tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504465374366166202024-02-07T01:12:02.525-05:00The Business of Being MommyThe life of a homeschooling "Stay at home" mom. Personal stories, and LOTS of pictures. Just sharing my life out loud. I also sling oils, and we use them for everything, so those are a reoccurring theme too, Part diary, part everything and the kitchen sink. It gets pretty random. Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-30322445540865584502022-03-25T00:06:00.001-04:002022-03-25T01:30:49.471-04:00Go Play In The Dirt<p dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></p><p dir="ltr">Maddie is often wearing frilly dresses and sparkly shoes- and they are just as often covered in layers of dirt. That might bother some, but I find it to be part of her charm. My kids love to play in the dirt. Together they hunt for worms (Hailey refuses to touch them, so it is Maddie's job to rehome them far away), and rocks and other treasures. It makes my mama heart so very happy because they actually get along and cooperate when they do. Also, it is so great for them! </p><p dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></p><p dir="ltr">Did you know that kiddos playing in dirt can literally make them healthier? According to many studies, including Neuroscience News, <br>
"<i>Kids who play in dirt face exposure to germs and parasites that can help reduce risks of suffering certain allergies and illnesses later in life. Early microbial exposures help our bodies to learn how to regulate inflammation</i>..." I call that a win! https://neurosciencenews.com/germs-dirt-kids-inflammation-7117/amp/</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fun random side note. I spent over an hour trying to put up a little decorative fence tonprotect my garden. Duck, my dog always waits until the plants are big and thriving and then she digs them up. She crushes my heart into tiny little pieces each time it happens. This year, that won't be the case if I can help it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It took me over an hour just to get a few of the parts in the ground because my yard is apparantly pure gravel after about half an inch down. Gee thanks construction workers who built my house. Guess you didn't care that it would take major effort to literally put anything in the ground at all... UGH. The rocks are so tightly packed and there are so many of them that even digging them out, is quite a tedious chore. So frustrating! Good thing it's not actually time to plant anything yet! I have my work cut out for me for sure.</p><p dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></p>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-38918622032588544762022-03-02T23:16:00.001-05:002022-03-02T23:16:30.250-05:00Wet Chalk<div>Pro tip: if you have a sensory kid- or just a kid who is bored with plain old chalk: get it wet. It changes the experience completely. It goes from light and powdery to thick and paint like. You use a lot more in a shorter time, so if you are on a budget, Dollar store chalk is the way to go. We had a lot of fun painting with it and spreading it around with our fingers just like paint. </div><div><br></div><div>Warning: it WILL make your fingers and clothes messy, but it washes right off with water still, since it is just chalk. We liked it so much that we stayed outside for hours playing. We even colored well after it was dark and we couldn't actually see what we were drawing anymore. 😂🤣. Apparantly I am too predictable because as soon as I started writing, Maddie said, "Does that say that you love me?"</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-61450799941387509512021-06-01T23:30:00.001-04:002021-06-01T23:30:48.707-04:00I am an Enneagram 9<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>I have always been a bit of a people pleaser. A chameleon who adapted to fit into whatever situation I needed to in the way that caused the least amount of friction. In my adult life, it meant getting as little attention as possible because it was just easier that way. Conflict and confrontation are my achilles heel. I have always done almost ANYTHING I could to avoid them. I spent half of my life being screamed at and the other half trying to avoid that scenario and the feelings that come along with that, even if they were necessary or helpful. </div><div><br></div><div>That looked different in different situations. It meant that my life philosophy has always been grin and bear it. Whatever it might be. It meant that I often found myself in situations that made me uncomfortable or miserable but I went along with it because, "it would be over soon enough". Or because it could always be worse. At least no one is mad at me or rejecting me. Sometimes I made myself smaller to try and go unnoticed completely. Sometimes I had to pretend to be someone I was not. Sometimes I had to just learn that no one really cared what I had to say, (they told me to be quiet often enough that I know it was true. I tended to talk too much as a kid. Sometimes I still do according to some). That meant I had to just not join in conversations even if I had something to say because it was better than being told to stop talking.</div><div><br></div><div>I have always been able to be myself when I am comfortable with someone or a situation but never completely. I always avoided conflict or my perception of conflict in whatever way necessary, even in my marriage, parenting and friendships. I ended up losing friends to unresolved issues because it was more peaceful than God forbid, speaking up and risking a fight or be made fun of. It meant storing anger up deep inside and stuffing my emotions to the point that I basically felt nothing at all because the alternative was worse. I have let too many people treat me badly because it was just easier. </div><div><br></div><div>If my food was wrong at a restaurant, nothing could convince me to say something for fear of upsetting someone. If I didn't agree with something someone was doing or how they were treating me, if I showed it at all, it was very passive aggressive. And only then because I couldn't help it. Some of you know that experience well. I am working on learning how to share those feelings before they get to a stressful stage. I am still very bad at it- I still grin and bear it most of the time. Sometimes my fear of judgement or conflict was just absurd. For example, I wouldn't enable to share your listening feature on Spotify because I was afraid someone would disapprove of what I was listening to or think it was lame. Yes really. A few months ago I made myself start sharing because that's a great way for others to discover awesome things, and because I am actively trying to let this part of me go. It was REALLY hard to do that and for a long time I actually censored what I was listening to because I knew people would see it!!! </div><div><br></div><div>Feeling only the most extreme emotions- practically numb, is not a great way to go through life, I do not recommend it. You miss out on a lot. I have no idea why I am actually sharing this with you guys. I don't have a neat conclusion yet, I am a work in progress. But I HAVE come a long long way. I feel my feelings now. More every day. I am learning to process them instead of ignore them, and sometimes even resolve them! I guess I am sharing because I needed to process and sort through some things and this is kind of where I do that for now. I continue to be surprised and comforted by your encouragement. When I first started sharing my heart I expected ridicule, or at best to be ignored. But instead I have been met with enthusiasm and praise. Thank you to those who take the time to read what I write and for those who are so kind. I am so glad you are my friends and that get to know each other a little better as time goes on.</div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-82814791260289262852021-05-12T15:47:00.000-04:002021-05-12T15:47:28.844-04:00PART 1 OF OUR BEACH TRIP In lieu of a birthday party this year, we decided to celebrate me turning 40 with a much needed family trip to the beach! I am super excited, the beach is my happy place and I don't get to go anywhere near often enough. I have never been to this area of FL before so it was a special treat!
I have been telling people I was "almost 40" for years now so I am super happy to finally actually BE 40. 40 is gonna be awesome!
I finally had time to sort through some of my beach pictures so here's a few of them. The pictures of crabs are per the request of my son Alex. He loves finding things like that and spent a lot of time exploring. I think they look a little too much like spiders.
Navarre Beach was my favorite beach that I have ever been to in the US. It's so peaceful, and it has the longest pier in Florida! We walked that thing so many times, both in the daytime and night time because it's amazing! My friend Delilah and I saw a hammerhead shark and SO many dolphins. The dolphins were playing literally like 20 feet RIGHT behind my husband Chris and our daughter Maddie as they collected seashells on the beach. The dolphins were SO close to the shore!
Hearing and feeling the waves shake the pier underneath you at night is quite the experience. I want to live there and spend every day just staring out at the ocean.
The night before we left, Lila and I sat on the beach in Destin and watched the sunset. Because we both love it so much. Everyone else chose to go back and hang out with Price and Stacey who were so kind to let us stay with them at their home. It was a bit chilly sitting there as th sun went down but we kept our toes in the sand anyway and bundled up. Because when you are the beach, how can you not? We got to see three different weddings take place, and see lanterns being set off over the ocean. It was kind of perfect.Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-27480958693430456022021-05-06T18:53:00.001-04:002021-05-06T18:53:17.068-04:00FLOWERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div><p dir="ltr">I know I am supposed to be sharing beach pictures but I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of them that I keep putting it off! So today you get my current situation. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I have no idea how to "garden". No one taught me anything about flowers or plants (or anything else for that matter but that's a very different conversation). I love plants and flowers to my core despite my lack of education about them, so I am slowly and painfully figuring it out on my own. If I could keep them alive my house would have plants everywhere. So far I only have a few hardy ones that put up with me. My hubby Chris built me a plant shelf for my kitchen window that I really need to share but I keep forgetting. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I have never ever planted flowers before. I am allergic to bees (and I have a fear of failure), so I just never tried it. I absolutely love hydrangeas and I actually had a dream about them the other day. I couldn't stop thinking about them, so I decided to ask for some for mothers day. We were at Lowes the other day and I got to go ahead and pick them out. I have no idea if there is something else I am supposed to do besides water them? I know that when dead parts appear you pick or cut them off. Any other tips for me? </p>
<p dir="ltr">I planted some flower seeds around the yard too but who knows if anything will come of that. I don't know anything about planting seeds either 😂🤣.</p></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-471756283519680042021-03-17T00:42:00.001-04:002021-03-17T00:42:55.868-04:00Ready for bed- babysitting is hard work!I always forget how much work it is to babysit small people. Its a lot of fun, but when you are used to having a mostly independent set of kids, its hard work! Especially with 3 under 5! Major kuddos to my sister Maggie, my sister in law Kaye, and all of you with more than one little person at a time...because I don't know how you guys do it. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I am wiped out, and I am sore, but it sure was fun spending time with my sisters kids- my niece and nephews today, (the three big ones were upstairs and outside the whole time so no pictures). I dont get to see them often enough and my kiddos really enjoyed having them here. There are few things better in the whole wide world than snuggling a sleeping baby.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-87579258448685484662021-03-09T22:11:00.001-05:002021-03-09T22:16:11.534-05:00I'm Giving Up Coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div><div>You may be tempted to feel sad about this but I want to tell you that this IS NOT sad. It is just a part of my story and a part of what has made me who I am today. I really felt like I was supposed to share this. Today has been day 2 of no more drinking coffee. I will explain more about that in a future post, but I wanted to get this out of the way first because it’s been in my head and needed to get out. This has been pretty hard to do because drinking coffee has been a very emotional thing for me since I was 16. Part of understanding this requires me to share a little bit more about me with you. </div><div><br></div><div>I didn’t have the opportunity to be very close to my mom for a lot of my life. I went get into a ton of that today, ( I am happy to share my story with anyone who ever wants to hear it, and I will probably eventually get it all out in tiny bits and pieces here and there, but that's not the point of this post). I went to live in a foster home at 9 and was adopted by my grandparents at 13. I was only allowed to see my mother for a few hours on Saturdays. I talked to her on the phone a few days a week for a few days a week and that was it. </div><div><br></div><div>A lot of that changed when I was 16 and had my twins. I started being able to see her whenever I wanted and actually went to her house a few times a week. Eventually I even got to spend Christmases with her and my sister. It was awkward at first because the relationship was never really mom and daughter so much as it was awkward friends. In fact, my brother that I have raised for the past 7 years told me recently that he had no idea that I was his sister until after my mom passed. He just thought I was her friend. Certain topics were completely off limits and I didn’t see eye to eye with her on a lot of things, One thing that helped us bond and gave us something to talk about during each visit was coffee. It became a ritual of sorts. As soon as I came over she would brew a pot and we would decide which flavors to try. She would buy special coffee cups and creamers and things for us to try together. Her Christmas gift to me every year was the Starbucks Christmas blend. We both loved it and would wait and drink our first cup of the season together, </div><div><br></div><div>Shortly after my father died my mom and I got a lot closer and we became real friends. We had some incredibly hard painful conversations but we were the better for them. A few years later she started to have back issues- she had to quit working and went on disability because she could barely walk. They gave her epidurals that lasted about 30 days and those helped her immensely. But the last few days before it was time for her to get a new one, she would be almost immobile. It started to be me who did the shopping and the coffee making, because eventually she was wheelchair bound for walks longer than to her car from the house. </div><div><br></div><div>7 years ago, I bought a new flavor of coffee to try because I thought my mom would like it. I had actually just finished drinking a cup of that coffee when I got a knock on my door from a policeman saying that they needed me to come to the hospital right away because she was there. I had no idea that she was already gone. They don’t tell you that apparently, even if they already know. I was excited to tell her that I had a new coffee she was going to absolutely love and that I was going to make it for her as soon as she got home. That day was the first and last time I ever drank it because I couldn't bring myself to touch it again. It’s absurd in light of everything else but I was so upset that she was never going to even get to taste the new coffee I picked out for her.</div><div><br></div><div>Obviously coffee has some deep emotional ties for me. I hear it brewing and smell it, and literally think of happy times spent with my mom. When I am trying to connect with someone, I automatically tie in coffee without even thinking about it. I have wanted to quit for some time, and I didn’t like the idea of being addicted to something. I just didn’t know how to get past the idea of it making me sad not to have it anymore and make that choice for myself. This post has no other purpose than to share a little bit about myself with you and share where I am at right now. I know my mom would support me in this new journey and would happily drink tea with me instead. Chris and I have some pretty exciting news to share with you guys soon and giving up coffee is part of that, so I wanted to share how hard this was for me to help you understand me better. No, I am not pregnant, haha. I can’t wait to share all of that with you guys really soon! </div><div><br></div><div>The picture is a picture of my mom holding Alex the day he was born, and the big kid on her lap is Adam, my little brother meeting him for the first time. Day 2 of no coffee has so far been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Especially because we had to get up extra early this morning and I haven’t had time for any naps. Do you drink coffee? Do you have any emotional ties to it? If not, is there some other food or drink that has special memories for you? </div></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-60847694236592157862021-02-28T18:15:00.001-05:002021-02-28T18:15:40.323-05:00Snow FunWe really enjoyed the recent snowfall that we had. This family loves winter weather, and we made sure to go outside every single day and get the most out of it for the brief time that it was here. Living in KY, honestly we wished it snowed a little more often- but we will take what we can get! The snow is long gone now- but the pictures last a little longer thankfully.
Maddie made her big brother Alex and I help her build a snowman. She named it Bubblegum. We also made snow paint a few days later. We had 6 big squeeze bottles but the paint went quickly, so not many creations were made. Especially since they insisted on thoroughly coating Bubblegum in rainbow colors. Next time, I will fill several gallon containers with each color of "paint" and then we can refill quickly and easily.
We tried to make those frozen water balloon globes that I have been seeing around a lot lately. They didn't turn out as pretty as we had hoped. We left them outside in 16 degrees and less for two days and they even got snowed on, but a few weren't frozen all the way and they all still leaked food dye when we picked them up. We didn't mind that at all because it made the snow pretty. Hailey and Maddie rolled them around for awhile and then quickly lost interest. They didn't make very good decorations because they were kind of ugly up close.
Somehow Alex and I got the idea to break them. That ended up being a colorful and super fun endeavor, so somehow we got the idea to film it in slow motion. Throwing frozen rocks at a precise spot hard enough to break is actually a LOT of work. We came inside a few hours later very hot. The end result was much better than the beginning. The broken pieces look a lot like giant sea glass- which is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. For a few days, my tree was decorated, and it made me very happy. It also inspired me to do more with sea glass in the near future.
Did you get any of that big snow snowstorm we had? Did you get to go play outside? Do you like cold?
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Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-78703501611354347562021-02-10T01:45:00.001-05:002021-02-10T01:45:07.180-05:00UNFILTERED<div>I was telling a friend today that I haven't posted on social media recently, despite really wanting to, for a lot of reasons. Mostly it has been because we havent done anything interesting thanks to Covid and the cold weather. But also, because either the house is messy or Maddie, my 4 yr old, is wearing only underwear and I can't share the pictures. My kid hates clothes. She stays dressed the entire time we are out of the house, but takes them off the second we walk in the door usually. I have stopped fighting it for now. The rule is that the underwear must stay on. And sometimes I can get her to keep on a shirt. For the record, Maddie is and always has been, a sensory kid. </div><div><br></div><div>She told me that I needed to get over myself and start sharing my life again because no one cares if my house is messy in the background, and I can cover up the naked kid with stickers. So I am. From now on, you will be getting a messier, but also more authentic version of us. I guess I worried that people would judge us. Now I have accepted that people will judge us and have decided that it will not influence what I share. I am not private by nature- I actually tend to overshare. The phrase TMI was probably coined because of me. 😉. But I also tend to be over cautious on social media to try and avoid exactly that. </div><div><br></div><div>It's exhausting and then anxiety kicks in and I end up not sharing at all. I'm so over it. I'm tired of worrying if I post too many pictures of my kids or dogs, or essential oils (too bad- that kind of sums up my entire life), or worrying if anyone will care what I post, (why does it even matter?!), or if it is tmi, or if my pictures are not pretty or entertaining enough. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Welcome to Sarah unfiltered. But with actual filters on the pics because you know... they are pretty. 😂🤣...</div><div><br></div><div>Pic probably no one wants to see #1: a pic of my feet because I tried some new yoga poses today and wanted to document it. And I have dog hair and fuzz on my pants. Lol. Not at all actually interesting- but this is my real life.</div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-89164926530180385192021-01-12T01:07:00.001-05:002021-01-12T01:08:33.596-05:00Talk To Me About Dreamboards<div>This is the year I finally make a dream board. I have always wanted to do one but, I let fear win. I kind of subscribed to the whole mistaken, 'If I don't get my hopes up then I can't be disappointed' mindset. Its not true and it didn't do me any favors... So now its time to get my hopes up!</div><div><br></div><div>I need tips. Do you have a dream board? How long did it take you to make? Did you put big stuff or big <i>and </i>little dreams? Where did you get your pics? Did you make it on a computer and print it out, or do something else? Anyone want to share your dream boards with me? I would love to see them!</div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-66818771133123486962021-01-07T11:03:00.001-05:002021-03-09T22:15:25.781-05:00It's Time To Listen to One Another<div>I know a lot of people are having strong feelings right now. I don't post or discuss political things on social media most of the time. I try really hard to avoid it. Mostly because I just feel like those conversations, for me- are better had in person. Face to face where you can see the other person's eyes and really hear their heart. And maybe even hug when its over. Because I am not under the impression that we should all agree. Only that we should all listen to one another.</div><div><br></div><div> 2020 was the year of no one listening to anyone else and it seems that 2021 may somehow be even worse. I love all of you. Yes, REALLY, even if I don't know you, (more on that some other time). But I am seeing some things being said right now on social media that some friendships may never recover from. I think a lot of people will wake up tomorrow and have a lot less contacts. I think thats the point. I think thats the entire goal- it's what the enemy wants.<br></div><div><br></div><div> Who is the enemy? Satan. Satan is the enemy. Yeah I know half of you are rolling your eyes. Thats cool, go ahead. But its still what I believe and I believe it with my whole heart. We need less division and more listening. More conversations and less rants. I know this is basically a rant and that makes me a hypocrite. I'm ok with that too I guess. Lol. Its not really though... To be fair, I am not angry. I am sad. I am so sad. Everything feels yucky right now. </div><div><br></div><div>I have a feeling I will be praying myself to sleep tonight. I do that a lot, so thats a good thing. If you are distraught by all of the current circumstances too, I recommend you try it. Really, just give it a shot. You have nothing to lose.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div> In other news, I am diffusing the heck outta this combo- Stress Away and Tangerine. I need it. I have never been more grateful for my essential oils than in the past year.</div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-17367518019880966462021-01-02T05:25:00.001-05:002021-01-02T05:25:55.600-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021Happy New Year friends! My resolution is to finally unsubscribe from all of theose annoying emails I spend way too much time deleting and never reading. Yes, really. There are hundreds of them weekly, and it affects my email reading and organization in a big way. To the point that I actually dread opening my email at all- which of course, makes the problem so much worse.😉<div><br></div><div> This is the year I stop accepting things that aren't good for me, or that I don't like- because it's just easier to ignore them. I do that a lot apparantly. But not anymore! How about you? Do you have any New Years resolutions?</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-75721442596864253182013-02-19T23:13:00.000-05:002013-02-19T23:16:40.183-05:00Buggy's First Time Ice Skating!<div style="text-align: center;">
We went ice skating with the youth group at our church last week. I wasn't able to skate but there were enough people willing to help my husband out with Hailey Bug that she got to skate! It was her first time on the ice. She loved it! I was pretty far away, so I wasn't able to capture the giant smile she had plastered on her face most of the time. Nor was I actually able to capture with my camera any of the hundreds of times she fell over. Oh well. She didn't really seem to mind falling.</div>
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This is a picture of Chris (hubby), helping Hailey Bug out onto the ice for the first time. It kind of looks like she is dragging him. Hmm.... Lol.</div>
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I love this picture because Hailey's little belly is sticking out. Not sure what was up with that, her shirt fit. Must have been a Daddy thing. Ha! </div>
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Here, one of the other youth leaders, Steph, is helping Hailey Bug. </div>
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I think Bug liked skating with her best of all because she did more
with her. Every time they passed me, her smile was the biggest I have
ever seen on her!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7yVSMLpS7ce44J5jIMmJv6TICCOLtdnUFou6Gwjf6zSAqlRzcXj2P-A3NJvJqqSMksa1VIHDqooNDYS84NZDJJ0niNSic-DR69tUgqm9IEeEwJ7cKj1wet0vcoljWbaoYj-5laEl3Nc/s1600/ICE+SKATING+2013+035ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
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Toddler get to wear those little double bladed "skates" that strap onto the bottom of their shoes. I was glad for that, because it gave her stability and she had no trouble keeping her balance. I think it would have been a lot harder for her otherwise. She pretty much just walked around on the ice. She didn't really get the whole gliding thing. Next time! </div>
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She really enjoyed bending over and picking up the little piles of ice shavings and then eating them. Kind of gross, but I wasn't out there to stop it so there was nothing I could do. Blech. This kid loves to eat snow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WvECfGy9FAuTdJhky0qUl4nE9PQI6Eeh8bQ0DQEEPajBPAv_A9BusKqqpWvlA9z1kCx4V2RqDvo8MW2qU8tm56v8AITvQzXsHVM170fWyiK7xNVVUuvsqtnVs5SIN82Vu5LkJ7WXxYs/s1600/ICE+SKATING+2013+035ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WvECfGy9FAuTdJhky0qUl4nE9PQI6Eeh8bQ0DQEEPajBPAv_A9BusKqqpWvlA9z1kCx4V2RqDvo8MW2qU8tm56v8AITvQzXsHVM170fWyiK7xNVVUuvsqtnVs5SIN82Vu5LkJ7WXxYs/s640/ICE+SKATING+2013+035ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Poor Alex had a much harder time of it. He also went skating for the first time when he was 2, and has been many times since... but for some reason he has never really gotten the hang of it. This kid is SO much like me, it's just not even funny. Hailey Bug is just like her daddy (anything sporty or dangerous seems fun to them and they are good at everything that they do!), and poor Alex unfortunately got the goofy, nonathletic, slightly nerdy, scaredy cat, artistic genes instead. I was hoping all of my kids would be more like Chris.<br />
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He and I are both wall huggers when we skate. He only fell over when he let go! :D </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-By0c4cIKkFPo9g7xuQ4DAfnyhsWmBEE82mI3QpMFSYumTzKSfO-Yu87ppVLx0py0Gd28YY4N5guRHkR2WjRfO4psA5Gmuaa5Y8rzkRNYw34doNyz49cTWMqx1JSAza-W3ZADUtW7VM/s1600/ICE+SKATING+2013+122ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-By0c4cIKkFPo9g7xuQ4DAfnyhsWmBEE82mI3QpMFSYumTzKSfO-Yu87ppVLx0py0Gd28YY4N5guRHkR2WjRfO4psA5Gmuaa5Y8rzkRNYw34doNyz49cTWMqx1JSAza-W3ZADUtW7VM/s640/ICE+SKATING+2013+122ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBX-GF7lY0CDBvaW18HzvWcvh1DOoygQRfFqqPUA5RkMjNzT-0KC50E684wej5OJ8NQ0jgMzNJ72v-O2h9B7DdQLXh6SbkVzt7HN6Jh8Qe_bDTLzHA_Vpe1M1ZNn-DJtrkgdbOEuTaXg/s1600/ICE+SKATING+2013+085ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBX-GF7lY0CDBvaW18HzvWcvh1DOoygQRfFqqPUA5RkMjNzT-0KC50E684wej5OJ8NQ0jgMzNJ72v-O2h9B7DdQLXh6SbkVzt7HN6Jh8Qe_bDTLzHA_Vpe1M1ZNn-DJtrkgdbOEuTaXg/s640/ICE+SKATING+2013+085ICE+SKATING+2013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I wish I had gotten a picture of the three of them together but they were never in the same place at the same time. Alex skated slowly alone or with his friends (I didn't share those pictures for privacy reasons), but he didn't really hang out with his dad and sister too much. </div>
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I have a feeling we will be doing this again sometime very soon. :D </div>
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<3 Sarah</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04963816699610027527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-36780503448048907152013-02-09T23:52:00.001-05:002013-02-09T23:52:31.653-05:00I Heart Faces Photo Challenge | Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mSkDi3u56Enf88cdevh2tfQVr6St9T3NCsSLFrJqTGyJZ4jPa6QcYuBw_t1cCCrNcRSW5OWIVLiRdX2fuaiBHBXkZnQNqciojupj_ukz8UqYGyyVKLCqPrHkbui-DSovqXZsyz0ssAE/s640/Big+brother+kiss1.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-xgSoP0oAnCacDePlrogpX-8PlTYb0PXOeYMnwwRtDu2T9KaR9aLb5boaZvp0IzgwjmVTpcZhwqVoJwgnxzBSccQJhe3KgqSvYnFWT6NqWRBFy-wEkpswaPqLZXZVLDZe9FfBS_4TXg/s1600/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" /></a></div>
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This picture always makes me smile because of the story behind it. I got a cute onesie for Hailey Bug that said Lilly Sister and Alex was immediately upset that he didn't have a Big Brother shirt to match it. He made me make him one with puffy paint. It wasn't pretty but he was soooo proud of it! He wore it all the time! The day I made it, he begged me to put her shirt on and take a picture. This is what I got. Alex is such a great big brother! :D I think I need to keep this picture out so that on bad days, I can remember moments like these.<br />
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<3 Sarah</div>
Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-55075920374363374752012-08-17T01:23:00.000-04:002012-08-17T01:23:18.976-04:00Hailey's First Trip to the Zoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheuDYKMvwWBFQM3g80OPrsPiX5J2v0crg4XNSNWAnpz9P4yYcS9SkxYiZld5h1pnSauut9hZyQNydJ7XotSR59eYpmRLYIsSIfwttPT2IDP0Xww2tHL-UHBYOSjYCPKWKt0N47Np1m9w/s1600/IMG_4888zoo+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheuDYKMvwWBFQM3g80OPrsPiX5J2v0crg4XNSNWAnpz9P4yYcS9SkxYiZld5h1pnSauut9hZyQNydJ7XotSR59eYpmRLYIsSIfwttPT2IDP0Xww2tHL-UHBYOSjYCPKWKt0N47Np1m9w/s640/IMG_4888zoo+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Last weekend we took Hailey to the zoo for the first time. I was really excited because she really enjoys animals, and I knew she was going to love it. I was wrong... Sort of. The most excited she got about any one animal was the monkeys. And even then she was more interested about climbing the fence that enclosed the monkeys, than she actually was in them. They just kind of sat there and she lost interest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5nai6AY-Pp-YuNATh8fkUxfGwc5NmORt7AecFLvzKOQzlGWuN0oTRmjlXJj-mWSHbnwfZ2Z2rN-m6Fed89rK7NJT_XW4ubQ-4gP7N5GXXJrjHKq7jdX1wrq5O2DmZYufkBvp7Nso6E/s1600/IMG_4889zoo+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5nai6AY-Pp-YuNATh8fkUxfGwc5NmORt7AecFLvzKOQzlGWuN0oTRmjlXJj-mWSHbnwfZ2Z2rN-m6Fed89rK7NJT_XW4ubQ-4gP7N5GXXJrjHKq7jdX1wrq5O2DmZYufkBvp7Nso6E/s640/IMG_4889zoo+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Part of the problem was that the zoo was VERY crowded, so she didn't really ever get an opportunity to walk around. I was afraid she would get run over or lost. It was a genuine possibility, it was that crowded. Most of the time, this is what we looked like:<br />
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It's hard to excited about animals (that are really far away behind bars and glass), when you are riding around in a stroller. Especially when 20 other people are pressed up against the glass in front of you.<br />
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She only got to see a handful of animals the whole day. If I think about it too hard, it makes me sad. Instead, I am choosing to be happy about the animals she did get to see. She actually got to see this little guy as up close as possible. When she saw him, she pointed and said, "OWL!". Which surprised the heck out of me, because I had not taught her that one yet... I gotta say, he is kind of cute!<br />
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Alex and Corey (my friend's kid, Alex's buddy, and Hailey's favorite person on the planet), had a good time. They just squeezed between all the other people and had themselves a look at whatever they wanted. The crowds didn't phase them a bit. Must have been nice. Lol.<br />
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Hailey Bug never got to see the tiger, which is sad because she LOVES tigers and lions. This is because whenever we watch a movie where the intro has a lion that roars, she gets all excited and roars too. And squeals, "LION! ROAR!". So I know she would have been very excited to see a real one. :(<br />
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She saw the gorilla, but seeing as how he just laid there all lazy the whole time, she was unimpressed. Chris (my hubby), says that we just got there too late and the animals were too tired and hot to do anything. I say that's as good an excuse as any but it still stinks. After NOT seeing a bunch of random animals that literally melted into their backgrounds (another reason it was hard for her to see them), we moved on to the carousel. I knew she was going to love that because she loved it so much at the fair. <br />
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She had a blast. Until the ride stopped. Then she flipped out. I mean, full on tantrum. The picture below is the expression on her face as she realized the ride was stopping. I knew she would be upset but I had no idea what was coming. She threw herself on the ground and screamed bloody murder. <br />
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There was no line, we literally got off the ride, walked around and got back on. But she was screaming and crying so hard by the time we got back on, that despite her happiness to be back on the carousel, her cheeks were streaked with tears. I tried to explain that we were going to ride again, but she didn't get it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTOARkPfantVp66VbGfNNs0yaFVUNF8wHOBP7UIQsseL2aUmAQef4yKYylmPHP8KhJOHqdzm7EHkPJrxhVS_2wuRsCduIIZvhG1J6JUs4Q9cNJbBHgDZRlPTzeHCExw8NhaNCbx7AZpI/s1600/IMG_4927zoo+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTOARkPfantVp66VbGfNNs0yaFVUNF8wHOBP7UIQsseL2aUmAQef4yKYylmPHP8KhJOHqdzm7EHkPJrxhVS_2wuRsCduIIZvhG1J6JUs4Q9cNJbBHgDZRlPTzeHCExw8NhaNCbx7AZpI/s640/IMG_4927zoo+2012.jpg" width="640" /> </a>So, while all of the other children were basking in the post ride glow,
she was having a cow. I got some really strange looks. Strangely it
didn't bother me that much. Eh. Alex is my mellow child. :D</div>
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Looking at Corey. She is still upset from her tantrum, but trying to be happy. That's ALMOST a smile.<br />
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I didn't have it in me to put up with two epic meltdowns in a 10 minute span or I would have let her ride again, but one was all I could handle. Sad. Wish she could skip the freak out part when it is over and just enjoy the ride. It makes her SO happy to be on the carousel. Wonder what she likes so much?<br />
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Such a cutie when she isn't having a cow. Sheesh. I wish words could describe how much she loves the stupid carousel. Chris even said we need to build one in the backyard now. If only!<br />
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Her favorite animal of the day was the matinee, which happens to be my favorite animal as well. I think she liked it so much because it was SO CLOSE. Especially after looking at a bunch of animals that might as well have been pictures on a wall. This one moved constantly, was huge and was only a few feet away!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXZApWwEMEo01ABbqhuqhYH1VeXTX4Xm24kwS2lISyH3fWr0cDj4yg7pafSUuogavpDhUmFkWR0xg5cuy7-oZH6YgEejGLKaO7lKzKnsRkZWHfccNPCcRfH_1mvH70n6Um8fHpl50eAk/s1600/IMG_4950zoo+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXZApWwEMEo01ABbqhuqhYH1VeXTX4Xm24kwS2lISyH3fWr0cDj4yg7pafSUuogavpDhUmFkWR0xg5cuy7-oZH6YgEejGLKaO7lKzKnsRkZWHfccNPCcRfH_1mvH70n6Um8fHpl50eAk/s640/IMG_4950zoo+2012.jpg" width="640" /> </a>She got to watch the baby matinee eating a head of lettuce while sitting in a bubble. She thought that was awesome. I thought it was cute. And I got to get a picture of her little toes. </div>
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If you are ever in doubt about which one to take a toddler to, an aquarium or a zoo... pick the aquarium.<br />
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<3, Sarah</div>
Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-86829809093683081232012-07-20T15:26:00.001-04:002012-07-20T15:33:30.108-04:00Praying for the Victims of the Colorado Movie Theater Shooting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9waUm7dDO3CWyODSUXpaethdtgFU1keR3Z_qGH2R8KMJDWz4lGTCkLdtL3JJU9Jc540IrS4wIhc94nEQ4m3IX_JXLBXyCFrnrzTNGNnbgWYMuMaLsdFMucKvmdIeV7f27qnI-nRF8h3o/s1600/sepia+prayer+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9waUm7dDO3CWyODSUXpaethdtgFU1keR3Z_qGH2R8KMJDWz4lGTCkLdtL3JJU9Jc540IrS4wIhc94nEQ4m3IX_JXLBXyCFrnrzTNGNnbgWYMuMaLsdFMucKvmdIeV7f27qnI-nRF8h3o/s640/sepia+prayer+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Please join me in prayer for all of the people that have been affected by the shooting that took place in Colorado early this morning: My heart goes out to every one of you. </div>
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAmsv4uHaJt.blogger">Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 71 Victims the Largest Shooting in U.S. History - ABC News\</a></div>
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So senseless, so sad. Let this be a vivid reminder to all of us that life changes in a heartbeat. Let us live life to the fullest and not take a single moment for granted. Do you have unfinished business that you need to take care of? Not one of us is guaranteed tomorrow. </div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-71953150097399924402012-07-03T14:02:00.000-04:002012-07-03T17:43:05.685-04:00I Heart Faces Photo Challenge | Enjoying Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44kb-APL95L9Ik8R2rDh8G6MGec2GEJN3_-cfvHgwW57_D4g4k-c-joTjYtjonMJAXRXCBdU7LLSELJJSjcP2KCeZYognxYTG6z2_DlZ7Zui15lsk6d1TEnCe8tTK_B7loMNrAvSAcho/s1600/IMG_2611Hailey+Free+Friday+Flicks+Zoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44kb-APL95L9Ik8R2rDh8G6MGec2GEJN3_-cfvHgwW57_D4g4k-c-joTjYtjonMJAXRXCBdU7LLSELJJSjcP2KCeZYognxYTG6z2_DlZ7Zui15lsk6d1TEnCe8tTK_B7loMNrAvSAcho/s640/IMG_2611Hailey+Free+Friday+Flicks+Zoo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-xgSoP0oAnCacDePlrogpX-8PlTYb0PXOeYMnwwRtDu2T9KaR9aLb5boaZvp0IzgwjmVTpcZhwqVoJwgnxzBSccQJhe3KgqSvYnFWT6NqWRBFy-wEkpswaPqLZXZVLDZe9FfBS_4TXg/s1600/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" /></a></div>
I love this picture. Watching these two together is what enjoying life is all about, for me. They are better than a movie any day! :) Oh, I LOVE them so much!!!Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-45384594783263184272012-04-30T21:00:00.001-04:002012-04-30T21:00:19.489-04:00Popsicles and Bare Feet<div>
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Today, Hailey Bug had her first popsicle. I am pretty laid back but I have little tolerance for sticky messes, so the rule in our house is that ALL popsicles have to be eaten outside. Which naturally means there arent many being eaten when its cold outside!<br />
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Today it was nice and warm and everyone got to eat a yummy grape popsicle. Hailey knew just what to do. She gobbled it right up! I love babies (I know I know, she is a toddler, but in my head she is still a baby!), with popsicles!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A1t5T1o6DAytYY9-f8uRBdpogQxvbmSWwCRHS8PFcHngeCia4P0FObze9-C-CaNH8RwxOmCI-I8BemETkZ8zsjmKekYL2k5cHWM4cG1yfkUPB8reafZerAwHGkm9GiAbdtkWu2FJMBg/s1600/2012-04-30155205-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A1t5T1o6DAytYY9-f8uRBdpogQxvbmSWwCRHS8PFcHngeCia4P0FObze9-C-CaNH8RwxOmCI-I8BemETkZ8zsjmKekYL2k5cHWM4cG1yfkUPB8reafZerAwHGkm9GiAbdtkWu2FJMBg/s640/2012-04-30155205-1.jpg" width="476" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5BE-dM55Ued7tMQSR4fBhuA3wxf7oWgJtufXc4AH66Pljpsc-wAaAKjn167Dne3s0j-GtxpCAqOG_NS4Qd9egCPA7Tfifu0iyMX0fMn4ZZhalHdkACWm_RLyn-huKkJMHXldPiWmEaM/s1600/2012-04-30155604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5BE-dM55Ued7tMQSR4fBhuA3wxf7oWgJtufXc4AH66Pljpsc-wAaAKjn167Dne3s0j-GtxpCAqOG_NS4Qd9egCPA7Tfifu0iyMX0fMn4ZZhalHdkACWm_RLyn-huKkJMHXldPiWmEaM/s400/2012-04-30155604.jpg" width="300" /></a> Alex looks so big in these pictures! He will be 9 years old in a few months! <br /><br />
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Dirty face, sticky hands and arms: it doesn't get much better than that!!! :D I hope you guys are enjoying the good weather too! Have a wonderful day!!! </div>
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~ Sarah</div>
<br /></div>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-1204316737237514262012-04-12T16:35:00.000-04:002012-04-12T16:35:32.953-04:00Raiinbow Rice and Pasta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I saw dyed rice on Pinterest and was instantly intrigued. What a really cool idea, who knew? I HAD to try it. And since I love colors and we all know I love rainbow everything, I had to make it rainbow rice. While I was on the site looking for the original idea so I could link back to it, I came across many different versions of rainbow dyed rice. Guess I am not that original after all. I am ok with that! :D It was a lot of fun. So much fun that I decided to break out a box of pasta and dye that too. And I learned a lot. I will definitely be doing this again. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoDZ0_vEK253AgO1cFPOhNhoAa8dG4yfZDOTNg-KCcbZLIWYfFFC55pZDsCnzUKKpn7bI7zGWjmFfajj2DhK0gKs8E6MBhW3wggBG1aq36kadu2PjbAM4S5-4AP5HL3pzCqrjqgC3JQY/s1600/IMG_1772Rainbow+rice+and+pasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoDZ0_vEK253AgO1cFPOhNhoAa8dG4yfZDOTNg-KCcbZLIWYfFFC55pZDsCnzUKKpn7bI7zGWjmFfajj2DhK0gKs8E6MBhW3wggBG1aq36kadu2PjbAM4S5-4AP5HL3pzCqrjqgC3JQY/s640/IMG_1772Rainbow+rice+and+pasta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
A lot of the tutorials on Pinterest showed the people dying their rice with that fancy food coloring that comes in pots. I know it is commonly used for icing and fondant but I don't ever do that, so I don't own any. I just used the normal boring food dye that comes in those little bottles with the pointy lids that remind me of garden gnomes. Maybe I am the only one. I dunno.<br />
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Most of the other sites also used vinegar but I used hand sanitizer because that is what they used in the original tutorial I came across. I may have to try vinegar next time to see if the results are different. I used a full pump of the hand sanitizer on the first bag I made. Which was waaay too much and I ended up having to use almost double the dye. So less hand sanitizer is better. :D <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08HUzyEP7ITFgGXebCmejfFL271sQEqpomFGE47c-BClVST7VSn1SMAbht4WlJLSERil1B-7SqoB4vxOn6gb1i9aNRYvaSqixACwpcpGy0zDn4VBFA9aZ1oTkdrs-Vqnd6KvNt80s9Ak/s1600/IMG_1777Rainbow+rice+and+pasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08HUzyEP7ITFgGXebCmejfFL271sQEqpomFGE47c-BClVST7VSn1SMAbht4WlJLSERil1B-7SqoB4vxOn6gb1i9aNRYvaSqixACwpcpGy0zDn4VBFA9aZ1oTkdrs-Vqnd6KvNt80s9Ak/s640/IMG_1777Rainbow+rice+and+pasta.jpg" width="640" /></a>With the pasta, I had a harder time. The rice was absorbent and sucked the color right up. On the contrary, the pasta wanted nothing to do with the color. If you notice, the purple is more of a funky magenta/ blackish brownish color. Oh well. I had to use as little hand sanitizer as possible because when it got really liquidy, it wouldn't stick. I had to use at least 5 drops of food color per bag, and for the red it was more like 8. Same with purple. And as you can see, the bags got dyed too. The pasta didn't suck up the extra like the rice did. Wondering if vinegar would work better on the pasta. </div>
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Now I can't wait for it to dry so I can get pictures of the baby playing with it!!! :D I am going to put it in a big container and set her loose with bowls and measuring cups and little sand toys. She's gonna love it!</div>
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Oh, and consider this your warning: no matter how careful you are, you will probably end up with dye somewhere. On your countertop, on your hands, (hopefully not on your clothes!), but it will almost definitely end up somewhere that you may not want it to. Just be careful!</div>
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I originally saw this idea on Pinterest. I couldn't find the original tutorial that I saw a long time ago, but here is a really good one if you are interested: <a href="http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2011/06/rainbow-rice-garden-sensory-play.html" target="_blank">http://www.momtastic.com/home-and-living/home/168293-diy-kaleidoscope-rice</a>Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-70250975417586571752012-03-14T17:55:00.000-04:002012-03-14T17:55:20.772-04:00Hailey's First Snow Day<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;">We haven't had a real snow day at all- the snow that did manage to fall
always melted before we could get to it. :D But this was different!
Hailey Bug had never seen snow before and she loved it! I have to
mention that ice is one of her favorite things, and she quickly figured
out that it was basically ice. <img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF23kEngp7lIOtQAYtsZDfXypXEM8PcZ0awEA4MmWVAZoFd-2rPteEtxZKo2JOWl9WI2Q_L7AQ6ekfrB5J38x_W9JjbIE4QOgTiRJ1jMdDcixbZchbPBQcVbbEaKDlRZM2YRJA_rwj3xk/s640/IMG_1488SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hailey LOVED the snowman! She kept pointing at him and squealing with happiness. I wish I knew what she was thinking. I have no idea, but whatever it was she was amused. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Mr. Snowman! :D</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81q1m2lhtxxE2kmTO4sbtWLDB4wcjxMsU2w7QNpJ-CF6yH4yIHwHgR4xIfeGNhmvIPMS5Wd73Ilgn0ltMTDhA8VF02O9kl35hGY5DL86xdM41vPYXMPR4UCwi4jMzNoirvp2i4EqQZZk/s320/IMG_1388SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="234" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hubby and son built a Luigi snowman. :) He got a Mr. Potato Head eyes nose & mustache. I made Alex stand next to the snowman when it was done and he refused to smile. But if you look really close, you can see he is ALMOST smiling!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2C5RRS0WfCBGhhBv0TQbXeM0L8XSElj-QMgs7g5BKUWQe_HZxA7767E2ZFXDOm-cNBM4Rl_xzeUt_VvQ6lMhHs1poENFLiCXgYnG5VzbYZ2OcPOCzQhp5jwNqSzwFbuoHyhVgSpDpXM/s1600/IMG_1404SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2C5RRS0WfCBGhhBv0TQbXeM0L8XSElj-QMgs7g5BKUWQe_HZxA7767E2ZFXDOm-cNBM4Rl_xzeUt_VvQ6lMhHs1poENFLiCXgYnG5VzbYZ2OcPOCzQhp5jwNqSzwFbuoHyhVgSpDpXM/s640/IMG_1404SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" width="474" /></a><br />
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At first, Hailey just kind of stood around taking everything in. I want you to notice the Walmart bag booties. :D She only has like, two pairs of shoes and none of them were snow appropriate. So we covered her little feet with plastic bags to keep them dry. Not very sophisticated, but you do what you gotta do! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztvjO9jHEggJCq-WYluLm-0o07HtKtMfVqqcib58pyFYZJdznx_04tREXmNx33LWPBdoSEBOcbheXehefINUUF-ApRbX9nPbDKMtDJiwxBKtyz2CxpSaRMAboH7l9dHZesS43WaP8KSY/s1600/IMG_1365SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztvjO9jHEggJCq-WYluLm-0o07HtKtMfVqqcib58pyFYZJdznx_04tREXmNx33LWPBdoSEBOcbheXehefINUUF-ApRbX9nPbDKMtDJiwxBKtyz2CxpSaRMAboH7l9dHZesS43WaP8KSY/s640/IMG_1365SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" width="612" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eventually she noticed the bush covered in white stuff, and grabbed it. As soon as it was in her hand, it was in her mouth. And she loved it! :D From that moment on, she had snow in her mouth at all times.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy snow!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More yummy snow!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj6wgULz_FM9jAFc00tCDFFWM0fSBG5XuZJleAuawytIb7i0qVVc05bUFJdYycAfO58hywB77-0tPRuLcP0YOPydZTcK6iVlon-S3IwQo8fZxpOaL54jZNpIKeI_l51ChFq5nNEdnQ-Q/s1600/IMG_1445SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj6wgULz_FM9jAFc00tCDFFWM0fSBG5XuZJleAuawytIb7i0qVVc05bUFJdYycAfO58hywB77-0tPRuLcP0YOPydZTcK6iVlon-S3IwQo8fZxpOaL54jZNpIKeI_l51ChFq5nNEdnQ-Q/s640/IMG_1445SNOW+DAY+2012.jpg" width="422" /></a> Hailey kept trying to walk away! She wanted to explore! We let her get a few houses down and then would bring her back. Take a moment to really appreciate the plastic bag shoes. She pulled it off, but they would have been hilarious on anyone else.Actually, they were hilarious on HER! :D She krinkled when she walked!!!<br />
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She got mad about the gloves and pulled them off a few times but we kept putting them back on. She would grab a glob of snow and carry it around and eat it, and then her little hands would get so cold and she would cry. So finally we MADE her keep the gloves on. <br />
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<br />Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-65943719200060197002012-03-07T00:48:00.002-05:002012-03-07T00:48:18.752-05:00I Heart Faces Photo Challenge | Black & White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VMj4gE5yBZvzVcVlHwC6rdrQeiifAXjiDWex3WiWSmahvJ-cK4mk2YGaL3PIqOGxyMHGkwqnL2DhnDZGQv19avnbWUd8Ll911lVYlHspkV1l_yxyosHftUgkTW_oMEbzU8DV1rGCxBA/s1600/Maddox+newborn01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VMj4gE5yBZvzVcVlHwC6rdrQeiifAXjiDWex3WiWSmahvJ-cK4mk2YGaL3PIqOGxyMHGkwqnL2DhnDZGQv19avnbWUd8Ll911lVYlHspkV1l_yxyosHftUgkTW_oMEbzU8DV1rGCxBA/s640/Maddox+newborn01.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-xgSoP0oAnCacDePlrogpX-8PlTYb0PXOeYMnwwRtDu2T9KaR9aLb5boaZvp0IzgwjmVTpcZhwqVoJwgnxzBSccQJhe3KgqSvYnFWT6NqWRBFy-wEkpswaPqLZXZVLDZe9FfBS_4TXg/s1600/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-xgSoP0oAnCacDePlrogpX-8PlTYb0PXOeYMnwwRtDu2T9KaR9aLb5boaZvp0IzgwjmVTpcZhwqVoJwgnxzBSccQJhe3KgqSvYnFWT6NqWRBFy-wEkpswaPqLZXZVLDZe9FfBS_4TXg/s1600/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" /></a></div>
This is a picture that I took of my sister's baby Maddox. He is so cute. I love how the paci is half the size of his face! :D Go to<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/" target="_blank"> www.Iheartfaces.com</a> and check out all of the other entries. There are twice as many as usual it seems. From now on, things are going to be a bit different. It's kind of exciting! Go check it out.Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-64170533238230281612012-03-05T00:41:00.002-05:002012-03-05T02:02:36.695-05:00Saying Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8fVORfxp4ZdRLVaWE3ZzJTLY2PbZZoMm84wf7YeYGpXNXmL922cGiSw3Bakqj_Jt23xwegpBS9WGSYJgjtRwHoDpL3AUrCDSfUCkwCRyEP3PnuJpSn-BeY1TW0ZFsHK4PnyPn790HgU/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8fVORfxp4ZdRLVaWE3ZzJTLY2PbZZoMm84wf7YeYGpXNXmL922cGiSw3Bakqj_Jt23xwegpBS9WGSYJgjtRwHoDpL3AUrCDSfUCkwCRyEP3PnuJpSn-BeY1TW0ZFsHK4PnyPn790HgU/s640/BABY+HAILEY+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I have been meaning to write this post for over a month now. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I still don't want to. But I need to, for my mental health.<br />
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My grandfather is dying. He has stage IV cancer. It began as melanoma and has now spread to his bone marrow. We (my family and I), found out a little over a month ago. Grandpa found out when had back surgery to fix some cracked vertebrae a few months ago and they discovered it. I guess he needed time to process it and decide how to tell everyone. Grandpa hurt his back last fall while cutting up part of a tree, and he was getting progressively worse right before our eyes. I turns out that most of the pain has been caused by the cancer in his bone. It may have even caused the initial injury. We knew he was in a LOT of pain, but none of us realized how much. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgEUPvKuAkZgD8K-IXuGDdXr9ib2AIs067-u1h0SX-_jO0CU1x_1IaZXktNhQd6btrq9xv9dYLww3j_AZEGdY0qq2aw9JCQt11AttJyfjZjx-LCl4Ld_m5RJakVQeHfu8n0gMlWd5kfo/s1600/foursquare_photo_tmp_camera-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgEUPvKuAkZgD8K-IXuGDdXr9ib2AIs067-u1h0SX-_jO0CU1x_1IaZXktNhQd6btrq9xv9dYLww3j_AZEGdY0qq2aw9JCQt11AttJyfjZjx-LCl4Ld_m5RJakVQeHfu8n0gMlWd5kfo/s400/foursquare_photo_tmp_camera-1.jpg" width="300" /></a> My grandpa has always stayed very busy, and he gets bored easily. He is also very impatient. This meant lots of going and doing. He taught a Sunday school class, drove a bus for both the Ronald McDonald House and his church, went out to eat almost every day, and visited with friends quite a lot. He also took short road trips just for something to do. This man never sat still for very long. I know I realized how much pain he was in when he started asking my son to get things for him instead of literally hopping up to go get them as he always had. He hates asking for help and hates not being able to do things himself so I knew it was bad.<br />
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He was sleeping more and doing less. And he was losing weight like crazy. He hasn't been eating well in the past few years anyway, but just the past few months, he has been looking gaunt. I remember a conversation that my mother and I had a few weeks before he told us about the cancer. We discussed how we thought maybe something else was wrong with him because his behavior had changed so drastically and how we really hoped his back surgery was going to be successful because he was obviously in so much pain that he couldn't just continue that way much longer. Obviously we were noticing the effects that the cancer has already been having on him. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa75emL0db0NUMWk9R3DQ0bPKp0Py0XWeMVOJm9PZ30doqMOrwULnah4ArRTPxbH5H7YoWDA9hQv3yZ4PHSzBEFj_fEGpem0K3faoPwKL457SJ69sEQBV0Qdl8h7PV6nG_2sJYSKSmZo/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa75emL0db0NUMWk9R3DQ0bPKp0Py0XWeMVOJm9PZ30doqMOrwULnah4ArRTPxbH5H7YoWDA9hQv3yZ4PHSzBEFj_fEGpem0K3faoPwKL457SJ69sEQBV0Qdl8h7PV6nG_2sJYSKSmZo/s320/BABY+HAILEY+10.JPG" width="240" /></a>There is an important part of this story that I have left out. My grandmother, (his wife), has Alzheimer's. She has had it for a long time. When I was in high school, she was pretty forgetful, but she rarely had really bad days. A bad day consisted of things like her forgetting where she put her glasses and freaking out because she couldn't see and didn't know what to do. A few years after I got married and moved out, she got worse.<br />
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All of a sudden, bad days meant she would be driving and would completely forget not only where she was going, but also how to get back. She started doing things that made NO sense, and she got upset easily about little things. Still, it wasn't so bad, but it was undeniable that she was getting worse. She could not drive anymore, and she could no longer be left home alone, not even for ten minutes. She would forget where my grandfather was and start calling everyone to see if he was ok. This severely limited what he could and could not do, and at first it was a hard adjustment for him. All of a sudden, she went everywhere with him. Always. But my grandpa has always bent over backwards for everyone, and he took care of her the best way he knew how. <br />
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In the past 8 or so years, she has gotten worse quicker than any of us expected. She was to the point where she would repeat a question once about every five minutes at first, and now it's about every 30 seconds or so. I remember vividly the first time she obviously had no idea who I was. I was over at their house with my son who is now 8. He was about 2 at the time. She asked how I knew him, and my grandfather asked if she knew who I was. She answered that of course she did, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it right that second. My heart sank. I think that was a turning point. Since then, we have all come to accept that she has no idea who any of us are at any given moment, but it doesn't faze me anymore.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQBS2JOFMc0kQZT0XxV4lLmYm6hIdHQmqeqwWdMR2k88oi-0qFsDxZe3P32tMtqQXv2JCZMaBiVqPdOCqEb9F_iTHd0VTU7BS9uOfC_mhG3k89DW41JUXEcJhhY33RpQ-d_VaMfrNTjo/s1600/IMG_1317grandma's+birthday.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQBS2JOFMc0kQZT0XxV4lLmYm6hIdHQmqeqwWdMR2k88oi-0qFsDxZe3P32tMtqQXv2JCZMaBiVqPdOCqEb9F_iTHd0VTU7BS9uOfC_mhG3k89DW41JUXEcJhhY33RpQ-d_VaMfrNTjo/s320/IMG_1317grandma's+birthday.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I know some Alzheimer's patients think that everyone is someone they knew in their past, and I suspect that sometimes my grandma is the same way, but usually she just seems to think she is visiting distant relatives or friends. She asks quite often, "Shouldn't we head home soon?", even though she is at her own house. The other day, Grandma was looking at a picture of her and my grandfather together and she had no idea that it was HER! She thought it was my great grandpa and she was asking who the woman was. She really has no idea who my grandfather is anymore.<br />
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All of a sudden in the past two weeks, she has started falling over while walking, and passing out randomly while doing things like going to the bathroom. It's pretty scary. Even when she didn't know who anyone around her was, or where she was, she was pretty good at making conversation, even if it was the same thing over and over. Now, she just kind of sits quietly and only talks if asked a direct question. And sometimes, not even then. She seems to be in another world. She also has no ability to do things for herself anymore, like going to the bathroom or getting dressed, or eating. It makes me worry. I don't know the stages of Alzheimer's very well, but I know that she is little more independent than my 1 yr old daughter. I can't fathom how much worse it will be before she is bedridden.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MNfj0z5L5agH0cKMSlnoPBEDB-yTyDQMgr1bOnFBE7d3ORN-1UoKuzjlhKNCEuzUjg6JKxjexw1GNnFt2wY2W6nk7uvCsDNXtBKHz9z-96p9MwuxXTwNdkFZ2wgNKAwTdlwlOxMxHtU/s1600/000_0231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MNfj0z5L5agH0cKMSlnoPBEDB-yTyDQMgr1bOnFBE7d3ORN-1UoKuzjlhKNCEuzUjg6JKxjexw1GNnFt2wY2W6nk7uvCsDNXtBKHz9z-96p9MwuxXTwNdkFZ2wgNKAwTdlwlOxMxHtU/s640/000_0231.JPG" width="593" /></a></div>
The purpose of sharing all of that with you was to explain just how bad it is for my grandfather. He has taken care of my grandmother all by himself, since she started needing care. Now HE needs care. He is no longer able to help her up when she falls, or to dress her, or help her to bathe or use the restroom (or clean her up when she is unsuccessful), and most days, even to get up and get her something to eat. He is in so much pain because of the cancer in his back. It is cracking his vertebrae. He can no longer help my grandmother and he will soon no longer be able to help himself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFpDxJIQpfvcntr56acz2en0hG7sUv8A_WWUmUkeW50hRWFOke3frbmOuHkrmkD232i_H8PgB5TQki-E95HRdD-mUJ1Nx9Gj6AkYC_kqZI6Yuj_Jy_HNWOEs7yEb4zlFg4AWma_wXNrs/s1600/i6445831F-EBB7-4466-B0D3-DC797EF5508C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFpDxJIQpfvcntr56acz2en0hG7sUv8A_WWUmUkeW50hRWFOke3frbmOuHkrmkD232i_H8PgB5TQki-E95HRdD-mUJ1Nx9Gj6AkYC_kqZI6Yuj_Jy_HNWOEs7yEb4zlFg4AWma_wXNrs/s400/i6445831F-EBB7-4466-B0D3-DC797EF5508C.jpg" width="400" /></a>This is all very hard to watch. I tried to move in with them so that I could help take care of them but I think God intervened. I have an 8 yr old little boy that I homeschool, and an energetic 14 month old, and they are quite a handful. I don't think I would have been able to properly care for them and my grandparents at the same time. Especially since my grandma has gotten so much worse recently. Thankfully my sister, who is a cna and worked in a nursing home, has moved in with them to help. She is so good with them, and it is such a blessing. <br />
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I have seen my grandparents at least once a week since I moved out and got married. They have seen my children grow up from each of their very first days, and have always been a major part of our lives. I cannot even imagine what life will be like without them. I know my grandma doesn't actually remember them and know who we are, but they know who she is and they love her. I came to the point of accepting a few years ago that my grandma is piety much gone already, and I mourned that loss. I will be sad when she is gone of course, but the grandmother I knew my whole life and loved and enjoyed, is no longer here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsNAxRuxaz0n5pyW2hMoGgcvSoTjLiVofEqQU4dZBEbaPu7sNbLXSbqcMirIk18m2RHHuUY1Tq13MtJa6vi8GKE9e7s2XV45fZN6TvIWNVWopRCTUAN9yA-28fYPbnA6Mq8ICqTqizVA/s1600/183116_1601346474996_1276085530_31270910_2861886_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsNAxRuxaz0n5pyW2hMoGgcvSoTjLiVofEqQU4dZBEbaPu7sNbLXSbqcMirIk18m2RHHuUY1Tq13MtJa6vi8GKE9e7s2XV45fZN6TvIWNVWopRCTUAN9yA-28fYPbnA6Mq8ICqTqizVA/s320/183116_1601346474996_1276085530_31270910_2861886_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> It is very hard to go see them now, and see that every week, they have both gotten so much worse. The dr gave my grandpa 6 months- a year to live. Grandpa has pretty much embraced the 6 month deadline, and I will be shocked if he lives past that, simply out of stubbornness if nothing else. It is hard to see the pain in his eyes when he is talking to me, or to hear about the new thing he simply cannot do anymore. I know it is hard for him because he is losing his independence very quickly. I think that is probably the WORST part for him. Aside from practical things like cooking or cleaning for them, I have no idea how to help him. He is on so many pain killers now that he kind of just sits in his chair and sleeps and watches tv. He only gets up if he has to. I have no idea how to cheer him up or make him better.<br />
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Because of the baby and my son's energy levels, going over to visit is more of a production than they can handle lately. It seems to stress my grandmother out, and I worry that it will only get worse. I am resisting the urge to be over there every single day, soaking up their presence while I can, enjoying my grandfather's company, creating as many memories as possible before he is gone. Watching them die is maybe the hardest thing I have ever had to do and I feel lost and scared. Knowing that if I have another baby, they will never know my grandparents is gut wrenching to me. They have been there at least once a week for my kids entire lives. Every birthday party, every Christmas. All of a sudden and very soon, there is going to be a GIANT hole in our lives and that thought is almost unbearable to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS77gAQZTms6BjIh8l0LC7_mxbQpe06uWwXL1Yxj2ZhzTUn3Bpp9ZKCa8u_9qx1wwNlzGXALi7vqH4EM-43Beo_P8Xi5hyPjo4w42cxb9VnyPdzZnk1z9XUM1qHYAWkBRe0S4F_5LSG6Q/s1600/100_0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS77gAQZTms6BjIh8l0LC7_mxbQpe06uWwXL1Yxj2ZhzTUn3Bpp9ZKCa8u_9qx1wwNlzGXALi7vqH4EM-43Beo_P8Xi5hyPjo4w42cxb9VnyPdzZnk1z9XUM1qHYAWkBRe0S4F_5LSG6Q/s640/100_0399.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I originally intended to write this post about what my grandfather means to me and how devastated I am to be losing him, but somehow this morphed into exactly what is going on with him. I guess I needed to get that part out first. Writing it all down has helped me process and deal with it a little bit. Until now I haven't really been accepting of the fact that he is for real dying. I haven't even really told many people. So I guess I will save the originally intended post for later, when I have the mental energy. Sigh.Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-4254049378722747672012-02-25T22:32:00.001-05:002012-09-25T21:35:40.810-04:00RAINBOW GLOW JARS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDQNYtZ0nW4ZtvmgDaZXffPPxK1bwp-62jmVsKasaJNNE3cwu3jsKmzr8y-NOnz5G2KRuq6n_33x6ZllOFRHaQPEijckfzsEauxxuICMzr9BUG9iyyWPcdEa-hhfnK6e8MdKNFF-CGlM/s1600/IMG_1263Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDQNYtZ0nW4ZtvmgDaZXffPPxK1bwp-62jmVsKasaJNNE3cwu3jsKmzr8y-NOnz5G2KRuq6n_33x6ZllOFRHaQPEijckfzsEauxxuICMzr9BUG9iyyWPcdEa-hhfnK6e8MdKNFF-CGlM/s640/IMG_1263Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I first saw this idea on <a href="http://pinterest.com/rainbocow/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. I was instantly fascinated. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I ALWAYS have glow sticks on hand, and that for any occasion at all that involves darkness (4th of July, going to the movies, etc..), glow sticks will not be far away. I love them. I always have. My kids honestly don't care as much as I do, but they humor me. I first tried making Glow Lanterns, (as they are known on <a href="http://pinterest.com/rainbocow/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>), last year. It was really messy and took a LOT of glow sticks. It was kind of a fail. You can read about it <a href="http://thebusinessofbeingmommy.blogspot.com/2011/09/glowstick-lanterns.html" target="_blank">here</a>. This time, I knew what I was doing and it was a lot more fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xudVoF9qhOD9XM4SY3-zu5akh1ZDRgBZRPbHCA9fe6AB7dCtS58ByBysvTe_aeMvUNlPp6CUm3nI73fQGqU9rEPCrJuQJWnvqHSMtGss0ofd2M2WKPFNCx0QziMzfwhl9krVKYjN5-8/s1600/Rainbow+glow+jars1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xudVoF9qhOD9XM4SY3-zu5akh1ZDRgBZRPbHCA9fe6AB7dCtS58ByBysvTe_aeMvUNlPp6CUm3nI73fQGqU9rEPCrJuQJWnvqHSMtGss0ofd2M2WKPFNCx0QziMzfwhl9krVKYjN5-8/s320/Rainbow+glow+jars1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevnC0G8zmSYHJpoHIPtXZHCAG-bVK2wfJjrhaAflVm0gZoMqrW-NOX3cY2pgVbjbfvCe3tEvlVJGu3I9rxr-EybDethI8C_P_XEpBfT9XEzJ5IhJnQNZ5EIdMy5MfOyi-eUzkhuiYUVM/s1600/IMG_1209Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevnC0G8zmSYHJpoHIPtXZHCAG-bVK2wfJjrhaAflVm0gZoMqrW-NOX3cY2pgVbjbfvCe3tEvlVJGu3I9rxr-EybDethI8C_P_XEpBfT9XEzJ5IhJnQNZ5EIdMy5MfOyi-eUzkhuiYUVM/s200/IMG_1209Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" width="200" /></a>I knew I wanted to make a rainbow. :) Why? Because rainbows are my thing. I started with 6 clean stage 3 baby food jars, and glow sticks in all of the colors I needed. I got a package of ten on clearance after Halloween for less than $2.00! How awesome is that? I knew that they would be perfect for this exact thing! <br />
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I filled each of the baby food jars with water, cracked the glow sticks, and my husband cut each one open and poured them in. I had him do it because it was kind of tough to do. The glow sticks are pretty tough to cut through. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVadJA9mTN2c6SOy1Ghw0fuPw4qdpcgS0RK-c-c0nG-_pxs5GWpPZ5uNRGrYXzX6qHOq38Zs8s_o5wd_GghUFyED069E0okbLD9bm7o_thct46yi9Ip4ATZwxSIAnXtvngo5PX1Dnw-eI/s1600/IMG_1211Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVadJA9mTN2c6SOy1Ghw0fuPw4qdpcgS0RK-c-c0nG-_pxs5GWpPZ5uNRGrYXzX6qHOq38Zs8s_o5wd_GghUFyED069E0okbLD9bm7o_thct46yi9Ip4ATZwxSIAnXtvngo5PX1Dnw-eI/s640/IMG_1211Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" width="640" /></a>It was really quick and very simple. And my kids had a really good time with it. I made an extra one and put it in a water bottle for my 14 month old. I didn't think letting the baby play with a glass jar was a good idea. She wasn't impressed. It didn't glow nearly as bright through the plastic. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAe6tgiGEJlugpLV50oceiQ6O_tzRHHvNt0DKlsxK8_G7y0hLsGCjEroP2IvOqsktgItfZJmKvFGHTIKqEKQkdTz2tGFH6m32Q_k2qV5zz6oNBO794frP6f_NGQO_qKppdCk2WnOjnTo/s1600/IMG_1231Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAe6tgiGEJlugpLV50oceiQ6O_tzRHHvNt0DKlsxK8_G7y0hLsGCjEroP2IvOqsktgItfZJmKvFGHTIKqEKQkdTz2tGFH6m32Q_k2qV5zz6oNBO794frP6f_NGQO_qKppdCk2WnOjnTo/s640/IMG_1231Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" width="640" /></a>This is what they looked like BEFORE we shook them. Really bright and kind of like mini non moving lava lamps. This was my favorite stage. I think next time we do this, there will be no shaking. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt89uEn4aPs7dI9J0IMKtnz0A28F4jx2-fxBvowitNRILb6M67uwN4THPqhgfkF3mso5iqc1Z-hiINdO6C7EWw18UFqsqQc7uocPNozUs0W3-_cBwXi1vJ-mSWaniqiWt4qWuoNAkU6c/s1600/IMG_1270Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt89uEn4aPs7dI9J0IMKtnz0A28F4jx2-fxBvowitNRILb6M67uwN4THPqhgfkF3mso5iqc1Z-hiINdO6C7EWw18UFqsqQc7uocPNozUs0W3-_cBwXi1vJ-mSWaniqiWt4qWuoNAkU6c/s640/IMG_1270Rainbow+glow+jars.jpg" width="640" /></a>And this is what they looked like AFTER we shook them. Kind of muted and boring but still glowy. Once they are mixed up, they fade pretty quickly. The color is almost instantly dimmer. It's very sad. From there the color fades pretty quickly. I guess it mixes with the water and gets diluted. I think next time I will use smaller stage 2 jars, or double the glow sticks.<br />
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This was a LOT of fun. My kids really enjoyed playing with the jars, and even after they dim, they cast a pretty light to sleep with. I think this is a new favorite :) I am going to keep finding new ways to switch it up though. All in all, this activity cost us less than $2.00 and provided hours of entertainment.Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-46107918523641194462012-01-19T19:08:00.000-05:002012-01-19T19:08:10.864-05:00Another Baby?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VF6KQoN_teuGtY8t5vj22Cm8vQVlNXYNLEOJpw5EZ3h4dNqpMo-4mG5bE_om7DfKdFnTZqUGyjzsNVSK_4KGuxp0p-1LpmF9pCMxG63pDCMZGnyrF8xwuoGtNCmRv0fBgqcuabGmVQ/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+and+GRANDMA3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VF6KQoN_teuGtY8t5vj22Cm8vQVlNXYNLEOJpw5EZ3h4dNqpMo-4mG5bE_om7DfKdFnTZqUGyjzsNVSK_4KGuxp0p-1LpmF9pCMxG63pDCMZGnyrF8xwuoGtNCmRv0fBgqcuabGmVQ/s640/BABY+HAILEY+and+GRANDMA3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VF6KQoN_teuGtY8t5vj22Cm8vQVlNXYNLEOJpw5EZ3h4dNqpMo-4mG5bE_om7DfKdFnTZqUGyjzsNVSK_4KGuxp0p-1LpmF9pCMxG63pDCMZGnyrF8xwuoGtNCmRv0fBgqcuabGmVQ/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+and+GRANDMA3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> My husband is kind of nuts. He has been baby crazy since our youngest, (who is 13 months old today, by the way) was 6 months old. I am dead serious. At LEAST once a week, he brings up the fact that he strongly believes it is time for another. I am obviously not there yet. I am only just now starting to figure out how to function as a mother of two! Especially a homeschooling mother of two! I cannot even fathom what adding another to the mix would do to me. He has been patient but he is starting to get a little bit upset because I am not on board. When I put myself in his shoes, I can empathize. If I really wanted another kid right this minute, and he didn't, I would probably be way less patient about it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzF-YGL9Xj8FK6qUmsVqGR6N6-bq_cKz9u3Kc2QEhE0WdpDVLBw_frt6sMoBDHcOTWppoHB9VCS__MZ0LNfIWK6iOJmY3Qf1dWkAeFT8mCH4oY4XjAda-YUSl0JvM_SFvnmFoou1tT-28/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzF-YGL9Xj8FK6qUmsVqGR6N6-bq_cKz9u3Kc2QEhE0WdpDVLBw_frt6sMoBDHcOTWppoHB9VCS__MZ0LNfIWK6iOJmY3Qf1dWkAeFT8mCH4oY4XjAda-YUSl0JvM_SFvnmFoou1tT-28/s200/BABY+HAILEY+2.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>Even so, lately he has started campaigning for the cause. :D We were grocery shopping the other day and I asked him to get me a bottle of water. He tried to bargain, lol. He said, "give me a baby, and I will get you a water". Cute but ineffective! When that didn't work, he convinced our 8 yr old son, Alex, to loudly proclaim that mommy was having a baby. I told them I would get my own water. Now my son is determined that I am having a baby. He knows I am not pregnant, but I guess he and my hubby are hoping that if they say, "there is a baby in there", often enough, it will become true. Nope!<br />
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Here are two lists: His reasons, PRO, and my reason, CON:<br />
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<u>TOP 5 REASONS HUBBY <b>WANTS</b> ANOTHER BABY RIGHT NOW:</u><br />
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</u></b>1.)<b> He thinks Hailey needs a playmate.</b> Someone her own age to grow up with because Alex is too old. To be fair, we both felt that way when Alex was a baby. We started trying for kid #2 on Alex's first birthday. But honestly, he was such an easy baby and it was a whole different situation. I wasn't homeschooling anyone yet and Alex never once threw a tantrum about anything. Really! Hailey on the other hand, is high drama, high attention and high energy.<br />
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2.)<b> He is afraid we are running out of time.</b> He really wants, and I have agreed to try for 5 kids. Since I am already 30, he is afraid that I am running out of time to have the rest before it is too late. I have to be fair and admit that I do often wonder if he he is right, but at the same time, I know lots of people, incluidng my mother who had healthy babies in their 40s. Doesn't mean it would be easy. And with my history of having a hard time getting pregnant, (I have something called PCOS which makes it rare that I ovulate among a whole other host of issues that go with it), it increases the time it could take. Of course, we also know how to treat it now. So I personally believe that if we are meant to have 5 kids, God will help us out with that. Which leads me to number...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIjwwuCxt58x_cPq2OFGvaaUNE5eijvXA7ILSSXIUdp-eU0GI9vKwU_oRoJLeO5bC7PZxv1GAhOXIlm6bxuTnQmyLvsWlmuSaBXt_0fbURxlyg44DbTh2XGNBOO1I3HTYgOwTQ7VhjkQ/s1600/BABY+HAILEY14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIjwwuCxt58x_cPq2OFGvaaUNE5eijvXA7ILSSXIUdp-eU0GI9vKwU_oRoJLeO5bC7PZxv1GAhOXIlm6bxuTnQmyLvsWlmuSaBXt_0fbURxlyg44DbTh2XGNBOO1I3HTYgOwTQ7VhjkQ/s320/BABY+HAILEY14.jpg" width="320" /></a>3.)<b> He thinks that my wanting to use a form of birth control shows a lack of faith in God's plan for us, and in his timing.</b> I have to also admit that yes, I can very much see his point but I am still not feeling that I am ready for another kid and if God thinks I am... well I have to say that I disagree. Wouldn't be the first time I was wrong and it certainly won't be the last, but I suspect God does not disapprove of some birth control methods. I pointed out that we could end up like the Duggars. He says he is ok with that but doesn't think it would happen to us if for no other reason than because we already too old to have that many kids. I still think he is crazy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WD4MQwbzxXnYWyZTtDYQ0oJZL_0xS9HQDCINHUK77d5Vd3YxgUTqpaAIjzJ22Q-JfR7zMRPsKylhAg_X_141IAucFlfXu2Z6ot1_xT5fVZyR5WO-dmg4unmTjJTlhjD11nQLeTsAzWQ/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+EDITS6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WD4MQwbzxXnYWyZTtDYQ0oJZL_0xS9HQDCINHUK77d5Vd3YxgUTqpaAIjzJ22Q-JfR7zMRPsKylhAg_X_141IAucFlfXu2Z6ot1_xT5fVZyR5WO-dmg4unmTjJTlhjD11nQLeTsAzWQ/s320/BABY+HAILEY+EDITS6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>4.)<b> He is afraid we will lose initiative.</b> As in, if we get comfortable not having someone in diapers or not being a newborn, or whatever, we might just decide that we are done. And that makes him sad. I broke the news to him that if I had it my way, I would always have someone under the age of two living in our home. Until I have grandkids anyway. Obviously that is not possible, but my point is, I doubt I will get comfortable sans baby. I am baby crazy. I just don't want them all at once. :)<br />
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5.)<b> He says this one is so darn cute that we need a pair.</b> Yeah really he said that. Sheesh. Maybe he is the baby crazy one!<br />
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<u>TOP 5 REASONS I <b>DO NOT</b> WANT ANOTHER BABY RIGHT NOW: </u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v83ASSWhRlT6-T6AjbyvoAiYTAUgmfzfSHPQd4puYqugZg_8Q295kGd9iQSivVhyBNmxnwld9yDfuPbVJilx3ckN_rrUpvZuW3MgKFhjpJw0omw_S6ACt8OsqRgh3UJNHATjDqp2v6U/s1600/BABY+HAILEYS+FIRST+DAY4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v83ASSWhRlT6-T6AjbyvoAiYTAUgmfzfSHPQd4puYqugZg_8Q295kGd9iQSivVhyBNmxnwld9yDfuPbVJilx3ckN_rrUpvZuW3MgKFhjpJw0omw_S6ACt8OsqRgh3UJNHATjDqp2v6U/s320/BABY+HAILEYS+FIRST+DAY4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>1.) <b>I am tired!</b> I haven't slept through the night even once, in over a year. Hailey has to be the worst sleeper on the planet. She is such a light sleeper! I have a sound machine in our room, and a box fan running at all times. I often turn on the bathroom fan to add to the white noise and help drown out other household sounds. Even so, because our house is so small and not well soundproofed at all, if the dogs bark for any reason, (which is CONSTANTLY some days), or the kid shuts his bedroom door too loudly, it wakes her up!!! Can you imagine if there was another baby in the house crying while she was trying to sleep??? She would never nap again! And she is already a terrible sleeper. And I won't be able to let her cry it out to become a better sleeper. I have never been able to do that and I honestly probably never will. I just don't have it in me. I have had to get up and go pat her back to sleep 3 times since I started writing this. That would cease to become an option if I were to have another baby I was breastfeeding or having to comfort instead. Oy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlZL7qHlfkEBg17lYNU6-wF25Hux7TUZ7d-VzCKZ32C3LtzkIpjW0as6J4Hy3XREYoBsLZRPAFqDGcabHazppFx1AvMS97N0MSdkljaQveDZgwYjXqp7WfbMdJbQcrh1Xh7Qa0YNk7Ik/s1600/Hailey+and+Alex1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlZL7qHlfkEBg17lYNU6-wF25Hux7TUZ7d-VzCKZ32C3LtzkIpjW0as6J4Hy3XREYoBsLZRPAFqDGcabHazppFx1AvMS97N0MSdkljaQveDZgwYjXqp7WfbMdJbQcrh1Xh7Qa0YNk7Ik/s320/Hailey+and+Alex1.jpg" width="206" /></a>2.) <b>Hailey is an attention hog.</b> She wants a lot of it and has a cow if she isn't getting what she needs <u>right this second</u>. It makes daily life a bit stressful, when I have to stop explaining something to my son during school because he can't hear me over the screaming of the toddler having a tantrum because she can't have his pencil. It gets old. Adding a baby who is crying to that mix doesn't seem like fun to me. My husband thinks that having another baby will help her get over it faster because it won't be all about her anymore. While this may be true, how stressful would it be while she figures it out? Double oy.<br />
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3.) <b>My husband and I are both youth leaders at our church.</b> There have already been some unique challenges in juggling both our children and participating in everything with the youth group. Alex is old enough that he is happy to tag along with the youth kids, and he can usually either participate in what they are doing without getting in the way, or if necessary, like during specific talks, he can easily go safely entertain himself for awhile until it is over. Hailey was pretty portable when she was little, but now that she is vocal and mobile, she is often a disruption during youth group talks. She is also a distraction because a lot of the kids watch her instead of paying attention. And she wouldn't have it any other way. Needless to say, that isn't cool so lately I miss out on a lot as I sit with her in a separate location so as not to be a distraction. On bad days, lately I kind of feel like, what's the point of being here at all? This will thankfully stop once she is old enough to sit still and be quiet. It would start all over again if I were to have another right away. This one is a huge motivator for me. Being a youth leader has been a large part of my life for the past two years and I have loved every minute of it. I love those kids and I love getting to know them and spend time with them and I honestly feel left out and bummed when I don't get to be a part of all of it. And since my husband isn't even willing to take turns and sit out some of the time with her so I can participate, I feel like that isn't really fair. Besides that, so far we have been blessed with kids who are portable and easy going. But what if the next kid isn't so flexible?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj8dRH68Fjh4AvRb6QGyO9Rf8eRxc4D8SQKhctMP2pLJnxwyiVtWl9Zja9rdL1MpC228_ov3n8z-NXvRYy2CZkjhiTkHGbsOX74TExP3d-AU3Z2T9OXtjvXumig9ZxnS67p-BRInxFYc/s1600/BABY+HAILEY+EDITS9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj8dRH68Fjh4AvRb6QGyO9Rf8eRxc4D8SQKhctMP2pLJnxwyiVtWl9Zja9rdL1MpC228_ov3n8z-NXvRYy2CZkjhiTkHGbsOX74TExP3d-AU3Z2T9OXtjvXumig9ZxnS67p-BRInxFYc/s320/BABY+HAILEY+EDITS9.jpg" width="320" /></a>4.) <b>My last pregnancy was REALLY hard.</b> My hips and back hurt from about 16 weeks until the day I gave birth. I had a hard time walking, and I was in constant pain. If that happens again, and I cannot imagine why it wouldn't, it would be very hard to keep up with, and properly care for a one year old. Especially if I am not getting any sleep on top of it. There were some days when laying down for hours at a time was my only relief from excruciating pain. This time around that wouldn't be an option. Scarey thought.<br />
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5.) <b>I want to enjoy my baby.</b> Both this one and the next one. I remember both times I had to care for a newborn I was in a heavy kind of fog for the first few months. Last time was even harder than the first time. My mother in law says its because I was older. I have no idea if she is right but I know that it took me about 5 months to feel normal again and get our routine back. I don't have 5 months to be in a fog if I have a toddler to look after. And I won't be able to sleep when the baby sleeps like I did last time so it will only be worse! I want the opportunity to really enjoy and soak up the last few moments of babyhood that Hailey has left. Every day she already looks more like a toddler and she is doing things only big girls do. If I am tired all the time or having morning sickness instead of playing with her, I will be bummed. Also, if I am busy fixing her and trying to stop meltdowns or chasing her and dealing with terrible two issues, will I be able to properly soak up and enjoy the new baby in all of its adorable squishy newness? Would I be able to take pictures like I have with my other two? Probably not. Maybe, but probably not. That would also make me sad.<br />
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Anyway, in the end I know it is all in God's timing and we don't honestly get to choose. And I have agreed, to be fair to my husband, to honestly consider trying for another baby soon. I haven't yet actually considered it, but I have prayed about it. I know if I got over myself and my fears and anxiety about all of it, I would be more than happy to try for another. But I feel like I have some really good reasons to wait. I have a lot more than I listed. I also know that if I look at too many pictures of my kids as tiny babies, and for too long, I start thinking it might not be so bad. And I start to daydream about what if. I dunno. It will be interesting to see what happens. And when.Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350446537436616620.post-90682410292409424062012-01-11T18:48:00.000-05:002012-01-11T18:48:07.019-05:00Our Dog Is Well Loved and So Are We!!! :D<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1GYF0GobMfPnlNnXFYETsfBuKOaw8dTgWf7do_FngUh9tsRvxQttqgs6XO4ifpacl57CiFFHiMQRZARtKYNmTGbGw6jYcepg4SkEW0CH-7AEcazYayHJiPzkbwkyS1Kom4k4_T37qRE/s1600/IMG_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1GYF0GobMfPnlNnXFYETsfBuKOaw8dTgWf7do_FngUh9tsRvxQttqgs6XO4ifpacl57CiFFHiMQRZARtKYNmTGbGw6jYcepg4SkEW0CH-7AEcazYayHJiPzkbwkyS1Kom4k4_T37qRE/s640/IMG_0350.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> Last week, I petitioned all of my friend's and family on Facebook to join us in prayer for our dog Lilly. The vet had us convinced that unless Lilly had surgery in the next few days after her diagnosis, she was going to die. We believed her. Those were very sad days. We were hopeful, but very sad. I kept wondering, will today be the last time I get to wake up with her next to our bed? Will today be the last time I pet her? Will this be last time I give her a little bite of my food when I am done? Everything seemed so final and despite the hope, there was a dark cloud over everything we did for the next few days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIC31TbXEDhx_5X2Kt4bHHSTc8tk3Rxdk4ByEhlp8o1_52TEJKhdI_BIuwUkCkxfAh81ShWWBfEclltzBybwlpBf_LuOPyHdoc7ZC-d8pAmVrnhbpGRijBqVG2eHOdbwoYLJBy_R7zKg/s1600/IMG_0759++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIC31TbXEDhx_5X2Kt4bHHSTc8tk3Rxdk4ByEhlp8o1_52TEJKhdI_BIuwUkCkxfAh81ShWWBfEclltzBybwlpBf_LuOPyHdoc7ZC-d8pAmVrnhbpGRijBqVG2eHOdbwoYLJBy_R7zKg/s200/IMG_0759++.JPG" width="200" /></a>I am happy to say now, that we are almost certain she will be fine. The vet originally gave us antibiotics to buy us some time as we decided what to do for our dog, and how to do it. They were also a just in case solution, because without the tests (that we didn't have enough money to cover having done), there was no way to know for sure what the problem was. It was her best guess. After the 48 hour window passed and our dog had visibly improved, we called the vet. She said to watch Lilly, and bring her in at the one week mark.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bj-QeaD_hgLw1HjVGjA-rC8spDFtfJmozGucR5koxgqNyWBAdQyQGrfdiXAyj4U-pvRJe4y4Ubvnyy0fmh9blE7B6B_DlR7hN9h3WpbyHM7FZM2NI1QGeypKSHvvLZgraDDBsw6tA-w/s1600/me+and+lilly+smaller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bj-QeaD_hgLw1HjVGjA-rC8spDFtfJmozGucR5koxgqNyWBAdQyQGrfdiXAyj4U-pvRJe4y4Ubvnyy0fmh9blE7B6B_DlR7hN9h3WpbyHM7FZM2NI1QGeypKSHvvLZgraDDBsw6tA-w/s200/me+and+lilly+smaller.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>At her checkup Monday, the vet noted that the hemorrhaging had stopped, and the smell had gone, (which was a miracle in itself), and that she wasn't incessantly licking the area as she had been. She was perky again, her tail actually wagged, her eyes were not sunken and she was no longer dehydrated! She said that based on the recovery, and the lump, she still thinks it was pymoetra, but that it wasn't very far along yet and we got lucky. She said that as soon as the antibiotics course is done in another week, it could come right back, or it could wait 6 months before getting bad again. If it comes back after immediately, we will need to get her the surgery asap. Otherwise, we can wait and save money and shop around for the cheapest spay and nueter clinic. She won't have to have expensive I.V.s to rehydrate her or expensive pre-op care because she is well again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr7MvZc_x1t2-9reVPug-0llTl1bjVPCKm2tQVXW9WsT0c7NwBEAEjwZ7OHW_KtoBvI7CKf8eC4nGPN5N_q49F4p1JUnBDryzmFq1WpEvvmrhwvClbaDope8KcR-JpXzCxnlMKw1chas/s1600/sillyness+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr7MvZc_x1t2-9reVPug-0llTl1bjVPCKm2tQVXW9WsT0c7NwBEAEjwZ7OHW_KtoBvI7CKf8eC4nGPN5N_q49F4p1JUnBDryzmFq1WpEvvmrhwvClbaDope8KcR-JpXzCxnlMKw1chas/s400/sillyness+028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Obviously I believe that this was the answer to the many prayers being sent up for Lilly by us and our loving friends and family. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and I cannot imagine NOT having that support system. I love that I can get on FB and find out what my friends are going through, and how to pray for them. I love that I can get on FB and ask them to pray for me when I am going through something. And because they are so awesome, I know they do. :) It doesn't get any better than that! Our doggy is well, we have time to save up money and find our doggy a good surgeon in our price range, and we are loved. Wow, God is good!Sarah Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15789114219213903801noreply@blogger.com0