tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46984175742412060452024-02-22T05:33:16.390-06:00Family and Flouradventures in baking, moving, growing, stretching, loving, and enjoying each momenttracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-81500548145363304292016-02-10T22:34:00.002-06:002016-02-10T22:42:37.857-06:00...and just like that you're a 4 year old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My Jude. What a gift you are! I am so blessed to be your mama. I can't believe you are 4! Somehow I'm feeling a little more sentimental this birthday than any of the lasts...probably because my baby is long gone and you are a little boy! You have lots to say, original ideas, an excellent imagination, endless questions, a great sense of humor, a head full of dreams, and an exuberance for life. Tonight you told me that you're sad you won't see me anymore because you're moving away to college tomorrow. Slow down, little guy! ha!!</div>
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You love maps, books, playing outside, friends, snacks, trucks, legos, lumberjacking, and especially Paul Bunyan! :) You often say to me, " We're a lumberjack family....right mom?" Yes, Jude, yes we are?? :) We celebrated today with just us 4...but tomorrow we're having your party...a lumberjack party! You couldn't be more excited about it! Here's a few snapshots from the past few weeks:</div>
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One of your favorites right now...play dough cement mixer</div>
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Chopping down a tree....all day every day :)</div>
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You and your sis with "the Grand Tetons" in the background. Our pillows are more often the Grand Tetons, a pirate ship, or a bear cave than they actually are a couch...hours of fun for you two!</div>
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You have recently discovered a love for building with legos! </div>
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Happy Birthday Jude! xoxo</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-23578697843141373292015-07-02T23:32:00.001-05:002015-07-02T23:32:40.343-05:001Lucy Jean turned ONE on Sunday! We spent her special day on the road home from Colorado. So, we celebrated her first year of life in the mountains a day early.<br />
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Lucy Jean, you are a gift straight from heaven! We love your fun-loving personality. You love to laugh and get everyone's attention. You give lots of kisses right on the lips! You are so close to walking...but right now you stand on your own and start clapping, and expect everyone to join in! You love your big brother so much and are so excited whenever he enters the room! You usually get a huge smile, and try to scramble away from him as if you think he's going to come for you...which you are usually right! You say Mamamama, Dadadada, beh-bah (baby), you are a great mimicker...you often try to repeat the things you see others do. You are a joy, my sweet girl! I am so glad you are mine! Happy Birthday!!<br />
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<br />tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-56623093274813935442015-03-30T21:24:00.001-05:002015-03-30T21:24:27.471-05:00Life LatelyWhat week am I on? How about I just share some pics of life lately around these parts...<br />
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This little Lucy is crawling all over the place. </div>
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A beloved movie and popcorn night</div>
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My typical morning scene. That's my "helper" back there on the chair. He loves to help me do anything in the kitchen. I love it...yet it is quite the lesson in patience for me!</div>
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I love wearing my babies!</div>
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sweetness</div>
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those 2 little teeth!!</div>
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Lucy's so proud of herself that she can pull herself up. She's starting to figure out how to cruise around too!! </div>
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Getting ready to color Easter eggs! Jude's smile cracks me up!! This is how he "smiles showing his teeth" :)</div>
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Lucy wanted in on this action so bad. But we thought babies + dye sounded like a bad idea...so we played the keep Lucy away from the dye even though that's the only thing she has on her mind game.</div>
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my loves</div>
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proud of his eggs!</div>
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Is spring finally here? We enjoyed playing outside today. Jude works so hard in our back yard. He has pretty much dumped all the sand out of his sandbox, filling in various holes in our back yard or just transferring it to other areas. Here, he is is digging a hole in the dirt. Very serious business.</div>
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Love this little buddy</div>
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Today Jude had his first check up with Trampa ZimZim. He did so great and has happy teeth!</div>
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Lucy being her typically happy self and representing the Rumbolds in Slovakia. Slovensko!!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-32133275889521344042015-03-15T21:58:00.000-05:002015-03-15T21:58:23.629-05:00Reflections on 30 Today marks the start of my third decade on this earth. 30....and I feel thankful. I have recently been reminded that this world holds no guarantees. I am not guaranteed 70+ years on this earth. I am not guaranteed a lifetime of health. I am not guaranteed to continue to live life in my comfortable little bubble that I've grown so accustomed to. Each day is a gift. A gift directly from the Father above. He supplies me with each breath. He provides for my every need. He has blessed me with every good gift I've been given. He walks beside me through every trial saying, "I am here. Trust me. I have good planned for you." He is my strength and my hope. He has blessed me with unspeakable blessings on this earth. But I am just a visitor here. This is my pilgrim journey. I look forward to my eternal, heavenly home.<br />
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So, bring on the years. Bring on this life. I am thankful for everyday God gives me here on this earth. But this is not where I belong. I'm on a journey home. And I'm so enjoying the ride!<br />
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Here I am with some of my sweetest blessings on this day of my 30th birthday!<br />
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My dear sweet, Ben. You are God's gift to me.</div>
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What a joy it is to be these two's Mama!</div>
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Happy Birthday to me! Looking forward to what the 30's have in store for me!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-60101882407506993992015-03-15T14:39:00.003-05:002015-03-15T14:39:36.891-05:0010/52...no 9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
oops! I never took any pics from week 9....so here we are at 10! 2 weeks into March and Spring is in the air!!</div>
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This guy is happy to be back in his beloved sandbox. He's such a worker!</div>
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And this little miss has started crawling!! </div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-58312292584658950752015-03-05T21:26:00.001-06:002015-03-05T21:26:09.903-06:008/52<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sweet little kitty after her bath</div>
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Singing together and playing the fiddle :)</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-26472832239305378942015-02-24T13:38:00.000-06:002015-02-24T13:38:02.281-06:007/52Not a great week taking pics for me. This is about all I got:<br />
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Our little escape artist! Lucy woke up like this one morning! I wish I could've seen how she did it...no buttons were unbuttoned!!<br />
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Jude loves his little sister!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-37143665870124102352015-02-15T21:10:00.002-06:002015-02-15T21:10:56.635-06:006/52<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jude turned 3 this week! We're never lacking for entertainment with this guy around!<br />
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"Daddy's Girl". Daddy's Valentine.tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-27592528312606625822015-02-10T23:06:00.000-06:002015-02-10T23:06:23.032-06:003!Today, my little boy turned 3! I can't believe I have a 3 year old! Here's to a little reminiscing:<br />
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February 10, 2012</div>
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One!</div>
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Two!</div>
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Three!!</div>
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Jude, what a thankful mama I am to have a boy like you! You are full of fun, energy, and orneriness! Life is never dull with you around. You are full of questions, are ever so willing to lend a helping hand, and are quick to invite anyone around you to join in your fun. Just yesterday, I saw you go up to a little boy you didn't know to share your new Thomas book with him. You are so friendly and outgoing! You love your little sister, whom you lovingly have nicknamed Loofa. Sometimes you show your love a bit roughly for such a little girl though! I love the excitement you have for life and the joy that radiates from you from the moment you wake up to the time your eyes finally close at night. Daddy and I are so proud of you, Jude! Happy Birthday Buddy!!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-58773821702812482722015-02-07T21:24:00.002-06:002015-02-07T21:24:40.668-06:005/52<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jude reading in his "bear cave"<br />
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Lucy talking to me. I can just hear her sweet coo when I look at this face!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-4133764601403020322015-02-01T22:00:00.001-06:002015-02-01T22:00:24.030-06:004/52<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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7 months old. Full of smiles, jabbers, kisses.<br />
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"Mowing" in his big boy undies! He made great progress this week in potty training!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-4871614510942424222015-01-21T23:00:00.001-06:002015-01-21T23:00:48.516-06:00Photojournaling 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Life is flying by. 2015 is here and we are already seeing the end to January! My kids are growing and changing so much and so fast. These two little babes that I've been given are a joy. I love this phase of life and never want to forget these days. I'm hoping to post a pic a week of both Jude and Lucy. Sounds like a tall order...but I'm feeling pretty good about it right now! :) Here's to hoping I can keep up!</div>
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(Catch up weeks!)</div>
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1/52</div>
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Excited to try solid food for the first time!</div>
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Playing with mommy's new remote for her camera<br />
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2/52<br />
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This girl loves her crazy big brother</div>
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This fireman's tuckered out! Also, a rare moment that he actually runs out of energy. :)<br />
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3/52<br />
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He's a ham<br />
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I love those rolls!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-5817207429726934852014-09-21T22:36:00.000-05:002014-09-21T22:36:52.724-05:00Life Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This Tuesday marks exactly one year that we have been in IL. It's crazy how fast this year has gone and how different our lives are now. This past year has had it's fair share of ups and downs...but that's another post for another time. </div>
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I mainly keep this blog to help me document our life and how my kids are growing and changing. I'm doing a terrible job at it mostly because I get bogged down by the sheer amount of pictures I have. I am terrible at keeping my pictures organized. I am slowly trying to get a handle on them...but they just keep piling up! Oh the burdens of this digital age! :) So, since I am overwhelmed to catch up on the chronological timeline of our life right now...I will just share a bit of our life lately...</div>
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My heart literally almost melted when I walked into the room and saw this. So adorable! She was just smiling and cooing at him as he played her some songs. </div>
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This picture is already old as Miss Lucy girl will be three months next week!!</div>
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These two are such buddies. I love these boys!</div>
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Notice their shoes....Jude is soooo proud to have blue shoes just like daddy. :)</div>
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A rare picture of the two kiddos together. I never knew how difficult it could be to get a picture of an overly active 2 year old who can't seem to get a handle on how to be gentle towards a baby...I'm afraid I put Lucy's life in jeopardy just to get this pic! But no worries, everyone survived!</div>
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Oh the beloved Pumpkin Fest!</div>
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Jude loved these motorcycles. He said "fast" as he passed us. However, we tried to have him ride these again, and he wanted nothing to do with them. You never know with that kid. One day he's all about something, the next day, no way!</div>
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Little pumpkin head snoozed through her first Pumpkin Fest. </div>
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Jude and his cousin Parker are the same age. They were pretty serious about driving this car!</div>
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Jude had fun going down the big slide with daddy!</div>
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Jude was not a fan of the carousel....he started out like this...next time he came around, he was in daddy's arms. :)</div>
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Oh, she's so sweet!!</div>
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And one more because I just can't get enough of her!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-58329639594907325642014-08-25T17:07:00.001-05:002014-08-25T17:07:11.446-05:00Lovin' these summer days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lucy Jean. 8 weeks and as sweet as can be.</div>
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Jude Benjamin. 2 1/2 and as crazy as ever!</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-66102500732437211262014-07-02T12:23:00.001-05:002014-07-02T12:23:27.651-05:00It's a......GIRL!!!She's here!!!<br />
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Lucy Jean surprised us all, coming a week early, and making a quick entrance into this world! We are delighted to have a daughter. I'm so glad Ben held strong and insisted on letting the gender of our child be a surprise again. It really is so fun. I still can't believe we have a girl!!<br />
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Lucy Jean</div>
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June 28, 2014</div>
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10:42 pm</div>
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6lb 3oz</div>
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19 in</div>
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We are so thankful for our sweet, beautiful daughter. And we are so excited to be a family of four!! Jude is such a proud big brother. He loves his little sister, "Woosy". He's sure keeping us on our toes as he learns how to be gentle with a little baby. Let's just say, that Lucy's going to have to learn to be a tough little girl, growing up with a brother like Jude. :)</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-41693233696832800812014-05-09T16:08:00.001-05:002014-05-09T16:08:13.290-05:00February part 2: the Birthday Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
February 10 was a very special day....Jude turned 2!! Cliche or not, time really has flown by and I cannot believe my little buddy is 2 already! He is such a sweet, bright, energetic little guy who is definitely giving us a taste of why these years might be dubbed "the terrible two's". :) </div>
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After my brother Grant's wedding in Ohio, we stopped in Valpo to celebrate Jude and my father-in-law, Tim's birthday. Yes, Jude and his grandpa share a birthday! </div>
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Jude loves ''Twenty Trucks" videos on YouTube. He knows so much about all kinds of trucks and songs about each one. Looks like all the boys are enjoying learning about trucks here.</div>
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Nothing says Happy Birthday like eating mexican and wearing a sombrero on your head</div>
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Birthday Boys!</div>
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The group</div>
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Jude received this much beloved wagon from Grandma & Grandpa B!</div>
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Birthday boys again, ready to celebrate with cake!</div>
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Jude loves singing Happy Birthday and the whole candle blowing ceremony. </div>
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We had such a great time in Valpo celebrating and spending time with our family there!</div>
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We also had a little celebration for Jude back in IL with our family there. </div>
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I made this construction cake...which was a big hit with Jude. Also, this is the first "decorated" cake I have ever made. I was pretty happy how it turned out!</div>
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Family pic</div>
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I did not do a very good job at getting a picture of our guests. But, I did get this pic of my mom holding baby Forbes. Forbes is Kent and Holly's little guy. Forbes is Jude's little buddy. Jude adores him. Also, if you ask Jude who's in my belly, he will tell you, "baby Forbes". :)</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">So, February was quite the eventful month with my brothers wedding and this little guy turning 2! It was fun to be able to celebrate with both of our families. </span></div>
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I have to throw this picture in just to commemorate what a frigidly cold month this February was. So glad that spring is here now!</div>
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Tuckered out little boy</div>
tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-46187814836525653672014-05-04T22:44:00.000-05:002014-05-04T22:44:07.125-05:00February pt 1: Grant & Yuru<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After enjoying this beautiful May day, I think I am finally ready to talk about the frigid month of February. :) Despite being ridiculously cold, February was a fun a full month for us! The first big event of the month had us traveling out to Cleveland, OH to see my little brother Grant get married! </div>
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Grant is almost 4 years younger than me. He has grown to be quite a bit taller than me...but I still refer to him as my little brother. We were buddies growing up. When he was really little, I tried to carry him around and "mother" him. He never really seemed to appreciate my efforts to try to "care" for him. And all my helpfulness was probably pretty annoying to my mom too. But, what can I say, I loved that kid and just wanted him to know it! As we grew older, we really had a lot of fun together. I remember at one time telling him that he was my best friend. I also remember that he would not reciprocate the sentiment back to me...but I knew deep down that he felt the same way. :) Anyway, Grant is all grown up, living in Cleveland, working on his MD Phd. Yes, he is smart. He met his sweet wife, Yuru, last year at his church. Yuru is from China and is in Cleveland working on her Phd in Civil Engineering. Yes, also very smart. Yuru, is beautiful and as sweet as can be. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate their marriage on Feb 8 in Cleveland!</div>
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Jude loves to swim! He loved swimming "laps" in this hotel pool. Not pictured is our cousin, Josiah. Jude feels a special kinship with Josiah because they swam together here. He often talks about "swim Josiah"</div>
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This wonderful and crazy Floridian family braved the frigid cold to play out in the snow. Their two sweet kids, Reagan and Jackson (pictured below) were out there as well. The northerner's stayed inside and let them "enjoy" our snow. :)</div>
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Reagan, the flower girl, and her brother Jackson</div>
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Yes, Ben is wearing an Illinois shirt. He will probably not like that I am showing this fact to the world. I haven't seen him wear it since. But this picture need to be documented because these boys were watching the 2014 winter olympics...something we did as much as we could in the hotel since we missed out on a lot of it in our sans TV home. Jude loved watching skiing and snowboarding.</div>
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Jude was the ring bearer! He was so cute in his little bowtie! He is showing us his "biggest smile" here. :) Jude did a great job as the ring bearer. He started out strong. Realized midway down the aisle that everyone was staring at him. Stopped, turned around looking for Mommy. Turned around again and saw Daddy had snuck to the front of the aisle to coax him the rest of the way. Made it down the aisle and won everyone's hearts in the church.</div>
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Jude and Uncle Eric</div>
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G & G Zimzim</div>
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The best family pic we got that weekend</div>
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The newlyweds cutting the cake at the reception</div>
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Grant's friends, from the King Family Band, graced us with some wonderful, lively bluegrass at the reception. Definitely a highlight of the evening!</div>
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Jude enjoyed dancing to the music and chasing after balloons. </div>
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It was a beautiful and fun wedding! We were so happy for Grant and Yuru!</div>
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I did a terrible job of getting pictures at the wedding. We had a reception for Grant and Yuru a couple weeks ago here in IL. Grant and Yuru were kind enough to let me take a few pictures of them. I will share a few of this lovely couple:</div>
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Congrat's Grant and Yuru!<br />
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Feb part 2 coming soon!<br />
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tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-13904282788114905112014-04-23T20:57:00.001-05:002014-04-23T20:57:13.788-05:00Life lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm a little behind on my monthly updates...Feb, March, and now April. All were great months worth posting about, but their time to shine will have to be another day. Today I just wanted to share some pictures of our life this past week.</div>
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Jude is showing us "his biggest smile". He's also hard at work. This boy loves trucks and all things construction. He plays and plays with these toys and often asks mama to get in on the action too. </div>
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Gettin 'er done</div>
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Still working<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k83wIEKCZL3md67ReCMjSqONKPVR4Z_bfy8yqPhgyVcQBicyHXacngtbp3qLjUzOY47y5QNJq5_1g2fJrFBJIQdpuLXkRuqYWMKhPDcr1f-ODrVAE-h_LskVRUTNvhX1jLcQW_kWwfA/s1600/_DSC8143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k83wIEKCZL3md67ReCMjSqONKPVR4Z_bfy8yqPhgyVcQBicyHXacngtbp3qLjUzOY47y5QNJq5_1g2fJrFBJIQdpuLXkRuqYWMKhPDcr1f-ODrVAE-h_LskVRUTNvhX1jLcQW_kWwfA/s1600/_DSC8143.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Yep, this is how he plays right now...usually with sound effects too!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pecwY0AUj5rjcjyNx-yOXX9wj_n1ckJ1WCnTpCfZeRshUQH9OkncnCzAwmRKPdsKwLhi27SRM50zPlpNyIjHPfwTKsv0e7nwFX9QvES5GtwAK3B0vbwBaJxd2Q5f2mQW66d8Byjkei0/s1600/_DSC7976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pecwY0AUj5rjcjyNx-yOXX9wj_n1ckJ1WCnTpCfZeRshUQH9OkncnCzAwmRKPdsKwLhi27SRM50zPlpNyIjHPfwTKsv0e7nwFX9QvES5GtwAK3B0vbwBaJxd2Q5f2mQW66d8Byjkei0/s1600/_DSC7976.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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I'm sure both of the grandmas love this pic! ha!</div>
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Jude loves to be outside. He's always on the move.</div>
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This last weekend we had a reception here in IL for my brother Grant and his beautiful wife Yuru. They were married in Ohio in February. They humored me and let me take a few pictures of them in their wedding gear. More pics to come of these two!</div>
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Here's our little Jude dressed in his best! He was the ring bearer in their wedding. Cutest ring bearer ever. Here he is on the stage singing and playing his air guitar. This kid loves to entertain!</div>
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Sadly, this is my only picture from Easter Sunday! Jude got some bubble bath in his Easter basket and wanted to take a bath right away! He loved it! I just can't believe I forgot to snap a picture with all of us in our Easter outfits. Perhaps we will reenact it...probably won't happen!</div>
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It's been such a treat to have some fresh flowers around the house from Grant and Yuru's reception! These little beauties make me so happy!</div>
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Lately, Jude has taken to shoveling Daddy's hair. Not the most pleasant experience for Ben. Jude really likes to dig into the scalp!</div>
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I love these boys. This is from this afternoon. Ben came home to catch a few zzzzz's after baking early this morn and then working all day. And Jude had woken up from his nap, but then decided to go for round two. </div>
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And that's a snippet of our life this last week! </div>
<br />tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-7282241756233616742014-02-20T21:27:00.002-06:002014-02-20T21:27:54.757-06:00Catching up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Why do I feel like I owe some sort of explanation for my blogging absence? I don't know. I just do. But I will spare you the excuses.</div>
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Anyway, it's almost the end of February already!! I am so excited to see March roll around this year. This has been one of the longest, coldest winters ever....and I am so over it! (Ha! Ben will roll his eyes at the last part of that sentence. He is so "over" people being "over" this winter.) Not that March is a promise of warm weather...but I feel it at least gives me a little hope. </div>
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This February has been an eventful one as we celebrated with my brother Grant and his new wife, Yuru, at their wedding in Cleveland, OH. And we celebrated Jude's 2nd birthday in both Indiana and Illinois! But before I do a long, picture induced post about those great events, I wanted to do a quick recap of January. I did just, after all, finally upload my pictures for the year!</div>
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January 2014 was wrung in with Ben's family in Indiana. We had our Christmas celebration with them a few days before, and sadly when we left on New Years Day, both Ben and Jude were sick with fevers! </div>
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So the first week of the year was a bit of a rough one for us. We were quarantined at home. Thankfully I stayed healthy, but my poor boys were pretty miserable. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROX2ZOH3eD2w8aJDcOzrTNaOa2O1K_CgTflXabNhGCxrQrNw-_4AS9duNiM-SlG6kcujkNHP0drtDryvjYg1xSc8rJ75EZWwc6egC277jfe30M5w1MJq6EAH6lUeAugoWaX82bIcvIAQ/s1600/_DSC7630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROX2ZOH3eD2w8aJDcOzrTNaOa2O1K_CgTflXabNhGCxrQrNw-_4AS9duNiM-SlG6kcujkNHP0drtDryvjYg1xSc8rJ75EZWwc6egC277jfe30M5w1MJq6EAH6lUeAugoWaX82bIcvIAQ/s1600/_DSC7630.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sickly Jude watching his 100th tractor video for the week. The lighting in this picture is poor...but I feel it is a good representation of the mood at our house that week.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span> On January 6, my dear friend Holly gave birth to a sweet baby boy, Forbes John!! What a sweetie!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzcuB7m-_7UMRMZXnK_GYyRqhL7zq6ACWAQuKKvWiwgxh3HmRm9As4QNPn4y-7cVLZ6qTMQvjR6ARrYtlTfQvEuRrmKzTEQeH_y8rhqReSS-3XmxEj5ntQZYQIR_R-P2rToNrRZpYz4U/s1600/_DSC7635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzcuB7m-_7UMRMZXnK_GYyRqhL7zq6ACWAQuKKvWiwgxh3HmRm9As4QNPn4y-7cVLZ6qTMQvjR6ARrYtlTfQvEuRrmKzTEQeH_y8rhqReSS-3XmxEj5ntQZYQIR_R-P2rToNrRZpYz4U/s1600/_DSC7635.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vC0HTw6AWad6Pyhc4PAAtQZ1noki6RXsRMY9deUML8IP4_SnbkZnBCkchoFW0zRfvnEJXUD4gYS2bUdRc5m9pu93dOYKKFYkni1TeCfht53K8Scnmeo0Xz4yRCPpCqrFtaijNV48yp4/s1600/_DSC7637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vC0HTw6AWad6Pyhc4PAAtQZ1noki6RXsRMY9deUML8IP4_SnbkZnBCkchoFW0zRfvnEJXUD4gYS2bUdRc5m9pu93dOYKKFYkni1TeCfht53K8Scnmeo0Xz4yRCPpCqrFtaijNV48yp4/s1600/_DSC7637.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kent, Holly, and baby Forbes</td></tr>
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Eric came home for a few days and Jude was very happy to have Uncle "Eh-Et" come over and read to him. </div>
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Otherwise, due to this "polar vortex" weather or whatever we are calling it, we've been pretty homebound. We have played a lot of toys, read a lot of books, sang many songs, and have tried to come up with some creative ways to fill our days inside. Honestly, there is a part of me that likes to have a reason to stay in all day and just be home. But, I sure am looking forward to warmer weather and getting out a bit more! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUUTtFmTvVgX9bRT08rDlEBm43rxcM1THoClcpF42ym7S0Sjfb2EzhI40R5ct26J2ubfQVFyN49ti8bmaArZKiwKvxrUaQIMFM8nCIbBiDS8-1f2Mx0zNkdvk4hOULTHL6sHBjs7t5CM/s1600/_DSC7651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUUTtFmTvVgX9bRT08rDlEBm43rxcM1THoClcpF42ym7S0Sjfb2EzhI40R5ct26J2ubfQVFyN49ti8bmaArZKiwKvxrUaQIMFM8nCIbBiDS8-1f2Mx0zNkdvk4hOULTHL6sHBjs7t5CM/s1600/_DSC7651.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is classic "Jude playing toys" position. It's like he really connects with his toys when he gets on their level. :)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly7Fm9CBn-S8nec9YtEQ5Qn-1sNEtKT-j3NoW_5Gq33iBW6HdkVPNsLDCayUA3Rgi1UWpsURqViARhRBHcMYkMbOl2lXIzwPbM-IN4ELriPdOFnZzX8E5usohiZx1bNAhVzwutCBOvU8/s1600/_DSC7655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjly7Fm9CBn-S8nec9YtEQ5Qn-1sNEtKT-j3NoW_5Gq33iBW6HdkVPNsLDCayUA3Rgi1UWpsURqViARhRBHcMYkMbOl2lXIzwPbM-IN4ELriPdOFnZzX8E5usohiZx1bNAhVzwutCBOvU8/s1600/_DSC7655.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
Oh Jude! What a sweet boy you are! Jude is growing so much and talking so much. I love being home with him everyday and seeing him learn and discover new things!<br />
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So, that's a quick recap of January. February, you're next!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-46140647625466355632014-01-05T14:33:00.000-06:002014-01-05T19:11:54.781-06:00Welcome 20142014 has had a bit of a rough start for our family. On New Year's Eve, Jude came down with a fever and we've been fighting that and a nasty cough ever since. We took him to the Dr yesterday and found out he has strep throat. :( Poor guy. He is on antibiotics now, so we hope to turn the corner on this soon!!<br />
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Sadly, Ben has also been sick too. His fever showed up New Years Day. I think he's on the mend too, but we're still not 100% around here! Amazingly, I haven't gotten this bug yet! I feel like it's inevitable that I will get it though...I have been coughed on, breathed on, snotted on....mostly by Jude....Ben's pretty good at keeping his germs to himself. :) But, we're trucking along here. I'm longing for everyone to get back to full health. Praying it will be soon!<br />
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As I sit inside on this snowy, blowing, freezing day, I can't help but think of summer! Winter is ok, but I can't wait to spend some time outside.<br />
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Speaking of summer, Jude has something he would like to say about summer 2014 for our family:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42RqsEQfcIJPHfRCgevwXEdx-4ZxEdRgwpMlcQmac0MjlOmXXVM70J0J_KYWdUufKadvN9qJwO0gdx6QIk3QwsMEvB6n3n6ZMvtf45__8y7Keeq6YRd8Crcre3At5tTqiCLLn94g4kDc/s1600/_DSC7456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42RqsEQfcIJPHfRCgevwXEdx-4ZxEdRgwpMlcQmac0MjlOmXXVM70J0J_KYWdUufKadvN9qJwO0gdx6QIk3QwsMEvB6n3n6ZMvtf45__8y7Keeq6YRd8Crcre3At5tTqiCLLn94g4kDc/s640/_DSC7456.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are so excited to meet baby B #2!! I don't think Jude quite knows what's coming...but he'll be an excellent big brother!</div>
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<br />tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-9127303195528395402013-11-21T21:48:00.000-06:002013-11-21T21:48:28.140-06:00Still adjustingWe've now been in our new home and new life just shy of two months. People ask me how it's going and I typically say, "It's good, but we're still getting settled". I think that's my way of saying that it's kind of hard but I don't want to complain. Moving back to a town that I lived most of my life in hasn't been easy. People have changed, circumstances have changed, I have changed. I had a life here, but that's not my life anymore...where do I fit in? I almost think starting somewhere brand new would be easier. Everything would be fresh and new. No expectations of me or from me. And, not to mention, I really miss Valpo. We just had a good life there. I loved our family there, our friends there, our church, and even the town itself.<br />
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But this is where our life has lead us, and we are making the best of it. And when I say we, I really mean me. Ben seems to be thriving as a bakery owner. It has it's share of challenges, but he is really flourishing in this role. People at the bakery love him...his employees and customers. He really makes a mean cinnamon roll. He amazes me with his business knowledge. I'm very proud of him!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcP12v7CXOvYbNZunYMLODC3kIcLPEYKCrFCskzKhdyYnRdXsS5HkhZayYj9xQT7tHWtg3MfBaCwogx5VZzozTh9eQb8RlGbQuc5HFtkjsf8QMZgTVH2D6mLRVWcY1R6NRGaEqD2XzFQ/s1600/_DSC7350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcP12v7CXOvYbNZunYMLODC3kIcLPEYKCrFCskzKhdyYnRdXsS5HkhZayYj9xQT7tHWtg3MfBaCwogx5VZzozTh9eQb8RlGbQuc5HFtkjsf8QMZgTVH2D6mLRVWcY1R6NRGaEqD2XzFQ/s640/_DSC7350.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And Jude, he just seems to be growing more and more everyday. I'm sure every parent thinks this of their child, but I sometimes wonder to myself if he is smarter than the average 21 month old? He surprises me all the time with new words I didn't know he knew, or remembering something that I never thought he would. As I really don't have anyone to compare him to, I'm sure he's just keeping up with the average abilities of that age...but there is still a part of me that thinks he might be a genius. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLa2GnPam1R3ABAeheKo6JNkpgAy9NzGG4IKHGuQaOtFtMgZKReuFOX7t_5_j3dYOOy652AFlk7RstNpHBE6mb42oaRUlZn-o0nyXZtMakgMxUqUMHo_mmX5LmhflCZD6FCr4dsbTmeZQ/s1600/_DSC7339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLa2GnPam1R3ABAeheKo6JNkpgAy9NzGG4IKHGuQaOtFtMgZKReuFOX7t_5_j3dYOOy652AFlk7RstNpHBE6mb42oaRUlZn-o0nyXZtMakgMxUqUMHo_mmX5LmhflCZD6FCr4dsbTmeZQ/s640/_DSC7339.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jude loves to drag Dada's guitar stand around</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMQAkRvCSX_eCQZlMU_K7qo0zIgfMMs7thiX8Yty0KTwzskN6fIB07-aP389wQNizHijcs-65lg8rFthRqqBqq36mSSDUTzvBGcpvNEHRL-JfEZ6FMD8kpYVhoJTRCz4Q9YJtShVvaI4/s1600/_DSC7342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMQAkRvCSX_eCQZlMU_K7qo0zIgfMMs7thiX8Yty0KTwzskN6fIB07-aP389wQNizHijcs-65lg8rFthRqqBqq36mSSDUTzvBGcpvNEHRL-JfEZ6FMD8kpYVhoJTRCz4Q9YJtShVvaI4/s640/_DSC7342.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tuckered out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVAuv2kxkJj4z-gaOIZJ-BkMsSQmD-HBVaUhSyeX1ynhr8NDSPwmoiR8cO63bm95ZLLNHfA7Hez7UZAEhcQRLLfQbaUEI7Z_PYB9cTj-GWAVE8pYAYkv6ZSA5j2d7qgbRrtJPizS3SNY/s1600/_DSC7323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVAuv2kxkJj4z-gaOIZJ-BkMsSQmD-HBVaUhSyeX1ynhr8NDSPwmoiR8cO63bm95ZLLNHfA7Hez7UZAEhcQRLLfQbaUEI7Z_PYB9cTj-GWAVE8pYAYkv6ZSA5j2d7qgbRrtJPizS3SNY/s640/_DSC7323.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A position Jude is often found in. He loves to sit in this bowl. We laugh every time. :)</td></tr>
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I do have to say, just to be clear, there are things I love about being back in my hometown. I love living just blocks away from my parents. They are such a blessing to me. I also love being able just to stop in and visit my 90 year old grandma whenever I want. She is very dear to me, and I love watching her enjoy Jude. And, it's so fun to be around my sweet friends. Life <i>is</i> good here. Change can be hard, but in my experience it always becomes easier and better with time.<br />
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Here's a few pictures from October that I've been meaning to blog about. Grandma and Grandpa B came to visit!! We were so glad to have them come! We went to the Caterpillar museum where Jude could see and climb on all the "foops" (tractors) he wanted! He was in paradise!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2Kfzoz2tkvZO_RNn_nUi3Y29sNdNN8L9ciGJbLIhnu3LgMiW8MgbpolRByuKgxCYo111Aa0ozsuFDS83uHL5wE3ioXd_8iExGwGrzzOzTE1guX1nku3gQJUHcbpoOwNmwM5wqH2kxs8/s1600/_DSC7203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2Kfzoz2tkvZO_RNn_nUi3Y29sNdNN8L9ciGJbLIhnu3LgMiW8MgbpolRByuKgxCYo111Aa0ozsuFDS83uHL5wE3ioXd_8iExGwGrzzOzTE1guX1nku3gQJUHcbpoOwNmwM5wqH2kxs8/s640/_DSC7203.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTASES2qhEeg2EbICZk4PWksNwrn5oSBi9rRWUE2zi7KNWuTSBR_ssGzDY2sXnMYjEI3R93lHNSdp-_trcgQxTkapjd4mgMZukJpZN_0cD8zqhi4zMaF6BF9Ly8ybGmrml99-JXjiZHc/s1600/_DSC7215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTASES2qhEeg2EbICZk4PWksNwrn5oSBi9rRWUE2zi7KNWuTSBR_ssGzDY2sXnMYjEI3R93lHNSdp-_trcgQxTkapjd4mgMZukJpZN_0cD8zqhi4zMaF6BF9Ly8ybGmrml99-JXjiZHc/s640/_DSC7215.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTASES2qhEeg2EbICZk4PWksNwrn5oSBi9rRWUE2zi7KNWuTSBR_ssGzDY2sXnMYjEI3R93lHNSdp-_trcgQxTkapjd4mgMZukJpZN_0cD8zqhi4zMaF6BF9Ly8ybGmrml99-JXjiZHc/s1600/_DSC7215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbm3qsQjZOI996maKigtQqRuNN6UIsPxQavdVcS3h0e1tqGi25TOJF3JzmczNaDBboaD-1wafnVsl7sB458ZqLPe0Nkk4hD9TrZWJVumVyndsj1HT6AWj_pC6336lcM-Yd80F9lgDNjg/s1600/_DSC7200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbm3qsQjZOI996maKigtQqRuNN6UIsPxQavdVcS3h0e1tqGi25TOJF3JzmczNaDBboaD-1wafnVsl7sB458ZqLPe0Nkk4hD9TrZWJVumVyndsj1HT6AWj_pC6336lcM-Yd80F9lgDNjg/s640/_DSC7200.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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Jude and Grandpa are buddies. Grandpa brought Jude's favorite wagon all the way from Valpo. Jude loved it! They fit quite a few wagon rides in during that weekend. Jude still talks about wagons when we talk about Grandpa B. Jude's word for Grandpa is "Tatup" and for Grandma "Dadum". No idea where he came up with this, but he is pretty adamant that that is their names. Thanks for coming, Tatup and Dadum! We love you guys!!</div>
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<br />tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-49477988673587946292013-11-01T20:42:00.000-05:002013-11-01T20:48:42.155-05:00Halloween Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We don't do up Halloween too big around here, but we did want to introduce Jude to a few fun traditions. To start off our humble Halloween festivities, we carved a pumpkin. Since Jude's favorite thing right now are "foops"...meaning scoops...meaning backhoes, we decided that he would get a big kick out of seeing one carved into a pumpkin. I wasn't sure if the end result would be recognizable as a "foop", but we thought we'd give it a try.</div>
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After getting over the initial shock of the gooeyness of pumpkin guts, Jude really got into pulling out seeds! If you ask him about carving pumpkins, he will say, "seeds!". :)</div>
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a little concerned about his messy hands</div>
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The final result! We were pleasantly surprised that the "foop" looked like a "foop" :)</div>
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Jude loved the whole pumpkin carving process! He helped where he could. He marched around triumphantly, and would exclaim "fun" from time to time. I'd say this activity was a hit!</div>
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For Halloween this guy was a cowboy! The cutest cowboy I've ever seen!! Thanks to Jenn and Kelly for the boots and the horse!</div>
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Trick or treating at Great Grandma Milly's.</div>
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Looking for "tin tan" (candy)</div>
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Sneaking up on Grandma and Grandpa Z's house.</div>
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G&G's favorite trick or treater of the night.</div>
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The fam</div>
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This is how the night ended. I wanted a picture of Jude sitting by his pumpkin...but it just wasn't happening. I think Jude had a little too much sugar and fun at this point. Oh well. Overall, I'd say Halloween 2013 was a success!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-33783554349850884302013-10-16T15:30:00.001-05:002013-10-16T20:19:39.404-05:00Montana: National Park weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's about time I wrap up my Montana posts since we've been home for almost a month now. Once we knew we were going to Dillon, MT, I quickly noted that it was not very far from Yellowstone National Park. My trip planning self (who I get from my father) went into overdrive. There was no way in my mind that we would be 2 hours from our nation's first national park and not see it. We would make this happen.</div>
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Since Ben had his weekends free during training, we decided we would conquer that park, in addition to the Tetons in two days. I knew that it would be a daunting task to cover so much ground in so little time. But if we had a plan for our days, I thought we could do it. I researched about the parks so we would be sure to hit the highlights. So we mapped out our route, found some accommodations in the park, and headed on our way. </div>
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We had pretty high hopes of seeing lots of wild life. We really wanted to see a grizzly bear...from the safety of our car, of course! I also had my sights on spotting a moose. We saw neither. We saw the iconic buffalo and some elk...and that's about all.</div>
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Here is an elk spotting. There was a whole herd of elk here. But the thing I was more amazed at were the people! These people had no respect for wild animals. They were much closer to this elk than the picture makes it seem. Also, in another area, some people had gotten between one elk and the rest of it's herd. Pretty ridiculous, people. I probably shouldn't even get started on this subject. I can feel my blood starting to boil again. ha!</div>
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Jude enjoying the view.</div>
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These guys are the best travel companions!</div>
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The sun setting Friday evening over Yellowstone.</div>
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We decided to stay in the park over the weekend so we would have maximum time to explore everything. Originally we considered camping. Unfortunately, right around that time Ben had a fetish with watching bear attack videos on line. I think it made us all think twice about camping in bear country. But really, we didn't want to lug all our gear out there. The first night we stayed in Canyon Village. Our accommodations were pretty rustic, but it felt right for our setting.</div>
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Ben and Jude ready bright and early Saturday morning for a long day of sightseeing.</div>
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Jude loved Yellowstone and was such a trooper the whole weekend!</div>
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Yellowstone was gorgeous! Here is Yellowstone Falls.</div>
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We got an early start Saturday morning, so it was pretty hazy for the first hour or so of our drive. Here, if you look closely, you can see a herd of buffalo.</div>
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We took a short hike and came upon this grazing buffalo. Those animals are huge! We ended up having to turn around and go back the other way because this buffalo kept grazing and getting closer and closer to the trail. If I remember right, those are geysers in the background, not fire!<br />
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Here is a close up of a geothermal hot spring that we saw. We saw so many vivid colors. </div>
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The guys enjoying a picnic lunch.</div>
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Then, mid day Saturday we dipped down into the Tetons, which borders Yellowstone on the south. Wow. The Tetons were breathtaking! Something about these rugged mountains is just awe inspiring. Ben and I both said that we probably enjoyed the Tetons better than Yellowstone.<br />
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More shots of this beautiful mountain range. I wish I could just build a house right here and have this view everyday!<br />
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This guy couldn't have been a better traveler. We spent a lot of time covering a lot of ground on that Saturday. But he did great!<br />
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At the south of the Tetons is Jackson Hole, WY. It's a great touristy, old western town. We spent a little time there walking around and going into a few shops.<br />
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haha!</div>
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Enjoying the view from Jenny Lake in the Tetons!</div>
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One last self timer shot in the Tetons before we headed back north into Yellowstone to stay our second night.</div>
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Sunday morning started early again, thanks to our trusty alarm clock named Jude. :) Our first stop was to see Old Faithful. But before we could see it, Jude had to get his push-ups in. On this trip he would just drop down any time anywhere and start doing his form of push-ups. It was half cute and half embarrassing as he would sometime do it on busy walkways. :)<br />
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Jude getting his push-up on!</div>
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Old Faithful just started going off as we walked up! Perfect timing!! We beat the notorious crowds because we were there early, however we couldn't see the water because the air was so cold it created lots of steam. But we got the idea!</div>
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Checking out more geysers beyond Old Faithful</div>
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Yellowstone is full of geysers. Yellowstone actually sits on top of a volcano, as I understand it. It is crazy. Everywhere the land just seems to be groaning, giving out signs that something is brewing underneath. We kind of felt like we were walking on a ticking time bomb.<br />
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Geysers, geysers everywhere!</div>
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These are more hot springs that we saw. Apparently if you touch them they will basically melt your hand right off...or at least cause a really bad burn. I wasn't willing to test it out.<br />
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Another hot spring...I think I am calling these the right thing. I keep wanting to call them paint pots, but I think that is something different. </div>
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Here is Ben in front of a bubbling mud pot. It reminded me of a witch's cauldron. </div>
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Yellowstone almost seems "otherworldly" with all of it's geysers, paint pots, and such.</div>
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By late Sunday afternoon we had seen all that we set out to see. It was a crazy jam-packed weekend, but oh so fun! I would love to go back someday and see and explore even more of Yellowstone and the Tetons. I'm so glad we were able to see this amazing part of God's creation!tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-2111068132575259242013-10-11T15:37:00.001-05:002013-10-11T15:49:03.993-05:00Montana: a recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wow. It's been forever since I've posted. I have a myriad of excuses, but I will spare you from hearing them all. </div>
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We are in full swing here in IL doing the bakery thing. We meaning Ben. Jude and I contribute by dropping into the bakery to taste some of the goodies...somebody's got to make sure the quality is up to par! Living back in Morton feels totally normal and strange all at the same time. We're all adjusting to our new bakery lifestyle...early mornings, long days, the craziness of taking over a business. But we're doing well!!</div>
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It seems like a lifetime ago that we were in Montana, when in reality we were there less than 3 weeks ago. I loved our time there. What a gorgeous state to "have" to spend a month in.<br />
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Dillon, Montana, is where we were. There wasn't too much to the town itself, but the surroundings were gorgeous! We stayed just outside of town at a ranch. We were surrounded by fields, horses, mountains, beautiful sunsets, and of course the "big sky".</div>
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our back yard</div>
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This was our back yard in the morning.</div>
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This is our back yard after a storm. The rainbows in Montana are gorgeous! If my camera could have captured it, you could have seen the entire double rainbow. I remember this one becoming even more vivid and lasting for about 45 minutes!</div>
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We had a great time living it up in Montana with the Janssens! Craig and Ben did Great Harvest training together, while Laura and I held down the fort at home with the kids. It was fun living with these guys for 3 weeks. Jude and Reese became best buds.</div>
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Jude would wake up in the morning with a smile and say, "Weese!" He loved having a little playmate. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_fFcflWoz7hohpTTh36QADl_vCnfPbYM1mHe1CCLGsB-3GyybHf1xzMKkMx5km01AwnlQAXeZoVqqUWnDy5YVSKubPk08pN6DKrMJQiX9Mn0YeT5dtQC2vw6Zdq6-oZxCu91M7Ax1HM/s1600/_DSC7101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_fFcflWoz7hohpTTh36QADl_vCnfPbYM1mHe1CCLGsB-3GyybHf1xzMKkMx5km01AwnlQAXeZoVqqUWnDy5YVSKubPk08pN6DKrMJQiX9Mn0YeT5dtQC2vw6Zdq6-oZxCu91M7Ax1HM/s640/_DSC7101.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This little toy produced hours of fun for these kids. So glad we brought this along!</div>
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We had to talk a lot about being gentle with Reese. Jude did pretty well and would often be found patting her arm or head very gently. :) Jude still talks about "Weese" almost everyday!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRQN2ytNEpZGTcVxbNMfbEmbPyD3aJQLuSxxxuDndUus8Gwq6_K8nrcrA8HthJ_GbZirrJe-7_NtQT7gwpMqpdm0e7n2-xuqaIi0c6X_MNq52HtCVz7_NX353acr_VUTL3lyzaDN8NrU/s1600/_DSC7171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRQN2ytNEpZGTcVxbNMfbEmbPyD3aJQLuSxxxuDndUus8Gwq6_K8nrcrA8HthJ_GbZirrJe-7_NtQT7gwpMqpdm0e7n2-xuqaIi0c6X_MNq52HtCVz7_NX353acr_VUTL3lyzaDN8NrU/s640/_DSC7171.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Reese!</div>
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Here are the little buddies out on a stroll in Idaho. Laura and I were getting a little stir crazy by the end of the 3 weeks, so we decided to take a little road trip to Idaho Falls, ID. It was only a two hour drive. It was a fun little day trip for us...and I'm glad to be able to say now that I've been to Idaho!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdi-gIO4Khb7v7bbtu7xOSXMKUUeO6cC_ImohUDss9voAKIy9R__rPrgcVspg0w-4gls1P4qlaZ7Q-DVTGlqHBlIK4KbRxR7HuAOIzyHr46sSISQUlL4GD1et0_kafIjnP-dBM0U1LV2o/s1600/_DSC7053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdi-gIO4Khb7v7bbtu7xOSXMKUUeO6cC_ImohUDss9voAKIy9R__rPrgcVspg0w-4gls1P4qlaZ7Q-DVTGlqHBlIK4KbRxR7HuAOIzyHr46sSISQUlL4GD1et0_kafIjnP-dBM0U1LV2o/s640/_DSC7053.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sometimes the days got long as we waited for daddy to get home from training.</div>
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We were all so happy when daddy got home. It was so fun to hear about his day and all that he had learned. Most days he brought us home some tasty treats he had made!</div>
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The evenings were spent eating and hanging out.</div>
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Many books were read</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDNW1eflyFt4D0U25p20hFqj7WyYhvdH_8LIalvaqg653CXWDvWFKbsNjfyo7nr-pmyE4MkpwdlqlLdksYiuoHFiUKbaCSbUq79uHudKMdVNs03M4Evf76uqK7C8KL-d2Aj0Gvv-_hW0/s1600/_DSC7064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDNW1eflyFt4D0U25p20hFqj7WyYhvdH_8LIalvaqg653CXWDvWFKbsNjfyo7nr-pmyE4MkpwdlqlLdksYiuoHFiUKbaCSbUq79uHudKMdVNs03M4Evf76uqK7C8KL-d2Aj0Gvv-_hW0/s640/_DSC7064.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jude's other buddy on this trip was Craig...or as Jude says, "Taig". :) </div>
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Craig had a birthday during the trip.</div>
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Ben, Jude, and I on one of our last nights in Montana. </div>
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It was such a great trip and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go out there! There are other things I wanted to write about too, like the guys training and our super fun weekends in Yellowstone and going to a hot springs, but this post is getting too long already. So, those will have to be in another post at another time. </div>
<br />tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698417574241206045.post-22094557283802052472013-09-18T15:56:00.001-05:002013-09-18T16:15:29.887-05:00Montana: getting hereWe've been in Montana now for about 2.5 weeks. We just have a few more days left before we make the great trek home....when Ben starts putting into practice what he's been learning here.<br />
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Montana has been wonderful! It's a first time visit for all of us. I had no doubt I would love it. The west has had a part of my heart for a long time...so I was pretty sure Montana and I would do just fine! :) It is so incredibly beautiful out here. I can see why they call it "Big Sky". The sky really does seem bigger here.<br />
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Ben has been training like a mad man at Great Harvest. He puts in long days. He comes home in the evenings exhausted and sometimes a bit overwhelmed...but I know he's definitely enjoying the process too! He has been bringing home some amazing treats that he has made himself. I told him I think he discovered a hidden talent in baking. :)<br />
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Jude and I have been living it up here in this small town of Dillon! It's really a bit of a vacation for us. We've checked out some of the quaint shops, found and walked all the walking trails many times over, visited the nearby horses, read lots of books, and played outside in the rocks often.<br />
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I knew once we were out here we'd have a great time. However, I wasn't so sure getting here would be so great! Traveling for 22 hours in a car with an 18 month old sounded a bit daunting... even if we were going to break the trip into a couple of days. But, all my worries were for naught! Jude was an excellent traveler!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAL1vXE_whd_wJjbWgD4LVrLiuhJ0MmgXzhnfJ1ngxsB_UDYuAhQ5h4eXvcDg8ZXlRcGkBJ9akmDrxWxQ86DSgenpiZQeC_JObgv5vcI34MXiYpYmiRpGx-8LuhZlZZLpvEYLwEX0a8M/s1600/_DSC6628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAL1vXE_whd_wJjbWgD4LVrLiuhJ0MmgXzhnfJ1ngxsB_UDYuAhQ5h4eXvcDg8ZXlRcGkBJ9akmDrxWxQ86DSgenpiZQeC_JObgv5vcI34MXiYpYmiRpGx-8LuhZlZZLpvEYLwEX0a8M/s640/_DSC6628.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzsLgkxoRKV8UfGm8pgmJJlEUmx5mzFjHRbEuAe0K7DWhO_PzmkpxFJtpdVxPHAYZUy3CbwFvkjbczhyNbfBxqym8MSrb30jZTt6sosGs0OQrbpIGi6xfBDYXBTO2vW0EwSKl1Wy8lF0/s1600/_DSC6632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzsLgkxoRKV8UfGm8pgmJJlEUmx5mzFjHRbEuAe0K7DWhO_PzmkpxFJtpdVxPHAYZUy3CbwFvkjbczhyNbfBxqym8MSrb30jZTt6sosGs0OQrbpIGi6xfBDYXBTO2vW0EwSKl1Wy8lF0/s1600/_DSC6632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>Here we are right before we hit the road. Amazingly this is the only point that Jude gave us any resistance about sitting in his car seat. As we were buckling him in, he said his standard "done" and arched his back so as to say, "I don't want to sit in this thing". Ben and I looked at each other, each thinking that this trip was going to be miserable. But he ended up settling right in and never had one more outburst the whole way.<br />
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I will take a little credit though to Jude's good behavior. :) I came prepared with an arsenal of toys and books and snacks, some of them being very new and interesting. Besides his 3 hour naps during the day, I was sitting beside him entertaining him. Let me tell you, it was pretty exhausting. I was constantly on guard to come up with a new activity once he tired of what he was currently playing with. He actually came up with the cups on his feet game (3 pics above). That took up a good 10 minutes of our trip! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjebVAdeiGab-svscYIoPnhFNSMCX9yxQZ3G2qpRLN5B_gprgQQT7-SviDj8FEnH3o-Lk2MtlrpTPowTw3epHKLxAlUOw1dDwn8MHIX2y1FhS7XY0rYiaelrqLemsxnI6Ft1v5qhLiv3w/s1600/_DSC6644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjebVAdeiGab-svscYIoPnhFNSMCX9yxQZ3G2qpRLN5B_gprgQQT7-SviDj8FEnH3o-Lk2MtlrpTPowTw3epHKLxAlUOw1dDwn8MHIX2y1FhS7XY0rYiaelrqLemsxnI6Ft1v5qhLiv3w/s640/_DSC6644.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Since Mt Rushmore was right on the way, we decided that we would stop to see it. I had never seen it before, and it would be somewhere Jude could get out and run a bit. Well, Jude decided to fall asleep right before we got there. We weren't about to wake him up and risk not having him go back to sleep, so we took this picture from the road and turned right back and went on our way. It was kind of a bummer, but I'm glad that we got to see it anyway. I was so impressed with how big the carvings were! We were pretty far away from the monument, and it still looked huge!<br />
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Ben was the trusty driver for most of the trip. He is the "best driver" anyway, right Ben? :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWNJ-hPAQ2zTz7nmrmynpJlftVvKCbtkJIVWdNl5wC-9N9Bqe60OjRoHq7BVlq_ez4BXHiw-xPDA2U3FpwNc33k0KZ4CXVizYMzDM4gA73uMRi1ceRZMDH0rl9q8kbvWYz_dr-ApcG08/s1600/_DSC6653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWNJ-hPAQ2zTz7nmrmynpJlftVvKCbtkJIVWdNl5wC-9N9Bqe60OjRoHq7BVlq_ez4BXHiw-xPDA2U3FpwNc33k0KZ4CXVizYMzDM4gA73uMRi1ceRZMDH0rl9q8kbvWYz_dr-ApcG08/s640/_DSC6653.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NiICv8YqdykiG-XEkrtoKVL0VnBNDi1NjBTOO7cFJKJAibKbxcOQvTFiX8FwB2csW1W5xrlY7x9XVq_Varti0KVa_YGv_1izDHqt1ILSMXeif2N1YCumxY-YBwLNfp8krJBdhOK2kt8/s1600/_DSC6659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>A common sight in Southwest Montana is huge fields of grazing animals. We see mostly cows, but some sheep and llamas too. Also, there are horses everywhere. It's kind of exactly what I pictured Montana to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihnL8lw2fddFoscsfU6u1vXaG_NWIOBKgbYrh9qfyslMbb9y4qBf6auHclW2eD3nJU8pjM5siIad9uRdYyfBe2j0hJfm8Vj-Q1UFGEt5Afg2lzpGaKQ7ZaPi9sFlMuK_C5qT1VSUtr3g/s1600/_DSC6659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihnL8lw2fddFoscsfU6u1vXaG_NWIOBKgbYrh9qfyslMbb9y4qBf6auHclW2eD3nJU8pjM5siIad9uRdYyfBe2j0hJfm8Vj-Q1UFGEt5Afg2lzpGaKQ7ZaPi9sFlMuK_C5qT1VSUtr3g/s640/_DSC6659.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
We were so happy to drive up to Goose Down Ranch, the place we've been staying with Craig, Laura, and Reese (the family we're going into business with). It's been the best little "home" for us here in Montana.tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564183377949754887noreply@blogger.com0