tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58825913981993200252024-03-17T10:25:27.293-07:00Clifford ChroniclesA day in the life of the Clifford clan.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.comBlogger703125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-68050375479852342752024-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:002024-03-17T10:24:55.037-07:00Long Roads<p>This has been a busy but not exciting week. The first part of the week was consumed by wrapping up the Snickerdoodle Preschool era and filing our last business taxes. Also early in the week, we had Merrick's MRI on his ankle and we were working with our home warranty company on getting someone to come look at a leak we have in our upstairs bathtub that's leaking into the garage.</p><p>By Wednesday, we finally started to make some progress on those fronts. Business taxes got mailed off, we got a repair man scheduled to come out on Thursday, and we got the results of Merrick's MRI. The MRI indicated that Merrick didn't break his fibula as the doctor had originally thought, but he did tear both of his ankle stabilizing ligaments and has significant bone busing. The good news is the doc felt that surgery was not indicated, just lots of physical therapy.</p><p>As the week progressed, we saw progress on the other issues as well. The repair man came out and diagnosed, but did not fix the problem because nothing is quick and easy when dealing with a home warranty company and of course we have to get approval before the repairs can be made. Merrick also started physical therapy. I was ablet to call around to find somewhere with immediate openings so at least we didn't have to wait to get moving on that. He will go twice a week for the next several weeks and the PT is setting expectations that it could be a long road. He gave him a 20% chance of playing in his first baseball tournament in 3 weeks. Merrick is determined to be that 20%, but we will see.</p><p>Saturday, we had clean up days for both baseball and softball. It was a divide and conquer kind of situation. Merrick and Jeremy went to the baseball cleanup and Elsie and I went to softball cleanup. CC had a primary activity and got out of all clean up. I will just speak to the softball clean up, which was HARD manual labor, raking rock hard ground to uncover a former field that had been completely overtaken by weeds and grass.</p><p>By the afternoon, Jeremy and I were worn out. Merrick got off easy for clean up in his current condition and Elsie spent cleanup day playing on the playground with her friends. Thankfully, the girls both had plans in the afternoon that meant that the rest of us could have some relaxing time. Carrigan went with her friends to see a play of the Hobbit and then went for ice cream. Elsie had an Auntie day extravaganza that started with lunch, ended with dinner and ice cream, and in the middle included a Target shopping spree, a movie, and a park trip.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuNbOmzKHmYo7h309axFJcyP9eGruAh0dOw1-1_tkO00JTz-JiS4OuwGX47WyPSApp8y8BhImJ53nHElAONSo6LK2onAYKjFonhUEU4TzHnaI3P8VXWw8cbTMBm7R4_OouGgRkxl6LBcpfze2bcv8K_nwq0gt15GlNpCqDxXiUrrw-ZaUI6wH73LEt2Q/s4032/IMG_3425.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuNbOmzKHmYo7h309axFJcyP9eGruAh0dOw1-1_tkO00JTz-JiS4OuwGX47WyPSApp8y8BhImJ53nHElAONSo6LK2onAYKjFonhUEU4TzHnaI3P8VXWw8cbTMBm7R4_OouGgRkxl6LBcpfze2bcv8K_nwq0gt15GlNpCqDxXiUrrw-ZaUI6wH73LEt2Q/s320/IMG_3425.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1WBjKOswBGzvBDbhsPpd441TpSoF41mY3avjCwbYvtBW3NHjhFgXN0yvZS1rlwyuS_YxS1LA6Nwe1GkA3ygGLRjwIRuniqFM18L6a2IHALFgmDe7OCap2ycRkxJPLeslmEKtYAKnEemTOf2oxchnsNCIodGGk22WsvwoUD-qs0bo7EMZyl6d6jV6Ld8/s4032/73232714140__79D8264F-52AC-42C3-9078-51D7C9D73CB2.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1WBjKOswBGzvBDbhsPpd441TpSoF41mY3avjCwbYvtBW3NHjhFgXN0yvZS1rlwyuS_YxS1LA6Nwe1GkA3ygGLRjwIRuniqFM18L6a2IHALFgmDe7OCap2ycRkxJPLeslmEKtYAKnEemTOf2oxchnsNCIodGGk22WsvwoUD-qs0bo7EMZyl6d6jV6Ld8/s320/73232714140__79D8264F-52AC-42C3-9078-51D7C9D73CB2.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFCXTm3lGMahXG6TP2M-CuWNKDgXOUFRgV5hqRA2GfwEK26ujbhZXFYtyx5INvEqa8eRiGxM0rMiZPPQuYbkQCfDs6h52DVSSelvN6xdH4ZSCiuAxiaLBGt71X8ABw5W5teZBE5u59ulgr8xUds6FTCpGk7m_bnzjAJj1g9ru-TNOEfzaN7id52bdfY0/s1800/IMG_0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFCXTm3lGMahXG6TP2M-CuWNKDgXOUFRgV5hqRA2GfwEK26ujbhZXFYtyx5INvEqa8eRiGxM0rMiZPPQuYbkQCfDs6h52DVSSelvN6xdH4ZSCiuAxiaLBGt71X8ABw5W5teZBE5u59ulgr8xUds6FTCpGk7m_bnzjAJj1g9ru-TNOEfzaN7id52bdfY0/s320/IMG_0999.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZKAgjHsE4Pjx2AM3TKy_BsGGsCCdpuWUYvjOIr-0P7VeEu0Ctdb0JmJSvScD1-T3VVWL7TJJjMvNG4S3N8iEsIax1P4Ljvm_iugduhr8sB8r3fr8Hub87aUQNFe-yvV6V7E-AAdx-WSxzUc93mnUUWRylby_GFcEtEbV4nlh3iaKG_wgXjMIKjQw2F0/s1800/IMG_1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZKAgjHsE4Pjx2AM3TKy_BsGGsCCdpuWUYvjOIr-0P7VeEu0Ctdb0JmJSvScD1-T3VVWL7TJJjMvNG4S3N8iEsIax1P4Ljvm_iugduhr8sB8r3fr8Hub87aUQNFe-yvV6V7E-AAdx-WSxzUc93mnUUWRylby_GFcEtEbV4nlh3iaKG_wgXjMIKjQw2F0/s320/IMG_1001.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawWzCIKPEr_ZMoAEGJIKjIkBtjj71cKp0SqRgBww00hkrh_xInVjM4GgLpwUhQWw6Fh7HFKj4jfLbPapfpGa62LGl_9jZpx4nYKQG7m_AQxe8kcpucyrDDmpnb4TUijNAOTB6do_w1fOtk0lJz0wT4pZrenbSNn0haD_zaEr2-kdQXTSlRP76N14pkFw/s1800/IMG_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawWzCIKPEr_ZMoAEGJIKjIkBtjj71cKp0SqRgBww00hkrh_xInVjM4GgLpwUhQWw6Fh7HFKj4jfLbPapfpGa62LGl_9jZpx4nYKQG7m_AQxe8kcpucyrDDmpnb4TUijNAOTB6do_w1fOtk0lJz0wT4pZrenbSNn0haD_zaEr2-kdQXTSlRP76N14pkFw/s320/IMG_1003.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-boP0LzjVLH_QI9fiXRI8G8NECPl5RahphOx6-VVeFah4j0J3r-qIFuIAT8hbOgWmoSklYCE3SBo8auTNxOgpW3T13uevhC5nGclJKivNxOA8y0nBnoQzfZfQ1Fhz0g9hfcb38XUJH7Ut2pdoF_w0ww6PkxvFJH06zj_xPg_ct83S4y1hw5lDvPFg-Lc/s1800/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-boP0LzjVLH_QI9fiXRI8G8NECPl5RahphOx6-VVeFah4j0J3r-qIFuIAT8hbOgWmoSklYCE3SBo8auTNxOgpW3T13uevhC5nGclJKivNxOA8y0nBnoQzfZfQ1Fhz0g9hfcb38XUJH7Ut2pdoF_w0ww6PkxvFJH06zj_xPg_ct83S4y1hw5lDvPFg-Lc/s320/IMG_1004.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today we are hoping for a relaxing day that doesn't include any hard, manual labor, any complex tax forms, or any trips to the hospital or doctor. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-61828403619985397012024-03-10T20:39:00.000-07:002024-03-10T20:39:14.517-07:00Go Away Hospital<p> I'm going to be keeping it short and sweet this week. It's late and I am exhausted. I just got back from 5.5 hours at urgent care and the ER with Carrigan. More on that in a minute.</p><p>This weekend we were supposed to be in Bend for the second, and final state tournament. That plan got derailed in just about every possible way. First Merrick's ankle, he had a follow up on it this week. The doc confirmed the break, but he still has too much swelling for that to be the only issue. He is still non-weight bearing and he will have an MRI tomorrow to determine what else might be going on.</p><p>The ankle wasn't going to be the deal breaker on our trip to Bend though because our Airbnb was non-refundable. We made plans and preparations to still go and the girls were excited to have a trip that was going to revolve less around basketball than it would have otherwise. Then, 20 hours before we were supposed to check-in, our host canceled our reservation. We spent an hour on the phone with customer support trying to get something worked out, but ended up bagging it.</p><p>Merrick ended up going to Bend with his coach and we had a weekend at home with the girls. We did lots of fun things, ate out, went to the mall, went to Starbucks, went to Dave and Busters, and watched movies, but most of the time C.C. complained about stomach pain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqDSjjoKkr3Xp4rjD7HusjWJstGGE__89iKnYNVVzSQpeuiTMsXNwnPr3pX51Bwq4Wwu9NGVfrFOu1v-HzSouljcQHFqxk3g-y8AsUuxRA7faNKAO6buD0IR10FFHPpSCRwWtXbENe3o-9RaZz9D-nw7lbD0RCcnfS66l_38ZKkXX3sB_zA_W5wWPte4/s3088/IMG_0969.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqDSjjoKkr3Xp4rjD7HusjWJstGGE__89iKnYNVVzSQpeuiTMsXNwnPr3pX51Bwq4Wwu9NGVfrFOu1v-HzSouljcQHFqxk3g-y8AsUuxRA7faNKAO6buD0IR10FFHPpSCRwWtXbENe3o-9RaZz9D-nw7lbD0RCcnfS66l_38ZKkXX3sB_zA_W5wWPte4/s320/IMG_0969.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1RwiUKQvCEd-SeKgEVATwzm-qfVxL5k9H2YSlbYU_dK78IrwqD1vHqotV2TbGvghAtHxlbesRT5N0R7vyZVw-zhAhubopatFPjKFUE6Dm9mU4_MONNqJfJnusqScWdG6Mq4Hd1jTAAfZdNuT_ibicD2pEQYiLijoMifrDZpng_hnHFETvQzZdZTvYCI/s4032/IMG_0967.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1RwiUKQvCEd-SeKgEVATwzm-qfVxL5k9H2YSlbYU_dK78IrwqD1vHqotV2TbGvghAtHxlbesRT5N0R7vyZVw-zhAhubopatFPjKFUE6Dm9mU4_MONNqJfJnusqScWdG6Mq4Hd1jTAAfZdNuT_ibicD2pEQYiLijoMifrDZpng_hnHFETvQzZdZTvYCI/s320/IMG_0967.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today Carrigan's stomach pain came to a head. When we left church with her in tears, we decided it might be a good idea to take her to urgent care. There they said they couldn't rule out appendicitis and they wanted us to go to the ER. MANY hours later at the ER they decided that she didn't have appendicitis, or anything that was an immediate emergency and they sent us home with no answers. We are supposed to keep a diary around the pain and follow up with our PCP. In the meantime, she was in tears again going to bed tonight.</p><p>Merrick got home just before Carrigan and I. He had a great time in Bend and his team won the Bend State tournament.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYulYftzggGv1JlBMktlH8XjK-FBkbzClEBCuaZaQHTxbzLzPSmeokWVH5B6CtRYSD9xo1XOGxl0dbFZ6K0iyfYsfIJpPEXA7dcs53ravyZz0Ie3VYXyHNC1t4_ALvRvj_RRXfZTE0UvQzNjf-VAUe1ANh-LUV78hHDEaCEK3yvNpAkSqcfV_2kwp3uO4/s4618/IMG_8307.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4618" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYulYftzggGv1JlBMktlH8XjK-FBkbzClEBCuaZaQHTxbzLzPSmeokWVH5B6CtRYSD9xo1XOGxl0dbFZ6K0iyfYsfIJpPEXA7dcs53ravyZz0Ie3VYXyHNC1t4_ALvRvj_RRXfZTE0UvQzNjf-VAUe1ANh-LUV78hHDEaCEK3yvNpAkSqcfV_2kwp3uO4/s320/IMG_8307.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdWBS_iUN3B1qBKisxVVy6V3WNIvA1cT7aWaBs46tsQRWZAB_zVE5hxICtT-T11xVVJTkX0p40VfOuHW0fE7g9oGZ188oregL88LEH8IvfJXGqtEaSbmUp32cvI58ahIAugx6yZnd-TDjt6vPVrswC9ipjhdPC0vOmQFQKjZNFO_zwFOOTk30ghGyawU/s4618/IMG_8306.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4618" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdWBS_iUN3B1qBKisxVVy6V3WNIvA1cT7aWaBs46tsQRWZAB_zVE5hxICtT-T11xVVJTkX0p40VfOuHW0fE7g9oGZ188oregL88LEH8IvfJXGqtEaSbmUp32cvI58ahIAugx6yZnd-TDjt6vPVrswC9ipjhdPC0vOmQFQKjZNFO_zwFOOTk30ghGyawU/s320/IMG_8306.heic" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I, once again, feel like I need a do over of for the weekend. More than anything, after our visit for the MRI tomorrow, I need my kids to stay out of the hospital for a bit. </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-68251714945188631732024-03-03T21:27:00.000-08:002024-03-03T21:27:19.086-08:00Recovery and Winning<p> This week was all about recovery from the trauma of the week before. It was a quiet week, with school, work, and not a lot else. Merrick's road to recovery has been bumpy. Monday into Tuesday he was awake for 2.5 hours in the night in pain. Tuesday was a rough day and just about the lowest I have seen Merrick through all of this. The sun rose again on Wednesday and he was back to himself. On Wednesday we had to take pictures of his ankle for the orthopedist. A week and a half post incident (two weeks now) and we still have a lot of swelling and new bruising showing up. He is still non-weight bearing, at least until our next follow up next Wednesday.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq6sZmNbrJ3tjfOcSgxlDVWUIQQW1hW5Oivle3YRMjBvrECAHFc5YxZ8LUE-RLo1oZ3CdFEroy11chwXc8hn5wfqpbDbE2KM1cT8Pc4oYnNpuOdlRVRPjJCYQjImSdQaM8eKOZB3x0_CHtVjmTPL-C0UJZdxxypB61ABXxVQvOd4Ow2eVVCaPYZILqEs/s4032/IMG_7568.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq6sZmNbrJ3tjfOcSgxlDVWUIQQW1hW5Oivle3YRMjBvrECAHFc5YxZ8LUE-RLo1oZ3CdFEroy11chwXc8hn5wfqpbDbE2KM1cT8Pc4oYnNpuOdlRVRPjJCYQjImSdQaM8eKOZB3x0_CHtVjmTPL-C0UJZdxxypB61ABXxVQvOd4Ow2eVVCaPYZILqEs/s320/IMG_7568.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDKsazhU5a2WJzWjdofAcskM3sKUED-NfofhTMfBQwADq44dC74f4Kb_s3jVbGK8vhrfJ4MNCthD37t7Xj83Zf0VLTYdHIPEBj8iKp1GjmHr3tVWVLFlLCT9G7JjSQCT9SXH1SZl0sW2m_fFz1QPyOBALVuBWlLgSGK_qIKJBTA7vv5TJNagBQRKKyyU/s4032/IMG_7567.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDKsazhU5a2WJzWjdofAcskM3sKUED-NfofhTMfBQwADq44dC74f4Kb_s3jVbGK8vhrfJ4MNCthD37t7Xj83Zf0VLTYdHIPEBj8iKp1GjmHr3tVWVLFlLCT9G7JjSQCT9SXH1SZl0sW2m_fFz1QPyOBALVuBWlLgSGK_qIKJBTA7vv5TJNagBQRKKyyU/s320/IMG_7567.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbSuYIhtkE0VbfXdatvFcIKsOimTSiWTYix5-oHwL8UtYrslMgh65a67WprugW4gCxyIha11xNT1qlDfgDTnM1IjxQ7oxPxEJrEvyODp4Z5_A1fVxVJyjQVd1l4cfGiHC1_JVtp0bMTOfbioIfqrSDetel9Dm0f9Op8Dj6ohV2KQ7-_6OfFa55mSsGQI/s4032/IMG_7566.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbSuYIhtkE0VbfXdatvFcIKsOimTSiWTYix5-oHwL8UtYrslMgh65a67WprugW4gCxyIha11xNT1qlDfgDTnM1IjxQ7oxPxEJrEvyODp4Z5_A1fVxVJyjQVd1l4cfGiHC1_JVtp0bMTOfbioIfqrSDetel9Dm0f9Op8Dj6ohV2KQ7-_6OfFa55mSsGQI/s320/IMG_7566.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4WMiLCXxtqIHMzM8FyxUmek3vMOzdHAJKRBy5e8X00zRu_DTY2m_tGOMlNywlBxeZWvCn4W1WnzjyXr9gl1ZVI9ldddzzwbZNUdJoCHR0labwPWzpsoL2BjQlmrn6eCWZdDrXb-wNNcjjUdQ77r6lIxMXTTVOwluRrJvKq5WkkQCEv-2-ymHvK0X2Ko/s4032/IMG_7565.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4WMiLCXxtqIHMzM8FyxUmek3vMOzdHAJKRBy5e8X00zRu_DTY2m_tGOMlNywlBxeZWvCn4W1WnzjyXr9gl1ZVI9ldddzzwbZNUdJoCHR0labwPWzpsoL2BjQlmrn6eCWZdDrXb-wNNcjjUdQ77r6lIxMXTTVOwluRrJvKq5WkkQCEv-2-ymHvK0X2Ko/s320/IMG_7565.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This weekend has been a different kind of tough for him. Friday marked the beginning of the Salem State Tournament. Merrick attended every game, cheering from the sidelines. He struggled with not being able to play but supported his team the best he could. In the end, they came up victorious, winning the Salem State Tournament. I am grateful that Merrick still felt like part of the team, despite not getting to play.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzvnaEJejpiQr1WyUxpPJgPFC4LD-H8KF0M6rzyvFtMydhaUK3LQuREoNfYwYDQV_W4K7kiZBO189pOEWha-Jy5PTGjRWMJ8jDWUc8sgQ5zcONIwFyNjUDypIygj9R5c_UXFxGUw5bvnbHlbaFjrVDkf9ZjTTVuKSiCus_qqDw6wGN4cpEvutD5J68Ok/s4032/IMG_7577.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzvnaEJejpiQr1WyUxpPJgPFC4LD-H8KF0M6rzyvFtMydhaUK3LQuREoNfYwYDQV_W4K7kiZBO189pOEWha-Jy5PTGjRWMJ8jDWUc8sgQ5zcONIwFyNjUDypIygj9R5c_UXFxGUw5bvnbHlbaFjrVDkf9ZjTTVuKSiCus_qqDw6wGN4cpEvutD5J68Ok/s320/IMG_7577.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQstLXi1AIckcR3BTDwIf2wdNOW2va2_nXqr2f2T5u4uAyelddfUg2vWOMlG8U3lJdHlA9QvWZTOBsyYqe73OI1aZUwovyBghJGfmS0QeXdOuUJw-mSJemK5c7UYoM_oN-JTo2aEOIDSZR6Rcm5q4Ylg9ogCkPGr2zmRrIq8cGLGkfi70tbK622eQ7Aw/s4032/IMG_7578.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw8ulXjAkSrIgzsz2YjpgxDObga6-NS8hXGkAZ9CP6eJMY8vnwUtVKxq9iJnnrJyhjG2jzUD_1cwMFfBxK6SL6Iscue8fp2XJzAjuRY3k0HDjb1QMkaIb9XvBdPMIK9zOJ8SY-ra9sSSuSPD_awHMi1Gd-q0zryFhjoO4N9_m9Vv7WPRhCtu6bT_MGeI/s4032/IMG_7599.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw8ulXjAkSrIgzsz2YjpgxDObga6-NS8hXGkAZ9CP6eJMY8vnwUtVKxq9iJnnrJyhjG2jzUD_1cwMFfBxK6SL6Iscue8fp2XJzAjuRY3k0HDjb1QMkaIb9XvBdPMIK9zOJ8SY-ra9sSSuSPD_awHMi1Gd-q0zryFhjoO4N9_m9Vv7WPRhCtu6bT_MGeI/s320/IMG_7599.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-27923050326018168092024-02-25T18:33:00.000-08:002024-02-25T18:33:21.860-08:00The Good (Elsie's B-day) and The Bad <p> This week was a rollercoaster of epic proportions. To be honest, I have been dreading this week for about a month. I knew it was going to be a busy and stressful week, with Elsie's birthday, Merrick's surgery, and Jury Duty. It turned out to be much more stressful than that. To paint the full picture, we have to go back to last Sunday, shortly after my last blog post.</p><p>Sunday afternoon, Merrick had a basketball game. It was going fine, other than that they were losing. With just a few minutes left in the game, Merrick went up for a rebound and came down wrong on his ankle. Likely he would have been able to walk that off, but while it was rolled, a very large kid from the other team fell on it. Merrick couldn't get up from that. Instead he would have to be carried off the court and to the car following the car and we would head straight to the ER.</p><p>In the ER, they didn't see any obvious signs of a break but they were surprised at that based on the amount of swelling he had. Ultimately, they sent him home in a boot and with instructions to be completely non-weight bearing until we could follow up with an orthopedist. By the time we left, we had 57 hours until we have to be back for the next thing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6h_3FdOQcW_FYBR6dMUn1wsTiZTEffVdgyXvl7f_3K7rTJUpVTrrJKrK1OFRVF9DgNSzZhDETF_NQkHEuFBI50xH4MSyeYK0ogmEeiDnub8WW1l8sFyYpzjsNz7gvvW8O9J_IZHURHItKYvYeLjaTsXgPI56tXwkaHCwnSFT99Q24G80q4YlGPB0oYE/s4032/IMG_0876.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6h_3FdOQcW_FYBR6dMUn1wsTiZTEffVdgyXvl7f_3K7rTJUpVTrrJKrK1OFRVF9DgNSzZhDETF_NQkHEuFBI50xH4MSyeYK0ogmEeiDnub8WW1l8sFyYpzjsNz7gvvW8O9J_IZHURHItKYvYeLjaTsXgPI56tXwkaHCwnSFT99Q24G80q4YlGPB0oYE/s320/IMG_0876.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNqa8JLnuWRLItLm88RTmVBCm17Jq9iXZwSaUXhK2I_KPj568mg2BPXx0HOqme4pgsdh3bnc_soV2UFfEXRR1boXjvTEEPOYR8jENRqElHcjuwzxZqzK3K8p-3M8NtwwN6kDOD0gS_-Hu-GMFr5aYfyj9cSaV8s8UMF23TUu3KllLfdYNDaLM1q6k5Ww/s4032/IMG_0877.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNqa8JLnuWRLItLm88RTmVBCm17Jq9iXZwSaUXhK2I_KPj568mg2BPXx0HOqme4pgsdh3bnc_soV2UFfEXRR1boXjvTEEPOYR8jENRqElHcjuwzxZqzK3K8p-3M8NtwwN6kDOD0gS_-Hu-GMFr5aYfyj9cSaV8s8UMF23TUu3KllLfdYNDaLM1q6k5Ww/s320/IMG_0877.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH_Md20q0LXjCDpeBHKJR6mZaowqr_7HD3DmNKtN-5Oh3yxIib5dEY1SHjRJfF0T6QiwDLTaPgGHSN9N_mjIfhhyCf788ViUpZfgxh2Gh61yF9v8ImzVvBA94QumPYKmA8kTH6YOL_I0DkKeU0G0zzN2rQqVw6qvtmLNbIDU6PsWXHSnls82fWdefp28/s4032/IMG_0880.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH_Md20q0LXjCDpeBHKJR6mZaowqr_7HD3DmNKtN-5Oh3yxIib5dEY1SHjRJfF0T6QiwDLTaPgGHSN9N_mjIfhhyCf788ViUpZfgxh2Gh61yF9v8ImzVvBA94QumPYKmA8kTH6YOL_I0DkKeU0G0zzN2rQqVw6qvtmLNbIDU6PsWXHSnls82fWdefp28/s320/IMG_0880.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>This situation complicated everything else that followed, in an already completely stressful week. Tuesday, the only day he went to school last week, he had to be driven to school. He needed help with things he would normally do independently, like taking a shower. Things that he would normally help with around the house were, and continue to be, off the table.</p><p>We made it through Tuesday, and somehow, at the kids insistence, even found time celebrate our dog, Millie's 4th birthday that day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwX0L4zN2iRhgbEIG91u0h51KqAedoq9RHjnmkdZeNuGLtg9aHp94fE-csjSGyq_oF_NbHLNsu_nnfoEGOZQoZT_ZXj3qeAMhmCd0kppfRkwq8ig7UhKSGwRE4SpgoOuuFAD8oU9htlFRWBUmwJ4xp_nXkNAEXxKYv-jRtgFqyVSPnz_UteYMnEkVr2Y8/s4032/IMG_0884.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwX0L4zN2iRhgbEIG91u0h51KqAedoq9RHjnmkdZeNuGLtg9aHp94fE-csjSGyq_oF_NbHLNsu_nnfoEGOZQoZT_ZXj3qeAMhmCd0kppfRkwq8ig7UhKSGwRE4SpgoOuuFAD8oU9htlFRWBUmwJ4xp_nXkNAEXxKYv-jRtgFqyVSPnz_UteYMnEkVr2Y8/s320/IMG_0884.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Wednesday was Merrick's second heart surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 6:00am for a scheduled 8:00 am surgery. Again, everything was complicated by his foot. He was in a wheelchair right off the bat. Getting into the hospital gown, getting into the bed, and getting up to go to the bathroom were all more difficult. We had to discuss his ankle with every doctor and nurse and went back and forth about whether he should wear his boot during surgery about a million times. In the end, we decided against it, and had to just pray that no one would accidently bump it during surgery.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0u7l48QYs2A8lmKDjNhnBEHaxbJy3vdWQhiktssurc3Th-PjUWLW06woVE1WF_Q5gGT72tWuutS0PFVgd4G42CKCs8XeaOB3_Kt7hSPaMkRNAZPZRxsq9xTj0dx2wc7-2162ke439yWmpURKictg-KMogm4IFcpXXVhLhU-iyEZfovk4aTP6wpn6fNos/s4032/IMG_0887.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0u7l48QYs2A8lmKDjNhnBEHaxbJy3vdWQhiktssurc3Th-PjUWLW06woVE1WF_Q5gGT72tWuutS0PFVgd4G42CKCs8XeaOB3_Kt7hSPaMkRNAZPZRxsq9xTj0dx2wc7-2162ke439yWmpURKictg-KMogm4IFcpXXVhLhU-iyEZfovk4aTP6wpn6fNos/s320/IMG_0887.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The surgery itself went just about as well as it could have possibly gone. It was scheduled to be a 2-4 hour surgery, but I think it ended up being just under 2. They were very quickly able to determine that the SVTs were being caused by a problem on AV Node. They were able to diagnose it as atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and ablated the site that was causing the issue. Everyone was extremely pleased with the results and there is only about a 5% chance of the problem returning. We are praying that we are in the 95% group. We will follow up with the cardiologist in about two months.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVDcU9f-SDyUBbnFLPLMjsfH2fWaKe-oG3K54BCrIwVHFaVkLNVVX87fqBgCpTz86yrxfAyFfRoIGJUAjUJFuM3O29bkSOUMmo6dAwGgxDGqB0Bwo_MzCYV_rXuu9ked4pSjanFwGZSFRDJ_NGuyj1JoyAxhJD5jmbeiKJXv1oteVch5iksPsoMIG46I/s4032/IMG_0891.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVDcU9f-SDyUBbnFLPLMjsfH2fWaKe-oG3K54BCrIwVHFaVkLNVVX87fqBgCpTz86yrxfAyFfRoIGJUAjUJFuM3O29bkSOUMmo6dAwGgxDGqB0Bwo_MzCYV_rXuu9ked4pSjanFwGZSFRDJ_NGuyj1JoyAxhJD5jmbeiKJXv1oteVch5iksPsoMIG46I/s320/IMG_0891.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Thursday was both Elsie's birthday and my jury duty. We started the day with birthday cinnamon rolls and one present and then it was off to jury duty for me and school for her. Unfortunately, I didn't get called off from jury duty the night before as I was hoping, but fortunately they ended up having a bench trial that took priority and all jurors got to go home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WKB_0u7Jmc9zA26q2hSrj1ZDrd0qkIMFS1KCd63miXUnzjphNdDn6ApAdQtSx4shvJRvi6L9XXbHMz7tnsM-THYztG-HuVbKzOqIqtZLyUizx8eywPYcwNjWhFivH7eVcTfjWmuA8uCC8HxmOZ4e68ZZSEOTja5PFCNjT_QtskcZluK7ADPq8SIxxKg/s4032/IMG_0892.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WKB_0u7Jmc9zA26q2hSrj1ZDrd0qkIMFS1KCd63miXUnzjphNdDn6ApAdQtSx4shvJRvi6L9XXbHMz7tnsM-THYztG-HuVbKzOqIqtZLyUizx8eywPYcwNjWhFivH7eVcTfjWmuA8uCC8HxmOZ4e68ZZSEOTja5PFCNjT_QtskcZluK7ADPq8SIxxKg/s320/IMG_0892.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHNTpLxjyd3VIorBra9tALbrjH8zXfkBG6tG4r4dJKgb7aNhoLnIYOF0t5tHlsLVwjbweVVmx0UvfS-87o83YAsn14FfGyfnWocG_NoTTVZw6uNZGurrjYnIF9IDBtvCahPgtVc8A5PcHzck87h5tYvsP-Ucx0EQE9Pth0Rm4qOrCmKzP2wO4LQlQBg4/s4032/IMG_0893.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHNTpLxjyd3VIorBra9tALbrjH8zXfkBG6tG4r4dJKgb7aNhoLnIYOF0t5tHlsLVwjbweVVmx0UvfS-87o83YAsn14FfGyfnWocG_NoTTVZw6uNZGurrjYnIF9IDBtvCahPgtVc8A5PcHzck87h5tYvsP-Ucx0EQE9Pth0Rm4qOrCmKzP2wO4LQlQBg4/s320/IMG_0893.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVO6u3DBq8VQifeonoFmgcM6Ukst6tnvzhUz5whYre6wInOg7lG6RR2gDApYPT4zgRsGIOr3Y8k3hlcllXYDen_kbHngDN-bSqEoubvQ2P3snrOvNG7GVKIKwGJKS44GzndQhiC3uyhEmS3TrotjnECZqSARvLTZDCvLR2uPCyhrQNw-LwOcsGW3iDYw/s4032/IMG_0895.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVO6u3DBq8VQifeonoFmgcM6Ukst6tnvzhUz5whYre6wInOg7lG6RR2gDApYPT4zgRsGIOr3Y8k3hlcllXYDen_kbHngDN-bSqEoubvQ2P3snrOvNG7GVKIKwGJKS44GzndQhiC3uyhEmS3TrotjnECZqSARvLTZDCvLR2uPCyhrQNw-LwOcsGW3iDYw/s320/IMG_0895.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGS6WBXYCtoPlSMMPBanekfDQoShq7vd-4cTCQcfAze-NfODvWhKIbkX0r9bzKKwWYmWiI3fNxkAqBkHEOL2vW0f_vRm4GwFwlZqZH8BwsMBCMslvw95-9aATQlIJu_y4-MytedlH4nzL3dxMe4CWSeVQ2TWeTjAxvaUcepfn_cd28k2oa0fk0kNXmnc/s4032/IMG_0897.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGS6WBXYCtoPlSMMPBanekfDQoShq7vd-4cTCQcfAze-NfODvWhKIbkX0r9bzKKwWYmWiI3fNxkAqBkHEOL2vW0f_vRm4GwFwlZqZH8BwsMBCMslvw95-9aATQlIJu_y4-MytedlH4nzL3dxMe4CWSeVQ2TWeTjAxvaUcepfn_cd28k2oa0fk0kNXmnc/s320/IMG_0897.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV0l-5KEp5SF-OyzraqpiaUgsKBL_sJryhRKsiT51cqhVykiNZQSEkfNsh4PrEAeP5jQxPy7-uLqyf3F3ZAWN1yjx2qkZDdhMJY0HHafEybIkZW4kIH5gQvw71MHXgNaf_9otUDRa_8lMj3ckZ9Bw4U0XYfiY_SO37foX_NWqiO1hK-tkox80zXRgXk4/s4032/IMG_0898.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV0l-5KEp5SF-OyzraqpiaUgsKBL_sJryhRKsiT51cqhVykiNZQSEkfNsh4PrEAeP5jQxPy7-uLqyf3F3ZAWN1yjx2qkZDdhMJY0HHafEybIkZW4kIH5gQvw71MHXgNaf_9otUDRa_8lMj3ckZ9Bw4U0XYfiY_SO37foX_NWqiO1hK-tkox80zXRgXk4/s320/IMG_0898.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After school we were in full birthday mode. I picked the girls up from school and we were able to stay and play on the playground with friends. This is something the girls have really missed since I started my new job, so it was a great birthday treat for Elsie.</p><p>That evening, we had homemade cheese pizza per the birthday girl's request. She then opened the rest of her presents from us. She got Barbies and other toys, but one present was a little wild. She really wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday, but after lots of research for a place that would pierce both ears at the same time, I gave up and decided to buy the things to do it ourselves. My sister pierced her daughter's ears and I knew I could recruit her help. The jury is still out as to whether we will actually do them ourselves. So far she hasn't had the courage, but we will see.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_JbvTyEXlSlY2XVIHMk04uqt2sawpHwXfv9nrBjArq_CfOQJ5ZzH-T6-1jKL_LxYFxGCblNN7qm5Q7zRWAxpH_JgiFukTSVRX9KXydIYsDJor-wi6IicjWywuAvbGg4O3e_tJ-UobxZEihVvI1xJoTmWKqYTVQaZg9rD6wPRwnmFLnk5gxkp-QkHAzs/s4032/IMG_0899.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_JbvTyEXlSlY2XVIHMk04uqt2sawpHwXfv9nrBjArq_CfOQJ5ZzH-T6-1jKL_LxYFxGCblNN7qm5Q7zRWAxpH_JgiFukTSVRX9KXydIYsDJor-wi6IicjWywuAvbGg4O3e_tJ-UobxZEihVvI1xJoTmWKqYTVQaZg9rD6wPRwnmFLnk5gxkp-QkHAzs/s320/IMG_0899.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJoR0mIxRgMeLhXrB30QAWDfX6_03ssiUOVzPMsOh3BZDf6F4J5-MmrvhMPSFgDHQf_ibjWNCZAeR-vcp69iZNX2FIu3VDww3XLJaKTj4xquuVMk_q8YQ7JbuAbvIxub-SRaFyeG44APA2aqD_b2iu6E4yBD9-lS2CMe0XMctq2DwFJdgpRCDEWVwx9c/s4032/IMG_0900.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJoR0mIxRgMeLhXrB30QAWDfX6_03ssiUOVzPMsOh3BZDf6F4J5-MmrvhMPSFgDHQf_ibjWNCZAeR-vcp69iZNX2FIu3VDww3XLJaKTj4xquuVMk_q8YQ7JbuAbvIxub-SRaFyeG44APA2aqD_b2iu6E4yBD9-lS2CMe0XMctq2DwFJdgpRCDEWVwx9c/s320/IMG_0900.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ55ntgLWQFvDGYbdhVMFra_aVQOmLT6ZlnqbDplkdqWEHvk88g1DnMP_9YzxucrM0r9Iw73_GjgOaptcIsGSBZGTBMJ4ajMc5-Hft7DGgKVolBd8YZFhDvnljVJlJ4HUukM5K5Z25Be52TMe4Rhe5R2cI0-BpeKv50iAeu8rxoYNBKxaaVVaa-RpQUVM/s4032/IMG_0901.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ55ntgLWQFvDGYbdhVMFra_aVQOmLT6ZlnqbDplkdqWEHvk88g1DnMP_9YzxucrM0r9Iw73_GjgOaptcIsGSBZGTBMJ4ajMc5-Hft7DGgKVolBd8YZFhDvnljVJlJ4HUukM5K5Z25Be52TMe4Rhe5R2cI0-BpeKv50iAeu8rxoYNBKxaaVVaa-RpQUVM/s320/IMG_0901.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS_UGKhv8voa0DWubN2uP9s8CJLuAf_KGggtcHwOJv6fTp1ByHCmwx29QEMM3DfkxvouUWxOdlRGgU2Wtt_UlM1G278CY_ZQV74jU-UqrVcSg4wuwJ4Kql48oecugAt5ALhkbg8xnkP1H6hAsMwpfR9Df2kkfDYsnyHHI-1yvQEl5V1iPDjVp1C_pP-U/s4032/IMG_0902.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS_UGKhv8voa0DWubN2uP9s8CJLuAf_KGggtcHwOJv6fTp1ByHCmwx29QEMM3DfkxvouUWxOdlRGgU2Wtt_UlM1G278CY_ZQV74jU-UqrVcSg4wuwJ4Kql48oecugAt5ALhkbg8xnkP1H6hAsMwpfR9Df2kkfDYsnyHHI-1yvQEl5V1iPDjVp1C_pP-U/s320/IMG_0902.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0_havurtXh3H1n2GtPgOpn-QPWLuAkxaqm7bB2C45nBml-y4zWJe8A0SkDlT-7PpyetknvlJzoTU9rgkwvx88IAyfBrev9Wdp-_hhBBaFhxcakDycjQJxn95hoPHH1ynt_baFxv5UVdbsx6dM1MHuk1w0YRY58-ay7ZxKkl9w8nBShw7RceL5s2zDfc/s4032/IMG_0903.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0_havurtXh3H1n2GtPgOpn-QPWLuAkxaqm7bB2C45nBml-y4zWJe8A0SkDlT-7PpyetknvlJzoTU9rgkwvx88IAyfBrev9Wdp-_hhBBaFhxcakDycjQJxn95hoPHH1ynt_baFxv5UVdbsx6dM1MHuk1w0YRY58-ay7ZxKkl9w8nBShw7RceL5s2zDfc/s320/IMG_0903.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After our family time, the extended family came over for cake and ice cream and more presents.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwsbOW5Csxh0RaFEEnt75aW8Nin5alWW_8r-mfwDVKP2AKi8FsxmHTKdARXOLrfy-4hi6bL5_XghRDWHvnSurmn0aAZM5xAf7Y6M-pHy0AZZ3w8ZOWtdBYRAN5v37D3EJ34CvXW8O6zdIHKx-t4uQttgZGwuX6WmhxO-JlM8-jzb5f_DE9MbF6d5KA2E/s4032/IMG_0904.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwsbOW5Csxh0RaFEEnt75aW8Nin5alWW_8r-mfwDVKP2AKi8FsxmHTKdARXOLrfy-4hi6bL5_XghRDWHvnSurmn0aAZM5xAf7Y6M-pHy0AZZ3w8ZOWtdBYRAN5v37D3EJ34CvXW8O6zdIHKx-t4uQttgZGwuX6WmhxO-JlM8-jzb5f_DE9MbF6d5KA2E/s320/IMG_0904.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuWYWX5W0yQv7XMRUjn99CCZLMITsg_4D9tHJotv50U-0-mJ5i2-2Inh3I20riTSSrRw-5VtFKsocph4qDMg4t1q-AW3amOnAXF2o_9WxMcFdERcQDfKi8z1fNUkKqPRj4n00Nf7VGgQCERDI1hGYJKIdZlCBrVXvH9HWt2Ho6T2YpI-IZK-sH-q89uU/s4032/IMG_0905.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuWYWX5W0yQv7XMRUjn99CCZLMITsg_4D9tHJotv50U-0-mJ5i2-2Inh3I20riTSSrRw-5VtFKsocph4qDMg4t1q-AW3amOnAXF2o_9WxMcFdERcQDfKi8z1fNUkKqPRj4n00Nf7VGgQCERDI1hGYJKIdZlCBrVXvH9HWt2Ho6T2YpI-IZK-sH-q89uU/s320/IMG_0905.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2r9JSrWO7c2v6JqKR0oiasy-X9mHNKTQnCqq3J602E7TIzn4kufqoEA1lb8kFvLKJyZPQ5oznmuy2X5nKzqGM8H4GRtDmvik5lsH1zScoI4IyebtsNXbbnDHG2ANdqWOd8Bat1uP6Rr6pmia-f_fdCvSs0GUTtLYg9VJBuEe2nEWpdSCAqjltBJUTZ8w/s4032/IMG_0906.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2r9JSrWO7c2v6JqKR0oiasy-X9mHNKTQnCqq3J602E7TIzn4kufqoEA1lb8kFvLKJyZPQ5oznmuy2X5nKzqGM8H4GRtDmvik5lsH1zScoI4IyebtsNXbbnDHG2ANdqWOd8Bat1uP6Rr6pmia-f_fdCvSs0GUTtLYg9VJBuEe2nEWpdSCAqjltBJUTZ8w/s320/IMG_0906.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Friday was supposed to be a recoup day from the week of crazy, but it end up being the day we had to follow up with orthopedist and that brought a whole new batch of stress and bad news. It turns out that Merrick did facture his fibula, but the doctor was more concerned about the amount of swelling he still had. That was not consistent with a fibula fracture. She is much more concerned about potential ligament tearing. He were sent home with strict instructions about icing and elevating. He is to remain non-weight bearing and we will decide next Wednesday on the next steps. She also dashed his hopes of playing in the first stated tournament next weekend and said the Bend state tournament in two weeks is highly unlikely. This kid just can't catch a break.</p><p>Yesterday was Elsie's birthday party with her friends. We had a Barbie themed party at our house. We had 14 kindergarten girls here to celebrate. They played Barbies, colored Barbie coloring sheets, had a Barbie fashion show, and played "Pin the Bow on Barbie". Everyone had a great time and that's what's important, not the fact that for me it was the stress icing on top of a stress cupcake.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSey-z_vD3ltXmsCuo-9664NEDiAUOzYSRQQERZnZq5LYGCAo-8Y7Gp3ZEO38Zlj25KamXeComa7huHi9Dgoja6xd8-O7eE-RRUDa5at7yZqrMgX3fSy2Y48wyL0r4gruQ-5NO4CciQN-q3euM3jjs_kIXg3mSEKCEY8AubjRu9vEQ7XeQS75mj4b5q4/s4032/IMG_0908.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSey-z_vD3ltXmsCuo-9664NEDiAUOzYSRQQERZnZq5LYGCAo-8Y7Gp3ZEO38Zlj25KamXeComa7huHi9Dgoja6xd8-O7eE-RRUDa5at7yZqrMgX3fSy2Y48wyL0r4gruQ-5NO4CciQN-q3euM3jjs_kIXg3mSEKCEY8AubjRu9vEQ7XeQS75mj4b5q4/s320/IMG_0908.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeHQx24APxASdRLUYjz45oo7bRluB8huXH2XZwzeU7z2CngxXkGLIKu0i6Az1Wn45RSORtM2NMrY14cez_7Fxgv_G2uoSQVVeUtAORdd_Gre8jhyphenhyphenZl9OwdHjm1zzfWh2M2UJFGJfMqCfllORGnpWmdgKROsbaUq0y48nb7n5gdPtgKGrZUbuViLx7rC4/s4032/IMG_7534.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeHQx24APxASdRLUYjz45oo7bRluB8huXH2XZwzeU7z2CngxXkGLIKu0i6Az1Wn45RSORtM2NMrY14cez_7Fxgv_G2uoSQVVeUtAORdd_Gre8jhyphenhyphenZl9OwdHjm1zzfWh2M2UJFGJfMqCfllORGnpWmdgKROsbaUq0y48nb7n5gdPtgKGrZUbuViLx7rC4/s320/IMG_7534.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvGQr5y0mTHqtqshjAr2ucfwO_jy4zNEv4p5DrslNX-9Ayx6PLJHx4HXbcYOABZPcwhdaHJd1PbcyVPI2hrbeO3UeVQcWlrozxJ_jT8qzIwCAs8N8SCHqVjEvnNLi5b25mX5hfhrd_Y_jIJ8l8ULEjsjGqNApOEk-u1EA7-d24S4X9OC2rkhRrRUz9uo/s4032/IMG_7535.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvGQr5y0mTHqtqshjAr2ucfwO_jy4zNEv4p5DrslNX-9Ayx6PLJHx4HXbcYOABZPcwhdaHJd1PbcyVPI2hrbeO3UeVQcWlrozxJ_jT8qzIwCAs8N8SCHqVjEvnNLi5b25mX5hfhrd_Y_jIJ8l8ULEjsjGqNApOEk-u1EA7-d24S4X9OC2rkhRrRUz9uo/s320/IMG_7535.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVO0ApuFE9Bro15udDB_8ciBcriSnz0MTO8ZDjH1Z9MsRpjMzhuqeTT9RRFwfS1jMKbyg_ilAttIDEpjDlkVzZrfMUF3AvFXkIdO-gMBbm6e62gbLN5IYWar5-xhWOATBko4luUaeF8wwQyZzY6qlDROGzZJ7r_fIoNIxytJ6TDTolyc-IhogjOBm48Q/s4032/IMG_7558.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVO0ApuFE9Bro15udDB_8ciBcriSnz0MTO8ZDjH1Z9MsRpjMzhuqeTT9RRFwfS1jMKbyg_ilAttIDEpjDlkVzZrfMUF3AvFXkIdO-gMBbm6e62gbLN5IYWar5-xhWOATBko4luUaeF8wwQyZzY6qlDROGzZJ7r_fIoNIxytJ6TDTolyc-IhogjOBm48Q/s320/IMG_7558.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCp_H8TzYANZ_yDBoDDdNyDgi7fQqE6VyFcdgwVSZ-OX8sx-jf3f4PdE7qEEwVkfYNcB7dtSANMsuqUUTX7UDhMGAz11tcDSEgpnkrgyl1zazhcAr7H_o_NfTq2ckDdSlnaDFRK3QXLfEvzDcL07zsIYBRxdO8QQiiUtNlN3oyYunoOmi_UTJNIehx78/s4032/IMG_7562.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCp_H8TzYANZ_yDBoDDdNyDgi7fQqE6VyFcdgwVSZ-OX8sx-jf3f4PdE7qEEwVkfYNcB7dtSANMsuqUUTX7UDhMGAz11tcDSEgpnkrgyl1zazhcAr7H_o_NfTq2ckDdSlnaDFRK3QXLfEvzDcL07zsIYBRxdO8QQiiUtNlN3oyYunoOmi_UTJNIehx78/s320/IMG_7562.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today is the Sabbath, the day of rest, and I could sure use it. To say that this was a stressful week for our family would be a gross understatement. I am just so thankful for the outpouring of support and encouragement we got from family and friends. Otherwise, we never would have made it.</p><p><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-38712462052841147222024-02-18T13:21:00.000-08:002024-02-18T13:21:01.456-08:002024 Day of Love<p>This week was Valentine's Day. This is always one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with my family. I love all the pink, I love the heart shaped foods, I love the "love hunt" scavenger hunt tradition we have. All around it's a great day.</p><p>Elsie started us off feeling the love with a special V-day themed sidewalk chalk drawing. She got a little assist from Carrigan in drawing the hearts, but she colored them in and wrote the rest of the words herself. She was pretty proud of her accomplishments and want her picture taken with her work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKIEwfYZzw9BAtaBKuYG7KeVWpU9AXXYT7WUBbM8SARut3M0Qp5x1K3iVGHM7ITknH5GKLiW07oiQqP3W2mdUi98bl5zgjeR_hyphenhyphenklyx7ALY6vDDAIzkMsyN3h7pojSZDyLz8x4EeFUY8mMR08DTPaXcDr7W_X2YRqSTqFo8ndcdWK5amuQSMS0rlG-fI/s4032/IMG_0853.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKIEwfYZzw9BAtaBKuYG7KeVWpU9AXXYT7WUBbM8SARut3M0Qp5x1K3iVGHM7ITknH5GKLiW07oiQqP3W2mdUi98bl5zgjeR_hyphenhyphenklyx7ALY6vDDAIzkMsyN3h7pojSZDyLz8x4EeFUY8mMR08DTPaXcDr7W_X2YRqSTqFo8ndcdWK5amuQSMS0rlG-fI/s320/IMG_0853.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>As I mentioned, one of my favorite parts of Valentine's Day is the themed food, it always comes back to the food for me. This year, we have had a lot on our plate and I didn't really plan a special breakfast. I got up to start working bright and early like I always do and I had the idea to make heart shaped breakfast cookies. I was able to pull it off in time before the girls had to leave for school. They were a hit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eeyG5BsKbJpq04uTV6vOUYAmXKUu-ZeSutU-Sn0DrDQ8evJy5g3JtgAL1pztM6Z-2Xqiqr3jHLQYaJVod3DJU4r286jSyyEmyuan-yNOab5wWSbX18CpUJvJTEIl8E8Qsq8AJavRTU0JfwKLLqpS8D76CF6UEX1VMb8OBKmlrB_6-q95fuD7cm0SnKU/s4032/IMG_0856.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eeyG5BsKbJpq04uTV6vOUYAmXKUu-ZeSutU-Sn0DrDQ8evJy5g3JtgAL1pztM6Z-2Xqiqr3jHLQYaJVod3DJU4r286jSyyEmyuan-yNOab5wWSbX18CpUJvJTEIl8E8Qsq8AJavRTU0JfwKLLqpS8D76CF6UEX1VMb8OBKmlrB_6-q95fuD7cm0SnKU/s320/IMG_0856.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Dinner also had a heart-shaped component with heart-shaped homemade soft pretzels. Soft pretzels are a favorite around here and are often requested for holidays and special occasions. I was happy to accommodate with a Valentine's Day version.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICeImhVaD7itBDMJ6-Mt06frBuH0Qa0eK03dlY7la2v-lVQmD8BTuiNi_qwFin8WSKSQoZQm-9jocFIQ_73Cb-6VilxIkF2dqrQzoelm4TD86eDz09Vv5ia46vuUoE4S_WEnvXrCjG3NILRbYuxAJnR0QdqATLhrVq8onPjrPAi7yqiWl07cuK_ThqT0/s4032/IMG_0871.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICeImhVaD7itBDMJ6-Mt06frBuH0Qa0eK03dlY7la2v-lVQmD8BTuiNi_qwFin8WSKSQoZQm-9jocFIQ_73Cb-6VilxIkF2dqrQzoelm4TD86eDz09Vv5ia46vuUoE4S_WEnvXrCjG3NILRbYuxAJnR0QdqATLhrVq8onPjrPAi7yqiWl07cuK_ThqT0/s320/IMG_0871.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>As for the love hunt, it was a good one this year. As the kids are getting older, I tried to make the clues more challenging so they would have to put some thought into them. The funny thing was that I routinely stumped the older two, and it was Elsie who figured out the clues each time. It had Jeremy and I both cracking up. In the end Merrick got an AirPods case, Carrigan got a dice game call Left, Center, Right, and Elsie got a Barbie crafting car.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnxGF33z3sb2KE8raiv98TExiqg5VOII0_1pGR_qLmjOwO5sOlK3Qas8NEoqtbjOr91SiG1PLxUO4yusoI-SKrMqHsRnOq8CPTgpIjR0EsYIKcCKODWTlxuQGhBzEImdJCGVFapxY5HtrnNXoo1Of95NvWBGUiorvwKO_35STWniDW709f17Bt_RBtw4/s4032/IMG_0865.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnxGF33z3sb2KE8raiv98TExiqg5VOII0_1pGR_qLmjOwO5sOlK3Qas8NEoqtbjOr91SiG1PLxUO4yusoI-SKrMqHsRnOq8CPTgpIjR0EsYIKcCKODWTlxuQGhBzEImdJCGVFapxY5HtrnNXoo1Of95NvWBGUiorvwKO_35STWniDW709f17Bt_RBtw4/s320/IMG_0865.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_b5fB8ofpHGQoDIHfL-ILrvU_WmJbIGY4fEA75GJBZojcVOV5ZUgYsIn5f8LCjtPUn_R1XM-hwEFY5IN7KxO0jk3IpOt-08n-YnOxkpT2laIOqapOMN7GmkayMVz2XOTu5qFQcl62XdOYO-8eVL4cqCUY7fpVYL8pMhKNea6Y-RXqpofabvzx1M56zzE/s4032/IMG_0866.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_b5fB8ofpHGQoDIHfL-ILrvU_WmJbIGY4fEA75GJBZojcVOV5ZUgYsIn5f8LCjtPUn_R1XM-hwEFY5IN7KxO0jk3IpOt-08n-YnOxkpT2laIOqapOMN7GmkayMVz2XOTu5qFQcl62XdOYO-8eVL4cqCUY7fpVYL8pMhKNea6Y-RXqpofabvzx1M56zzE/s320/IMG_0866.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKY24fiMMmMz3rQGX_TpseYXWRBe3O6pg7Q8WKN9EQweghNrk2wmCR4UBaIq2GWlDDPnMKiOzNVLQ6ZoCH-ECMoZCMehZibHXx88BYeHYANYzWapGKwU3ZQsLtNA-F7ZiCoIx8V2AbBx-FtZ9yzNfaYVFqm0aW917SBjtjA2ecEmEks5yFiWiv66xKfWw/s4032/IMG_0868.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKY24fiMMmMz3rQGX_TpseYXWRBe3O6pg7Q8WKN9EQweghNrk2wmCR4UBaIq2GWlDDPnMKiOzNVLQ6ZoCH-ECMoZCMehZibHXx88BYeHYANYzWapGKwU3ZQsLtNA-F7ZiCoIx8V2AbBx-FtZ9yzNfaYVFqm0aW917SBjtjA2ecEmEks5yFiWiv66xKfWw/s320/IMG_0868.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtVLJnczOo_knD0ugjV_9kA7MrYQWcb5bddwk2H2kgLOCiQ1p6PpnY5gKvCtrkJQ-xl2aTisy8FGs8o8D-amaQS2TqsGuJB8efee3n-90o9Obv2UEiUP3SvSLytFwSQS7LykHVq5n34KZ6BIou7E5iN_aykDwre84wN1fad2vLJOSa0XDepNntHbzJ9Q/s4032/IMG_0870.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtVLJnczOo_knD0ugjV_9kA7MrYQWcb5bddwk2H2kgLOCiQ1p6PpnY5gKvCtrkJQ-xl2aTisy8FGs8o8D-amaQS2TqsGuJB8efee3n-90o9Obv2UEiUP3SvSLytFwSQS7LykHVq5n34KZ6BIou7E5iN_aykDwre84wN1fad2vLJOSa0XDepNntHbzJ9Q/s320/IMG_0870.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>All in all, Valentine's Day was another memorable one. Maybe someday Jeremy and I will actually get a chance to go out on a date and celebrate too.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-43456530158680482432024-02-11T18:05:00.000-08:002024-02-11T18:05:42.325-08:00Fun times<p> It's been a quiet week. We are all just keeping our heads down and plugging along until the crazy hits. This week Merrick got his cousin Christmas gift in the mail. They had ordered it well before our cousin gift exchange in Arizona, but it didn't end up arriving until shortly after our plane took off back to Oregon, so they had to ship it up here to us. It's call Boxbollen, and it's a ball attached to a headband by a string. You punch the ball repeatedly as it moves towards you. It is supposed to improve hand-eye coordination. Since it's arrival, it has provided many hours of entertainment. Merrick is rocking it with a high score of 84. I have a score of 35 and Jeremy is at 45.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRbjP6Zjkkdtm7J65vaYWT4qtCT5o7oafxLi2Hdq5SkH21HnqgPtuRKrQ5dKph5uGBf2tLhHqlJFGOFSXYZbMYXyhfCvHJ1qd33J3pIhjgBOOF-hJNz5JqlpPl1RBa9fHkK8_N7zok6Qhbjb3LhswU6rjr9JGaCQvCPYCn70cBeV8vyzIEWSxGu5i4MA/s824/IMG_0849.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRbjP6Zjkkdtm7J65vaYWT4qtCT5o7oafxLi2Hdq5SkH21HnqgPtuRKrQ5dKph5uGBf2tLhHqlJFGOFSXYZbMYXyhfCvHJ1qd33J3pIhjgBOOF-hJNz5JqlpPl1RBa9fHkK8_N7zok6Qhbjb3LhswU6rjr9JGaCQvCPYCn70cBeV8vyzIEWSxGu5i4MA/s320/IMG_0849.PNG" width="291" /></a></div><p></p><p>Friday night, the girls' school has a PJ movie night. Despite the fact that they were showing a movie that we have seen a million times, Elsie was super stoked to go. Carrigan was less excited and didn't go initially, but once I got there and told her that her friends were there and wanting her to come, she had Jeremy bring her down. Elsie thought it was hilarious to be at the school at night in her pajamas and wanted me to take her picture in front of the sign to commemorate the occasion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgVACg5xEmaagRcF4TUPret6X6hIUgACqDpFBDZVRJxDRdDeiwG9dOeH1t5F94kMaAV3pqlLDhNAvCl6Kg9AgHttCwPcPzGl0vMoS_zzgofC9Y0JYehPpQMk9L8vyOPLDTWCRyM8_jJQy1ZChxDOLOkXzkczY-uTluPRA6M714QkhC98VNvhhIKStZbU/s4032/IMG_0844.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgVACg5xEmaagRcF4TUPret6X6hIUgACqDpFBDZVRJxDRdDeiwG9dOeH1t5F94kMaAV3pqlLDhNAvCl6Kg9AgHttCwPcPzGl0vMoS_zzgofC9Y0JYehPpQMk9L8vyOPLDTWCRyM8_jJQy1ZChxDOLOkXzkczY-uTluPRA6M714QkhC98VNvhhIKStZbU/s320/IMG_0844.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Today is the Superbowl and we are doing it super low key style this year. I can't remember the last time we didn't go to some kind of Superbowl party, but this year we are just kicking it at home. The girls are into it in a way they never have been before with the possibility of Taylor Swift being there to support her man. My crafty C.C. girl even crafted a Superbowl lunch for herself with football shaped beans to eat with chips. That girl never misses a chance to craft.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqDFO5QGvCDeGlUNGKwosjfoHs-FP7ZB44E78hTN_5iiaouhswBgBYYFB4RV_JtBgXR2TXgPxRRJb_7vdI5jnbVeabJVanS-YDC18NIo6zNfLhfibdq5eCaEcU62ZUIWgqCs1M4KLZDqguJFa5CK37Y1BFAtwqg1ralq7zhNAxG5m_FdNi1GjXJxVwDk/s4032/IMG_0846.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqDFO5QGvCDeGlUNGKwosjfoHs-FP7ZB44E78hTN_5iiaouhswBgBYYFB4RV_JtBgXR2TXgPxRRJb_7vdI5jnbVeabJVanS-YDC18NIo6zNfLhfibdq5eCaEcU62ZUIWgqCs1M4KLZDqguJFa5CK37Y1BFAtwqg1ralq7zhNAxG5m_FdNi1GjXJxVwDk/s320/IMG_0846.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Next week is the last week before all the crazy happens. We are trying to soak the normal while we can.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-17747595961110102302024-02-04T15:25:00.000-08:002024-02-04T15:25:32.321-08:00Life<p> I saw a meme the other day that said "Whew, January was a long year, but we made it through". That pretty much sums up my feelings about January and I'm afraid February is going to be even worse. It feels like we just got back from a basketball trip in Arizona and now Jeremy and Merrick are off at a basketball trip in L.A. I also, just yesterday, booked our trip to Bend for basketball in just a few weeks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUtl8jdhJ5w8i_PQ5UBxk3F1H4e_p-RiQob38QpFFzZj1NZ4T-HiRlUYo84iEgVlvPpY8UuJ_SJ-X_EnBEq3AoOQ977WVJlzqDgqZkqBgAU7eLEhauKG-QBjDyZwnHAafQQlLvTr7RpsFHbJJwPm_1H1rKgyP3TTq7nWgD84kM_LAVwtER8dXivhkS9Y/s4618/IMG_6730.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4618" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUtl8jdhJ5w8i_PQ5UBxk3F1H4e_p-RiQob38QpFFzZj1NZ4T-HiRlUYo84iEgVlvPpY8UuJ_SJ-X_EnBEq3AoOQ977WVJlzqDgqZkqBgAU7eLEhauKG-QBjDyZwnHAafQQlLvTr7RpsFHbJJwPm_1H1rKgyP3TTq7nWgD84kM_LAVwtER8dXivhkS9Y/s320/IMG_6730.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>If it was only just basketball making our life crazy, that would be one thing, but that is just the tip of the iceberg, unfortunately. A few weeks ago, we got word that while Merrick's surgery was successful at resolving his PVCs, he is now having a different type of irregular beats, originating from the upper chamber of his heart, called SVTs. These irregular beats have been more erratic and causing a lot of anxiety for Merrick.</p><p>After discussion with the cardiologist, Merrick has, yet another, ablation scheduled for February 21st. In the meantime, he has started medication as a bridge to control symptoms until we have the ablation. To say that Merrick's heart journey has been a wild ride would be the understatement of the century. We would, once again, ask for your faith and prayers on his behalf.</p><p>I look ahead to February with a lot of anxiety. We have all the normal stressors, plus Valentines Day, Elsie's birthday, Merrick's surgery, Merrick's currently scheduled to get braces (we may end up postponing this), and, just because life is terrible sometimes, I have jury duty. Can someone please just wake me up when February is done?</p><p>Back to present day, the girls and I stayed behind from L.A. so that Carrigan could participate in Honors Choir. They had a performance yesterday. I was so proud of her, and the group as a whole. They worked really hard and sounded AMAZING. She is now really looking forward to middle school choir. I just wish all future choir performances could be as good as this was.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGCLiX2tUnDDVKvuo6eHIANQx-60mD2HjiKZE-YHyhRC3JabMcfvv4M71GGmnmFBngPdz8kCB0GYGp2ogUjzqvfg6lKByb1LajpgecEW2O_YHV0ZKPkL7XHPsAJdlozU8YMm656oXT6jzClWWdgv0GhFdGCJaMLCKMhfPsatdwCHhVGYph2cqfhXO3Cg/s4032/IMG_0812.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGCLiX2tUnDDVKvuo6eHIANQx-60mD2HjiKZE-YHyhRC3JabMcfvv4M71GGmnmFBngPdz8kCB0GYGp2ogUjzqvfg6lKByb1LajpgecEW2O_YHV0ZKPkL7XHPsAJdlozU8YMm656oXT6jzClWWdgv0GhFdGCJaMLCKMhfPsatdwCHhVGYph2cqfhXO3Cg/s320/IMG_0812.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ZVmyQpXm-W4TE2A3mh_Sea5bVU61r7u5RNQqlVNkvAoos6SDpi-kMfIpGvwE5hGHDXNWGjxCsXANyEaV0KWJMwlye1w1ImhRsgLpfBefVD3qYaHK9iL4DTSzOziqlzXpsdLlNgasGaqRFKGnUvzSuV6Tfh1y1AubpuSfmkmPW0Jxb0_KUwgpImwSLE/s4032/IMG_0809.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ZVmyQpXm-W4TE2A3mh_Sea5bVU61r7u5RNQqlVNkvAoos6SDpi-kMfIpGvwE5hGHDXNWGjxCsXANyEaV0KWJMwlye1w1ImhRsgLpfBefVD3qYaHK9iL4DTSzOziqlzXpsdLlNgasGaqRFKGnUvzSuV6Tfh1y1AubpuSfmkmPW0Jxb0_KUwgpImwSLE/s320/IMG_0809.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEvNNOmvLU82PRvdnDjvnJVKwT8OzH1HvI4PuDJFGuvn6sItuBKAygbgSWvZ-DzvIfqpXWBXj6veAtLhIxrj7cDmEKCAycJCYk-2hTwjAu05cS8KEsyirUxDdGJl8VZ_ERLjrm4HYdY2-1iTrsbGwOyN3ZJWDWMBwWkZsp1qEscurMylv3JlLcLK8xdI/s4032/IMG_1685.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEvNNOmvLU82PRvdnDjvnJVKwT8OzH1HvI4PuDJFGuvn6sItuBKAygbgSWvZ-DzvIfqpXWBXj6veAtLhIxrj7cDmEKCAycJCYk-2hTwjAu05cS8KEsyirUxDdGJl8VZ_ERLjrm4HYdY2-1iTrsbGwOyN3ZJWDWMBwWkZsp1qEscurMylv3JlLcLK8xdI/s320/IMG_1685.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrrMCTtIyTtDvWYhyE1DZg5HDR0jg2tzk4Gs_neeySZ4g9WXKoym1erxBopldM8IZX24XdkF7H-OESmuIOe7bzdVIejqD_zYx1UJFZW_ttIzOnZ8X_QAp-LuZX6ZI7gzlzyAVqDmEhL9GZMnP9TWpgrERzBOC3caw5iWIyK1XYWNMUkJOkQ91KSRIf3U/s4032/IMG_1684.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrrMCTtIyTtDvWYhyE1DZg5HDR0jg2tzk4Gs_neeySZ4g9WXKoym1erxBopldM8IZX24XdkF7H-OESmuIOe7bzdVIejqD_zYx1UJFZW_ttIzOnZ8X_QAp-LuZX6ZI7gzlzyAVqDmEhL9GZMnP9TWpgrERzBOC3caw5iWIyK1XYWNMUkJOkQ91KSRIf3U/s320/IMG_1684.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Elsie has also been a busy girl with birthday parties almost every weekend and sometimes two in a weekend. I usually don't end up getting many pictures from these parties, but last weekend's farm party was a rare exception.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOSX-voej3pZiaeX6-Gprvi-1_K0akx2O3rkJNME3-Ny24NnQojmfrnMwJxSGXKJ14fdHSyZ70V3xFFW9rA55sGMfDXYwuocfJhnGBS6PIVR4TrleSQGO9FyRBi9zaFrgw-I8SjsZTOnev5IP7ihAOXhERfcrfxq9XEvXXZxr2MbX1pfC-o_kxfWE9wo/s4032/IMG_0794.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOSX-voej3pZiaeX6-Gprvi-1_K0akx2O3rkJNME3-Ny24NnQojmfrnMwJxSGXKJ14fdHSyZ70V3xFFW9rA55sGMfDXYwuocfJhnGBS6PIVR4TrleSQGO9FyRBi9zaFrgw-I8SjsZTOnev5IP7ihAOXhERfcrfxq9XEvXXZxr2MbX1pfC-o_kxfWE9wo/s320/IMG_0794.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VlaAXNFUZb_3j5s5Ar8iPfeU6Y3v1fHRCEdSKszn19FXk2FdcIcJpOdrvAqjRkVf3RI4KC2OHi_bxh6xKBGrSjrAfRRcpRK21xx06Tm7X89WYXtMj_D8ht-wtgB_lSfAuYjbeUwTX4yGeGxvy5YZMgecu64Pn6HnB-NvNQ5oQynctz5q_mTxgllhoKc/s4032/IMG_0792.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VlaAXNFUZb_3j5s5Ar8iPfeU6Y3v1fHRCEdSKszn19FXk2FdcIcJpOdrvAqjRkVf3RI4KC2OHi_bxh6xKBGrSjrAfRRcpRK21xx06Tm7X89WYXtMj_D8ht-wtgB_lSfAuYjbeUwTX4yGeGxvy5YZMgecu64Pn6HnB-NvNQ5oQynctz5q_mTxgllhoKc/s320/IMG_0792.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfK4XUvpSJA7nVAgyM6gS9QPL6n5wHZi1y8Cxg6pbTHjV0vEJf1s7kg0Knl2WYs7WVsjNbSh1-wA4m9XgBc0qtFyDsnIbunXhxIq2fnfP3EntQIDa6K9EO8jJpSyZOH8J58eIytPwQtPBiVap0NoHxBXYFI9TeFyVZRfdnqBgTla4tGH5-AhJtiQ68QM/s4032/IMG_0791.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfK4XUvpSJA7nVAgyM6gS9QPL6n5wHZi1y8Cxg6pbTHjV0vEJf1s7kg0Knl2WYs7WVsjNbSh1-wA4m9XgBc0qtFyDsnIbunXhxIq2fnfP3EntQIDa6K9EO8jJpSyZOH8J58eIytPwQtPBiVap0NoHxBXYFI9TeFyVZRfdnqBgTla4tGH5-AhJtiQ68QM/s320/IMG_0791.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe40oMswyUAkLKt2R87RzMlcF5iFhwcqZ6HcVbjVV9rqG-WDgy8Ivu8DLbNGUGa_lBH2WiEsVndjCbncLa3oGu9aROiQnTa8kWNGFxlZcyzz4S54vBJ7Zt4ZEk4AfwGgdtajqFzMordFBBVj8VEHRm21rrVtGApBsdDhCB_-brEGKkFqSwAjIp487qxM/s4032/IMG_0790.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe40oMswyUAkLKt2R87RzMlcF5iFhwcqZ6HcVbjVV9rqG-WDgy8Ivu8DLbNGUGa_lBH2WiEsVndjCbncLa3oGu9aROiQnTa8kWNGFxlZcyzz4S54vBJ7Zt4ZEk4AfwGgdtajqFzMordFBBVj8VEHRm21rrVtGApBsdDhCB_-brEGKkFqSwAjIp487qxM/s320/IMG_0790.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CN8-nCN1pFhvuBEzMKVpFLe50kGBeXSwDKKKrUtj7_Up4wbUSOL_VG06PUWJ9TnwfuVaH0WHOH74Tjfm7UNje6bB_7X1TKry9RooEVVm8dKiahsrhz7RaCDaSgLGwyvQotN16oBxBRlG-SNY_HDq98uePod20qAQ3mqYdr4PUWdI4rT94Rs3QGObTfA/s4032/IMG_0788.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CN8-nCN1pFhvuBEzMKVpFLe50kGBeXSwDKKKrUtj7_Up4wbUSOL_VG06PUWJ9TnwfuVaH0WHOH74Tjfm7UNje6bB_7X1TKry9RooEVVm8dKiahsrhz7RaCDaSgLGwyvQotN16oBxBRlG-SNY_HDq98uePod20qAQ3mqYdr4PUWdI4rT94Rs3QGObTfA/s320/IMG_0788.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqkjho8RpKSlEL2WHDM7COuAbxlo95imMM7AMIL8OsRDtH8oRsCiMUZ85En04N1awOhpVe8bH6aB5ksnjBJwogkSP5ibav4sDhFIt8Ru_DWq8BchQeUBqNYsVLW_hlc4vDDDd20jNGk0Y91PKZLsBEzgC3xto7H0Rb4rey0kJtsI7PhNCSnCNWssQ3H0/s4032/IMG_0787.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqkjho8RpKSlEL2WHDM7COuAbxlo95imMM7AMIL8OsRDtH8oRsCiMUZ85En04N1awOhpVe8bH6aB5ksnjBJwogkSP5ibav4sDhFIt8Ru_DWq8BchQeUBqNYsVLW_hlc4vDDDd20jNGk0Y91PKZLsBEzgC3xto7H0Rb4rey0kJtsI7PhNCSnCNWssQ3H0/s320/IMG_0787.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I think that just about catches us up. Assuming I make it, see you next week.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-37424824978405147312024-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:002024-01-28T17:07:37.299-08:00Arizona 2024<p> I apologize for two things right off the bat today. The first is that there was no blog for last week. We were in Arizona for Merrick's basketball tournament and too busy partying for me to get a post in. The second thing that I need to apologize for is that this is going to be photo dump. As I said, we had tons of fun in Arizona, and I have the photos to prove it.</p><p>Before tryouts for the basketball season even took place, there was a rumor that the "A team" would be traveling quite a bit, including a trip to Arizona. Even before tryouts and schedules being finalized, my kids were sure we would be going to Arizona, and they were adamant that we would all be going. Luckily for them, the stars aligned, and we did, in fact, get to use a basketball tournament as a reason to take a family trip to Arizona.</p><p>While Saturday and Sunday were pretty basketball heavy, we used every bit of extra time to play with all the family. This includes two new baby girl cousins that we hadn't gotten to meet before. We had a pizza party, went to multiple parks, including one with rides, spent a day at a trampoline park, and learned to cross stitch. We also had Clifford Cousin Christmas. We crammed a lot of fun into just a few short days.</p><p>We had such a great time. We are back to reality now but made memories that won't soon be forgotten. I'm so glad basketball gave us a reason to visit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h73W7leE5BQDfjPIW24DJ39wt2lzJA_uxnlmJ5VEsK-fXW5CPyk5bquGFWml552Li62tRWsPdd06dOTcE65MKgoLk-zBycvW4JFqH7wIWVQ8GX2ulZMuZM1DlmGSqvf_-hzQmI5uZq7XJsWtVG_kGMZ0znnOmqhYLQzAXX4Un-Y9yp1lZeVEzDPrzT0/s3088/IMG_0703.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h73W7leE5BQDfjPIW24DJ39wt2lzJA_uxnlmJ5VEsK-fXW5CPyk5bquGFWml552Li62tRWsPdd06dOTcE65MKgoLk-zBycvW4JFqH7wIWVQ8GX2ulZMuZM1DlmGSqvf_-hzQmI5uZq7XJsWtVG_kGMZ0znnOmqhYLQzAXX4Un-Y9yp1lZeVEzDPrzT0/s320/IMG_0703.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhJ1TZsMCfvpFupcH1HLbG9KLiZTYR3ilioCX6StBEd1_0-SPV6oup4eqxlp4zHomMKUiYJSMedd__VQV3VXyjbVITsjZHXP8-8u7VahQNh88Wmye0njGA6iUcIUzLc1zKgwUSQv8cuoDf88ydI_tQgKCfBVJOOweNgSIV5QxpO6zGWIeth1H5FdxyMU/s3088/IMG_0704.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhJ1TZsMCfvpFupcH1HLbG9KLiZTYR3ilioCX6StBEd1_0-SPV6oup4eqxlp4zHomMKUiYJSMedd__VQV3VXyjbVITsjZHXP8-8u7VahQNh88Wmye0njGA6iUcIUzLc1zKgwUSQv8cuoDf88ydI_tQgKCfBVJOOweNgSIV5QxpO6zGWIeth1H5FdxyMU/s320/IMG_0704.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zgkki2UAkHHYteWihQxBzcQNsppagE4vzX3WyxcASvS4G3WUG8qytmOwgxOhvWsAHLcAjPZlU2Q4t82RGSfWYY2ZqfGqwV8EE_V7n5iaqf1UO9zbqRcBLAzGpdcfE3gSkTJrQTmyYncu0wzGYmJUFPP93pbyqawrT1WjRQESLcZqQMqNtdn3RTyPwI0/s3088/IMG_0705.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zgkki2UAkHHYteWihQxBzcQNsppagE4vzX3WyxcASvS4G3WUG8qytmOwgxOhvWsAHLcAjPZlU2Q4t82RGSfWYY2ZqfGqwV8EE_V7n5iaqf1UO9zbqRcBLAzGpdcfE3gSkTJrQTmyYncu0wzGYmJUFPP93pbyqawrT1WjRQESLcZqQMqNtdn3RTyPwI0/s320/IMG_0705.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Merrick had practice, basketball or baseball, every night plus horses and his weekly church activity. Carrigan also had a church activity. Elsie also started a ballet class and had her first class this week. Jeremy and I also had extra curriculars with a basketball game for him and a cooking class for me. All this made for a busy week with LOTS of driving.</p><p>As for Elsie's ballet class, to say she loved it would be an understatement. We signed up to take it after hearing about it from one of her friends. Elsie was really excited to get to go with her friend, but it turns out they were out of town for this first week and Elsie had to brave it on her own. I was worried that she might be too nervous to go, not knowing anyone, but she did a great job. She definitely was not ready to leave when class ended and all the way home she talked about how excited she was to go back again next week.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0HGXUEJnHbS58lMlq1b7CGCODg7mfKDREFKNMqUMqwePlmHVeJfIOvqhLq_wBe65Cr7eHZngyfDlbeDYpbLAEf6osk0GVGNU0FHxtNaBbNL1r6Io-WbQyK35qKEOxMyggyCNJQVSI8bPnpMkLWdOObARCzMMvDS4XMDj5ew5Br9V9hkXS021UNocbdY/s4032/IMG_0668.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0HGXUEJnHbS58lMlq1b7CGCODg7mfKDREFKNMqUMqwePlmHVeJfIOvqhLq_wBe65Cr7eHZngyfDlbeDYpbLAEf6osk0GVGNU0FHxtNaBbNL1r6Io-WbQyK35qKEOxMyggyCNJQVSI8bPnpMkLWdOObARCzMMvDS4XMDj5ew5Br9V9hkXS021UNocbdY/s320/IMG_0668.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIXsJrqoSmUM1BfGcIU3IS1rcEtrho4zEPacYIXjR07Rl75XGCmf94InMpL4pZfA2SvUEsWDoJJMS3VGv0DkjyRviqBDt5zPdAmKQozfVpTKu-5kfOzlmO79nYhEEf5F1fXyuYPqjLrhvqUBd3hQEDpItMgl9v58lugJn908NPxE_x25X8ZkAvXpsCns/s4032/IMG_0669.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIXsJrqoSmUM1BfGcIU3IS1rcEtrho4zEPacYIXjR07Rl75XGCmf94InMpL4pZfA2SvUEsWDoJJMS3VGv0DkjyRviqBDt5zPdAmKQozfVpTKu-5kfOzlmO79nYhEEf5F1fXyuYPqjLrhvqUBd3hQEDpItMgl9v58lugJn908NPxE_x25X8ZkAvXpsCns/s320/IMG_0669.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>My cooking class was a class on baking a raspberry cream pie. It was a bit labor intensive but I made a homemade pie crust (for the first time ever), a cream custard, and a raspberry glaze topping. Pies have never really been my thing, but it was delicious and I think a made the best crust of the night. I may have been channeling my grandmother, who was an excellent pie maker.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Rva8H7v2G9-YrwLF1vHhObJcZLG1AlSjmC9zZl0Xwot0SHIj50hWf99y48O8EBLnPgSqb4ajNHlJnDMW-kPdHL1zqQimaoPAd-Sc1zsEr_JvwTKNefR3mvpjkYlJbpjhFai0p4lVyQQS4Man36fKVwg0Eh4SVTg4uHtuba19syoX0vnoERbezqvGScI/s4032/IMG_0647.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Rva8H7v2G9-YrwLF1vHhObJcZLG1AlSjmC9zZl0Xwot0SHIj50hWf99y48O8EBLnPgSqb4ajNHlJnDMW-kPdHL1zqQimaoPAd-Sc1zsEr_JvwTKNefR3mvpjkYlJbpjhFai0p4lVyQQS4Man36fKVwg0Eh4SVTg4uHtuba19syoX0vnoERbezqvGScI/s320/IMG_0647.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyxCu0MuQEoaK3_bZHWXGSWICAPphJHQDv1b1KK9UQYHGmxfs8i4bDXduY8p5IcnJlyic13yvq6OeR4ksJ_JPcENaQlpRO1HD4bDjIVUl75Q7_WUoO7TKUvGjPofzfwqj-4krAHEJQEr1JVvMy9ZltBfFH-HsRJcbKKNanFt9cz9KNaJLQN9zfWdLZ80/s4032/IMG_4564.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyxCu0MuQEoaK3_bZHWXGSWICAPphJHQDv1b1KK9UQYHGmxfs8i4bDXduY8p5IcnJlyic13yvq6OeR4ksJ_JPcENaQlpRO1HD4bDjIVUl75Q7_WUoO7TKUvGjPofzfwqj-4krAHEJQEr1JVvMy9ZltBfFH-HsRJcbKKNanFt9cz9KNaJLQN9zfWdLZ80/s320/IMG_4564.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd8OLGDKJ-X-0C7YavePG4URpQHJkcNDPjF3dX7Mh3gh_cOLNj8y4RAFtsm8mfwP5B-Sgqqji36HswXOR3rax3KLAeoYbld6MW_DcbZwwWgtpsSMTR2PjrJAkMzxGF_IMpeo1I2w19-p2QtVb8h7z8FwkkU-nYX3Ufxy7uSqFWCGiz51kKMTHLVMOMCo/s4032/IMG_0652.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd8OLGDKJ-X-0C7YavePG4URpQHJkcNDPjF3dX7Mh3gh_cOLNj8y4RAFtsm8mfwP5B-Sgqqji36HswXOR3rax3KLAeoYbld6MW_DcbZwwWgtpsSMTR2PjrJAkMzxGF_IMpeo1I2w19-p2QtVb8h7z8FwkkU-nYX3Ufxy7uSqFWCGiz51kKMTHLVMOMCo/s320/IMG_0652.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This weekend all extra curriculars, and really all curricular for that matter, came to a halt as Portland got hit with a major storm. We were hoping for snow, but really just got ice and lots of it. Thankfully we have not lost power or any trees at our house, but our street is pretty much a solid sheet of ice and it's about 20 degrees out right now.</p><p>While the kids didn't get the fun, play in the snow day they were hoping for, we did venture out for a bit yesterday until our faces nearly froze off. Ice is certainly different from snow, but it did make for some fun, fast sledding for a bit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuZGO6aH6pug5fQk57AW1XBmMgWJyUR5IBMFvGt6KLf_gkHwjQssDnkBLI_CPX__9C9QIVQ0lARox-WSNG1MOLybmlKRddJWhXl9p9yIJw90Pj6NTqVq4Ie_nmTN0OOl6mpNSZlKqD0if9Q53jxN59CvL4d-GlJ5hL9bYkSNshRJTXV16BKCCsjpg8BU/s4032/IMG_0680.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuZGO6aH6pug5fQk57AW1XBmMgWJyUR5IBMFvGt6KLf_gkHwjQssDnkBLI_CPX__9C9QIVQ0lARox-WSNG1MOLybmlKRddJWhXl9p9yIJw90Pj6NTqVq4Ie_nmTN0OOl6mpNSZlKqD0if9Q53jxN59CvL4d-GlJ5hL9bYkSNshRJTXV16BKCCsjpg8BU/s320/IMG_0680.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9NHXRYD3O0WsXfYA8eOlGZ43RSMK0Fyn7m8YS6ygL92l0DIHsUFPn2owcJ5mu4y2TRNsEORE1AZQ3d6KMH0IRjzUkYvmpQT5Styz1eVGZMTUag_8tYTFmJ2A_s8z_TT6_wVGBsJN-uwtVznP8tPzPaK-709UuoqDk9hqdlDKuzswWOaw-AvtL9bvgA/s4032/IMG_0682.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9NHXRYD3O0WsXfYA8eOlGZ43RSMK0Fyn7m8YS6ygL92l0DIHsUFPn2owcJ5mu4y2TRNsEORE1AZQ3d6KMH0IRjzUkYvmpQT5Styz1eVGZMTUag_8tYTFmJ2A_s8z_TT6_wVGBsJN-uwtVznP8tPzPaK-709UuoqDk9hqdlDKuzswWOaw-AvtL9bvgA/s320/IMG_0682.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuj7g_Xblo7bAWpUv3cKTT2WtyBPwZdCbBCsHr1e-LbGXYnCJ-Rfw1UOWq93uRQpFSt06vaJthW1bH5ufYxAHebKptjTTzvwghxC9B26Rz87SB6PrytVnfZL8FZtYWWiIw6o_HxjhfVnQQ62bIexdmxlvQHTHT3Lt1z9r1up4lM5CrQ48Yt7OZcV9B3o/s4032/IMG_0683.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuj7g_Xblo7bAWpUv3cKTT2WtyBPwZdCbBCsHr1e-LbGXYnCJ-Rfw1UOWq93uRQpFSt06vaJthW1bH5ufYxAHebKptjTTzvwghxC9B26Rz87SB6PrytVnfZL8FZtYWWiIw6o_HxjhfVnQQ62bIexdmxlvQHTHT3Lt1z9r1up4lM5CrQ48Yt7OZcV9B3o/s320/IMG_0683.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLgS275x5i01f2pUM1bTn-5avDMnpzu3NahEpi4f0WXtiv0urHBweY6cDKj7WlwPEWr1onsJtiJiWKupJK5tixX14S5iAKCbwZ8hi_XfXWdUOMZp3qUq3mIpQQ5qNRGGWcJua2MpPmsGOpmz0sUgdq0-vu1dNw3yvuy-TvncZkmWlSpbvQsp2kaVbdBQ/s4032/IMG_0686.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLgS275x5i01f2pUM1bTn-5avDMnpzu3NahEpi4f0WXtiv0urHBweY6cDKj7WlwPEWr1onsJtiJiWKupJK5tixX14S5iAKCbwZ8hi_XfXWdUOMZp3qUq3mIpQQ5qNRGGWcJua2MpPmsGOpmz0sUgdq0-vu1dNw3yvuy-TvncZkmWlSpbvQsp2kaVbdBQ/s320/IMG_0686.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdrdGYg16tK8CXj_60enRSQX_COBwdsaYMG-NAk8AkAZykC7lG0uvxm5QPjgxsrli-QoW4D0LZgZK8Eqdtwa4mY_MjaveJSZJmVVMHr-u8UG4hHXtgJkSMEPn3qX9PTPUtzmfo3R6SeK0OZ8Ql1j_Dod4UsPoG0hxothcvo17BQOzkZ6v-XmMQ2G-gdk/s4032/IMG_0687.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdrdGYg16tK8CXj_60enRSQX_COBwdsaYMG-NAk8AkAZykC7lG0uvxm5QPjgxsrli-QoW4D0LZgZK8Eqdtwa4mY_MjaveJSZJmVVMHr-u8UG4hHXtgJkSMEPn3qX9PTPUtzmfo3R6SeK0OZ8Ql1j_Dod4UsPoG0hxothcvo17BQOzkZ6v-XmMQ2G-gdk/s320/IMG_0687.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQvSLHb9oX_q7TYawJ913wRHvMhmbZWVY8FSK65Qa9Ep3yXOqJ1lesxt2joQBRbXjVIuXCxKusDNTXFlFiqenVoWn56sGqA1vPNnqsbNfWyMmslifzXZtpwC6KPQGz3pnTqsMbpmu3HV0VqG-qaNhY1cpPANa07vjzrsl7W9ns1aaIeK06AN0Gqgvd_U/s4032/IMG_0688.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQvSLHb9oX_q7TYawJ913wRHvMhmbZWVY8FSK65Qa9Ep3yXOqJ1lesxt2joQBRbXjVIuXCxKusDNTXFlFiqenVoWn56sGqA1vPNnqsbNfWyMmslifzXZtpwC6KPQGz3pnTqsMbpmu3HV0VqG-qaNhY1cpPANa07vjzrsl7W9ns1aaIeK06AN0Gqgvd_U/s320/IMG_0688.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd77DtBE_qeNGMiEIgVZJvhMVPO1n0ZlJInppdRcW8o4dzt3lIMxxCcmleXqTLHrRXIis1Cl231QjDCe11XhvBvAYDMfGXM6PTb7gSantIrX7EFtha4Qgx0VQBM5U1E_IKe1dfcv6oALi3JJRP6HAK1oF7gcRjxRQI4MB0D-Z6Qcbff86VRn13qVpcOAI/s4032/IMG_0689.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd77DtBE_qeNGMiEIgVZJvhMVPO1n0ZlJInppdRcW8o4dzt3lIMxxCcmleXqTLHrRXIis1Cl231QjDCe11XhvBvAYDMfGXM6PTb7gSantIrX7EFtha4Qgx0VQBM5U1E_IKe1dfcv6oALi3JJRP6HAK1oF7gcRjxRQI4MB0D-Z6Qcbff86VRn13qVpcOAI/s320/IMG_0689.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Tomorrow, Jeremy and the kids are off school and work. I am supposed to go to the office, but we will see. I did watch our neighbor make it off our street with some sliding, but this Arizona girl is just not very brave.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-28311614992962640982024-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T17:00:26.187-08:00Welcome 2024<p>Almost a full week in, but I would like to officially welcome 2024. In a lot of ways, 2023 was a challenge for us. We spent the first part of the year struggling with Jeremy's business, trying to decided if it was the right thing, at the right time for our family. Shortly after he decided to take a position at a firm and was settling in, Merrick started having heart problems. While juggling everything with Merrick's heart, I started my first full-time job in 15 years, and my grandmother fell and subsequently passed away. We then capped the year off with heart surgery, recovery, and then Covid. It was a lot.</p><p>Typically, I have a lot of anxiety around starting a new year. I think it's one of those "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't" things. However, this year, I am optimistic about what the new year could bring. We are hopeful that Merrick's heart concerns are behind us. The kids are doing well in school and have good friends. Jeremy and I are both enjoying and having success in our jobs. I know the challenges will come but, like I said, I'm optimistic.</p><p>Here's to happy and healthy 2024 for my family and yours!</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-3669522976979830292023-12-31T13:04:00.000-08:002023-12-31T13:04:00.373-08:00Christmas 2023<p> We last left off on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was quiet, but nice. We began the day bright and early at 6:30am, as the girls indicated that this was the latest acceptable time. We started with stocking and Santa gifts. The girls had asked Santa for a gumball machine that you build and take apart to build again differently, think marble track but with gumballs. They got that and Elsie got the Barbie she asked for and CC got a light up drawing tablet. Merrick, who was too cool to ask Santa for anything, got AirPods. Jeremy and I got a pickle ball set.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJd7fEeRtrXcPix-8zjaC-kMGwRFHoa_9DN_yutbBBjY_HOK0yCe7HeFgAdBFwmGtg9Icj-FimCYTyonkiTOSSIE-zPmGTLPabZs13gHIS3PNeancLZgPbFWerwczs4KnCHy7jpFmQp4DxPakzolM_lkps28m3uuqwNXMJslBOs_G5U0Rc5WFQ3yQ8pA/s4032/IMG_0558.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJd7fEeRtrXcPix-8zjaC-kMGwRFHoa_9DN_yutbBBjY_HOK0yCe7HeFgAdBFwmGtg9Icj-FimCYTyonkiTOSSIE-zPmGTLPabZs13gHIS3PNeancLZgPbFWerwczs4KnCHy7jpFmQp4DxPakzolM_lkps28m3uuqwNXMJslBOs_G5U0Rc5WFQ3yQ8pA/s320/IMG_0558.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTACVNLqj4kNJ72yRWPACUpRugj4moF3-MOcz7RTLOpohEoFq__IUerIS4nXDn8D9BHQMZS24kt_GlKqZAHE8IYfTFhCNjFU0KDdaLykqvaTESc6fvt4Y3iVEsMJiaTxdT3lWbnbslNkXZF9K-_gIa6dv5BQ8vQyrkkiI-lttly6_e8N7oh0BFR19hf_Y/s4032/IMG_0559.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTACVNLqj4kNJ72yRWPACUpRugj4moF3-MOcz7RTLOpohEoFq__IUerIS4nXDn8D9BHQMZS24kt_GlKqZAHE8IYfTFhCNjFU0KDdaLykqvaTESc6fvt4Y3iVEsMJiaTxdT3lWbnbslNkXZF9K-_gIa6dv5BQ8vQyrkkiI-lttly6_e8N7oh0BFR19hf_Y/s320/IMG_0559.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwX4I1C-Jsd4CfzIl8BsvUA08lEJm1hYSVkj-oUWvELS0-ifZtEE9NteRDAXT_01X9RB6dLoGhk_Fdky5Ap6BTaDyW2ongabeafXFQiX4qY01hxBaCmcibwz3D65Lza3xcWwfnayBa6vl5zGWuCJ6Fj5w6g4sPPOzRwkyY8QNO13Cwy_BQuTrw6DXN-8/s4032/IMG_0560.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwX4I1C-Jsd4CfzIl8BsvUA08lEJm1hYSVkj-oUWvELS0-ifZtEE9NteRDAXT_01X9RB6dLoGhk_Fdky5Ap6BTaDyW2ongabeafXFQiX4qY01hxBaCmcibwz3D65Lza3xcWwfnayBa6vl5zGWuCJ6Fj5w6g4sPPOzRwkyY8QNO13Cwy_BQuTrw6DXN-8/s320/IMG_0560.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0jiYVojtk22b2KKbgDa2BYY4UXM1WlgdoQ5xAEKmOTPCKKlebCsPqYtz8lmI30LsRQvSRI5c6FhzreroINpRQGW-0b5vMQcMZkLy-06ohlJMYsTzisNBFtocF5ep3UR_yyGzwopBVd5DrHZRiI6MeXyszz8oXLjdVl1XuCP7U33U-YfBg4Tuiekt90o/s4032/IMG_0570.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0jiYVojtk22b2KKbgDa2BYY4UXM1WlgdoQ5xAEKmOTPCKKlebCsPqYtz8lmI30LsRQvSRI5c6FhzreroINpRQGW-0b5vMQcMZkLy-06ohlJMYsTzisNBFtocF5ep3UR_yyGzwopBVd5DrHZRiI6MeXyszz8oXLjdVl1XuCP7U33U-YfBg4Tuiekt90o/s320/IMG_0570.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2vwL2LA9xnMfHDLtIZWb5EpmTHhJUZsXawIrJgQ26pZthiHMyOihFTxRvfmO9xOhTJfWeJLS06uJlAPd42OdNc5Cu7GllogyDAGQXnEMorRzimrhqXAsxP6voyf5Mz-x6LXQikS66y29oTq6U8VvBvy30JJq67bQuGCAPheo2t81UiFHLBqLnRAhU8Q/s4032/IMG_0569.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2vwL2LA9xnMfHDLtIZWb5EpmTHhJUZsXawIrJgQ26pZthiHMyOihFTxRvfmO9xOhTJfWeJLS06uJlAPd42OdNc5Cu7GllogyDAGQXnEMorRzimrhqXAsxP6voyf5Mz-x6LXQikS66y29oTq6U8VvBvy30JJq67bQuGCAPheo2t81UiFHLBqLnRAhU8Q/s320/IMG_0569.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon0aFbKneR2RL-sZgS2rZpcqhB_mfF9DempUMnKfjER2A8l-3R0ZI04w_mqVsG0-pYbYjc0YGf8nYk8IUxfYujfRWHx5wR88ivIIOREVJIPWhYuU4q52yow-AP4Sd-FiQO_l2BVA2GE2qqK1_EZn0Kj3caBpcSOzwWMihWaXitmmfqQAGUpD3TXHAbwk/s4032/IMG_0568.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon0aFbKneR2RL-sZgS2rZpcqhB_mfF9DempUMnKfjER2A8l-3R0ZI04w_mqVsG0-pYbYjc0YGf8nYk8IUxfYujfRWHx5wR88ivIIOREVJIPWhYuU4q52yow-AP4Sd-FiQO_l2BVA2GE2qqK1_EZn0Kj3caBpcSOzwWMihWaXitmmfqQAGUpD3TXHAbwk/s320/IMG_0568.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB5ZRfONXqUHfUs4z20ceIfJbGCCZNrQePzxoKJ1URoJRXFUEXYiLjQyO_wWfFAq2H73nEV9DUFtrb1bUnk2pymW8aFBszxHUJDyNtcDlCEP2pDAeGSS5h24bGRhjELx2HIfmv_OXnOCmY2k3FVvXR3ujMGYxmNdNa2vffcVPnhVJQq98R2T01VMekcs/s4032/IMG_0572.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB5ZRfONXqUHfUs4z20ceIfJbGCCZNrQePzxoKJ1URoJRXFUEXYiLjQyO_wWfFAq2H73nEV9DUFtrb1bUnk2pymW8aFBszxHUJDyNtcDlCEP2pDAeGSS5h24bGRhjELx2HIfmv_OXnOCmY2k3FVvXR3ujMGYxmNdNa2vffcVPnhVJQq98R2T01VMekcs/s320/IMG_0572.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Merrick's gift highlights were, not surprisingly, all about sports. He got an elbow guard, face mask, eye black, and, most importantly, a new bat. Starting next year, he will have to swing a BBCor bat so he got a brand new one to start off his high school career on the right foot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma9Am0aTEu6L22Phvuwgg2Wc6r7-WYfxkh_rB6WRev47n9-yYVnjzXwDTARGaxBkaW2qwVYDQ1KH-4f20LarXn8ELYNDBKhjYtMQ9PO1dE6_kvxjF65Q6BFvh-3X6u7u3szD7bbeSjM-tMLLX_y3RIFltsCEMuRbBklHaVdQ-3YkS0zfLSKBOUPBY1uc/s4032/IMG_0582.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma9Am0aTEu6L22Phvuwgg2Wc6r7-WYfxkh_rB6WRev47n9-yYVnjzXwDTARGaxBkaW2qwVYDQ1KH-4f20LarXn8ELYNDBKhjYtMQ9PO1dE6_kvxjF65Q6BFvh-3X6u7u3szD7bbeSjM-tMLLX_y3RIFltsCEMuRbBklHaVdQ-3YkS0zfLSKBOUPBY1uc/s320/IMG_0582.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmji5i8eTgdmOu7uQsUp-3EqNFVvA7V1HIGLEXd-QyCjtgCmPJL0NgXSaLGqwZ8fKVEQNP8Fsc5hLBVGXOVcIv8F_k32IP37QLFsf51pbEWhAuiG2PEgFrmPdPVvNCI47KDHOa6WS2n_CrhV6nllKKYPYeVujjdSYU2caq29PwT_qn0ivZ5Vw8GcF9S9E/s4032/IMG_7350.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmji5i8eTgdmOu7uQsUp-3EqNFVvA7V1HIGLEXd-QyCjtgCmPJL0NgXSaLGqwZ8fKVEQNP8Fsc5hLBVGXOVcIv8F_k32IP37QLFsf51pbEWhAuiG2PEgFrmPdPVvNCI47KDHOa6WS2n_CrhV6nllKKYPYeVujjdSYU2caq29PwT_qn0ivZ5Vw8GcF9S9E/s320/IMG_7350.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptRpBnLK5pSrxDMVoJ7uX8-gOGezGq-LCU90iR3Q158Dr8quHKY_QRqnrivjso1BrDp34D7bQuCL070tv83QigldsxLuIbuRcxeMLHVzFeV5Cs0fJDbNvsZUSVwET5EWEPgGJVEUvLFlB7bu6Iot2c3VQz_NLPNT-HJaKGtib8r9fd0JMBeaBEV8nMwU/s4032/IMG_7370.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptRpBnLK5pSrxDMVoJ7uX8-gOGezGq-LCU90iR3Q158Dr8quHKY_QRqnrivjso1BrDp34D7bQuCL070tv83QigldsxLuIbuRcxeMLHVzFeV5Cs0fJDbNvsZUSVwET5EWEPgGJVEUvLFlB7bu6Iot2c3VQz_NLPNT-HJaKGtib8r9fd0JMBeaBEV8nMwU/s320/IMG_7370.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Carrigan got lots of crafting and volleyball related things. The highlights were the sewing machine from Grandpa and Lollie, and a new volleyball net for the backyard.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLf2H9ats8nCU_NXwbPOPMdehbuz2CXFEmGw-gmeloCmIa0EVpuftZvk-6Plt5CX0QgWJtPgirdU1n3lAn-UdbDbvRTImIbctoquLHA3DVCElfnkyCe9nWPoMtnmQxIG4Pe68tXqkoMCq82UhrHy75PXAN4KTp2P3d2U5766mpJ3Zhg-pYAe4s6kc4xKI/s4032/IMG_7361.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLf2H9ats8nCU_NXwbPOPMdehbuz2CXFEmGw-gmeloCmIa0EVpuftZvk-6Plt5CX0QgWJtPgirdU1n3lAn-UdbDbvRTImIbctoquLHA3DVCElfnkyCe9nWPoMtnmQxIG4Pe68tXqkoMCq82UhrHy75PXAN4KTp2P3d2U5766mpJ3Zhg-pYAe4s6kc4xKI/s320/IMG_7361.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLqTWzbv4OQu8bwSADCTImb9741NPyBWi6L0ZUo-2yctaeltpGAQxm1LMb8Ujqm-sar_qMOCfzj00UP8bqROFPDkrog1TXUfvUehohKPyFF95pKniqZoBPer0qn-CSUMwRr_oB856dsxaWJE9fbCZR_2_sbCCtw9KHQWz3q9BKpLaQ3BXSLp6k9tZgMA/s4032/IMG_7348.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLqTWzbv4OQu8bwSADCTImb9741NPyBWi6L0ZUo-2yctaeltpGAQxm1LMb8Ujqm-sar_qMOCfzj00UP8bqROFPDkrog1TXUfvUehohKPyFF95pKniqZoBPer0qn-CSUMwRr_oB856dsxaWJE9fbCZR_2_sbCCtw9KHQWz3q9BKpLaQ3BXSLp6k9tZgMA/s320/IMG_7348.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuv42tFZ2VmRdZDgqvpy9KAeFLZiFbnuSug3QunjaxhoiA6qNEjerYd7NMfAyPiXwV1sazBepxXtVvIVMW3ZmHai5EJKJk_QirShyphenhyphen_c4wZ071sDYeWGNNezzUSv9vFqqIRaP_2p8xrjlOdectBCdG5WMJiWDjub80EXtJIwjm5gPLgYeNidSCUjvVDsI/s4032/IMG_7363.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuv42tFZ2VmRdZDgqvpy9KAeFLZiFbnuSug3QunjaxhoiA6qNEjerYd7NMfAyPiXwV1sazBepxXtVvIVMW3ZmHai5EJKJk_QirShyphenhyphen_c4wZ071sDYeWGNNezzUSv9vFqqIRaP_2p8xrjlOdectBCdG5WMJiWDjub80EXtJIwjm5gPLgYeNidSCUjvVDsI/s320/IMG_7363.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5bmXte-uNgoJzOqju1BFRY7CkSY7QW4MkaERusW_BxbNy0AEPjoYxPWbxOysRauw4-D6qXSl06pLM7xsxcXU7-wuuitHePnjKnwuw4PrUJfaSWAx1npgGEKZDxMPgZJds5SdDT-K7OMH1yMBQh-XkLwmO7OEOj_SztVSrYN2MWhzouaobkZ8YBEP1JM/s4032/IMG_0580.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5bmXte-uNgoJzOqju1BFRY7CkSY7QW4MkaERusW_BxbNy0AEPjoYxPWbxOysRauw4-D6qXSl06pLM7xsxcXU7-wuuitHePnjKnwuw4PrUJfaSWAx1npgGEKZDxMPgZJds5SdDT-K7OMH1yMBQh-XkLwmO7OEOj_SztVSrYN2MWhzouaobkZ8YBEP1JM/s320/IMG_0580.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXz43_ZT01cHGOXW2bko0o5Huse9ZDwGPMOIp2ZP3psiQ4SAkpO-ecHgMKEfVj-GyB-Wye2G1ACtocWdoISHKf4wmwFGyUqVR6-hwcNR9UKbIaT9AKlKv74ieT3herNi-1fncTUH52hE7tbg0QH24i4A2sdaKxQW9BIxFoem18V6GJcnY5TjRtOegQg/s4032/IMG_7368.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXz43_ZT01cHGOXW2bko0o5Huse9ZDwGPMOIp2ZP3psiQ4SAkpO-ecHgMKEfVj-GyB-Wye2G1ACtocWdoISHKf4wmwFGyUqVR6-hwcNR9UKbIaT9AKlKv74ieT3herNi-1fncTUH52hE7tbg0QH24i4A2sdaKxQW9BIxFoem18V6GJcnY5TjRtOegQg/s320/IMG_7368.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Elsie got Barbies galore, a Cookez Makery that has you bake a dough in a magic oven and it magically turns into a stuffy, and a magical fairy finder. Her biggest gifts were roller skates from Grandpa and Lollie, and a new bike.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrzUF8Sg4DEutOtR-V2pDA5ro5r9TJMhEyyWmWmGZHb6WwzkP_lWMIlogHnyw9BdDya1R55dZUT0kUvOQfdVsreJPE3jA4fKgRnQpaaPb6hEKEVAYPJl-WB8fUI4fRxOxoBoO1GKIO6xeAm7g6Iwj4kkNQyCYQ_4C6WxZ3Fma7QvtxcDofgcFc4xYL08/s4032/IMG_7347.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrzUF8Sg4DEutOtR-V2pDA5ro5r9TJMhEyyWmWmGZHb6WwzkP_lWMIlogHnyw9BdDya1R55dZUT0kUvOQfdVsreJPE3jA4fKgRnQpaaPb6hEKEVAYPJl-WB8fUI4fRxOxoBoO1GKIO6xeAm7g6Iwj4kkNQyCYQ_4C6WxZ3Fma7QvtxcDofgcFc4xYL08/s320/IMG_7347.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDKqMFOkPIQUcEmv2-4zuSgy0NWRc4Bx93-xpshF00lPAoZSl5CmohNKMQEbO0LF-TrISsKYmSj0zAc4ODOpiq0gtFM9N6-ATHCyQhWGveo4hREgktrFlmdenOQN94LKCUQDzZpoIAKgsMnPDuixuxskmFXGeNka_sEGHi1VQbz6y884aDQjaFz_J6RM/s4032/IMG_0578.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDKqMFOkPIQUcEmv2-4zuSgy0NWRc4Bx93-xpshF00lPAoZSl5CmohNKMQEbO0LF-TrISsKYmSj0zAc4ODOpiq0gtFM9N6-ATHCyQhWGveo4hREgktrFlmdenOQN94LKCUQDzZpoIAKgsMnPDuixuxskmFXGeNka_sEGHi1VQbz6y884aDQjaFz_J6RM/s320/IMG_0578.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNysZEcKwK3MHK3LD0SMazzIyTRppKsy0aMD4H3hRbcqCZy_GNh5wJ2hzH4CSEC9PIpd4t4mveSDFM9fg7zChWvkGtilDsaBL72EpKTS_Hdt9sh9SadAB-eV_IRCCBYmn-ENFgTN8CUBWyp4YtMOSemNrix4FqSdMbjWoZtcAS1ilAwbH06vcTDTYZDQ/s4032/IMG_7355.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNysZEcKwK3MHK3LD0SMazzIyTRppKsy0aMD4H3hRbcqCZy_GNh5wJ2hzH4CSEC9PIpd4t4mveSDFM9fg7zChWvkGtilDsaBL72EpKTS_Hdt9sh9SadAB-eV_IRCCBYmn-ENFgTN8CUBWyp4YtMOSemNrix4FqSdMbjWoZtcAS1ilAwbH06vcTDTYZDQ/s320/IMG_7355.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSR6SpFnZus19VsQeCf-czqPtNx7QdtRKnm2Dw0XiA2x8brtdtyJuRQO_l5oMv6j6lrXPtfY8DcTBUgyWWcBEkqEd2H22SpbZHMKuLH87NO5AL73Zqc9iePbUNWvX65iPq-V7F19bR3jrwNZrbSAlItbhROQTYW4wSG83a6aaR6j4Z9EHs2UCwXHBDuo/s4032/IMG_7351.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSR6SpFnZus19VsQeCf-czqPtNx7QdtRKnm2Dw0XiA2x8brtdtyJuRQO_l5oMv6j6lrXPtfY8DcTBUgyWWcBEkqEd2H22SpbZHMKuLH87NO5AL73Zqc9iePbUNWvX65iPq-V7F19bR3jrwNZrbSAlItbhROQTYW4wSG83a6aaR6j4Z9EHs2UCwXHBDuo/s320/IMG_7351.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsOV5qt3s1oC3q9ir_vWbFbDc3w2LT08eulpLnKpJ7nkk6uh0H4x_eAMpa0GQcIK5tZhnHLpbXyJq-UblgtgTit-wqG60wQmwn9mXF_1b0M3WVsET8ReGwWrvlEN5gAbuPaEspxcqWS0ToDaxppFUYYe5TFiTT9HRxh6RzKyBvwc4bsB2d21PjDOb3JA/s4032/IMG_7364.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsOV5qt3s1oC3q9ir_vWbFbDc3w2LT08eulpLnKpJ7nkk6uh0H4x_eAMpa0GQcIK5tZhnHLpbXyJq-UblgtgTit-wqG60wQmwn9mXF_1b0M3WVsET8ReGwWrvlEN5gAbuPaEspxcqWS0ToDaxppFUYYe5TFiTT9HRxh6RzKyBvwc4bsB2d21PjDOb3JA/s320/IMG_7364.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOS_lb6deFB1R4-xYyAtWaDoA74RMkiQrtnThg-sWzeTV6IRkIlc7XwUX8iMY-jQEG3-zzeD5jLI1zR3G0mmF_qJhfseG_kAU79ctMM33EiWXjyyfSIWL6jIbgi2gyhr9YDzUkRPUuWotiD1h04ENgf1r3lA2ukNQsYpmh7oeXJbpn3SOpqPmnT6Mwbo/s4032/IMG_0576.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOS_lb6deFB1R4-xYyAtWaDoA74RMkiQrtnThg-sWzeTV6IRkIlc7XwUX8iMY-jQEG3-zzeD5jLI1zR3G0mmF_qJhfseG_kAU79ctMM33EiWXjyyfSIWL6jIbgi2gyhr9YDzUkRPUuWotiD1h04ENgf1r3lA2ukNQsYpmh7oeXJbpn3SOpqPmnT6Mwbo/s320/IMG_0576.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PZAaaG2bh6jnJwzv4gd-urfijLL0As5jLl-x98lAeLfS8OghRJhaRDVZ_pn-a21VXeMssaO-DdvWykk5MXGbrOxOYMSSZ1l7ghd7UruT47rkaLhr8HRv6Yx_FyrjDIAHdzW6GPY4vkcHtRlX6fXdT8amdMdnynR0NRZusIFzsckNtMiHdFlcd0c4Y7U/s4032/IMG_0574.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PZAaaG2bh6jnJwzv4gd-urfijLL0As5jLl-x98lAeLfS8OghRJhaRDVZ_pn-a21VXeMssaO-DdvWykk5MXGbrOxOYMSSZ1l7ghd7UruT47rkaLhr8HRv6Yx_FyrjDIAHdzW6GPY4vkcHtRlX6fXdT8amdMdnynR0NRZusIFzsckNtMiHdFlcd0c4Y7U/s320/IMG_0574.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Jeremy and I struggled with what to get each other this year. I'm not sure he was over the moon with his gifts of shoes, jeans, a reading light, a hat and snacks from around the world, but I did put a fair amount of thought into it and, as they say, it's the thought that counts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJ3PFK7S7nmtjcF7Z9Rq2jv1WKfBQgRr4fn-LAB7z-iaSqlaGDlACKL0INVNxPb0YeDJl3WQrqcUEsvghSgwg5STI2zF_RVQAQmf7NpzNqkcrBwCubhY94VIXKbdxA_Hk5beSVPMsPeJFwNG_mJyyKs7Txy2NSnwEtYtzvos00C-gG7fMqSdtQRaGxt0/s4032/IMG_7357.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJ3PFK7S7nmtjcF7Z9Rq2jv1WKfBQgRr4fn-LAB7z-iaSqlaGDlACKL0INVNxPb0YeDJl3WQrqcUEsvghSgwg5STI2zF_RVQAQmf7NpzNqkcrBwCubhY94VIXKbdxA_Hk5beSVPMsPeJFwNG_mJyyKs7Txy2NSnwEtYtzvos00C-gG7fMqSdtQRaGxt0/s320/IMG_7357.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I picked out several of my gifts this year, but Jeremy did surprise me with some new clothes. I got clothes, boots, and my highlight was an eye massager.</p><p>After opening all the gifts, it looked like a bomb had gone off in the house, but everyone was happy. We had a nice breakfast with cinnamon roll and, a delightful gift to me, I didn't even have to make them since we had friends drop them off the night before.</p><p>The rest of the day was about R and R. Jeremy and I took a nap. We watched movies, did face masks, and everyone tried out my new eye massager. It was a great day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxHa90vhRevbqC8eR6hQGoY1_YSoVPkn7jTUbL2RAZyIF8870KTfo7ke6FnhFm1x_AWaNVMlYvN2zDJGOwrWPQlTAGPWY3zCg_aZbFv_JORGSDeNCzKMbh53-kO54X9dqM5COuW9H1EoABhGtlyM9Puei8SgY-9oAn_5D744ogCICZFB2zWLRQceNTUM/s3088/IMG_7371.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxHa90vhRevbqC8eR6hQGoY1_YSoVPkn7jTUbL2RAZyIF8870KTfo7ke6FnhFm1x_AWaNVMlYvN2zDJGOwrWPQlTAGPWY3zCg_aZbFv_JORGSDeNCzKMbh53-kO54X9dqM5COuW9H1EoABhGtlyM9Puei8SgY-9oAn_5D744ogCICZFB2zWLRQceNTUM/s320/IMG_7371.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC09ubU_BOt4GtZt6hF-3Zz1SlsjtigliuU6ZRlx_4BbKpcOydOjyJ9qrh5gZ9RnYXpmXOAr2E_ea5o1OGH2DmOfmBDTGYWyvkE6y_9vH_yivdYrIxRtgPmbts6izWHDiiFPeX5C47cDbEZLPEgYEjCxJ9rL0w9m3fQfM4Hm_iZGOFBw0WwuC2R-rGVU/s4032/IMG_7373.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC09ubU_BOt4GtZt6hF-3Zz1SlsjtigliuU6ZRlx_4BbKpcOydOjyJ9qrh5gZ9RnYXpmXOAr2E_ea5o1OGH2DmOfmBDTGYWyvkE6y_9vH_yivdYrIxRtgPmbts6izWHDiiFPeX5C47cDbEZLPEgYEjCxJ9rL0w9m3fQfM4Hm_iZGOFBw0WwuC2R-rGVU/s320/IMG_7373.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Today is NYE and we are trying again with the Lundberg Christmas party. Unfortunately, now Becca's boys, Quincy and Lincoln, have Covid, but we can't postpone any longer. Maybe someday everyone will be healthy, but that might not happen until next Christmas.</p><p><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-78310753086546359692023-12-24T11:30:00.000-08:002023-12-24T11:30:25.178-08:00Speed Christmas<p>This Christmas has been a strange one. It has certainly not gone as planned, but rather, has been celebrated in random bursts. It started the day after Thanksgiving, with the girls in an extreme hurry to start celebrating. Couple that with the my desire to make sure that we got everything in this season despite Merrick's surgery and you have a recipe that had us doing lots of celebrating prior to December even starting.</p><p>Fast forward to this last week. With Merrick's surgery in the rearview mirror and with school out for the holidays, I had intended on spending this past week doing all things Christmas. Turns out that was not how things would play out. Instead, I tested positive for Covid on Monday morning and spent the week quarantined in the basement. Truth be told, I'm not really sure what went on upstairs while I was in the basement, but I do know it involved a lot of TV and not much of the festivities I had planned. While in the basement, I did at least get all my wrapping done, and even had enough extra time to DIY bows for each present.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy71zzH23PM039vj9_ZdtMthZHIR6B1FH2XYy1v9YQFeNPnNsr6s9DIQBRrzigXCXeU84IbYXo-oqEhyLkhLsvfVA0kW8PdfPEooX7-p4IL9uC9RqDQmbkoPD3BzneVQP7gYDilcRrLr3raeSgnA4R7Ao27CF7xn5E6ZHLWoSrXgS4lg1SYcJmprySN2k/s4032/72487242758__AAF5CB29-17D6-4B8B-80A4-0E59AB99F0A9.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy71zzH23PM039vj9_ZdtMthZHIR6B1FH2XYy1v9YQFeNPnNsr6s9DIQBRrzigXCXeU84IbYXo-oqEhyLkhLsvfVA0kW8PdfPEooX7-p4IL9uC9RqDQmbkoPD3BzneVQP7gYDilcRrLr3raeSgnA4R7Ao27CF7xn5E6ZHLWoSrXgS4lg1SYcJmprySN2k/s320/72487242758__AAF5CB29-17D6-4B8B-80A4-0E59AB99F0A9.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnoOGVy0Ro9ZqnOyfGmO9fYIvZOXkcarzw817ig9Jh2o_I9gI-TlgC3UXFoZB75JjeeXGmS9afHA6SUu1tbNR9a1UqYQ1uOLZQx1d5-u4nFovVshyphenhyphennOte6ryssL9gC3meW_I9D06UO0W8yVwWD0XasOkG71ADaTAhIQ4EhM29pw0KW520qYpuJsU4BkU/s4032/IMG_0515.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnoOGVy0Ro9ZqnOyfGmO9fYIvZOXkcarzw817ig9Jh2o_I9gI-TlgC3UXFoZB75JjeeXGmS9afHA6SUu1tbNR9a1UqYQ1uOLZQx1d5-u4nFovVshyphenhyphennOte6ryssL9gC3meW_I9D06UO0W8yVwWD0XasOkG71ADaTAhIQ4EhM29pw0KW520qYpuJsU4BkU/s320/IMG_0515.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Friday, I emerged from the basement and we hit the ground running. Friday we spend most of the day baking. We made tons of sugar cookies, peppermint cookies, and homemade Reese's. That evening we packaged and delivered goodies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1Br8OiivvT_Vld2oJK_mb3SaBPk8SRkDDbjKENouHwStIYLUUn6V47M_RNMqnj2lGar9lUONWeATvIP3Dw_MF1_yqH7r6Uuxtn3TCb-ITW7pzRykRYgb-n6zLzNax539jwjfX6acgBW0axF5KpgpHvh0tIHjrfF725nMLpZ8F0Pms98dJi-MCeNzjEU/s4032/72498337313__D0B2D0B6-FF07-4223-A3B0-3D5C9127A91E.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1Br8OiivvT_Vld2oJK_mb3SaBPk8SRkDDbjKENouHwStIYLUUn6V47M_RNMqnj2lGar9lUONWeATvIP3Dw_MF1_yqH7r6Uuxtn3TCb-ITW7pzRykRYgb-n6zLzNax539jwjfX6acgBW0axF5KpgpHvh0tIHjrfF725nMLpZ8F0Pms98dJi-MCeNzjEU/s320/72498337313__D0B2D0B6-FF07-4223-A3B0-3D5C9127A91E.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Yesterday, we continued to pack in all fun we could stand. We made Christmas ornaments. We made and decorated gingerbread houses. We finished our goody deliveries. We capped off the night with a drive to see Christmas lights and arrived home to find a letter for the girls from Santa.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEwdCSVrtzB9UKe49P60m0Bsc7pm5Ws2gjp4YfT1zpn8LsTAmVbk14wwspW3QhJxiMTkGgjrq3uXLybJzVyTvcL6-SZKQ4dBh2dw2c_PevR6VkBthYs1gV8JnKPRtR3xeV3UYJfAcCmsbuVjMbwrplQcnYliyVGsWhpCMzMYBzplp93D8bIe88wgqvFE/s4032/IMG_0519.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEwdCSVrtzB9UKe49P60m0Bsc7pm5Ws2gjp4YfT1zpn8LsTAmVbk14wwspW3QhJxiMTkGgjrq3uXLybJzVyTvcL6-SZKQ4dBh2dw2c_PevR6VkBthYs1gV8JnKPRtR3xeV3UYJfAcCmsbuVjMbwrplQcnYliyVGsWhpCMzMYBzplp93D8bIe88wgqvFE/s320/IMG_0519.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bKZ_7owXyyDIXAaZ2YWMKeAnLYAtprf7DuKMVWrJ5L-HCltEeBieMJDvu3GLZjd_jAOCDmgl5DoXWnmkffXzuQ_N05YOSA4GMtMSCl1tc-okH_GlW5NSkjuXUmjmYKvrpUJgEPG7AnUF4PF4yTebzidtlGOxn1UoPQIcubdwI_pbQSJnU_4XwhjyepQ/s3088/IMG_0521.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bKZ_7owXyyDIXAaZ2YWMKeAnLYAtprf7DuKMVWrJ5L-HCltEeBieMJDvu3GLZjd_jAOCDmgl5DoXWnmkffXzuQ_N05YOSA4GMtMSCl1tc-okH_GlW5NSkjuXUmjmYKvrpUJgEPG7AnUF4PF4yTebzidtlGOxn1UoPQIcubdwI_pbQSJnU_4XwhjyepQ/s320/IMG_0521.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V8ERbsf3usDHKNXIjXkXWR7bn8-e_FFdG1x5iBSjrE26p8Q7Tl0-rTbW24HBjL3mGRS0hPsvF90ShOqEv7PVrtrXkAFMEpBAW2A874Z_BX-DyEwTG4J7Xo03n7HE4jiBz6OrCHDeGvEeOiQ0Mk8DPXH_-VvJI4hp2zZlnOwrfczaCstefFGGVbNNq4A/s4032/IMG_7327.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V8ERbsf3usDHKNXIjXkXWR7bn8-e_FFdG1x5iBSjrE26p8Q7Tl0-rTbW24HBjL3mGRS0hPsvF90ShOqEv7PVrtrXkAFMEpBAW2A874Z_BX-DyEwTG4J7Xo03n7HE4jiBz6OrCHDeGvEeOiQ0Mk8DPXH_-VvJI4hp2zZlnOwrfczaCstefFGGVbNNq4A/s320/IMG_7327.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LesSqf9wMEAn7UKrGExuR1_D7HFuUuUd0dLom5pTTcru5RvPgDLkdbHrj0k0is_gtlSh6mdwXdnMagbUEpwPQjTpv2lqx4fLqChuw3iZJvzM6gAxXRCzIOxJyU85NODfkgWflLQi7DDPz-3d_mP0zF07E8lKw-RxPEftLE1NKSIi3GbxGLiLd4gTUbo/s320/IMG_7341.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5sJ0S_66HvdUUTbJgedeL51XV8cByXfAZ_tmRS0U-wbkI3nWRQ3zX38uh_cdWm-6pU5DxzQb3Wm1JtkrNLGLxX6th5fqqZ5FCeJrPtSBExmb2kQBggwvY4T-W9K2MJzzVYOPODBcVuPiqw1qVr_PewrSSuAAZnE_MGcs0BdxuUXr9XAftXjyBaETJEM/s4032/IMG_0522.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5sJ0S_66HvdUUTbJgedeL51XV8cByXfAZ_tmRS0U-wbkI3nWRQ3zX38uh_cdWm-6pU5DxzQb3Wm1JtkrNLGLxX6th5fqqZ5FCeJrPtSBExmb2kQBggwvY4T-W9K2MJzzVYOPODBcVuPiqw1qVr_PewrSSuAAZnE_MGcs0BdxuUXr9XAftXjyBaETJEM/s320/IMG_0522.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Today is Christmas Eve and we are supposed to be getting together with all my family, but we hit the breaks instead as my niece, Isabel, and both of my parents tested positive for Covid yesterday. In true Strange Christmas fashion, we have put a pin in our celebrations and will have pretend Christmas on New Year's Eve. We will then have Clifford Family cousin Christmas in late January, when we go to AZ for a basketball tournament.</p><p>It's certainly not the Christmas we planned, but I think it will definitely be one to remember.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-19479830077560550602023-12-17T16:33:00.000-08:002023-12-17T16:33:53.066-08:00Christmas Hurdles<p> Am I the only one who thinks about life as a series of hurdles? Leading up to any major event, I tend to think of all the things that have to happen before the event as hurdles. These aren't always necessarily bad things, just things that have to happen. Starting tomorrow I am on Winter Break from my job. One of the hurdles that I had to cross before that was my very first big girl business trip. I sent the majority of the week in Grand Rapids, Michigan for corporate training and a Christmas party. It was a very strange experience traveling on my own (something I haven't done since before Jeremy and I were married) and staying in a hotel room by myself. Overall, it was an enjoyable time, but I was happy to get home Friday night.</p><p>Now that I'm home, it's on to hurdles (mostly fun) before Christmas. The first one of those was the girls night that C.C. has been planning for weeks. Last night we had 7 girls between the ages of 5 and 11 here for crafting, pizza, a Christmas movie, ice cream sundaes, jumping on the trampoline, hide and seek and a snowball fight. It was a fun and crazy night.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQoxgUKEoyP8OlLw_EAXAckXutYljVfN57BwBsaZWxeIKjnWoz9RO7sNyyUxgySqa4AezUXwI9FDUezM188RZ5m4aNMZD8_MNE2P-PtB9QnEAj1C4tcWPWQpRMQb2iOL_7pL8ODlRfVBSMLmEnMXZQgqYRanxslHryHphgphhl95UoBR6mKFAALxhzf0/s4032/IMG_7294.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQoxgUKEoyP8OlLw_EAXAckXutYljVfN57BwBsaZWxeIKjnWoz9RO7sNyyUxgySqa4AezUXwI9FDUezM188RZ5m4aNMZD8_MNE2P-PtB9QnEAj1C4tcWPWQpRMQb2iOL_7pL8ODlRfVBSMLmEnMXZQgqYRanxslHryHphgphhl95UoBR6mKFAALxhzf0/s320/IMG_7294.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoexDB2ER1E-GHBhfCAMlc1IC2Q8Q9dJ8yRXatP3gJbTQHl5OJ62eXjLC6v2XY4uYE3YiSLhW5c514Wi8rnJMT8K2EFIDQZ2mAWO50y3RAufJFJyIigjE1YjgtBklrfwIflBXQWo4ngEdiHaTRy-OA7tVIzpi8utSPAu9uZ4hZqq_f95M_79MapAlyCY/s4032/IMG_0505.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoexDB2ER1E-GHBhfCAMlc1IC2Q8Q9dJ8yRXatP3gJbTQHl5OJ62eXjLC6v2XY4uYE3YiSLhW5c514Wi8rnJMT8K2EFIDQZ2mAWO50y3RAufJFJyIigjE1YjgtBklrfwIflBXQWo4ngEdiHaTRy-OA7tVIzpi8utSPAu9uZ4hZqq_f95M_79MapAlyCY/s320/IMG_0505.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This weekend we crossed one more hurdle. Merrick played in his first post-surgery basketball tournament. While he was still sore, he decided to give it a try. The first day went well and he was running harder and feeling better than he has in months. He had thought previously in the season that he was out of shape and didn't realized that his heart was holding him back. Today, he was a little extra sore going into the games, but he played well and played hard. He had one scary moment in the second game today where he got kneed in his wounds. He was ok though... and eventually my mom heart recovered too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JFC55tclqQsV0tMjNMzNcJJ5iR10KBqq4_CHWrpyODJHAX_P_yweWFd5y_rU6HwpLpkg4OnUa9zWiUF_9fd0DT9aRoBdAW_nBBYTamlgaDAII149CCD3LZ4D_c6_AdryKL8EgjgL-mryQRiAjL_BMavXjwhp5DQUJKd0bZYNxyxIkTL1V0ihnAlaA-4/s4032/IMG_0507.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JFC55tclqQsV0tMjNMzNcJJ5iR10KBqq4_CHWrpyODJHAX_P_yweWFd5y_rU6HwpLpkg4OnUa9zWiUF_9fd0DT9aRoBdAW_nBBYTamlgaDAII149CCD3LZ4D_c6_AdryKL8EgjgL-mryQRiAjL_BMavXjwhp5DQUJKd0bZYNxyxIkTL1V0ihnAlaA-4/s320/IMG_0507.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8guivMSCO2_HeVd1rSNavNc82aD4QkRcej_EdGj2FgziQKl5fTrJqS8eMMBqk7yZyX2e8_is5pROemEc1-uKVPE0s76ys5ujxdnbCdUznnDBS9Hs2nAzUyU7a8z4cnVdKTM44j1jApbwD2AwdRv0Mh5gYkSbGhWEA1fJCBuO1aV4bwjImsVoYdd2AjU/s4032/IMG_0508.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8guivMSCO2_HeVd1rSNavNc82aD4QkRcej_EdGj2FgziQKl5fTrJqS8eMMBqk7yZyX2e8_is5pROemEc1-uKVPE0s76ys5ujxdnbCdUznnDBS9Hs2nAzUyU7a8z4cnVdKTM44j1jApbwD2AwdRv0Mh5gYkSbGhWEA1fJCBuO1aV4bwjImsVoYdd2AjU/s320/IMG_0508.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This coming week will be filled with fun, amazing hurdles. I can't wait. </p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-81505302266252981572023-12-10T14:24:00.000-08:002023-12-10T14:24:54.842-08:00Merrick's Surgery<p>This week, time was kept by relation to Merrick's surgery, which took place on Friday. From about Wednesday on, we talked and thought about little else. Thursday, we had a quiet night at home as a family and we headed to bed hopeful that we would get some sleep before our very early wake up call the next morning (we had to leave for the hospital at 5:45). If it gives you a sense of how we all slept, both Merrick and I were up and completely ready to go before our alarm even went off.</p><p>Our check in time at the hospital was 6:30 and we spent from then until about 8:15 meeting and talking with all the doctors and nurses. We had multiple nurses, two cardiologists, and an anesthesiologist. They each came and talked to us and explained different parts of the process. Merrick was a trooper, expect he wasn't pleased that the nurse messed up his IV and had to start over at a different site and while she was doing that the doctor in the room was giving all the worst case scenarios. That was definitely not his favorite part of the day.</p><p>At about 8:15, they had Jeremy and I go to the waiting room and took Merrick back to the OR. I think Merrick was planning on going to sleep pretty quickly, but it didn't really work out that way. They kept him awake for quite some time so they could get a baseline on his PVCs. He was having some PVCs at that point, but they wanted to see more so they gave him a medicine to speed up his heart rate. He started feeling a fair bit of anxiety at that point. They joked that they could put on a horror movie to get his heart rate up and he answered back that he was already in a horror movie. Eventually, they felt like they got what they needed and they put him under.</p><p>While he was under, his PVCs continued and they did what's called "pace mapping" of his heart. They found what they believed to be the spot where the PVCs were originating and they cauterized it. Over the next hour, they monitored him and did everything they could to try and induce the PVCs to return. They brought him partially out of sedation, they gave him medicine to speed up his heart rate, and they gave him medication to slow down his heart rate. Through it all, the PVCs stayed away so they put him back under to remove his catheters and then allowed him to start waking up.</p><p>At this point, they brought him into his recovery room and, after we talked with the doctors, we were allowed to join him there. His waking up period was slow, but uneventful. He would start to wake up and try to sit up and we would have to force him back down and remind him where he was and two seconds later he would be snoring again.</p><p>The next six hours were rough as he had to lay flat and still so as to not open back up the entry spot into his femoral artery. After the 6 hours SLOWLY passed, he was able to get up and walk to the bathroom and then at that point things moved very quickly. Within about 15 minutes of him getting up for the first time, we were headed home.</p><p>Since then, he has been taking it very easy on the couch. He has a lot of soreness, but his wounds are healing up nicely. We have had lots of sweet visitors, bringing him all kinds of treats and gifts and he has been very spoiled. We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have felt leading up to, during, and following his surgery. We have felt very supported throughout a very difficult time and now feel like a huge weight has been lifted.</p><p>Following the procedure, he hasn't felt a single PVC. In two weeks he will have a heart monitor that he will wear for another two weeks and then we will follow up with the cardiologist in February. We are very hopeful at this point that we are at the end of this very stressful road and that makes us all smiles.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-8tJrbii5Rut7WgLtcrgp80KwCfywC8u-ZTeQfppuf7a2ILijeIC-qkX18ibCtXn2bN8oIB7i92wHGb-5EPP-rB7zBP2zlcYPWIFdqTaQS9tEk4vvAlPfuqWlj_vwvNqLt5cZFnBmhatfccsiG_exy7pfAZ6U2p5l9qp8aPLAyWz7OHHjoXXmVEtxyM/s4032/IMG_0482.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-8tJrbii5Rut7WgLtcrgp80KwCfywC8u-ZTeQfppuf7a2ILijeIC-qkX18ibCtXn2bN8oIB7i92wHGb-5EPP-rB7zBP2zlcYPWIFdqTaQS9tEk4vvAlPfuqWlj_vwvNqLt5cZFnBmhatfccsiG_exy7pfAZ6U2p5l9qp8aPLAyWz7OHHjoXXmVEtxyM/s320/IMG_0482.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-85171380893849291432023-12-03T14:38:00.000-08:002023-12-03T14:38:35.249-08:00A Cultural Experience<p> What a busy week, as always. This week I spent much of my free time early in the week preparing for a cultural night I was in charge of that we were having at our church on Thursday night. We had presentations from 6 different people that were either from a foreign country or lived there for a period of time. They talked about the culture, traditions, food, etc. We learned about Brazil, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India, Spain, and Samoa. It was such a great night!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNKfz9VS981Kcd0QZ8AmrAjJSawy93h8oZpdOV5dZPFHbIeEbpDfzkVBApy0NCbPPt-FRPu7ff4Dk1FsqDx7PzUyp0UEQhog7-KRLHbmwWaVIzYlHujK1BWT_Tt4RC5OtkIA9yvzA6ZHLO52qEBbe_kyB2ygXIZwtX9WVRn4dpZYKseRHb59rEpGN9ww/s4032/IMG_0455.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNKfz9VS981Kcd0QZ8AmrAjJSawy93h8oZpdOV5dZPFHbIeEbpDfzkVBApy0NCbPPt-FRPu7ff4Dk1FsqDx7PzUyp0UEQhog7-KRLHbmwWaVIzYlHujK1BWT_Tt4RC5OtkIA9yvzA6ZHLO52qEBbe_kyB2ygXIZwtX9WVRn4dpZYKseRHb59rEpGN9ww/s320/IMG_0455.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6-8SM1ymbvwLSAvHCcRr7q0e66ygL1bvgTRiHkD3UKAQ_-MrOk3YVy3AoFsxcUnBmpsgBS2C2UPftGyxaqd98-8tNKpMW7tbs18MvNUtGRTEjKSXryU-K0Z70Cdj6c2wYJdcHiCh8Ky_NOWfkhYhgxuaMHwhu2kwg5o_SLPk5qwQdCd8bAgUM_ZhbwA/s4032/IMG_0449.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6-8SM1ymbvwLSAvHCcRr7q0e66ygL1bvgTRiHkD3UKAQ_-MrOk3YVy3AoFsxcUnBmpsgBS2C2UPftGyxaqd98-8tNKpMW7tbs18MvNUtGRTEjKSXryU-K0Z70Cdj6c2wYJdcHiCh8Ky_NOWfkhYhgxuaMHwhu2kwg5o_SLPk5qwQdCd8bAgUM_ZhbwA/s320/IMG_0449.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3O3aaW3eIeZQ2GDoLONUz1sLfk6FW8UKsnyn0psbBgKrrgW4yz6FXh7NcIYjZxEBiHty6qZqqWB4PxxndrF_8AWpROa2gMh_W8_R3devNwbTpOXS13pfzc7AN6pUK5XH32grKlqgJy9jlZ4ZMbg9sYpbksCfItBiM7YZaQF0K5lc_rUEPN1f_vWeRaQ/s4032/IMG_0450.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3O3aaW3eIeZQ2GDoLONUz1sLfk6FW8UKsnyn0psbBgKrrgW4yz6FXh7NcIYjZxEBiHty6qZqqWB4PxxndrF_8AWpROa2gMh_W8_R3devNwbTpOXS13pfzc7AN6pUK5XH32grKlqgJy9jlZ4ZMbg9sYpbksCfItBiM7YZaQF0K5lc_rUEPN1f_vWeRaQ/s320/IMG_0450.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVvKwgZxmechrwQnZlZSZPpVvCMFUaH4GikxVuuZtYbqSjnwyCnLcuzOhJJpSq6XlVMS2WPDFtGl2r-_Dtg62grqsKrdsp9P5ADcEXYaxwFNYkr06he5LDtYzBdHPAd4-XinELadJYZJisF59Ezxcgg99-ED7kj6903eK5xNJ-FsIaKlkvDRcdVTWe2U/s4032/IMG_0451.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVvKwgZxmechrwQnZlZSZPpVvCMFUaH4GikxVuuZtYbqSjnwyCnLcuzOhJJpSq6XlVMS2WPDFtGl2r-_Dtg62grqsKrdsp9P5ADcEXYaxwFNYkr06he5LDtYzBdHPAd4-XinELadJYZJisF59Ezxcgg99-ED7kj6903eK5xNJ-FsIaKlkvDRcdVTWe2U/s320/IMG_0451.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEJUDBc2A6tln3nxCKKKLxZ4eGZbBr_ZNrqGNIPSJRzTZoot0g8Cs5BOovCFF2zINdB0XwVaCLAltuLEiqd-a2iUeMniqxH1Zfa6PXHnuBU2Y2IpjB_oMhzOyZhSbQGxvGWnLgSqliWozJkYRl88CwMAM5ZT00MzEDXLiPNsYhKa0T-pnBxKPMBrhMM0/s4032/IMG_0452.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEJUDBc2A6tln3nxCKKKLxZ4eGZbBr_ZNrqGNIPSJRzTZoot0g8Cs5BOovCFF2zINdB0XwVaCLAltuLEiqd-a2iUeMniqxH1Zfa6PXHnuBU2Y2IpjB_oMhzOyZhSbQGxvGWnLgSqliWozJkYRl88CwMAM5ZT00MzEDXLiPNsYhKa0T-pnBxKPMBrhMM0/s320/IMG_0452.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i8hceqIUZzQ0QzrL6SQm5RdE8ozSI2oCzX_sBZWSkeJuJjoYy_rvD4V494thBOkStbqHm0RhxgPV3_fh9zhmeJVaQUuaBxDO8fjWMU9gnzGfwSiq_ygWEtLbTjO_eTkDCm256ICY274sGgL53bVOVHZszl-yVsjJ0QRkzn3wdJtF6QOgvr5SQUTWiDM/s4032/IMG_0453.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i8hceqIUZzQ0QzrL6SQm5RdE8ozSI2oCzX_sBZWSkeJuJjoYy_rvD4V494thBOkStbqHm0RhxgPV3_fh9zhmeJVaQUuaBxDO8fjWMU9gnzGfwSiq_ygWEtLbTjO_eTkDCm256ICY274sGgL53bVOVHZszl-yVsjJ0QRkzn3wdJtF6QOgvr5SQUTWiDM/s320/IMG_0453.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2FlqiiZ-Pu2fprAqxSTpw7hmxOmIQwqHjVREfWS6XCovqV2r9tuGrnvVKfqP4Nn67N_BSNjHLNNabUHTz-AoHDXwDAep9jdzGEEHwW6Dt3-HYjEsGCpwv-RiCDlU4oMZ4iNFoYfoBemnFL4zYVPA11mD6UXgQCGllIVcJlKoSppB5bBmQjSEF_6UnCc/s4032/IMG_0454.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2FlqiiZ-Pu2fprAqxSTpw7hmxOmIQwqHjVREfWS6XCovqV2r9tuGrnvVKfqP4Nn67N_BSNjHLNNabUHTz-AoHDXwDAep9jdzGEEHwW6Dt3-HYjEsGCpwv-RiCDlU4oMZ4iNFoYfoBemnFL4zYVPA11mD6UXgQCGllIVcJlKoSppB5bBmQjSEF_6UnCc/s320/IMG_0454.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This weekend, the weather has been really crummy, with lots of rain and high winds at time. For the most part we have chosen to stay inside. We started the weekend with our traditional family movie night, but this week it was Christmas edition and we let the kids open their Christmas pjs. Merrick was supposed to have a matching shirt with the girls, but we discovered when opening them, that they sent us the wrong thing for him. We made due for the night and I took him to the store the next day to replace it, but unfortunately they were out. He ended up with a shirt he likes better, so while he won't match the girls, he was happy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmyuy87HYBc-NQxRhyFQ3TEjkO9DIjYXnoTs_rge1YXGp4H064CS9COo3IAvFe_NZ_ncOq3LcAposTZLnOM-eV3_cEteUgEyxbmZAFl0VT7N40HV6pAA3sE1BZA2A5B_1z_6w-FfrvBJuJb1mjDMCaCJkWw3zgYVB0_-UezXhGvlg4hjB0wQ9VWD1Dfw/s4032/IMG_0460.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmyuy87HYBc-NQxRhyFQ3TEjkO9DIjYXnoTs_rge1YXGp4H064CS9COo3IAvFe_NZ_ncOq3LcAposTZLnOM-eV3_cEteUgEyxbmZAFl0VT7N40HV6pAA3sE1BZA2A5B_1z_6w-FfrvBJuJb1mjDMCaCJkWw3zgYVB0_-UezXhGvlg4hjB0wQ9VWD1Dfw/s320/IMG_0460.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xSM-FBrbB0l7S6njQXew_H4vqyte7kjsdBY8CnFv0TPNfnFDm6vFuPryiGmKReR8RxYb2Bet8jmUQL5qinZRuzInYpr8NJYCSoahwEz39evpohJKMr8-hVakchzWAsBxv_ZDdQ92nDu-kcHftsuB8Mb88DvccSFiqwOwrKwMbI0Wsw7ae0EVLDxP4Dc/s4032/IMG_0462.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xSM-FBrbB0l7S6njQXew_H4vqyte7kjsdBY8CnFv0TPNfnFDm6vFuPryiGmKReR8RxYb2Bet8jmUQL5qinZRuzInYpr8NJYCSoahwEz39evpohJKMr8-hVakchzWAsBxv_ZDdQ92nDu-kcHftsuB8Mb88DvccSFiqwOwrKwMbI0Wsw7ae0EVLDxP4Dc/s320/IMG_0462.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Also this weekend, I took the girls to get gingerbread craft kits from Home Depot. We brought them home so Merrick could build one too and they had a good time putting them together. Merrick enjoyed the hammering part but tapped out at the decorating. The girls, on the other hand, were all in for the decorating.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEm2FnmynJQyZQe1Sm9ZzHQFLBke0a6IETQvIYhX86zPCxia3dy5os5K7CRVucfg6c2f7NMS8KaehptPiqmstOeboqd-3tFvzhcnT7m26-M2NMrD0vaeJS5gv2XodiMftollmiTt5E1iSYcI9v2mmO7ixzwhQmizJXzFOpHroGjT-42xTXdZQwaxyayo8/s4032/IMG_0465.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEm2FnmynJQyZQe1Sm9ZzHQFLBke0a6IETQvIYhX86zPCxia3dy5os5K7CRVucfg6c2f7NMS8KaehptPiqmstOeboqd-3tFvzhcnT7m26-M2NMrD0vaeJS5gv2XodiMftollmiTt5E1iSYcI9v2mmO7ixzwhQmizJXzFOpHroGjT-42xTXdZQwaxyayo8/s320/IMG_0465.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPvDevM-EVe-pbGlV9W2uNg-Gd8FzoKEwQuE6A2uQ9CGxw0LBVb97z9GQsWVBkCyTZYlcxaKOTKx3tCBBHI3IDog5ha1t5d-XQnWvCKtuLO0XQYM012Ap91H4hDUEbdk-j1KXkbtNWrLwGLB7NWuequ9KhbZbtqP5Burfab4iKtuh2C63H2eLA4bHzoo/s4032/IMG_0466.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPvDevM-EVe-pbGlV9W2uNg-Gd8FzoKEwQuE6A2uQ9CGxw0LBVb97z9GQsWVBkCyTZYlcxaKOTKx3tCBBHI3IDog5ha1t5d-XQnWvCKtuLO0XQYM012Ap91H4hDUEbdk-j1KXkbtNWrLwGLB7NWuequ9KhbZbtqP5Burfab4iKtuh2C63H2eLA4bHzoo/s320/IMG_0466.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>We still have a number of things on our Christmas Bucket List, but we will have to put a pin in that for a bit as this week (Friday) is Merrick's surgery. I will be back next week with an update on that and in the meantime, we welcome all prayers and positive thoughts.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-76083167496564140162023-11-26T15:34:00.000-08:002023-11-26T15:34:03.544-08:00Thanksgiving +<p>Apparently last week's blog never got published and was sitting as a draft so I guess today is a two blog post kind of day. It seems par for the course for life right now. I feel like I am kind of getting steamrolled by everything, but I am running as fast as possible and there are brief moments where I actually feel ahead. More on that in a second.</p><p>This week was Thanksgiving and we truly have a lot to be thankful for. Things are good for both Jeremy and I at work and all the kids are thriving in school. If it wasn't for Merrick's pesky heart condition, things would be really great right now. I so appreciate this time of year to come together with family and count my blessings. This year, we celebrated the day at my sister, Emily's, house with her kids, my parents and my nephew and his girlfriend. We had delicious food and Carrigan even helped by making the baked beans this year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMnmVYpbDIJO1q8-G2uWcUbWrmA5WVogaVv0ZHxy0ueMniN8bJnBXhi47NFjVz-QKf8CUsSNRZkvhsRORsDqEqLmgqZxF6rSAy0QKpEhZwZEbypyooUtPeqwgtO-uw4ZFpK53vQaDu3OZOswiUbccjC7YT8DjldJ8DW7YtdoAG6jR9QUhds2hEeYJWsQ/s4032/IMG_0314.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMnmVYpbDIJO1q8-G2uWcUbWrmA5WVogaVv0ZHxy0ueMniN8bJnBXhi47NFjVz-QKf8CUsSNRZkvhsRORsDqEqLmgqZxF6rSAy0QKpEhZwZEbypyooUtPeqwgtO-uw4ZFpK53vQaDu3OZOswiUbccjC7YT8DjldJ8DW7YtdoAG6jR9QUhds2hEeYJWsQ/s320/IMG_0314.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb5a6L6e_Erm2Szczx9wRHGkc5i9tfq8__P3oAsjK1cEaM4Itozqj5Y3G_NbCQCbNxjFhyv11-uTajrKzzIUGn5R-7G1BaQOm5V1LCYbXZFp4_5dnc_S4v8LkLxt0DsoZ4zDCXNFSoWxqWcXMJoqvIK45_h4P3C2DiBBivCdEpUOcHJc8rKJQNBhoObw/s4032/IMG_0315.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb5a6L6e_Erm2Szczx9wRHGkc5i9tfq8__P3oAsjK1cEaM4Itozqj5Y3G_NbCQCbNxjFhyv11-uTajrKzzIUGn5R-7G1BaQOm5V1LCYbXZFp4_5dnc_S4v8LkLxt0DsoZ4zDCXNFSoWxqWcXMJoqvIK45_h4P3C2DiBBivCdEpUOcHJc8rKJQNBhoObw/s320/IMG_0315.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjK_0O1KUfQWy-SkF5EL86A8kxSagCdDI2AmwaiSkOwEgdc7YximKc8Akf2rm72rowIoVV7V5hmjQzbfJdLBX2Jr2W-xkOi_whloo7Y3tTCydwn2SEkH-6dQmLGKOKgxtnpk4U0lNjk2HMpu7ncg93Twyu994pSX-Czvh7NdCMhGc28MsmGNAYfGXasU/s1200/IMG_0395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjK_0O1KUfQWy-SkF5EL86A8kxSagCdDI2AmwaiSkOwEgdc7YximKc8Akf2rm72rowIoVV7V5hmjQzbfJdLBX2Jr2W-xkOi_whloo7Y3tTCydwn2SEkH-6dQmLGKOKgxtnpk4U0lNjk2HMpu7ncg93Twyu994pSX-Czvh7NdCMhGc28MsmGNAYfGXasU/s320/IMG_0395.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Post Thanksgiving, we finally made the girls' Christmas decorating dreams come true. All of our neighbors have had their lights up since Nov 1st and it has been making the girls crazy that I wouldn't let them decorate until after Thanksgiving. Friday morning, however we were all in.</p><p>We started by getting all the Thanksgiving decor put away and then got all the indoor and outdoor decorations put up. The girls were super excited because Auntie stopped by with a new blowup for us to put up in the yard. Well actually she brought three, but since we have zero exterior outlets and we are trying not to overload the outlet in the garage and burn the house down, we settled on just one big one. The girls also enjoyed creating a "tree theme" on one buffet, with all of our tree themed decorations. They were tremendously helpful in getting the decorations up.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5skwuJyQ5V48_yHeZn15V_iaLlDc_hgtorVd_1qnDFgUR-9M6FypE8jj-lAbQEeRRMh0TFw4STMyt2XH3xF6KM6xEZ-2fh0xSZkfaeie9tTvhoAzqeIiFHk39-LvfI4AwSmiTPg1noYl2lMQ4pL4SY0qRjOJRFCZObyC6V_dMaqw8S3rqq5PY5n09y44/s2453/IMG_7237.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="2453" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5skwuJyQ5V48_yHeZn15V_iaLlDc_hgtorVd_1qnDFgUR-9M6FypE8jj-lAbQEeRRMh0TFw4STMyt2XH3xF6KM6xEZ-2fh0xSZkfaeie9tTvhoAzqeIiFHk39-LvfI4AwSmiTPg1noYl2lMQ4pL4SY0qRjOJRFCZObyC6V_dMaqw8S3rqq5PY5n09y44/s320/IMG_7237.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPfowDa2d_k2BRmsQ67ctJGz60tFJkUX2dzxlhWVHghmf0NNm0l-fjYqCInwrgUvt-j_C19481tQEZ5hyx9IJBnxpOU_IjfTgtvhL_YS72ontne5wgdgGzyxPeZ21Q4hnPQLUtfWlH2RpMI2g3GomQyYIEb-us248t7KUOwW9jwzIS3whRG4zA2ibXVs/s4032/IMG_0398.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPfowDa2d_k2BRmsQ67ctJGz60tFJkUX2dzxlhWVHghmf0NNm0l-fjYqCInwrgUvt-j_C19481tQEZ5hyx9IJBnxpOU_IjfTgtvhL_YS72ontne5wgdgGzyxPeZ21Q4hnPQLUtfWlH2RpMI2g3GomQyYIEb-us248t7KUOwW9jwzIS3whRG4zA2ibXVs/s320/IMG_0398.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCutFM5-pgMp3egyaQGBCrJ63zTTg8HZRjfRlePlMidYf1SnPpQ25ygtmy0yRFahwZAhgHKdmutBW93CKFLXq9iXFwvSWvv3xAhqgvHXkUpBF59hyfOyQ58uxTD7DCqVDVDihxf6MR-XRwOKgRRLRFtQ6q4MfPQYpi2OX3ayrzEaA52upOM-DSfnLCZE/s4032/IMG_0397.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCutFM5-pgMp3egyaQGBCrJ63zTTg8HZRjfRlePlMidYf1SnPpQ25ygtmy0yRFahwZAhgHKdmutBW93CKFLXq9iXFwvSWvv3xAhqgvHXkUpBF59hyfOyQ58uxTD7DCqVDVDihxf6MR-XRwOKgRRLRFtQ6q4MfPQYpi2OX3ayrzEaA52upOM-DSfnLCZE/s320/IMG_0397.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Saturday, the holiday theme continued with an outing to get the star of the show, the Christmas tree. The farm we went to was a bit of a drive, but worth it with hot chocolate, cider, and ornament making. Jeremy kept vetoing trees for being too short, so we hiked all around the farm and ended up with a nine foot beauty. We waisted no time in getting it home, getting lights on it and getting it decorated. Again, the girls were super helpful. There is no way I could have gotten it all done without them. I guess it's time I scale back my ODC and hand the reigns off on more things.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L7vMXk0U26VtGosIOpSaZM7AiEGxH-fJM6vAYLVepM5xnGq_sVFjEg8cMpM0x-Fmr0iJAVcWbmc2b38sZhO9oIA9VEIu8j6CP1tBoQ5QDAsZCfA-3gt-cN9QvZZHnb4CS2JnC5g3nrDV43hQxlzqPO-gdz0l022wcVWTosQ99qkcw-VBRHDy4O23F6E/s4032/IMG_0403.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L7vMXk0U26VtGosIOpSaZM7AiEGxH-fJM6vAYLVepM5xnGq_sVFjEg8cMpM0x-Fmr0iJAVcWbmc2b38sZhO9oIA9VEIu8j6CP1tBoQ5QDAsZCfA-3gt-cN9QvZZHnb4CS2JnC5g3nrDV43hQxlzqPO-gdz0l022wcVWTosQ99qkcw-VBRHDy4O23F6E/s320/IMG_0403.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMZfL2WwnTy3KwQegrEPwxC3GkhLpIoOFdWQanZJVn6e5czYNPWaBE4RSwFz5h-RuWyV_JsJSsolxqMRadR-kgUH39gz4we7coclyVIQAAXQWCi4Gl2RcWMm9yhpLLPsVLmWW3Vs4No_i-2Bvru09jD-dWlFYrsY3T5l7drCZz9EwNMi8l6N5T_EsUpU/s2100/IMG_8413.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMZfL2WwnTy3KwQegrEPwxC3GkhLpIoOFdWQanZJVn6e5czYNPWaBE4RSwFz5h-RuWyV_JsJSsolxqMRadR-kgUH39gz4we7coclyVIQAAXQWCi4Gl2RcWMm9yhpLLPsVLmWW3Vs4No_i-2Bvru09jD-dWlFYrsY3T5l7drCZz9EwNMi8l6N5T_EsUpU/s320/IMG_8413.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygAKy0CSQypsABOfPLeuxFJtVsWwK7gb5_ExK7tN1qFqASEFrSNuIq89QHqfZROr_bo5yLkq5pk_EwBs7UMw9X_5-FOcGfLIBO4kUZV0am73q3gICMOLm0wrrl-VNjJVGVkFc96xKuGiO5DM4XZVTzvh6kG2nueguHwyjzlaVdfJoLMTx15gIxJ2SC2s/s4032/IMG_8417.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygAKy0CSQypsABOfPLeuxFJtVsWwK7gb5_ExK7tN1qFqASEFrSNuIq89QHqfZROr_bo5yLkq5pk_EwBs7UMw9X_5-FOcGfLIBO4kUZV0am73q3gICMOLm0wrrl-VNjJVGVkFc96xKuGiO5DM4XZVTzvh6kG2nueguHwyjzlaVdfJoLMTx15gIxJ2SC2s/s320/IMG_8417.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xtXdgk6Gq2ypi7Sytjw0pObWxool-gpMIcVrqFMdDNABe6j1FKOtRiz-rX7p_NHfZ05okPXWOwGco1SIsWMVZmMTW59NCKyO9qkkHpDXj8WqjcgfikEEIJ2prwmTmQhBuJBnGTkjG5U_dejlxoTpfDV6KCk1TMAneiE88lkTZpPZSgYkAH9Mqd7ucDY/s4032/IMG_0405.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xtXdgk6Gq2ypi7Sytjw0pObWxool-gpMIcVrqFMdDNABe6j1FKOtRiz-rX7p_NHfZ05okPXWOwGco1SIsWMVZmMTW59NCKyO9qkkHpDXj8WqjcgfikEEIJ2prwmTmQhBuJBnGTkjG5U_dejlxoTpfDV6KCk1TMAneiE88lkTZpPZSgYkAH9Mqd7ucDY/s320/IMG_0405.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharTLSZAB2Yx22_AAwidICO_cY2WAmrMCwGPtcIkJQZXA4gqHZf0kUTanwWkKDI799sWsgoVbCouqy1Eo23TGLueKR0eNTxfN129EsFYZ_Ae-l7myRXxEjpzY9ebnnL2CwYZEgr6SjF7L0SCIddSOPdwt_P3sSWQrXFzlfb6GNf9Zv-xN_dVl5knagsrc/s4032/IMG_0406.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharTLSZAB2Yx22_AAwidICO_cY2WAmrMCwGPtcIkJQZXA4gqHZf0kUTanwWkKDI799sWsgoVbCouqy1Eo23TGLueKR0eNTxfN129EsFYZ_Ae-l7myRXxEjpzY9ebnnL2CwYZEgr6SjF7L0SCIddSOPdwt_P3sSWQrXFzlfb6GNf9Zv-xN_dVl5knagsrc/s320/IMG_0406.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMqky-JbbOOsqoe53izaYE5xPd38i3Cn3yEVpdAnFhFyvIRRM616pwBbHlj-5Zc9bT_V8nO0ZfU51fofMMRFENvcYX7pjyvOs8_Lbxx2NoArw_EYiS9V9kICWSqfgrPC8kW5cLSlfbsI-BUynNpf0szEQNTiOc5SGvs-W5DS3bVlBQKHZDsBmnmwV6Rw/s4032/IMG_8421.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMqky-JbbOOsqoe53izaYE5xPd38i3Cn3yEVpdAnFhFyvIRRM616pwBbHlj-5Zc9bT_V8nO0ZfU51fofMMRFENvcYX7pjyvOs8_Lbxx2NoArw_EYiS9V9kICWSqfgrPC8kW5cLSlfbsI-BUynNpf0szEQNTiOc5SGvs-W5DS3bVlBQKHZDsBmnmwV6Rw/s320/IMG_8421.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWmavSWjWkmI_MZ2P5SSIubP7aR_6XffUTZVG-kg5TOHVZ410qh_8cKLfEMUPIMhZ6J7L61-Lgup1ZqneNFiMY5nxQVI7CSkwp-5d-shyphenhyphenq95h7P6gWiH2ZVcBkqxKti-Z1F_T4Ulu5VzzmopKVtBQApeGYR8CGxKKnmX5nIQMCqdGSmp-ke68d3-T76U/s4032/IMG_0410.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWmavSWjWkmI_MZ2P5SSIubP7aR_6XffUTZVG-kg5TOHVZ410qh_8cKLfEMUPIMhZ6J7L61-Lgup1ZqneNFiMY5nxQVI7CSkwp-5d-shyphenhyphenq95h7P6gWiH2ZVcBkqxKti-Z1F_T4Ulu5VzzmopKVtBQApeGYR8CGxKKnmX5nIQMCqdGSmp-ke68d3-T76U/s320/IMG_0410.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH4kpv8Q3NSS1H6vIqyZyurruJ6GsPLq67lxNn0y8fYfieWyjcCMaSp0j38jdMaX16Cd8kWucitayDv-08mS7iib_kQ0AVZj9PMxPaGH7FNyTXzfBTPaQ2qDZXO3FOkERmK9DzHEWPwTQLZRGQE5C_uFp4d8jiFesX1I_ViU-rELTbxTugNbyhu2jPCI/s4032/IMG_0419.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH4kpv8Q3NSS1H6vIqyZyurruJ6GsPLq67lxNn0y8fYfieWyjcCMaSp0j38jdMaX16Cd8kWucitayDv-08mS7iib_kQ0AVZj9PMxPaGH7FNyTXzfBTPaQ2qDZXO3FOkERmK9DzHEWPwTQLZRGQE5C_uFp4d8jiFesX1I_ViU-rELTbxTugNbyhu2jPCI/s320/IMG_0419.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnzduDGjqG8GZFOtBYMXpn0DbtcuRsvWwr32Dp4tL-PQLSvCfBBZ6Jz9BNEMalNBbFvmVArmunkgt6YaQqFbqcHrY65b2RpAgFEUNKT8G5NSq2jLJA2fHqksRbeHgWTmL1tzVVsvvpYQZcEzsmLQjmpByciU37tuRG3CD0wtH4RE_KcXdz7Kf_aHtdfo/s4032/IMG_0420.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnzduDGjqG8GZFOtBYMXpn0DbtcuRsvWwr32Dp4tL-PQLSvCfBBZ6Jz9BNEMalNBbFvmVArmunkgt6YaQqFbqcHrY65b2RpAgFEUNKT8G5NSq2jLJA2fHqksRbeHgWTmL1tzVVsvvpYQZcEzsmLQjmpByciU37tuRG3CD0wtH4RE_KcXdz7Kf_aHtdfo/s320/IMG_0420.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>We ended the night on Saturday with a trip to see the big guy himself, Santa. My big guy, Merrick, was not sure he wanted to go and refused to get dressed up, but was a good sport and participated none the less.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqS70Fd0ddPqGY7wGBGimrg2x01c_1OUUMrcxpUY4g4T03_jbm5ZW74Gq-ZdUAxbzQL9YNbxIAf67qPojjdvKN_ZrGxgBB8P1xYM9CcVAP7VTTIqugyV311GN4Z7j0Zpvw7TMWpMM84uEcvbe5xvBX-MupyvPN0MjEVcKIITvUoRT7ecdLLF-z4p0Z0c/s4032/IMG_0423.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqS70Fd0ddPqGY7wGBGimrg2x01c_1OUUMrcxpUY4g4T03_jbm5ZW74Gq-ZdUAxbzQL9YNbxIAf67qPojjdvKN_ZrGxgBB8P1xYM9CcVAP7VTTIqugyV311GN4Z7j0Zpvw7TMWpMM84uEcvbe5xvBX-MupyvPN0MjEVcKIITvUoRT7ecdLLF-z4p0Z0c/s320/IMG_0423.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9ku6mvcF4sfcS5PeI1QD5hJA3mfaemy0s3PFkvIqvx1ZpZlOt2-ZA8CBDPdoufcgfjU3uaPh1L5_CxtxMYFCB_jvZvTn4vtcuU0r2IW-KPI20hBef3X9EafR0dwnbHDBDHTj71nyNPffnTd1Y-8DynEIYr2iSVcBj2vOJnVMer6aJDYPZ8qkOCiDkng/s4032/IMG_0425.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9ku6mvcF4sfcS5PeI1QD5hJA3mfaemy0s3PFkvIqvx1ZpZlOt2-ZA8CBDPdoufcgfjU3uaPh1L5_CxtxMYFCB_jvZvTn4vtcuU0r2IW-KPI20hBef3X9EafR0dwnbHDBDHTj71nyNPffnTd1Y-8DynEIYr2iSVcBj2vOJnVMer6aJDYPZ8qkOCiDkng/s320/IMG_0425.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIbHUi-rrggwT011qB8dCp5zLJY0b13kk2gy85KRWgu26a3hJPSbsANqeYSzj1bgc9VaxIL7WP8USWVnKwaQVPwfntlsULAe91Abx4RJnMlE7disEjrplDR5LZdTw5PqPvZyxpCS3GV43A5xdWDGcjtBJwak0LrYbEtnqYPWCaOzeQA3xovb4U69IICQ/s3088/IMG_0427.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIbHUi-rrggwT011qB8dCp5zLJY0b13kk2gy85KRWgu26a3hJPSbsANqeYSzj1bgc9VaxIL7WP8USWVnKwaQVPwfntlsULAe91Abx4RJnMlE7disEjrplDR5LZdTw5PqPvZyxpCS3GV43A5xdWDGcjtBJwak0LrYbEtnqYPWCaOzeQA3xovb4U69IICQ/s320/IMG_0427.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's just under a month until Christmas and I actually feel ahead of the game in checking off the Christmas "must dos". That was by design though because I feel like we will lose some time around Merrick's surgery. We have just under two weeks until that and we are all looking forward to getting it in the rearview mirror.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-30893330872633903622023-11-19T15:54:00.000-08:002023-11-26T14:51:01.113-08:00Back on Track<p> Apparently I forgot to blog last week. Not sure how one just randomly forgets something that they have done for the last 12 years, but here we are none the less. Perhaps it is because Merrick started back at basketball and we were off at a tournament for a good chunk of the day. This year Merrick is on the select A team. It's going to be a big commitment, with tournaments in Washington, Phoenix, and LA. His first tournament went well with big wins in both games. Merrick held his own with the A team but did have an incident in the first game (and one at practice this week too). We are very anxious for Dec. 8th to come.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3A6w_p_SCyCCmDCMkYmCzKfgLxt3UHZE3eRSalP6c6bQ9YcwCk4Ambw5VjmXGJD-InmdXwleD5caOV7DWe4fxTbaUMflFobTcPoLTPtto9L4PXiSVMCwIIJUKPa30QrfUp7M-PaUlw9W2YbVOsgGG6igNZ6pjABFCMQ6y0GUhN0tnVwcHVMfGqbdKs0/s841/IMG_0299.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="637" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3A6w_p_SCyCCmDCMkYmCzKfgLxt3UHZE3eRSalP6c6bQ9YcwCk4Ambw5VjmXGJD-InmdXwleD5caOV7DWe4fxTbaUMflFobTcPoLTPtto9L4PXiSVMCwIIJUKPa30QrfUp7M-PaUlw9W2YbVOsgGG6igNZ6pjABFCMQ6y0GUhN0tnVwcHVMfGqbdKs0/s320/IMG_0299.PNG" width="242" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPDIryezV-3RP_IWX8dQd25iZ6xDUdgbGpDTMnyS_EyqANNDrtuxagsCXTvmBg0BwCv4gjcFBMKvMXsO_W9GNwzGNvedN2zsWTCGxDy0VdocxhddzZYRSP5WJJIfcmeZnuMEh-GYS0Jc0C-Mm0ze641Ho0woSMPL2m00QPpOI5YPUBFXCphzj4MHfcUk/s816/IMG_0300.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPDIryezV-3RP_IWX8dQd25iZ6xDUdgbGpDTMnyS_EyqANNDrtuxagsCXTvmBg0BwCv4gjcFBMKvMXsO_W9GNwzGNvedN2zsWTCGxDy0VdocxhddzZYRSP5WJJIfcmeZnuMEh-GYS0Jc0C-Mm0ze641Ho0woSMPL2m00QPpOI5YPUBFXCphzj4MHfcUk/s320/IMG_0300.PNG" width="294" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Since it has been a solid two weeks, this may be a little random as I try to recap the highlights. Maybe lets start with the sleeping highlights. The girls have been mixing things up on the sleeping front, sleeping on the trundle bed and making forts after they have supposedly gone to bed. My most favorite though was a sweet surprise I got when I went to check on them one night.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVPLmSC3eDO_70d6cVobmo3ObU1jO5HFRU8nXdDpk8ANJiIsiN9d1O_58fwx51m4zkeTavEaYeHLwDYSCvQAzFS4SgMy0r4fhT0lvN_i6Vfu9_xOVfvZfrCb5WIpTaYbm22SkB80q2FFGDLb-fsYRG_jQbt5ufcWAyEfOXmLkonIHTBbiYw_7gZ53Wk0/s4032/IMG_0261.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVPLmSC3eDO_70d6cVobmo3ObU1jO5HFRU8nXdDpk8ANJiIsiN9d1O_58fwx51m4zkeTavEaYeHLwDYSCvQAzFS4SgMy0r4fhT0lvN_i6Vfu9_xOVfvZfrCb5WIpTaYbm22SkB80q2FFGDLb-fsYRG_jQbt5ufcWAyEfOXmLkonIHTBbiYw_7gZ53Wk0/s320/IMG_0261.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSy0wVch8JWzcOdwKjQS3u6lgcbxC0Zs5EfcnIbbFGPwNxT_w8im-5t2bkc8B0DGPH06oVKxy_IMIYzu1mpiE1YbwBc7nCtRRKBrclHWtjUEebzVxak0HdH24OxNrXNrrCl3ByWu4lhD5KjyQb0N0nlIXf0ccpa2CLAaglQZdXqz6TUc9AOIeUq_9aII/s4032/IMG_0257.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSy0wVch8JWzcOdwKjQS3u6lgcbxC0Zs5EfcnIbbFGPwNxT_w8im-5t2bkc8B0DGPH06oVKxy_IMIYzu1mpiE1YbwBc7nCtRRKBrclHWtjUEebzVxak0HdH24OxNrXNrrCl3ByWu4lhD5KjyQb0N0nlIXf0ccpa2CLAaglQZdXqz6TUc9AOIeUq_9aII/s320/IMG_0257.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The biggest highlight of the last two weeks was Jeremy's birthday. We celebrated with a special dinner and dessert and of course presents. The big gift this year was a heated jackets for all the upcoming freezing baseball games. CC was really excited to give her gift, she entered for a chance to win a family trip to Disneyworld. Despite my best effort, I can't convince her that she isn't likely to win. She also made this classic drawing of him for his special day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2iwfhkumiD4Pu8CQHPbYke9CxQmMcvrgj4QL4G8nkIQmaxKk-qPDqOMhTx4E-ta37t9243PJGQFro9Adv4Flm7Pk5gW3hC8F2jOZ21H2g7VScYlgrjLlT0Va23FxcCMKa4t2yBSL-kYa9BmzIBWnCenMQ0tsQYkG_Ux_5fm2mH2wgzIjxCZlIS-g9cQ/s4032/IMG_0279.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2iwfhkumiD4Pu8CQHPbYke9CxQmMcvrgj4QL4G8nkIQmaxKk-qPDqOMhTx4E-ta37t9243PJGQFro9Adv4Flm7Pk5gW3hC8F2jOZ21H2g7VScYlgrjLlT0Va23FxcCMKa4t2yBSL-kYa9BmzIBWnCenMQ0tsQYkG_Ux_5fm2mH2wgzIjxCZlIS-g9cQ/s320/IMG_0279.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV03xiC0U0cFt0x01W3V0XMEt_A1nZ0k4PQQ6H5tOcgZ0HqdrpQPre-O3qAsWmYkRpg7A5pMI59PHp3yP5M0vi2LtL_A8AuJCEYc9jci7YO4BOeoRDCOYUnK9sDBysVl4NFWqlH8kUoZBnwoA_cIpiFt-uwq1aXf91kTMyxGh4uWLXSREjkGNhoyUp0SI/s4032/IMG_0280.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV03xiC0U0cFt0x01W3V0XMEt_A1nZ0k4PQQ6H5tOcgZ0HqdrpQPre-O3qAsWmYkRpg7A5pMI59PHp3yP5M0vi2LtL_A8AuJCEYc9jci7YO4BOeoRDCOYUnK9sDBysVl4NFWqlH8kUoZBnwoA_cIpiFt-uwq1aXf91kTMyxGh4uWLXSREjkGNhoyUp0SI/s320/IMG_0280.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIeTpN8_M92TwKIBSNewwl-om2ZU-pGe6MICJtpZ8v5-9jWRCFAKP7ZX7qrPURQ8ahZSEIA_2Bt5WV2VMPS22fdhAnwrEIua3GQDcK469eEAfxzkW3Hgj_GjencgIZyi5NS25wniuQx_-u8Xmok8L8Y1M8tNWbvjOWfxvbzVUXOMoqY9uWadwjTiWToI/s4032/IMG_0282.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIeTpN8_M92TwKIBSNewwl-om2ZU-pGe6MICJtpZ8v5-9jWRCFAKP7ZX7qrPURQ8ahZSEIA_2Bt5WV2VMPS22fdhAnwrEIua3GQDcK469eEAfxzkW3Hgj_GjencgIZyi5NS25wniuQx_-u8Xmok8L8Y1M8tNWbvjOWfxvbzVUXOMoqY9uWadwjTiWToI/s320/IMG_0282.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1NWvMDc93lWkvupOfiQG20fnMslDgepmUywK4SatUJuaTW8-srB8eR_xPdr6KEmiMkSxdZMbEOvhAob1Hvc2N3VZGxumeDjxj6ZKxooGlXrL4Zj-PRidLI5kKk0gEAOLYsbrSWpMwl_X-scrj5dp_2QFeWsob9mQlcdzAeFOzKPcySNO65RH0liCw54/s4032/IMG_0293.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1NWvMDc93lWkvupOfiQG20fnMslDgepmUywK4SatUJuaTW8-srB8eR_xPdr6KEmiMkSxdZMbEOvhAob1Hvc2N3VZGxumeDjxj6ZKxooGlXrL4Zj-PRidLI5kKk0gEAOLYsbrSWpMwl_X-scrj5dp_2QFeWsob9mQlcdzAeFOzKPcySNO65RH0liCw54/s320/IMG_0293.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Other highlights include Millie snuggles, finally getting soccer pictures, a church activity making pillowcases and an epic birthday party.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9L8CrAbGttEMqIU9-P5PTwf2H9WLFJUzreAD6vNiy0o0SHxcBnKd7keMurAOZuoe0AtFWgr5oXtVTGHwkgIf80e5ynfGKsRr4Cz3DZ_u3mdDL5Hmb45c64L4jY8n9RNjRv2Q2j6_HycSrwBRvo32n6CibMIEsPb87xMdcVXmEWjBKZr2jU1NbMc5c10/s4032/IMG_0254.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9L8CrAbGttEMqIU9-P5PTwf2H9WLFJUzreAD6vNiy0o0SHxcBnKd7keMurAOZuoe0AtFWgr5oXtVTGHwkgIf80e5ynfGKsRr4Cz3DZ_u3mdDL5Hmb45c64L4jY8n9RNjRv2Q2j6_HycSrwBRvo32n6CibMIEsPb87xMdcVXmEWjBKZr2jU1NbMc5c10/s320/IMG_0254.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhvcHXtpmnGDBK3pgnoD1tP8Lgwy2P6nZCE6bvpm-yPgWSYP_8v_F4QVA1TD4i2nElswiHpOS6Xf91p8_0FAlh8J-2nbfsK64UeMj-KYFR7wrR0F-KF69-foL9-Rk6WFnqQlmgUYZ7mWN5GShcwCJYN5obakliyEbD_YpefMxZeUQ6k97sEEWC9oRoOE/s4032/IMG_0283.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhvcHXtpmnGDBK3pgnoD1tP8Lgwy2P6nZCE6bvpm-yPgWSYP_8v_F4QVA1TD4i2nElswiHpOS6Xf91p8_0FAlh8J-2nbfsK64UeMj-KYFR7wrR0F-KF69-foL9-Rk6WFnqQlmgUYZ7mWN5GShcwCJYN5obakliyEbD_YpefMxZeUQ6k97sEEWC9oRoOE/s320/IMG_0283.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiiZbAm72hbbkn98JXefGa7gIsGlJT5vn2xlf6OaMpL3r57APi2_RmFF18gPFtM63S7xGvcWBJg1ETapgSaUtjqOGw8t__50bdKD4hfwRBH73VnWIZFUHZsz4BaCup8wRalUpIX_l9IV8KJUd1XPZEtWlyMkCO-A56ZTmGtSRbBq22xLKW7tXmz-Dud8/s640/IMG_7898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiiZbAm72hbbkn98JXefGa7gIsGlJT5vn2xlf6OaMpL3r57APi2_RmFF18gPFtM63S7xGvcWBJg1ETapgSaUtjqOGw8t__50bdKD4hfwRBH73VnWIZFUHZsz4BaCup8wRalUpIX_l9IV8KJUd1XPZEtWlyMkCO-A56ZTmGtSRbBq22xLKW7tXmz-Dud8/s320/IMG_7898.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCr6lK6xbuhIMWDM8mvPUHRef9ASKc4w_nMNJIp7JldnbQwSeyl6eTV_16p2zBJ_yHA0nYCm8O8xtj2o7g47k47DvKloCw_u24G_H7SqdrkqgQLMYOWIdViNYnB_rpfVcevtQtpkKdr683JVbfsKAblX0mSsuyCvEfFmWvp9YBuaoHaBGhER-jH5eX6Y/s4032/IMG_0285.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And with that, I think we are back on track, just in time for Thanksgiving.</div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-25728754002044636492023-11-05T13:30:00.002-08:002023-11-05T13:30:48.144-08:00Halloween 2023<p> This week was Halloween, but the Halloween festivities started the week before with the Monster Mash at the girls' school. This was to be Carrigan's last Monster Mash, but she decided that she was already too cool for school and elected to stay home. Since it was also game 1 of the World Series (that the Diamondbacks would go on to lose in 5 games), Elsie and I were on our own for the night.</p><p>While Carrigan didn't think it sounded like fun, Elsie, on the other hand, had a blast! She liked visiting the different booths and playing games for candy, but what she really loved was seeing and hanging out with all her friends from school. She is already looking forward to next year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJUPVvGW7pcdFsZUmNQhVoC-CwYHVIOWKTNqe1O8viWL2OWX4dvZlM1n6zVA3a7WNu_GQ7Loi_LiRSW_fwHEsKg7fnMnY8tysr3c7Xz8tFygz9rb-XXKr_VlHjJGpI5HnftUD_mTSqmgLBkX1R43J8BNWU7za8KkJhyphenhyphenBKrttbG1a_gLXtqBcWnha77NM/s4032/IMG_0162.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJUPVvGW7pcdFsZUmNQhVoC-CwYHVIOWKTNqe1O8viWL2OWX4dvZlM1n6zVA3a7WNu_GQ7Loi_LiRSW_fwHEsKg7fnMnY8tysr3c7Xz8tFygz9rb-XXKr_VlHjJGpI5HnftUD_mTSqmgLBkX1R43J8BNWU7za8KkJhyphenhyphenBKrttbG1a_gLXtqBcWnha77NM/s320/IMG_0162.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQB58cDN0C-drPrVnmydy3XrX1fy63FXdEaSTKE32IIt1OuweZtGv-VJ6UcmCsi9p3ofplCVTsxKb0HVlXa3kOvkUKvFB61YGweICTofIHiltdpsGmCjf6RHNY3WqSnLlHyIU5wD7G5IOom2DvNYaG0p8vmp4BxmI68oR7XHRWMZkXqfb0ZG3EsqmnOE/s4032/IMG_0163.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQB58cDN0C-drPrVnmydy3XrX1fy63FXdEaSTKE32IIt1OuweZtGv-VJ6UcmCsi9p3ofplCVTsxKb0HVlXa3kOvkUKvFB61YGweICTofIHiltdpsGmCjf6RHNY3WqSnLlHyIU5wD7G5IOom2DvNYaG0p8vmp4BxmI68oR7XHRWMZkXqfb0ZG3EsqmnOE/s320/IMG_0163.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkHY_YreQAfFa_ZME6-fLLNNwNtX3Fr1IIkIyqr5XR-Y-av4WZeWYWx0LPinCXtCgQDDZYPyzbNeW9h5MRkG0kjbD3K8xhHT31fIvD-cpxszEDXaxpEzu2ug3uAiDtIPSgZu7max4r9zJti5VK_zNAhtchhJCDDyItmhlDwNHp-f0TP-znZnFOj63r-c/s4032/IMG_0164.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkHY_YreQAfFa_ZME6-fLLNNwNtX3Fr1IIkIyqr5XR-Y-av4WZeWYWx0LPinCXtCgQDDZYPyzbNeW9h5MRkG0kjbD3K8xhHT31fIvD-cpxszEDXaxpEzu2ug3uAiDtIPSgZu7max4r9zJti5VK_zNAhtchhJCDDyItmhlDwNHp-f0TP-znZnFOj63r-c/s320/IMG_0164.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlryoKg3k82onhUl-le5XjKEFGAszQBhL35Qe4jenafnslcQAoeh-_gf_K2j-ky_c9h-bvo1-Z7LFftyxTCq7PSKVoQEmcRD1_rbH682AyRXAZY-Um6vLsb_ckmYJUqswUUrZBW8MiuRa5AqOOjx0tI4W3Ovf5gOWX61MMfNBlK1FeKwJHR7FFt9X-51w/s4032/IMG_0165.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlryoKg3k82onhUl-le5XjKEFGAszQBhL35Qe4jenafnslcQAoeh-_gf_K2j-ky_c9h-bvo1-Z7LFftyxTCq7PSKVoQEmcRD1_rbH682AyRXAZY-Um6vLsb_ckmYJUqswUUrZBW8MiuRa5AqOOjx0tI4W3Ovf5gOWX61MMfNBlK1FeKwJHR7FFt9X-51w/s320/IMG_0165.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3od6LUtbc75H1bF_Bnn4gpRdJVU4X4kfzSSKdTNBpt7CqsrrrHdiy0NYVvjhjD0_FQdhEgyu49vKqGPpHvlPAWKG9RNkl1A95szp27-DssZ4USiY4NajWSW5AZb1zpU3D8uD5fsQhAo1hYVvgYS1MjbcL1bN7WXb5cXMnNZ6ZOkHUVc4vNOLWgHpfWF0/s4032/IMG_0168.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3od6LUtbc75H1bF_Bnn4gpRdJVU4X4kfzSSKdTNBpt7CqsrrrHdiy0NYVvjhjD0_FQdhEgyu49vKqGPpHvlPAWKG9RNkl1A95szp27-DssZ4USiY4NajWSW5AZb1zpU3D8uD5fsQhAo1hYVvgYS1MjbcL1bN7WXb5cXMnNZ6ZOkHUVc4vNOLWgHpfWF0/s320/IMG_0168.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Tuesday, we celebrated the big day with mild, dry weather, perfect for trick-or-treating. After some spooky mummy dogs for dinner, Merrick, having decided that he is too old for trick-or-treating, went out for a night on the town with his cousin, Colvin. They did trick-or-teat to a few select family and friends and then tooled around at Home Depot, measuring themselves and "rating faucets".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5NtBS3TvkCJZ2EuSfdACzc9HtPy-kfc0S-TB5lUPZLDE1ZD5BzhOdURP7UoFyHuAGy7gFqDvR5iezsaF5sM5fVW9n4Ny5kimFivzYeN5gDFv1SWDGCRyKsWBoHzd7VIvrYZDo04HH37-GUVD26UTE6X_ok4RRl71Rx-3l9JmOtoo6KuGvsilQQvmVgE/s4032/IMG_0210.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5NtBS3TvkCJZ2EuSfdACzc9HtPy-kfc0S-TB5lUPZLDE1ZD5BzhOdURP7UoFyHuAGy7gFqDvR5iezsaF5sM5fVW9n4Ny5kimFivzYeN5gDFv1SWDGCRyKsWBoHzd7VIvrYZDo04HH37-GUVD26UTE6X_ok4RRl71Rx-3l9JmOtoo6KuGvsilQQvmVgE/s320/IMG_0210.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took the girls out with a couple of Carrigan's friends on Halloween. This year Carrigan was a vampire and Elsie decided to ditch her planned hula girl costume in favor of the Jasmine costume from the closet. Like I said, the weather was great and the girls made out like bandits in a short amount of time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGIi1qhE8rmm0abD6eBcgr5SSAZbRlM37AhX-03lthgQv6Rrjk8Gp-WxkI-FN5LlwTmpZjExidgVRcbrbsoXwP_WkoeojkGWMqPR1k6xSD9goG7d8mT0RhUNgxloiCJCOBY7ip0UjvrrhZ1itWKl1jqUAM4qf_xRhKfbsveO2pytAqVBev58Vt-C92w8/s4032/IMG_0213.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGIi1qhE8rmm0abD6eBcgr5SSAZbRlM37AhX-03lthgQv6Rrjk8Gp-WxkI-FN5LlwTmpZjExidgVRcbrbsoXwP_WkoeojkGWMqPR1k6xSD9goG7d8mT0RhUNgxloiCJCOBY7ip0UjvrrhZ1itWKl1jqUAM4qf_xRhKfbsveO2pytAqVBev58Vt-C92w8/s320/IMG_0213.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCA_xs3h8ctd80hz6ycdDbq9OmMBIF6RS2EotVX7TKCmQNVcstYq3wai2h8Mg-mJM3GNAfeccnrmhU-SfyXsWUBfzkDKCbQkubDRrt9yUkRcVhoHullGVyb_pSKPGPJRN085yiMVn_sXP2GeCr7bJQVJItSBrni3KcxEd-2Ll4RUBSObfBdDlTbQxhd8/s4032/IMG_0209.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCA_xs3h8ctd80hz6ycdDbq9OmMBIF6RS2EotVX7TKCmQNVcstYq3wai2h8Mg-mJM3GNAfeccnrmhU-SfyXsWUBfzkDKCbQkubDRrt9yUkRcVhoHullGVyb_pSKPGPJRN085yiMVn_sXP2GeCr7bJQVJItSBrni3KcxEd-2Ll4RUBSObfBdDlTbQxhd8/s320/IMG_0209.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-41299637056445900672023-10-29T16:37:00.000-07:002023-10-29T16:37:48.515-07:00Viva La Mexico<p>Last week I didn't get a chance to update the blog. Instead, Jeremy and I were sitting on an airplane returning home after what can only be described as a dreamy vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We left last Tuesday and spent 6 blissful days on our own in a tropical paradise.</p><p>I am going to fail to do justice to everything we did but will at least try and hit the highlights. My first favorite came on Thursday. We signed up for couple's massages at the resort spa. As if that wasn't amazing enough, we got to go to the spa an hour early for hydrotherapy. It was an awesome series of hot tub, rain showers, sauna, steam room, and it was all capped off with an ice dip at the end. It was completely invigorating. After the hydrotherapy, we got to relax in our robes with heat wraps and cucumber slices on our eyes before our massages started. It was a true spa day experience.</p><p>That night, Jeremy talked to our personal butler about a good spot to get true tacos al pastor so we left the resort and headed away from the white washed resort and into true Mexico. It was a bit of a scary experience for me because our driver dropped us off at the restaurant and we had no maps, no working cell phones, and no internet to assist us in getting home. We just had our driver's number and he told us to ask the restaurant to use their phone when we were done and he would come back and get us. I tried my best to put that out of my mind and focus on the moment AND the food, which was completely incredible. For what was approximately $18 USD we had a feast of tacos and gringas (similar to a quesadilla) al pastor with pineapple. It was some of the best food I have every had. In the end, we made it back without incident and I wished we had made it there sooner.</p><p>The next day, we spent the entire day on a city and tequila tour. You might think that is an interesting choice for two people who don't drink, but really it was just a small part of a spectacular day. The day started with a tour of downtown Puerto Vallarta. We saw the port, town square, shops, and an old Catholic church. We then made it to the Bay of Banderas.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy5mlpJF2s_St81lSnW4mMZvivSl7UDemaH5J0kr7wnNcD-sVlaEMjlGp5UThpVCdKTtNbkD_TXmVomIp_lbt4ZlzQ44KWORL3gSIknnnKk2oo6nYPgr1qtpxpMgzLlmmAN3sBKVQ_QWVhaRaqwOGVVOQ2UV1SlUad-Qx213sCNDS81knRgOI_8BTnto/s4032/IMG_0143.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy5mlpJF2s_St81lSnW4mMZvivSl7UDemaH5J0kr7wnNcD-sVlaEMjlGp5UThpVCdKTtNbkD_TXmVomIp_lbt4ZlzQ44KWORL3gSIknnnKk2oo6nYPgr1qtpxpMgzLlmmAN3sBKVQ_QWVhaRaqwOGVVOQ2UV1SlUad-Qx213sCNDS81knRgOI_8BTnto/s320/IMG_0143.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr9LjC2UKOVtlK6hJRTNPCgOLVhwihBxnbqODgkG2aEDUD53RL2-tYQRnn9ql4IYCgH7I3dk7UwfmBhFsfdtRCqUKlh4U-4cUe-uR9oMnc4YjFeW8kBWZ8Hatec3SxJhNL2HR0vXGDqjPQXrRgGabsIGT6cT3xGqaRaMU1Bx0YTPJN8F5qp7LAB-M3EQ/s4032/IMG_7079.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj78VJkbEDEVt48hNgU3tze-C0Cl2ePx3KKQA7bWsHZFx9xohlnf59yHnZefbT9rvtTCa3IekCsscVf4QUGC-Z0JojeFbAI4geU7myjIplL3ak41BTnEFDG4nVTKPiLJ3wbyWm7tHU15_sblX_T0puYKP75Cne6p7wXmcvL6cn2AG8sC3UHv_uJz8B7uo/s320/IMG_0153.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtO8aD3k3_Pyppgg9gL1PoiyhBRR55SaUtLksgDSdK7csvU1cOkKDi7ZfV29kZdkTMp3FaO1X6gMYnmzy97wauOqCV1kE1hL4_fV2QC8Xgblyf9sbkZoNlQ1v16bgB9lm6vVFp-0CK23Ff4r5WkZwtXL7Umy4WRyw6MWD56jXR5Vj-r2OoLprfUyVnhc/s3088/IMG_0155.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtO8aD3k3_Pyppgg9gL1PoiyhBRR55SaUtLksgDSdK7csvU1cOkKDi7ZfV29kZdkTMp3FaO1X6gMYnmzy97wauOqCV1kE1hL4_fV2QC8Xgblyf9sbkZoNlQ1v16bgB9lm6vVFp-0CK23Ff4r5WkZwtXL7Umy4WRyw6MWD56jXR5Vj-r2OoLprfUyVnhc/s320/IMG_0155.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After our tour of the city, we headed into the jungle of the mountains. Once we made it up, we stopped at the tequila distillery. While we didn't participate in the tasting, it was interesting to hear how they make the tequila the old fashioned way with pure agave and old world techniques.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CDN1SnFdCDDG9NZhWY_pDDX2S5yU6H9390D603G6WOa7WKUZ1k6M07W0_VueS1CLr3YJEQbJS-hbIPuZ6z9sqqmE-EnH0AECbaFutPVUT3feOONL2YUWlY6vA_Rm1CptL0sal1KMD33eeTndz58aq0yJgo6JpD5M1bBpJPU2IRgEV0XHJZhgkxgGbfs/s4032/IMG_7108.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CDN1SnFdCDDG9NZhWY_pDDX2S5yU6H9390D603G6WOa7WKUZ1k6M07W0_VueS1CLr3YJEQbJS-hbIPuZ6z9sqqmE-EnH0AECbaFutPVUT3feOONL2YUWlY6vA_Rm1CptL0sal1KMD33eeTndz58aq0yJgo6JpD5M1bBpJPU2IRgEV0XHJZhgkxgGbfs/s320/IMG_7108.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgPIyCB5A6eDWBh0YuKDIEQhakFcsVuFmgJbnmoYOb2M8143MEnFnRz-hb9g7KFahGzLjB3ZbXqpZSWg6pzeIs5LRb4Jk1ycYE6CVgSrgkPO3xaq23pZv1YyEq3lEfwxdu-DaSq0KKnv2x4Fd6YjLWHW6YdEOPereWriOnhE36t8OVLYL6909nW5Mawk/s4032/IMG_7109.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgPIyCB5A6eDWBh0YuKDIEQhakFcsVuFmgJbnmoYOb2M8143MEnFnRz-hb9g7KFahGzLjB3ZbXqpZSWg6pzeIs5LRb4Jk1ycYE6CVgSrgkPO3xaq23pZv1YyEq3lEfwxdu-DaSq0KKnv2x4Fd6YjLWHW6YdEOPereWriOnhE36t8OVLYL6909nW5Mawk/s320/IMG_7109.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Following the tour, we walked down a small hill towards the river and to a restaurant carved out of the side of the mountain. They sell amazing food, the majority of which was caught that morning, that they grill fresh after ordering. We also ordered some fun drinks, the Pina Surprise and Coco Loco. While the food was cooking, we explored the property. They do zip line tours so they have several suspension bridges to cross the river. They also had a river swing and throne. It was warm, bordering on hot, outside and the water felt amazing. I found myself wishing I had my swim suit and I would have never left.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPY99zHMVnOSnz42LMvxwHgSGz5-RS4EPaHbYfVkf6fgdWwfM9-T0sQ37pheKk7WgHHZB1xBuj5GAhNIHpNi8iL4jYI5C5NAd15H-0XqxCCZI6swoMyQn57LK3QoDCosk18bCdowUSHqVZVt-waBYr3qisvaBm2eapAGMfg6hAjdYArUlY1crZzwaJwKA/s4032/IMG_7102.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPY99zHMVnOSnz42LMvxwHgSGz5-RS4EPaHbYfVkf6fgdWwfM9-T0sQ37pheKk7WgHHZB1xBuj5GAhNIHpNi8iL4jYI5C5NAd15H-0XqxCCZI6swoMyQn57LK3QoDCosk18bCdowUSHqVZVt-waBYr3qisvaBm2eapAGMfg6hAjdYArUlY1crZzwaJwKA/s320/IMG_7102.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJlVk948t4hciFlWTX87MpLUw6rTmsHULiwfamVYnquYGsfAGD3encNUQGX6atxvbj9gKaCb85n_JVEOYoWQxlWrR-rsheXbZhVTOUhjSlV2psY6N-yY0QqDKN_rJXO2Io2-UMBirFZxsISoVdXdZGKWwjUYhDw3fmmQiZfFVvK7el5EUgfU6wqnwCb8/s3088/IMG_7106.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJlVk948t4hciFlWTX87MpLUw6rTmsHULiwfamVYnquYGsfAGD3encNUQGX6atxvbj9gKaCb85n_JVEOYoWQxlWrR-rsheXbZhVTOUhjSlV2psY6N-yY0QqDKN_rJXO2Io2-UMBirFZxsISoVdXdZGKWwjUYhDw3fmmQiZfFVvK7el5EUgfU6wqnwCb8/s320/IMG_7106.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KbQC19RK4K7b1taD5PU6XQao2W3mRXKRbEh2SOBLVQbe5KPYBefG9XVnBZjJl7uelB8OSQQWtKmwLBBKgx77eXD_EgYiLKNHjBzVxD6IUMbDxKynmLH3XLcCyQICJ2xYNrmv-A0ne4-UYc800ZbRujlaY8rOE_sxuEzoUowq0stquXg1iJ-3eZXLT0s/s4032/IMG_7103.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KbQC19RK4K7b1taD5PU6XQao2W3mRXKRbEh2SOBLVQbe5KPYBefG9XVnBZjJl7uelB8OSQQWtKmwLBBKgx77eXD_EgYiLKNHjBzVxD6IUMbDxKynmLH3XLcCyQICJ2xYNrmv-A0ne4-UYc800ZbRujlaY8rOE_sxuEzoUowq0stquXg1iJ-3eZXLT0s/s320/IMG_7103.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSuFiQjFewxtYsAbxdlIgai7O-qrlYM1fFygqwbw-PS6lBo9C7ndVgpdLuxB17VtGwYajCyQ_D5LaZONvfid1IhdeYaiU-ls2UnwLvrLIOisfCtgOOVTcuglpdRCJ8jcVIqStbG_pzXd9oVR-ETJZdh65gqlgOcstWjy0S7OBgFJxgwaL79Fb_cwuUgM/s4032/IMG_7083.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSuFiQjFewxtYsAbxdlIgai7O-qrlYM1fFygqwbw-PS6lBo9C7ndVgpdLuxB17VtGwYajCyQ_D5LaZONvfid1IhdeYaiU-ls2UnwLvrLIOisfCtgOOVTcuglpdRCJ8jcVIqStbG_pzXd9oVR-ETJZdh65gqlgOcstWjy0S7OBgFJxgwaL79Fb_cwuUgM/s320/IMG_7083.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Saturday was my 40th birthday and we celebrated with a night that will not soon be forgotten. We took an evening cruise out to a remote island and watched an incredible show called Alma, by the same people who do Cirque Du Soleil. It was truly unforgettable. After the show, we had a nice dinner on the island before taking the cruise home. The only not so great part about it was that a hurricane had hit Cabo early that day and, while it didn't really effect us, it made the water extremely choppy. We both struggled with motion sickness during the trip and actually for days afterwards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY3wNkJfgBOAAFhaeHHEWEA2ty0tGY33mLEbrjkXJcsVc-c4poACD2fUDdRzU64VPTjeFIzwZNE3W_qwn1VAOTGfTte53w3byZaiFc4zRsKEPnoMusOTXoDKqUbVvwUF0MdZTXzwsIiD54U3YNy-y1YP0Hm6sy7tiD-T3AkEdqjfqg_uwqKHIpa-q0VU/s3088/IMG_7118.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY3wNkJfgBOAAFhaeHHEWEA2ty0tGY33mLEbrjkXJcsVc-c4poACD2fUDdRzU64VPTjeFIzwZNE3W_qwn1VAOTGfTte53w3byZaiFc4zRsKEPnoMusOTXoDKqUbVvwUF0MdZTXzwsIiD54U3YNy-y1YP0Hm6sy7tiD-T3AkEdqjfqg_uwqKHIpa-q0VU/s320/IMG_7118.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hcytiU-K5VOUU6h1yZfT-OxumWj4QwHM-F5YRIrBrVHPLoSVFWT5-4FW-NWJBZZLhDO4kgw5gI_-3P1p4SnqIdQIX3EMYj7zuGyy74mKdV-s77cbARHjFeKlnHcYoRXGwE6ybO6f5AXAyPqi8mUDNXqljPoS2MwDm0IHg1ktSbtveHTXAlksnJusGek/s1259/IMG_7161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1259" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hcytiU-K5VOUU6h1yZfT-OxumWj4QwHM-F5YRIrBrVHPLoSVFWT5-4FW-NWJBZZLhDO4kgw5gI_-3P1p4SnqIdQIX3EMYj7zuGyy74mKdV-s77cbARHjFeKlnHcYoRXGwE6ybO6f5AXAyPqi8mUDNXqljPoS2MwDm0IHg1ktSbtveHTXAlksnJusGek/s320/IMG_7161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ATpuH2cf8e3buyqV9T6cvzy0EzyajIM3R7CMkzX3bK6QN7cO_4glZBB080HS5TQHL8dfPKbif3QN3JQndYuEvzjc17wFYs8fRGanxkqOewQnmj2UlRgtPlEp_yuXtqS89yRzDf9uAgcfauD-lpoaNSI7SxIPp4bF7_2yKzNQaS-rTHOwOA3DGiJZYs8/s1023/IMG_7162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="823" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ATpuH2cf8e3buyqV9T6cvzy0EzyajIM3R7CMkzX3bK6QN7cO_4glZBB080HS5TQHL8dfPKbif3QN3JQndYuEvzjc17wFYs8fRGanxkqOewQnmj2UlRgtPlEp_yuXtqS89yRzDf9uAgcfauD-lpoaNSI7SxIPp4bF7_2yKzNQaS-rTHOwOA3DGiJZYs8/s320/IMG_7162.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As if all that wasn't enough, there were countless hours spent by the pool, walks on the beach, more virgin pina coladas and mango smoothies that I can count and SO MUCH good food. We found treasures on the beach and saws iguanas and a tejon (Mexica racoon). It was all so perfect, it feels a bit like a dream. Given that that was only our third kid-free trip since Merrick was born, I might have to savor those memories for a long time. That's ok, they were good enough to last.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWjrdavmhoz4zfvQmgMau7vAhWv6L1TgosNyodqVXm274yO0wbxBYARN_EGhMH1R-J8FGvZdMrQ0ai9iyFUUVEpOSeivU3SyPfM8oRtS4ALPhQr0aY3PTlVV7WQQW3Ytf2oqvJ4JCW7f4b9OMv6pNVUhBU7AD62SCvKImbu5RB2dADnSzZHECBFoCnbs/s4032/IMG_7127.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWjrdavmhoz4zfvQmgMau7vAhWv6L1TgosNyodqVXm274yO0wbxBYARN_EGhMH1R-J8FGvZdMrQ0ai9iyFUUVEpOSeivU3SyPfM8oRtS4ALPhQr0aY3PTlVV7WQQW3Ytf2oqvJ4JCW7f4b9OMv6pNVUhBU7AD62SCvKImbu5RB2dADnSzZHECBFoCnbs/s320/IMG_7127.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5VfzpO4AsgXSeXnQhak7kneiJKoJ2JrYB8CANMXOZQEYd-kC8clz8lLbnlYHf0QRuLjwqRr4r4w_B95J5gi-_VgHKXanyNhocHMrgj5k7E31S0_ixUvdq61on8ddOiYgWrU3zHsWLYKSNZGUgjVnp7aiRASFqQAAb2dL8fvCeuU-R-sTzk_walyyRTY/s4032/IMG_7068.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5VfzpO4AsgXSeXnQhak7kneiJKoJ2JrYB8CANMXOZQEYd-kC8clz8lLbnlYHf0QRuLjwqRr4r4w_B95J5gi-_VgHKXanyNhocHMrgj5k7E31S0_ixUvdq61on8ddOiYgWrU3zHsWLYKSNZGUgjVnp7aiRASFqQAAb2dL8fvCeuU-R-sTzk_walyyRTY/s320/IMG_7068.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC5lP7vaC-bXa4gEjFFX5C6H7F16ihpx5ju2tpAuzNxAbbdg4u6JIAWnYwLol243kc6UdH-PIcNm-9IRM63kxf9BV3U9pXUFM3ljlKD5eOfzpbbFe9p1ecq4b6OrJXkNecQjnOhrbog53MEzyC5QYgxvlyRI3qa8kbaySrIWCf4YLlIy4IGC23NEpnYc/s3088/IMG_7070.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC5lP7vaC-bXa4gEjFFX5C6H7F16ihpx5ju2tpAuzNxAbbdg4u6JIAWnYwLol243kc6UdH-PIcNm-9IRM63kxf9BV3U9pXUFM3ljlKD5eOfzpbbFe9p1ecq4b6OrJXkNecQjnOhrbog53MEzyC5QYgxvlyRI3qa8kbaySrIWCf4YLlIy4IGC23NEpnYc/s320/IMG_7070.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWEWajekEfDHyZiU9NwdHceQpbnPZbbWJaeyqIOnkqtUW0uuvyryCXif0osh_wFKLPwCyZcyWTToOZjuTACqA9iN1lDgR-hUMiJMU5IecAUGnBO2_-3DR8msgt55UPFnqOQ_BzHFk4JjfjjbCkD1aFFb-T7dvp31qcH0V2p7nxH5R-VU8TrCHMdKWHNA/s4032/IMG_7136.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWEWajekEfDHyZiU9NwdHceQpbnPZbbWJaeyqIOnkqtUW0uuvyryCXif0osh_wFKLPwCyZcyWTToOZjuTACqA9iN1lDgR-hUMiJMU5IecAUGnBO2_-3DR8msgt55UPFnqOQ_BzHFk4JjfjjbCkD1aFFb-T7dvp31qcH0V2p7nxH5R-VU8TrCHMdKWHNA/s320/IMG_7136.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-42666979908685621672023-10-15T19:22:00.000-07:002023-10-15T19:22:10.614-07:00Here We Go<p>To say this week was a lot is a huge understatement. This week I started my new job. There is always a learning curve with any new job and that in and of itself would have been a lot. That was just the beginning of our week though. This was also conference week for the kids. That means that the kids were off school most of the week and, not only that, but after work we had to attend conferences for each of the the kids. It was really nice to meet with each of their teachers, but it added a lot to an already busy typical schedule.</p><p>This week also happened to be the Kindergarten Carnival at the library. Elsie was so excited to attend and I couldn't disappoint her. Unfortunately, for me that meant I ran from work to school pick up to the library to pick C.C. up from a playdate to Merrick's conference to Elsie's conferences. It was a long day, but we made it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEica0_drvyZnM9qEfKPlv0R9FOSNbxniwvdJyR_xN1Qut8Twnh9NjzmWWcEVfxhj7wVWZomWDFND5r-rV-v4ay8BXcvpnsrJpEJMrDXrWu69XD5j_9Ha4lUgMOsXHYxyGbC-6tam1kQTcplQ35i07gD31JPUO6l_PrcehzaLdIUGjOP69a0Ntmhuuwifww/s4032/IMG_0110.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEica0_drvyZnM9qEfKPlv0R9FOSNbxniwvdJyR_xN1Qut8Twnh9NjzmWWcEVfxhj7wVWZomWDFND5r-rV-v4ay8BXcvpnsrJpEJMrDXrWu69XD5j_9Ha4lUgMOsXHYxyGbC-6tam1kQTcplQ35i07gD31JPUO6l_PrcehzaLdIUGjOP69a0Ntmhuuwifww/s320/IMG_0110.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The busy, hectic week was capped off on Friday afternoon by the news that my grandmother had just passed away. Just shy of her 99th birthday, she fell a couple of weeks ago and fractured her pelvis in three places. That started a very quick slide to the end of her mortal life. I am so sad she is gone, but she has waited for the day she could be reunited with my grandpa for a very long time. I am so happy for the heavenly reunions she is now able to have with not only my grandpa, but a newborn son she lost, her parents, and her siblings. She lived a wonderful life and I am blessed to have been a small part of it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnzYDJ1Aqvk-O7eufn_i9RexTKd3Q0B47UZuf7VNJjRTaYpKGLlASaeaofJWy-cO6wdzRGt5jVHEeWAmRCH3CtdKjSxBIbF2_bNV4NOGS_Ju2Y3DwVxJ9uGC6XsVmApJs6CnvO4-QKR2trB-ng71K1buJO6O27esJvbNwyKFJvp6Dgids_fgHULpK3Jg/s960/IMG_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnzYDJ1Aqvk-O7eufn_i9RexTKd3Q0B47UZuf7VNJjRTaYpKGLlASaeaofJWy-cO6wdzRGt5jVHEeWAmRCH3CtdKjSxBIbF2_bNV4NOGS_Ju2Y3DwVxJ9uGC6XsVmApJs6CnvO4-QKR2trB-ng71K1buJO6O27esJvbNwyKFJvp6Dgids_fgHULpK3Jg/s320/IMG_0120.JPG" width="226" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This coming week, Jeremy and I are going to Mexico and leaving the kids in the very capable hands of my parents and sister. Getting everything ready for the kids prior to leaving is very stressful and not feeling like what I really need on top of an already extremely stressful week, but I am hoping that when I get to Mexico it will all be worth it. I'll keep you all posted on that one.</p><p>Completely unrelated to all this, today Merrick's birthday present we bought two months ago finally arrived. He is just so excited, I couldn't miss getting it in here. He now has a custom baseball glove that he completely designed. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SAxCnHGX_GIRExC-VUbS7yPNIgLvFfnpazFYBUcBVYStHbphONs7KtLs2SUnPoA8NqJCs6KJvDyKU9GsnvQkQs8q017Q5Jgs0p2CN0AEi9La0f3Oncd9vCmfkiz8QIfieAWbfSqxo3tXIGafVtmIoM0LUBuZcTBNSwgoi_JOJfih5XCQjnAkAEOItKo/s4032/IMG_0116.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SAxCnHGX_GIRExC-VUbS7yPNIgLvFfnpazFYBUcBVYStHbphONs7KtLs2SUnPoA8NqJCs6KJvDyKU9GsnvQkQs8q017Q5Jgs0p2CN0AEi9La0f3Oncd9vCmfkiz8QIfieAWbfSqxo3tXIGafVtmIoM0LUBuZcTBNSwgoi_JOJfih5XCQjnAkAEOItKo/s320/IMG_0116.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UF3_mYLSZEyn_3M47ZVpB3Z-a6FtKf9QnM1Jclk32TEnEct2U1jx7otZF0tASNscnzDGSgAkJScmkV6LNf-rm7fXgDhEMCGfeN1HoWRYhZ0BYv4kRKq_OZjbIpPaNcrlY2OD5HQ_PKi4slv5i1NnycRFiCUQ6DGhOAKMF7bhem6twQDoBD2wH5YLH1g/s4032/IMG_0117.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UF3_mYLSZEyn_3M47ZVpB3Z-a6FtKf9QnM1Jclk32TEnEct2U1jx7otZF0tASNscnzDGSgAkJScmkV6LNf-rm7fXgDhEMCGfeN1HoWRYhZ0BYv4kRKq_OZjbIpPaNcrlY2OD5HQ_PKi4slv5i1NnycRFiCUQ6DGhOAKMF7bhem6twQDoBD2wH5YLH1g/s320/IMG_0117.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb-Fv3sHaLPosyogLsl-h1cHXOtxT5A5LXWnjvT_3SNEe1UUECqCgo9CojFXyuNrH1Lh3Gm_lO8Rkixts56C37suUXCFcU7var2yafnrZz0WlN7GRuTVaztFuJ8LENdxFGb28Fk5YFzOzx7jQgGEdeipXvTgMZ1VEqH4TImer6QAWFKFgzAyqLIiv38s/s4032/IMG_0118.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb-Fv3sHaLPosyogLsl-h1cHXOtxT5A5LXWnjvT_3SNEe1UUECqCgo9CojFXyuNrH1Lh3Gm_lO8Rkixts56C37suUXCFcU7var2yafnrZz0WlN7GRuTVaztFuJ8LENdxFGb28Fk5YFzOzx7jQgGEdeipXvTgMZ1VEqH4TImer6QAWFKFgzAyqLIiv38s/s320/IMG_0118.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBjXe2DSiTVpMp4S1R39z4nCjmSClu1H1J9OS7Rcv40xQk2lsjDsR7h60rDchyphenhypheniHRTRbUfbGHU1wQVkTV96_3y3-E5Q-5QOust_cCNOTNpk2BXR344SRRdziZGQTgvNLtb77Eml5yXAvxi6Gh4TdCQOQSLEZVtNHZiI9CDweBB6q-Kd7_fX1D_bJ1ZgY/s4032/IMG_0119.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBjXe2DSiTVpMp4S1R39z4nCjmSClu1H1J9OS7Rcv40xQk2lsjDsR7h60rDchyphenhypheniHRTRbUfbGHU1wQVkTV96_3y3-E5Q-5QOust_cCNOTNpk2BXR344SRRdziZGQTgvNLtb77Eml5yXAvxi6Gh4TdCQOQSLEZVtNHZiI9CDweBB6q-Kd7_fX1D_bJ1ZgY/s320/IMG_0119.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p> And, to cap it off, after I wrote the blog Elsie lost her second front tooth. She'll be singing, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" this Christmas season.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzfBaR7bgyU2RKk1KRlbDTeRDU5hjzyC8VE7VtSmKV5uazQeOrNe9T-MHIsi5WpEhIF6cURyQT-I6yUs4vPYUb_0x022hX2Nkl3JXRBJoibFSTd3sz4yJxlfqAmog6Hi8oZ99loC8Xe0tnGnsVeqcKDDJLj5TpcFiraDP6YnQMZislKj6kfJTtQUVB1o/s4032/IMG_0122.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzfBaR7bgyU2RKk1KRlbDTeRDU5hjzyC8VE7VtSmKV5uazQeOrNe9T-MHIsi5WpEhIF6cURyQT-I6yUs4vPYUb_0x022hX2Nkl3JXRBJoibFSTd3sz4yJxlfqAmog6Hi8oZ99loC8Xe0tnGnsVeqcKDDJLj5TpcFiraDP6YnQMZislKj6kfJTtQUVB1o/s320/IMG_0122.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-9955860505038037582023-10-08T13:53:00.000-07:002023-10-08T13:53:56.126-07:00Here Comes Fall<p> This week it seems like fall is in the air, despite the very warm weather we have been having. Yes, it has been very warm the last few days, but the nights and mornings still tell the truth, fall has arrived. The leaves have started to change and fall from the trees and the kids are barreling through fall sports.</p><p>For our family that also means fun fall activities. This week we had our church pumpkin patch activity. The kids picked pumpkins, played games, covered themselves in Halloween tattoos, and ate WAY to much sugar.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MLMY913LPMZFnUa7CQ99HEHNeU91r0BBaUxq_3HaJLp9BLW2Qorv9CcWafKGlBYh_OYeLsc3BQPc-rNtNfv2D056fbrtI5_jwwoi4pv7o86PvaeJasXdEMTgkt4asT4HWp-00wrbxCdKwLdPTPNMcJFwTFigQGOdTGr_V42IrLdp81CbZpD4s5aAvpc/s4032/IMG_0062.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MLMY913LPMZFnUa7CQ99HEHNeU91r0BBaUxq_3HaJLp9BLW2Qorv9CcWafKGlBYh_OYeLsc3BQPc-rNtNfv2D056fbrtI5_jwwoi4pv7o86PvaeJasXdEMTgkt4asT4HWp-00wrbxCdKwLdPTPNMcJFwTFigQGOdTGr_V42IrLdp81CbZpD4s5aAvpc/s320/IMG_0062.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m4ZKx93AwLilht77qChBEqzjGDb2wQQ1vVvSevbo73TvqrB2yw17SVY1xHAJfJmuzVm6KnX602bD6pPnR_e7Ct5Ylw7fXrlvNQ8QyXgoM8KFLc90-MBGIQAiIwUxbmCU3wh_kGdP-lXYVvtPrrDqVvKGibEP1g2HM-Hu29FjgX-iXiWB4koybcTaYIg/s4032/IMG_0061.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m4ZKx93AwLilht77qChBEqzjGDb2wQQ1vVvSevbo73TvqrB2yw17SVY1xHAJfJmuzVm6KnX602bD6pPnR_e7Ct5Ylw7fXrlvNQ8QyXgoM8KFLc90-MBGIQAiIwUxbmCU3wh_kGdP-lXYVvtPrrDqVvKGibEP1g2HM-Hu29FjgX-iXiWB4koybcTaYIg/s320/IMG_0061.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Lp5EIsqIc2dyzteVXd-RqrNHx0LaJ0kTQIys04M8ZQWkX4Lq7qwMi1jQ4PvS9SwJjdqXuoEV3V7xPK1DSZl9eapCGeFqs6Y1YJaEcDbPDJF_uBSa8XmKREElKJTuhQLdLahb9BtFKmAJ3ESYiZ5A54Tko4AU_gtBn5yZr8gb27sBlgJCn59DRS4Fdro/s4032/IMG_0060.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Lp5EIsqIc2dyzteVXd-RqrNHx0LaJ0kTQIys04M8ZQWkX4Lq7qwMi1jQ4PvS9SwJjdqXuoEV3V7xPK1DSZl9eapCGeFqs6Y1YJaEcDbPDJF_uBSa8XmKREElKJTuhQLdLahb9BtFKmAJ3ESYiZ5A54Tko4AU_gtBn5yZr8gb27sBlgJCn59DRS4Fdro/s320/IMG_0060.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Also, this weekend we visited the pumpkin patch at Fiala Farms and looked at the pumpkins and flowers and did the corn maze. The fun thing about the corn maze at Fiala Farms is that you buy a season pass and can come back as many times as you want during the season. In addition to a tricky maze, they hide 20 number signs in the maze. If you find them all, you know you have seen the whole maze. We (minus Merrick who decided to hang with his cousin instead) found 11 of the the numbers and did find the exit. The girls are excited to go back and look for more numbers and see what Merrick can do.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhEfm2OXBdXX5yzW9gpRv_p2O8A8eH5G6pw3YWXDNoqsHTS3yabl7JRros6OahEwHIAvzKQgHzRgk9F5UuplXmFeK7nqKWvsIhjuaZ_dGAWv56suAK4LuPBDA-rDX3QdcrxMFjMEzSgIcFODXCNlLiKV9I5TcsIJn4_ihYqM9wartep6dGMauoyj0naA/s4032/IMG_0093.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhEfm2OXBdXX5yzW9gpRv_p2O8A8eH5G6pw3YWXDNoqsHTS3yabl7JRros6OahEwHIAvzKQgHzRgk9F5UuplXmFeK7nqKWvsIhjuaZ_dGAWv56suAK4LuPBDA-rDX3QdcrxMFjMEzSgIcFODXCNlLiKV9I5TcsIJn4_ihYqM9wartep6dGMauoyj0naA/s320/IMG_0093.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbwgAuVrDv_zuE8ESDOhlv736FaQjDHPuUsOKJnJxDlhi1PgabC2l1drUzQwph6yQHaaWn9iipQxGT4bRAtNckNJLra5Ll81VoPBkqW5pPOoNao_UleTUKjANTERx1wit8nxKRcxivW62sxCyeIqXLaiX1fgqBCUKY2dKHKq1M-clqdxhxAuzwgwU41s/s4032/IMG_0092.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPHmb9Ck1PmqijZAFB3Qi0jHnCYGlLyqrUQKhEa0jNirLnRj05r3Lw3vauSt84ZB1_vdyhhbVosIqWmPL9RNF91VfsGuI2TrTuEyzvGwfh2cLjjpJGT3zM1zvZqokD9gHxFYR1705z_HI2dg6opaPxzJsRLOIuVG3GH3P2hMlnmjgadzoXopA5CcpQxA/s320/IMG_0082.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08hOLzBdgwoR-wL7nC1Gh8JXAjeEP84OX5IHc6BnnHMOXLw6UKJzdHIApdD7ThcGmWvCOIT6Klo3o1ZPHQzeN02RCwNHI5CHbGEu4uFpTIFqPOdAedT666NCBLBvZ-mcLc4lJCX7JlotjpVFUQuxjgld0TuHNBgdnEqC1vVtID-FoH1HlUSKccQ7xBH8/s4032/IMG_0088.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08hOLzBdgwoR-wL7nC1Gh8JXAjeEP84OX5IHc6BnnHMOXLw6UKJzdHIApdD7ThcGmWvCOIT6Klo3o1ZPHQzeN02RCwNHI5CHbGEu4uFpTIFqPOdAedT666NCBLBvZ-mcLc4lJCX7JlotjpVFUQuxjgld0TuHNBgdnEqC1vVtID-FoH1HlUSKccQ7xBH8/s320/IMG_0088.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGrobSnvvTALnMZSAJTo_3nzxLylg1TO5N-7JqXCMQ0JXZsdL8HZ0Z5FSgbc5SJJbi6KEaZaBv7GFFQZEyCz2yLyfNiF0Rtb5QHhGLMwiLseOb0aB1sEPbblQhfv9urY-Eh3iVSe5bacYn_5mppZtokA-7BKZ9MypNPA1VnwCKzI1Q9ytNK7Q_9qkklE/s4032/IMG_0090.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGrobSnvvTALnMZSAJTo_3nzxLylg1TO5N-7JqXCMQ0JXZsdL8HZ0Z5FSgbc5SJJbi6KEaZaBv7GFFQZEyCz2yLyfNiF0Rtb5QHhGLMwiLseOb0aB1sEPbblQhfv9urY-Eh3iVSe5bacYn_5mppZtokA-7BKZ9MypNPA1VnwCKzI1Q9ytNK7Q_9qkklE/s320/IMG_0090.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Similar to the falling of the leaves, Elsie has also been experiencing some falling of her teeth. She lost one of her front teeth at Costco yesterday when we stopped in for a post game bite to eat. The other front tooth is hanging on by a thread. She already had school pictures for the year, but if she ends up needing re-takes, she is going to look very different.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInUPf08oWdJWhAWAntPHJZZgAiskFz3LIhREd_kg-k9jVjaPMM_YXvdWO5So0BV-Ad_fQaYp6-fNbKO9R-s904gZPRKdaYPZTscoJ1cagr_RWWBFyNRxe7v_SlcdVoVgqrhhAGrT0Lg3CBHek1yub2rIXTkTP5Bm8vtzglHK1xxid77O9RS6-9aa8g8U/s4032/IMG_0069.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInUPf08oWdJWhAWAntPHJZZgAiskFz3LIhREd_kg-k9jVjaPMM_YXvdWO5So0BV-Ad_fQaYp6-fNbKO9R-s904gZPRKdaYPZTscoJ1cagr_RWWBFyNRxe7v_SlcdVoVgqrhhAGrT0Lg3CBHek1yub2rIXTkTP5Bm8vtzglHK1xxid77O9RS6-9aa8g8U/s320/IMG_0069.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ummzrl85e1Qtri4no13oUDpvPLh7XhO_hPH5NiSfFjfcsGzTzOxEi8NVh4HrElEyhue3YA6i1Zq4aFX5cGYcM92Tgpj1FT0l1NMsJlpikjvuBaX8hfpMS011QWPQWMTI-GFUN8m6r-jdYVcpz05o-yibQ9ZePZ7FBL4V347LZuZHOCsokivA1zbUs4s/s4032/IMG_0070.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ummzrl85e1Qtri4no13oUDpvPLh7XhO_hPH5NiSfFjfcsGzTzOxEi8NVh4HrElEyhue3YA6i1Zq4aFX5cGYcM92Tgpj1FT0l1NMsJlpikjvuBaX8hfpMS011QWPQWMTI-GFUN8m6r-jdYVcpz05o-yibQ9ZePZ7FBL4V347LZuZHOCsokivA1zbUs4s/s320/IMG_0070.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am glad we have had a chance to have some fun because tomorrow I start my new job. Things might be a little crazy for a while as we settle in to our new normal.</div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-56509024229960723332023-10-01T16:07:00.000-07:002023-10-01T16:07:21.347-07:00Outdoor Fun<p> We have had a fair bit of rain over the last week and it seemed like fall was upon us. Just when it felt like we might be in it for the long haul with the rain, the sun returned. It returned just in time too. Friday the girls had their annual fun run, this year called the "Squirrel Dash".</p><p>Both girls were excited to get out and go for a run with their friends. I wasn't able to attend Elsie's race because it was early in the morning and I was at a doctor's appointment with Merrick. Luckily, a friend's mom attended and sent me some photos and video. I was able to attend and volunteer at Carrigan's race. I think both girls ran about 2 miles and they had a great time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZBng0GbEDrIDfBjeNuI5HbLVORNwxB6xdSQtdpFmf4BOeTgj4t2Sbj2Vo4X9oN7pI4lYrcxfas12uuldzaKW1Bws_iM0jAHf9js53JC72UeKF-kVAuYPXEnYvUqv8VXy4NJ3CxQfx9lP946-ak5zGDt8xDz4BI2e22BhaVU4zjZh4O8vmYvsZ4fdklY/s4032/IMG_0038.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZBng0GbEDrIDfBjeNuI5HbLVORNwxB6xdSQtdpFmf4BOeTgj4t2Sbj2Vo4X9oN7pI4lYrcxfas12uuldzaKW1Bws_iM0jAHf9js53JC72UeKF-kVAuYPXEnYvUqv8VXy4NJ3CxQfx9lP946-ak5zGDt8xDz4BI2e22BhaVU4zjZh4O8vmYvsZ4fdklY/s320/IMG_0038.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpoiL3tvbUWbMarqtOoyJXaVlZgiQc8UmwE3EgqxZE2MDvx6FJoN_2jC1wl4I7SwI9qien2jA_M_WLBYlZ-xhRQqqEadw2jPolcg0iXx21osjRRrxLL0i9j700ArhCjKRGO9Og1FPDeZa-CYgW1PkQkyBu83JsJ0ewhE_BghvUa0yiBFusrMZMxX1lop0/s4032/IMG_9926.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpoiL3tvbUWbMarqtOoyJXaVlZgiQc8UmwE3EgqxZE2MDvx6FJoN_2jC1wl4I7SwI9qien2jA_M_WLBYlZ-xhRQqqEadw2jPolcg0iXx21osjRRrxLL0i9j700ArhCjKRGO9Og1FPDeZa-CYgW1PkQkyBu83JsJ0ewhE_BghvUa0yiBFusrMZMxX1lop0/s320/IMG_9926.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgus53fKCOCSw7gz8x6FT6ZLEpJ8YuS98skV1t3R-G-QwSz7Kvc1WNS6YwdphHf3-MCnwCOAaMiyLeaeKcFSI-XdUfjakLoF5LDYiNtOSnXJ8cAPVuLqQxvb1sBE6IQExT9k9tQR3cA7wmSgW1U74n1oJYZ_k5EN55ud1u8_ZF4HozX__FWIVHM0X1tZl8/s4032/IMG_0037.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgus53fKCOCSw7gz8x6FT6ZLEpJ8YuS98skV1t3R-G-QwSz7Kvc1WNS6YwdphHf3-MCnwCOAaMiyLeaeKcFSI-XdUfjakLoF5LDYiNtOSnXJ8cAPVuLqQxvb1sBE6IQExT9k9tQR3cA7wmSgW1U74n1oJYZ_k5EN55ud1u8_ZF4HozX__FWIVHM0X1tZl8/s320/IMG_0037.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PnxpuxxUTRZBIg9Xzt2GYyj1PO8tLeba1FlU1kwAnna0BCq9QVD5l-WPSVV8CZLVex3Pcnk9Q8w6ew8ujPGO-YcvQ622yJIUaQxV3nxxwe-ygeRIkkzx7eMovgruz6jlG_MYlvT1DF1wrEv_sqivIzvcna5m_lrQ7HqvRLIF6hY53DN_a_jWn_j_prA/s4032/IMG_0039.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PnxpuxxUTRZBIg9Xzt2GYyj1PO8tLeba1FlU1kwAnna0BCq9QVD5l-WPSVV8CZLVex3Pcnk9Q8w6ew8ujPGO-YcvQ622yJIUaQxV3nxxwe-ygeRIkkzx7eMovgruz6jlG_MYlvT1DF1wrEv_sqivIzvcna5m_lrQ7HqvRLIF6hY53DN_a_jWn_j_prA/s320/IMG_0039.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6g8CbhbcRpslhAV_rRJ6hhD9mqVGq3cceSt8LO4cuQdvF3feE4bab5i9zBkADD7G7kbU3EayAfjLXWZQATyKEQ4KaI4AOSOJGjvIRWYo06jfswTXnOQxMTDFn9_FDp_51Y8gJ6TmNo84LatXENdUlbdQyOF08Q08VMpc93AOAEfyuHMGnJtaS2zCmXs/s4032/IMG_0041.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6g8CbhbcRpslhAV_rRJ6hhD9mqVGq3cceSt8LO4cuQdvF3feE4bab5i9zBkADD7G7kbU3EayAfjLXWZQATyKEQ4KaI4AOSOJGjvIRWYo06jfswTXnOQxMTDFn9_FDp_51Y8gJ6TmNo84LatXENdUlbdQyOF08Q08VMpc93AOAEfyuHMGnJtaS2zCmXs/s320/IMG_0041.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGsCYphuYlF70qKh2OVfHf3ZxWyW7iWq1joRdV9AtY1t3uuLawbJdde1Vj0t4jQfxbLPVkaYB5SWSihyFQh0YD9e8QjMzsXNr00lsqmAadRjGUVwQFnU7JVoQzpJApx3JBTPV_mlDTXXO5CJ8M9X6PTcbujnVF_GCkaV_4VcfAOaBWDPHQ4Vr48PfbKE/s4032/IMG_0042.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGsCYphuYlF70qKh2OVfHf3ZxWyW7iWq1joRdV9AtY1t3uuLawbJdde1Vj0t4jQfxbLPVkaYB5SWSihyFQh0YD9e8QjMzsXNr00lsqmAadRjGUVwQFnU7JVoQzpJApx3JBTPV_mlDTXXO5CJ8M9X6PTcbujnVF_GCkaV_4VcfAOaBWDPHQ4Vr48PfbKE/s320/IMG_0042.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This weekend the beautiful weather continued and we were able to get outside with some family park time today. I don't know how much longer we will have this beautiful weather, but I will take it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sO8BWfOwEC6IrFLplasttJyiIzSn25RNX3_0F0MmMzOHwWd-WkQV5kPZmp5f_i5wvUhC5pZHJPmP53W0mJsGHbzQOuWmN3WFVurFoo1W6fLfPsU-vSMMAz-KJhOdH-prvs0qn6GZsN3VUVnK-_sCOt1TeMO-HIi7ICBcLy0lx0T099QzpGTwwfa3Sxo/s4032/IMG_0050.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sO8BWfOwEC6IrFLplasttJyiIzSn25RNX3_0F0MmMzOHwWd-WkQV5kPZmp5f_i5wvUhC5pZHJPmP53W0mJsGHbzQOuWmN3WFVurFoo1W6fLfPsU-vSMMAz-KJhOdH-prvs0qn6GZsN3VUVnK-_sCOt1TeMO-HIi7ICBcLy0lx0T099QzpGTwwfa3Sxo/s320/IMG_0050.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZpHZk9BlJvIUKLh0Ax0T208EkEqZm3wzeHlLV545mNN6smH3F69AaU1jZWraCnBOD2NGeIcoMDE50f3Uj8gYRqGCzxwQOXJcHemV4A7H3GgGxEpuRPvO_p4MgDQ9UJl0tXntVW5viW_KmVpJIkaqBHLgH55gdnBqxhocQ-EfJEa5FqWLNq73n-PIhws/s4032/IMG_0051.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZpHZk9BlJvIUKLh0Ax0T208EkEqZm3wzeHlLV545mNN6smH3F69AaU1jZWraCnBOD2NGeIcoMDE50f3Uj8gYRqGCzxwQOXJcHemV4A7H3GgGxEpuRPvO_p4MgDQ9UJl0tXntVW5viW_KmVpJIkaqBHLgH55gdnBqxhocQ-EfJEa5FqWLNq73n-PIhws/s320/IMG_0051.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BHwCvcPxqprzkKXxB6hQcKqrBbyKBVUuwdUfBUrQgi4iV6Nlxdfhv3MhvLbOTWEaKPUAG9t0PcmnorSpHl-h6bD6SPLXif0xSiYPJgQ33lXmPT607f74PsnVZOWGB5kULnQ3J6Ly0rwvN7Vb7lg2LrFbmvPjVA__KBwfnzu2shwgWqTQ3J9nvTVH7G4/s4032/IMG_0052.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BHwCvcPxqprzkKXxB6hQcKqrBbyKBVUuwdUfBUrQgi4iV6Nlxdfhv3MhvLbOTWEaKPUAG9t0PcmnorSpHl-h6bD6SPLXif0xSiYPJgQ33lXmPT607f74PsnVZOWGB5kULnQ3J6Ly0rwvN7Vb7lg2LrFbmvPjVA__KBwfnzu2shwgWqTQ3J9nvTVH7G4/s320/IMG_0052.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp3ae1oCS9YB6mQLs8Xf94xudoq2UBXWV3kM5wbV6uP9Rr5G45wTDkCtP1EhQZ66p4FPqfkkbLlvkXdGT9oYHNpTFHhWGSq4e-Vkd4Y040SliQ13AI1cYDaQzXO6pjnAz0dXlp9K30mB6rZAQPyunYUUQnmJphtcroFNWKsbe208dcENBtRUfnEKRqSk/s4032/IMG_0053.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp3ae1oCS9YB6mQLs8Xf94xudoq2UBXWV3kM5wbV6uP9Rr5G45wTDkCtP1EhQZ66p4FPqfkkbLlvkXdGT9oYHNpTFHhWGSq4e-Vkd4Y040SliQ13AI1cYDaQzXO6pjnAz0dXlp9K30mB6rZAQPyunYUUQnmJphtcroFNWKsbe208dcENBtRUfnEKRqSk/s320/IMG_0053.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtextd5RTGNjjySimF_X7LxL-Ip2thsjWw5TYRh0l5_4r3hJXVy9h65wLrV50BwMXAR3iqe9Hxk3Ua2I04ub46TVyg-0joKEXJdod90HNQjndENh8NuCG6ITthnO0Vwl0BfvPYrQepFxL-xqbG8yDdF6DMwcNRqERkxdSQK5ROFMelLq5-aHCLKuB-Q30/s4032/IMG_0054.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtextd5RTGNjjySimF_X7LxL-Ip2thsjWw5TYRh0l5_4r3hJXVy9h65wLrV50BwMXAR3iqe9Hxk3Ua2I04ub46TVyg-0joKEXJdod90HNQjndENh8NuCG6ITthnO0Vwl0BfvPYrQepFxL-xqbG8yDdF6DMwcNRqERkxdSQK5ROFMelLq5-aHCLKuB-Q30/s320/IMG_0054.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Unrelated to the outdoor fun, our family has a couple of big updates from the week to share. First off, Merrick had a treadmill test this week. He really pushed his heart, running at a 6 mi/hr speed at 20% incline. When he finished, he had one of, if not the worst episodes, he has ever had. At one point he had a run of 6 irregular beats in a row and thought he was going to pass out. Shortly thereafter, I spoke with the cardiologist, who feels like it is time to treat. His recommendation is for the ablation and we went ahead and scheduled that for December 8th.</p><p>The other big news is that I was offered and accepted a new job this week. I will be working as the District Service Representative for the West Linn Wilsonville School District for a company called Edustaff. Edustaff is an educational staffing company and for the West Linn Wilsonville district, we will staff for all district teacher and paraprofessional subbing positions. It's a full time position but the hours will be similar to school hours so I will be able to be home in the afternoons with my kids and I will also have 8 weeks off in the summer with my kids. It will hopefully he a great fit for our family. It is, however, my first full time job in almost 15 years so that is causing me just a bit of anxiety. I start a week from tomorrow, so I will update as I get started.</p><p><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-77264355918539614242023-09-24T15:30:00.002-07:002023-09-24T15:50:32.843-07:00Back At It<p> This will probably be a short update this week. I don't even have many pictures to share, which is pretty shocking for me, but this week has been a whirlwind.</p><p>Back to school is always a tough time. Everyone's practices have started up and that is just the beginning. This week also brought two curriculum nights, a church meeting, and Jeremy leaving on a business trip to Seattle.</p><p>On top of that, I also subbed two and a half days this week. I taught high school PE, kindergarten, and middle school special education. Its pretty safe to say I got the whole range of experiences. So far subbing is a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them.</p><p>I was very ready for the weekend by the time it rolled around. Unfortunately, for me this weekend was full of soccer, volleyball and baseball tryouts. Maybe someday I will have a relaxing weekend.</p><p>My only real photo from the week came from the girls' curriculum night. I snapped a picture of CC's "At Ten" poem and self portrait so the night wasn't a complete bust.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OBqY34dVKpWw3UGSbac11XnLwudtiH67pgzV3qPzU3PB5Rub5QAQyTyRguScasTVO4GRKzOW6ohoZZujNlB7Hmppd2JRmObxUBYGVbgkJTllgxK41F8iwiZT_lQVwwCaoY6jK4W2uNgThHaKkGfGkJ_8z0TtcYnW1ExkWiABQWyoUGJoKX3ROmE_mAc/s4032/IMG_0017.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OBqY34dVKpWw3UGSbac11XnLwudtiH67pgzV3qPzU3PB5Rub5QAQyTyRguScasTVO4GRKzOW6ohoZZujNlB7Hmppd2JRmObxUBYGVbgkJTllgxK41F8iwiZT_lQVwwCaoY6jK4W2uNgThHaKkGfGkJ_8z0TtcYnW1ExkWiABQWyoUGJoKX3ROmE_mAc/s320/IMG_0017.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-24800904673784060402023-09-17T12:37:00.000-07:002023-09-17T12:37:12.952-07:00Sports!<p> This week (and actually last week too), we are back into the swing of sports. This year, for the first time ever, we have three kids in three different sports and it is not easy. Merrick is playing basketball, Carrigan is playing volleyball, and Elsie is playing soccer. Somehow, last weekend, we managed for both Jeremy and I to make it to both Elsie's first soccer game and Carrigan's first volleyball game. This weekend Merrick had games too and we weren't so lucky and had to divide and concur. I took the girls to their games and Jeremy took Merrick to his games. Oh, one other thing, Mer isn't officially on a team this fall, we are just piecing together practice with a few other kids and joining other teams for games. This weekend he ended up in a Gresham jersey. I am trying my best to keep my lunch down.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNbB1kAwqBM_fEOvxs_lMupxy64M7PAnyfF2lY2oQUwYNOA7OuUcF0zWNHtPeerCPutxv-Ea0n-5HiotZQIUJUa4r4FEZP4FDxB87SskK4u6BEqccwOeLOf8H0tGYlQauDQX4usSym1vHuL8IF7zfFm5PFgd82es6OYQ3rZ_ld-iUrt4K62DT13cN0ew/s4032/IMG_0014.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNbB1kAwqBM_fEOvxs_lMupxy64M7PAnyfF2lY2oQUwYNOA7OuUcF0zWNHtPeerCPutxv-Ea0n-5HiotZQIUJUa4r4FEZP4FDxB87SskK4u6BEqccwOeLOf8H0tGYlQauDQX4usSym1vHuL8IF7zfFm5PFgd82es6OYQ3rZ_ld-iUrt4K62DT13cN0ew/s320/IMG_0014.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgxfc1j6EcHuKC2CdRQy4sV4WrseDPeX6zO8FCIWKnCuQ6sp_F-DCpla--rwLQOAnM5hpN_zcYoogBKDzd1jlQqnlTQrjZ0DhhqLFlNelWds1ro7TJc8CrzVYldxh19K7N_40Iz6su7Xjo6VR19cT4-mMBh4RcF8ebKq2k8KWVZyFUymnadMnepRofnU/s4032/IMG_0013.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgxfc1j6EcHuKC2CdRQy4sV4WrseDPeX6zO8FCIWKnCuQ6sp_F-DCpla--rwLQOAnM5hpN_zcYoogBKDzd1jlQqnlTQrjZ0DhhqLFlNelWds1ro7TJc8CrzVYldxh19K7N_40Iz6su7Xjo6VR19cT4-mMBh4RcF8ebKq2k8KWVZyFUymnadMnepRofnU/s320/IMG_0013.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9cS4xCX15H806YsbX6s5DYmIKlFrdd0pTefNu3XWzqYamt3S7oReX_fuztj_HuGI01bqxzotfFXuIoGR-kJQn3b1HNCiRafoYWygDSib5uVeip3HXhSPbaBKiLU638WzfSZSumHnT1k7qQyQ5YamCJwiJ3aiSma2FMo735eh0v1jZzJWdfahn_50ft8/s4032/IMG_6928.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9cS4xCX15H806YsbX6s5DYmIKlFrdd0pTefNu3XWzqYamt3S7oReX_fuztj_HuGI01bqxzotfFXuIoGR-kJQn3b1HNCiRafoYWygDSib5uVeip3HXhSPbaBKiLU638WzfSZSumHnT1k7qQyQ5YamCJwiJ3aiSma2FMo735eh0v1jZzJWdfahn_50ft8/s320/IMG_6928.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANhTxYKzGjc_8bS2pZ-tt7iWN_sbi8OFBU2DoIQgM1AOg0K70DNKLQZqYFp45bKw2f7UArs5JIeFufnDvJ4JBCFjR3nSzfs_OjUQOQDw8wpX0z6nGY7r-9fukSkQwd97UWc0G1nub0YOMgWex9rURZwLPMZHuc7CK2n8f7TtlY6nVn0EiCUKGHRsvki0/s4032/IMG_6927.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANhTxYKzGjc_8bS2pZ-tt7iWN_sbi8OFBU2DoIQgM1AOg0K70DNKLQZqYFp45bKw2f7UArs5JIeFufnDvJ4JBCFjR3nSzfs_OjUQOQDw8wpX0z6nGY7r-9fukSkQwd97UWc0G1nub0YOMgWex9rURZwLPMZHuc7CK2n8f7TtlY6nVn0EiCUKGHRsvki0/s320/IMG_6927.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOQ4u03ITBNYTuNsF-q6rjPZldLHtMC0ZVuqTTeaQvx6H7PmDdYuOahKxeZq2wx2GqFM0VVZxZGUW1Q-ltyqZ9nwB7XeGw8tql57Rw7Gsx6crlDjqwiGGeHaHLFUiYRDw-ABt4Uapi_YDZX7TTbY8Ehp0ChPXXersx-wG_D0YNp99npWvBzJrZqZi4KI/s4032/IMG_6926.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOQ4u03ITBNYTuNsF-q6rjPZldLHtMC0ZVuqTTeaQvx6H7PmDdYuOahKxeZq2wx2GqFM0VVZxZGUW1Q-ltyqZ9nwB7XeGw8tql57Rw7Gsx6crlDjqwiGGeHaHLFUiYRDw-ABt4Uapi_YDZX7TTbY8Ehp0ChPXXersx-wG_D0YNp99npWvBzJrZqZi4KI/s320/IMG_6926.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM9eAYOcVpmB0R7gAhV6QetIqqZp7yMK_Zds4gG8M-1Cix_se4WL3ZgvrAbs2ZVeByvlh1cOau-2GkSqLdW0zCeuCgN1A5EGGXhs0urV4zjxZ9f2Y83Bz4mj66HL17CEy3WPoRZlyccMR1d3bj7FA3jafcwOKRp9o16gEf2ziC4qHrB2GOE7u4o6hv0Y/s4032/IMG_9977.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM9eAYOcVpmB0R7gAhV6QetIqqZp7yMK_Zds4gG8M-1Cix_se4WL3ZgvrAbs2ZVeByvlh1cOau-2GkSqLdW0zCeuCgN1A5EGGXhs0urV4zjxZ9f2Y83Bz4mj66HL17CEy3WPoRZlyccMR1d3bj7FA3jafcwOKRp9o16gEf2ziC4qHrB2GOE7u4o6hv0Y/s320/IMG_9977.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMshOuCpL0e4A0czmewixZgPXvh6lmCLeTa-gxmhkGuat0sTwT79Mr0mmiw8wOCOJ51RXBX4vgHPE8MwyMQDlECxUF3QObxnzxxE9abeUNwvpbwt0w1h3Q35Ymula5LVq0_uhHSboG8RMQzvg7NeUJBRfSR8nzopoBYMiKa98El-6iPd96NN4zGoii2k/s4032/IMG_9976.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMshOuCpL0e4A0czmewixZgPXvh6lmCLeTa-gxmhkGuat0sTwT79Mr0mmiw8wOCOJ51RXBX4vgHPE8MwyMQDlECxUF3QObxnzxxE9abeUNwvpbwt0w1h3Q35Ymula5LVq0_uhHSboG8RMQzvg7NeUJBRfSR8nzopoBYMiKa98El-6iPd96NN4zGoii2k/s320/IMG_9976.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24RajKXrxeDvg8THUPXKDNf0JmFffCcbggq5ac2Tpi6mBK_Ra9naWTMuRqVE7t3ZEoL6nkr74uHYniZvac2_cDZOemFnkrt0y5O4alD1EB75m5FFCtyCXN1k4gYU2bNWinv5VJdL96LsZuqGgh8JMjQKnjzZ6F8ecDCasn9ndHxr4p2F8g1JcVXEUaZg/s4032/IMG_9975.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24RajKXrxeDvg8THUPXKDNf0JmFffCcbggq5ac2Tpi6mBK_Ra9naWTMuRqVE7t3ZEoL6nkr74uHYniZvac2_cDZOemFnkrt0y5O4alD1EB75m5FFCtyCXN1k4gYU2bNWinv5VJdL96LsZuqGgh8JMjQKnjzZ6F8ecDCasn9ndHxr4p2F8g1JcVXEUaZg/s320/IMG_9975.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7Rbs3aliVMZxIXFM4MfHZbjGg9j0Lzik-HgIRkNQ-n_U_W4CocoaKp8gqApMpnIPmoPMV1MhbnGlrx5lL8V2l0rkZ-lqJ5UInqci1UWRlournj9OUYNMtQQlt9gJgJmsCLpIexRJYQLfgnbY1yLZfdUgRPuqKofadB12oxXxy3F1O-bE2F-N-4IU9P4/s4032/IMG_9974.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7Rbs3aliVMZxIXFM4MfHZbjGg9j0Lzik-HgIRkNQ-n_U_W4CocoaKp8gqApMpnIPmoPMV1MhbnGlrx5lL8V2l0rkZ-lqJ5UInqci1UWRlournj9OUYNMtQQlt9gJgJmsCLpIexRJYQLfgnbY1yLZfdUgRPuqKofadB12oxXxy3F1O-bE2F-N-4IU9P4/s320/IMG_9974.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Also this week, I started a new chapter in my life. I was approved this week to start subbing in our school district. On Friday, I had my first job, teaching second grade. It was fun and exhausting. The kids were super sweet though and showered me with gifts they made me throughout the day. Here is a pic of most of my gifts (I forgot I had one tied to my lanyard). Next week, so far, I am scheduled at the middle school. I am not anticipating as many gifts from them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ntbEu4nuS2P-rxpq3bYwgPEM7w60fTk82PQj0HiLADt-nKDnh3PUZIgc1IR_Y3lhAXM2sOicCs1L64CnoJ7s1o9NfXTyYhNxiLzKRq0SDT2dSJmvs8I2POkoSUzrBzt5p8KBekFpu58luB7qQA0jJoRLbJILWQO_ODhmJRr0t0Ij5-AUivYQyEE_qgg/s4032/IMG_0007.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ntbEu4nuS2P-rxpq3bYwgPEM7w60fTk82PQj0HiLADt-nKDnh3PUZIgc1IR_Y3lhAXM2sOicCs1L64CnoJ7s1o9NfXTyYhNxiLzKRq0SDT2dSJmvs8I2POkoSUzrBzt5p8KBekFpu58luB7qQA0jJoRLbJILWQO_ODhmJRr0t0Ij5-AUivYQyEE_qgg/s320/IMG_0007.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882591398199320025.post-5704969578323276482023-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:002023-09-10T15:01:55.797-07:00Merrick Turn's 14<p>This was another big week in our house. On Tuesday, Merrick turned 14. As birthdays go, his was a little bit of a bummer. We tried to celebrate on Monday (Labor Day) with a trip to Frog Lake near Mt. Hood to paddleboard. Unfortunately, the weather was cold here that day, which means it was freezing up at the mountain. It was about 45 degree and windy and sprinkled off and on. We lasted less than an hour and Merrick and Colvin (our nephew) were the only ones who actually made it onto the water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJwc3-k-ATIXXaqWvvnqjWLy6ven-DdDZ4E_bg8egy48FaCvpgs0pmDHpOp6gGhTKInj-OoI1JcFoDbW935XaS4vABPMbyGYLpTC2HeYgCfgMO0ZlYBlT9p_mW6Hcar9V210dzpRjtgEE6tfFgIAszQwlR8-3kndGM1Kg2YB9ZvGhWVysS0d289dBePQ/s4032/IMG_9960.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJwc3-k-ATIXXaqWvvnqjWLy6ven-DdDZ4E_bg8egy48FaCvpgs0pmDHpOp6gGhTKInj-OoI1JcFoDbW935XaS4vABPMbyGYLpTC2HeYgCfgMO0ZlYBlT9p_mW6Hcar9V210dzpRjtgEE6tfFgIAszQwlR8-3kndGM1Kg2YB9ZvGhWVysS0d289dBePQ/s320/IMG_9960.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dgTbe0dDHe7CFfdeQ0L0WBAsH90bBlrK29IEzRT_yoztxasnxm37EKsfPvPG5xFk5Ufc47Fuiyh59fEjbaUHHeFNtyAO_4ovj4i88Z8jMKbtWnwjfxfb7RsR7ISobUwYsLy0YMAwbGXmbwoHSP7X4pk891umQzA3Aqx-Q_QjCpP4FFpPM6qItRV6Plg/s4032/IMG_9961.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dgTbe0dDHe7CFfdeQ0L0WBAsH90bBlrK29IEzRT_yoztxasnxm37EKsfPvPG5xFk5Ufc47Fuiyh59fEjbaUHHeFNtyAO_4ovj4i88Z8jMKbtWnwjfxfb7RsR7ISobUwYsLy0YMAwbGXmbwoHSP7X4pk891umQzA3Aqx-Q_QjCpP4FFpPM6qItRV6Plg/s320/IMG_9961.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3O8gskkME5nLcpU6KLmdX0SjZgvBHbtbrTVnga0Wf0sSbCnjWeg7-N7F7Hr7lyZIVAvQrEi3nkOHoeYl8BBTM1Q9o58Jm8howHWslcmHm4cxsXqHyw7NTB8tbkPABk14N0V_Qo8kmol3wjXd1KTC2S-Bla3htIC5HoB0xfSE2xGntPrKxPzTyPpHGMYE/s4032/IMG_6946.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3O8gskkME5nLcpU6KLmdX0SjZgvBHbtbrTVnga0Wf0sSbCnjWeg7-N7F7Hr7lyZIVAvQrEi3nkOHoeYl8BBTM1Q9o58Jm8howHWslcmHm4cxsXqHyw7NTB8tbkPABk14N0V_Qo8kmol3wjXd1KTC2S-Bla3htIC5HoB0xfSE2xGntPrKxPzTyPpHGMYE/s320/IMG_6946.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Merrick's actual birthday, Tuesday, was a school day. It also happened to be the day we were scheduled to go back for a follow up with the cardiologist. Given that the appointment was right in the middle of the day and his birthday was going to be a bit of a downer, I did at least let him skip school. We started the day bright and early with cinnamon rolls before the girls went to school, hung out at the house in the morning, went to his doctor's appointment (more on that in a minute), and then to lunch. After lunch, we had some time in the afternoon. I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday. I shouldn't have been surprised by the answer, he talks about it constantly, but he said he wanted to practice driving. He and I went out for a secret driving lesson in our abandoned church parking lot. He was a little big jerky at times, but all in all he is not a terrible driver. He will get there. That evening we had dinner and then the family came over for birthday dessert. Since my nephew, Lincoln's, birthday was the next day, we celebrated both of them. There is a 3 year and huge height gap between the two of them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlDWj2wO8j2xPjVwz_GuCcbZSMS-2PyIDbfGxiuhj6sHpHgJqLnXzDlotBLNv5KkNOYDilN0r_xypB5L6lNTJO86vdWjsmNcxFARk7wVYb-9eTBFtJetuKnPea4RDH7vHiVJfMcAs32n3qWvjKZcGpenUDwy0R-IecYHx84LskjaN3O9t0O849jZQ1Kg/s4032/IMG_6953.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlDWj2wO8j2xPjVwz_GuCcbZSMS-2PyIDbfGxiuhj6sHpHgJqLnXzDlotBLNv5KkNOYDilN0r_xypB5L6lNTJO86vdWjsmNcxFARk7wVYb-9eTBFtJetuKnPea4RDH7vHiVJfMcAs32n3qWvjKZcGpenUDwy0R-IecYHx84LskjaN3O9t0O849jZQ1Kg/s320/IMG_6953.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfh-0s32ahnLFCfzfrxhOJa89adVQC9oSQ1a582iC03dmZ_fPwbA_z1-AfsBNQ5TOiSjJoVUfni1gYLy7oXcdD7Cvi6mv__7Lm83fZP57m-vRCp04tjhHkDy9ddXHw8LNA0O5HfsF55Bj2wZDLTYNZ6STiokahYV6DzmqS3HAqy09GPBW08oQ6SDphAuo/s4032/IMG_6955.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfh-0s32ahnLFCfzfrxhOJa89adVQC9oSQ1a582iC03dmZ_fPwbA_z1-AfsBNQ5TOiSjJoVUfni1gYLy7oXcdD7Cvi6mv__7Lm83fZP57m-vRCp04tjhHkDy9ddXHw8LNA0O5HfsF55Bj2wZDLTYNZ6STiokahYV6DzmqS3HAqy09GPBW08oQ6SDphAuo/s320/IMG_6955.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiRlnA4YXrC6ioJhNf5RBDGvrGH2DcesrF2vl-VA5Z52nkf4ejFfTLRg_M5KGfmqPHeBbY9DIXj0tJCwgnkP0VNLja6v0lmNX1r3PpQlqIzm6pWwTzNRvazvjZE3vsXSDmiC5Qpfuvw51UgovlPHLm2-l-A39NOjAAycstZMXr7aAuXVK3UtOAhimCEI/s4032/IMG_6956.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiRlnA4YXrC6ioJhNf5RBDGvrGH2DcesrF2vl-VA5Z52nkf4ejFfTLRg_M5KGfmqPHeBbY9DIXj0tJCwgnkP0VNLja6v0lmNX1r3PpQlqIzm6pWwTzNRvazvjZE3vsXSDmiC5Qpfuvw51UgovlPHLm2-l-A39NOjAAycstZMXr7aAuXVK3UtOAhimCEI/s320/IMG_6956.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlWjGQLrihM1CpFL5qgnZeZOhqkG8f3hvGaU7yjyY4f2S2zwtPl6Ann0P-kpmswRWz5MPsVnEI4EAGSFur5hqcjYhHeer28AbaO1TOZaa9ImolJe_iWrpa6xpew7ltn6DbyJ0gtXqAivp4y_27bpXbL_PaRpEhaBzqoVBmwipzs1GpUNzw5z5amSF3IU/s4032/IMG_6957.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlWjGQLrihM1CpFL5qgnZeZOhqkG8f3hvGaU7yjyY4f2S2zwtPl6Ann0P-kpmswRWz5MPsVnEI4EAGSFur5hqcjYhHeer28AbaO1TOZaa9ImolJe_iWrpa6xpew7ltn6DbyJ0gtXqAivp4y_27bpXbL_PaRpEhaBzqoVBmwipzs1GpUNzw5z5amSF3IU/s320/IMG_6957.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p>Poor Merrick also didn't get too much in the way of presents on his actual birthday, but don't feel too sorry for him. Grandpa and Lollie got him new shoes when they were in town, he got a new phone that came the next day, and a completely custom baseball glove that will make it to him eventually. He also got gift cards, candy, and phone accessories from Nana and Papa, the Browns, and Ioapo's. I would say he did alright in the present department.</p><p>While, it might not have been the birthday he dreamed of, any day celebrating Merrick is a good day. He is kind of the best and we are so happy to have him in our family.</p><p>*Doc update before I go: We got the results of the heart rate monitor. We knew that if he was having greater than 20% PVCs in everyday life, we would need to intervene to prevent long term heart damage. The monitor showed, over the two weeks he wore it, about a 9% PVC burden rate. That means that we don't have to intervene to prevent heart damage. The doctor is concerned though that it is effecting him as he is really feeling the PVCs and so we can chose to treat to reduce symptoms. Our options are medication (beta or calcium blockers) or an ablation. Additionally, we could chose to do nothing and he could just live with the symptoms. We are weighing our options right now, and have differing opinions in our household about what is best. In the meantime, the doctor has ordered a stress test, since we just did a poor man's stress test in the hospital. We are pretty confident that we know what that will show, but just want the whole, clear picture. He starts basketball this week and we are all a little worried about that. Prayers that it will go well.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776321004035850458noreply@blogger.com0