tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369484792024-02-18T19:41:48.332-07:00Our little family in the great big desertThe adventures of two displaced Texans, 3 crazy dogs, and two desert babies adjusting to life in a border town.Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-71905020541737614962010-02-10T22:05:00.003-07:002010-02-11T00:22:50.514-07:00Random Video<div style="text-align: center;">So this video is four minutes of Alan being Alan - we were sitting on the floor playing and he was dancing to the music, but of course when I brought out the camera he was much more interested in it than anything else. I am going to keep trying to catch him dancing, though - it's the cutest thing ever! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwlmwzV0Qs398pHChcZc-GyB-QOH-cVNprXvLp9teO0-U_1ukcZnIign6CHqL8PiIoPWewuAHNNRpM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-69716652424870171362010-01-30T09:29:00.002-07:002010-01-30T13:15:42.569-07:00Lazy Saturday<div>Unbelievably, my son took a 2 hour nap and my daughter is in her second hour of a nap today (this NEVER happens) so I am using my quiet time to blog while she sleeps and he plays with the back door rug. We've been busy around here - school started and I am taking 4 classes this semester. Plus we are trying to rearrange the house a bit - right now Alan's bedroom is also the office, and I would like for it to just be a bedroom. Ultimately, I want to move Aurora into that room (its bigger), move Alan into her room, and move the computer desk into the master bedroom but I have to take baby steps and do a little bit at a time :) (Okay, ULTIMATELY I want a bigger house but that will have to wait until the market turns around a bit more) Anyway, here are some pics for you!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifOORqiWP-rRcNVWUZTTCmVNst_cAwfovXTOQj6h1sjT9QHIpcIoCJLym30MVfG561ekzRfl6F-ckzyTXdkXtTfed_Bt8SlNvZtWto-bWIj5K0HfS7bHLWd5RP8hPxw1kdwa8/s1600-h/DSC04209.JPG"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifOORqiWP-rRcNVWUZTTCmVNst_cAwfovXTOQj6h1sjT9QHIpcIoCJLym30MVfG561ekzRfl6F-ckzyTXdkXtTfed_Bt8SlNvZtWto-bWIj5K0HfS7bHLWd5RP8hPxw1kdwa8/s320/DSC04209.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432627008393148178" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Grandma E sent a cute little cheerleader outfit from Aurora's favorite school and she couldn't wait to try it on! </div><br /><img style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; text-align: center; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jHhMMwQs8WPalzydEBKaxyxvFqcKuWdfakwfUS6rvFUVOTlkv03F5dIep72rR3d7PpT5y1mZY1thPqjs1zA8D1M7S5GODFYiyGMy0Ant118d9R-BO-EVrO3h8PZkNRfnyv07/s320/DSC04299.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432625673520515330" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Our little man is standing up! He pulls to a stand on just about everything now. We haven't lowered the crib mattress yet, so when I go to get him after his nap he is usually standing there hanging his arms over the side and laughing. Its just a matter of time before he falls out, I know.</span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazOiocyt2IM1uncj00ctDH_18_GmD9tGFrjzdMWp0FJpMox9igcxmSmkVFAK5eM_KccRu0P7lPpfdCQOtHudLml4The6q2RyCIfxVADID1XihvTkPnsNuuAa785fxkydXc0s-/s1600-h/DSC04295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazOiocyt2IM1uncj00ctDH_18_GmD9tGFrjzdMWp0FJpMox9igcxmSmkVFAK5eM_KccRu0P7lPpfdCQOtHudLml4The6q2RyCIfxVADID1XihvTkPnsNuuAa785fxkydXc0s-/s320/DSC04295.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432625672071658434" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">And there is nothing like going to bed with a good book :)</div><div style="text-align: center;">(yep, she's sound asleep under there)</div></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-14142647823499831522010-01-18T10:06:00.002-07:002010-01-18T10:09:43.097-07:00My baby is THREE!!!I cannot believe how fast time flies! Aurora is officially THREE years old, and Alan is 7 months already! I guess this means I'm getting old too... <div><br /></div><div>We had a wonderful birthday party at the gymnastics center and all the kids (and adults) had a great time jumping and bouncing and running around.. here are some pictures! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5427907834218809377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></span></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-31007409323155460492009-11-01T18:23:00.002-07:002009-11-02T12:57:51.435-07:00Halloween, etc.<div style="text-align: center;">Here are some more pictures from recent days for your viewing pleasure:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">All dressed up and ready to go stand in a cold, windy parking lot for 2 hours waiting for the H1N1 shot..</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://localhost:1286/51fab2cbbe7e41d381d02164fb5c01d5/image/1565ffbc46d0ce38.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:1286/51fab2cbbe7e41d381d02164fb5c01d5/image/1565ffbc46d0ce38.jpg?size=320" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgxaPaPu9vYmq2uNEqh0MD4mR8HaXG-__zgl3U2yt6wtYXD-zRJMy1-TUuPDvQYaCUeRujSdO-V6UolBILZfjLcNUzsoaCpQy10pjDNAfNfB5Zrdghh6Ob2hK13TX9OS4upSj/s1600-h/DSC03892.JPG"></a>More pictures! Here's one that Mike took the other day after he had taken both kids to the doctor's office (by himself!) to get Aurora's seasonal flu shot. I am so proud of him ;) </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBveAzyKbXlM1fluee4EqI8Y2Xue0RQs_rmYkyWsimnuMlKVarAJR0QKoKH7ajimrWj0VFwhDpjuTwWBRyVccXH1c8hw986gVZrsErS97hyphenhyphennxud3fXDxuUZ3Vf_GL5kw62eun/s1600-h/DSC03880.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBveAzyKbXlM1fluee4EqI8Y2Xue0RQs_rmYkyWsimnuMlKVarAJR0QKoKH7ajimrWj0VFwhDpjuTwWBRyVccXH1c8hw986gVZrsErS97hyphenhyphennxud3fXDxuUZ3Vf_GL5kw62eun/s320/DSC03880.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399593085234693122" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Alan had his first official taste of solid food! (Ranch dressing on dad's finger doesn't count) Applesauce was a hit - he couldn't quite get the hang of swallowing but he sure loved smooshing it around in his mouth!</div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBpxW_TMOPO-cMdj74eU2ElglZv_0QXfjZlgXeWM9j7me9dXsKODYfGsZVLY7KQhNMnKZgUmCscDWd02ehlDAfj20Rc2Gn6m-8Ucx-3MlidAr5XklluVWMs1KQD1cVM2RMsrj/s1600-h/DSC03887.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBpxW_TMOPO-cMdj74eU2ElglZv_0QXfjZlgXeWM9j7me9dXsKODYfGsZVLY7KQhNMnKZgUmCscDWd02ehlDAfj20Rc2Gn6m-8Ucx-3MlidAr5XklluVWMs1KQD1cVM2RMsrj/s320/DSC03887.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Cute tummy time pictures - please note the ever present drool on his chin! He's discovered how to make raspberries so we've had to make peace with the copious slobbering.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:1286/51fab2cbbe7e41d381d02164fb5c01d5/image/1ffdd05abfbefe29.jpg?size=320" border="0" /></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img alt="" src="http://localhost:1286/51fab2cbbe7e41d381d02164fb5c01d5/image/f04ebbdf790c7c54.jpg?size=320" border="0" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Halloween was fun - we went to an outdoor concert on Friday night and consequently didn't get quite enough sleep, so we skipped the festivities on Saturday and just stayed home and handed out candy. It was fun, quiet, and I didn't have to fight anyone into a costume, so I consider it a win!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the pumpkin Aurora and I carved - she loved eating the guts as they came out (she's weird)</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgxaPaPu9vYmq2uNEqh0MD4mR8HaXG-__zgl3U2yt6wtYXD-zRJMy1-TUuPDvQYaCUeRujSdO-V6UolBILZfjLcNUzsoaCpQy10pjDNAfNfB5Zrdghh6Ob2hK13TX9OS4upSj/s1600-h/DSC03892.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgxaPaPu9vYmq2uNEqh0MD4mR8HaXG-__zgl3U2yt6wtYXD-zRJMy1-TUuPDvQYaCUeRujSdO-V6UolBILZfjLcNUzsoaCpQy10pjDNAfNfB5Zrdghh6Ob2hK13TX9OS4upSj/s320/DSC03892.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><div style="text-align: center;">Bringing home a baby bumblebee - I let him wear this costume for about 5 minutes before I took it off of him. He was sweltering and REEKED of chemicals so I quickly gave him a bath. No telling what's in that Chinese polyester! (guess I have to start making his costumes too!)</div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbQN-UpURzBxCxprix3CInQvFwOEo1D4k3U2QATdRDfKjCr7vydFPWxbetrmmGz1AnNiRJYowAi8BmC27KZoz5uVLoJ-e0PPQq6n8Tfb2jcYeWjONL-2vmVD0JlU6Mvy8Sgs4/s1600-h/DSC03898.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbQN-UpURzBxCxprix3CInQvFwOEo1D4k3U2QATdRDfKjCr7vydFPWxbetrmmGz1AnNiRJYowAi8BmC27KZoz5uVLoJ-e0PPQq6n8Tfb2jcYeWjONL-2vmVD0JlU6Mvy8Sgs4/s320/DSC03898.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbQN-UpURzBxCxprix3CInQvFwOEo1D4k3U2QATdRDfKjCr7vydFPWxbetrmmGz1AnNiRJYowAi8BmC27KZoz5uVLoJ-e0PPQq6n8Tfb2jcYeWjONL-2vmVD0JlU6Mvy8Sgs4/s1600-h/DSC03898.JPG"></a>Here's my little girl all dressed up in her homemade Tinkerbell costume - of course she was unhappy and impossible all day long but she still managed to get her picture in the <a href="http://www.yumasun.com/news/parade-53839-children-development.html">newspaper</a>!</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); "></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQd5hicCqZjeqhwCSWd2p9Yagg3ZMFWqNwVkwVeWfLK-_43zGpwPvN2l67BH1qYl-ZIKZohE_rrUD09c9Mb2cMRloeg9o2j5rKqppXrhHRLMXI6Gbv_UHQ7QpVscWg2iB_5sW/s1600-h/DSC03875.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQd5hicCqZjeqhwCSWd2p9Yagg3ZMFWqNwVkwVeWfLK-_43zGpwPvN2l67BH1qYl-ZIKZohE_rrUD09c9Mb2cMRloeg9o2j5rKqppXrhHRLMXI6Gbv_UHQ7QpVscWg2iB_5sW/s320/DSC03875.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-15940878302702752922009-10-26T10:51:00.007-07:002009-10-26T13:07:00.431-07:00Fall in Yuma<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Cleaning out the camera again! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> This time I have all sorts of random things to show you :) </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Aunt Reeny answered the plea for more closed-toe </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">school shoes - much to Aurora's delight!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IfdmdGCX64bpIEy0AFiwlg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoOfzptVK0VF6GD95KagzAKpuhb-0aiwh6leHrVwwLIe9vBq4r5b9H00gNwukJK_nfzBV2MM2d_lAn06OKYBeZPQH-HNSGPJn0_qRXfyTPX4bXXvSr7_X9w_nZGxs9P2T03j2/s400/DSC03710.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ehf01IF5jEHPkrAZwVF43w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFD9p1fc6wtB0jqEKZlvUwFfUUoWT-czrlBoiUYri2KrMKKAHSHXRaCG4o_1-jputHbk8c1BYkmlMK6JHt8HIJtfR8czYtRqetqiZSlsltq7M1xrV2Zl-5wMArh2TtTC_Nu7M/s400/DSC03715.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Daddy brought home a bunch of tadpoles for us to </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">grow into frogs - here they are, ready to be released </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to our pond! I couldn't get any good pictures of the </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">tadpole stage. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D35_N2TFIMuc253-NkQ0oA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcVLF6OELKCX3Rfh7d7YhYTVJj-3GonkyknwLSXz2zkGfTVHnnuQ4WdATIUuaMIZxqtRyVdTe8v9FhkQQ1Dfgg3SgjsF0zt6McyW3RS6eBDJP6Dp2OUgXJFnY5TMtl8y6DMhJ/s400/DSC03721.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Grandma Ringler came for a short visit and we had a </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">wonderful time with her even though Aurora was still </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">getting over her bout with swine flu.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IsG7QU0OlBuJU1GlI-AZOQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX8S58ufJwOyYoUTaE39nv_MWMYqzOJjbXjeniQbmSshhGArVkgdjdQ_wWSTG6phG-MbXKet-NukLWDd1ay7TBf2b_cfGThd3JeKOwsWj63QpuXo66X34EOR7ZRd8N90QnnLx/s400/DSC03738.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Aunt Lora sent some beautiful clothes for Aurora, but </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">she chose to wear the ones meant for Alan instead! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is a 12 month onesie on my 33 month old kid </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(over her clothes!)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Yh8eyUV4LzQ5yc_1ProXpw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLPWSa1lbg45XYg_BfKvpkbaqHKDzrDlK9XMyxoZRv5LemRNjnQgngOW0iwI7zqZ5tn7WlQHvpTYow_jPjQhh1-qOwxva2g8ra2XTMcDD2DKBvUarFfFBDd9cyuie18HPb9-M/s400/DSC03744.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We spent a wonderful day at the park, playing and </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">watching the sailboats while we had a picnic snack.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ny59nle2juSdIgXoE-6WRw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk8zIStzUGbKF-i0RTS-Pfi2JU5fyiSF14XdgwBL8xPU2n2I7RPdIGON37YDmCIcd_pH02XiR2Kf4xRoZ1ATurJZQrRvsOdxj-qYmBDd3vND3fgyuXCdu5hDHNCATSap0_Nga/s400/DSC03755.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fkLISWV_oRgbyJzv0FiYBA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMR-SFDaFn6QTgTGis7Ggm_Yho5cNpn3J4aTJfD9e1_oamDI7GbBMLTY6oZw8bt1flC3ANOtVS7IbnEgVk0aZH92T3tGgAvk8LTCbHc2iHKaklsySwB_PW8CefXZ2ysc0rXEyA/s400/DSC03754.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And the pumpkin patch finally opened on the day Grandma </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">was to fly back home - so on the way to the airport we stopped </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and literally ran in, posed, and snapped as many pics as </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">possible. Of course since we were in such a hurry, no one </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">was having a good time - as you can see! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(Sadly, this is just about the best shot I got!)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xFdmUCOQ2LHSMKjTumQ-eQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngnhiyx0WVek6PfQcl72j_udn1i6Wypr0Sxl0K4yJY2yI-Wq8WXbZLJZAx5JLijvLJSF2rf7CXyFTXFXo-fcMGP93Utabs067nlSeegvcUsZZ80oNwRCAEtfTA5t4-2BDHEAQ/s400/DSC03793.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Aurora got to go to the airport and watch Grandma get on </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the plane and fly home - and she's been talking about it </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ever since!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i_y042dh8topaPoH4jstLA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AjTGXOJkQps2xejpzD4CqjyBNDQjAMBk2TzS73KQBnlSBuW5HjaPTFn91ISPqP56u4WHXnaRJ4w0CdJcX66W8pWIgkykcRy9PxyrQzVBO-5r3wArR_D7EE0JNsno1jwaDpbe/s400/DSC03796.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And I finally broke down and bought an Ergo - and am I ever </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">glad I did! Yesterday we were having one of those days - </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">neither kid would nap, I had a mountain of laundry and ironing </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to do, and I was just worn out! So when dear old dad got </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">home, he strapped Alan to his back and took Aurora out </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to the backyard so they could play while I made dinner. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It seemed to be just what Alan needed! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pNQqR2ZC2ESJ2C9huUiqHw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QnxGgATAxHSmvBzES4oASkYhJ15wUOwSUCyF4iMk3Z5Lq3qOzKhHCMJ4bfRYal696iUfGBtoOSuXgaQXiuE5yeueML6SMItEUGJGOjsp8nllTgmHyKSrQ7CLCfz42eTVBFG4/s400/DSC03842.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And Miss Aurora is FINALLY feeling well enough for school </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">again - this morning she woke up and said "I want to go to </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">school today" for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks! And it's the </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">time of year where its cool enough in the morning for a </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">sweater, but warm enough in the afternoon for shorts. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So, shorts and a sweater it is! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HWhL3zNIGdk8vO4RISvhLw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZE4PRYBIXHWGaSA_HrrRMJuDyzHuaz37fmdchRC1WW_8kSAoJNnXWE8kWyl3X5rQX8ePer0C8WIBJriW0Kd7oDeBoW-hhWqCM2DcOb-Bodsafb2QI3aVpqzSbYvy7RTCH1f4/s400/DSC03846.JPG" /></span></span></span></a></span></div></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-37057557921080006562009-09-27T15:16:00.002-07:002009-09-27T15:22:55.831-07:00Pics for GG<div style="text-align: center;">So I'm pretty sure my grandma might be the only person still reading this blog, so I thought I might stick up a few pictures just for her :) But if anyone else is reading, you can look at them too! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:11px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vh_QWgCa0UdTjhZsWN10iA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_3fR4aD5h_M-QCHktf9O2oN1vMhNzubQqXMz_Xhd72xakmPzs0_j7Hg2sW0h62nd2HJw2y-Ds9UGDSKDaTK-Ot0MWLIUUtJZR3Ep9yX17fOmfVYPz1HscdTm3xTexJEKGiz1/s400/DSC03659.JPG" /></a></div></span><div style="text-align: center;">My little thumb sucker - in his natural state - asleep!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9wWkG2DYLAJfX_tg1WkoTw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOFGqnVBDBY5zVpK8X7tac4RUkUlGVcAjMRgKfYaRVP5ecvBpuy8jzIORoF6y94na0Z6EqzbR5zc_8Jg6yhsMnBDp11eIaFnQx_M1ofcUm7xXFZKs7gmJKo56203KXNEbYL2h/s400/DSC03665.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's that curly hair! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Zd9I3xZhoPwmDX7s_kRBVQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDlycDqx8q2waYuNYpnQ-1u19Hkp3zZWghk4USPCZ5kwD89omq4H3uphJ3HRCSSGHYIIGHEeKOUX0Gw_4k8v0xyYE2mspvZDj2KwUb1v880AsOiMTBDxC7vFT4pDtfP7vk3LG/s400/DSC03671.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bundle baby - a rare shot of the boy awake</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/szwDlWTV58PT7PXjJvikBg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAq2chayKlfwSuca1cbfCbUNl5xFGYbrtRK6l2fyuVkE1pGD-wQH77q6-XweF4Wlmb9FQ5FxaG_SBiYigR4zfxzjrBKn2gXn6qxTEzLikwDDQpKY3kKbKrrkJhsTDchIfv1X6/s400/DSC03679.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aurora's new big girl bed! She's growing up so fast - </div><div style="text-align: center;">almost completely potty trained and sleeping in a twin </div><div style="text-align: center;">size bed already.... we might as well just buy her a cell phone and </div><div style="text-align: center;">a car while we're at it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z4HjuQQ7ZfLf2XaKGtuNpw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKskuaXLmJalNf0qdXQ7oahuLtxtVVvcF7TD6jBEaFTSB6Ru4S2T5HDSszCU1iajHTU-jV1QJoOadIR8AVU4ORDkxkFsLamtgQwrdSg8khXamwGRqaFrr23d7BgKUvNERNnfsI/s400/DSC03684.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ik-ZMW668X_S8BDU5pZhDw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8rzIKAU3y7RcgsNu-HMtEDk3-eG-MF6iYoEonqMF_GHovMA1MqV5sX-9FJW5Hxm-puO5CWywtxkw5-a1cW0K3hr4PKKNHdUlD5YSMocNev_TpNtmuNYVIJ_CspVcwPogVNie/s400/DSC03703.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Flying a kite with dad</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/agCz3HVdW1m2SB9bfnPcLQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqemBLMQTqCQKdRb97gEWPfYlCA963iw_Axsn7GkVP_XHF5tChuysy8ZuFFPO3EhAgT3QcMkqg8ICv8wuBZ8jcCWLnIv_ChA8pJuFHJMIQEIz9fS391hO9mCd1KvgJeN5DFOKZ/s400/DSC03709.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-45836839950910064882009-08-30T21:08:00.005-07:002009-08-30T23:31:08.791-07:00Gratuitious Giggling Baby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuq4Pie00xq27rbVGRH21D8-eGfLvc4uMMZd0UybsOI9yi_pLvFsf9uxEyLDMIZPmIbkPuczl09yDIk9DPJwxBIlt6Wj31r9IfhyphenhyphenXuvmzecVA6_ZmJX9xx62rOZXJpTllU8zS/s1600-h/DSC03643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuq4Pie00xq27rbVGRH21D8-eGfLvc4uMMZd0UybsOI9yi_pLvFsf9uxEyLDMIZPmIbkPuczl09yDIk9DPJwxBIlt6Wj31r9IfhyphenhyphenXuvmzecVA6_ZmJX9xx62rOZXJpTllU8zS/s320/DSC03643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376002457975677826" border="0" /></a><br />Just thought I would share our after bath giggle time with everyone... guaranteed to put a smile on your face! I just can't believe this kid is only 11 weeks old - he seems so big and strong and smart...not that I'm biased or anything ;)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AwU-RkeFqoE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AwU-RkeFqoE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-41596756973517829272009-08-23T12:57:00.000-07:002009-08-24T18:39:20.208-07:00First Day of School!Well, the fall is upon us, meaning everyone is heading back to school! This includes little Miss Aurora - by the grace of God I managed to hijack a spot in Yuma's best preschool program which also happens to be on my own school campus! This is great because now she can come to school with me and I can stop in and visit and have lunch with her whenever I want to :) Her first day went pretty well, I think - I stopped in to check on her at nap time and of course she wasn't napping, so to keep her from bugging the other kids I took her on a tour of campus and we had lunch together in the cafeteria. I took her back to her class for the rest of the day, and on the way home at 5 she passed out in the car - maybe next time she'll take the nap! Here is a picture for posterity:<br /><br /><br />First day of School!<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ypeV9O2XFT4wQZWtJxWtoQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK8ji8-FXCmFleijHHcgbsBMp45rmpf7G7M6b6qpGCydEIoOqLZwwAIEO0Q7rMdEhyphenhyphenWqmSaqg_5s6lvmO_2HsitB-FiD4-c5tKxqK1n1GeqlC9nH90agZFBtuKDK4Zuej28R_/s400/DSC03637.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite">YEAR TWO</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />And while going through pictures, I found one I really like from when Grandma Miller was visiting. I didn't mention it here at the time but she was definitely a lifesaver for us while Alan and I were in the hospital! We couldn't have done it without her, and I think Aurora really enjoyed having her around :) <br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/whF-K4JrgWnUxsVbFWRFUQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LI6eI6-xMvY9FD6ORZTiyaywhBbW5SmVh9BwLmrz5O7twbQHX1Cf70sAC3hp-wHT8ziC6RfEKxVmLYe0Xd447mupCHv5jBdw5YJSVNjx0BHFnK0Z6X0ZasgDdHyWOcW5_G11/s400/DSC03399-2.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite">YEAR TWO</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Aurora's second day of preschool is tomorrow so we're getting everything packed up and ready tonight...I'll be back with more stories later this week!Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-56045979814750110692009-08-17T15:36:00.000-07:002009-08-17T15:37:40.249-07:00Just trying to win a contest :)<p>Fall in love at first “spray” with <a href="http://www.kinesys.com/" target="_blank">Kinesys</a> Spray Sunscreen! The simple solution to sun protection for the whole family. Read about the experience mom blogger Kalisha at <a href="http://www.uvskinz.com">UV Skinz</a> had with this fast, simple and effective sunscreen. Enter for your chance to win a<a href="http://blog.uvskinz.com/2009/08/17/i-fell-in-love-at-first-spray/" target="_blank"> Kinesys prize package at UV Skinz</a>. Giveaway ends August 23. Open to U.S. only.</p>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-50622238486792247752009-08-13T07:41:00.000-07:002009-08-14T15:25:27.647-07:00Alan's 2 month checkup<div style="text-align: center;">Well I'm a few days late in posting this, but I wanted to mention that Alan had his two month checkup on Monday and weighed in at a whopping 15lbs, 8oz! And he is 24 inches long, so he's a chunky little monkey for sure :) He was a total charmer at the doctor's office, too - smiling and wiggling and just being adorable - until the SHOTS. But even the shots didn't slow him down too much.. he just cried a few minutes and then all was well again. I am really happy with how laid-back and sweet this kid is.. he just goes with the flow and nothing bothers him! We even took both kids to Sea World last week (3 hour car ride, day at Sea World, 3 hour car ride home) and he was just as perfect as can be! No major meltdowns, no traumas, no crises - both kids were amazing. He did get a tiny bit of a sunburn across his nose, but even that didn't bother him. Yep, I'm a lucky mama. Enough bragging - here's pictures!<br /><br /><br />Yep, I made him wear the same clothes and sit in the pink chair so I could compare them:<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Vao_iwhN-kcIch0XFTZ9A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1c1MpPwJrtGZ09-vhUAdzKxtIgaFyv2t7jKTvW9pZuF4ezlZ4M2fbwnk0y79XtMLSc_hjOyHHoS9PU-PGStk50AvYspNu2PMZE_1-apwP-0utGU8c3CW3hTvwFGW9BJkO71zd/s400/DSC03629.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/01w7NGCuGKq3QcHyedR9ew?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZS9b5PAVzwL-KgdPNid5_KPRi-TGHpo24ly3C7Ltqdatg4OF73mKFMyCfrUi_MhZWd0AC2yqqy6TvDbq5IP-FmBvnMfQfrHgXHI5i4XPX8WrytBOHEjLQhy7Qy2CnCCn4QX8/s400/Aurora%20177.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Twins two years apart, right?<br /><br /><br />Waiting in line for the Elmo ride at Sea World-<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rdvP7NQ0XN6-Zq-bAOg8Aw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIshLckM-b96-MTnCBW4ZYVeuiFNJiUzpWWPcI68DH9eGBDNCw9j-1DUbRv7HQnYHIOgePXPAFWc8VXAJa2Gh-weEr9y2VydU_PoPhTquSpze_2s-0k2xIzufkYIi8027kB9Qg/s400/DSC03611.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Sunset from the rest stop on the way home -<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MV7t4TzdgWzENSi6uyf54Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDt2bEiKWjsSdt8i36TRuY24ZhSWDa1RsDJMJzWN__m-qmKeD4wJ1A1qWWd4e3gZfq0uVRDvaSUzzT7rNlDVuAhFJh5EmQq1R-KpEYn3Nn-3SF2_3ofKzzjj5hvHmotFViozj/s400/DSC03613.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />An orca snuck into our car to eat our child while she slept-<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XgcD06poVSJOxDsajT6twg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wuYzI_eg0cM9rD3mW2fCieQiFFnhIfIL8ZwCypwCHZaIrLuYNmYHkK6pTQyghRIZBVF_Msxw2wQX99EIb8kfrbQrluUPbi9UBEJCFPv7hQL1F-p9NIvJaUOyM25MmqGszRO5/s400/DSC03622.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />(just kidding - she has slept with Shamu every night since we got home)<br /><br />Good view of the suburn -<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Yb3RpH2UJK6oyhknCLEe8A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIere53cfnLSIBN1vq9QKCCUzEbaj7b3VzDOCrjRhR24H356RrMRP6L6yC5CZKxUHaYpnYsLLpXq2_MLH1Usc4anA0Fh4u6iO-qKdqiYPhFejErPvuG3RvKEmdVAl9djrU45B/s400/DSC03631.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I would say she's regressing a bit-<br /><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/egj9ONKOm5u1PbaE7CKF4w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkGz7K4FPZQqKckxEVpFxtgsxj6HCL7XnO7ba9xtmDWNGhv72ozVfJIeCWh_ZXggMTGYjIrnzOvXEOrTZVO0EEEumvTTMhIPQDJkFEwhxr71Gs24RyPTWNIwjSHOR4d2pddsC/s400/DSC03635.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite">Alan James</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-23414076752092413152009-07-31T13:04:00.002-07:002009-07-31T13:13:31.099-07:00Long Overdue UpdateEven more pictures....<br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/DoreenSPhotoSlideshow?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6Fh_ZdsgMYQ/SnNNqM31UTE/AAAAAAAAICY/PQ_6ncRUvHo/s160-c/DoreenSPhotoSlideshow.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/DoreenSPhotoSlideshow?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Doreen's Photo Slideshow</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Things are settling down around here... our little boy is just the sweetest, most good natured guy you've ever met. He smiles for EVERYBODY and even for nobody.. he only cries when he's hungry, wet, poopy or gassy..once you fix the problem he's back to smiling and cooing at you! He is a chubby little butterball you just can't help but squeeze and nibble on, he loves his bath and his big sister.... And I know I'm jinxing myself by saying this out loud but I can't help it - he sleeps through the night! He goes to bed around 9:30, wakes up around 1:30 to eat, then goes back to sleep until 6:30!!! I know, right?! I think he is my reward for living through the first year with Aurora...she was much more of a challenge in the sleeping department. Of course now that I've said it, he will stop, but I just had to get it out there that one of my kids actually did sleep through the night at least once :) Anyway, I think we're getting into the swing of things around here... going out alone with both of them is still pretty daunting (I don't want to talk about Wednesday's library debacle) but going out as a family is pretty easy. And Aurora just loves him sooo much... all she wants to do is kiss and hug him and talk about his "cute little nosie and toesies" She sings to him in the car and tells him everything's ok when he cries.. I think she's going to be an awesome big sister!!Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-18359239635548037982009-07-25T22:25:00.001-07:002009-07-25T22:29:32.814-07:00Just picturesI am too tired to form coherent sentences, so here -----<br /><br />click the picture to see all of them!<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6Fh_ZdsgMYQ/Sjfyw6w2lkE/AAAAAAAAH4Y/gaqUO65kv8E/s160-c/AlanJames.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/AlanJames?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Alan James</a></td></tr></table>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-5585139539445164232009-06-16T12:41:00.001-07:002009-06-16T12:48:10.916-07:00DRUM ROLL PLEASE! After a week vacation in our friendly neighborhood NICU due to aspirated fluid in his lungs, our beautiful son Alan James Ringler is healthy, happy, and HOME! He was born June 8th at 7:41am, weighed 8lbs 4oz, and has red hair and blue eyes! Now feast your eyes upon the pictures!<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5348010004747556417%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCJSKmYWaifjAigE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-44977531352051914372009-04-29T19:11:00.003-07:002009-04-29T19:15:40.881-07:00Gratuitous Belly ShotI think the last time I showed off the belly around here, Aurora was *inside* it.... Now she's found the perfect place to hide - *under* it!!<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5330300641679164241%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Almost 35 weeks along and about as enormous as I care to be, thank you... But Aurora loves it. Yesterday I was sitting on the couch and she came over, raised my shirt, put one hand on either side of it and yelled "COME ON BROTHER! GET OUTTA MAMA'S BELLY!" Though I have a feeling that once he's here she's going to want him to go back in!Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-61318048543427161802009-04-25T18:51:00.004-07:002009-04-25T19:18:31.683-07:00Summertime is upon us!I just realized I forgot to put up some pictures from Easter! We went to Jacob's Grandma's house (Grandma Judy) for her annual Easter brunch and egg hunt - we ate wayyy too much delicious food and the kids had a great time! Aurora had an absolute blast chasing the boys around and finding eggs to fill her bucket - here is my favorite picture of her (click to enlarge any of them):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB-u4APrnCVPadHEqHFBFoW0QXUJyKqn9yJf9_lZqnd1r_0wiCykHP-POa-6kFAebuiuhG6wsA2Z0nOdeY9mL6rXTCkLj7exPlJrLHTsGfQVujIm0l1M7SCX5R2tN5OBmzBE_/s1600-h/DSC03125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB-u4APrnCVPadHEqHFBFoW0QXUJyKqn9yJf9_lZqnd1r_0wiCykHP-POa-6kFAebuiuhG6wsA2Z0nOdeY9mL6rXTCkLj7exPlJrLHTsGfQVujIm0l1M7SCX5R2tN5OBmzBE_/s320/DSC03125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328813359794139506" border="0" /></a><br />And here is our happy little family - note Aurora's possessive glare at the camera... No one is taking her eggs away!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79yuIjsgBDGj1WSMZpYTGBaWuo3mgNO9uE_sXIg95LBali0LxYaVob3BhM7gM85ORjNBJ9VliHXM-WohbRRq-Tji2F7KzTjL2peaThp2g1RQNTi8Gz8gWRVBa0yROqnyCiM6C/s1600-h/DSC03111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79yuIjsgBDGj1WSMZpYTGBaWuo3mgNO9uE_sXIg95LBali0LxYaVob3BhM7gM85ORjNBJ9VliHXM-WohbRRq-Tji2F7KzTjL2peaThp2g1RQNTi8Gz8gWRVBa0yROqnyCiM6C/s320/DSC03111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328813354159904658" border="0" /></a><br />And now that Easter is behind us, summer is upon us! Last week we had a couple 100+ days and decided to hit the pool. Here is Aurora's new swim outfit I got for her from <a href="http://www.uvskinz.com/">UVSkinz</a> - it provides chemical free UPF 50+ protection so I love it! I hate smearing sunscreen all over her every day, knowing what kind of toxic chemicals are in them - and at the rate we go through it, I can't afford the fancy organic ones! So this outfit is definitely a godsend for us in the blazing sun down here. And I didn't even get paid to say that :) I even got a hat for myself from them - it's not the most fashionable look, but I don't care as long as it keeps me from roasting!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9DrteJ33omskttCAZt5ySqCZthoG9AX0YfRcCdYSmO2lxY4RdH98yUI49XmxHzZRRl9B-EwRxrZ05NXmSadnXoanAolvd1jP1uws4ajUF_tPUyrx06Yhd-WK-eDlCeVtd9_b/s1600-h/DSC03130.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9DrteJ33omskttCAZt5ySqCZthoG9AX0YfRcCdYSmO2lxY4RdH98yUI49XmxHzZRRl9B-EwRxrZ05NXmSadnXoanAolvd1jP1uws4ajUF_tPUyrx06Yhd-WK-eDlCeVtd9_b/s320/DSC03130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328813349915998066" border="0" /></a><br />She seems to like it - it dries very quickly too so she's not freezing when she gets out of the water. I think I'm going to pick up a couple more for her, and maybe some shirts for me too :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpBv6KUF_cQaghpC0sXsOA9XP0yLGUUEfnnDDqCptYAAKKzkcNw7SY6Qn5IRxfR4ZYhyphenhyphenR9CQYuVrlO8ZP5z4xuK2tvVivg_3eJ_ZY7meJgbIl4HZ_VmzxQjDIvUoW4yCUkJqW/s1600-h/DSC03135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpBv6KUF_cQaghpC0sXsOA9XP0yLGUUEfnnDDqCptYAAKKzkcNw7SY6Qn5IRxfR4ZYhyphenhyphenR9CQYuVrlO8ZP5z4xuK2tvVivg_3eJ_ZY7meJgbIl4HZ_VmzxQjDIvUoW4yCUkJqW/s320/DSC03135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328815905950081074" border="0" /></a>But, we have fallen upon hard times here at the Ringler house... Mike had to leave for a week at camp for work, so we are bereft, lonely, and bored! On top of that, she has decided to completely stop napping at all... so I get a full 12+ hours of toddler time every day. So, she's bored, lonely, tired AND cranky - and with Mike gone she isn't eating very well either. I haven't sold her to the gypsies yet, but if I get a good enough offer.....<br /><br />She really misses her daddy - even though we had a great time at the park, and the store, and in the backyard today, she still flopped down on the dog bed to pine for his picture on my phone while I folded the laundry. Thank GOD he will be home on Thursday - we are counting down the minutes!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNnNvqub9SXbD4YVO2FdYwCg84WrEa_kJ6jbVF3652FlZ_OaUD-pq6x3-ltv6XVTRDmOE1KdBMUTbQdn9Zh5MBJwVrFPGTqLHLAQOMFpInX2xMDJr2RfKT759b9OmLllXw9ec/s1600-h/DSC03138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNnNvqub9SXbD4YVO2FdYwCg84WrEa_kJ6jbVF3652FlZ_OaUD-pq6x3-ltv6XVTRDmOE1KdBMUTbQdn9Zh5MBJwVrFPGTqLHLAQOMFpInX2xMDJr2RfKT759b9OmLllXw9ec/s320/DSC03138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328813347227563986" border="0" /></a>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-755615519905376142009-04-06T17:14:00.004-07:002009-04-06T17:41:30.754-07:00Cleaning out the camera<div style="text-align: center;">Here are a couple of slideshows from our recent Spring Break exploits -<br /><br />Sea World!!!<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5321736162269272337%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="600" height="400"></embed><br /><br />Yuma Fair<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5321736654675251153%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="600" height="400"></embed><br /><br />Aurora got the camera and then Mom caught the bedhead on film<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5321737401112818401%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="600" height="400"></embed><br /><br />Random flowers in our yard <br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&noautoplay=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5321743078735087601%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-28675997414610361572009-03-15T22:14:00.004-07:002009-03-15T22:33:46.915-07:00Some more pictures<div style="text-align: center;">Just some pictures I've taken over the past week or so!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/62R3HX0_L9KnvKavQqK4Iw?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxuuwd5vWKHycEAag10NHVvTg4lLwzVY6rcK5NOxHOYVI6W9h_LQbYiw7FMT-GlrvHdEOtzr5cq_7zaygPtZlYQpUJA5tn_uDdcV6vhHWiYAMKK89USIpTSEpyLfU1A_YxIyu/s400/DSC02892.JPG" /></a><br />Flying a kite with dad in the backyard<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dBnt5I7ZDoKLlyZgU416nQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzPVedGlNpNsOw26grA6DKS-U5WCNIU2pL5rv_jnrfa_8byyyyeY_OfHKkjWMN9Bsn5RynyicB7wUP2mJ2Zx1N2YrHaNEmRPmyG9TDwyrfMaU27Z3ER5042tbeKtEh5l7V9ZF/s400/DSC02901.JPG" /></a><br />Conspiring with the kids at Bri's birthday party<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oCuHfwdfKWIFIByKtkSIBw?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRWh8ZoeXlKPD-6sc7YorndghCFDv70cwh2RtAVVakdjjdDrnVT9ICj-JSoiMuqHWNRt5dB_GrY6A_uBite0xl7tywn3DTNYDUQQZul_R0zOZQxYu2eVDTkM6eSHXJ_z07VPh/s400/DSC02921.JPG" /></a><br />Climbing this huge ladder BY HERSELF!<br />She went up it again and again - like it was no problem at all.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JXBlVHX0qgUkFFZyMyw0AQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTwqP30sglLqyoU14P6zrVJzJriTQKiwalEc6NdnkWoGe8KPMzdLjn8u1hVL3X-GG6IN3J3cQry61MtRFS2gCypAEz_LDOfww9-u54H2B5xECG3hGTaK-dRjxritWCht9Jlni/s400/DSC02929.JPG" /></a><br />Blowing bubbles with Dad<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mjLjbfg1FZOrDHLtkEOupA?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQd7vMFzYTjRnzdLhScljU5AU0wuZZueiswYZD3h9aZ-P5k_5gXte6SYnm8zHfnDht2tWQDjxWZhyphenhyphen2vj_iCR8RYVPl2UjAodo4MI8VPi9Jk2us_QqsqqQpdFkS8fna7uEZ90G/s400/DSC02931.JPG" /></a><br />She figured out how to blow bubbles by herself, too!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UXhVRGs4TZ0CXeK8GA9t5w?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgER6cNWWGoIVEJV2VvRc3uJqYuoHhcijZWVV1OpcqPIzWntl1dnyiYxXuVMTBBz-JUsjMs0UWoYPjU2Oj7SDE5SG_9e7Szu5Vs3RwwKB8715jEelcVPXj5gxXL2m9SeFyDfrlu/s400/DSC02935.JPG" /></a><br />Watching the turtle eat everything in the flowerbed<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zxBg8QB12hNgLOFKBF2moA?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RmDsJfNA9VhW0f97By5GLHn5rB8Tbpzgb5QBfxNUSG-e8c4Di-acFmxlvJU_g1wBlhMAuP6ArtnaRT-d4LiRsB4MfBCYKd5A9H9c0e1WuOmjpkm1hJEU3d5lvZpL9td2zjoF/s400/DSC02942.JPG" /></a><br />Watching the planes at the airshow with dad - one of many!<br />Actually now we can say that both of our kids have been going to airshows<br />since before they were born - Her 'real' first one was at Miramar AFB<br />while I was pregnant with her!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gQliThe4xw9ngP8oeRIQiQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVb01DKLLOnaeDQK9Te-GN2xQfTyigzSxC5ha85H1_vD_Jyo1yRLWfsbTJ78BbJqyfEm0hnSGpBV_Dk4nA78t51FKVvkZm___c_ZtmNtv9ORsjawELoc_-hhhwlfkcZMTt3Bj/s400/DSC02951.JPG" /></a><br />And Mike's birthday is tomorrow, so I made these <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/">Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes</a> for him! They are SOOO good - hopefully there will be some left tomorrow :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-6650088392264818352009-03-01T17:04:00.002-07:002009-03-01T17:27:23.349-07:00Spring has sprung!<div style="text-align: center;">Well, it is fully and undoubtedly spring here - so that means yard work! And considering that we're going to be up in the 90's next week, we have to take the opportunity while we can. So Mike bought 4 new citrus trees and a whole bunch of flowering vines and bushes. He and Aurora have been spending all their free time outside playing in the mud and water getting everything planted. Of course, I've been taking pictures!<br /><br />At Home Depot looking at plants - I ask her to smile, and this is what I get:<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V2qWShvIh_er92R1v38efw?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuwOV1fL8gnUUlVMCKxLOhxwWtwtcuj63pCwXxnaYMAYdkaqcvt6rAj47_rbRxwA_hEI6CNxBUOjmER0SQ_ms7bgvcBGIbPeBmIrowQ3G6s25jN8AuZjcr146JrtYJGED8s0p/s400/DSC02840.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite">YEAR TWO</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Here are the four new trees around the pool -<br />lemon, grapefruit, lime and orange. <br />The lemon already has tons of baby lemons on it!<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SPSq6pOyQ4dTPEYXotfD8w?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J7gB52wiOoISlB1x4aA977vY8pXZQaSiMMazinyzT4iNgFFbKAmxFIgzO8lsnGMcSgnZ5i_D1IXNTZISlCuOY4WOdHhm0ePrjRzJwia6zCqtnnK-ixXuDRr_NV7As_sg3Cer/s400/DSC02851.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Sunshine Girl<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8BKKdCf3xHyR2nno0LWTQg?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-Ig_i3x8hb5L5cf1qyt2owgpdLIEZH3ZCz2pYyrjgKVr9uUqETwU7kvIuQHA5l9OgOQSkgyeqJkn9gMlZpQJbIj8myj7ruw3sH-15EEsN-HLmYeIocQTKWenFs0AnCj0JFuu/s400/DSC02852.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Helping daddy plant the lemon tree<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OJDRJ2T9jwfjGU3qhCi4Cg?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOsA8PnkZoWhFkTsVbIptJhfftxfTorf3ytMsZe6V80xVqbFNcBZqNgVJHuUVTGbSTsGk5qQwL3UXqpH5f3fkCNmileDtuZBRNn5wvfvR9ACKeGP6lnpN5iHOV6kic5XDtIZF/s400/DSC02857.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lJstzUAC-5OJ2kh-LhjSBA?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQ8hLiyk0f7O3VSEhLT-Zixk4YJMImajLjw4UCEYqAtCPdXEPiMrfi8xMRuurNNx82ZHsDttuvhf1euD-yw6JjsVvqw2t2ZwuI9ezWCkjy8crOvA6WtlzRg-tFDQcVRhIjDRd/s400/DSC02870.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jPTJ4Sc46ggijMHBi2nHGw?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6_CfgadgpdZS5NOZscDtstGPyAL8RtyPbeOBWAXozPoqZOX4WEqQcNnn4b3lnrJdDNN57OOkMK6swaki0ERvV51NzkGO6O3vuMzMhT7XnVI2vftkazR8RxAdC5xZoZePA60f/s400/DSC02871.JPG" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Lemon tree, very pretty - and the lemon flower is sweet -<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GRsZ_FXjFe3cU11-gEy6cQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaGQKNgyTF8r69p8IYxuNbcvEskKt6nJrvr1FV3ae0PnznNSQ-GQwxp6MtIqB28ypzxneLx1UdIHyk20AmZOTzud2ebt2zKZUWNjT86gVgVSuvV8nNTHHUEuYNLPgkmlbl9sD/s400/DSC02855.JPG" /></a></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><br />Yep, playing in the pool in February!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S_Kai3FJf1dxGlGMihlREQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj32o7Z_r0y6Q2efqtZ2-Bvxf-_KOc0cyRvInqai296Xy0YKrRKDoykzZlYC5Ouh1hplI6hS0xaRY4JR_TV9jGFJ9g_rnLfR1kP7ThafWg2wHLCZWpN7adz97ivc4pEFjZZdM1/s400/DSC02873.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">"Sleeping" with Brianna after brunch this morning -<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zCjdw6kUqTku2_CWm1bGsw?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXNj7PU7nKMQFQlC8mtwWJfLCYcDqSIbVzvVxXYAz8tabCUTS8Xt5EHHpZRTPtcpM9tHWAJifVk2tW1Nuu6x3IYJe_N8IjkhOm2_OMNrLAIyIN38KIOBjICaj-U9gv-s04kiM/s400/DSC02884.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">And the beautiful bouquet Mike picked for me from our own backyard!<br /></div><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TbATsF5wMQSHGi20qH9Dvg?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DIBpinkqlSHsx8KhCRWefInjVqsaQeW0YcF1g7zKIyJyC5H-a6vQfz1B9u0-xtak8dH87IhDYjZ0ZDDgipVwWUn-Txh0qjHpxX4z11qC71Zjx6GdsZijtX-eBPEnMw7WTfZE/s400/DSC02890.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/YEARTWO?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_cmaGCy73UGA&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-39912358685539713942009-02-15T09:42:00.002-07:002009-02-15T09:54:42.345-07:00Happy Valentine's Day!We had a bit of a Valentine's Day miracle around these parts - Mike wasn't due to come home from Georgia until around 11pm last night, but due to some quick thinking and fast running on his part, he got home at 3:30!! And then when he got here and was hungry, we decided to brave the Valentine's day crowd at Outback Steakhouse and actually managed to grab a great booth in the bar with a very awesome waitress! We had a delicious meal, Aurora was adorable and got so many compliments - one elderly gentleman even gave her a $5 bill! (I'm a little concerned about what kind of precedent that sets, but hey... we'll take it) And then we came home and had great family time together and everyone got to go to bed early. I managed to get a couple of pictures after dinner:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9LzW2Jb8DuXweQMVW2cJVuWIRIh4igf4NtmPWTM9azp4QYCCh43HrBe7ZiYf83bjMQQwCnp2vxLvnbaPOYjTkuzuMfMDcjymVHPO17ny6fvlNq2CePa3kt8SoZL2slUr8FnV/s512/DSC02830.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9LzW2Jb8DuXweQMVW2cJVuWIRIh4igf4NtmPWTM9azp4QYCCh43HrBe7ZiYf83bjMQQwCnp2vxLvnbaPOYjTkuzuMfMDcjymVHPO17ny6fvlNq2CePa3kt8SoZL2slUr8FnV/s512/DSC02830.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yes, I know it's dark outside - she's just too cool to take her shades off!<br />I just love this dress - courtesy of Aunt Doreen!<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRzrJoYBwsLB_LaYGNfOpjFmuOf6CvmfkW3Ht6toS6cRkPQN6FK0D6l7eudLmejUEGJpI7cPBbummVujX8G_AkNiSJQPsZZV3Ni4-snsD5n3N5ZLGWcZKFoxfJk8p9jAHuij3/s512/DSC02831.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRzrJoYBwsLB_LaYGNfOpjFmuOf6CvmfkW3Ht6toS6cRkPQN6FK0D6l7eudLmejUEGJpI7cPBbummVujX8G_AkNiSJQPsZZV3Ni4-snsD5n3N5ZLGWcZKFoxfJk8p9jAHuij3/s512/DSC02831.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4cS3fMKwQt-BaUQ1RJGDk-6MaAtVMYrUjGnKbe3SW_Ox0Z7N_pgA43o_QAOq14wFuwszzmtF_LuFC3U2Wfb_NPFZuBkT8gENAAGe4oDozQYUQLVLjXDS9Ipf_YMmhNo1quiI/s512/DSC02832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4cS3fMKwQt-BaUQ1RJGDk-6MaAtVMYrUjGnKbe3SW_Ox0Z7N_pgA43o_QAOq14wFuwszzmtF_LuFC3U2Wfb_NPFZuBkT8gENAAGe4oDozQYUQLVLjXDS9Ipf_YMmhNo1quiI/s512/DSC02832.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And here Aurora was playing with Mommy's camera -<br />she's finally figured out how to smile on command!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtcatkiiWZL8Y5eYZigsEBptGEpn_B2PrVGxPzIFPXcWmoF46nAJsnOFpvsQzoGxCGIbbB8tnLzkXQ8daqMAxnlWsUIbLIUUMq5SOgjds7ZhfgsjqcP2v1jF3oStmxhBJbMim/s640/DSC02828.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 544px; height: 408px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtcatkiiWZL8Y5eYZigsEBptGEpn_B2PrVGxPzIFPXcWmoF46nAJsnOFpvsQzoGxCGIbbB8tnLzkXQ8daqMAxnlWsUIbLIUUMq5SOgjds7ZhfgsjqcP2v1jF3oStmxhBJbMim/s640/DSC02828.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And here she is riding an enormous horse at the Renaissance Festival - she really loved it & made the lady walk her around twice!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81Hee67OgBmLyjjDL-8kLqzYdjxmTsUeDBoED981trwF9koa678hdXPDw973tQZNUYr0YKqaH8XuVauqcPMYNP-yU1PzGdy3704gpeLDiUOkbDHeqtKiXPzcoHSFWzj590IZx/s640/0131091150a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 542px; height: 406px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81Hee67OgBmLyjjDL-8kLqzYdjxmTsUeDBoED981trwF9koa678hdXPDw973tQZNUYr0YKqaH8XuVauqcPMYNP-yU1PzGdy3704gpeLDiUOkbDHeqtKiXPzcoHSFWzj590IZx/s640/0131091150a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-15927839906268127542009-01-10T22:03:00.002-07:002009-01-10T22:07:25.080-07:00A quick birthday slideshow<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ySx9gYf4GaR88J3w7aLGg?authkey=7SbZvgd_5Iw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe_G_VPxBTfinA1tmKtmlBWv_R9K0_cXoGQU-ya_smznYYPzzTF4aF9SHlqLOJ5BA5qk-fNKRlOHqNYEy6wNFehZcso6_TfytWU5goQ5wtYJQ-LkOfADX2xuQlYffIZY85iZP/s400/DSC02820.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/BirthdayParty?authkey=7SbZvgd_5Iw&feat=embedwebsite">Birthday Party!</a></td></tr></table><br />We had a wonderful time, and I am still recovering! Here are a few pictures - of course we didn't wipe the pizza off her face before her photo ops, but that's okay :)<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmkringler%2Falbumid%2F5289894668912612193%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3D7SbZvgd_5Iw" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="400" height="267"></embed>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-75685090389393207652009-01-05T09:40:00.006-07:002009-01-05T15:53:31.281-07:00Christmas picturesSo Christmas has come and gone and life is getting back to normal around here - and I finally got around to taking the pictures off my camera. Here are a couple of them - unfortunately I didn't get any still photos of Christmas morning because daddy filmed the whole thing on our (ancient) video camera and I need to find a way to get it onto the PC. Aurora made out like a bandit - she got so much stuff we had to hold some of it back so that her birthday wouldn't be a complete letdown! :) But she loved just about everything she got - especially her monkey shoes from Aunt Doreen and all the awesome books from Aunt Lora!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22lBDtT8aus8jjzMoiSTM5K1RSeABMC3v69lx_VFxxLMrAwUBqCD4zt2wBh1sgUs2xiFYIaknrsYnKft6Vn5ZwGs6F9pyiL-cI-EIJcvIOUBtvhX5Z31hpdP4XPwEejqg5Ckj/s512/DSC02755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22lBDtT8aus8jjzMoiSTM5K1RSeABMC3v69lx_VFxxLMrAwUBqCD4zt2wBh1sgUs2xiFYIaknrsYnKft6Vn5ZwGs6F9pyiL-cI-EIJcvIOUBtvhX5Z31hpdP4XPwEejqg5Ckj/s512/DSC02755.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Snuggling in the blanket GG made (with the dragon and mouse mommy made)<br /></div><br />And I don't know why these pics aren't coming across all the way, but if you can't see the whole thing just click on it!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheguYZ2lS_npvxOuYc6WJwj71oX7bWQTobHtrkXDFUPVMCJ71q9LENytkcM875rANyHqpKNHA-9Mnyzpnk8QxMOFEJmmGVjM9W8DqpWzjeO4AZxa_t6nL7kGaiaTiEGJ_nPhFy/s640/DSC02747.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheguYZ2lS_npvxOuYc6WJwj71oX7bWQTobHtrkXDFUPVMCJ71q9LENytkcM875rANyHqpKNHA-9Mnyzpnk8QxMOFEJmmGVjM9W8DqpWzjeO4AZxa_t6nL7kGaiaTiEGJ_nPhFy/s640/DSC02747.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Holding Jenny the Gingerbread baby that GG made - she carried that doll around everywhere! (Side note: How can anyone resist nibbling this kid's cheeks??)<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bIKngt6sjqaEZp09-8kPyB9fBfI3pAlBft1ga_-i7YvDEswE5Pas452cRW11dYfoG6L4pnPprBKN04E7y77chrv4d_a4u-gCtLJbxoFDoAhWk1EdQwgnB3MDORmbFZKst60a/s640/DSC02735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bIKngt6sjqaEZp09-8kPyB9fBfI3pAlBft1ga_-i7YvDEswE5Pas452cRW11dYfoG6L4pnPprBKN04E7y77chrv4d_a4u-gCtLJbxoFDoAhWk1EdQwgnB3MDORmbFZKst60a/s640/DSC02735.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><del>Mommy's</del> Aurora's favorite Christmas present<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYZty8wiGOe5zKgVqxbSTNTTKuXc5yAfvsm6gpE6d2R0DRFYm9PXH8cmhl0XLQ3l93G2YnTGSQRjYQCAhd2J6s60JkSJAtml9Qx64nauw192PQV4WkHRzvhhwXPgnfBSGC6z2/s640/DSC02739.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYZty8wiGOe5zKgVqxbSTNTTKuXc5yAfvsm6gpE6d2R0DRFYm9PXH8cmhl0XLQ3l93G2YnTGSQRjYQCAhd2J6s60JkSJAtml9Qx64nauw192PQV4WkHRzvhhwXPgnfBSGC6z2/s640/DSC02739.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>And the family gets a Christmas tree too! Next I plan to make curtains, bedspreads, rugs.....<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-51193938722187642762008-12-24T16:31:00.004-07:002008-12-24T16:39:54.998-07:00Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!Well, the house is clean, the gifts are wrapped, the tree is trimmed and we're just doing crafts waiting for Mike to get home. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas - and if you don't do Christmas, I hope you have a good long weekend!<br /><br />While the thought of glitter all over my house makes me break out in a cold sweat, I've discovered that Kosher salt looks JUST like snow!!<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UmLbH9bCQHUODfHyhGBnfQ?authkey=Mgp_ljGfixc&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe-NQSGXJcIlZrApGW4Whe8rymE49tWHzI1FpfrCiQXRofVZCrNGS0InLfiV6_um9HxfWWAHrZb4yuCVTPPYXOY_xaQ9ftQpV7rUDWxkfEsN2SiByGk5xy9rQp8_m15YO0g4-/s400/DSC02728.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/24thMonth?authkey=Mgp_ljGfixc&feat=embedwebsite">24th Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Aurora's Hands and Foot Reindeer<br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-20326865326854767932008-12-14T08:29:00.002-07:002008-12-14T08:37:24.835-07:00RandomnessSo uh...it's been a month since I last posted... I blame holiday stress! (Even though it's been a pretty low key year so far). I also blame pregnancy brain and the desire to use Aurora's naptimes for more productive activities than blogging. (like napping!) Nevertheless, here I am with some random pictures from the past month. Feast your eyes!<br /><br />We went to the Balloon glow - we had a great time with our friends and the kids loved watching all the hot air balloons lighting up with the music.<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tjqGi4KmjJOKTKlAvQiL3w?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlyp5vr1KNwEiFyy0AC-RxLW5HNAh5RL8THN9MTLvaSumGFCLuQWdZwmK-jTNOzmyZ8X2al6Y4B4ieWssUTX1D6a2tOd7nL7ZL0oppeCHWx_oR2XQX6erS2-xtRMP1WtjR3Qh/s400/DSC02685.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/23rdMonth?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU">23rd Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Here is her friend Noah - how can you resist that face??<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2cw3gLqhO1-S4vyM0imU7g?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSxZA9uEBzUG-WXIqT0rcCyLr8BRZpR2dJ2W_HlJC1Nq_B-On2qeOz6MHHK44I2hfOqv6JQ6bMXXdywpOIohX2tG_nYdfCnE0j_6lWQudsmFODKKHkbh5I8l6E9X696w5cySE/s400/DSC02684.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/23rdMonth?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU">23rd Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Wearing Christmas pajamas and playing drums with Brianna<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KM7HVn2V_JENGMiwZ-JowA?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZ6wsourGLuDCGGWUQPLcxI3YUQB5tH8_zDtwPo5pt1v1gwIFCecnb6f-FliUE3mSFA52uOw9TOQSL_W_ieTee4shXvErMgQ6QX18zk5RmMygCPsPlxt4wrpirCaFXYK_p0a1/s400/DSC02702.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/23rdMonth?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU">23rd Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Wearing a beautiful dress from Aunt Lora (black leggings and pink crocs Aurora's idea) (Not pictured: Daddy wearing shorts and a t-shirt)<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RPmepwqIC5c7pSMilVs0IQ?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmUN_yeje22LvRWiNp9kQ6mSXFUr76MHABkErTiBJTdpSUZ27WvyQFuKdkaXdhwrmTfRaeXQERNkzkyT3-lOk3MdEWpGK0yoHujCcO64XObETCx72O0f9QlI50r_1g8mL_to5/s400/DSC02716.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/23rdMonth?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU">23rd Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Close up of hat I quickly crocheted to match her new sweater from Aunt Lora (not shown)<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HC5bNeK1USPbNCzQ0Fz1VA?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n3GWqAbandzP4GfVl4uMBujU6b7EvNPbBTO-OQ6tgQminKvSFR3MKaF00JMgfzyov7hntXga5KZRpjqTCYB197N3KLvKQflupIBo2VDmhZ7ehMvwn9PIYCZiGFalNd6p64wc/s400/DSC02706.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mkringler/23rdMonth?authkey=WjwPO78fgpU">23rd Month</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-26371649225336338752008-11-08T08:30:00.002-07:002008-11-08T08:41:32.272-07:00The Very Fuzzy CaterpillarSo this is what we discovered yesterday - I grabbed the camera and tried to control my cringing while Aurora and Daddy played with the fuzziest caterpillar in the world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2g0iII8LzNeImc4K1EO_5-bBytOuTrpZmb2tdb8O2sO2hdpRmI-RaI0Q91iZUyNh7fpvsk615uS_9KdxU8UHv1lgRBWv1TbB1zpQuLRvcLPyboIlloec1xWd_mKGpX-xqgYig/s512/DSC02649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2g0iII8LzNeImc4K1EO_5-bBytOuTrpZmb2tdb8O2sO2hdpRmI-RaI0Q91iZUyNh7fpvsk615uS_9KdxU8UHv1lgRBWv1TbB1zpQuLRvcLPyboIlloec1xWd_mKGpX-xqgYig/s512/DSC02649.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxsYyYh1gE6hMyyDhCet5io0q5qOJCG1ILZaMsNg6dEdzSHwamtl_eUthZqCTqHaxhSNTbhOfDqMsZWePvAXYJ0QPrpdw_PpgsR1PJyiEF3wvtnipPN0kSMGHRs0PYss2DnUu/s512/DSC02657.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxsYyYh1gE6hMyyDhCet5io0q5qOJCG1ILZaMsNg6dEdzSHwamtl_eUthZqCTqHaxhSNTbhOfDqMsZWePvAXYJ0QPrpdw_PpgsR1PJyiEF3wvtnipPN0kSMGHRs0PYss2DnUu/s512/DSC02657.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflMZ4KLozsTHs03jhZDBTYnNmLfRCjPOdIvBWmAjD56LfySQt4LcqosG0L1yN_wvZuxavnnlPi5UFJ0x3ipxgOh4YE21TvqgsTslOqnCSfEV0awZWnPHeUTDqs5OkU0LR98eb/s512/DSC02664.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflMZ4KLozsTHs03jhZDBTYnNmLfRCjPOdIvBWmAjD56LfySQt4LcqosG0L1yN_wvZuxavnnlPi5UFJ0x3ipxgOh4YE21TvqgsTslOqnCSfEV0awZWnPHeUTDqs5OkU0LR98eb/s512/DSC02664.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBpIhMExPOyv6U1bOW6oO6Xp7Bz3X7htepVTHqlWjkwJF5t-QbPvPf_zHliks_rvk5qim8fsubPoX8pXFenNXwhyXQeaqeJyB6cwlfwJE9RHnArfG92BWTCJkTQT7Oc1pskZ-/s512/DSC02655.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBpIhMExPOyv6U1bOW6oO6Xp7Bz3X7htepVTHqlWjkwJF5t-QbPvPf_zHliks_rvk5qim8fsubPoX8pXFenNXwhyXQeaqeJyB6cwlfwJE9RHnArfG92BWTCJkTQT7Oc1pskZ-/s512/DSC02655.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36948479.post-36390006394462675802008-11-03T18:57:00.004-07:002008-11-03T21:57:08.641-07:00Finally Fall<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">**** Edited to add: PLEASE - go vote tomorrow! If you are still undecided or don't know what's on the ballot in your state, you still have time to do a little research! Please - stand in line tomorrow for your voter sticker and make sure your voice is heard. If you don't vote, you can't complain!!****</span><br /><br />Well, Halloween has come and gone, so I guess that means it's officially Fall. Not that you could tell around here - we're still in the high 90s every day! But you can feel it cooling off incrementally, and nights are absolutely wonderful in the 60s and 70s so I shouldn't complain. We had a fun but quiet little Halloween here - Like <a href="http://twolittlemen.blogspot.com/">Henry</a>, Aurora had a choice between two costumes and violently refused both of them! Cathy loaned us an adorable handmade monkey costume and a Clifford costume but Aurora screamed bloody murder when we tried to put them on. I think it was because she didn't like the "footies" on the monkey costume, and was convinced the Clifford one would have them too. (It didn't, but try convincing a toddler.) So, I just put her monster t-shirt on and some black pants and called it a day. We went to Hastings' music store where her friend Brianna's dad works for their Halloween costume contest and party. It was lots of fun, complete with a cake walk, bingo, snacks and goodie bags for all the kids. I even won a contest in which the goal was to see how many jumbo marshmallows you could cram into your mouth (for the record, it was 9 - but only because I ran out of marshmallows!) The prize for that was my choice of books, and I chose a nice little lift-the-flap book about Outer Space for Aurora. After that we went to Bri's house for some trick or treating and pizza - but unfortunately only one house in the neighborhood was into the Halloween spirit! So we only got one piece of candy, but that's okay because we still have a huge bowl full at home. Mike was in charge of candy distribution at our house, but we had even fewer trick or treaters than last year! Only about 5 or 6 - sad. But, more candy for us, right? Anyway, on the way home from Brianna's house, Aurora spied a huge hot air balloon at a church on the side of the road - so of course we had to stop and check it out. Turns out, the First Christian Church was having a huge festival complete with balloon rides, bounce houses, sack races, bbq, cotton candy and all kinds of fun! But since we didn't know about it beforehand and it was already pretty late, we just walked around for a minute, snagged a pink 'bloon' and went home. But we definitely know what to do for next year! So I forgot my camera on Halloween night, but I did get some shots at the pumpkin patch last week:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1rndJuNH7otUW77uVVyr0qNHR4Xv71gzNFmsOzvv_panP34gqTdFeUw6O7TeAi4umbz30b24ifyjFOhv38F2zr9W6OVKtZG61mVWZmj0vBfRq3iuUI8nB_kdmr5gS01LlOK3/s400/DSC02633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1rndJuNH7otUW77uVVyr0qNHR4Xv71gzNFmsOzvv_panP34gqTdFeUw6O7TeAi4umbz30b24ifyjFOhv38F2zr9W6OVKtZG61mVWZmj0vBfRq3iuUI8nB_kdmr5gS01LlOK3/s400/DSC02633.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeY4z3BEYbpG5M5YNpxOAwKwIwnWTGhNpQV2LOY6vlaQ9orluhZyaB4M5jDxHVO-V3NmOVfAPPDHN_jnDs2FLMYyJ_HNO0Cqdy6bGL5YC3v2xJGAl505Yh12Kp2Vh2qSsIw9q/s512/DSC02620.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeY4z3BEYbpG5M5YNpxOAwKwIwnWTGhNpQV2LOY6vlaQ9orluhZyaB4M5jDxHVO-V3NmOVfAPPDHN_jnDs2FLMYyJ_HNO0Cqdy6bGL5YC3v2xJGAl505Yh12Kp2Vh2qSsIw9q/s512/DSC02620.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaMEOcFzYt8qFkPnnAw2nIEXjH59Cl1f4n_soKNqf5aTKLrYPTAOWFzWhrrqsoYVPctXXv6C4gXvvm_lHb24I97vuY-dzWbp0lbYXOLScGJ8Gcb5bFmJWbeJkKZUV8AhirGKk/s512/DSC02629.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaMEOcFzYt8qFkPnnAw2nIEXjH59Cl1f4n_soKNqf5aTKLrYPTAOWFzWhrrqsoYVPctXXv6C4gXvvm_lHb24I97vuY-dzWbp0lbYXOLScGJ8Gcb5bFmJWbeJkKZUV8AhirGKk/s512/DSC02629.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfozZDQ25PeNzKviKlZoBORjEDl8RnJ8iAF8h1RsJr2OrLI5hNCIWFI5q1Mem6wTb1Dt8DFKw_Tk7pBadvfssgtSUXqGVO5tYlwdi7-nCjNpdcUS0gfmQ43Iwn1vIVbCeSuXo1/s512/DSC02625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfozZDQ25PeNzKviKlZoBORjEDl8RnJ8iAF8h1RsJr2OrLI5hNCIWFI5q1Mem6wTb1Dt8DFKw_Tk7pBadvfssgtSUXqGVO5tYlwdi7-nCjNpdcUS0gfmQ43Iwn1vIVbCeSuXo1/s512/DSC02625.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>And here is a quick movie from Wednesday night - the college was having a free jazz concert at their amphitheater so we packed some sandwiches and a blanket and went to check it out. It was surprisingly good! The band mostly consisted of select high school students from the area, as well as some older musicians and college students. They were all in costume, too - it was pretty funny to see Darth Vader on drums! Anyway, Aurora absolutely loved it - she danced and ran around and had a wonderful time. At the end of each song, she would clap her hands and yell "YAY MUSIC!!!" It was so cute :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxIrH7UANFRBSzr9wtgee1H1c3ImtFXwLtapzeJxaL6P79fchSZbhSUn6dGcXAogmCLtEg31fpNy9o' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />And in other baby related news, we had our first OB appointment today and Aurora's little brother or sister is truckin' right along at 9.5 weeks!<br /></div>Monya R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08113679489042827254noreply@blogger.com2