tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80784478032063036112024-03-05T09:17:40.019-06:00Ryle FamilyJulie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-45867589143421387422014-07-07T22:38:00.001-05:002014-07-07T22:38:05.826-05:00Happy Fifth Birthday, Luisa!"How old are you, Lu?"
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"FIVE??? Well, how in the world did that happen?"
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She is 100% sweetness (well, maybe 95% sweetness and 5% mischievous cunning). She is growing up entirely too fast. She is SUPER tall with awfully long legs. Her personality is even bigger.<br />
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Luisa has been becoming more and more independent this past year. She usually wants to get dressed, navigate the stairs, brush her teeth, and accomplish lots of other daily tasks on her own. She still flashes that signature smile quite often. You know the one; it can wrap just about anyone around her finger. Oh, but she knows how to push Caroline's buttons. She is super sweet and gentle with Ainsley. She helps out so much with taking care of her baby sister. <br />
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For her birthday, she chose to go to Build A Bear with Caroline (Ainsley, Mommy, Daddy, Nana, and Grumpa tagged along as well). They each designed a stuffed animal and chose accessories for them.<br />
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Afterward, we had a few friends and family members over for an ice cream sundae bar. It was a wonderful day celebrating our LuLu and the joy she brings us all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling her bear up with cuddly stuffing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combing her zebra, Martina</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This poor baby constantly gets her face squished with kisses from her sister</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luisa and Molly, her new best bud</td></tr>
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-68520705242031263892014-05-28T15:32:00.001-05:002014-05-28T15:32:35.478-05:00Happy First Birthday, Ainsley!It is hard to believe that, one year ago today, we didn't even know if God was blessing us with a little Ainsley or a little Isaac. I don't know where the year has gone!<br />
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She is our little rock. This year hasn't been the easiest of first years, but she has come through it phenomenally.<br />
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She is so pleasant and laid back, just going with the flow of the family. Amazingly, she is even tinier than Caroline was at this age at just shy of sixteen pounds. She began crawling last week and will soon have no trouble keeping up with her sisters. She has five teeth and will eat just about anything you put in front of her, and she eats A LOT. I have no idea where the volume of food she consumes goes.<br />
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Apparently, her love of food extends to gluten-free strawberry cupcakes (if you haven't had Gigi's, you are missing out). She wasn't sure at first if she did, and she needed a taste or two delivered by her sister, but then she dove right in and polished it off.
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-11421098722100906782014-04-23T15:57:00.000-05:002014-04-23T15:57:39.480-05:00{Backblogging} July 2013We kicked off July with a celebration at the lake with family. The kids enjoyed time with their cousins while the grown ups enjoyed time catching up over coffee and board games and watching the kiddos play. it is rare to get the whole gang together, and I love when we can.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna, Caroline, Ainsley, Laura Beth, Joshua, Luisa, and Huck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My precious Mamaw with Ainsley Kate</td></tr>
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We didn't do as much of a garden this summer since we had two fairly new family members. However, we did enjoy our blueberry, blackberry, and muscadine harvest. We typically go to a blueberry farm in Pell City to pick blueberries, but this was the extent of our fruit picking this year.<br />
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Life in general continued in a relaxed manner. The big girls loved their baby sister. Luisa was still having trouble adjusting to the change (I promise, more on her attachment and bonding process later). Overall, though, life was fantastic. Ainsley was a good sleeper for a newborn, just waking once at night to nurse and sleeping pretty well in between. <br />
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I schlepped those silly girls all over the place. We resumed our normal routine of PT, church, Costco and Publix trips, Bible study, doctor appointments, and playdates. Ainsley was usually in the sling so that I could help Lu navigate with her walker or push her in the stroller. I taught one summer camp for two weeks in July. Philip was able to stay home during the morning to make that possible. It was a busy summer, but it was lots of fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching Luisa to play a matching game</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisterly love</td></tr>
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-8072579093042490302014-04-17T07:10:00.000-05:002014-04-17T07:10:50.750-05:00{Backblogging} June 2013In some ways, our early days home with Ainsley were a lot easier than I had expected. My expectations, however, had been rather low.<br />
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Can I be honest? I spent the first 8 months of this pregnancy somewhat bitter. I definitely wanted more children, but not at that moment! I was resentful that we were changing our family so quickly after adopting Luisa. I felt as if we were short-changing her. I longed to give her stability, and pregnancy hormones and changing family structure didn't reflect my vision for her. I was afraid that the resentment I felt during my pregnancy would linger after the baby arrived. I was truly, genuinely fearful that I would not bond with this little surprise as quickly as I had with Caroline.<br />
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Was I ever wrong. As soon as she was here, I couldn't imagine our family any other way. Of course this was the way it was supposed to be.<br />
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If only Luisa had agreed. I'll share her experience another time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAwWeUlcTDHYkaWXb80w2D_GmQRVzHYBd-Q6tGpDiBhLIzbVnzA9qnXKUOcEEkVJ4LhEbxioPTXeb3bYJ7EtoBWoHq4PhvIeFuvB4_39aZaO7vtG9iFae8-2Faanyurk1RC0ogi0lgb-b/s1600/blog2013+-+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAwWeUlcTDHYkaWXb80w2D_GmQRVzHYBd-Q6tGpDiBhLIzbVnzA9qnXKUOcEEkVJ4LhEbxioPTXeb3bYJ7EtoBWoHq4PhvIeFuvB4_39aZaO7vtG9iFae8-2Faanyurk1RC0ogi0lgb-b/s1600/blog2013+-+01.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enamored sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nana and Grumpa with the Grands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy's Helper #1</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT9cn-ISZz72_ZkryssVshEaoJU7THWAJw2RmTJVj7B018WpoHcUynK0T3UXhyphenhyphenX4M06oT5kH5XBU5mfkAHz2t8-yCGW3L6xrU4EHVq8GCLuNzCxsjhfZI8eEGcDQElcopmiZofkBrmc3L/s1600/blog2013+-+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT9cn-ISZz72_ZkryssVshEaoJU7THWAJw2RmTJVj7B018WpoHcUynK0T3UXhyphenhyphenX4M06oT5kH5XBU5mfkAHz2t8-yCGW3L6xrU4EHVq8GCLuNzCxsjhfZI8eEGcDQElcopmiZofkBrmc3L/s1600/blog2013+-+04.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy's helper #2</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third kid gets sharpied in on the Pinterest art.</td></tr>
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My brother and his family got to meet Miss Ainsley on their way back through Alabama headed home from Disney World. We had a day at the lake with the cousins. These kids are all so sweet together. I only wish they got to spend more time with each other.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfc9Fz8fi4Cyw8qkBYjpsAyPCWQ8YhPSQ8BYCJFnJCyBqyyjcMC2dzf5KhApPzJvJTWXK9EDoM0i_4G5ow2wGfVFMXGNcwVm3APBOz0WhiShOztTzrfB_n2i9pTfR8L-kV80x4byT7ycCC/s1600/blog2013+-+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfc9Fz8fi4Cyw8qkBYjpsAyPCWQ8YhPSQ8BYCJFnJCyBqyyjcMC2dzf5KhApPzJvJTWXK9EDoM0i_4G5ow2wGfVFMXGNcwVm3APBOz0WhiShOztTzrfB_n2i9pTfR8L-kV80x4byT7ycCC/s1600/blog2013+-+07.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LuLu and Uncle Rob</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59vtJlYlf9_e53fBpImxwU_kSTOSYJegZIqNPpyTKTjo6Wg-KYADR4emDvc-SDoEXxbrKhX8S-qO1yMQJNsPsyZbThAE7DTer2ZCA9otmQPjlMFK8e-5xWWqEoHQCLrwu-ieE77cw2hbs/s1600/blog2013+-+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59vtJlYlf9_e53fBpImxwU_kSTOSYJegZIqNPpyTKTjo6Wg-KYADR4emDvc-SDoEXxbrKhX8S-qO1yMQJNsPsyZbThAE7DTer2ZCA9otmQPjlMFK8e-5xWWqEoHQCLrwu-ieE77cw2hbs/s1600/blog2013+-+08.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline and Anna with pirate faces</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VbehfOsbQawSAGlrOpi9mRYb8vfw3fCP5oswEAiJKgdp8ffLg1zrRt3125a-RXJjcvORb0D8PHyUIYIu_c6Bs-kCoyjJEUUzDLiQiYQXYYRzww8g2rEO8c-hwOmhKec30ysWUCUvWjG1/s1600/blog2013+-+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VbehfOsbQawSAGlrOpi9mRYb8vfw3fCP5oswEAiJKgdp8ffLg1zrRt3125a-RXJjcvORb0D8PHyUIYIu_c6Bs-kCoyjJEUUzDLiQiYQXYYRzww8g2rEO8c-hwOmhKec30ysWUCUvWjG1/s1600/blog2013+-+09.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua and Luisa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTrpKgCVF7lU1OcYVqKFeaZqkloU8n8Xh_eYxrxYWlIONfpMJdiMsxWrUz011j9QrnLNxCDrKaHRqlQSb8PvZlxC-GiZCbV9-Rx-TYMUPRU_cv9mkm0r_8LTCCF7TdT7SF_ftPslNL-ub/s1600/blog2013+-+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTrpKgCVF7lU1OcYVqKFeaZqkloU8n8Xh_eYxrxYWlIONfpMJdiMsxWrUz011j9QrnLNxCDrKaHRqlQSb8PvZlxC-GiZCbV9-Rx-TYMUPRU_cv9mkm0r_8LTCCF7TdT7SF_ftPslNL-ub/s1600/blog2013+-+10.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the girls piled on the hammock. Ainsley will be hopping on next summer, too, I bet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5sKH-iU-CrPr9CL6ObHh6MKFTFeuCvJExd0LI46iYRteID9nybFBPDifsBGdP9k9gNqBw665NDjC8WmjJ4LZVrVe7H21zYpovUkzYlDcdjvzG892ocCdzAGRDKH2Olv1GSds_e7F5Zhe/s1600/blog2013+-+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5sKH-iU-CrPr9CL6ObHh6MKFTFeuCvJExd0LI46iYRteID9nybFBPDifsBGdP9k9gNqBw665NDjC8WmjJ4LZVrVe7H21zYpovUkzYlDcdjvzG892ocCdzAGRDKH2Olv1GSds_e7F5Zhe/s1600/blog2013+-+11.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Beth and Ainsley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi and her girls</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Then we settled into our new normal. Unfortunately, both grandmothers were unable to come help out after she was born. Philip was able to take some time off. The he went back to work, and I was home with my three sweet girls for the summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Having three wasn't really much more difficult than two. I strapped Ainsley on in the sling</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">, and we went on about our life. Ainsley was an easy baby, and she always gave me a couple of three to four hour stretches of sleep every night. I felt great She was nursing well and gaining weight. Our sweet friends were bringing meals. Family members were keeping our big girls for a few days at a time. Life was blissful. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finger painting fun</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1C1z34FmuteiDYcXTbcAtMKEZBjXgkRoc6Bxu7vbDqV09aX_1mk1JBrFlG_42ta38GWyhyphenhyphen7IQpKXw-hLf8LU-xJdLJKndAQfo1_hvz3lxYqWVz0VzW4930KC9WDl-5YmdyMfWoZ53sHP/s1600/blog2013+-+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1C1z34FmuteiDYcXTbcAtMKEZBjXgkRoc6Bxu7vbDqV09aX_1mk1JBrFlG_42ta38GWyhyphenhyphen7IQpKXw-hLf8LU-xJdLJKndAQfo1_hvz3lxYqWVz0VzW4930KC9WDl-5YmdyMfWoZ53sHP/s1600/blog2013+-+14.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ainsley's first time at church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u2XLe7CM7L1kntSgEoorlFxjdlE3dCuh4X1k7zzrt-NUN0l3p5BuGb6-guwn5rp8PU13M2m9bRwcNXTR3x7NR7i-rEz2Fox6PYXKHzX2NtZyDetLeSHQUMrDADtTfGDFfdwTvsv15923/s1600/blog2013+-+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u2XLe7CM7L1kntSgEoorlFxjdlE3dCuh4X1k7zzrt-NUN0l3p5BuGb6-guwn5rp8PU13M2m9bRwcNXTR3x7NR7i-rEz2Fox6PYXKHzX2NtZyDetLeSHQUMrDADtTfGDFfdwTvsv15923/s1600/blog2013+-+15.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting back to weekly PT</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdc0MBrStbpgJmSKSylpicse7kXJ8qcFMd1-VZVhi0NK86DKJ_bmpsV1WZhyphenhyphen-TJx8NM2CJo3ArPu4gjGn0Y_5U5VP8YkuK1p_cU0xdRv_rOwyR4kcIbTIwAfFA2E-MKrkHBXIaDO5sTBG/s1600/blog2013+-+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdc0MBrStbpgJmSKSylpicse7kXJ8qcFMd1-VZVhi0NK86DKJ_bmpsV1WZhyphenhyphen-TJx8NM2CJo3ArPu4gjGn0Y_5U5VP8YkuK1p_cU0xdRv_rOwyR4kcIbTIwAfFA2E-MKrkHBXIaDO5sTBG/s1600/blog2013+-+16.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luisa's new ride</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXaTRpWcPrUBqxmiyrbggDEZKIy7ym62qunhJK5Pc4oMSlrIP9_LgXXc7qlfUk9uTbccfgvFKL7aIRQNb4UAGw8Uomz8ATOu2goppNe_EWvlp8njiECoLd6sO0Mg-wS36Zj-_bhl-zGJS/s1600/blog2013+-+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXaTRpWcPrUBqxmiyrbggDEZKIy7ym62qunhJK5Pc4oMSlrIP9_LgXXc7qlfUk9uTbccfgvFKL7aIRQNb4UAGw8Uomz8ATOu2goppNe_EWvlp8njiECoLd6sO0Mg-wS36Zj-_bhl-zGJS/s1600/blog2013+-+17.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline LOVED to color that summer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfTBVtBJSDA1golE7rZB_v24v3wlBqqQGFRNrmanFG7Qvty1uWBL8dXm8l2JPK_B9yKQLDJlCIU9zQa-GfngWkdqo6Hs0C7L922JMzRHCywSjgSnP1ZdAMZ7HqzkqC5i0euZTq0IBTFk2/s1600/blog2013+-+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfTBVtBJSDA1golE7rZB_v24v3wlBqqQGFRNrmanFG7Qvty1uWBL8dXm8l2JPK_B9yKQLDJlCIU9zQa-GfngWkdqo6Hs0C7L922JMzRHCywSjgSnP1ZdAMZ7HqzkqC5i0euZTq0IBTFk2/s1600/blog2013+-+18.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where Ainsley spent the bulk of her time</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTz2MEfRgIPOaT-W_ieTbPPW8dbkmos4_YirINvQhgDJ8XfT-Pu3LF8fLLu4r43RNlH96RNEuODozd2aUtX4I5HwXPF8mewEfwjSgQpJ3zogWivGsEnDZlr0IhijGEWnTvU3fsCV1q0-Yi/s1600/blog2013+-+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTz2MEfRgIPOaT-W_ieTbPPW8dbkmos4_YirINvQhgDJ8XfT-Pu3LF8fLLu4r43RNlH96RNEuODozd2aUtX4I5HwXPF8mewEfwjSgQpJ3zogWivGsEnDZlr0IhijGEWnTvU3fsCV1q0-Yi/s1600/blog2013+-+19.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly bedheads with their oatmeal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRVTeyCk9MydWHmSeOGcN601_a7Nz9mzVMYV-O0S3Fz6BI-mRA4NSC2JqkDm_6KHttuEoHGl-ZIEF6spKk6PsVs04j_BkhyTkvgBqi9ZnEfrckk3hkgnE91Jzh8Vq5k-KwFIXDmOR1nDE/s1600/blog2013+-+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRVTeyCk9MydWHmSeOGcN601_a7Nz9mzVMYV-O0S3Fz6BI-mRA4NSC2JqkDm_6KHttuEoHGl-ZIEF6spKk6PsVs04j_BkhyTkvgBqi9ZnEfrckk3hkgnE91Jzh8Vq5k-KwFIXDmOR1nDE/s1600/blog2013+-+20.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the girls snuggled up to read before bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDI0Zzjox0ybxFa2_b3GvVhoD3JHGyrAYvbe92ExbD3kud0WkgcpCCjmhD3cwDW94NHmkg8liYf_HTbScrCXALxFJwxUPUif_hY2FkEpqmAFTOK8HFpghXwFPAJpDc4is_ugPULzoaw5XP/s1600/blog2013+-+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDI0Zzjox0ybxFa2_b3GvVhoD3JHGyrAYvbe92ExbD3kud0WkgcpCCjmhD3cwDW94NHmkg8liYf_HTbScrCXALxFJwxUPUif_hY2FkEpqmAFTOK8HFpghXwFPAJpDc4is_ugPULzoaw5XP/s1600/blog2013+-+21.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ainsley and Daddy. Be still, my heart.</td></tr>
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Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-53100007814494754712014-04-14T15:13:00.000-05:002014-04-14T15:13:25.317-05:00How's Ainsley Kate?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrkPWCEYgfecsCoPAQ1HwABPkM4EU_uLeqlDi6xGRD6KDVuhBBLZLghOnrUpQJyxYTIAToEsrr0GaCFFEspvPATiPJP3s4HkBudmjhVTSimkbYbjUhG35mAteKar8uIGxJ0zk-HpmDUYD/s1600/DSC_0474_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrkPWCEYgfecsCoPAQ1HwABPkM4EU_uLeqlDi6xGRD6KDVuhBBLZLghOnrUpQJyxYTIAToEsrr0GaCFFEspvPATiPJP3s4HkBudmjhVTSimkbYbjUhG35mAteKar8uIGxJ0zk-HpmDUYD/s1600/DSC_0474_3.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
The question I get a lot lately: "How's Ainsley doing?" <br />
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The short answer: "Great!"<br />
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She is off all of her meds as of early February. It took five weeks to wean her off of her steroids, and another four to six weeks for me to see the effects of them gone. She is such a happy baby again. She moved into her own crib for the first time a week or so ago, and we are all sleeping better now! <br />
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Right now she is ten and a half months, eating anything we try to feed her, entering that separation anxiety stage, ALMOST crawling, and babbling "ma ma ma ma ma ma," "da da da da da da," and "ya ya ya ya ya ya." She lives in the Ergo when we are out and about. For the most part, she is a typical third kid and pretty go-with-the-flow. <br />
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At this point, we are having Early Intervention send a PT once a month and an OT once a quarter to just monitor her progress. She lost two months at a time that is crucial developmentally, but we are expectant and hopeful that she will soon be fully caught up with no residual delays. She is our little rock star baby. <br />
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The biggest risk of Infantile Spasms developing is between four and ten months. It's rare to have a recurrence, but I didn't realize that I was holding my breath. It wasn't until that ten month mark had passed that I exhaled.Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-75488785188499919132014-01-06T20:03:00.001-06:002014-01-06T20:03:42.179-06:00EEG TomorrowI am so incredibly anxious for tomorrow to be here. Waiting while not knowing what is going on in her tiny brain is not so much fun. BUT we have seen vast improvements over the past month!<br />
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Ainsley is now 7 1/2 months old. She has become more interactive and more vocal. She can reach for a play with toys appropriately. She can roll over from front to back and sits up really well. She cut a tooth (today) and started solids this week. We have watched our baby girl come back to us! Despite being on a ridiculous amount of steroids (40 mg/day), she is so sweet and joyful every day. Now, the steroids are having the effect of preventing much sleep at night, but this just seems to make Momma grumpy. :) I remember being blown away by how well she slept from her first day on this earth, always giving me a couple of 3-4 hour stretches every night. I long for those newborn nights now. Also, the steroids are an immuno-suppressant, so we have been staying in our little nest as much as possible. Even so, she gifted the family the flu right before Christmas. Thankfully it was short-lived and surprisingly mild. I am so thankful that the meds and other therapies seem to be working, but I will gladly bid Mr. Prednisolone good riddance when he is no longer necessary.<br />
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Join with us in praying that the EEG confirms what our eyes see: that she is, once again, a healthy baby girl. No matter the outcome, all glory to God.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh3IDEDv_Hy3K69NP2nfWVZQZOiFfn0oILi5aNdZM84GsWA02pNx1VweX4nL3LwcDmfF6SkKN9YBNfhY9OOH6pQIrOYCgvtV64Ojtt7FqJXKXWr2ISzAXAH-7CwTbXkHJYoi8kBIxll1u/s1600/DSC_0166-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh3IDEDv_Hy3K69NP2nfWVZQZOiFfn0oILi5aNdZM84GsWA02pNx1VweX4nL3LwcDmfF6SkKN9YBNfhY9OOH6pQIrOYCgvtV64Ojtt7FqJXKXWr2ISzAXAH-7CwTbXkHJYoi8kBIxll1u/s1600/DSC_0166-001.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-31176542628812249362013-12-03T22:01:00.001-06:002013-12-03T22:01:44.983-06:00So Thankful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I know Thanksgiving was last week, but I can't help but overflow with thankfulness today. We had our first re-check of Ainsley's EEG this morning, and a meeting with her neurologists this afternoon. We KNEW deep down in our parent hearts that she was improving daily, but it is so great to be affirmed via concrete evidence. The doctors are very encouraged with her progress. The EEG was 60-75% improved from two weeks ago. So, this evening, I am thankful for:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>an almighty God who, though it is not always the case that He does, has the ability to heal our bodies.</li>
<li>a mountain of prayer warriors lifting up our baby girl. Seriously, you are many and appreciated.</li>
<li>family members that have been so supportive during this crazy difficult month. I cannot imagine going through this without them.</li>
<li>our pediatrician who, unlike so many terrifying accounts of Infantile Spasms that I have read, did not belittle my worries and write them off as reflux, colic, or startle reflexes. In IS, time befor treatment begins makes a HUGE difference, and we lost no time.</li>
<li>having a pediatrician in the family to answer my questions and question Ainsley's doctors herself. There were questions regarding the drugs to use, and she helped researched and consulted until our minds were at peace.</li>
<li>a pair of chiropractors who are willing to come into the office on the weekend, on Thanksgiving, EVERY DAY to help support my baby girl back to health. We are using every tool available to us to attack this thing, and supporting her body naturally through chiropractic care, diet, and oils is a big part of that.</li>
<li>a community of friends who have brought meals and cared for my kids. They made it possible for me to focus on Ainsley and not have my family go unfed or neglected.</li>
<li>one friend in particular who handled a fundraiser that I had planned in another city, driving there for the weekend by herself, for a friend of mine that she didn't even know. Love my friends.</li>
</ul>
<div>
We will continue with her current treatment plan and have another EEG the first week of January. We are praying that the hypsarrythmia is completely cleared by then.</div>
Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-63167593639729440682013-11-27T12:46:00.001-06:002013-11-27T12:58:12.888-06:00One Week Later: Update on Ainsley Kate<div>
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It sure seems like a lifetime has passed in the course of the past seven days. I have certainly experienced enough extreme emotions to last me a lifetime.<br />
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We have been seizure-free for 4 consecutive days now!! Praise the Lord. <br />
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Over the weekend, even though she wasn't experiencing seizures, she was just like a little fussy zombie baby. No eye contact, no smiles, just mostly sleep and crying. She was held at all times, and was still either crying or asleep. She wasn't eating very well. <br />
<br />
Every day, though, I have seen small improvements. On Monday, Caroline got her to smile for a brief moment. We had a couple of maybe 10 minute stretches where she was interactive with us. This continued through Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon, however, it was like a switch flipped! She woke up from her afternoon nap much closer to her normal self. She saw in her bouncy seat while we ate dinner without protest, she was making great eye contact, and she wanted to be swaddled and put down for bed like she used to. I wouldn't call her jovial, but she was much calmer.<br />
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Today has continued in this manner. She's definitely not her old smiley self, but she is more awake, more aware, and at least not fussing constantly. She is not in any mood to play, but I will take it.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHLmwL_INBKQmMamthvNIf13CRDiCV4VpbCgzaUfT1tzg1m6jeKJ0GcJ0sgj9YD3xZ8b3E7NWR7zIINtK1CqQxg0zVKwPEy3KmOtGTKPJMTG3U2X8KE_4DIQyDbS6kmJrlVVeI02NIMRx/s1600/Normal+EEG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHLmwL_INBKQmMamthvNIf13CRDiCV4VpbCgzaUfT1tzg1m6jeKJ0GcJ0sgj9YD3xZ8b3E7NWR7zIINtK1CqQxg0zVKwPEy3KmOtGTKPJMTG3U2X8KE_4DIQyDbS6kmJrlVVeI02NIMRx/s1600/Normal+EEG.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Normal EEG</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2jul5eM8UkyVSe-yWS93U-vrD5kBj8DghKQwSZm7n24qKYmTcAy2mCj4XdzwZxfJJdHhjkQpgetw0WZ7SDy9HpI0tyIUXNt5UllDklouB4hc8bHnnx9cx2M4oA4169-WLxcEhTYiz-34/s1600/IS+EEG.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2jul5eM8UkyVSe-yWS93U-vrD5kBj8DghKQwSZm7n24qKYmTcAy2mCj4XdzwZxfJJdHhjkQpgetw0WZ7SDy9HpI0tyIUXNt5UllDklouB4hc8bHnnx9cx2M4oA4169-WLxcEhTYiz-34/s1600/IS+EEG.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Hypsarrhythmic EEG</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
When you see what was going on in her little brain 24 hours a day, it is no wonder she was not at all herself. Crazy chaos was reigning inside her skull. All the time. This is the reason many children with Infantile Spasms either fail to progress developmentally or actually regress. They cannot continue to develop when their brains are functioning like this. Often it cannot be controlled, or takes trying a few medications to find the right one to control it. <br />
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We go back for her repeat EEG in 6 more days. We are praying for a much-improved or completely normal brain wave pattern! Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-66445824023168673242013-11-24T13:29:00.001-06:002013-11-24T13:29:42.357-06:00The "God Doesn't Give You More than You Can Handle" Lie<div class="tr_bq">
So many seem to find solace in telling or being told this. I don't. I had a friend (who has traveled her own difficult road recently) affirm to me that this is simply untrue. It indicates that whatever burden we are currently facing can and must rest on our shoulders. Where is this in scripture?</div>
<br />
Instead, I cling to these truths, many of which have been sent to me by precious friends over the past five days:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. II Corinthians 12:9</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I lift my eyes up to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="line" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">But now thus says the <span class="divine-name" style="text-transform: uppercase;">LORD</span>, </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">he who created you, O Jacob,</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">he who formed you, O Israel: </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">I have called you by name, you are mine. </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">and the flame shall not consume you. </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">For I am the</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span class="divine-name" style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;">LORD</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">your God, </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3</span></blockquote>
And the word sent by my sweet friend Liz when we were <a href="http://rylefamily.blogspot.com/p/luisa.html" target="_blank">adopting Luisa</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;">"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." II Corinthians 9:8</span> </span></blockquote>
<i>That</i> is comfort to me. <i>He</i> gives me grace to make it through, and to glorify <i>Him</i> while walking through whatever is in my path.<br />
<br />
This morning, I read through the words <a href="http://rylefamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-journey-to-luisa.html" target="_blank">I wrote in July</a> of last year while struggling through our decision to adopt a child with special needs. They ring so true today.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Finally, I realized that we CAN'T do this.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But God.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Of course. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">He is able. In fact, His strength is made perfect in our weakness.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">And then we were able to see clearly. All of our doubts were really just opportunities to glorify Him.</span> </blockquote>
<br />
I pray that His grace abounds to me so that I am able to glorify Him in and through this and all circumstances that come my way. Friends, please keep the encouragement coming.Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-16480524150544512082013-11-22T21:54:00.000-06:002013-11-22T22:01:20.850-06:00What's Going on with Ainsley?I<span style="font-family: inherit;"> guess they call it "processing" for a reason. This has been (and I am sure will continue to be) a process to work through. Writing out the events is therapeutic to me, so here we go.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our sweet Ainsley, little surprise gift, youngest of three girls, has been such a laid back baby from day one. Everyone commented, "God knew you needed an easy baby!" We had an easy pregnancy, easy delivery, and pretty easy time with her until last week (save one hospital stay for viral meningitis at 5 1/2 weeks).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week she got just really fussy. She had no other symptoms. She didn't have a temp, congestion, cough, stomach issue, or teeth coming in, but she was obviously uncomfortable and cranky. In fact, she was pretty much inconsolable, which is very unlike her. We went to the pediatrician twice to try to determine what was going on, but the only thing we could find was a somewhat elevated WBC. We finally reached the conclusion that it was a viral something we could not see, and that we would wait it out.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week was characterized more by lethargy. Again, this is unlike her. I thought she might just be worn out from whatever mysterious sickness she had the previous week, so I was still waiting for her to return to our normal sweet girl. It just wasn't happening. I woke up Wednesday with the determination in mind that she had one more day to get it together, and then I was going to haul her back to the doctor and plop her on the exam table, not leaving until we found something. I knew in my Mommy Gut that something was wrong with my baby girl. Never underestimate the power of Mommy Gut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We dropped Luisa off at school and headed to Caroline's "school" (homeschool co-op). Ainsley was still really sleepy. I tried to nurse her, but she was not interested (and she should have been hungry, as I had picked her up from her bassinet that morning and put her straight in her car seat to do the school drop off routine). I sat her up in my lap to check out what might be wrong, and her body started flexing forward involuntarily. She would basically fold over in my lap, and then sit up and stare for 10 or so seconds, and then repeat. This went on for a few minutes. We were a bit early to her school, so there was no one to ask, "Does this seem normal to you?" My Mommy Gut was telling me no. I am not a worrier by nature, so this was a big red flag to me. I immediately called my sister-in-law, Dr. Michelle (everyone needs a pediatrician in the family). I called my doctor's nurse. The consensus was to head to the ER at Children's. The precious mommas of her Classical Conversations group prayed over us. I left Caroline with them and headed downtown, calling Philip on the way to tell him to meet me there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I doubted myself the whole way there. "Maybe it was a bizarre case of the hiccups. Am I REALLY going to the ER for hiccups?" The doubt got really bad as I watched them try numerous times to start her IV. "Am I REALLY putting my precious baby through THIS for nothing?" But, a bit later, as we were waiting in the ER room for a test result, she started seizing again. I sent Philip to get the doctor so she could witness it. She said, "I've never seen anything quite like that. Let's call neuro down here." Thankfully she had the peace of mind to record the seizure with my phone so neuro could see it once they arrived. The seizure pattern is quite distinct, so I am fairly certain they knew what the diagnosis would be. They wanted to let the ER finish their workup (blood work, urine, spinal tap) and then to admit us for an overnight EEG.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She had one more seizure that evening after we got up into a room. Philip headed home to relieve Mimi and Pop from big-kid duty and stay with Caroline and Luisa overnight, and we got her all hooked up to monitor her brainwave pattern. She was EXHAUSTED. Thankfully she rested well that night (even if Mommy didn't). The next morning neuro came around to confirm their suspicion: Infantile Spasms.</span><br />
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The name sounds quite benign. In fact, it is very rare form of childhood epilepsy, classified as "catastrophic."<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background-color: #393b3c; color: white; font-family: Helvatica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
“<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Infantile spasms is classified as a catastrophic childhood seizure disorder, </em><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">and it’s not catastrophic because of the way the spasms look. If a child is having infantile spasms, it doesn’t look like such a big thing…just little jerks. It does not look frightening, yet the impact could not be greater. That child with infantile spasms is now threatened with a very poor developmental outcome. Unfortunately, the majority of children are going to eventually be found to be cognitively impaired, and most will continue to have other seizure disorders later on.”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: #393b3c; color: white; font-family: Helvatica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Don Shields, M.D.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: #393b3c; color: white; font-family: Helvatica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Pediatrics</em></div>
<div style="background-color: #393b3c; color: white; font-family: Helvatica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA</em></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
The problem is not the spasms themselves, but the fact that Infantile Spasms is <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">characterized by hypsarrhythmia (hips-A-'rith-mE-uh), a highly disorganized and chaotic pattern of brain wave abnormality</span>, even when not seizing. The brain is prevented from developing during this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, Ainsley has many things working in her favor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I personally know the Great Physician, and we have lots of people calling on Him for her complete healing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have access to great medical facilities and have a great neuro team at Children's.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have the fabulous Dr. Jessica working on our side. She has been known to crack many a problem that seemed impossible.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ainsley is in the 30% of children with this disorder classifies as cryptogenic, which simply means that there is no underlying cause for her to have developed Infantile Spasms. This group has a better chance for a favorable outcome.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We caught it as early as physically possible. I believe what I witnessed Wednesday morning was her first seizure. Many children's seizures aren't recognized as such because it can sometimes be a subtle movement, and thus treatment can be delayed for months. This is very critical time lost.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We rounded out our hospital stay with an MRI to rule out a certain cause for IS. We were discharged last night, and she had three seizures that day as well. Today we went to see Dr. Jessica for an adjustment and some supplements to add in. She has had one seizure today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next step: We currently have her on a very high dose of steroids. We have a repeat EEG scheduled for December 3rd. Pray with us that we see a decrease in the number of seizures as well as a more normal brain wave pattern on that EEG. Otherwise, we discuss other medication options and try again. The key here is quick cessation of both spasms and <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">hypsarrhythmia. We are hopeful that we can get this under control and that she will go on to lead a completely normal life. Pray with us that it will be so.</span></span></span></div>
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Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-42947946277882171512013-08-21T10:32:00.000-05:002013-08-21T10:32:00.195-05:00{Backblogging} May 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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May was spent enjoying our summer and getting ready for baby. There were a lot of doctor and dentist visits we crammed in before there was a newborn to care for. I assumed I would go at least until my due date (May 24th), so we had most of the month to prepare. We worked on the nursery, cleaned out closets, and organized as much as possible. We squeezed in a few more PT and speech sessions. Everyone got their teeth cleaned. We were ready to settle in for a month or so of not having too much that must be done.<br />
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The girls love swinging on the playset. One favorite game is for the parent doing the pushing to stop the swing, tell the child to close her eyes, put pixie dust on her head (tickle the top of the head), instruct her to think happy thoughts, and then swing her as HIGH as possible without her looping back over the swing set.<br />
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Matt, Amanda, and Huck came up to the lake for Memorial Day. This was right after my due date, so we knew we would either be able to hang out with them at the lake (which would be fun) or have them come to the hospital to meet the new baby (also fun). It turned out that we got to have an enjoyable last hoorah at the lake before the big event. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 weeks and 1 day</td></tr>
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Luisa got to experience her first boat ride, which she LOVED, She also got to swim in the lake for the first time. She loves her swim classes at Lakeshore, so I knew she would love that part.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FASTER!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Goat Island"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boat always puts the babies to sleep</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt tried to bounce me into labor by hitting every wave head on. Didn't work.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming with Pop</td></tr>
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The month ended by meeting our new baby girl. More on that next time.Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-50627179004328223562013-08-20T08:37:00.000-05:002013-08-20T08:37:00.817-05:00{Backblogging} Happy 4th, Luisa!With a new addition to the family expected a week or so before Luisa's birthday, her FIRST birthday with us, we decided to celebrate early so that she could have ALL the attention that day.<br />
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We kept it small and low key so as not to overwhelm her. She chose a Winnie the Pooh cake from the catalog at Publix. A few friends came over to play; no activities were planned. The weather cooperated beautifully. May in Alabama can be very hot, but this day was perfect. The kids had a good time playing outside, running up and down the ramp on the playset that my dad built for Lu. We had snacks, cake, ice cream, and presents. I think she has a really good time, and I enjoyed how easy it was to just let the kiddos PLAY.<br />
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On her third birthday, my family was visiting together at my parents' lake house. We had a cake in her honor, with her on another continent not knowing yet that we loved her and wanted her home. We are so thankful this year we got to see her eat her cake!! <br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-31272640259285919552013-08-19T09:37:00.000-05:002013-08-19T09:37:00.115-05:00April 2013: Babymoon, Big Girl Bed, and Waiting on Baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In April, Philip and I took the opportunity to get away one last time just the two of us. Since I like to breastfeed for the first year, we knew it would be awhile before the chance would present itself again. We strongly believe in purposefully investing in our marriage. One way we do this is by taking a night or two to travel together without kiddos from time to time. When we first left Caroline for such a weekend, I felt guilty. Then we received what I consider to be superb advice from a very godly couple that we know and admire. They said, "One of the best things you can do for your parenting skills is to invest in your marriage." Admittedly, this was much easier when we had one kid. Thankfully my parents live close by and are willing to <strike>spoil </strike>spend some time with our girls when we ask them to. <br />
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This time we went to Chattanooga. We love to visit this city! It is a great place for a family to spend the weekend or just a day. We have in the past visited the Aquarium, walked around the downtown area, visited the shops and park along the river, experienced a fairly cheesy dinner theater, and enjoyed several great restaurants. This time we hit an attraction that I haven't seen since childhood, Ruby Falls. The story of its discovery is interesting, and the hike through the caverns was a lot of fun. After that, we spent some time walking around the River Walk area (way more time than I thought I could handle at 8 months pregnant, although I did have some mega swollen ankles and leg cramps after). We got some extraordinary pizza (best gluten free crust I've ever had) made with local ingredients at <a href="http://lupi.com/" target="_blank">Lupi's Pizza</a>. I highly recommend them if you are in the area. Superb service and food. We ended the evening with a visit to a local (not-so-gluten-free) bakery, where we made up our own sampler box of mini cupcakes. <br />
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One big event in the Ryle household was the combining of the big girls into one bedroom. Luisa moved from the crib in the nursery to a big girl bed in Caroline's room. They were so excited to get to share a room! The transition was exceptionally smooth. We were unsure if Luisa would stay in her bed, or talk to Caroline all night, but she settled right down. In the mornings, they get up and play in their room until a lamp in their room comes on (set on a timer for 6:45).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both of them trying it out</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Sis tucking in Little Sis</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited to be a big girl!</td></tr>
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The newly vacated nursery then got a makeover. We painted the walls grey, and my mom and I began working on the bedding for the baby of unknown gender. I chose navy and lime as the main colors, and planned to throw in hot pink if it was a girl. I'll do a full nursery reveal later (it still lacks finishing touches).<br />
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All four of us were getting excited to meet The Baby. The pregnancy was going very smoothly. I was leaning a little more toward thinking I was having a boy. I could tell the baby was bigger than Caroline had been, and much stronger. These kicks were actually painful at times, unlike my first pregnancy. Caroline really wanted a brother this time, and his name was to be Freddy. (A baby sister would be Sally.) I really enjoyed not knowing the gender! It seems so counter to my planning nature, but I would totally go that route again. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One month to go!</td></tr>
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-52748575508491586962013-08-18T12:10:00.000-05:002013-08-18T12:10:00.075-05:00Favorite ToysMy biggest girl loves the tiniest toys. Squinkies, Busy Books, Disney figurines of all kinds are her playthings of choice most days. She also has a huge affinity for stuffed animals, but it does not rival her love of itty bitty plastic things. This wanna-be-Montessori mama would love to have nothing but high-quality, open-ended, natural-material playthings neatly lining our shelves, but it is just not to be for this kid. Thankfully, she likes organization as much as I do, so most of them have homes they return to after playtime. She can't have Peter Pan, Eeyore, and Cinderella mixing it up (unless, of course, you are pretending that Eeyore is the horse from Cinderella, or one of Pan's Lost Boys).<br />
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One day, when she has outgrown playing with these much loved toys, I hope to <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/118008452707908872/" target="_blank">transform a few into ornaments</a> or something similar. For now, I enjoy watching her create entire worlds with her animals, princesses, pirates, and such (even if they are brightly colored plastic). <br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-35744554781253352642013-08-17T21:58:00.001-05:002013-08-17T22:05:13.153-05:00{Backblogging} Easter 2013I have recently admitted to myself that my "temporary" break from my once much-loved hobby of scrapbooking is not so temporary. This time, space, and money-consuming past time now truly resides in my past. My free time has been overtaken by the much more worthy endeavor of mothering. This presents quite the conundrum, since the act of raising kids mandates record-keeping. However, since I have yet to complete Caroline's baby book, I have decided to cross over to the world of printed photo books from online sources. (By the way, if you have a favorite printing site for photo books, please let me know.) Therefore, I am going back to fill in a few gaps so that these memories will be easy to transfer to books. We pick up in March 2013:<br />
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Our first Easter with Luisa! We celebrated several times with various family and friends. Her first Easter egg hunt took place in Pensacola. We also enjoyed the weather that weekend by hanging outside blowing bubbles and playing softball. The weekend was rounded out by a visit with Philip's grandmother, Bebe, and his Aunt Rebecca.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BUBBLES!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy, Luisa, Caroline, Aunt Rebecca, and Bebe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to hunt!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A swing (and a miss)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's go, Lu!</td></tr>
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Our next egg hunt was with some neighborhood kids at a friend's house. The kiddos, all five and under, had fun hunting eggs in the back yard. Philip and I had realized that week that Luisa, who was so resistant to using her walker, was willing to use it to walk around to yard to gather eggs into her basket. We actually practiced with her several times that week in our back yard, Caroline running ahead to place eggs on the ground and Luisa laboriously coming behind, stopping at each egg and asking us to pick it up for her. Her limit was about 20 feet, and this took several minutes. (It is absolutely amazing to look back and see how she has progressed with her walker. Just a <a href="http://rylefamily.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-big-week.html" target="_blank">few weeks prior to this</a>, she was adamantly refusing to use it.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah, Caroline, Sophie, Luisa, Cade, and Ollie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"A boiled egg? Where's the candy?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking, walking, walking</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new game of Chase the Giant Egg Down the Giant Hill</td></tr>
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We spent Easter morning with our church family, and then we headed to Mimi and Pop's for Easter lunch Sadly, the banana pudding I made was "accidentally" left in our refrigerator by Philip, which is now believed to have been a ploy to get all of it to himself. :) There was another egg hunt and some time to dye eggs that afternoon.<br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-84231546842118050052013-08-13T20:44:00.003-05:002013-08-13T20:44:49.203-05:00Happy 5th, Caroline!<div style="text-align: center;">
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I cannot believe I have a FIVE year old. Good grief.<br />
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Whenever it is someone's birthday, Caroline's first question is, "What kind of birthday are you having?" This translates to, "What character is on your cake?" She has been asking since her fourth birthday to have a Mad Hatter Tea Party for her fifth, so we obliged. (She already has ideas for her sixth, and possibly her seventh).
This girl is serious about her party themes.<br />
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I admit, I am a bit of a kid birthday party planning addict. I just enjoy putting it all together. This one was easy, because we already has so many girly items in fun, bright colors to pull together for a tea party. Pinterest is a wealth of inspiration (as well as a source of shame and self doubt) when it comes to party planning. Actually, some ideas were even original. Believe it or not, those do still exist.<br />
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I should have insisted that all the kiddos (and parents) invited watch the movie as a prerequisite. So much of the charm is lost on the Alice-uneducated crowd.<br />
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We kicked it off with a tea party, where we served "little girl tea" (a.k.a decaf), a cherry tea chosen by the birthday girl, along with lemonade for the non-tea-loving crowd. I had purchased a mish mash of tea cups and saucers at a local thrift store, which later became the party favors for the guests.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiuKqtYWbw28dRrOSukzt5q6HrllNS5mlTfw3L-f9J9TG28_wZkrnPvfZebaQSiUq5TJ8S8h6xpjAw99b8w4TqaJ344vS08uHRYwF5Kd_MCORtxFHoLm6NVro469-4hj4gr0tdkvIcsnM/s1600/DSC_0985.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiuKqtYWbw28dRrOSukzt5q6HrllNS5mlTfw3L-f9J9TG28_wZkrnPvfZebaQSiUq5TJ8S8h6xpjAw99b8w4TqaJ344vS08uHRYwF5Kd_MCORtxFHoLm6NVro469-4hj4gr0tdkvIcsnM/s1600/DSC_0985.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The kids then participated in a Wonderland Relay, which consisted of:</div>
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<i>Hopping like a bunny</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxqsPfYX96bmc4V8meCAGSHaoXHSthrd8kedXYYR6qY1a5F3jOHAgdcEzRf2wvYeRVjw88IW_PvT3PJMu1SxyylNlMlzBGubExmq4fHBSYnxsMzC5GKUzCpBNaN_53W84kFrv32ic1NFF/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxqsPfYX96bmc4V8meCAGSHaoXHSthrd8kedXYYR6qY1a5F3jOHAgdcEzRf2wvYeRVjw88IW_PvT3PJMu1SxyylNlMlzBGubExmq4fHBSYnxsMzC5GKUzCpBNaN_53W84kFrv32ic1NFF/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Crawling through the Rabbit Hole</i></div>
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<i>Finding the Key </i>(hidden in bowl of rice)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyFSFCPAFftKi9HiZpwkwvRZJRDD4AUbVzotWgLDzoTMNjtGOhtgyC63BzA7Wokz4Axi_zIeB3Q_CuLrcNzCgbOudRec7h3-og5R_7f1_JtAc7BG3vBI5_-v3vup8_Td2JHYqyPoTDLCF/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyFSFCPAFftKi9HiZpwkwvRZJRDD4AUbVzotWgLDzoTMNjtGOhtgyC63BzA7Wokz4Axi_zIeB3Q_CuLrcNzCgbOudRec7h3-og5R_7f1_JtAc7BG3vBI5_-v3vup8_Td2JHYqyPoTDLCF/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
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<i>Finding the Queen of Hearts</i><br />
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<i>Flamingo Croquet </i>(sans flamingo. I tried to find a lawn flamingo, and several of my coastal friends and family offered theirs, but apparently none of my local friends are sufficiently tacky.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM4XkNiYPb_CFwbIPxmkuIKfnBzdy7vdqU8zzJzp7hh2XnQkuO003TEuxeDiQnsRQl3IaFiFO67WWnJQcjtIIFzwXhMzEqHsSkmFtMGxRVg3mXHwdio1zvCDaFFvCDbR2z0rtbTiwwwdC/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM4XkNiYPb_CFwbIPxmkuIKfnBzdy7vdqU8zzJzp7hh2XnQkuO003TEuxeDiQnsRQl3IaFiFO67WWnJQcjtIIFzwXhMzEqHsSkmFtMGxRVg3mXHwdio1zvCDaFFvCDbR2z0rtbTiwwwdC/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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We squeezed in a little lunch, and then it was time for cake and ice cream. This is the first year that I didn't make Caroline's cake. I have always enjoyed making them, but it sure was nice not having that on my to do list the day before the party. I am learning as a mom to three littles to just let some stuff go.</div>
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The kids got to make their own Mad Hatter hats, which Caroline had been so excited about all week. I don't have any pictures of the crafting because some Little Bit was hungry at the time, but I had three brave mommas offer to man glue guns. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVgUBORkIcYJKCKMMokquvY9JqGbIsMkdMOcN0swqjmv9smgMevG1TJXyCENXVnmibl9aJmZHtUznzfOyu39aGwDTRBt4q3R1tztR2UnQRfHQn-ZIwbqOaJQ2UcFb8Q729iqDm7Y0focs/s1600/DSC_0146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVgUBORkIcYJKCKMMokquvY9JqGbIsMkdMOcN0swqjmv9smgMevG1TJXyCENXVnmibl9aJmZHtUznzfOyu39aGwDTRBt4q3R1tztR2UnQRfHQn-ZIwbqOaJQ2UcFb8Q729iqDm7Y0focs/s1600/DSC_0146.JPG" height="320" width="313" /></a></div>
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It was the present time, and we wrapped up the party with a little FaceTime with Nana and Grumpa and a round of Pin the Smile on the Cheshire Cat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS294hCF56HoPRgLxNQrQNyijBA8pg1RGYUyxtiQ9zZx4v8WnjNmsomU4X0Juz1qq0OopQLu3o-HvwZ4haBL9mmlDa_vVHfOZTOMpwnPi_Sw8hn9S0FLYPC2eD63LlrGsg5gIYxtdsS-s/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS294hCF56HoPRgLxNQrQNyijBA8pg1RGYUyxtiQ9zZx4v8WnjNmsomU4X0Juz1qq0OopQLu3o-HvwZ4haBL9mmlDa_vVHfOZTOMpwnPi_Sw8hn9S0FLYPC2eD63LlrGsg5gIYxtdsS-s/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a> </div>
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The party crowd:<br />
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Ainsley slept through most of the hooplah.<br />
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The birthday girl snuggled up in bed in her new jammies, made by Mimi, with matching ones for her doll, Marie.<br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-47082862155275681462013-06-25T16:29:00.000-05:002013-06-25T16:29:22.391-05:00Ainsley Kate<div style="text-align: center;">
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7 lbs 12 oz</div>
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21 inches </div>
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The Ryle family has grown in numbers again! Our newest blessing, the cause of what I thought was altitude sickness during our last week in Bogota last September, made her appearance on May 28th.<br />
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Four days past my due date, after an uneventful and pretty easy pregnancy, followed by an uneventful and pretty easy four hour labor, we got to see her beautiful face. She has been such a joy!<br />
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Simultaneously adopting and conceiving was not our plan. The past nine months have been an emotional roller coaster! This wild ride began with two lines on a pregnancy test in Bogota (that we had to use our pocket translator to request from the pharmacy). It then proceeded to shock and denial, which lasted approximately the first two trimesters. The final trimester was filled with days where my thoughts oscillated between the following: "Oh, my goodness, we really have another baby coming soon. How in the world are we going to run this circus?" and "It'll be fine. We'll do what we have to because, well, we'll have to." (The majority of those days, my thoughts leaned toward the former.)<br />
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Thankfully Ainsley seems to have a very laid back personality, and her big sisters absolutely adore her. The circus has been running relatively smoothly since her arrival. What's one more act, anyway? We can always use another clown around here. <br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-17478439792735936032013-03-14T09:13:00.000-05:002013-03-14T09:13:00.188-05:00February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our two little ladies love to snuggle in the morning with their cups o' <i>jugo de manzana</i>. Caroline is pretty much a beast until she gets hers {kind of like me and my coffee}. She loves it so much that we shelled out quite a pretty penny for Mott's while we were in Colombia (which just so happens to be the land of delicious, exotic fresh-squeezed juice of many varieties. Girl knows what she likes. <br />
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Luisa has learned our morning routine, signing "thirsty" as soon as my foot hits the bottom stair in the morning. She then points to the couch. Once deposited there, she is aiming that finger at the TV. Two cups of juice, once cup of coffee, and an episode of Mickey/Backyardigans/Jake/pick-your-favorite-animated-22-minute-show are consumed. <br />
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The weather in February gave us a few chances to venture outdoors. There was much swinging, always with shouts of, "Higher!" We tested out the ant farm they got for Christmas. Unfortunately, the ants only lived about 24 hours. It was fun while it lasted. They actually made quite a few tunnels in that amount of time, Industrious little short-lived boogers that they are.<br />
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Nana and Grumpa came into town for a visit. Caroline had been asking to visit the <a href="http://www.visitvulcan.com/" target="_blank">Vulcan</a> (a statue of the Roman god of the forge, the world's largest cast iron statue, built to honor Birmingham's iron industry) every time she sees it looming above us as we drive around town. Philip had never been and I hadn't since high school, so we thought a trip was in order. We took the elevator to the top, but chose to count the stairs on the way down. I've forgotten how many, but it was a lot. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who would prefer walking to riding on shoulders?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nana and the girls</td></tr>
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We also made a few visits to a local park. Luisa is able to get up the stairs or ramp, slide down the slide, and do it again all on her own. This day we were there with her friend Cooper, who alternates running around chasing Caroline and crawling all over the place with Luisa (he is already a little ladies' man). I assure you that the red shirts were not intentional, although I guess that happens around Valentine's Day.<br />
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Valentine's Day was not a holiday Philip and I cared for before the girls came along. We are on the the "this is a manufactured, commercial, Hallmark holiday" bandwagon. That being said, the girls love any chance to decorate, do seasonal crafts, get little gifts, and eat junk food. We obliged this year with chocolate fondue and fruit. Definitely a hit, though a messy one.<br />
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We rounded out the month with a trip to Kentucky to visit the girls' cousins. They have only met Luisa one time, and that was a less than 24 hour trip during which Luisa had a fever and was totally our of it. We don't get to see this clan all that often, so it was nice to have a full week with the kids. My mom went as well; we were there to keep the kiddos while their mom and dad (my brother and sister-in-law) were ministering in the Philippines. Unfortunately I took an appallingly minuscule amount of photos, but here are a couple of my girls with their cousin Anna. They had a blast playing together.<br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-38880106189532845592013-03-12T10:03:00.000-05:002013-03-12T14:25:49.567-05:00Banana Oat Pancakes<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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Our fam has been (mostly) gluten free for over a year now. Philip and the girls aren't as strict as I am (I am the one with the intolerance), but they have jumped on the band wagon for the most part. This is largely due to the fact that I don't like to cook two different meals!<br />
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It was difficult at first to eat GF (What? No cereal for breakfast or PBJs for lunch?), but we tried to focus on what we COULD have instead of what we couldn't. Our food horizons broadened, and the increasing popularity of <a href="http://pinterest.com/julierebekah/recipes/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> played a large part in introducing us to new recipes.<br />
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One thing that we all missed and (until recently) had not been able to adequately replace was Saturday Morning Pancakes. It was a tradition that had been around awhile at our house, but neither Aunt Jemima butter-flavored "syrup" nor Bisquick pancakes were going to cut it with our new lifestyle. I am happy to say that we have found a deliciously satisfactory NEW Saturday morning tradition, <a href="http://cookieandkate.com/2012/banana-oat-pancakes/" target="_blank">Banana Oat Pancakes</a>. As an added bonus, this recipe also takes care of the surplus of overly ripe bananas hanging out in my freezer, which formerly were used to make the world's best banana bread but have been piling up since the ban on gluten ensued.<br />
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Now, these are not a item-for-item pancake replacement. They are made with three bananas and oat flour (made by running oats through a food processor). Both the consistency and flavor are different from buttermilk pancakes. However, they are delicious in their own right. We all four love them. Load 'em up with diced pecans, sliced banana, and a bit o' maple syrup. Yum!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't you just love Lu's morning hair?</td></tr>
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Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-66441614255953089312013-03-11T17:08:00.001-05:002013-03-15T06:25:19.269-05:00A Big WeekLast week was chock full of big stuff happening for Luisa.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six months ago</td></tr>
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<li>It was our six month anniversary of her <a href="http://rylefamily.blogspot.com/p/luisa.html" target="_blank">joining our family</a>. This may not seem big in her eyes, but it was fun for us to look back and see how far we have come in terms of bonding and attachment in the past six months! </li>
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<li>We made the switch to BGPs (big girl panties) this week! Luisa had been doing well with going potty when we take her, but had not been "asking" to go. We learned the sign for potty a few weeks ago in Speech Therapy and have been using it consistently every time we took her. Well, it seemed to finally click, and now she asks to go every half hour or so (the novelty of asking has apparently not yet worn off). </li>
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<li>Luisa and Caroline spent the night at Mimi and Pop's house, which was Lu's first overnight trip without a parent there. It helps that Mimi and Pop are two of her favorite people! </li>
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<li>I picked up Luisa's new walker. We have had a loaner on and off from UCP, but this is her VERY OWN. As of now she is not too interested in using it. It is simply so much easier for her to crawl that to expend the amount of energy it takes for her to walk using it. We are hoping that maybe some embellishments to the plain ol' silver walker and maybe some incentives will make the process more appealing.</li>
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<li>Our favorite discovery this past week was that of an adaptive bike hidden in the back of the PT's closet. (We have a fabulous PT with very enticing toys that frequently tempt both Luisa and Caroline into cooperating with her goals.) Luisa tried it for the last 10 minutes or so of PT and LOVED it. It was quite difficult extricating her from it, actually. We loved it so much that we filled out an order form for one before we left, and we were able to take the loaner bike home in the meantime to practice with.</li>
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Caroline and Luisa had a ball riding their bikes this weekend. We just happened to have two days of beautiful weather and a pretty free weekend to hang out and play. By the end of the weekend, she was able to pedal it both down our street and back up on her own (even with the slight incline of our road). <br />
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<br />Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-21595054493935441992013-01-17T17:08:00.001-06:002013-01-17T17:08:53.966-06:00Snow!While Cali, Colombia enjoyed some temps in the 80s today, our little Colombiana got to experience her first snow fall. This is a rare treat for our area in the deep South (but not unheard of). I can't say that Luisa loved it, but then I'm not too fond of the cold, wet stuff myself. It's nice to have it for an afternoon, though. And hot chocolate after playing in it is always welcome.<br />
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It started falling while we are at a friends' house playing, so we ventured out with the kiddos to let them see some fall. No accumulation quite yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPJnCZk0xF6qImuXe7eO26tmwcIeJZUEhW_UDPhzwu3luOsmsD2K-M-6Lc2gpSoP7kxHb9UjNK771iuoJfPpF8G0s0aw5nJcQ0EQL2bMVdemTo8ugBUGZxw86SqpdRCnU5hOSqnLBs60/s1600/DSC_0684.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPJnCZk0xF6qImuXe7eO26tmwcIeJZUEhW_UDPhzwu3luOsmsD2K-M-6Lc2gpSoP7kxHb9UjNK771iuoJfPpF8G0s0aw5nJcQ0EQL2bMVdemTo8ugBUGZxw86SqpdRCnU5hOSqnLBs60/s400/DSC_0684.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjthX5eGvZobbkB2qkRhli_VpyMmrfTODUJQtEq0nt8mpmlzkAERUpKwOObdSTx3afD3_2n9fAvrJXqddpdaG5aXF0CV8q_R4SGitib435UnQUPySsdC1oqmjw1p28S5OpNaQlRc1BVc/s1600/DSC_0695.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjthX5eGvZobbkB2qkRhli_VpyMmrfTODUJQtEq0nt8mpmlzkAERUpKwOObdSTx3afD3_2n9fAvrJXqddpdaG5aXF0CV8q_R4SGitib435UnQUPySsdC1oqmjw1p28S5OpNaQlRc1BVc/s400/DSC_0695.JPG" /></a> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGmEhxGdC6Bp371uRLBDDnClpPIoRACEjil_PNB8mY0saRnGujtWFRQOl71-wyyM8EP3KQR7ZD6ORId-KUO2JqQTmLcse_FvUgxOByk1XTEPcvAPdQpMcKwLarHF8EmFDqEfEoFmP1H4/s1600/DSC_0699.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGmEhxGdC6Bp371uRLBDDnClpPIoRACEjil_PNB8mY0saRnGujtWFRQOl71-wyyM8EP3KQR7ZD6ORId-KUO2JqQTmLcse_FvUgxOByk1XTEPcvAPdQpMcKwLarHF8EmFDqEfEoFmP1H4/s400/DSC_0699.JPG" /></a> </div>
We came home for nap, and then the snow really began to fall. We got a couple of inches while they slept, and they awoke to find Daddy home and ready to play outside.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkpn6NfFlrfWE8TXvFnjei0EsGqLQtoAq4fvv81T29yiJ_s5gmLcj0mljof1SkKv5Kbhyphenhyphen4E6VgCC0M0BUhyphenhyphenHcA-xxAO-_1SFrMp85x_gGfOkR10NmH4wmzcGJvBkFD9TIodjXtgJvwIk/s1600/DSC_0709.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkpn6NfFlrfWE8TXvFnjei0EsGqLQtoAq4fvv81T29yiJ_s5gmLcj0mljof1SkKv5Kbhyphenhyphen4E6VgCC0M0BUhyphenhyphenHcA-xxAO-_1SFrMp85x_gGfOkR10NmH4wmzcGJvBkFD9TIodjXtgJvwIk/s400/DSC_0709.JPG" /></a> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKBt9MsAyJLc_ycq5ZDoatqiXLVeeL0KEQUiu1HF9y5cy_pVgkeqO1eswZVfl9I2eUKbDa46rnquvpAKy4F7yudDFPRypPK9ZVqZX4EnBJyiAf8FBhiOHj2w-MSLUEWoEDCHp1U9TPPk/s1600/DSC_0712.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKBt9MsAyJLc_ycq5ZDoatqiXLVeeL0KEQUiu1HF9y5cy_pVgkeqO1eswZVfl9I2eUKbDa46rnquvpAKy4F7yudDFPRypPK9ZVqZX4EnBJyiAf8FBhiOHj2w-MSLUEWoEDCHp1U9TPPk/s400/DSC_0712.JPG" /></a> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnJ5kByjcySVl6OEqfwtLwss9c7DO_70NdDyuJtCJ3XcAVWEbo-nSotZba_v4qqZmap0rVXLi4Nj6pw4WmmjAfNvr_pI8LGHp42DBdwRzJaKLjQhB70ByQbPWU6VlBdTgjDqAif1pOTw/s1600/DSC_0716.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnJ5kByjcySVl6OEqfwtLwss9c7DO_70NdDyuJtCJ3XcAVWEbo-nSotZba_v4qqZmap0rVXLi4Nj6pw4WmmjAfNvr_pI8LGHp42DBdwRzJaKLjQhB70ByQbPWU6VlBdTgjDqAif1pOTw/s400/DSC_0716.JPG" /></a> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKqVcbNcuzhlj6azOAIuy7ppbA3wYsTfBRWBXUtc_qjCIchrybvfv5jCtpfoFjvbXI3EsIbz-1VTwxSdEDaQBgELvUNaHgjZxNJvKn-8uzdy61OoBZ5cwt8cEAJmdBnAgdFhOs8Zobgg/s1600/DSC_0736.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKqVcbNcuzhlj6azOAIuy7ppbA3wYsTfBRWBXUtc_qjCIchrybvfv5jCtpfoFjvbXI3EsIbz-1VTwxSdEDaQBgELvUNaHgjZxNJvKn-8uzdy61OoBZ5cwt8cEAJmdBnAgdFhOs8Zobgg/s400/DSC_0736.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our snowman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSnn2aU1gP7r6hCMrMVFAaGpNRbFxYLHnerCTvz3R6zVp2aMVss-Yr3IvC4lReDFUopr8MggbFqi1wgq4oMsjjKfTB_8a74ywXrshWmOvfzhyphenhyphen-MX4MOD9Zk_T6LcwnfCwaTLi-4_IDaY/s1600/DSC_0740.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSnn2aU1gP7r6hCMrMVFAaGpNRbFxYLHnerCTvz3R6zVp2aMVss-Yr3IvC4lReDFUopr8MggbFqi1wgq4oMsjjKfTB_8a74ywXrshWmOvfzhyphenhyphen-MX4MOD9Zk_T6LcwnfCwaTLi-4_IDaY/s400/DSC_0740.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ryle gals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqi3Zd8NQTBysBqpIE3y_GcrwzA-zSXxnDmtyevDzbsXGeQ0u0GELRubJmPG7mdLeTDgWIs67gvDCo5FQq6YfK7CClv-VtcugOlGe_-osnSFC4-ycvzx41PrWaerK3wtHwpRML9a_JFY/s1600/DSC_0762.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqi3Zd8NQTBysBqpIE3y_GcrwzA-zSXxnDmtyevDzbsXGeQ0u0GELRubJmPG7mdLeTDgWIs67gvDCo5FQq6YfK7CClv-VtcugOlGe_-osnSFC4-ycvzx41PrWaerK3wtHwpRML9a_JFY/s400/DSC_0762.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She took a few hits...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdWvIPaopbgsR4dkNsVUUFaH9IB2oThg346gnOEfPSp7iwRUWmefHJp4mMMSI4mz6-bey30z6QTQZmW0fbJI7hQy9P8Mj0Xp5NLn152OMFkMpaj3fCw2RwBzZop-4sBMNFn7k83E5ua0/s1600/DSC_0765.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdWvIPaopbgsR4dkNsVUUFaH9IB2oThg346gnOEfPSp7iwRUWmefHJp4mMMSI4mz6-bey30z6QTQZmW0fbJI7hQy9P8Mj0Xp5NLn152OMFkMpaj3fCw2RwBzZop-4sBMNFn7k83E5ua0/s400/DSC_0765.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">but gave as good as she got.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1OMxChmJZXmcpOBjAd90fw059ZWiZcJZBzkCe22JeRqYkgVciMI-lEoiu-ZiYHva6IErveL4Bj6o0d3OwC7M0qGxUBRTlAZBAQuaFMtzLNa_49xVfHgQ4MoXvhI7zDpBZIwKsL_Zx7Q/s1600/DSC_0792.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1OMxChmJZXmcpOBjAd90fw059ZWiZcJZBzkCe22JeRqYkgVciMI-lEoiu-ZiYHva6IErveL4Bj6o0d3OwC7M0qGxUBRTlAZBAQuaFMtzLNa_49xVfHgQ4MoXvhI7zDpBZIwKsL_Zx7Q/s400/DSC_0792.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I want a snowball, too!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g2x55PjFdBuFkG7cy4ogGqNdnIJNp6OAMm6__yUn0cJctOkHfRphC9_Becse85MB6z93G2npG0IRPVRZeHvu4GWWpEu9wchtm-2KAucs5ZNnclSkTOyH_VvxhVB502peL__tgw-hDJ0/s1600/IMGP4786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfVBy4dHDPPr3Yws6kz-Xm5Q_iFGS1t7sXQpXw1TO6Uic5vcL2pIeZUTL35LewHVR_0gIGy_9Rx1KvuycA0XHxuzdORpTt0D3ZrMgh80wStA7A0FPoYMLcaaOU35VITMI9ZBDYatYB2s/s1600/DSC_0805.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfVBy4dHDPPr3Yws6kz-Xm5Q_iFGS1t7sXQpXw1TO6Uic5vcL2pIeZUTL35LewHVR_0gIGy_9Rx1KvuycA0XHxuzdORpTt0D3ZrMgh80wStA7A0FPoYMLcaaOU35VITMI9ZBDYatYB2s/s400/DSC_0805.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We finally convinced her to get down and play in it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugYCKmTxdKuVxFy8S5Rxx5Qm76pI47ISrqZDdRHHWpycrvF5llSZ9-xGaOZq9r0YeCmiY8_GVbtywtxMiUEOWPmmQd8xZVgebjIszHOGzD8DyAdbxHYa6W4gF8pImwBgh1PkGdC4hzyI/s1600/DSC_0807.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugYCKmTxdKuVxFy8S5Rxx5Qm76pI47ISrqZDdRHHWpycrvF5llSZ9-xGaOZq9r0YeCmiY8_GVbtywtxMiUEOWPmmQd8xZVgebjIszHOGzD8DyAdbxHYa6W4gF8pImwBgh1PkGdC4hzyI/s400/DSC_0807.JPG" /></a> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEQPLcCywTRuXPAhUkP9JT7y48f9Mdikqsuvz4n04T2AlDblCGLMCQtPsBs6wNlHRgZfp3bXpF2PrvqC2AtHN3nnUqEHG_3sirPdSRmWvZRgOB6IwVGhRPVey79Ub2l7jZMwekFoMOdA/s1600/DSC_0819.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEQPLcCywTRuXPAhUkP9JT7y48f9Mdikqsuvz4n04T2AlDblCGLMCQtPsBs6wNlHRgZfp3bXpF2PrvqC2AtHN3nnUqEHG_3sirPdSRmWvZRgOB6IwVGhRPVey79Ub2l7jZMwekFoMOdA/s400/DSC_0819.JPG" /></a> </div>
And, just for kicks, a look back at the last time we had snow here (February 2010):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g2x55PjFdBuFkG7cy4ogGqNdnIJNp6OAMm6__yUn0cJctOkHfRphC9_Becse85MB6z93G2npG0IRPVRZeHvu4GWWpEu9wchtm-2KAucs5ZNnclSkTOyH_VvxhVB502peL__tgw-hDJ0/s1600/IMGP4786.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g2x55PjFdBuFkG7cy4ogGqNdnIJNp6OAMm6__yUn0cJctOkHfRphC9_Becse85MB6z93G2npG0IRPVRZeHvu4GWWpEu9wchtm-2KAucs5ZNnclSkTOyH_VvxhVB502peL__tgw-hDJ0/s400/IMGP4786.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie and Caroline </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-91130011434022853982013-01-17T14:12:00.000-06:002013-01-17T14:12:24.709-06:0010 Years!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXd_jhMxPQuYEjIX9TmG7ueSdj0eNZ4Go13QGZ4GcEtev9vomd7UsKHjPzGOod1AvODKMDupV2jLL8yRONYsUi3Q-gcNOEN_n-eaccgwIWXvjHLYaaIwWAlz6sEPClJNeWbdBiwsbGg/s1600/anniversary+card+color+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwXd_jhMxPQuYEjIX9TmG7ueSdj0eNZ4Go13QGZ4GcEtev9vomd7UsKHjPzGOod1AvODKMDupV2jLL8yRONYsUi3Q-gcNOEN_n-eaccgwIWXvjHLYaaIwWAlz6sEPClJNeWbdBiwsbGg/s400/anniversary+card+color+copy.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbB1hmkNTgZYX9NC2ANajg_amscS5Eu8pkM83djMmkWiOxSEkMNFHiGCoi7FHs92b1E-xQlrrXv3cWkgElwR6Jw6sKwoeSTJgyJDuOlyiEr5yc97PUIFFfPCaI9sd_kV4_ize8usGPAM/s1600/wedding+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbB1hmkNTgZYX9NC2ANajg_amscS5Eu8pkM83djMmkWiOxSEkMNFHiGCoi7FHs92b1E-xQlrrXv3cWkgElwR6Jw6sKwoeSTJgyJDuOlyiEr5yc97PUIFFfPCaI9sd_kV4_ize8usGPAM/s1600/wedding+pic.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
January marked 10 years since this little family began.</div>
Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-45967483070022845832013-01-17T14:05:00.001-06:002013-01-17T14:05:40.084-06:00December 2012We had an awesome time celebrating Christmas as a family of four (although another round of morning sickness took me down for the actual week of Christmas). Luisa loved joining in on the decorating, hot cocoa drinking, baking, and crafting that went on here this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V9jCSB4lHXPx8yty44ATepAXF15w-lUq6OeUbFwpX1CzKdhWkBSnXIJUlGZKU_pgmrWFvcpC3eRCSpKP31Ddr_dUAuNDToCtkLypAeUcmZLFeV2NOoXzB_pKfWTcDiub9oplue0-d1E/s1600/DSC_0461.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V9jCSB4lHXPx8yty44ATepAXF15w-lUq6OeUbFwpX1CzKdhWkBSnXIJUlGZKU_pgmrWFvcpC3eRCSpKP31Ddr_dUAuNDToCtkLypAeUcmZLFeV2NOoXzB_pKfWTcDiub9oplue0-d1E/s400/DSC_0461.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBNMyPEhQqOtHkjxG3iBmXELn2ilNHsToiL8vwfnuRz0XDvFojZ4hmadZPrcEjQVXxWvIjYt_1SOgj7R0jA5YcgA_ok4Ehf2Fi1DQT_Mt1otqckJtY62hMglyxTa3_eRlQxB6RYQHKTM/s1600/DSC_0522.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBNMyPEhQqOtHkjxG3iBmXELn2ilNHsToiL8vwfnuRz0XDvFojZ4hmadZPrcEjQVXxWvIjYt_1SOgj7R0jA5YcgA_ok4Ehf2Fi1DQT_Mt1otqckJtY62hMglyxTa3_eRlQxB6RYQHKTM/s400/DSC_0522.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUGIxIRFB-mkLew-x-wd5JgsU5Q7tLEAkykLh2_xexCoxp7oAd-6F7P5wHnP61yssT98cXff0vUEDkDnvtOTgUAGXTtyZtIxgsR2LGko0XyrdlLgKiJ1ShZ3PnnxWD83UsRNvQb7nP94/s1600/DSC_0527.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUGIxIRFB-mkLew-x-wd5JgsU5Q7tLEAkykLh2_xexCoxp7oAd-6F7P5wHnP61yssT98cXff0vUEDkDnvtOTgUAGXTtyZtIxgsR2LGko0XyrdlLgKiJ1ShZ3PnnxWD83UsRNvQb7nP94/s400/DSC_0527.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qwRZrafyZPVJ9UGOCMAk5zm9JJ-tQBRRCdvWf4oNxCS0NI8ohsytadpPQH1OwxImTlzH2nQsLPxZjji2U6y-c5K7XoVWEy2Nw8uk1OaMRyQkgCj4PCqr2VhEzVZPnr_RBqhXouc_7HA/s1600/DSC_0531.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qwRZrafyZPVJ9UGOCMAk5zm9JJ-tQBRRCdvWf4oNxCS0NI8ohsytadpPQH1OwxImTlzH2nQsLPxZjji2U6y-c5K7XoVWEy2Nw8uk1OaMRyQkgCj4PCqr2VhEzVZPnr_RBqhXouc_7HA/s400/DSC_0531.JPG" /></a> </div>
On the morning of Christmas eve, we began by reading the Christmas story from the Jesus Storybook Bible (best kids' Bible ever). We had cocoa and then let the girls open their gifts. After playing for a bit, we got dressed and headed to Pensacola to spend a few days with Nana and Grumpa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HVGse5TmX0mUCgejuIushAovv77NrOFwmzOyQART0O96uNcYVuoFbv_G59TdSns_dP1bROiUOh8mAhdTeOJVKotj9-MVYbaa6EoqKLBAKHMpwnakIy2OyxsUR-C1fIGVnFoSVgx4OsI/s1600/DSC_0537.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HVGse5TmX0mUCgejuIushAovv77NrOFwmzOyQART0O96uNcYVuoFbv_G59TdSns_dP1bROiUOh8mAhdTeOJVKotj9-MVYbaa6EoqKLBAKHMpwnakIy2OyxsUR-C1fIGVnFoSVgx4OsI/s400/DSC_0537.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46rSDrah1BjcEqIlaSXHdycevpTfTGT-WuH0vtXW7GzTGpHCTrmTGR9AcsqMBFHgo-hNrMMVPc7pRmDWbGyMujdItAC00pDqFBHDYqYQI0rOCwPHRQqTNHx9Wm2e3EclPEdzrLBRLfO8/s1600/DSC_0546.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46rSDrah1BjcEqIlaSXHdycevpTfTGT-WuH0vtXW7GzTGpHCTrmTGR9AcsqMBFHgo-hNrMMVPc7pRmDWbGyMujdItAC00pDqFBHDYqYQI0rOCwPHRQqTNHx9Wm2e3EclPEdzrLBRLfO8/s400/DSC_0546.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvtef71P7nPruyW1Xqy_9DKpBYo3lidYvnijCZDEwR9nNOqXxelpQ9UlYbL-zLNTQshy-LE2bjv8OSPapwDi79SdZ3IUIdskaHx0PTXkah2XN-yDCO03e7v1NmlHMAqBNlji7mHqgQkI/s1600/DSC_0547.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvtef71P7nPruyW1Xqy_9DKpBYo3lidYvnijCZDEwR9nNOqXxelpQ9UlYbL-zLNTQshy-LE2bjv8OSPapwDi79SdZ3IUIdskaHx0PTXkah2XN-yDCO03e7v1NmlHMAqBNlji7mHqgQkI/s400/DSC_0547.JPG" /></a> </div>
This was Luisa's first trip to Pensacola, and she did well on the car ride down. She got car sick about five miles from our destination. So close! We had a fun few days with the grandparents, which included Luisa's first meeting with her great-grandparents, a trip to Chuck E Cheese, and lots of playing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhVVFLYnODQrif5KpGGcew_cm1FcNmPLEuYNdmhGiEUQheaBj_qWPCsq1WGdYiCZ0gyHD-20FHdFweows3FQ2FCix1Exjmp7CdYuLuaieIAHf4mf6B5PA-iEmT88TJ_iJeD-Cktpyd60/s1600/DSC_0594.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhVVFLYnODQrif5KpGGcew_cm1FcNmPLEuYNdmhGiEUQheaBj_qWPCsq1WGdYiCZ0gyHD-20FHdFweows3FQ2FCix1Exjmp7CdYuLuaieIAHf4mf6B5PA-iEmT88TJ_iJeD-Cktpyd60/s400/DSC_0594.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq43XvQkUptDyPYTsBHmJ51LMcoe6nPjpCRjB0gk665rzpskvWFyc-B5y8XwGMPVwhWmsAEjJL3X7jxtzmMSmW0dEXTeez66sNV1hz3qIEoDZf3c4KNk6SCydiS9SL9fvGZRUYl2j_-S4/s1600/DSC_0601.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq43XvQkUptDyPYTsBHmJ51LMcoe6nPjpCRjB0gk665rzpskvWFyc-B5y8XwGMPVwhWmsAEjJL3X7jxtzmMSmW0dEXTeez66sNV1hz3qIEoDZf3c4KNk6SCydiS9SL9fvGZRUYl2j_-S4/s400/DSC_0601.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kGgydugowmjujPRJVoYmILncMB-mx_SX2IGMSw6usAH5FqI3zTbUUUipJ1_0aLdBmYgyZBEtNvXAJhB6ZVaZ0BzvyZ-lRp97bxEb5fA75XHIJM-QYxbfKIl5z0NhhW6zWVGyELD_-mI/s1600/DSC_0631.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kGgydugowmjujPRJVoYmILncMB-mx_SX2IGMSw6usAH5FqI3zTbUUUipJ1_0aLdBmYgyZBEtNvXAJhB6ZVaZ0BzvyZ-lRp97bxEb5fA75XHIJM-QYxbfKIl5z0NhhW6zWVGyELD_-mI/s400/DSC_0631.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YzyCccpVI8ITCjaJBZow5ZGH9uS-habZQUneW0oez-yH3zDKABjCZQeegBSEQBbkdujLymtvxpFQe4TZNvPbVdwdKv3C-ADCCJ6vwVkLsAilzm_HYb-bwtP4b6zfKs7cbF3WSTLvjlY/s1600/DSC_0613.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YzyCccpVI8ITCjaJBZow5ZGH9uS-habZQUneW0oez-yH3zDKABjCZQeegBSEQBbkdujLymtvxpFQe4TZNvPbVdwdKv3C-ADCCJ6vwVkLsAilzm_HYb-bwtP4b6zfKs7cbF3WSTLvjlY/s400/DSC_0613.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNhyphenhyphenArrMTSlMRwmwBir0-1dwXyVjhFGQERMbr6y9QDc0QQWwWTf0_K0-e6LL42bMBjVEQPb0ADbSZH8ZtnNtfVb3NrSukiGTPJnslLssSRSzaDM8134wU-fJOl90LTHpIJ5ri2CGvIqM/s1600/DSC_0655.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNhyphenhyphenArrMTSlMRwmwBir0-1dwXyVjhFGQERMbr6y9QDc0QQWwWTf0_K0-e6LL42bMBjVEQPb0ADbSZH8ZtnNtfVb3NrSukiGTPJnslLssSRSzaDM8134wU-fJOl90LTHpIJ5ri2CGvIqM/s400/DSC_0655.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReVKilExHFknki5Dx4HwNcxJQisO674-D0g-Yb4DJbNLH2FG0814LxtHbTuVzm-kLZTYCVyH_1PLDzexeFHI2s0ERK-f88qXnMeu2YPIh16pxoWzDCVKHQXutSpxrBC3v0V9jcYEitlw/s1600/DSC_0660.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReVKilExHFknki5Dx4HwNcxJQisO674-D0g-Yb4DJbNLH2FG0814LxtHbTuVzm-kLZTYCVyH_1PLDzexeFHI2s0ERK-f88qXnMeu2YPIh16pxoWzDCVKHQXutSpxrBC3v0V9jcYEitlw/s400/DSC_0660.JPG" /></a> </div>
Next year should be even more fun, with another baby in the mix. :)<br />
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<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-11043682136880842032013-01-17T13:46:00.000-06:002013-01-17T13:46:04.435-06:00November 2012 Part II{Doing a bit of back-blogging, since there seems to be no time to scrapbook or make photo books these days.}
We got to celebrate a sweet friend's third birthday, which included a visit from a real fire truck. The kids had a blast climbing all over it and pretending to drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgBFilj7tVgREihQOZeZaWM1k87doFRWXOHP4Gj9VhjdgZlQCToYbhyphenhyphenN7QxLtHIxtkbDIFXwHuEKKLmF9fDiYgMlbiaeNeOZv7HS5HvBgztBBQuPXiu9oAiV1UU3OpY4KGxYvfhvjoKw/s1600/DSC_0413.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgBFilj7tVgREihQOZeZaWM1k87doFRWXOHP4Gj9VhjdgZlQCToYbhyphenhyphenN7QxLtHIxtkbDIFXwHuEKKLmF9fDiYgMlbiaeNeOZv7HS5HvBgztBBQuPXiu9oAiV1UU3OpY4KGxYvfhvjoKw/s400/DSC_0413.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTQGhSDwXfxPG4TDU519HCctXbb4bwq8LTDdvq0BZWV_4mYqlH3FmfkRH18035TEB8yFxzD4rprrzlxVaDeWc28IM7z5nnozGabbHQR8GbJM1lNwl1O9F-Pt20ZqaXJCz-UEIcFvGxSs/s1600/DSC_0431.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTQGhSDwXfxPG4TDU519HCctXbb4bwq8LTDdvq0BZWV_4mYqlH3FmfkRH18035TEB8yFxzD4rprrzlxVaDeWc28IM7z5nnozGabbHQR8GbJM1lNwl1O9F-Pt20ZqaXJCz-UEIcFvGxSs/s400/DSC_0431.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AsXXT0jJoAQysx3Zjr8IK6PgbesZkgkf5yWNwWOJ8KRhlU9UtLAWbuSFu-p4Mov3mwQvkf0GBSQRIKcUWM77I4DNiYxHJ4BHhLB9L6vIxr2cEBWeZKz3cdcqpgPofos3lKveXGnQlQ/s1600/DSC_0436.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AsXXT0jJoAQysx3Zjr8IK6PgbesZkgkf5yWNwWOJ8KRhlU9UtLAWbuSFu-p4Mov3mwQvkf0GBSQRIKcUWM77I4DNiYxHJ4BHhLB9L6vIxr2cEBWeZKz3cdcqpgPofos3lKveXGnQlQ/s400/DSC_0436.JPG" /></a><br />
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We gathered at my parents' house for Thanksgiving. Luisa got to meet her Uncle Matt, Aunt Amanda, and cousin Huck for the first time. It was also our first attempt to spend a night away from home, and it went over fairly well.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbVwKT2gdXlIOui-yZaxfzau5Kua24XG_nIg9sei0CyXy6X8h4N73a10i3e84Yw5FaadfVF_dm7DjWDVT55xPkhEgyBoXwcSc1TXBV7n7N3yvMDyq35-ikcJE07vS0MqfJ7i8Bdfo1xs/s1600/DSC_0486.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbVwKT2gdXlIOui-yZaxfzau5Kua24XG_nIg9sei0CyXy6X8h4N73a10i3e84Yw5FaadfVF_dm7DjWDVT55xPkhEgyBoXwcSc1TXBV7n7N3yvMDyq35-ikcJE07vS0MqfJ7i8Bdfo1xs/s400/DSC_0486.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls love Uncle Matt</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeEDIfVjlZc4RN6Wl8s95rk4z_LoZUM2ERNJwuudpRfyPb64k01clscHvWaxq9a8TjLIWzLUs9l4jGmG0dyXaCWmLQi0C47DmHXfJ3B3b3pTDbjCbT2RI1K57MacL158O9V_B0WUiFbQ/s1600/DSC_0490.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeEDIfVjlZc4RN6Wl8s95rk4z_LoZUM2ERNJwuudpRfyPb64k01clscHvWaxq9a8TjLIWzLUs9l4jGmG0dyXaCWmLQi0C47DmHXfJ3B3b3pTDbjCbT2RI1K57MacL158O9V_B0WUiFbQ/s400/DSC_0490.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline playing the role of Mommy (which Huck looks a bit unsure about).</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWAphJXpACLDpW7zS_Xi4wipQPbe3-JZ2Eik8EFO4YKXg1yzigIUlfj_JGxkxZZh62u__qtL9Agj5JnpjEXsY4Y7ZUhri13nyc1SXLxLPGdTt-fmP5ZAXEidu1G_ucspWrbAifAPIe_Q/s1600/DSC_0500.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWAphJXpACLDpW7zS_Xi4wipQPbe3-JZ2Eik8EFO4YKXg1yzigIUlfj_JGxkxZZh62u__qtL9Agj5JnpjEXsY4Y7ZUhri13nyc1SXLxLPGdTt-fmP5ZAXEidu1G_ucspWrbAifAPIe_Q/s400/DSC_0500.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I want to touch the ceiling!"</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HGtlXStrCRXzR8U8x8XR_qCc5SD4RAvjpTulfVjIdDen82J7RJKrPXmNZ-ZG_w_g8uflJfjpunZRe2ICzsHBzFPRI6kMl5fCa9rwh1WqzmKI6KRIDGi_Zyx6yHZi1v3IzIWoJemiJ7w/s1600/DSC_0503.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HGtlXStrCRXzR8U8x8XR_qCc5SD4RAvjpTulfVjIdDen82J7RJKrPXmNZ-ZG_w_g8uflJfjpunZRe2ICzsHBzFPRI6kMl5fCa9rwh1WqzmKI6KRIDGi_Zyx6yHZi1v3IzIWoJemiJ7w/s400/DSC_0503.JPG" /></a> </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz14tCDNEtFh3ZsSw8QNkGUNV5ABI8TDwGwPPXDxtGWrDCwUuoa40v-w3luLyCOYacaBgwGOXdjJJUyokk1Q-UmusIC3E117F5vyUVP5nsQciOC-TRC-rmFFJFIhKdvTm-Wue5sw3mY8/s1600/DSC_0518.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz14tCDNEtFh3ZsSw8QNkGUNV5ABI8TDwGwPPXDxtGWrDCwUuoa40v-w3luLyCOYacaBgwGOXdjJJUyokk1Q-UmusIC3E117F5vyUVP5nsQciOC-TRC-rmFFJFIhKdvTm-Wue5sw3mY8/s400/DSC_0518.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet sisters</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wpcEqKVpmncIomE7AvcYabWPhNgcaNBgCK8FjBIkUmPn1uwT97uaf6f45wId0T4R6mTB0g3lbbeW2gmx5Afx0tzTOxckiWRV9gsugEK9qRg4mgEvUy9-O94MYq6U8KrrqwfgFpVD7zo/s1600/DSC_0514.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wpcEqKVpmncIomE7AvcYabWPhNgcaNBgCK8FjBIkUmPn1uwT97uaf6f45wId0T4R6mTB0g3lbbeW2gmx5Afx0tzTOxckiWRV9gsugEK9qRg4mgEvUy9-O94MYq6U8KrrqwfgFpVD7zo/s400/DSC_0514.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(though most of the pictures look like this...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqsmbENsIBpMGwovvSCIayppUTNaZjRX1sA73X_SUyyCrfKgYxBAFJVq8CNrHv_f6w80ahhyOYs5_ZRwyaRy8J4Nsux_wELnxbXkOBw1N3rOn7RqzkrXkPYcTMv3XRsat7iGEbzGSfGs/s1600/DSC_0515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqsmbENsIBpMGwovvSCIayppUTNaZjRX1sA73X_SUyyCrfKgYxBAFJVq8CNrHv_f6w80ahhyOYs5_ZRwyaRy8J4Nsux_wELnxbXkOBw1N3rOn7RqzkrXkPYcTMv3XRsat7iGEbzGSfGs/s400/DSC_0515.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or this)</td></tr>
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Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078447803206303611.post-89264891019907747062012-12-18T15:34:00.001-06:002012-12-18T15:34:44.921-06:00Suiteys Come to Town<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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A few of my favorite girls came into town last month to meet our newest family member. They left their hubbies and babies at home and drove or flew in to spend a few days together.<br />
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This friendship dates back 12 years when we all began our freshman year at the University of Mobile. The four of us have gotten together at least once a year since graduating and plan to continue to do so. As always, there were late night talk sessions, lots of laughs, sharing of hearts, and a few tears. <br />
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We've been through a lot together over the years! Living in a dorm
together forces you to either love, tolerate/avoid, or despise each other. Thankfully these girls are easy to love. There were many of late-night cram sessions, dorm room dance-a-thons, deep theological discussions, not-so-deep discussions of every variety, annual trips to the Big Easy, squealing fests over new diamond rings, subsequent wedding dress shopping, and more wedding/baby showers than I care to count. I am so thankful that each of us has made the effort to not let the miles between us cause our relationship to dwindle away. It is a rare treasure to have friends with whom you can bare your heart. I look forward to many new memories made with these girls!<br />
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<i>A look back</i>:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MPUvRZICrWzDtJu9OeBISHWRn68tU1DQrhzdekDhZSk53Ekt8oC6m9_7a-LcMuNpww5tHVfMIhZyc4kYLOJhpzfeUeb250IF6jAXm3MbgFePe4Y-v5fjWW0PMz4IKokvMrE2CytkVas/s1600/DSC00004.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MPUvRZICrWzDtJu9OeBISHWRn68tU1DQrhzdekDhZSk53Ekt8oC6m9_7a-LcMuNpww5tHVfMIhZyc4kYLOJhpzfeUeb250IF6jAXm3MbgFePe4Y-v5fjWW0PMz4IKokvMrE2CytkVas/s400/DSC00004.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N'awlins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always a fav: at the Olive Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween 2002</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2002</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWhyphenhyphenSfsX8T7OBd0f6Cg5Cl0ej6C3nymvnslZC5wdkRp0ez-NJwYssSJ4F1inHZC-ckam08f70FE6srhsh7Adv4-oiQqojB8_yG_M8mJWUnzeclpUsrNNmCR_inCun_2Ux7oc9kpWGcMo/s1600/DSC00019.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWhyphenhyphenSfsX8T7OBd0f6Cg5Cl0ej6C3nymvnslZC5wdkRp0ez-NJwYssSJ4F1inHZC-ckam08f70FE6srhsh7Adv4-oiQqojB8_yG_M8mJWUnzeclpUsrNNmCR_inCun_2Ux7oc9kpWGcMo/s400/DSC00019.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping for hats???</td></tr>
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Julie and Philiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10782915048600340218noreply@blogger.com0