lord does his part.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jefferey R Holland said, speaking of mothers, “cherish that
role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to
watch over you and your little ones.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There have been moments in our life that I know angels have
watched over us. Our family has
experienced miracles that testify of Heavenly participation in our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lord blesses us with tender mercies and miracles as we
put our trust in Him. I know that with all of my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> If you read this whole thing, you get a gold star! Whew!</o:p></div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-46228780238354335832014-04-07T21:35:00.001-05:002014-04-07T21:35:51.606-05:00One Month of Cora<div>
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Yesterday was Cora's one month birthday. Unbelievable. The month flew by so swiftly... yet, it seems that Cora has been a part of our family for much longer than that. She fits right in.</div>
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Here are a few observations about our Cora...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mBjEXr1pltPjoReRvEEGjKlAWARz31j4gjpKJ_1cKkx5PXQKqPEkj_DRMYFU99ZBy4xjrT50JkD4afiG3vpApZ9qxshjwaSG39EduhwIoaX1703tySarWkzN3Unh3_2Yv99EIdsXSTXn/s1600/untitled-162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mBjEXr1pltPjoReRvEEGjKlAWARz31j4gjpKJ_1cKkx5PXQKqPEkj_DRMYFU99ZBy4xjrT50JkD4afiG3vpApZ9qxshjwaSG39EduhwIoaX1703tySarWkzN3Unh3_2Yv99EIdsXSTXn/s1600/untitled-162.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
She is very alert. When she is awake, she looks around and follows the action with her eyes. <br />
Cora is strong. She will push up with her legs so she can stand. She holds her head up.<br />
Cora has blue eyes. We think they will stay that way. She has long curly eyelashes. She hit the genetic jackpot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3yoZg3iTHKp9yk_Eb_tkV7Wl8XSy3isHGFFmQv9vHkneZ-lo0sR7cbzry_WBgHhw1EK8XZBz35a4BCz2OOtvorCo4opLrPoAwBfDqUvXmjyNpkvBJRS71vGxEnTqW9i3O23fVQk6BgLN/s1600/untitled-167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3yoZg3iTHKp9yk_Eb_tkV7Wl8XSy3isHGFFmQv9vHkneZ-lo0sR7cbzry_WBgHhw1EK8XZBz35a4BCz2OOtvorCo4opLrPoAwBfDqUvXmjyNpkvBJRS71vGxEnTqW9i3O23fVQk6BgLN/s1600/untitled-167.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
(On a side note: these baby jeans crack me up! The seat part is huge compared to the little legs... like Humpty Dumpty pants!)<br />
<br />
<br />
Cora has lots of hair. It grows in all directions. I think it will be curly. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtlY_wyfJtKD8WeXaS7ioYl4dBFbf7O3_rF2dl1GKJ5SqOa4SRFWWciaUw-86gd-f1OY5dS4wRFt64gL8Vxb0QSviwowUybgbQhaQ1qDtte04Kspp8r5gcDinNNwvdRgAmtAQp1x9gXxc/s1600/untitled-170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtlY_wyfJtKD8WeXaS7ioYl4dBFbf7O3_rF2dl1GKJ5SqOa4SRFWWciaUw-86gd-f1OY5dS4wRFt64gL8Vxb0QSviwowUybgbQhaQ1qDtte04Kspp8r5gcDinNNwvdRgAmtAQp1x9gXxc/s1600/untitled-170.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cora is a good eater. Can you tell? She has luscious cheeks. <br />
She smiles a lot... when she is awake and when she is asleep. Life is good for this little one.<br />
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-19474865499553471362014-04-07T21:20:00.001-05:002014-04-07T21:20:40.884-05:00Surviving sisters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cora is lucky to be the youngest of four girls... or to put it another way, Cora has four mommies.</div>
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So far, she puts up with all of the love and affection really well.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh519tXP86VCbLH-RjWKEmhbKoIIHZnwfDeKYzEPjxz8hRmw3NPZ0W1O8oQ_j0Pk4CabFmAyFtW85hlVl9DPcVX4Jy-O9WBSQ_BaRVeDD7EOm0IwECnox5ay8wZIni4yU09JDHLkfCsiGJs/s1600/untitled-005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh519tXP86VCbLH-RjWKEmhbKoIIHZnwfDeKYzEPjxz8hRmw3NPZ0W1O8oQ_j0Pk4CabFmAyFtW85hlVl9DPcVX4Jy-O9WBSQ_BaRVeDD7EOm0IwECnox5ay8wZIni4yU09JDHLkfCsiGJs/s1600/untitled-005.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Here she has a hat on her head, a book on her lap, and a sister on each side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu_VsjCdc3y2SdBfk5C0-ctQD0CSoEpUEuuL02qC55USTwss4TyX-G8TKZ0UpoiWKi0U1ahhiAb6daraFbepP5OO0Vug-tKjTXAyloneZJyvs1ncDdRsXUWSW_OplNCVjsUp9VpSkqpC8/s1600/untitled-050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu_VsjCdc3y2SdBfk5C0-ctQD0CSoEpUEuuL02qC55USTwss4TyX-G8TKZ0UpoiWKi0U1ahhiAb6daraFbepP5OO0Vug-tKjTXAyloneZJyvs1ncDdRsXUWSW_OplNCVjsUp9VpSkqpC8/s1600/untitled-050.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the scene during <a href="https://www.lds.org/church/events/watch-april-2014-general-conference?lang=eng" target="_blank">General Conference</a>... tents, snacks, pillows, candy, art supplies...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsdaX-FXR1djqAq50lyZr9d3bYr5z1Q6sGg8VrI8zcPcnmhyphenhyphen1TWZg5cCUG1Kxk-ChNWP2wRYjal-kUL261OK3pJSQ8D-9Lxt3m_4Y_drYy867DLybyoI7derSRjoOHwJ0Ec0dOA8r7Tvj/s1600/untitled-138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsdaX-FXR1djqAq50lyZr9d3bYr5z1Q6sGg8VrI8zcPcnmhyphenhyphen1TWZg5cCUG1Kxk-ChNWP2wRYjal-kUL261OK3pJSQ8D-9Lxt3m_4Y_drYy867DLybyoI7derSRjoOHwJ0Ec0dOA8r7Tvj/s1600/untitled-138.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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There she is! Alli and Cousin Eliza took good care of Cora.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Whenever the girls get a chance, they want to pick out Cora's clothes. June loves to put bows in Cora's hair. It is great to see the girls care for their sister so much.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There is a lot of love here.</div>
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Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-76049128736649562632014-04-07T21:10:00.000-05:002014-04-07T21:10:16.590-05:00Spring lambs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We are lucky to have friends with a farm... and sheep. The sheep recently had lambs, so we went to check them out.</div>
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The girls were excited to see the sheep. </div>
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(Yikes. Watch out sheep!)</div>
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The sheep were very friendly, the lambs were somewhat shy.</div>
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"Are those girls still here?"</div>
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Watching the lambs frolic and play was adorable. Cute overload! </div>
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We were all pretty smitten with the lambs. And now we all want lambs... lots of them... jumping around and playing... and never getting big.</div>
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Andy let Cora get a look at the sheep. I think I said, "Don't let the sheep lick her!" I don't know if sheep actually lick people. But that mama sheep was close!</div>
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Cora did not get licked.</div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-9353508467316596932014-03-08T19:16:00.001-06:002014-03-08T19:16:34.280-06:00Just can't get enough.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have spent most of my day staring at this little miracle...</div>
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Best day ever.</div>
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I am smitten. Cora Anne is as sweet as they come.<br />
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-5289564975519842892014-03-08T19:12:00.000-06:002014-03-08T19:12:04.055-06:00Coming home with Cora<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The white board in my hospital room said I would be discharged on Saturday. But my doctor checked me out on Friday and said I could go home if I wanted to. </div>
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Resting in the hospital isn't very restful.</div>
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The good nurses checked on me and Cora frequently... bless them. But that first night in the hospital was brutal. They gave Cora some shots, so she was fussy. And they had meds for me throughout the night. And they wanted me to feed her every two hours. Not restful.</div>
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So I was very glad at the opportunity to go home sooner.</div>
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The girls were expecting us home on Saturday. We arrived home before they got off the school bus on Friday.</div>
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They were so happy to see us... especially Cora!</div>
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They gave her lots of love and attention. <br />
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We are so glad to be home. Tired. But so very happy.<br />
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And we all slept much better our first night home.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-70206884415289714982014-03-08T17:50:00.001-06:002014-03-08T17:50:37.024-06:00The newest sister... Cora Anne!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cora Anne was born at 5:19 am. We knew the girls would be super excited to meet their new sister. </div>
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My sister was home with Alli, Ruby, and June. </div>
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We had planned on sending them to school... we didn't plan on such a quick delivery. But with everything done so early, we called my sister and told her to bring them in when they were ready.</div>
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They must have been so excited when they woke up and realized we were at the hospital.</div>
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Anyhow, Janis fed them and helped them get ready to meet their baby. Somehow Alli and Ruby broke Alli's glasses on the way to the car. So Alli has taped up glasses.</div>
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Their reaction to seeing Cora for the first time was a collective (high pitched) "aaawwwwwwwww!"</div>
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They washed their hands and came to inspect their little sister. They adored her tiny fingers and toes... each tiny detail got a new "aaaaawwwww!"</div>
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Then they took turns holding her.<br />
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Everyone loved her silky dark hair.<br />
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All the girls together...<br />
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Adorable!<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">If you want to read more about the labor and delivery of Cora, click </span><a href="http://nicollfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-labor-and-delivery-of-cora.html" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">here</a> (warning, it has words like placenta and blood)<span style="text-align: center;">. </span>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-84707125385079386712014-03-08T17:39:00.000-06:002014-03-08T17:52:28.260-06:00The labor and delivery of Cora.<div>
Warning... this post is a birth story. If words like placenta make you uncomfortable, you may not want to read this. You have been warned. </div>
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Weeks before my due date, my midwife checked me out and said it could happen any day now.</div>
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Here I am at 39 weeks...</div>
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Well, the March 1st due date came and went... no baby yet.</div>
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I went to my check up on Monday, and my midwife stripped my membranes (for the second time this pregnancy... nothing great came of it) and asked me when I would like to be induced. My first choice was Friday. Second choice Thursday. (Honestly, I didn't want to be induced. Not because I didn't want the baby to come soon, but my labors with Ruby and June were so great, I was nervous about too much unnecessary medical intervention.) The hospital called to schedule the induction with me. They said to be there Thursday at 6 am. Later, I got an email reminder saying my appointment was Friday at 6 am. To clear up the discrepancy, I called my doctor's office and they confirmed an appointment on Friday... all set, right?</div>
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Wednesday night, I stayed up much too late to watch the beginning of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. So very funny. And those big laughs brought on a few contractions. But by midnight, I was ready for bed.</div>
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I woke up at 3 am Thursday morning. I had to go to the bathroom. And I was bleeding a little. And I was achy. But no contractions yet.</div>
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I woke Andy up... I didn't want him to miss anything fun.</div>
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I texted my sister. Then I called her and asked her to come over.</div>
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By 3:27 I was timing contractions. And within ten minutes, the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and they were lasting about a minute each. For real.</div>
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I showered and got dressed.</div>
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Janis came and helped us get out the door. She stayed with the kids (who were sound asleep).</div>
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I sent a text to my mom at 3:51 as we drove to the hospital.</div>
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In the middle of the night, you can't go straight to the labor and delivery department, you have to check in at the ER. So we did. A L&D nurse came to take us back. She asked if I wanted a wheelchair. I could still walk and talk, so we walked back to the labor and delivery department.</div>
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It turns out a room was ready for us... we were on the schedule to be induced at 6 am Thursday... it was 4:10 am. With a room all set, I changed into a gown (sounds too fancy... more like a bed sheet with snaps and ties). Our nurses hooked up the monitors, and I stopped keeping track of my contractions at 4:18 am.</div>
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Amanda, one of the nurses, checked my cervix. I had dilated to a six. She couldn't believe I had walked to labor & delivery. She went through a zillion questions about medical history and insurance and where we live... sign here and here... it was very distracting... which was good. I could talk through contractions, but she got good at reading my breathing patterns. And then I got shaky... which means SOON! She checked me, and I was a 9+.</div>
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Amanda called the midwife and doctor in right away.</div>
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They suited up (including a splash guard... which I found humorous... and I thought of the splash zone at Sea World). Elizabeth, the midwife, broke my water. There wasn't much of a splash... more of a trickle... but the baby dropped into place.</div>
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And then the crazy five minutes started.</div>
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Pushing a baby out is painful. I have to dig deep. Here is what I remember...</div>
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Andy was on my left, holding my hand, stroking my head, encouraging me on. He was awesome. Amanda was on my right, coaching my breathing. She was a great coach... and I focused on what she was saying. I was hot... it felt like I was burning up from the inside. A nurse fetched a cold wet cloth for me.</div>
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They were all telling me to push. </div>
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I pushed through the first contraction. I wasn't making great progress. I took too long of a break when I let out the breath I was holding to catch another breath. Amanda told me what to do better.</div>
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The next contraction was much more productive. Amanda kept me on track.</div>
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I felt like I was splitting in half.</div>
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The contraction ended, and I was breathing so hard. I wanted a rest so badly. I was determined to get this baby out with the next contraction. When the contraction started, I took a deep breath and gave it all my strength and energy. </div>
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The feeling of a baby slipping past the tightest part is a huge relief. And the warm, wiggly, wetness of a baby being plopped on my chest was surreal. The baby cried out a little... which is just a miraculous, musical sound! It was 5:19 am... and I was done!</div>
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She was 7 pounds 11 ounces, 21 inches long.</div>
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I could see lots of dark hair on this baby, and chubby cheeks... but I couldn't see much else as she was right below my chin. I asked Andy to take a picture of her face and show me with the camera.</div>
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I was bleeding a lot. We could tell that the nurses, doctor and midwife were all concerned, but they were playing it cool so as not to alarm us. They delivered the placenta. The heavy bleeding continued. I could feel blood and clots squishing out. Not a good feeling.</div>
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I don't remember who did it, but either the doctor or the midwife had to stick a hand in to see if there was tissue left in my uterus. That was painful. Painful!</div>
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They gave me a bag of pitocin through my IV to cramp up my uterus and stop the bleeding.</div>
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They massaged my belly and pushed on it.</div>
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They gave me another medicine... and finally, it started to slow down.</div>
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Whew.</div>
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And now I will share pictures from after that point...</div>
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In the delivery room... after the really painful stuff.</div>
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By 7:30 am we were in the postpartum recovery room... breakfast was on the way. <br />
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Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-10393235386361624022014-01-31T17:10:00.001-06:002014-01-31T17:10:35.461-06:00Staying sane. It is arcticly cold in Ohio. So very cold. This winter has been exceptionally cold. And irritating. <br />
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We had a big snowstorm last Sunday. We were sent home from church early due to the snow. When we arrived home, snow six inches deep covered our driveway... and it was still coming down. The girls and I shoveled enough so Andy could get in the driveway (he stayed at church to finish up his clerk duties). <br />
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I had contractions every 2-5 minutes for the rest of the day... so I won't be doing that again... for a few weeks. :)<br />
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I couldn't sleep Sunday night. The wind was howling all night long (and those contractions kept up until the wee hours of the morning).<br />
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In the morning I sent the kids off to school and ran a few errands. I noticed a bunch of snowballs rolled in near the road. Lots of them. I thought, "Who was crazy enough to roll all those in THIS weather?!" (It was so cold!)<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"> </span><br />
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Then I noticed them everywhere... along the highway, at the school, in the park, in our neighborhood! And then I realized that it was a widespread thing.<br />
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Snow rollers. <br />
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They are kindof cool. (Except that you have to have crappy weather to get them.)<br />
We waited until it was "warm" outside... like 20 degrees... (And we had to wait until Thursday) and then we went to a park to check out the snow rollers first hand. <br />
I had never seen them before. My mom had never seen them before, so I figured we better seize the day and get some pictures with this rare phenomenon.<br />
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"It's a donut!"<br />
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They are somewhat fragile.<br />
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They are everywhere! Hundreds of them!<br />
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June sat on one... it broke. She was pleased with herself.<br />
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"Can't I just get one picture of the three of you together?!"<br />
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Fine.<br />
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The kids have missed so much school this winter... the school used up all of the calamity days. With all the snow days and holidays, they haven't had five school days in a row since early December.<br />
We have spent too much time inside. <br />
Here is the latest fun diversion...<br />
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The girls have made a little world in the house plants.<br />
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And all sorts of little plastic animals, people, and creatures live on the plant "islands."<br />
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There are little cottages and barns on the islands.<br />
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More fun than toys.<br />
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Stay warm. Stay sane.<br />
Spring will come. (Right?!!!)<br />
<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-90726034004115423512014-01-17T15:09:00.002-06:002014-01-17T16:17:24.720-06:00The Big 1-0... Harry Potter style!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I still can't believe I have a ten year old! Double digits! (Where did the time go?)</div>
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Sigh.</div>
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Anyhow, Alli read all seven Harry Potter books over the summer, and she is slightly obsessed with all things Hogwarts. And so we planned a Hogwarts-style birthday party.</div>
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First, I went on Pinterest to find a few good ideas. (And then I remembered that I didn't want to spend a fortune and I didn't have tons of extra time.) Good old Pinterest.</div>
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We gathered up a few witchy/wizard-ish things and made a display.</div>
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The big project was in the dining room... floating candles!</div>
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For our craft, we made golden snitches!</div>
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We dipped pretzel rods in chocolate and decorated them to make wands.</div>
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It was hard to wait for the chocolate to harden.</div>
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The girls ate lunch in the dining room with lights out... floating candles gently illuminated the room. The girls drank butterbeer (melted butterscotch candies mixed with cream soda and seltzer water... topped with ice cream) and ate sandwiches, chips, carrots, and fruit salad.</div>
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Then we played a game tasting Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (aka Jelly Belly beans that come in nasty flavors).</div>
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Alli wanted a pink cake with green letters that said, "Happy Birthday Alli," like the cake Hagrid made for Harry. It was supposed to be sloppy. (Oops. I forgot.)</div>
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Gifts were opened... there were lots of ooooohs and aaaahs.</div>
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Andy somehow managed to calmly sit on the couch and check news/email/etc while a riotous game of quidditch ensued all around him.</div>
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The goody bag: the pretzel wand, coins from Gringot's bank, a chocolate frog, jelly beans, and a couple of mints.</div>
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Alli was delighted with her party. She is excited to be ten! </div>
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Next year she hopes to get a letter from Hogwarts. <br />
You can read about some more of the details of the party <a href="http://glueandpaper.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-harry-potter-birthday-party-on-cheap.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-52992329353804408072014-01-09T20:57:00.000-06:002014-01-09T20:57:04.112-06:00if being pregnant makes you THIS slow...We took the kids to the gym tonight for a little swim. We go as a family, but when we get inside, Andy gets to go to the men's locker room solo, and I take my little flock of girls into the women's locker room. <br />
The girls were excited to hit the pool... and they were pretty much running to the locker room. <br />
I am 33 weeks pregnant. I was not running, so they were far ahead of me. When I caught up to them at the locker room door, Alli said, "Mom, if being pregnant makes you THIS slow, do NOT get pregnant again!"<br />
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I will take that into consideration.<br />
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-30238743942678790842014-01-09T16:44:00.000-06:002014-01-09T16:44:08.888-06:00A (Last Minute) Birthday Party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were in the thick of an "arctic vortex" for a few days. The kids missed three days of school. Being outside was not an option.</div>
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There was no school Monday... and the email came saying no school Tuesday either. The kids were going nuts. There was lots of energy in our home.</div>
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Tuesday was June's birthday. </div>
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So Monday afternoon, I decided to have June's birthday party on her birthday... Tuesday (the very next day!). I made a few quick phone calls/emails to June's friends' parents. Because of the short notice, this was a no-gift party. Instead, I asked that each kid bring a gently-loved book to exchange, and to make that more fun, the books were wrapped. June said her friends could wear costumes to her party.</div>
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Alli and Ruby prepared a special surprise for June. They decorated a room in the dollhouse and made paper dolls of themselves and June.</div>
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They used paper to make streamers and decorations. There was a little table cloth on the table.</div>
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Adorable.</div>
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June dressed as a cat for her party.</div>
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And we made a cat cake. I used frosted graham crackers to make the ears and collar. June wanted it to have one green eye and one blue eye... just like her favorite stuffed animal kitty. </div>
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The books for the exchange were all wrapped. Everything is more fun in wrapping paper!</div>
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Alli read a few cat stories to the kids. (She likes being in charge.)</div>
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While the kids had storytime, I put lunch on the table.</div>
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Amazing how captivating a book can be!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiF7Rk70IA73vUwVC-810yM9K3ArE-JET_5LE4RwqfJ12jDWq3ip28TwlgEqEkSvf1rEIkBwd-8AX5_80OLMicw3zTZUR61RW-1SVzuc1huH4Pi7_y5ri8JtCA3BOlftzN7P9fqQW7pVQ/s1600/TN9A2869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiF7Rk70IA73vUwVC-810yM9K3ArE-JET_5LE4RwqfJ12jDWq3ip28TwlgEqEkSvf1rEIkBwd-8AX5_80OLMicw3zTZUR61RW-1SVzuc1huH4Pi7_y5ri8JtCA3BOlftzN7P9fqQW7pVQ/s1600/TN9A2869.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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For lunch, we had little smokies, French fries, carrot sticks, and fruit cups (which were decorated like cats)</div>
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We went through a lot of ketchup. </div>
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After lunch, we sang "Happy Birthday!" to June...</div>
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and she made a wish... </div>
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The cake was a Christmas confetti cake (the awesome thing about a January birthday is that you can get really good deals on Christmas leftovers and repurpose them for a birthday) with extra rainbow sprinkles added in. The frosting was homemade chocolate frosting... it was excessively good.</div>
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How old are you now?</div>
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FIVE!</div>
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And later that night... we celebrated with Daddy. Taco night and leftover kitten cupcakes.</div>
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Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-39794410420845286582013-10-31T22:14:00.000-05:002013-10-31T22:14:13.771-05:00Halloween (I am on the ball tonight!) I am posting about Halloween and it is still Halloween for another hour! Miracle!<br />
I love this picture. I took this picture after the trick-or-treat. Andy was standing to the side, but the flash made a great big spooky shadow. <br />
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Andy battled crazy traffic to get home in time for trick-or-treat. He is awesome. He dressed as an attorney.<br />
I wore an orange shirt and made black stickers for my belly... so it looked like a jack-o-lantern. (Lame... but dressing up as anything when you are pregnant turns it into a dirty joke, right? Pregnant Dorothy. Pregnant cat. Pregnant witch.)<br />
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Ruby was a mummy. Alli was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai" target="_blank">Malala Yousafzai</a>. And June was a cat/bat/skeleton/princess/dalmatian (she added the dalmatian part in just minutes before we left the house... and she took off her bat wings and cat ears before this picture).<br />
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Our trick-or-treat was wet and windy, but thankfully, not cold. Some of Alli's friends joined us. She has some really great friends that live nearby. They came over afterward to sort and trade candy... quite a process!<br />
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And Ruby tried to photo bomb lots of pictures... you should see the ones that didn't make the cut. Oy.<br />
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<br />Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778368654815352188.post-23922819857505767792013-09-11T13:33:00.000-05:002013-09-11T15:03:47.169-05:00Aunt Jen Rocks<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Buckle your seat belts, this is going to be one long post. We went to Madison, Wisconsin this past weekend to watch Andy's sister Jen compete in the <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/wisconsin.aspx#axzz2ebEMFoIr" target="_blank">Ironman</a>. </div>
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The race started at the crack of dawn. We were out the door of our hotel by 5:30am. The athletes were in the water by 6:45... there were about 2800 competitors in the water for the mass start. The swim is 2.4 miles in Lake Monona. It is a grueling swim in open water.<br />
Jen is wearing a black wetsuit and hot pink cap. See her? </div>
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Yikes.</div>
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The racers exit the water and there are volunteers there to help strip their wetsuits.</div>
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The spectators are a lively bunch. This kid was dressed as Waldo. He had a sign that said, "Here I am, Dad." We also saw a prom queen, an angel, wizards... and lots of crazies.</div>
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<br />
Jen battled through the lake, finishing the swim portion in 1:38:25.</div>
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Once Jen made the transition from swim to bike... </div>
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(below, she is in the turquoise and black jersey with white sleeves, no shoes)</div>
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we were off to get the cars and make our way out to the bike course.</div>
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We found a couple of good spots along the bike course, so we got to see Jen a few times.</div>
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And it looked like she was having a great time!</div>
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So were we.</div>
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The kids found something to do no matter where we were... like playing in the dirt. Fun.</div>
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Watching the athletes is so inspiring. They train so hard. Their passion is obvious. </div>
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These guys were amazing. </div>
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We also saw a rider miss the turn and fly into a ditch. Luckily there was a lot of tall grass to break his fall. And he was fine. Embarrassed probably, but fine. </div>
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Jen came by again. Still smiling.</div>
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Joyce outfitted us all with matching t-shirts that said "Team Jen." And she brought cowbells. And crafts to do and snacks to eat.</div>
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Lucas and Ruby, the card sharks...</div>
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I felt a little bike envy. There are so many incredibly nice bikes in this race. These bikes make a completely different sound. The bikers just fly effortlessly up the hills. </div>
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(I love my bike. I do. But I did imagine myself with a fancy setup flying through the course. It would be so much fun!)</div>
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And here she comes again. Goodness gracious... still smiling.</div>
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We ate by the roadside.</div>
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Jen completed the 112 mile bike ride portion in 7:23:28. And then she started the marathon. </div>
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We found a good spot to watch.</div>
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Anne and Barb supplied us with thunder sticks.</div>
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This looks like it must have been so much fun for Jen.</div>
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The course looped around downtown Madison, and we moved several times so we could see Jen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48nb987sqZCdyp5NRccYLIP_oIHBQy9dXMNPYUq_rdwk6Sb44c9iSB3PVI5-aY8SEqRIf4yqIp8VEqoC3JHyhmJ7Q4EZuymLHh8bSXaOta9SzAEiRx98OZIiEYqFSSUK69iu_0JMFeI97/s1600/TN9A5998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48nb987sqZCdyp5NRccYLIP_oIHBQy9dXMNPYUq_rdwk6Sb44c9iSB3PVI5-aY8SEqRIf4yqIp8VEqoC3JHyhmJ7Q4EZuymLHh8bSXaOta9SzAEiRx98OZIiEYqFSSUK69iu_0JMFeI97/s320/TN9A5998.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It got dark. This is a long race. We cheered and cheered.</div>
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Finally, we found a spot by the finish chute.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IESXlp-PqXLTfoekHMyeJGpD_HhVfupNRLUeMnyAwZBIwtESR21UxOXJVyQYswBE6t0Nli3qjDiyslp1tSDDWjTQBI959ODoC8kcBpvVJUnySGrS0pPOScU4MxE4uDFDumtv6eXrHPTW/s1600/TN9A6039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IESXlp-PqXLTfoekHMyeJGpD_HhVfupNRLUeMnyAwZBIwtESR21UxOXJVyQYswBE6t0Nli3qjDiyslp1tSDDWjTQBI959ODoC8kcBpvVJUnySGrS0pPOScU4MxE4uDFDumtv6eXrHPTW/s320/TN9A6039.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Jen is still smiling triumphantly! Woohoo!</div>
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And here she is on the Jumbotron...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tuN22w9QUyfjAkqP_fFlN8F8aomrJnfXoe4xNp7blzx1sRzEMeDLQXjsu72Wf1VX96eOUmIqjTCCn7QyYS9SUmjNGUVwrATsEnUisB7xMJpylSHAGro4HasfBvyHgMbwjk3gADV-OxbN/s1600/TN9A6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tuN22w9QUyfjAkqP_fFlN8F8aomrJnfXoe4xNp7blzx1sRzEMeDLQXjsu72Wf1VX96eOUmIqjTCCn7QyYS9SUmjNGUVwrATsEnUisB7xMJpylSHAGro4HasfBvyHgMbwjk3gADV-OxbN/s320/TN9A6046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finished in 14:38:47 officially.</div>
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Jen was pretty excited about the whole thing. We were too.</div>
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Though, the little ones lost their enthusiasm, and fell asleep.</div>
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Here we are: Team Jen! (Plus, there are four sleeping kids that aren't very visible in this picture.)</div>
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It was a long day for us... but we hadn't been training for endurance spectating. We (the grown ups) were stiff and sore the next day from, um, sitting and standing all day. Lame. </div>
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Congratulations Jen on completing the Ironman! You are amazing and inspiring!</div>
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315732446561860177noreply@blogger.com3