tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43559022815377447812024-03-14T04:10:59.224-05:00Three Roses MinnesotaMom, lawyer, writer - we do it all around here!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469445913235259917noreply@blogger.comBlogger440125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-85506611689049262902015-02-14T05:43:00.001-06:002015-02-14T05:43:56.629-06:00Valentine's DayI remember when I was little, my mother always had a Valentine's Day gift waiting for us on the kitchen table when we came downstairs in the morning. I still have a heart-shaped tin that held four or five chocolates, long since eaten. It has a picture of Elvis on it, with a replicated inscription: Happy Valentine's Day, Elvis. It is an unlikely keepsake, but it reminds me of my mom. I'll never throw it away.<br />
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This morning my girls will come down to find heart-shaped boxes with chocolates in them, and a card that says how much I love them. I hope they will remember Valentine's with the same good feeling (even if the details get a little foggy) that I have.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469445913235259917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-58981500150962639162013-09-08T10:08:00.002-05:002013-09-08T10:08:58.068-05:00Indigo GirlsLast night in the heat of a late summer night my sisters and I went to see the Indigo Girls. Does everyone have a band that they grew up with? I first saw the Indigo Girls play on the Memorial Union terrace at the University of Wisconsin in the summer of 1988. They were just making it big but they kept their promise to play a free college campus concert. It was a magical night.<br />
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Last night was magical too, in a different way. I was glad to be at the concert with my sisters, but sad that so much time has passed. Maybe the passage of time always seems sad, even if wonderful things have happened in the interim. <br />
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Here's me and my sisters at dinner:<br />
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I hope my girls will be friends with each other, lifelong friends, and that they will stick together. Like us, see Exhibit A, above.<br />
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And so I don't forget (my memory is imperfect) - the Indigo Girls played Devil Went Down to Georgia! And Galileo and Closer to Fine and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee! And Watershed! I could have listened to them for 2 more hours!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-58076747612882842602013-02-18T20:48:00.000-06:002013-02-18T20:48:13.737-06:00Presidents' Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The success of our at-home days is directly proportional to how little TV the Roses watch...so, we went rollerskating instead. Here are the Roses waiting in line to get into the roller rink. It was kinda busy. They are giving each other rollerblade backrubs.</div>
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And Rose #2 showing off her excellent rollerblade balancing skills...<br />
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And Rose #1 getting the all-important game tokens...<br />
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And Rose #3, just vamping:<br />
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My nephew, Sir Sno-Cone:<br />
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My niece, the blue-tooth vampire:<br />
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And, a change in venue: probably the last ever, ever, ever slip and slide party at Poppy's house!<br />
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I spent the evening cleaning up the Valentine's Day detritus. Does anyone else really, really dislike how Valentine's Day has become about candy, cheap plastic toys, and little cards stuck together with heart stickers that are impossible to pry off the sticker sheet? Because I do, and I feel a little more Scrooge-ish every year. Bother. We just have to get through the Valentine's candy before...well...Easter. (I remember my mom gave us a Cadbury cream egg every year for Easter. I used to love those things. I wonder how many calories they had...)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-14797921901701926052013-02-18T08:16:00.002-06:002013-02-18T08:16:36.878-06:00Rose #3As I was tidying up this morning, here's what I found on Rose #3's bed under her pillow:
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A guilty little lineup of lip glosses and chapsticks....<br />
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Rose #3 was sick last week with mid-winter Minnesota cold/cough/fever/headache. Blech. She stayed home one day and the next day she was well enough to go to school, but still a little stuffy. She was experiencing the phenomenon of feeling extra bad when she first got up - as I am of the "if you don't have a fever you can go to school" persuasion, I told her to walk around a bit, drink some water, and see if she felt better. Then I started putting my makeup on for work. <br />
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When she saw my makeup, her face broke into a smile, and she sighed that deep contented sigh that people are wont to do when they are happy. She said: "Makeup always makes me feel better, Mommy."<br />
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And here are a couple of shots of Rose #3 when she puts herself to bed between the couch and the radiator. This was all her doing! And I guess I can understand why...<br />
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There'a little pillow smushed down in there, and it's so warm right next to the big radiator...<br />
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I am alone in the house on this President's Day right before the Roses come back from last night's sleepover. I am hoping to post here much more often as I now know how to download pictures from my dear husband's computer. So, see you all soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-10994174331907962032012-12-25T21:28:00.000-06:002012-12-25T21:28:12.109-06:00Merry Christmas to AllOur Christmas, 2012, in photos:<br />
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Rose #3, as a surprise Little Shepherd in the Christmas Pageant at Church:<br />
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With her group of other little shepherds:<br />
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(I watched the 5:30 pageant service and there was a problem when Rose #3 lost her headdress. Luckily it happened before she got onstage; once the group of big and little shepherds are standing there, they are supposed to form a mostly motionless and silent tableau. She nevertheless felt the need to process the loss of the headdress with the other shepherds, most notably the biggest senior shepherd, Kip.)<br />
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And here is a shot of the members of our family who attended the 4:00 service (Rose #1 and #2 were in the children's choir...you can see their vivid red choir robes):<br />
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After the pageant is over we always come home and track Santa's progress on the computer:<br />
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Here are all three girls huddled by the computer, watching where Santa was headed next:<br />
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And Christmas 2012, in food (Christmas Eve tortellini sausage soup YUM!):<br />
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Rose #3 loving her dad on Christmas Eve:<br />
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I didn't eat any of it, but I cooked a Standing Rib Roast for the group on Christmas night...as I was texting with my brother about cooking questions I abbreviated the dish to "SRR":<br />
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And, The Best Yorkshire Pudding Ever:<br />
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Duncan came to dinner. I LOVE Duncan:<br />
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I think this sums it up. We had a wonderful Christmas. We feel so blessed by our fortune and our family. We spent a lot of time talking about Mom tonight and for the first time since she died - 2.5 years later - it felt joyous and wonderful and not desperate and sad.<br />
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Good night Rose #3, and good night all!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-2198106818527515462012-12-25T21:18:00.000-06:002012-12-25T21:18:36.971-06:00Nothing Whatsoever To Do With Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were downloading photos from my camera, and we found this one from the inaugural meeting of the Beauty Club. Isn't this a lovely group of beauties?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-47025402513958706552012-09-04T21:59:00.000-05:002012-09-04T21:59:01.918-05:00First Day of School '12-'13And now I am the mother of a first, third and fifth grader. How did I get to be the mother of old kids? (Please do not feel the need to tell me that "old" and "kids" don't really belong in the same sentence.)
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Old kid #1: Rose #1. Happy, confident fifth grader. Came home reporting that she LOVES her teacher, Ms. Richardson. All teachers will forever be compared to her third grade teacher. Rose #1 and her third grade teacher Ms. T. were a match made in heaven. I was sort of embarrassed at myself at spring conferences when I told Ms. T. privately that Rose #1 just LOVED her, but I don't regret telling her. If I was a teacher, I would want to know things like that. Anyway, Rose #1 told me at dinner that she thinks Ms. Richardson might measure up to Ms. T!<br />
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Rose #3 was just in fashion heaven. I let her buy a sparkle hat, AND I curled her hair this morning. I wish you could hear how Rose #3 pronounces the word "curl." It sounds like "curlul," and it is so darned cute. She was so happy and cute when I dropped her off at before school care this morning. Better yet, her kindergarten teacher walked in right after us, and Rose #3 gave her a huge hug, then held her at arm's length, pointed at her purse, and said "I just LOVE your purse!"<br />
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Rose #2 was philosophical this morning. She was excited for school, a little nervous about her new teacher, but generally chipper. She came home with rave reviews for Ms. Ashcraft. Rose #2 is my middle baby, who wants plenty of time to think about stuff before she has to pass judgment on it.<br />
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Here are the two big girls at the bus stop this morning. To their credit, they permitted me to take their picture in front of the other 8 or 10 kids at their stop. (An aside: it was so disgustingly humid this morning, I felt like you could cut the air with a butter knife. Gag.)<br />
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And here they are, lining up for the bus that isn't quite visible in the distance.<br />
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<br />Here are my school girls, 2012 - 2013. We're going to knock 'em dead!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-18189728113180205192012-07-12T20:56:00.001-05:002012-07-12T20:56:40.000-05:00And, The 4th of July, The Movie Version!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In case you loyal readers have wondered what my voice sounds like, here's your chance. Lucky you.<br />
<span id="goog_201662222"></span><span id="goog_201662223"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-86144113495338741242012-07-12T20:53:00.001-05:002012-07-12T20:53:21.547-05:00Catching Up...JulyAlthough it was 104 degree on July 4, we still did sparklers. Duh. Rose #2 loved her sparkler, and did not consider it a lightsaber. No, not whatsoever.<br />
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And Rose #3 just wanted to strut down the catwalk. Er, sidewalk.<br />
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Rose #1 was happy. <br />
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The epic lightsaber/sparkler battle of 2012!<br />
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I must add to this blog that I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, and in my infinite <strike>wisdom</strike> stupidity I did a 12-mile training walk on the 4th at 5:30 in the morning (I thought an "excessive heat warning" might be slightly less excessive at that time of day). Silly me. I was SHATTERED. This is why there is no photograph of me enjoying the 4th - I would have looked like some sort of disaster. (Unlike usual.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-28635675137405996992012-06-11T20:51:00.002-05:002012-06-11T20:51:34.368-05:00Well, Happy Birthday to You, 6-Year-Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was June birthdays at MND tonight...and even though this young lady doesn't have her birthday for a couple more weeks, she got her presents from her Poppy tonight. A WHOLE NEW OUTFIT! Sundress, purse, bracelet, and pink shoes. She LOVED it. Went right in and changed her clothes. After she was gone my dad and sister came right over to me and said: "Where did she COME from?" Nature or nurture? I think nature in this case...</div>
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In related news, today was our summer nanny's first day of work. In the category of <u style="font-weight: bold;">first world problems</u>, I am <b><u><i>jealous </i></u></b>of our nanny. I am embarrassed to type this, but there it is. I wish I was able to just play with my kids, not worry about 1) money, 2) logistics, 3) food, 4) shelter, 5) laundry, 6) organization, 7) landscaping, 8) thank you notes, 9) why the heck I still have a "make your own snow globe" in the top shelf of my built-in buffet, 10) what junk is lurking downstairs in the basement closet, and why can't I keep it clean, 11) the dirt in the corners of my house, 12) am I going to die without achieving my dreams, 13) why am I so slow to get things...you get the picture.</div>
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Of course, the questions remain - if I had the time to play with my kids, would I? Or would I be so worried about the other things I wasn't doing if I had the time to play that it would make playing unpleasant? </div>
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Sometimes I feel so tortured. All of this triggered by a sweet picture of an innocent soon-to-be 6-year-old in a white sundress. Isn't she a doll baby?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-49996072072651881332012-05-14T06:21:00.000-05:002012-05-14T06:21:04.832-05:00Happy Mother's Day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Rose #3 walking in Guppy's Grove</td></tr>
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After dinner we went over to Guppy's bench to plant some more flowers. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Cherokee Park maintenance people had not mowed over the flowers we planted in April.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The planting crew</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pansies we planted in April</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My tree climbing monkeys: Rose #1 and Rose #2</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the street - the bench and the flower ring surrounding</td></tr>
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I am very thankful for my Roses and miss my mom so much. I hope everyone had a happy mother's day.<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-26391404267585221022012-04-21T06:45:00.001-05:002012-04-21T14:58:26.637-05:00Beautiful Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On April 1, 2012 (no fooling) these beautiful flowers appeared in the sanctuary at church in loving memory of Katy Gray, who died on April 10, 2010. We work to keep her memory alive. I asked our flower coordinator to put me down for "Sunday closest to April 10" for the next five years. Every Sunday when the ministers ask us to say the names of people we have brought with us, I always say "Guppy." (For the last few months I have said "Guppy, Livi and Liam," but I think Livi and Liam are good now!)</div>
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I'm no photographer, more's the pity, but these are some pretty flowers, yes? And here's Guppy's bench:<br />
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Sometimes I wonder if Mom would have thought all this grief is maudlin. I worry that she would have, but I never talked to her about how she felt about losing her own mom. I guess...grief is grief, right? We can't get over it any more quickly than we do. I know she knew we were going to miss her, and she was right.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-13268500782720787642012-04-12T20:53:00.001-05:002012-04-12T20:53:11.233-05:00Spring Daffodils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rose #2 and a couple of her friends at after-school care found a daffodil, and one of the teachers sent me an email titled "We Love Your Kid." That is a really nice message to get in the middle of the day. <br />
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But...<br />
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I spend so much time agonizing over our life choices: we work too much. We don't see our kids enough. We don't get to spend a lot of family time together. Rose #1's time at home is halfway over, people! She is halfway to age 18! (I know, she probably won't be moved out for good at age 18, but still.) The time when they think that I hung the moon is about to pass us by. That makes me really sad.<br />
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So when I see pictures like the above I am so glad to know that Rose #2 is searching out daffodils in the middle of the day, but oh, how I wish that I was there with her.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-69097156714232825872012-04-08T15:12:00.000-05:002012-04-08T15:13:28.348-05:00We're Still Here...Practicing Resurrection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Easter! This morning I was awoken by all three Roses, who had set their alarms for 5:25 a.m. (!!!) and crept down to the kitchen to make H and me a surprise breakfast! Lightly toasted sourbread toast, Bran Chex, and apple slices. Luckily they contained their excitement and didn't wake us up until 7:00. Phew. The breakfast was, well, delicious!</div>
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At our house the E.B. (that's what we call the Easter Bunny) leaves clues to where the Easter baskets might be found. Each Rose had as many clues as she is years old: 5, 7 and 9. There was some gnashing of teeth and some grumbling and some pleas for help, but in the end, all three found their baskets. (See above.)</div>
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And, each had a chocolate bunny. With bitten-off ears in each case. Well, bitten-off now - they were intact in the package.</div>
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I rousted everyone out the door for the 11:00 church service. Forcing the Roses to sit through church is like asking them to scrub the bathroom floor with a toothbrush or making them organize their clothing drawers: an unlikely prospect, and certain to not go very well. After Rose #3 dropped her "Kid's Activity" book and hymnal on the floor for about the 78th time, I almost lost it in the middle of service. Luckily everything settled down and we made it. The title of the sermon was "Practicing Resurrection." I love that. I also love that our ministers know that on Family Sunday when the kids stay in the worship service for the whole time, the sermon needs to be short. 7 minutes: PERFECT.</div>
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We are about to head out to Cherokee Park to plant flowers at my mom's memorial plaque site and to have an Easter egg hunt (both my ideas, and I think they are fairly brilliant). Then to dinner at Aunt Boo's. We are practicing resurrection all the time, aren't we? Keeping on with life even after terrible loss afflicts us. Keeping up old traditions and making new ones. Guppy, we miss you so, so much. I know you would have loved an Easter egg hunt. I wish you were there with us to see it.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-88866449399964024332012-01-28T19:54:00.000-06:002012-01-28T19:54:14.489-06:00Blissed. Out.Rose #3 and I had a wonderful mother/daughter day today since H went on Rose #1 and #2's ski trip. We went to Rose #3's ski lesson (at Mt. Como) and then to lunch (Jimmy John's, I'm afraid) and then...to Happy Nails!<br />
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I was going to get my own pedicure and then decided it would be more fun to watch Rose #3 enjoy her time. She loved getting her feet washed...<br />
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And she loved her massage chair...a few times she actually relaxed... </div>
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This is the near final product...I should have waited to take the picture until the nail tech painted flowers on each and every one of her toes!<br />
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I had to give Rose #3 a piggyback ride to the car since her nails weren't dry yet...and she kept her little foam flip flops (which I threw away later). <br />
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I didn't get a pedicure until I was about 25. Rose #3 has me beat by 80%!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-67380923642129878262012-01-22T19:13:00.002-06:002012-01-22T19:13:59.657-06:00Welcome Two More Redeemers! (And Farewell Tooth.)Today we welcome two more redeemers! My niece, Olivia Walker Gray, and my nephew, William Michael Gray, born January 22, 2012, weighing 2 lb 10 oz (Olivia) and 3 lb 1 oz (Liam). They were a teeny bit early (born at 30 weeks) but they are healthy and their mom is healthy and we are SO. DARN. RELIEVED! Pictures when I get them!<br />
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One more piece of news, just slightly less dramatic than the first: Rose #3 had a wiggly tooth! She bit into an apple and 24 hours later the tooth was gone. Here she is in her jack-o-lantern-like glory:<br />
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Could we be any happier than to have new babies and one fewer tooth, and so many other blessings?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-55133897340659092292011-12-25T13:56:00.000-06:002011-12-25T13:56:39.360-06:00A Lifelong Ambition, FulfilledI have always wanted to make homemade bagels. Now I have:
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They were delicious for Christmas luncheon!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-6511600640830009462011-12-25T06:56:00.001-06:002011-12-25T08:45:00.945-06:00Merry Christmas To YouWhat should I tell you about? The fit that Rose #2 threw right before we had to leave? She didn't want to wear her black clothes (king's page) under her white clothes (Heavenly Host). "It feels weird..."<br />
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Or Rose #3 marching right in to put on her costume and twirl and charm all assembled, including the 5:30 Mary (who Rose #3 kept calling "Jesus," and then saying, "I get mixed up!")?<br />
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Or Rose #1 gamely putting on her children's choir/graduation gown and white stole?<br />
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Or me, sitting in the pews watching it all and being brought back to when I was a little girl, doing the exact same thing as my daughters are doing now?<br />
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Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you are all having a wonderful day of family, good food, and even a few presents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-81818307919886190352011-12-23T19:20:00.001-06:002011-12-23T19:34:01.530-06:00If It's December 23rd...It must be the Christmas pageant rehearsal at church! I remember in years past feeling like I had just barely been able to escape work. One year I even met Aunt Brenna at the door at Unity; she had been nannying for us for the week and the end of her week was delivering the girls to the pageant rehearsal. I remember she looked distinctly relieved when I finally showed up!<br />
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Anyway, this year we have Rose #3 as a Heavenly Host (if you look very carefully you will see that she has candy cane tattoos on her neck):<br />
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We also have a repeat appearance as a King's Page. Rose #2 is a page to the Green King this time (last year she was purple):<br />
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Rose #1 is in the Children's Choir. No photos of her today since the choir doesn't have to come to pageant rehearsal. Such is the passage of time that Rose #1 stayed home during the rehearsal, most of the time with H but also part of the time alone while he ran errands. I remember when Rose #1 was one of the cherubs, a 4-year-old with her Guppy sitting proudly in the pews at the 5:30 service. Sigh.<br />
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This year I am not the parent chaperone in the Heavenly Host room at the 4:00 service. I am the parent chaperone with the children's choir at the 4:00 service. I am OK with change, truly I am. As we were waiting for the group photo of the pageant case I heard Rob, our minister, describing to someone how one year he changed the script of the pageant at the very end. There is a little bit of a prayer at the end, and the final words are "The Work Of Our Hands, Establish Thou It." Rob changed it to, "The Work Of Our Hands, Establish Thou The Work of Our Hands." This caused much angst - you just don't change the pageant. I guess sometimes you have to change the room in which you are the parent chaperone, though.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-44720019610175560422011-12-19T20:06:00.003-06:002011-12-19T20:17:05.319-06:00Rose #3 and I Went ShoppingSometimes you just have to take your girly girl shopping for a new Christmas dress...
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As we were trying on all 5 candidates in the dressing room, I got the idea to show Rose #3 what she looked like in each of the dresses! And then I had a memory of watching the movie Clueless where Cher takes Polaroids of herself each of her outfit concepts to see how they look. A star was born (in purple):<br />
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This one was my favorite (since it is a Christmas dress, after all, and it came WITH the cardigan):<br />
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I like the little cap sleeves on this one:<br />
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This was Rose #3's pick...can you tell from the way her eyes cut to the side in a flirtatious manner?
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In the end, we compromised on this one, and somehow this is the picture that ended up looking the blurriest. A pity, but cute even though blurryish:
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On one hand, Rose #3 really doesn't need any more dresses. She has a number of very cute ones in her closet. On the other hand, it is very nice to be able to get a new dress at Christmastime. We are lucky that we can do that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-11546559030687630812011-12-19T12:42:00.002-06:002011-12-19T12:46:15.666-06:00Still HereSometimes I get just overwhelmed with sadness about Guppy's death, and then the thought of writing about anything is too overwhelming. That happened in mid-November, in the midst of my optimistic attempt at NaBloPoMo, and then I just couldn't stand to even pull up my blog for a few weeks. Why is grief so unexpected and sudden and all encompassing sometimes?<br /><br />But we're still here, never fear. I have a treasure trove of pictures from Christmas dress shopping with Rose #3. Do you remember the movie Clueless where the Alicia Silverstone character had to take pictures of her potential outfits to see how they might look? That's a preview of the photos that await you. Rose #3 found 5 - yes, 5 - potential dresses and I gamely took a picture of each one in the dressing room at Herberger's. Which Rose #3 got confused and called Burger King. You had to be there, I guess, but it was funny.<br /><br />More to come. We're still here. We're still grieving and sad. I'm told that I'll be that way my whole entire life. Can't wait.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-25866942285335738002011-11-17T21:05:00.005-06:002011-11-17T21:12:10.828-06:00Tired ThursdayDon't take too long brushing your teeth, or Rose #3 might fall asleep on you:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTop8468ibhyphenhyphenMpD-hNOsoDEFVLnhCI-yTsx2_mBiWIwNo9-IwC0xNVhhyphenhyphenjRjAmqXv7xfrej7GqrVY4hZ3Z5qiZNftItlsJwLaL3-R6nyko-appzl7m8UlmYr3h5wSw5AbVi9woY0B8ON3c/s1600/PB170125.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTop8468ibhyphenhyphenMpD-hNOsoDEFVLnhCI-yTsx2_mBiWIwNo9-IwC0xNVhhyphenhyphenjRjAmqXv7xfrej7GqrVY4hZ3Z5qiZNftItlsJwLaL3-R6nyko-appzl7m8UlmYr3h5wSw5AbVi9woY0B8ON3c/s400/PB170125.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676166928087532066" /></a>And my little reader, Rose #2, actually took to her bed when requested and is reading a storybook:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aTiZLpD84Ql9-N7j61Ts-Uet9P-xG4O77FTL0BVjbJUigkhFBUuM-4rxLQUWKgEnXucphRhKMyvOzy1GyKvADw6xDOIESdsuewSZnlfY0dKGE3smP1GFG53b6pGxPTQjJAqfJeg6XigZ/s1600/PB170126.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aTiZLpD84Ql9-N7j61Ts-Uet9P-xG4O77FTL0BVjbJUigkhFBUuM-4rxLQUWKgEnXucphRhKMyvOzy1GyKvADw6xDOIESdsuewSZnlfY0dKGE3smP1GFG53b6pGxPTQjJAqfJeg6XigZ/s400/PB170126.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676166816518645618" /></a>Rose #1 (Hat Hair!) is the lone rebel who is not in her bed yet:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg1jik7IAZPpWi6j6Gk2bHd2dU83tjK39QNTQhnOzeSYDqBM2KJn-BWON4IPRFJ6q2wkk5A4HRybSBIcsD8IFrGf06z1RSofhBnNrI90GSiqgf56JjVNtXDwVBEVjzHJwB5HdOglJzArO/s1600/PB170127.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg1jik7IAZPpWi6j6Gk2bHd2dU83tjK39QNTQhnOzeSYDqBM2KJn-BWON4IPRFJ6q2wkk5A4HRybSBIcsD8IFrGf06z1RSofhBnNrI90GSiqgf56JjVNtXDwVBEVjzHJwB5HdOglJzArO/s400/PB170127.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676166716961832226" /></a>We had all three Roses' conferences over the past week. Rose #1 is a very earnest student. Her reading level is very advanced, and she works hard in math and excels in phy ed. Rose #2 got high reading marks as well and is advancing as a mathematician. Her Visual Arts scores were her highest scores. Rose #3 is a big, big helper in kindergarten. She is doing so well on her reading: she knows all the sight words on the kindergarten wall, and tonight she filled out a counting sheet on which she counted to 100! (I love how little kids make their 9s backwards. So cute.)<div><br /></div><div>I am always relieved when conferences are over and everyone is on track. Are the teachers evaluating us at the same time they evaluate the girls? I don't know how they can help but do that. I certainly would, in their shoes. We have really been blessed with excellent teachers so far, and this year is no exception.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-79623437335227388652011-11-16T20:12:00.004-06:002011-11-16T20:18:00.941-06:00When Left To Our Own Devices...We did fuse beads last night!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JPKyaMHNoj3J9dRiWd3X7a3JHW5nHQrkiynoO_tzCbTJ9eEar9nSeD8Zo8Ql9rrx3cjbrwocFsvE_NBGaev7_XC1vTdRJtplpTVKEWsWKDLm9CjQAw-poKAb-tbmf1oPIIzH2cBg-oCV/s1600/PB150124.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JPKyaMHNoj3J9dRiWd3X7a3JHW5nHQrkiynoO_tzCbTJ9eEar9nSeD8Zo8Ql9rrx3cjbrwocFsvE_NBGaev7_XC1vTdRJtplpTVKEWsWKDLm9CjQAw-poKAb-tbmf1oPIIzH2cBg-oCV/s400/PB150124.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675781893710886610" /></a>Mine is the car (boring). I wanted to use the square, but I was outflanked. I didn't think I could top the brown dog - isn't is clever? The star and heart were already in use. Sigh. Fuse beads are actually pretty fun, whichever shape you get.<div><br /></div><div>Rose #2 kind of guilted me into playing with the kids last night - why I didn't post actually - and it made me reflect that I hardly ever do actually get to just sit down and play with them. My mother never played with me either. Now that I am the mom, I guess I understand: I always, always, always have something to do - laundry! Picking up! Making lunches for tomorrow! Work work! I guess my mom always had something to do times 7; mine is just times 3. Plus working full time. Maybe that equates to 7.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-38304955359372967262011-11-14T21:18:00.005-06:002011-11-14T21:32:28.582-06:00An Old Photo of FlowersI didn't take any new photos today, but I came across this old one on my camera from April 10, 2011:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCQlbgMA5LRxb4yQXpv20TsZqqp3yPCeZL1558bCbZq-LLktF-ELS3yjSkE11u4ObPG5hI8RdkJmsQfeCNsxFGMh3ro6T_JjwbAbxiqRxr4fMkvj0r-Xx_NetLKpIRg-xBaMSyl8wdFxg/s1600/P4100033.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCQlbgMA5LRxb4yQXpv20TsZqqp3yPCeZL1558bCbZq-LLktF-ELS3yjSkE11u4ObPG5hI8RdkJmsQfeCNsxFGMh3ro6T_JjwbAbxiqRxr4fMkvj0r-Xx_NetLKpIRg-xBaMSyl8wdFxg/s400/P4100033.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675057029343985170" /></a>On the one-year anniversary of Guppy's death my entire extended family provided the flowers for church. They were absolutely gorgeous. They were, um, rather large - we chipped in quite a bit of money all together and got a lot of flowers. Here are the Roses and me posing with the flowers at church:<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGc4NhGXVLsHYAJTvcRJc1EUpZM7FQK5Q7K6YiJ30keTy391TSvdBz4ErCfzReaqLpTUZpLPg5HL3Nb2ejJYm5_7xoLDc4b54O_XnNGR3qx9etbAnlwRe_lgGerzsuHpWfnY3Cf1c2ohG6/s1600/P4100038.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGc4NhGXVLsHYAJTvcRJc1EUpZM7FQK5Q7K6YiJ30keTy391TSvdBz4ErCfzReaqLpTUZpLPg5HL3Nb2ejJYm5_7xoLDc4b54O_XnNGR3qx9etbAnlwRe_lgGerzsuHpWfnY3Cf1c2ohG6/s400/P4100038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675058867630704930" /></a>And lest you think it was all peaceful and reflective, in fact, this is what most of my life is like ("Don't twirl by the flowers! You'll knock them over and break them and send a bunch of water and dirt over the altar! Stop! I told you to stop twirling!"):</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico_tAOMLlRCfOl5nasqHaa_obNu5zOGdu0aq_oVpR3FNiBCKQ0ebleqFzaAKz5VPN59-OcTcj6iFjGybAqc7BZpX-4ZgPl6_J8eplz2exNcX6YwSsbQeDqFk8D4rmGCxEeg9lnS-GTrui/s1600/P4100036.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico_tAOMLlRCfOl5nasqHaa_obNu5zOGdu0aq_oVpR3FNiBCKQ0ebleqFzaAKz5VPN59-OcTcj6iFjGybAqc7BZpX-4ZgPl6_J8eplz2exNcX6YwSsbQeDqFk8D4rmGCxEeg9lnS-GTrui/s400/P4100036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675058735545770498" /></a>It's funny the way that time goes by. For the longest time I could hardly even bear to look at these pictures on my camera; I rolled past them a bunch of times when I was looking at which photos to post or to delete. I am finally able to look at these and remember that day - and just think, if I am able to take out and process memories of the one-year anniversary of Guppy's death, in another decade or so I should be ready to process the actual day she died! This is real progress, my friends. When they tell you that everyone grieves in their own way, they are absolutely right. Why should I be surprised that I am a total weirdo in this when I am also a total weirdo in so many other areas of my life?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355902281537744781.post-16999597277781369302011-11-13T20:01:00.005-06:002011-11-13T20:08:57.236-06:00Back from Vacay...Oooo,I missed posting last night. That's because we were in Wisconsin Dells, and there was no wi fi at the hotel, at least no wi fi that we could easily access. So now I'm catching up. We went to a water park at Wisconsin Dells, where the Three Musketeers suited up for swimming (this is the first day on our way out to the first waterpark - there were three):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmA4PW3GQTSlbSb0E073uZ4EnY80IXssh5EokgbDd4U8_M_kYmJQL0eTpl40RJ2chKx4Oi1om3UXFhRMY85kaqWq7aXiJ6rUWLijTBs2nGUhKrTFGX95nP_H9J2HBhzx2WrsQL4fCFsnx-/s1600/PB110181.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmA4PW3GQTSlbSb0E073uZ4EnY80IXssh5EokgbDd4U8_M_kYmJQL0eTpl40RJ2chKx4Oi1om3UXFhRMY85kaqWq7aXiJ6rUWLijTBs2nGUhKrTFGX95nP_H9J2HBhzx2WrsQL4fCFsnx-/s400/PB110181.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674666405312017330" /></a>And this is the last morning, this morning, after I made them get out of the wave pool. I didn't suit up for swimming this morning, so I stood on the side of the pool and screamed like a fishwife for them to hang onto the tube! Hang on! Two Hands!! Finally the lifeguard asked me if they could actually swim (I said yes, which in the case of Rose #3 is only a slight exaggeration):<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBGz88nLtJzZueXJFQ3obwHW8wxnjVoMXlIXatGN3Cq5kVhSAj3ar6tfqibcT-N75Thawg0KivMl1lnq_x6bQWa5vPQKJLIe-4_urnOAFaWN0_lfiEp0XReqgOPplxJsQf0V41J2QEDaQ/s1600/PB130186.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBGz88nLtJzZueXJFQ3obwHW8wxnjVoMXlIXatGN3Cq5kVhSAj3ar6tfqibcT-N75Thawg0KivMl1lnq_x6bQWa5vPQKJLIe-4_urnOAFaWN0_lfiEp0XReqgOPplxJsQf0V41J2QEDaQ/s400/PB130186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674666309785586114" /></a>Before we left I was required to make good on my promise to let them play laser tag:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxp0cuMWkZQF2XCBmlavEJNwd0w1F-0ji6ynk7Z1dNa6SDuPJy9EzGjUu25i4fgYfKxC-IXjgAfiWT9uQJmTFOtGYiKcZXh3IebakrAcjptRGCBm3hk17uxi9mMgt88OGuU13_QxVlyCa0/s1600/PB130187.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxp0cuMWkZQF2XCBmlavEJNwd0w1F-0ji6ynk7Z1dNa6SDuPJy9EzGjUu25i4fgYfKxC-IXjgAfiWT9uQJmTFOtGYiKcZXh3IebakrAcjptRGCBm3hk17uxi9mMgt88OGuU13_QxVlyCa0/s400/PB130187.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674666186037798642" /></a>Rose #1 was very serious about laser tag and wanted to make sure her equipment was in working order:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8421igzX4n2EHgx_LFIix83QuEirqqBbkcRG2mV6eWjcnz7vlW3oB-YPsW74jGnoE1x1oWwGPOWTVNqG609k0-HOLT1da3yYqTQHCcF4LxAiIteXIR8TzwsfAXTKRWW86NiU4Z6_fcDk/s1600/PB130188.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8421igzX4n2EHgx_LFIix83QuEirqqBbkcRG2mV6eWjcnz7vlW3oB-YPsW74jGnoE1x1oWwGPOWTVNqG609k0-HOLT1da3yYqTQHCcF4LxAiIteXIR8TzwsfAXTKRWW86NiU4Z6_fcDk/s400/PB130188.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674666077475264546" /></a>Who knew that H wanted to play too?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LaBffccLzeWbcl-GaxAUbjV3qBGTHMdvh9Y67vezM8naZ2EoVzAVYte4VY-8INLQOD08_6C2_2FukXq57UCfpkyKzpCad_kBdZHWegK_6Sj3Yd9cjW6s2MEJVIq01cfOFSQgnwcqHM6H/s1600/PB130189.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LaBffccLzeWbcl-GaxAUbjV3qBGTHMdvh9Y67vezM8naZ2EoVzAVYte4VY-8INLQOD08_6C2_2FukXq57UCfpkyKzpCad_kBdZHWegK_6Sj3Yd9cjW6s2MEJVIq01cfOFSQgnwcqHM6H/s400/PB130189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674665963966389202" /></a>Ah, Wisconsin Dells, we hardly got a chance to fully explore you. So many waterparks and resorts, so little time. Perhaps we will return anon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0