tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16726520206073113302024-03-14T00:37:18.488-07:00Aspen SpringsMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00073889596310965201noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-39781340164545823302013-03-07T13:39:00.001-08:002013-03-07T13:39:12.762-08:00pretty, happy, funny, real<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A quick {pretty, happy, funny, real} post for a Thursday.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pretty:</span></div>
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Norah turned 8 recently. She had an <em>1860s afternoon tea</em> party. </div>
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Here, the birthday girl poses with her younger sister.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp81OiU8gXQ/UTkDA8Aq0zI/AAAAAAAABlU/kvw9yAvYCeY/s400/2013-02-02_13-49-49_288.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy:</span></div>
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We finally got some snow! It was really more rain than snow, but there was enough for these 2 to get outside and make snowmen. None of us have minded the mild winter here in the DC metro area, but in all honesty, we have missed the frequent snowstorms of Wyoming.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w7botB-BrwY/UTkAFEP8ivI/AAAAAAAABkw/865-G2c_Gzc/s1600/2013-03-06_10-10-57_163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w7botB-BrwY/UTkAFEP8ivI/AAAAAAAABkw/865-G2c_Gzc/s400/2013-03-06_10-10-57_163.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Funny:</span></div>
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I drove by this intersection a couple days ago and it made me laugh. I wonder if it was intentional? Is there a Tolkien fan in the city planning office? </div>
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If we really have moved to Mordor, I hope Frodo gets here soon. </div>
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No one wants Sauron as a neighbor.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rcx_Uf7xSDg/UTkAk1u4PeI/AAAAAAAABk8/KYPhur7AbYY/s400/2013-03-03_16-26-51_568.jpg" width="226" /></div>
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She started a pet-walking service. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fM-4hsagYw4/UTkAxMWpFuI/AAAAAAAABlE/wmXg2mo1ujk/s1600/2013-03-03_17-17-01_210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fM-4hsagYw4/UTkAxMWpFuI/AAAAAAAABlE/wmXg2mo1ujk/s400/2013-03-03_17-17-01_210.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Real:</span></div>
We've moved into our REAL house. When we left Wyoming at the end of the summer, we chose to rent for a while. We thought we'd be in the rental for a year, but found a great house sooner than expected and moved in a couple weeks ago. It's been unsettling moving twice in a short period of time, but we are all enjoying the new house and are thankful to be in it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fv1JnWFHhVc/UTkBO-HHU-I/AAAAAAAABlM/H40PrCQNrj4/s1600/2013-02-12_11-10-31_708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fv1JnWFHhVc/UTkBO-HHU-I/AAAAAAAABlM/H40PrCQNrj4/s400/2013-02-12_11-10-31_708.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Visit <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> for more p,h,f,r!</div>
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Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-66239790009871824692013-02-01T09:56:00.000-08:002013-02-01T09:56:13.680-08:00March for Life 2013We attended the March for Life as a family this year. It was inspiring to be in Washington D.C. for such an important event. It felt almost like being at a big family reunion... do you know what I mean? That feeling when everyone around you shares the same core belief and is united by some purpose. The March for Life is important in many ways, but I think that among the top reasons is the sense of unity and hope that it instills in those who attend. <br />
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The sheer number of people was awesome. There were just so many people it was impossible to see the entire crowd. There was a man near us at the rally who brought a ladder so that he could take photos above the crowd. I should have asked to check out the view, but - honestly - the ladder made me a bit nervous. Perhaps the best view we got was during the march itself as we went up "the Hill" toward the Supreme Court. We were near the front of the march, so we could look back at all those following us. <br />
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In the week following the March, various estimates have surfaced about the crowd size. It seems that there were easily 500,000, with a few estimates coming in at 650,000. The temperature in Washington that day hovered around 20 degrees. The wind was fierce and snow was falling at various times. It wasn't a particularly pleasant day on which to stand outside for hours, but hopefully the effort to put on a demonstration of this size will pay off one day (soon).Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-4298974362938345802012-12-22T06:44:00.001-08:002013-01-21T15:41:37.270-08:00Catching Up<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's nearing the end of December, which
seems like a good time for an update and a renewed effort to chronicle our
family life via this blog. We've made a couple of cross-country moves in less
than 5 years, so the blog serves the double-purpose of keeping in touch with
far away family and friends and being a scrapbook, of sorts, for our family.
The girls enjoy looking back through the posts and reminiscing. We haven't
posted here since August, so there is a bit of catching up to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We left <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">the Rocky Mountain West</st1:place></st1:state> in August and made the L O N G drive
to the East Coast. The drive wasn't unbearable, however. Our kids are at good
ages for surviving long stretches in the car. Mark and I probably had the worst
time since both of us were driving and couldn't take a break. The girls usually
switched cars after every gas or meal stop, so that kept things interesting for
them. Mark's car had the cat (Mr. Bingley) for entertainment, while my car
mostly had books on CD. Aileen, Norah and I got through most of <em><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Chronicles of Narnia</span></em>. We also made
room in our schedule for stops in the midwest.
Conveniently, both sets of our parents live right along the route<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">.</st1:state></st1:place> We enjoyed visiting with
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and old friends along the way. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLhXCMziohc/UNTjkMWwzRI/AAAAAAAABjI/vHez4nYHCrU/s1600/long+drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLhXCMziohc/UNTjkMWwzRI/AAAAAAAABjI/vHez4nYHCrU/s320/long+drive.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in Iowa... still smiling!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2Xu3VLZEjI/UNTkjT7VC6I/AAAAAAAABjU/lXArP9z4Rf8/s1600/swim+with+cousins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2Xu3VLZEjI/UNTkjT7VC6I/AAAAAAAABjU/lXArP9z4Rf8/s320/swim+with+cousins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">swimming with some of the cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our first few days as East Coast dwellers
were spent at a house that was "loaned" to us by a friend
from back West.
It's kind of a long story, but it was a wonderful place to live while we waited
for the moving truck. There are so many things that can go wrong during a
cross-country move, but we were fortunate and have no horror stories at all.
The moving truck was a day later than we expected, but that really was a
non-issue. We are in a rental house for the time being... it just seemed too
daunting to choose a house to buy without having lived in the area for a while.
Knowing that we will move again soon made the unpacking go quickly -- only
necessary items came out of their boxes. The result is a somewhat bare-looking
house, but that's OK.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKSbethBuHQ/UNTmJahvx3I/AAAAAAAABkA/yIJfq90JKPo/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKSbethBuHQ/UNTmJahvx3I/AAAAAAAABkA/yIJfq90JKPo/s320/house.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEFORE the movers arrived</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We enrolled #1 at a diocesan grade school that is run
by <span style="color: #0066cc;">Dominican Sisters</span>. She is in 7th grade this
year and it seemed like a good time for her to return to school. We chose this
particular school in large part because of the presence of the sisters and also
because there is a Dominican high school close by. We don't know exactly what
we will do for high school, however, as there are a couple other Catholic
schools within reasonable distance. We are in the <span style="color: #0066cc;">a very faithful diocese</span> and the parishes and schools here
are wonderful. #1 has made a smooth transition. Her personality is good for
being "the new kid". We have found, however, that this area tends to
have a lot of new families every year because we are so close to many military/government institutions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LB8XjshE0W8/UNTlxC2BprI/AAAAAAAABj4/lwcodPA2g98/s1600/maeve+school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LB8XjshE0W8/UNTlxC2BprI/AAAAAAAABj4/lwcodPA2g98/s320/maeve+school.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of 7th grade</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">#2 and #3 are in 1st and 2nd grade
this year. We chose to continue home schooling them. This area has so many opportunities
and resources for home schooling families. We joined our local Catholic home
school group as soon as we arrived. Our
first activity with is a production of <em><span style="font-family: Arial;">Beauty and the Beast</span></em>. They have enjoyed making friends at their weekly rehearsals. We also enrolled them
in a program which meets in a
classroom-setting one day per week. They wear uniforms and pack their lunch to
go, which is a really big deal for them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uH_TS2HAkH8/UNTld_jdoXI/AAAAAAAABjw/NJHnRhOlmwM/s1600/aileen+norah+first+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uH_TS2HAkH8/UNTld_jdoXI/AAAAAAAABjw/NJHnRhOlmwM/s320/aileen+norah+first+day.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day - 1st and 2nd grade</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mark and I have settled in as well. I
shouldn't speak too much for Mark about work, but he loves what he's doing and
is honored to be affiliated with another well-known Catholic institution. I imagine
he'd agree that the biggest adjustments have been the commute and the fact that
his employer is on a different continent. In both <st1:state w:st="on">the West</st1:state>
and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Illinois</st1:place></st1:state>,
traffic was a non-issue. Anyone who is familiar with this part of the country
knows that traffic is most certainly a very big issue. Mark has always been an
early-riser, however, so most days he gets into work while many of the other
residents are still sleeping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As a family we've made an effort to take
advantage of all area has to offer. When we arrived in late
summer, we started off exploring outdoor things like parks and bike trails, but
in the last few weeks we've switched to indoor options. We are visiting the <span style="color: #0066cc;">museums</span> one at a time, which will keep us busy all winter and
beyond. But perhaps our favorite place in D.C. is the <a href="http://www.nationalshrine.com/site/c.osJRKVPBJnH/b.4719297/k.BF65/Home.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Basilica of the National Shrine of
the Immaculate Conception</span></a>. We have been there enough times now that
it feels very comfortable and we all have our favorite parts. It is an awesome
place and we'd love to show you around next time you visit <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">D.C.</st1:state></st1:place>!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-beUV19pfz9Y/UNTmfpZmmdI/AAAAAAAABkI/pZJnWDMW1oM/s1600/mount+vernon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-beUV19pfz9Y/UNTmfpZmmdI/AAAAAAAABkI/pZJnWDMW1oM/s320/mount+vernon.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">visiting George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zbvXZJGkIXo/UNTiKb41cfI/AAAAAAAABi4/YvD2aCLW2io/s1600/natural+history+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zbvXZJGkIXo/UNTiKb41cfI/AAAAAAAABi4/YvD2aCLW2io/s320/natural+history+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the gemstone exhibit at the Smithsonian Natural History museum<br />
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Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-90769679052854926452012-08-02T18:30:00.000-07:002012-08-02T18:30:43.108-07:00pretty happy funny real (Instagram edition)Do you Instagram? I'm new to the whole Instagram experience (and I'm not really sure how to use it yet) but I'm having fun and I thought a p,h,f,r post of Instagram photos from my phone would be fun.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Pretty</span></b> - Daughter #1 got some new curlers for her hair. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSqUz6-tb_Y/UBskHLHWD6I/AAAAAAAABhc/wmwZ0G13mGU/s1600/phfr+aug+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSqUz6-tb_Y/UBskHLHWD6I/AAAAAAAABhc/wmwZ0G13mGU/s1600/phfr+aug+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Happy</span></b> - Daughter #2 has amazing hair - super-thick and wavy, but no so great for brushing. It was becoming a chore to keep it looking neat, so we decided to chop it off. She was so excited and happy after the cut. It's been almost a week now and she is still thrilled about brushing it herself without tears.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RsC6WqUfcZg/UBskrYXS9zI/AAAAAAAABhk/HCepk9gk41o/s1600/phfr+aug+2+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RsC6WqUfcZg/UBskrYXS9zI/AAAAAAAABhk/HCepk9gk41o/s320/phfr+aug+2+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tkUKukO0HWA/UBskzOgkbPI/AAAAAAAABhs/nwEEZZav7_g/s1600/phfr+aug+2+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tkUKukO0HWA/UBskzOgkbPI/AAAAAAAABhs/nwEEZZav7_g/s1600/phfr+aug+2+b.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Funny </span></b>- I LOVE how this Instagram filter gave me - and the girls - a halo!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fKXZbQFJLA/UBsoMHolrtI/AAAAAAAABiE/P2gvkev7oow/s1600/phfr+aug+2+d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fKXZbQFJLA/UBsoMHolrtI/AAAAAAAABiE/P2gvkev7oow/s1600/phfr+aug+2+d.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Real </span></b>- veggies from the garden - complete with dirt so you know they're authentic.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTF5Tch6Iik/UBsol7LTYMI/AAAAAAAABiM/qEsm8MEtt5c/s1600/phfr+aug+2+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTF5Tch6Iik/UBsol7LTYMI/AAAAAAAABiM/qEsm8MEtt5c/s1600/phfr+aug+2+c.jpg" /></a></div>
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Visit <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">LMLD</a> for more p,h,f,r!<br />
<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-53751944697554122992012-07-26T15:00:00.001-07:002012-07-28T12:22:59.170-07:00pretty, happy, funny, realI haven't joined the <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> p,h,f,r link-up since May! Surely I can find something for each category on the trusty camera...<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><b>Pretty</b></span></div>
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I love mountains. From the day we moved here, I've made it a point to remind the girls to look at the natural beauty around us - to keep noticing and not take it for granted. And now that <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-long-overdue-update.html">we are moving</a>, I'm especially trying to soak up all the beauty. Isn't this just awesome? It may be a bit much for the heading "pretty", but that's where I'm putting it :)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8h5l0grdXdY/UBG53ePkrJI/AAAAAAAABhA/Or6z-28Tb4g/s1600/phfr+jul26d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8h5l0grdXdY/UBG53ePkrJI/AAAAAAAABhA/Or6z-28Tb4g/s400/phfr+jul26d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These babies have been hanging out in our yard a lot lately. As long as the fence keeps them out of the garden, that's fine with me.</div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><b>Happy</b></span></div>
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My parents came to visit a few weeks ago. That made me happy. And I could fill this post with photos from their visit, but this one - perhaps - makes me happiest. All the faces in the photo are happy. I love my girls. I love my Dad. I love that they love him. I'm so happy to get to see him being Grandpa. It's just a lot of happiness all around. Thank you, God, for the gift of family. Plus, the girls are wearing their crazy yard boots, which makes it even better!<br />
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It is a family tradition to attend the Rodeo on July 3rd as the official "kick-off" of our Independence Day celebrations. Several other families we know go on the same night, so the kids have a section in the bleachers and the adults have a section. It's a fun-filled evening that makes everyone happy. I forgot to take a camera that night, but our 12 year old had a camera with her, so I'm using one of her photos.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodeo!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><b>Funny</b></span></div>
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These goats love to climb on things. What is funny to me is that "Lucy" looks like she got caught doing something she's not supposed to be doing :)<br />
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Our middle "cowgirl" riding the mythical creature, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope">Jackalope</a>. This thing is housed in a gas station not far from us - it's supposed to be a silly tourist attraction - and the younger girls think it's hysterical. They may also think it's a real animal :)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Real</span></b></div>
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Like much of the rest of the country, it is very dry here this summer. The fact is that summers here are always dry, but we count on the snow-pack in the mountains to melt and run down to the valley, keeping us irrigated. But the normal amount of snow didn't fall this winter, so things are especially dry. We haven't been threatened by any large fires, but this grass fire across the road got our attention and reminded us to pray for those suffering from the larger fires in Colorado and Wyoming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">grass fire across the road from our property</td></tr>
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<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-88370363243550726682012-07-24T22:12:00.000-07:002012-07-28T12:23:14.027-07:00A LONG overdue updateIt seems that we lost our blogging voice there for a while, huh? It's been 2 months since our last post - and though we've been silent bloggers - that doesn't mean things have been quiet. How about an update? <br />
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Mark has a new job, we sold our house, and we're moving to the complete other side of the country. <br />
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"What!", you say. But what about the garden, the chickens, the goats? Good questions. The bottom line is that we're being called to something new. It's not anything we expected. Or looked for. We strive daily to remain open to God's will for our lives - all aspects of our lives. This includes Mark's career. We have been very blessed in this area, for sure. Though the choices we've made haven't always made sense from the viewpoint of "the world", they've been choices that we made after much prayer and discernment. And we consistently find that God's plans for us are way better than anything we would have thought up on our own. This change in position is no different. We have loved our life, the community, and Mark's work here in the wild west - and it is terribly difficult to leave - but we are at peace with our decision. Mark will continue working in the same field: advancing the mission of a Catholic educational institution.<br />
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So, where are we headed? Our nation's capital. Yep, all the way East. We have promised the girls that we'll be close to mountains (though not quite the size as the mountains here) and the ocean. None of us have ever lived close to an ocean, so that is something we look forward to. We know that moving to a major metropolitan area - after having lived in a remote Western town of less than 10,000 people - will be an adjustment, but we are excited about the opportunities.<br />
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Our wonderful home here - lovingly referred to as "Aspen Springs" - was snatched up by a new family the first day it hit the real estate market. What a relief! It's a great property, so we had hoped selling it wouldn't be an issue, but we never dreamed it would be the easiest part of this whole process. So, now we're getting ready to actually make the move: cleaning out closets, organizing, making lists of what stays and what goes, etc. The animals are on the list of what stays. The family who is buying the house wants the goats and the chickens. We are thrilled. The girls, especially, are pleased to know that the animals get to stay put and will be well cared for after we leave (and we get fresh eggs up until our last morning here!)<br />
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So, selling the house was easy. What's been difficult? Finding a moving company that will come here. We started calling the national van lines figuring we'd get quotes and choose the best option. After the first 3-4 companies told us they couldn't help us, we got a little nervous. We're still nervous, though a local company has assured us that one way or another they'll take care of it. Yikes. Please don't take this opportunity to leave comments about moving nightmares :)<br />
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So, there you have it... the reason for our silence lately. Though this is a big change, normal life goes on, and we'll try to keep the posts coming (somewhat) regularly again.<br />
<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-13978794295454899062012-05-24T12:23:00.000-07:002012-05-24T12:23:33.291-07:00pretty, happy, funny, realIt's a rainy and overcast Thursday here at our house; a perfect kind of day to take a few minutes to join <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> for a pretty, happy, funny, real post.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Pretty</span></b></div>
This picture is about a month old now... It would be lovely if the crab apple blooms would last longer, but we enjoyed them while they were at their peak. This tree is really close to the house - and it's a big tree - so the view of the blooms filled a couple of large windows in the living room.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Happy</b></span></div>
We have a "sun room" just off our kitchen. I put that in quotes because it's not a typical sun room and we're not sure what to call it. We've been told that the room started out as a true greenhouse, but later a roof and walls were added. It's still sun room/greenhouse-like because it has a dirt floor with a rock path down the middle and huge windows lining the walls. When we moved in, the room was a wreck. The walls and ceiling had never been fully finished, the windows weren't trimmed, and it was used more for storage than anything else. It was obvious that the room had potential, though. We've been working on it, but it's not quite complete. However, I did find some wonderful hanging baskets for the room. I like white flowers, and these are especially nice because they hang down nearly to the floor. It's making me happy that this room is "getting there" and looking better with each small project.<br />
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How about one more entry for happy? These 2 are so happy with the nice weather. Nearly every day when they finish school, they pack up their Bitty Twins and head outside for picnics, tent-building, etc.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Funny</span></b></div>
This was given to me on Mother's Day by my 7 year old. I love it! She got some things dead-on. Others not so much, but it's given us all a good laugh. I suppose you'd have to know me pretty well for this to have the full impact, but I assure you that I'm not a dancer in any sense of the word and that I'm not particularly fond of goats. Yes, we own 2 dairy goats, but that doesn't qualify me as "likes goats", does it? The part about collecting eggs is funny too. I certainly enjoy eating and baking with the eggs our chickens lay, but the collecting duty falls to the girls, not me. I think I'm mostly touched that she thinks my eyes are pretty and that I'm smart; what more could a Mom hope for?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Real</b></span></div>
The girls and I went to our dentist's office for cleanings/checkups today. Good news: no cavities. Bad news: 2 orthodontia referrals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New toothbrushes are such a treat.</td></tr>
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<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-16068152280590959642012-05-22T18:59:00.000-07:002012-07-28T12:23:26.817-07:00The school year "ends" this weekIt's May 22 and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! We are very nearly "finished" with school for this academic year. The weather out here in the mountain wilderness has been unusually warm this entire month - maybe even a bit longer - so we've not been quite as regimented about school for several weeks now. Had we kept our noses to the grindstone we'd probably have completed all our courses a week ago. I'm not complaining in any way; May 31 has been my goal all year, so we'll easily make that. Plus, for the most part, I enjoy our school days (the girls too). It will just be nice to know that the formal coursework is out of the way for one more year. I am planning to keep some sort of school happening over the summer. We were terrible about that last year, but we had valid excuses: a big family trip to Europe and then the whole process of buying/selling real estate that lead to <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2011/10/welcome-to-aspen-springs.html">our move to this house</a>. 2011 was a busy summer indeed. There is not a European trip in the works this year - or any other extended vacation. We're looking forward to quality time here on our own property - and in the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xs0G6pfp6kM/T7u8ifDmUFI/AAAAAAAABfE/5J3Po1FMwzQ/s1600/6th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xs0G6pfp6kM/T7u8ifDmUFI/AAAAAAAABfE/5J3Po1FMwzQ/s400/6th.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of school pictures. See the 6 fingers for 6th grade?</td></tr>
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Once I officially claim each of the girls as passing to the next grade we'll have students going into 1st, 2nd and 7th grades. In all ways we are reminded that time flies, huh? I've home schooled for Kindergarten the past 2 years in a row and that comes to an end now. Kind of sad. Kindergarten was fun for me and the younger girls. They learned so much, but in such a low-key way. I have most especially enjoyed working on phonics with my kindergartners. Reading is such a joy and I was thrilled to be the person to get them started. I'm hopeful that my constant state of book-in-hand will inspire them to keep it up. There is so much to be learned throughout life and being an avid reader is a great way to do just that. <i>A side note: my book club just chose a hefty book for our summer reading (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cypresses-Believe-Jose-Maria-Gironella/dp/1586170465">The Cypresses Believe in God</a>) and I'm anxious to delve into it. Long books are some of my favorites. The longer the better, when it's a well-written book and a good story, right?</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zzd18bnTO6c/T7u8xayTYMI/AAAAAAAABfM/4zkKSxBhKnY/s1600/1st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zzd18bnTO6c/T7u8xayTYMI/AAAAAAAABfM/4zkKSxBhKnY/s400/1st.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the first grader, who very appropriately started the year with no teeth in front :)</td></tr>
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So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we are planning to stick with our same curriculum next school year. We'll have some decisions to make about sacrament preparation, as our middle daughter should be ready for confession and communion and our oldest ready to be confirmed. At this point I imagine we'll do some prep at home, combined with the classes at our parish. We're confident that the parish catechists do an excellent job, but we'll also want it to be a family affair.<br />
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There is something about endings that cause us to pause and reflect. In this case it's the end of the school year and I've been reflecting about our decision to home school. I have an analogy that makes sense to me and I hope it translates in the telling... To a much less important degree, it's sort of like us being adoptive parents. As newlyweds, we imagined ourselves being parents, but we didn't imagine it happening via adoption. But once we honestly assessed our situation, we decided we needed to take an alternate route to parenthood. Pursuing adoption was unknown and terrifying, but we took the leap and thank God we did. Again, this home school thing is not on the same scale, but when the girls were little and we planned/imagined their education, it didn't involve schooling at home. However, 2 years ago it became obvious that we needed to go a different route, so we took another leap of faith and it's been a good thing. These are major life events that have taught us that just because a path in life is unknown (and looks difficult) doesn't mean that it needs to be avoided. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kYuw5g-lZus/T7u9Bkw3RMI/AAAAAAAABfU/GMAO4hxifSA/s1600/k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kYuw5g-lZus/T7u9Bkw3RMI/AAAAAAAABfU/GMAO4hxifSA/s400/k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally, the kindergartner. The "k" was harder than the number grades!</td></tr>
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I should end this rambling post with a disclaimer: we have not become home schooling hard-liners. Will we always educate our daughters at home? We don't know. We firmly believe that a traditional school can be a wonderful place and a great solution for any family. But for our family, right now, staying at home seems best. We have found a curriculum we like, we have support from lots of other families, our girls are good students, we have nice space in our home for schooling, etc. In short, the lack of a better option "forced" us into home schooling, but we have been blessed by a great many factors that have allowed it to be a success for us.<br />
<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-53071337938965264632012-04-19T17:05:00.001-07:002012-04-23T11:25:01.215-07:00pretty, happy, funny, realI am determined to join the {pretty, happy, funny, real} linkup today with the wonderful bloggers at <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a>. It's been weeks since I got my act together on a Thursday, so today's pictures will be from the past month or so. Without further ado:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">pretty</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Sunday! Pretty girls on a beautiful day.</td></tr>
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Another snow scene. I'm positive I've used pictures of snow as pretty before. And most people would not think of snow - <i>in April </i>- as pretty. Nonetheless, this is what we awoke to on Monday or Tuesday of this week. It was gorgeous. Oh, and it was gone before noon. That's just how it happens in these parts during the Spring - rain comes in the form of snow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken through our bedroom window - it would have been better if I'd gone outside, but that would have been cold.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">happy</span></b></div>
Lately I've been getting our produce from a co-op called <a href="http://bountifulbaskets.org/">Bountiful Baskets</a>. I think they operate pretty much only in the West, but check their website for more info. It's a great deal. I've been so happy with the quality, variety and price. This was the bounty from a recent Saturday morning pickup.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9lj61ayqKD0/T5Cd0MwOOSI/AAAAAAAABec/5bYHnxov83w/s1600/phfr+apr+19+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9lj61ayqKD0/T5Cd0MwOOSI/AAAAAAAABec/5bYHnxov83w/s400/phfr+apr+19+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fresh & yummy fruits and veggies</td></tr>
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We have an awesome mechanic. That in itself is enough to be happy about. But get this: whenever one of our friends goes to our awesome mechanic, he sends us a thank you gift for the referral. In the past it's been coffee coupons, but most recently it was cookies and little stampers for the girls. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIWa5FSdNcs/T5CeXh-f7lI/AAAAAAAABek/3Mj_B8rRHfQ/s1600/phfr+apr+5+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIWa5FSdNcs/T5CeXh-f7lI/AAAAAAAABek/3Mj_B8rRHfQ/s400/phfr+apr+5+b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">funny</span></b></div>
We bought collars and leashes for <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/04/goats-are-here.html">the goats</a>. The girls "walk" them daily! Goats on leashes qualify as funny, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h3ZgnAlVICM/T5CemjcJb4I/AAAAAAAABes/Y8oEy4bGpt4/s1600/phfr+apr+19+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h3ZgnAlVICM/T5CemjcJb4I/AAAAAAAABes/Y8oEy4bGpt4/s400/phfr+apr+19+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This woodpile is like a jungle gym for goats!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Real</span></b></div>
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I think we've mentioned here before that Mark travels a fair bit for work. One of his habits is to pick up a little something for the girls while he's away. On a recent trip, he brought tea bags home for them. They were thrilled! Most people might not be terribly impressed by a tea bag, but these were in the shape of a pyramid and had a fake leaf on the end of the string. I just love it when they are so happy with the simplest of treats. A good reminder that something doesn't have to be huge to be a REAL treat.</div>
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Sister Joseph Andrew, vocation director for the <a href="http://www.sistersofmary.org/index.php">Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist</a>, was "in the neighborhood" a couple weeks ago. She talked to a group of girls from our parish about her community and life as a Sister. It was wonderful. If you don't know much about this community, look them up! They're the Sisters who were on Oprah a couple years ago (not that the Oprah show is an endorsement in any way, but their appearance there gave a wide audience an insight into their life and work). They were founded in 1997 with 4 sisters and have grown to over 100 Sisters. The average age of the Sisters is 28 and they come from all across this country as well as Canada, Europe and Asia. Sister Joseph Andrew was so fun and engaging and REAL! The girls loved her. I enjoyed her talk so much. I also enjoyed hearing the questions the girls asked. I'm thrilled my 12 year old got to meet a REAL Sister and hear about her very REAL life.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OEnwuXL4amM/T5CfGqwqJrI/AAAAAAAABe8/YZhLmnZWQow/s1600/phfr+apr+19+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OEnwuXL4amM/T5CfGqwqJrI/AAAAAAAABe8/YZhLmnZWQow/s400/phfr+apr+19+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you find Sister in the back? We should have put her in the front!</td></tr>
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Thanks for visiting!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-21261021740406070682012-04-10T16:07:00.000-07:002012-04-10T16:07:59.315-07:00The goats are here!The goats have arrived! You might recall that once we moved to our present home (about 6 months ago) we began making plans for a large garden and some animals. We got<a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens.html"> baby chicks</a> immediately and had great success with them right from the start. Our hens have been healthy, the girls have enjoyed taking care of them, and we now have more eggs than we can eat. The chicken success made us brave and we decided to tackle a bigger, more complicated animal. We researched goats and decided on Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. And - fortunately - we found a breeder relatively close to us. We <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/02/sunday-drive.html">visited the baby goats</a> once when they were a few weeks old. And then, last Saturday, Mark and daughter #1 made the trek back to the goat farm to pick up our "kids". <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XVc_O38eiNg/T4S4YJdOdRI/AAAAAAAABdc/e496Y7mraF8/s1600/goats+arriving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XVc_O38eiNg/T4S4YJdOdRI/AAAAAAAABdc/e496Y7mraF8/s400/goats+arriving.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unloading the goats. The girls could hardly wait to see them!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>As you can imagine, choosing names for the goats was a hot topic around here. In my opinion, I had lots of really cool ideas for names (Mark was in agreement on most of my suggestions) but the girls kept shooting me down... Finally, someone had the brilliant idea of naming them for 2 characters from one of our family-favorite classic television shows.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, we're pleased to introduce <i>"Lucy"</i> and<i> "Ethel"</i>.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cuGoxsTB8KY/T4S4ySZYOtI/AAAAAAAABdk/247IpFHeemw/s1600/goats+arriving+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cuGoxsTB8KY/T4S4ySZYOtI/AAAAAAAABdk/247IpFHeemw/s400/goats+arriving+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethel is on the left, Lucy is on the right.</td></tr>
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</div><div>We borrowed a large dog crate from some friends and transported them home in the back of Mark's car. Apparently, we have goats who are very tolerant of car trips - not a single incident on the way home :)</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaVxsNvgq0Y/T4S5CfgrIBI/AAAAAAAABds/Y5aGrjIdnwQ/s1600/goats+arriving+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaVxsNvgq0Y/T4S5CfgrIBI/AAAAAAAABds/Y5aGrjIdnwQ/s400/goats+arriving+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We may have gotten the names wrong... Ethel is the nutcase - always climbing on the girls and generally more mischievous than Lucy. Isn't that backward?</td></tr>
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Mark called when they were 10 minutes away, so I grabbed the camera and took the little girls down to the goat shed and waited for them to arrive. Such excitement!</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xHGt926b4UE/T4S5jv9dabI/AAAAAAAABd8/uyh2bl_eQxY/s1600/goats+arriving+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xHGt926b4UE/T4S5jv9dabI/AAAAAAAABd8/uyh2bl_eQxY/s400/goats+arriving+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring their new pen - they went straight for the feed!</td></tr>
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</div><div>Everything is going well so far. Lucy and Ethel love to play and have human guests in their pen. They really are cute and sweet (in a totally goat way). I'm not a huge animal lover - we don't even have a dog - but I think that them being small really helps. Smaller always seems to be cuter.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irDiZFsbmiM/T4S5T3JD-nI/AAAAAAAABd0/2bsXi1rrbnk/s1600/goats+arriving+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="343" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irDiZFsbmiM/T4S5T3JD-nI/AAAAAAAABd0/2bsXi1rrbnk/s400/goats+arriving+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though this is a cute picture, I was probably saying, "don't put your face on the goat!"</td></tr>
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</div><div>So, the whole point of the goats is milk, but they're not quite ready for that yet. We've got several months to wait before they are ready for the next step on the road to becoming milk-producers. For now, they'll be entertainment for the girls - and 2 more mouths to feed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QS4HHcoBt0Y/T4S5w29Y-fI/AAAAAAAABeE/ndHeRO1oBAE/s1600/goats+arriving+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QS4HHcoBt0Y/T4S5w29Y-fI/AAAAAAAABeE/ndHeRO1oBAE/s400/goats+arriving+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They love climbing around on these stumps Mark put in the pen.</td></tr>
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</div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-51314804155707100822012-03-28T13:35:00.001-07:002012-03-28T13:38:11.868-07:00Getting back outsideThe whole country seems to be experiencing an early Spring this year. It's hit here as well. We've been able to get some pre-summer work finished outside. Over the weekend, we brought the trampoline out of storage. The girls were THRILLED. It was a smart move on our part:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>entertained and occupied children = parents who can till the garden in peace</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JtJbHLrOYg0/T3NxT6IAMxI/AAAAAAAABdE/CPNybRiYtBA/s1600/tramp+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JtJbHLrOYg0/T3NxT6IAMxI/AAAAAAAABdE/CPNybRiYtBA/s400/tramp+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No action shot of the girls jumping - sorry. When I went out there with the camera I found #1 reading her literature book. This could be an advertisement for schooling at home! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We moved the trampoline to a far section of the property. We can still see it from several windows, but it's not quite the eyesore it was when it was closer to the house. The girls objected at first since it's a longer walk, but now that it's been a couple of days they are quite happy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9p1GdKpeJsI/T3Nxv8JU4RI/AAAAAAAABdM/eOpVF_KpYZg/s1600/garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9p1GdKpeJsI/T3Nxv8JU4RI/AAAAAAAABdM/eOpVF_KpYZg/s400/garden.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden: ready and waiting for baby plants. We do have a few "crops" in here thanks to the previous owner: raspberries, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries and cherries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I mentioned tilling the garden. We did that too. Our garden is huge (to us). We are alternately excited and terrified by the potential it has for producing food - and the obvious fact that it will require lots of work. We have the double challenge of living in zone 4, which means a short growing season - and - living in a very dry climate. Once the last Spring snow falls, there will be virtually no precipitation until the first snow of the Fall. In other words: no rain in the summer. We have the good fortune of an irrigation ditch that runs along one side of the garden, so Mark has the watering situation worked out (at least in his head). We plan to battle our short growing season by starting all our veggies in our sun room/greenhouse. I can't show pictures just now because it's an ugly mess, but our house has a wonderful window-walled sun room that is south facing. The original owners built it specifically for plants.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BOLBTlWiC24/T3Nkum4rfRI/AAAAAAAABc0/A7DMBMENA0Y/s1600/seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BOLBTlWiC24/T3Nkum4rfRI/AAAAAAAABc0/A7DMBMENA0Y/s320/seeds.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br />
We spent plenty of time poring over seed catalogs and choosing varieties that are "hardy" and "early producers". We're growing a little bit of everything. I think that right now, Mark and the kids are most excited about the possibility of our own sweet corn <i>(they were all born in Illinois)</i>. I'm personally looking forward to a bumper crop of potatoes, as that's something we've never even tried to grow before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5ywhDsA_Wg/T3Ni5kIqrCI/AAAAAAAABck/Z_yn6bdmt0c/s1600/flower+bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5ywhDsA_Wg/T3Ni5kIqrCI/AAAAAAAABck/Z_yn6bdmt0c/s400/flower+bed.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To people in most of the country, this hardly looks like Spring, but we're getting there - and happy to be seeing ANY small amounts of green.</td></tr>
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In addition to tilling the garden, we also tried to clean up the flower beds and around our pond area(s) that tend to get a little overgrown and swampy. We're hoping to keep the vegetation down around the edges of the ponds so that the water doesn't get "smucky".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T2RpcWYz1JE/T3NhQ6ABytI/AAAAAAAABcc/TRX8WFWuFDg/s1600/garage+shrub+coming+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T2RpcWYz1JE/T3NhQ6ABytI/AAAAAAAABcc/TRX8WFWuFDg/s400/garage+shrub+coming+down.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: M.E.R., daughter #1, age 12</td></tr>
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And finally, we acted on a whim and cut down a couple of trees. Well, not trees exactly. More like shrubs that were allowed to go nuts. You've seen this sort of thing before: Someone plants lovely little evergreen shrubs up next to the house and they look wonderful for 5 or so years, but then the shrubs are forgotten and they start growing at an exponential rate and it takes new owners to say, "Those ugly shrubs are taller than the house, cover the windows, and threaten to pull down the gutters!" The first day we moved in we agreed they'd have to go, but it always seemed like too big a job to tackle. Well, the warm air must have made us a bit giddy and we just did it. Mark is good with the chain saw, but I was nervous. Shrubs that have grown for 30 years are actually quite large. I'm just glad neither of us ended up under a large limb :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6VoJTgMeu0/T3NjiB8J7GI/AAAAAAAABcs/rhAX-SrI9g0/s1600/garage+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6VoJTgMeu0/T3NjiB8J7GI/AAAAAAAABcs/rhAX-SrI9g0/s400/garage+after.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the "shrubs" were <i>mostly</i> cut down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I'm not sure that I have a "before" photo, but I can tell you that the shrubs completely covered those 2 windows and were higher than the roof. This is our garage - and it's on the back side of the house. It's not like the general public was seeing the shrubs, but we're happier with them down. Now, I just need to address those bare windows and the bare dirt....Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-15993608368961771112012-03-15T13:17:00.000-07:002012-03-15T13:17:42.709-07:00pretty, happy, funny, real<div style="text-align: center;">~ capturing the context of everyday life ~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
{pretty}<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">We had some friends over for dinner recently. In addition to a lovely bottle of wine, they brought this {pretty} plant. I love it! It also reminded me how wonderful it is to take small gifts to people when you can; I'm sure my friend thought this plant was no big deal, but I'm thrilled with it and it's been a great addition to my kitchen sink area.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPNQ12q9ibw/T2I67jJp9II/AAAAAAAABbs/9W0AHE1vgfA/s1600/phfr+mar+15+p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPNQ12q9ibw/T2I67jJp9II/AAAAAAAABbs/9W0AHE1vgfA/s400/phfr+mar+15+p.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officially: oxalis. In our house: shamrocks :)</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">{happy}<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Last week I talked about a trip to my hometown for my Dad's 75th birthday - and I lamented that I forgot to take any pictures. Well, my wonderful sister-in-law came to the rescue and so I have some of her pictures to share.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wck8n05FRNs/T1qDdZjirNI/AAAAAAAABZc/hVPtUT3GWiQ/s1600/aileen+brian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wck8n05FRNs/T1qDdZjirNI/AAAAAAAABZc/hVPtUT3GWiQ/s400/aileen+brian.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">daughter #3 with her uncle (my baby brother) who also happens to be her godfather</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qo0To_hbUog/T1qD5q8LchI/AAAAAAAABZk/ur1NpJGZsbY/s1600/norah+grandma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qo0To_hbUog/T1qD5q8LchI/AAAAAAAABZk/ur1NpJGZsbY/s400/norah+grandma.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">daughter #2 with Grandma (my Mom)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As part of the birthday celebration, one of my brothers gathered photos from throughout my Dad's life - in addition to video segments from all of the family - and put it all together into a wonderful video. So, before the party started, we gathered to watch the video with my Dad.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xC00n6CWj-4/T2JG53bIw3I/AAAAAAAABcM/__51MQ6i_cc/s1600/phfr+mar+15+h+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xC00n6CWj-4/T2JG53bIw3I/AAAAAAAABcM/__51MQ6i_cc/s400/phfr+mar+15+h+a.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad and Mom have been married 48 years. They have 5 children, 2 sons-in-law, 3 daughters-in-law, and 12 grandchildren <i>(and counting! another will be born in a few weeks) </i> This shows part of the gang watching the video.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JdAbA395ptw/T2JKdSRAGQI/AAAAAAAABcU/z9RtDpaDc2c/s1600/phfr+mar+15+h.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JdAbA395ptw/T2JKdSRAGQI/AAAAAAAABcU/z9RtDpaDc2c/s400/phfr+mar+15+h.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins hanging out toward the end of the party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agDHNpEtOYs/T2I-u1nI3yI/AAAAAAAABb0/aEpVZIcthUQ/s1600/me+and+dad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agDHNpEtOYs/T2I-u1nI3yI/AAAAAAAABb0/aEpVZIcthUQ/s400/me+and+dad.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Dad at his party - It was great fun. All manner of relatives, neighbors and old friends came to celebrate with my Dad, who has always been "a favorite" with those who know him.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">{funny}<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eq9-Hk7cgPw/T1qCizwnsCI/AAAAAAAABZU/8U6L9QPUFrU/s1600/cousins+with+hats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eq9-Hk7cgPw/T1qCizwnsCI/AAAAAAAABZU/8U6L9QPUFrU/s400/cousins+with+hats.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins being silly.<br />
That's daughter #2 in the middle, with my sister's son on the left and my brother's daughter on the right.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">{real}<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">In many parts of the country, Spring has arrived. I'm not sure we can say that yet... It is getting warmer, but we had a fairly big snow last week that melted into a muddy mess because of the warmer temperatures. This will be our 3rd Spring here and we're learning that instead of "April showers bring May flowers" we get something more like "March and April snows bring mud."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5ryWlX4txA/T2JAh6IfreI/AAAAAAAABb8/VgqI6IYEP0I/s1600/phfr+mar+15+r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5ryWlX4txA/T2JAh6IfreI/AAAAAAAABb8/VgqI6IYEP0I/s400/phfr+mar+15+r.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our driveway over the weekend. It's much better now - the sun's been out all week!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Remember to visit <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">LMLD</a> for more {pretty, happy, funny, real}</div></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-38944440047078348912012-03-14T07:40:00.000-07:002012-03-14T07:40:22.984-07:00We're the parents of a 12 year old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In January, we <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-season-begins.html">posted about our youngest daughter</a> because she had a birthday. In February, we <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/02/2nd-birthday-of-2012.html">posted about our middle daughter</a> because she had a birthday. Here we go again... This time, it's our oldest daughter. Her birthday was March 1. We're a bit late with this since we were out of town the week of her birthday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtIrXT4EaGU/T2AXag9abJI/AAAAAAAABbE/aDTBf2dIEJw/s1600/MER+ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtIrXT4EaGU/T2AXag9abJI/AAAAAAAABbE/aDTBf2dIEJw/s400/MER+ears.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 1, 2012: Getting her ears pierced. <br />
She's been asking for pierced ears for the majority of her life; we finally said yes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zpITEdVorqQ/T2AYPXP7NdI/AAAAAAAABbc/OXK6nn-2JP4/s1600/MER+age+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zpITEdVorqQ/T2AYPXP7NdI/AAAAAAAABbc/OXK6nn-2JP4/s320/MER+age+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was a little nervous before the piercing, but all smiles after it was over.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>She's 12 this year. We're kind of in new territory. We've gotten fairly used to kids in the preschool age range - we've done that 3 times over. But this girl blazes new parenting trails for us just about every day. Really, when you think about it, oldest children - from the very beginning - cause their parents' world to turn upside down. Each and every oldest child turns his or her parents INTO PARENTS. And that's one of the bigger changes in life, isn't it?</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrcDpjf84TM/T1_YbMJrhdI/AAAAAAAABZs/3k0T6-ZnGic/s1600/MER+age+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrcDpjf84TM/T1_YbMJrhdI/AAAAAAAABZs/3k0T6-ZnGic/s400/MER+age+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age 3: a "flower fairy" for Halloween</td></tr>
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In our case, the change (to being parents) was rather sudden and dramatic - but long awaited and much desired. By the time "Mark and Colleen" became anyone's "Dad and Mom", we had been married nearly 7 years. In those years, we went through a multitude of tests, a few doctors, several medications, one surgery, and a crazy roller-coaster ride of emotions, fears, and struggles. I suppose there are people who enter marriage with the knowledge that they are infertile - or perhaps suspect that there may be a fertility issue... Not us. So when the "infertile" bomb hit our lives, it was quite something, to say the least. Looking back, we realize that those difficult years weren't all bad. We learned and accepted and understood things (really important things) that we may not have otherwise. The experience of infertility changed both of us for the better. But enough about that - this is a post about our #1 girl, not the story of what came before her...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdMilgchEA4/T1_Yq8YuGfI/AAAAAAAABZ0/nlxKI0LdZVg/s1600/MER+age+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdMilgchEA4/T1_Yq8YuGfI/AAAAAAAABZ0/nlxKI0LdZVg/s400/MER+age+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age 8: out for dinner to celebrate her First Holy Communion</td></tr>
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So, fast forward a bit to us realizing we were being called to adopt. Then fast forward some more to us being chosen as parents by a teenage birth mother. Imagine us in the maternity waiting room of a small county hospital. Next, imagine a nurse (by the name of Mary Lou) coming through a set of swinging doors carrying the MOST GORGEOUS newborn baby girl we ever saw. And imagine, if you can, the teenager who gave birth and then selflessly asked the doctor and nurses to let us be the first to hold the baby born to her, but ultimately given to us. Imagine us sitting in the hospital nursery barely able to believe what was happening - holding, feeding, changing and unconditionally loving a chubby-cheeked, dark-haired, 8 pound bundle of precious life: the answer to our most fervent prayers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XpPMUxGEWNE/T2APS6lOtWI/AAAAAAAABak/zFeo1tXh6ik/s1600/MER+birth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XpPMUxGEWNE/T2APS6lOtWI/AAAAAAAABak/zFeo1tXh6ik/s400/MER+birth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of our parenthood journey - just minutes after her birth.<br />
(It is hard to believe we're willingly posting this photo. Just bear in mind it was 12 years ago...)</td></tr>
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There are more details to her birth and adoption story, of course, but the bottom line is that we're her parents, and as our first child, she keeps us on our toes :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e64_EQnD5nQ/T2ASqEMsrAI/AAAAAAAABa0/vrhPNFJPPSg/s1600/MER+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e64_EQnD5nQ/T2ASqEMsrAI/AAAAAAAABa0/vrhPNFJPPSg/s400/MER+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age 11: with her sisters :)</td></tr>
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We were sort of intense first time parents. We had maybe 7 weeks to prepare for her arrival, but we read everything we could find in that time - and then continued reading once she was home with us. We made sure she got the right amount of "tummy time", kept a journal of her feedings, and washed our hands 124 times/day. I don't mean to tease ourselves too much; we just wanted to be the best parents in the world. And as time went on we realized that being the best parents - <i>for her</i> - meant understanding the personality she was born with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_q9Z0UjaZg/T2ANt8KnkTI/AAAAAAAABac/JGQ2VIp6YN4/s1600/MER+age+6mos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_q9Z0UjaZg/T2ANt8KnkTI/AAAAAAAABac/JGQ2VIp6YN4/s400/MER+age+6mos.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 months</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So, what is her personality? In a word: STRONG. There is nothing meek or mild about her. She has strong feelings and strong opinions. She's always been (or at least wanted to be) independent. Looking back, it's almost as if she resented being a baby and having things done for her - so she worked to learn to do things on her own. Even as an infant she desperately wanted to hold her own bottle. She hit all the major milestones (sit, crawl, walk, talk) early. Despite all our preparation, she seemed to always be one step ahead of us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0MVwLdrI24/T2AVi5ZFAsI/AAAAAAAABa8/9xpTbJ8OeWo/s1600/MER+age+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0MVwLdrI24/T2AVi5ZFAsI/AAAAAAAABa8/9xpTbJ8OeWo/s400/MER+age+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age 10: Always up for an adventure!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Her strong independent nature is still evident at age 12, but over the years other things have become apparent. For example, she loves to talk. Anyone willing to converse can be her friend :) And speaking of friends - she can't have too many. She loves her friends. Really, she loves interacting with all people. We live in a wonderful community where she has the opportunity to spend time with infants, preschoolers, kids her own age, college students, and adults of all ages. On a couple of recent plane rides, she ended up sitting "on her own" due to circumstances beyond our control - and loved every minute of it. She made friends with whoever happened to be sitting next to her. On one flight she taught a twenty-something woman to crochet and on another flight she helped an older woman finish her SuDoku puzzle. It really caught me off guard to hear complete strangers calling goodbye to her (by name) as we left the plane.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nS63g6nrl7M/T1_gpPaFFGI/AAAAAAAABaM/ln-NQsd4NIw/s1600/MER+age+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nS63g6nrl7M/T1_gpPaFFGI/AAAAAAAABaM/ln-NQsd4NIw/s400/MER+age+6.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age 6: swim team</td></tr>
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Speaking of crochet and SuDoku... she is also wildly creative. She has been creating and crafting since she was a toddler. I vividly remember a pair of shoes she made for herself out of scotch tape, a red marker and two pieces of white paper. Her list of creations is endless, but right now her yarn and crochet hooks are getting the most use. She can also turn on her sewing machine and whip out something for her American Girl doll, if the feeling strikes her. Over the years she's been involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities - and enjoyed them all, but her current favorites are ballet and piano. Oh, and one of her friends is starting a book club; she can't wait for that - reading AND talking!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQUiLavqIi8/T2ARYgtM6jI/AAAAAAAABas/g9iWGBybTgw/s1600/MER+18mos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQUiLavqIi8/T2ARYgtM6jI/AAAAAAAABas/g9iWGBybTgw/s400/MER+18mos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 months</td></tr>
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We could go on and on about this girl. She has so many interests and talents. And we love her so much that it's hard to stop talking about her. We have treasured every age and stage and we are so excited about the days and years to come. Birthdays are great: a time to celebrate, but also a time to remember to never stop thanking God for the people in our lives. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Happy birthday to our #1 girl!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nriwpyAwnug/T2AfCtibDjI/AAAAAAAABbk/xihlovZyM-k/s1600/MER+12+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nriwpyAwnug/T2AfCtibDjI/AAAAAAAABbk/xihlovZyM-k/s320/MER+12+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
</div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-38086797064411438582012-03-08T08:17:00.000-08:002012-03-08T08:17:38.731-08:00pretty, happy, funny, realIt's Thursday again! We're joining the link-up with <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> for {pretty, happy, funny, real}.<br />
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To be honest right from the start, this is not a complete {p,h,f,r} post. We have a {funny} contribution, which is enough, don't you think?<br />
<br />
We've been traveling again, which throws a kink in the works of our family. The time period before, during, and after a trip seems to pass in some sort of haze of non-normalcy. So, though there were certainly instances of prettiness, happiness, and realness in the last week or so, we don't have photos. And a post with photos is WAY more fun than a post without. On some trips the camera is constantly in my hands, but this time, the camera never made it out of its case. Oops.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">{funny}</span></b></div>This trip was a visit with my parents and siblings to celebrate my Dad's 75th birthday. One morning at breakfast my Dad asked me how things are coming along at our house. Before I could answer, our 7 year old daughter said,<br />
<br />
"It's just one damn project after another." <br />
<br />
I think my heart stopped and I know my parents were in shock. My mind was quickly racing. Why on earth would she say that? Where did she hear something like that? Even in private, neither Mark or I had said anything remotely similar. Then I saw it. My Dad's coffee mug.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yPCHFsAKZ9c/T1jVHPG6hKI/AAAAAAAABZE/VMEAK3RiVw4/s1600/bmug135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yPCHFsAKZ9c/T1jVHPG6hKI/AAAAAAAABZE/VMEAK3RiVw4/s320/bmug135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My parents have quite an assortment of mugs, collected from people, places, and events over the last 48 years. My guess is that this one was a "gag gift" for my Dad from a co-worker. Well, our 7 year old is an enthusiastic reader and is known for reading everything she sees out loud. On this particular morning, her timing was perfect. Once I saw the mug sitting there, I quickly assured her grandparents that she had innocently read the mug and hadn't intended to answer my Dad's question. Further, she really had no idea what she had said. It really was funny once we realized what had happened.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-7903497458571246732012-02-28T11:56:00.004-08:002012-02-28T13:39:06.918-08:00A Sunday drive<span style="font-family: inherit;">We posted about our typical <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2011/10/sunday-is-different.html">Sunday activity</a> - hiking - a couple months ago. Well, this Sunday we opted for a drive instead of a hike. We thought it might be a good idea to visit our <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/02/baby-goats.html">baby goats</a> once before bringing them here. As we said before, we are excited about the goats, but don't really know much about how to care for them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, we went to early Mass, stopped at a favorite breakfast restaurant, loaded up on eggs, bacon, french toast, pancakes, and coffee and hit the road.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our drive took us through an amazing 14 mile long canyon. We all love this particular canyon, but had not been through it in the winter before. There wasn't much snow, but it was very pretty.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhubrh63hE4/T00qXvinLyI/AAAAAAAABYk/1xdxHABuim8/s1600/windrivercanyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhubrh63hE4/T00qXvinLyI/AAAAAAAABYk/1xdxHABuim8/s400/windrivercanyon.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark and I find the scenery gorgeous, but the best part for the girls is the</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3 tunnels carved out of rock that we drive through. There are also</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> train tracks that run the length of the canyon on the opposite side of the river - and on this trip there was a train on the tracks, so we got to "race" the train through the canyon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the far end of the canyon, we stopped in a little town to stretch our legs and visit this really cool mineral hot springs fountain. We're not big fans of hot springs in general. If only the water could be hot without being smelly. If you've visited hot springs, you know what I mean. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">The main spring here flows 18,600,000 gallons every 24 hours at a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were plenty of people in the pools, so some people can obviously get past the smell. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bN7P1tAHvmc/T00r5xsn05I/AAAAAAAABYs/bnbSlPQuzK4/s1600/hot+springs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bN7P1tAHvmc/T00r5xsn05I/AAAAAAAABYs/bnbSlPQuzK4/s400/hot+springs.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, back to the fountain... It was erected around 1907 w</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">hen a hot water distribution line was being laid in the park. The rangers noticed that there was heavy backpressure in the pipes. Consequently, a standpipe was built in a gulch and the park superintendent had a rock base built to suppor</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">t it. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the hot mineral water exits the top and flows over, it cools and deposits travertine. The algae within the water colors the deposits.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc2SzJzID6c/T00u9Lz6LuI/AAAAAAAABY0/wYuDWS7vQ60/s1600/hot+springs+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc2SzJzID6c/T00u9Lz6LuI/AAAAAAAABY0/wYuDWS7vQ60/s400/hot+springs+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We couldn't get a picture of the water coming out of the top, but can you see the steam?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now, I'm sure you're still marveling over the hot springs fountain, but wait - it gets better. What did we happen upon next on our Sunday drive? Buffalo! OK, well, American Bison, to be perfectly correct. Or you might even say "Tatonka" if you are a <i>Dances with Wolves</i> fan. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPYYWnzG1gU/T01Iojcg_zI/AAAAAAAABY8/buiUKHKauAo/s1600/buffalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPYYWnzG1gU/T01Iojcg_zI/AAAAAAAABY8/buiUKHKauAo/s400/buffalo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Forgive the picture: Mark just snapped it out the car window with his phone. It was really neat though - there was a group of 5 just hanging out - there was even a baby with them, but he/she was behind some sage brush and didn't want to be photographed. If you've never seen one of these dudes in person, you should. They are H.U.G.E. The heads, especially, are enormous. We know people who keep a herd, so we've been up close and personal before (and bison is our favorite red meat), but it was great to see some "in the wild."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next stop on our Sunday drive: McDonald's. For Shamrock shakes (sorry - no photo.)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And finally, the goat farm! It's terrible, the goat farm was really the point of this whole adventure, but we took a whopping 1 photo while there. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AzGBnkq8BTU/T00pnRDalWI/AAAAAAAABYU/7dgP-KLb0uM/s1600/goat+visit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AzGBnkq8BTU/T00pnRDalWI/AAAAAAAABYU/7dgP-KLb0uM/s400/goat+visit.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were talking with the goat farmers and getting all our food, water, and fencing questions answered - and forgot about pictures. But the good news is that the goats are friendly and let the girls pet and handle them without incident. We got confirmation that our goat shed will be a great home for them right from the start, and we don't have major fencing projects that will need to be finished within the next couple weeks. It was also nice to see the mothers of our goats - to see that they have nice temperaments and that they really are "dwarf" goats. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, and one other update in the form of a photo...</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdAhLmuhLoI/T00kgJyM3iI/AAAAAAAABYM/13nZI6gAHfE/s1600/eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdAhLmuhLoI/T00kgJyM3iI/AAAAAAAABYM/13nZI6gAHfE/s400/eggs.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">beautiful eggs, courtesy of the hens at Aspen Springs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our hens are crazy laying machines! We're getting roughly a dozen eggs per day and the assortment of colors is so pretty. Some of the eggs are still a little on the small side, but for the most part, the hens are laying full-size eggs these days. At breakfast, the girls request their eggs by color :)</span></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-23011804287971312192012-02-16T09:06:00.001-08:002012-03-13T21:39:43.026-07:00pretty, happy, funny, real<div style="text-align: center;">{pretty, happy, funny, real}</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Last week we were able to spend some time with grandparents (Mark's parents) in Florida. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Lots of pretty and lots of happy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>{pretty}</b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlXGtzGUZMg/Tzw0p_sI--I/AAAAAAAABWc/Jd40cie8Vos/s1600/pretty+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlXGtzGUZMg/Tzw0p_sI--I/AAAAAAAABWc/Jd40cie8Vos/s400/pretty+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset out the back door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4s3hlxncmY/Tzw0zZWXphI/AAAAAAAABWk/jWKWjSzMx34/s1600/pretty+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4s3hlxncmY/Tzw0zZWXphI/AAAAAAAABWk/jWKWjSzMx34/s400/pretty+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before dinner on the last night of the trip - everyone put on pretty dresses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ORHNLFw7Dok/Tzw5qdSavqI/AAAAAAAABXc/NmDdWL9XQrM/s1600/pretty+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ORHNLFw7Dok/Tzw5qdSavqI/AAAAAAAABXc/NmDdWL9XQrM/s400/pretty+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A morning walk on the beach looking for shells. She gets prettier every day.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">{happy}</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5vMhXHrdx8/TzxAwIrXqrI/AAAAAAAABX0/GC0DthcWRXc/s1600/happy+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5vMhXHrdx8/TzxAwIrXqrI/AAAAAAAABX0/GC0DthcWRXc/s400/happy+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UwgwQWv5ar4/Tzw0-Ih5-0I/AAAAAAAABWs/kDnGlgRLObY/s1600/happy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UwgwQWv5ar4/Tzw0-Ih5-0I/AAAAAAAABWs/kDnGlgRLObY/s400/happy+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMOTq9q55I8/Tzw1L16ZyLI/AAAAAAAABW0/lUzf6v7tRYs/s1600/happy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMOTq9q55I8/Tzw1L16ZyLI/AAAAAAAABW0/lUzf6v7tRYs/s400/happy+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_ICEIdbCpc/Tzw5Tve8oVI/AAAAAAAABXM/OLmHVSX1wRM/s1600/happy+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_ICEIdbCpc/Tzw5Tve8oVI/AAAAAAAABXM/OLmHVSX1wRM/s400/happy+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHBfHzMcvQI/Tzw5fhUAl3I/AAAAAAAABXU/ucFifva12lU/s1600/happy+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHBfHzMcvQI/Tzw5fhUAl3I/AAAAAAAABXU/ucFifva12lU/s400/happy+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">{funny}</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">A brief interruption of the Florida trip for some St. Valentine's Day funnies...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RmM1NLN3k4/Tz0189z2GoI/AAAAAAAABX8/OBv_tJ7euIo/s1600/valentine+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6RmM1NLN3k4/Tz0189z2GoI/AAAAAAAABX8/OBv_tJ7euIo/s400/valentine+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both sets of grandparents sent Valentines to the girls - our oldest got the exact same card from both grandparents. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u2g7AoR4ie0/Tz02ZnkmwxI/AAAAAAAABYE/cm9CcVOVioE/s1600/valentine+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u2g7AoR4ie0/Tz02ZnkmwxI/AAAAAAAABYE/cm9CcVOVioE/s400/valentine+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls spent a lot of time on Sunday making up "roses are red...." poems and sharing them with each other. <br />
They brought a few out for Mark and me to see. Perhaps we shouldn't admit to such an immature sense of humor, but we both laughed out loud at this one.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">{real}</span></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VFN7EosKW0k/Tzw8JPrd6LI/AAAAAAAABXs/mw52uwGfTik/s1600/real+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VFN7EosKW0k/Tzw8JPrd6LI/AAAAAAAABXs/mw52uwGfTik/s400/real+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">An episode of <i>I Love Lucy</i> is as entertaining on vacation as it is at home.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ztB70IukI-A/Tzw2hKnk6ZI/AAAAAAAABXE/xmGHPyOFRLY/s1600/real+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ztB70IukI-A/Tzw2hKnk6ZI/AAAAAAAABXE/xmGHPyOFRLY/s400/real+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunset photos on the beach are great... as long as one's back is to the sun :)</span></td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks to the ladies at<i> Like Mother Like Daughter</i> for hosting my favorite blog link-up every Thursday. Visit <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-season-begins.html">their blog</a> for more {pretty, happy, funny, real}.</div></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-73015421949233755132012-02-15T09:00:00.001-08:002012-03-13T21:38:05.184-07:00The 2nd birthday of 2012<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">I mentioned <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-season-begins.html">last month</a> that our daughters all have birthdays this time of year. We had another one last week; our middle daughter turned 7.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">She didn't get a post dedicated to her yet because we spent the entire day of her birthday trying to fly out of a city that was in the midst of a blizzard (we did eventually get a flight) and then we were vacationing and not blog-posting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DANXnrnyi9A/TzvXx0YzrdI/AAAAAAAABVs/RXWoa5iXnow/s1600/norah+7+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DANXnrnyi9A/TzvXx0YzrdI/AAAAAAAABVs/RXWoa5iXnow/s400/norah+7+1.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The birthday girl at the airport.</span></td></tr>
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What can we tell you about this darling girl? She is a delight. Truly. Many people will refer to a child as sweet, but this girl really lives up to the adjective. She's caring. She feels things deeply. She is emotional. She can turn on the tears faster than most people can blink. And when she does, it's not fake. The tears are genuine - and SO BIG! She's easily upset, and easily pleased. She wants everyone to be happy. She could spend complete days giving hugs. She must be holding a hand, sitting on a lap or putting an arm around someone at all times. A goodnight kiss is not enough for her. She needs multiple kisses and wants to always give one more hug - then one more kiss - then another hug... You get the idea. She gives compliments easily and naturally. She loves to show - and be shown - affection. She never can be satisfied with just sitting next to you; she has to pretty much be climbing on you to be comfortable.<o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7q5dlHjfM3s/TzvYOB2Kc-I/AAAAAAAABV0/VbTcKg9ekK4/s1600/norah+7+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7q5dlHjfM3s/TzvYOB2Kc-I/AAAAAAAABV0/VbTcKg9ekK4/s400/norah+7+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">5 months old</span></td></tr>
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Very often, at Mass, she will discreetly take one of my hands - and then one of Mark's hands - and put them together. She just feels better when people who love one another are touching in some way. This also comes into play during our school day; she insists that she can subtract much better if I am scratching her back while she works!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sz_c9kLqq8/TzvYuXlleTI/AAAAAAAABV8/bPvkVv3g0OU/s1600/norah+7+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sz_c9kLqq8/TzvYuXlleTI/AAAAAAAABV8/bPvkVv3g0OU/s400/norah+7+3.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Going to preschool - age 4</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">When it comes down to it, she is - simply - peaceful and loving. She always has been - and we expect she always will be. Perhaps it's good that she can be an instrument of peace between her older and younger sisters (<i>who both have personalities stronger than steel</i>). Her very presence has meant peace to our family from the first moment we knew of her existence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YAbmtxXU_5E/TzvaY9BVAeI/AAAAAAAABWM/BDQRJuFY3K8/s1600/norah+7+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YAbmtxXU_5E/TzvaY9BVAeI/AAAAAAAABWM/BDQRJuFY3K8/s400/norah+7+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A very sweet 2 year old.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
We have had the incredible blessing of 2 adoptions. This newly turned 7 year old girl is our 2nd child and our 2nd adoption. When we found out about her we had been waiting nearly 5 years for another child. We had about 6 weeks to prepare for her arrival, which was plenty - we'd have been ready for her in less than a minute. The only tricky part was keeping the news from our nearly 5 year old. You see, 6 months before we'd had a newborn placed with us for several days, but then returned to her birth mother before the adoption was final. We didn't want our oldest daughter to have to suffer through that kind of loss again, so we kept the news of a "possible" new baby sister from her. All was proceeding smoothly, until about 2 weeks before the expected due date, when we had a fire in our kitchen. The fire itself wasn't terrible, but the resulting damage was extensive enough that we had to move out of our house for a week. We worried about the baby coming early and not having a home to bring her to. It was a crazy time, but we did get back in the house before she was born. We were also able to whisk our older daughter off to my parent's house for a few days so that we could finalize all the legal issues before having her meet her new sister. <o:p></o:p>The actual adoption process went as hoped and just 3 days after her birth, our 2nd daughter was home with us - in a totally clean, repainted house - thanks to our homeowner's insurance :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXghJq6ng5k/TzvZViAhUpI/AAAAAAAABWE/4mEH1fWPKfc/s1600/norah+7+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXghJq6ng5k/TzvZViAhUpI/AAAAAAAABWE/4mEH1fWPKfc/s400/norah+7+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the hospital nursery (1 day old). The nursery had 2 rocking chairs that we sat in more or less 'round the clock until the court proceedings occurred that allowed us to take her home.</span></td></tr>
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As an adoptive family, it's impossible to think about the adoption without thinking of the birth family. All children are gifts - of course - but when another human person is involved in the gift-giving, it's extraordinarily profound. Our daughter's birth family made a choice that has such far-reaching implications. Not only did we gain a daughter, our oldest child became a big sister, our parents welcomed a grandchild, and on and on. An almost unthinkably difficult - but ultimately loving and unselfish decision - changed countless lives. We're not birth parents who've placed a child for adoption, so we can't begin to imagine what that is like, but we are forever grateful and pray that her birth family is at peace.</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArqjeA5M_wU/TzvbjsHedyI/AAAAAAAABWU/Xw4IyCMmA98/s1600/norah+7+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArqjeA5M_wU/TzvbjsHedyI/AAAAAAAABWU/Xw4IyCMmA98/s400/norah+7+7.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Halloween - age 5.</span></td></tr>
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So back to our birthday girl... she is obviously a joy to us. No child is perfect, but she's pretty easy. We joke that of our 3 daughters, this one may be with us for the long haul! She goes back and forth between saying that she'll live with us forever - or that she'll build a house next to us. Just last week at the post office, the clerk gave both of the younger girls stickers that look sort of like stamps. The girls both stuck the stickers on their coats and then the clerk asked where they would like to "send themselves." Daughter #3 (the one who turned 6 last month) immediately piped up and said, "first I'll go to Rome, then to Mexico, then to Grandma and Grandpa's town." Our sweet birthday girl just said, "I'll get sent home to Mama and Daddy."<br />
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</div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-22709726104010706332012-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:002012-02-14T10:14:30.973-08:00baby goats!Now that we've had success with our <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/01/update-from-hen-house.html">chickens</a> (<a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2012/01/we-have-egg.html">all our hens are laying eggs!</a>) we are planning to add a new animal to the mix here at Aspen Springs: a goat. Well, 2 goats, actually. <br />
Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">When most people hear this they ask one of 3 questions:</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"Have you ever kept goats before?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Do you like goat's milk?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Who will milk them?"</div><br />
No, we've never kept goats before. Apparently some people have had bad experiences with goats. And we've even been lead to believe that not everyone is a fan of goats in general. Well, we're trying to stay positive. The goats are going to be another fun family adventure. And, honestly, look how cute they are...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1a-IvlJd7G8/TznfmaGsJhI/AAAAAAAABVU/Zoj48ROXNAI/s1600/goat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1a-IvlJd7G8/TznfmaGsJhI/AAAAAAAABVU/Zoj48ROXNAI/s400/goat2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our "to be named" goats! The breeder sent this photo a few days after this one was born.</td></tr>
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On to the 2nd question... Nope - we've never tried goat's milk. Now that we've paid for our goats (we don't have them yet - they're hanging out with mom a big longer), we figure we'll just wait until the goats are giving milk and get used to it then. If a love of goat's milk doesn't come naturally, we'll make it an act of the will :) <br />
We really want to have fresh milk for drinking, maybe cheese and/or yogurt making, etc. and the thought of taking on a dairy cow seemed a bit much. The Nigerian dwarf goats are WAY smaller animals than dairy cows, and the amount of milk will be more in line with our needs as a 5 person family.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LAtLOS-gmww/TzngHlSK8yI/AAAAAAAABVc/yoPALeHWXdk/s1600/goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LAtLOS-gmww/TzngHlSK8yI/AAAAAAAABVc/yoPALeHWXdk/s400/goat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goat #2. We really only wanted 1 - or so we thought - but they are happier with a friend, so 2 goats it is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And, finally: Who will milk the goats? The children, of course. We're smart home schooling parents; this is all part of their education.<br />
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So, do we know anything about goats? Not a lot yet. We've done a fair bit of reading, of course, but we won't gain any hands-on knowledge until the goats are here with us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKRNv_3Xlag/TznhzqcPBPI/AAAAAAAABVk/5HdJiRfQFYI/s1600/goat+shed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKRNv_3Xlag/TznhzqcPBPI/AAAAAAAABVk/5HdJiRfQFYI/s400/goat+shed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the goat shed <br />
(full disclosure - this photo was taken in October. It's a lot more snowy and generally less green out there now)</td></tr>
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A few months ago we found a breeder fairly close to us and reserved 2 goats. They were born last week and will stay where they are for another 7 weeks or so. In the meantime, we have some more reading to do, a list of possible names to make (daughter #1 is already lobbying for <i>"Florecita"</i>), and a few sturdy fences to build. Our property came with a structure that we've been referring to as "the goat shed" since we moved here in September. It is a great place for them, so a lot of the work is already done. <br />
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Stay tuned for more goat news in the Spring!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-67277778933786991142012-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:002012-01-26T09:36:27.673-08:00pretty, happy, funny, real<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">{pretty, happy, funny, real}</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #660000;">capturing the context of everyday life ~ most Thursdays, here at Aspen Springs</span></i></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>{pretty}</b><br />
Our very own fresh eggs! Yay! Hurrah! Our hens began laying this week! We have some blue/green egg layers in the flock as well, but those particular birds must be a little behind schedule.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YLLZ4QzZw8/TyGKCR87VSI/AAAAAAAABVE/Z543rmacVxI/s1600/pretty+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YLLZ4QzZw8/TyGKCR87VSI/AAAAAAAABVE/Z543rmacVxI/s320/pretty+1.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">putting all our eggs in one basket :)</td></tr>
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<b>{happy}</b><br />
If you've read more than a couple posts on this blog, you know that we live in the country. Mark travels a lot for work, so he gets the benefit of being out and about, but coming home to peace. (Believe me, I realize that business travel is not all fun and games - but it is true that he gets a change of scenery pretty often.) On the other hand, I am at home a lot. I'm a home schooling Mom; in order for our kids to get an education, I need to stay home! But last week I had a getaway and met up with Mark in a large city that is *somewhat* close to us. It was a great couple of days. Mark was working, so I had time to myself during the day, but got to spend evenings with him. This was one of my destinations...<br />
<img height="239" 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" width="320" /> <br />
An old favorite haunt of mine that I happily strolled through without any interruptions! I also got to meet my FAVORITE aunt and cousin (are you both reading this?) for lunch, which was a great treat. I'm sure the entire restaurant heard us laughing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>{funny}</b><br />
Our youngest child noticed the deer crossing signs near our home this week. According to her, the sign means:<br />
"Attention! If you are traveling on this road at night, deer will be jumping over your car."<br />
<img height="320" 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" width="318" /><br />
Ahhh, yes, if only they would just jump over the car... <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>{real}</b><br />
We moved into this house the first week of September - right at the start of the school year. There's so much to do after a move that - honestly - the school room was not high on the priority list. We got our books on a shelf and the computers set up, but that was about it for a couple months. I still haven't "decorated" in the school room - and we could use a few key pieces of furniture to help the flow of the day - but I did at least get some maps on the wall this week. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Ebq7olvHk/TyGLIEUjM8I/AAAAAAAABVM/a5huBoR7j5Y/s1600/real+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Ebq7olvHk/TyGLIEUjM8I/AAAAAAAABVM/a5huBoR7j5Y/s400/real+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our main book shelf in the school room. Each of the girls has a shelf for her books.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, there it is: a little bit of everyday life from the last week. Remember to visit <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> for more {pretty, happy, funny, real}.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-32575054445440361822012-01-24T11:09:00.000-08:002012-01-24T11:09:16.969-08:00We have an egg!After nearly 21 weeks of chicken ownership, we have an egg! Just one at the moment, but there should be more in the near future. This is so exciting we can hardly stand it. To those who don't keep chickens - or can't imagine ever doing so - this level of excitement might seem odd. But we really are thrilled. We'd been thinking about raising chickens - for eggs - for a while before we actually took the plunge, so this one little egg has been a long time coming. The chickens have also been a whole family project, so to reap the benefits of our collective work is satisfying. This one lone egg also confirms that we have been doing a good job with our chickens. Many hens stop laying in the winter, but we have made a serious effort to keep their living conditions and food/water supply just what they need them to be - and it's paid off! And perhaps best of all, I can very soon STOP buying eggs at the grocery store. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwiCcjXcb0w/Tx8BfzMDdQI/AAAAAAAABU8/bOvtI3oLrjg/s1600/egg+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwiCcjXcb0w/Tx8BfzMDdQI/AAAAAAAABU8/bOvtI3oLrjg/s400/egg+for+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We don't know which of the hens is responsible for this first egg. It is brown. And 11 of our hens are brown egg layers, so that part is a bit of a mystery. Hopefully, she'll be encouraging her coop-mates to follow her lead very soon.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-66306447791045217422012-01-18T09:36:00.000-08:002012-01-18T09:36:24.803-08:00An update from the hen house...Our hens are 20 weeks old today. It does feel strange to count their age in weeks -- like one would do for a baby... Rest assured we have not lost our marbles and gotten all strange about our chickens. In the near future we will stop keeping careful track of their age. But, up until now it's been important for a few reasons:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>In the early weeks - up to 9, I think - we had to be sure they stayed warm enough...</li>
<li>Up to a certain age, they needed special feed...</li>
<li>And, finally, the reason the hens are here to begin with - they begin laying around 20-22 weeks!</li>
</ul><br />
Though we find the chickens entertaining and have even given them names (maybe not a good idea?) we fully realize and remember that the chickens are not pets. They are egg producers.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeVdA-A220o/TxYdZTV3AxI/AAAAAAAABUc/fLVfmlTm5GA/s1600/chicken+blog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeVdA-A220o/TxYdZTV3AxI/AAAAAAAABUc/fLVfmlTm5GA/s400/chicken+blog+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is "Pat". <br />
Pat is the mystery chick that the hatchery sent us as a bonus. We named her Pat because, in the beginning, there was no way (for us) to tell if she was male or female. We're glad Pat isn't a rooster. We've also had to figure out Pat's breed; the thinking this week is that she's an Ameraucana, which means she'll lay colored (blue/green) eggs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, a few days ago, Mark and our "chicken girl" - aka, oldest daughter - spent some time in the coop getting it ready for the hens to start laying: snazzy nest boxes and more room to roost.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MAuxY7pEy0U/TxYeo9dchKI/AAAAAAAABUk/SEqtO8h5hqU/s1600/chicken+blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MAuxY7pEy0U/TxYeo9dchKI/AAAAAAAABUk/SEqtO8h5hqU/s400/chicken+blog+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coop Interior. <br />
Nest boxes (where they lay eggs) on the right wall, Roosting bars (where they sleep)on the left - only one is visible in the photo, but there is another bar above that one, and food & water hanging from the ceiling in the middle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We've learned a lot about chickens in the last 20+ weeks... things like roosting, molting, nesting, pecking order, etc.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIzj-_x-LwE/TxYg6p4FxeI/AAAAAAAABUs/uWFt6obRE_s/s1600/chicken+blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIzj-_x-LwE/TxYg6p4FxeI/AAAAAAAABUs/uWFt6obRE_s/s400/chicken+blog+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have 6 different breeds in our little flock. All the breeds are represented in this "group photo". </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Like so many "hobbies", chicken-keeping is actually very interesting once you get involved. We are still very new at this, but it's been enjoyable thus far (and we haven't even gotten the first egg) so we can imagine chickens being a part of the family routine from here on out. The thought of keeping hens for eggs had NEVER occurred to us before we moved here and met people who consider it "normal". Just another benefit, we think, of making a life change that put us out of our zone of familiarity - in many ways.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XYSoZ4sZxo0/TxYig-9dHuI/AAAAAAAABU0/8iogpZ5bBkw/s1600/chicken+blog+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XYSoZ4sZxo0/TxYig-9dHuI/AAAAAAAABU0/8iogpZ5bBkw/s400/chicken+blog+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chickens are used to her - she brings them food and water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Stay tuned for news of the first egg(s)!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-73876458146890183832012-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:002012-01-12T12:41:36.198-08:00pretty, happy, funny, real<span style="color: purple;">Capturing the context of everyday life ~ most Thursdays ;)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{pretty}</span></div>Well, if this doesn't qualify as finding contentment in everyday life, I don't know what does. I almost can't believe I'm posting a picture of potatoes under the heading "pretty". But, then again - look - they are pretty. The purple ones are especially fetching. I also have to admit that I find my vintage (aka: so-old-the-color-has-come-back) Le Crueset pot a rather pretty item. It's probably the most loved item in our kitchen.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8nWm9oDksVA/Tw8-8I0rGgI/AAAAAAAABT8/CNOCgrUyz6A/s1600/blog+pretty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8nWm9oDksVA/Tw8-8I0rGgI/AAAAAAAABT8/CNOCgrUyz6A/s400/blog+pretty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{happy}</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ice skating! Our local parks & recreation department puts up a skating rink every winter. It's great fun for skaters and hockey players alike. The best part for us is that they schedule home school skating sessions. We could go anytime, but the home school session is usually from noon to 2:00, so we don't have to fight the "after school" crowd.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9GwyL0lPxLA/Tw8_m7hFI4I/AAAAAAAABUE/QudykTVd4jQ/s1600/blog+happy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9GwyL0lPxLA/Tw8_m7hFI4I/AAAAAAAABUE/QudykTVd4jQ/s400/blog+happy+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{funny}</span></div>The girls got to meet the Miss USA contestant from our state. They thought it was quite a brush with fame. The only down-side was that the Miss USA contender didn't know she'd be running into 3 little girls that day, so she wasn't wearing her sash or her crown.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ-sKgTyhkI/Tw8kTJdOn5I/AAAAAAAABT0/9bn0K7MGOtI/s1600/misswyomingblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ-sKgTyhkI/Tw8kTJdOn5I/AAAAAAAABT0/9bn0K7MGOtI/s400/misswyomingblog.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{real}</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you do the Epiphany blessing for your home? It's a beautiful tradition, but sadly, we didn't know of it until about 6 years ago. The prayers and more information can be found <a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=49">here.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qcWLRnRsVHE/Tw9BvVX503I/AAAAAAAABUM/Fx7vDx0bbEM/s1600/blog+real+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qcWLRnRsVHE/Tw9BvVX503I/AAAAAAAABUM/Fx7vDx0bbEM/s400/blog+real+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;">The final prayer of the blessing:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;"><b>Leader:</b> Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;"><b>All:</b> Amen.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;"><i>After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with Epiphany water and incensed. The initials of the Magi are inscribed upon the doors with the blessed chalk. (The initials, C, M, B, can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase "Christus mansionem benedicat" which means "Christ bless this house".)</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;"><i>Example: 20 + C + M + B + 12</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: left;"><i>+++++++++++++++++++++</i></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Find more {p,h,f,r} this week - and every week - at <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother Like Daughter</a>!</div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-1923681129483613942012-01-11T10:34:00.001-08:002012-03-13T21:38:52.941-07:00Birthday Season Begins!<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our 3 daughters celebrate their birthdays in the next 6 weeks. It’s kind of nice in late winter to have a reason to eat cake and ice cream every couple weeks. We start the birthday season with the youngest member of our family – who turns 6 tomorrow, so this post is more or less all about her…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;">―</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #666600; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none;">William Shakespeare</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #666600; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none;">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">This line very well describes our “baby”. She started out on the small side at a whopping 6 pounds and has stayed a petite girl to this day. We were happy when she finally made it onto the height/weight chart that the pediatrician always referenced. Not that we worried about her size, but the pediatrician seemed to come close to making it an issue a couple times. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy's girl -then and now</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #181818;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">Her “fierceness” is obvious – she never lets her older sisters push her around and she doesn’t hesitate to make her opinions known. She has a temper that can flare up almost out of nowhere, but then again, she is also the most contrite once she calms down. Her apologies are very sincere and detailed. Never a general, “I’m sorry for what I did.”, but rather, a very specific description of her mistakes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuWbZjE3hOo/Twz83WdUxcI/AAAAAAAABSk/D6rpPlgTzb4/s1600/aileen+blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuWbZjE3hOo/Twz83WdUxcI/AAAAAAAABSk/D6rpPlgTzb4/s320/aileen+blog+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the fierce face then</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTWIrpM3bxM/Tw3I6CH2fpI/AAAAAAAABTk/jPZ2yP8a9N0/s1600/aileen+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTWIrpM3bxM/Tw3I6CH2fpI/AAAAAAAABTk/jPZ2yP8a9N0/s320/aileen+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the fierce face now</td></tr>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">Having an (almost) 6 year old youngest child has made us realize that the craziness of baby and toddler years is <i>-sadly-</i> behind us. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">(Unless there are more children in our future, which, of course, is not impossible. Check your Bible if you don’t believe it. It’s happened to people even older than us.)</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">I see now that what my Mom told me back then is true: while you are in the midst of those years it can sometimes seem that an individual day – or trip to the grocery store – will never end, but then suddenly you realize that you made it – that phase is over – and you can’t quite recall when exactly it ended. But ended it has: No one here naps anymore; we don’t have to pack a bag (diapers, snacks, toys) just to run errands; we can go to the store without ABSOLUTELY NEEDING the special cart that holds more than one child; There are no gates in our house; we’ve never been in the cry room at our parish (we’ve lived here 2.5 years!); We don’t have outlet covers or cabinet locks; and finally, I don’t get panicky around 4:00 when I realize that there are still 2 - or more – hours until Mark gets home from work.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uE2q1o0kzGk/Twz96NA4lCI/AAAAAAAABSs/efDlnYoj0pA/s1600/aileen+blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uE2q1o0kzGk/Twz96NA4lCI/AAAAAAAABSs/efDlnYoj0pA/s320/aileen+blog+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 & 3 year old sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NjP85cQjwgU/Tw3IWTYL7SI/AAAAAAAABTc/6AMuzT_Rfz8/s1600/aileen+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NjP85cQjwgU/Tw3IWTYL7SI/AAAAAAAABTc/6AMuzT_Rfz8/s320/aileen+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 & 4 year old sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEz3oS13lrI/Tw3JqrZDmtI/AAAAAAAABTs/m4NeOFQ-h_8/s1600/aileen+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEz3oS13lrI/Tw3JqrZDmtI/AAAAAAAABTs/m4NeOFQ-h_8/s320/aileen+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 & 6 year old sisters</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Our 2 youngest girls are a mere 11 months apart, so tomorrow we will have two six-year-olds. And one of their favorite things about being so close in age happens: they become twins. Yes, that’s right: twins. It makes sense to them. They are sisters and they are the same age. In their minds, it helps if they dress alike, but it's not absolutely necessary. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Thinking about their close ages also brings back memories of the amazing weeks and months around the time of both their births.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-9h2a4T89I/Tw0JksyGzjI/AAAAAAAABTM/upqZrtcUaNY/s1600/aileen+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-9h2a4T89I/Tw0JksyGzjI/AAAAAAAABTM/upqZrtcUaNY/s320/aileen+blog.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 year old</td></tr>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">Without going into the whole story (maybe some other time) it is relevant to know that our first and second daughters are adopted and that our youngest came to us *in the usual way*. We had been married for nearly 7 years before the birth and adoption of our first child. Then we had another 5 year wait before the birth and adoption of our second child. Let us tell you that after that many years, a couple like us feels pretty darn confirmed in the fact that a pregnancy just isn’t going to happen. That isn't meant to sound like we were defeated or had no hope. Rather, after that many years, lots of good doctors, etc. and on top of that – 2 adoptions – we just thought of ourselves as “people who adopt” - and we were perfectly at peace with being an adoptive family. So, when we realized – pretty much out of nowhere – that I was pregnant, we were shocked beyond shocked. There are levels of surprise in the world, you know? It’s possible to be surprised about something that you knew was possible, but just didn’t think would happen. But this was a case of being utterly dumbfounded because the idea that it was possible had gone away YEARS before.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXTTRfT0vRw/Tw0IRdsHcAI/AAAAAAAABTE/j2CN-O5GVBc/s1600/aileen+blog+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXTTRfT0vRw/Tw0IRdsHcAI/AAAAAAAABTE/j2CN-O5GVBc/s320/aileen+blog+8.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 day old</td></tr>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">So anyway, it is with great fondness that we think back to the days of having a 5 year old, a newborn and being pregnant for the first time. It was such a neat time. And, then, our third daughter was born. And, of course, she adds something to our family that only she can. She’s very bright. And super-cute. Oh, and did we mention fierce? She loves her sisters, but she’s always valued her own quiet personal time – she’s the only one of the 3 who seems to need time on her own to play quietly and in her own way. Mark jokes that she got a little bit of his only-child-gene and that's why she wants to be alone sometimes. When she was little she was a definite <i>wanderer;</i> just when no one was looking she'd wander out of the room and away from the group to explore - or find mischief - on her own.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NLn4mreb7Q4/Tw0DC2cSqQI/AAAAAAAABS8/PNadccNPq7U/s1600/aileen+blog+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NLn4mreb7Q4/Tw0DC2cSqQI/AAAAAAAABS8/PNadccNPq7U/s320/aileen+blog+6.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 years old</td></tr>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">I assume that we do “baby” her a bit. We still let her climb into our bed if she has a bad dream (a benefit of being petite – she still fits) and we have to remind ourselves that her chore list can be as “heavy” as her next older sister. I'm sure the other 2 girls could give plenty more examples of our babying her, but let's not ask :)</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">She’s a kindergartener this year. And doing a great job. She’s a whiz at math, really enjoys stories from history, and has mastered phonics to the point that she is reading - which is such a milestone. The reading thing isn’t really that big of a deal to her though, she just wants to have a loose tooth – oh, and long hair.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaVTXpO-edQ/Twz3-fSqwgI/AAAAAAAABSM/vCQguGi2M5Y/s1600/forBrian2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LaVTXpO-edQ/Twz3-fSqwgI/AAAAAAAABSM/vCQguGi2M5Y/s320/forBrian2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818;">Happy 6<sup>th</sup> birthday, eenie! </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-16025223111976339092012-01-10T07:33:00.000-08:002012-01-17T07:19:54.293-08:00Oh, deer!How do you feel about deer in your yard? Right now, I am enjoying the abundance of deer on our property. It's neat. Not that I hadn't seen a deer before, but never so many, so close - and on a daily basis. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DfiT4UfCQo/TwuJ8FNDIYI/AAAAAAAABRs/LXDEzAZUmH8/s1600/deer+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DfiT4UfCQo/TwuJ8FNDIYI/AAAAAAAABRs/LXDEzAZUmH8/s400/deer+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Our little town just might possibly have a higher deer population than people population, so they do tend to be <i>everywhere. </i>But our old house had a tiny yard - and a very big fence around most of what yard there was - so we just didn't see them each and every day. Now? Well, the deer are pretty much always here. Most of the time if I look out the window and start counting I get to double digits before I start <i>really </i>looking. They blend in to their surroundings very well, so I'm sure that most of the time there are more in the yard than I realize.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZkNxUZDGvk/TwuKOo9UN3I/AAAAAAAABR0/tyOKKzuTYDA/s1600/deer+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZkNxUZDGvk/TwuKOo9UN3I/AAAAAAAABR0/tyOKKzuTYDA/s400/deer+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sometimes we still get a little surprised when one gets really close. Our basement is a walk-out and the windows down there are right at ground level, if that makes sense. So if a deer comes close to a basement window when someone is down there, it can be a face-to-face event. This happened recently when the girls had some friends over. There was a lot of squealing, let me tell you. I think that when they come so close to the house, I'm mostly startled by how large they are. Normally they sit 20 or 30 feet from the house and seem the size of a large dog, but when a full-grown buck walks up to the kitchen window while I'm doing dishes, I get to see just how huge he is.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WziBLtceU8/TwuKdTki-PI/AAAAAAAABR8/mKSF4AlGhcQ/s1600/deer+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4WziBLtceU8/TwuKdTki-PI/AAAAAAAABR8/mKSF4AlGhcQ/s400/deer+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The girls have grown accustomed to the deer. One of them may take notice when there is a large group right outside her bedroom window, but mostly, the excitement is over. When we first moved in, however, the two little girls were out daily trying to catch one so they could ride it. It was a great game for them. And we were never terribly concerned about them actually catching one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJyUPdX4sfU/TwuJumzbbwI/AAAAAAAABRk/lIazVvkMucA/s1600/deer+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJyUPdX4sfU/TwuJumzbbwI/AAAAAAAABRk/lIazVvkMucA/s400/deer+9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Mark doesn't find the deer as sweet as I do. He's probably wise. Right now, in the dead of Winter, they aren't harming anything. But I won't be so charmed by them in the Spring and Summer if they show up to eat my flowers and vegetables. Good thing they generally head back up into the mountains when Spring arrives.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VaJJNftBuwU/TwuKqqaxINI/AAAAAAAABSE/PI6MgLo9_t0/s1600/deer+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VaJJNftBuwU/TwuKqqaxINI/AAAAAAAABSE/PI6MgLo9_t0/s400/deer+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1672652020607311330.post-89568652656358318952012-01-09T13:09:00.000-08:002012-01-10T07:30:22.933-08:00CFCA Sponsorship UpdateLast month we <a href="http://aspensprings.blogspot.com/2011/11/looking-for-way-to-help.html">shared a post</a> about an organization called CFCA (Christian Foundation for Children and Aging) and our several years of sponsorship of a little boy, called Rony, in El Salvador. Long story short: Rony's parents determined that he didn't need sponsorship help any longer and so they stepped out of the program. I'm still so touched by that. I would guess that they could have gone on receiving the sponsorship for a little "extra help", but they were honest and stepped away when they felt they could.<br />
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Anyway, we firmly believe in the good work of CFCA's sponsorship program, so we chose to be paired with a new "friend". Our first letter from Sharon - a 9 year old girl in Uganda - came yesterday. So exciting! Our oldest daughter is 11, so she already feels a connection and sees Sharon as a new pen-pal. A return letter has been written already and should get into the mail today. We're looking forward to our relationship with Sharon. Her letter tells us that she hopes to be a nurse someday and that she is thankful for our help to pursue that goal.<br />
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CFCA's Hope for a Family sponsorship program is making a real difference in the world - one person at a time. The website is <a href="http://www.cfcausa.org/GetInvolved/Sponsor.aspx">http://www.cfcausa.org/GetInvolved/Sponsor.aspx</a>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739771397106792631noreply@blogger.com0