tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222603596977148532024-02-07T23:57:02.107-05:00Flowers: Family of Five.Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06365284534458482337noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-2401921452513830712017-03-23T22:26:00.002-04:002017-03-23T22:26:53.607-04:00So MuchBoy has it been a crazy week. I mean year. I mean...what?! Three years?! It's been three years since the last post? Yea, that sounds about right.<br />
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Here's the super quick catch-up:<br />
Everyone is older. Like, everyone. Patrick is now 8 1/2, Madelyn turned 7 last month and Angie and I are three years older than the last time I posted (you do the math). It's been an amazing 3 years with more memories and adventures made and had than I could ever write about. Patrick and Madelyn have been taking Tae Kwon Do and just received their Deputy Level I Black Belt They're both doing amazing in school and Angie and I are lucky enough to hear nothing but wonderful things from their teachers about their attitudes, behavior and abilities. It would be near impossible to ask for anything more as a parent.<br />
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And the BIGGEST news is...drum roll... I'm changing the name of the blog. Well, I guess that's secondary to the <i>reason </i>I'm changing the name. On November 22, 2016, we welcomed our incredible little boy Samuel Pollock Flowers.<br />
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And that's really the reason I wanted to start up the ol' Blogomatic 5000 again. Angie and I have found ourselves referencing the blog countless times over the last few months with Samuel. When P and M were born, this was where we kept the most detailed track of everything from weight and length to major milestones to favorite foods. It was a sort of digital baby book and we've loved having it. We wanted to be able to do that same thing with Samuel. Even if all we're able to pull off right now is a quick once-a-month post to highlight major milestones for all three kids and post a few pictures, we want to do that so years from now we can look back and have quick access to more than just a picture or video. The extra context that we're able to put around those things with the blog has been invaluable to us.<br />
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It's also been fun for the older two kids to look back with us now that they can read and understand what the blog even is. They've loved watching the videos and seeing old pictures and hearing about what they were like as babies and little kids.<br />
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So, in an effort to time-capsule what's happened thus far with Samuel, here are the (literal) bullet points:<br />
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<li>Samuel Pollock, born November 22, 2016 at 7:41 AM. 7 lbs. 9oz. and 20 inches long.</li>
<li>Sam stayed breach for all but about 3 days of the pregnancy which was a (not) fun and (definitely) new-to-us little twist on pregnancy and birth. Angie, of course, handled the whole thing like a champ.</li>
<li>Sam rolled over front-to-back on New Year's day and <i>almost</i> has rolling back-to-front happening. It seems to be tricky for him because...</li>
<li>Sam is currently in the 100th percentile for height, 85th percentile for weight and 30th percentile for head size :) </li>
<li>Samuel is truly one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. He will literally go days without actually crying and just make some general fussy sounds when he's hungry or tired. He started sleeping in 5-6 hour stretches when he was four days old and (knock on wood...so much knocking on wood) has only gotten better from there.</li>
<li>Patrick and Madelyn have been AMAZING as older siblings. When you've had almost 7 years to get used to it just being two kids, I can only imagine it's a big change for them when there's suddenly a new little one pulling our attention and keeping us from doing certain things with them. But they've handled it incredibly well so far and we couldn't be prouder. They love Samuel beyond measure, have been so good with him and such a huge help to Angie and me.</li>
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I could write 10,000 more words but I won't right now. Welcome to the family Samuel. You are extremely loved.<br />
<br />Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-28694152059969417572014-07-07T21:13:00.000-04:002014-07-07T21:15:58.078-04:00Madelyn Turned Four (Several Months Ago)I'm WAY behind on this (seeing as how it's Patrick's birthday tomorrow) but our baby girl turned four years old back in February. Here are a few things to note about Madelyn at four...<br />
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She is the silliest. Still. As she matures in every other way, her humor matures as well and it's hilarious to watch. She'll do anything for a joke and knows exactly what to say or do to make people laugh. She still turns it on especially heavy if she feels she's about to be in trouble for something :)<br />
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Example: Madelyn thinks whoopee cushions are hilarious (they are). So, for Christmas this last year she told me she wanted to get one for Angie, told Angie she wanted to get one for me and told us each separately that she wanted to get one for Patrick. Really, she just wanted to amass as many cushions for herself as she could. Once we figured out her game, we bought her a bunch for Christmas and she thought it was great. Here she is in her brand new Belle Dress...falling into a pile of whoopee cushions...in slow motion:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The many faces of Madelyn Claire</td></tr>
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She mispronounces a few words and it's the cutest. I'm not even trying to correct them. Just like nobody goes to college in diapers so we didn't pressure the potty training thing; nobody goes to college saying "skuhbetty" instead of spaghetti. These are a few of my favorites:<br />
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Spaghetti = skuhbetty<br />
Eyelashes = ash-lies<br />
Nail Polish = paint nolish (my favorite)</div>
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Bananas = Bee-annas (sadly, this one is no longer mispronounced)<br />
If I see any of you trying to correct her on these, I will tackle you.<br />
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Here's a video of her saying skuhbetty:<br />
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She is IN LOVE with dance. We signed her up for dance lessons last year and she's gone every Wednesday since, only missing one week because of strep throat. She dances to everything that resembles music and is constantly moving. She even dances differently for different styles of music (I still haven't figured out how to dance properly to one style of music). Her ballet teacher bumped her up to the older class within the first few weeks and then put her front-and-center at her recital. For as fidgety and distracted as she tends to be most of the time, she immediately focuses and centers herself the second dance starts. She listens to every word the teacher says and tries really hard to follow her directions. We're extremely proud of how hard she's worked in class and are really happy that she's stuck with it and enjoys it.<br />
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We'll have more about her recital later but here's a short video from her dress rehearsal...<br />
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She is fearless. For a little girl who's had her share of bumps and bruises, you'd have no idea by watching her tackle life on a day-to-day basis. The other evening, Angie was making dinner and Madelyn came near the oven to help her out. Angie warned her of the heat and asked that she step back. Maddy got a little upset and Angie said something to the affect of "we don't want you to burn your hand again sweetie" to which Madelyn replied "Yea, but even though I burned my hand, I'm still alive, so I'm fine!" That seems to be her attitude towards life: whatever doesn't kill her only makes her stronger. She'll jump from any height, pick up any bug or animal we find and I've seen her straight-arm a kid more than once if they get too rough. Just a couple weeks ago we were at the beach with the Suskays and went crabbing one night. We came across some fisherman who had just caught a few small lemon sharks. There was a big group gathered around them and when one of the fisherman asked if anyone wanted to hold a shark Madelyn immediately made her way to the front and held out her hands to hold it!<br />
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Underneath all her fearlessness and toughness, she is the sweetest girl I've ever met. She seems to really just love people and want to help everyone and make everyone happy. She'll frequently stop playing to pause for a hug and an "I love you" and says some of the sweetest, most genuine night-time prayers I've ever heard. Even though she plays in the mud and helps Patrick search for bugs all day, she changes dresses at least half-a-dozen times while doing it and makes sure all her princesses are well taken care of.</div>
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Speaking of Patrick, Madelyn is still in love with her older brother and looks up to him in every way. Like any sibling, she enjoys the occasional teasing and argues with him from time to time but he's pretty much her whole world. They're getting old enough that they have their own conversations and relationship completely independent of Angie and me and it's really neat to see. Madelyn just moved up to the Pre-K class at school at the beginning of summer and has a teacher that Patrick had a couple years ago. One morning while I was packing their school bags I heard her in the other room asking him questions about her class and what to expect on her first day because she was a little nervous. It was so sweet hearing her ask his advice and him give her honest answers that really did seem to help calm her fears. I know he didn't realize how much it meant to her but I could hear in her voice how relieved she was to have someone to talk to and take her seriously. We're thankful every day that they have each other and really love and respect each other. Remind us of that when they're 13 and 14 and are working as a team against us :)<br />
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As always, I could write a book about Madelyn and still have more to say. She makes us laugh (and have mini-heart attacks) every single day. We love watching her grow up and are so happy to be her parents. Madelyn, you make us so so happy. We love you angel!</div>
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<br /></div>Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-67452439433528810982013-11-03T15:51:00.001-05:002014-09-30T16:01:58.376-04:00Camping Trip!We took the kids on a <a href="http://www.flowers-home.net/2012/07/family-camping-trip.html" target="_blank">camping trip last year</a> on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. It topped out at 103 degrees and left us all very sweaty and sticky (thank God for cool lakes nearby). This year, we were determined not to make that mistake again so a couple months ago we planned a camping trip with my sister, Katie, and her wonderful family for the end of October. As luck would have it, a cold front came through and the lows for the weekend ended up being in the 30s. (Not like now, a week later, where the weather is PERFECT and the lows are in the 50s). With two three year olds and a five year old, we weren't sure how it was going to work out but we decided to go ahead with the plan and hope for the best. And I'm really glad we did :)<br />
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The trip was a ton of fun. We met the Beans for breakfast then caravanned to DeSoto Falls Campground. The camp sites were your basic no-electricity sites: picnic bench, flat area for a tent and a fire pit. We picked a nice spot (based almost entirely on how much sun was currently shining on it) and setup the Beans' "tent hotel." The kids "helped" for a few minutes but as soon as the first tent was up, they dropped the helping game and went on to more enjoyable activities.<br />
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That was also around this time we realized that in trying to decide whether we should bring firewood from home or buy it on the way, we had done neither and therefore had nothing to build a fire with. The boys were immediately tasked with gathering firewood for the weekend before we all froze.<br />
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After we got the fire started, cooked our lunch and warmed up a little, we headed to the falls. It's only a 3/4 mile hike to the upper falls but with as much as the kids ran back and forth on the trail, it was probably more like 7,000 miles. But it was well worth the hike. The trail and falls are beautiful at this time of year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids trying to keep each other warm on the hike back.</td></tr>
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One thing that was special about this trip was that Patrick is old enough to help with some of the camp site "chores" that had to happen. Any time Brandon and I had to go scavenge for firewood, Patrick jumped at the chance to come with us. He'd help us carry wood back, or sometimes (don't tell the moms) hold the hatchet for us while we sawed wood or carried the bigger logs. He was very proud of being "one of the guys" and it was awesome to have some bonding time with him. Here's a picture of him using a knife for the first time (with my help, of course) to make our hot dog/marshmallow roasting sticks. I made sure to tell him what my Grandfather (who carved professionally) always told us when we were kids: "Never put the meat in front of the blade."<br />
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The night went surprisingly well for how cold it was (... at least, for most of the group. Katie and Angie might disagree.) We all stayed right by the fire roasting marshmallows and chatting until it was bed time. Then we bundled the kids up, shoved them way down in their sleeping bags and hoped for the best. It helped that they were exhausted from the busy day, but they all slept AMAZING the whole night.<br />
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In the morning we collected more firewood (surprise!), Brandon made eggs and bacon for breakfast and we even managed to have some coffee.<br />
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All in all, it was a great weekend. We were all so proud of the kids for sticking it out through the freezing cold weather and being great sports. They had so much fun playing together and we had a fun time watching them and getting to hang out with Katie and Brandon. Our kids have been talking about camping again sometime soon ever since we got home. I'm all for it...as soon as it warms up a little bit :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even when they're too tired to walk, they still want to hold hands.</td></tr>
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You can check out more pictures from the weekend by <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/FlowersHomeNet/CampingWithTheBeans?authuser=0&feat=directlink" target="_blank">clicking right here </a>or looking at the slideshow below.<br />
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Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-74424216298604337302013-09-08T15:48:00.000-04:002013-09-08T15:48:08.340-04:00Patrick Turned Five! (several months ago)Let's just get it out of the way: I'm the worst. My first born turned five years old back in July and I haven't blogged since JUNE! And even that blog was about Madelyn's birthday back in FEBRUARY! Part of it is that we've been busy. Tons of stuff going on, out of town almost every weekend for awhile and weekends in town have been even busier. The other part is that between Facebook, Instagram, texting and Twitter, we're able to keep family pretty up to date with what's going on and the blog hasn't had as much use. But, still no excuse for the lack of a birthday post. So onto the post we go...<br />
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Patrick's birthday landed during beach week this year so we didn't have our usual themed birthday party where everybody was present and his friends were there. Instead, he got to celebrate his birthday about forty different times over several months. He didn't seem to mind :)<br />
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It started on his actual birthday in Ocean Isle where we had an ocean/pirate themed party for him. While the kids rested the afternoon of his birthday, we went out and buried his presents in the sand on the beach then drew a treasure map on his birthday card. When the kids woke up, we got them in pirate gear and headed out for the hunt.<br />
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Round 2 of Patrick's birthday was spent with Grandma and Grandpa and crew at Tellus Museum. If you've never been there, you should go. It's awesome. They've got so much cool stuff to do and see. Here are the kids with a couple of their favorite dinos...<br />
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We then spent a weekend in Hilton Head with the Beans! (More pictures to come unrelated to the birthday.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day on the beach with cousin Carson!</td></tr>
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We also went out to dinner for Patrick's birthday with our great friends, the Barkers to Steak & Shake (Patrick's choice. He loves that place.) For some reason I don't have any pictures from that evening. But you'll have to take my word for it that we all had a great time :)<br />
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It's hard to believe our little guy is five already. I know people say it all the time but it really does seem like just the other day we were driving to the hospital, waiting to meet our new son. We had no idea what he would be like. What he would sound like. What his mannerisms would be. Five years later, we still learn more about him every day and he teaches us more about life every day. He's an amazing little boy who constantly keeps us laughing and learning. Patrick, we love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for being such a good son, brother and person.<br />
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For Patrick's fifth birthday video I thought I'd do something a little different. The video is only 26 seconds long but it takes a look back at all of Patrick's birthday so far. It was really fun to put together and relive the last five years...<br />
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Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-18586561857467032042013-06-24T21:00:00.000-04:002013-06-27T16:03:47.463-04:00Pixies and Pirates(Update: new link to new pictures at the bottom of the post! Thanks Aunt Mandie!)<br />
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Back in February, our Madelyn turned three years old. I'm not sure how that happened since I specifically asked her not to do that and to just stay two a little bit longer; but, she's got a strong will and went ahead with the birthday anyway. As usual, we had a small celebration for her at the house where we gave her a few gifts, she got to pick dinner and we had a small cake. Then we had a bigger party with friends and family and, of course, a theme.<br />
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Madelyn's main gift this year was her new big girl bed. She had been dreaming about it for months and wanted it to be pink with a big pink canopy "like a princess has." Angie found the perfect sized pink bed on Craigslist and we found a canopy that looked like something a three year old's impression of a princess might like. Needless to say, she was VERY happy to find it in our living room when she came down from nap...<br />
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We brought it up to her room, hung the canopy and let her put some fairy stickers on the wall and she was ready to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First night in her bed!</td></tr>
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For Madelyn's big party, she wanted a (surprise) fairy theme. And probably at the suggestion of her brother, she later added that she might want "some pirate fings too." So, we went with a Pixies and Pirates theme and everyone was happy. Angie, as usual, went all out on the themed food, games and decorations with help from Meme and Grandma and we even got a package full of pirate goodies in the mail from our friends Piper and Beckett Finn who live in NC. The kids seemed like they had a lot of fun and I know we had a great time. Rather than explain too much about it, I'll just put up the video and link to the picture gallery. The song is Audrey Assad's "Ought to Be."<br />
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And here's a slideshow of the pictures from her birthday at our house and the friend/family party. Or you can go right to the gallery by clicking <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/FlowersHomeNet/MadelynSThirdBirthday?authuser=0&feat=directlink" target="_blank">this bad boy</a>. UPDATE: Aunt Mandie has a whole album of pictures as well you can treat your eyes to <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104135656001346073181/MadelynsPartyAllPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCMj147KP8eD8sgE#" target="_blank">right here</a>.<br />
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Happy birthday my sweet girl! You bring so much joy to our lives!Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-49847903865892751612013-06-16T21:05:00.000-04:002013-06-16T21:05:19.252-04:00The Adventures of Pokey the SwordfishIt's kind of amazing what a great father does each day, isn't it? He breezes in the house in the evening, leaving all work stress at the door and is totally present, trying to fit in eight hours of quality time into the twenty minutes
before dinner. He's tackled and tickled by little people before he can even get inside the house. He's listening to how my
day went and answering questions about dinosaurs and space and pirates and watching a ballet recital/rock concert all
at the same time. He helps with dinner and puts the wash into the dryer as he changes out of his work shirt while simultaneously playing, "Hey, hey, you crazy!" [monster game]. He's spraying for aunts, watering the garden, pushing the kids on swings. He serves as DJ and professional kid-spinner for the after dinner dance party and referee for the many mini-battles during bath and story time. And with kisses and hugs and prayers its bedtime. A whirlwind of an evening, every evening. But somehow he makes it magical. And for that we love him even more.<br />
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Just one of the many reasons I love this man - the bedtime stories he tells the kids. It's no wonder they love him as much as they do.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-24232905420095503762013-06-08T15:23:00.000-04:002013-06-08T15:23:49.088-04:00A Frog StoryA couple months ago, I got this picture from Angie while I was at work in a text that said "We found a frog in the back yard and he's going to be our pet!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frog is the thing trying really hard to blend in with the stick.</td></tr>
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Here's a better picture of him...<br />
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Knowing how much my kids (especially Patrick) are in love with all animals, I knew she wasn't kidding when she said the frog would be our pet. Because if the kids found then captured a frog and it didn't bite either of them or hiss or something, there's no way they're letting that thing go. His life was now theirs. I half-expected them to start throwing sticks into the frog's little habitat saying "It climbs the sticks when they are thrown in. It does this whenever it is told." (If you've never seen Silence of the Lambs, GO WATCH IT NOW. I can wait.)<br />
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Then, throughout the day, I got pictures like this one with captions like "Guess who's blasting off!"<br />
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And "Guess who's saving the town from a fire!"<br />
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"Guess who's going for a tractor ride!"<br />
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And so on...<br />
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And so forth...<br />
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I fully expected the frog to be dead before I got home. But amazingly, he was alive and as happy as a frog is able to express.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madelyn changes Disney Princess outfits pretty much every 20 minutes. I don't know which princess this is but she needs a bigger shirt if she's going to be role modeling for my daughter.</td></tr>
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And so, we kept him. We found out that he was a grey tree frog and could climb pretty much anything in our house. He would jump from Patrick's shoulder onto the wall and then jump back onto the next person that walked by to hitch a ride somewhere else. It was all pretty cool.<br />
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One of Patrick's favorite things to do was race the frog up the wall. Patch was excited to have a climbing buddy and also excited to win every single time since his opponent has a slight size disadvantage and no idea he's even supposed to be racing.<br />
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If it's hard to tell what's happening in that picture here's a video of Patrick climbing the door frame to get to the pull-up bar. As much as I wince every time he drops down, I'm glad he does that now rather than what he did before; which was climb to the top whether you were close by or not then start yelling for someone to come get him before he fell with about 2 seconds of warning. I learned I can run to the kitchen door from almost anywhere in the house in a very short amount of time when necessary.<br />
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We also had to feed the frog. We tried all kinds of stuff the first few days but he didn't eat any of it. Then we finally went to the pet store and got him some small live crickets and he went bananas for 'em. Sometimes we'd put the crickets in the habitat with him and let him "hunt" them (sit really still until a dumb-as-bricks cricket literally jumped onto his face) and sometimes the kids would feed them out of their hands. This is video of the first time they fed him from their hands. I LOVE how excited they get.<br />
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Here's a better angle. I also love how closely Madelyn pays attention to Angie talking about the frogs tongue at the end of this video.<br />
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And so it went for weeks. I REALLY thought the frog wasn't going to make it past the first week with how not-so-gentle the kids can be in their excitement to "play" with him. But they did great and the frog kept eating and drinking and doing all the other normal frog things frogs tend to do. Both kids tried sleeping with the frog in their room but they both kicked him out after the first time he croaked really loud after they had fallen asleep. His croak is loud enough when we hear him in our yard - when he's in the same room, it's pretty darn loud.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1TG-q_n0dBE/UbI--_ypL9I/AAAAAAAAE4w/Xrc0cRlPba8/s1600/Photo+Apr+25,+8+54+42+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1TG-q_n0dBE/UbI--_ypL9I/AAAAAAAAE4w/Xrc0cRlPba8/s400/Photo+Apr+25,+8+54+42+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His piano playing, however, was magnificent.</td></tr>
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Then one day, Patrick seemed to suddenly feel a little guilty about keeping the frog in our house. He talked to us about it on and off all day and we did our best to answer his questions but it just didn't sit right with him that we had taken the frog "out of the wild" (his words). A few days later, Patrick decided we should let the frog go. I was at work but Angie said Patrick was saying things like "he came from the wild, we should put him back in the wild. We didn't buy him from the pet store. He's not really ours. He should be with his family and friends." Angie assured him it was OK if he wanted to keep the frog but he had made up his little mind. Mr. Ribbits needed to be released.<br />
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So they took him out and Patrick cried as he let Mr. Ribbits go in the yard close to where they had found him. He kept saying things like "It's OK buddy. You'll find your friends and your family again. They'll be so happy to see you." crying the whole time. It was heartbreaking. But we were SO proud of Patch for making a tough decision, completely on his own, and going through with it even though it made him really upset.<br />
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That night, we heard the frog croaking in the back yard and Patrick started crying again but smiled and said "He sounds so happy!"<br />
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I love that kid.Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-24651862103795299662013-05-29T21:00:00.000-04:002013-05-29T21:00:05.329-04:00Mother's DayWOW things have been busy. Crazy, crazy busy lately. Most of it has been great but it's definitely kept me from staying current with the blog. I'm still working on Madelyn's 3rd birthday party video (for the party that happened in FEBRUARY) and we have a million other things to blog about. But, rather than trying to catch up on all of them I figure we'll just start with something recent and I'll fill in the past as we have time. Sound good? I thought so.<br />
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A couple weeks ago we celebrated several holidays over the course of Mother's Day weekend. We celebrated, of course, Mother's Day but also Grandpa's birthday and Grandma's birthday. It turned into a whole weekend of fun.<br />
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We started out by spending Friday night with Meme. We had pizza, danced, and chased each other around in the backyard for a LONG time. The kids were exhausted by the end of the night which is always a good sign that fun was had :)<br />
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Saturday was Angie's Mother's Day. This year, she banned me from purchasing anything for her as a gift or making a big craft with the kids for her. That didn't leave me with many options to show her how much she means to us other than just repeating over and over "We love you, honey. I love you. The kids love you. You're great. We love you." all day, which would get very old very fast. But, I found a loophole in the plan. Instead of buying her a gift, I bought a whole lotta her favorite foods for the day and sent her out to get her nails done.<br />
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While Angie slept in (Angie almost never gets to sleep past 5:30) the kids and I prepared her favorite breakfast: omelets. We got all her favorite fillings/toppings and chopped and cooked away until she woke up.<br />
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<span id="goog_1454958164"></span><span id="goog_1454958165"></span>Then after some play time around the house, the kids and I went to get everything we'd need to make Angie dinner while she went to get her nails done.<br />
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Dinner ended up being much larger than I had originally planned because I kept thinking of things Angie would like but neglected to remove items from the menu as new items were added. So, we ended up having grilled filets, grilled bacon-wrapped bourbon shrimp kabobs, grilled vegetable kabobs, grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, grilled romaine hearts with avocado lime dressing and, of course, some wine :) And for dessert, Angie's favorite: cupcakes from Small Cakes. This is a picture of mine (somehow, all the others were gone by the time I took the picture). Yep, that's bacon on that cupcake and it was magical.<br />
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On Sunday, we got together with my side of the family to celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day. We met at the river park and it was a PERFECT day to be outside. The weather was awesome and the kids had a blast. It's so fun to see the three older cousins play together now that they're all capable of about the same things. Even Declan joined in on the swinging action!<br />
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After lunch and cupcakes at the park, we headed over to the Chattahoochee Nature Center. As usual, the kids loved seeing all the owls and eagles and other animals but we got a bonus this time of seeing an opossum and corn snake out of their cages. Pretty cool stuff.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids were able to touch the snake with their forearms (CNC didn't want their hands getting germy).</td></tr>
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All in all, it was kind of a perfect weekend getting to see everybody and celebrate the Moms in our lives.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/FlowersHomeNet/MotherSDay2013?authuser=0&feat=directlink" target="_blank">Here is a link to the gallery with some more pictures from the weekend.</a>Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-61847817010047653432013-04-11T21:30:00.000-04:002013-04-11T21:37:29.527-04:00Christmas Round Up Part IV - What?! Still?!Hey guys, did you know that Christmas was a few months ago? Did you know I'm still blogging about it? Well, ya do now. But I promise this is the last Christmas post. It has to be right? It's like 80 degrees outside right now!<br />
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Anyway, the reason this one took so long is because I had to wait until I got footage from the kids' school Christmas performance from another dad at the school. It wasn't because I forgot to bring our video camera. Oh no. It is because I managed to make a classic dumb-dad-in-a-dumb-movie mistake.<br />
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Right before Madelyn's class went up to sing their song, I checked the camera for the millionth time to make sure it was on and had enough battery and hard drive space. This was Madelyn's first "performance" on stage and I wanted to be sure I captured every second of it. Instead, I must have accidentally hit the "record" button and started recording the ground. Then, when Madelyn's class took the stage and the big curtains opened, I hit the button to start recording and, because it was already recording, actually stopped it from recording. Once she was done with her performance, I quickly hit the button again and started filming the ground and everybody's feet.<br />
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Luckily, I figured out what happened a few minutes after and in between kicking myself as hard as I could for not filming my second child's first performance, I got Patrick's class on video. Also lucky was that another dad at the school filmed the whole thing and I was able to get a copy.<br />
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So, that's the long reason of why this post is so late. But I finally put the video of the three performances together (yep, three. Because, for some reason, the whole family had to go up and sing Patrick's song with his class right after all the kids sang it. I don't know.). Maddy is up first and thankfully she's right up front and the tallest in her class so, even though it's not us filming it, we can see her for the whole thing. (Also, if you're wondering why none of the kids are singing, it's because a) they're 3 and b) they changed the song on them a couple days before.) After Maddy's performance there's a cute moment that I actually managed to capture and not lose for all eternity (right around the 2:30 mark) where Patrick's class is on their way to the stage and Maddy can't help but run over and give him a big hug before he goes on. I love that they love each other.<br />
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Here it is:<br />
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We're so proud of both our kiddos for getting up there and doing such a great job. They had a blast and so did we. And thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for making the long trek out to be there too!Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-67572259462973011532013-03-29T14:25:00.000-04:002013-03-29T14:25:37.048-04:00From Tree to TableWe started with a large tree that was right up against our house/Patrick's room and was acting as a big stairway for all types of wildlife to gain access into our attic.<br />
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So, this happened (thanks Uncle Tim)...<br />
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Which led to this...<br />
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In summary...<br />
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After a few weeks of tree parts sitting around in our yard, we decided to put them to work.<br />
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We cut, measured and pencil lined...<br />
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Cut some more and paint lined...<br />
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And colored/painted...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it is sitting on our bed. I finished it during the kids' nap time one day.</td></tr>
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Then drew a tic-tac-toe board on the other side and got to stainin'/weather proofin'...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I take full credit for the really creative design.</td></tr>
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We made chairs for the kids out of leftover stumps and wood, too. Once the wood was cut, the kids were ready to stain their chairs...<br />
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Then we set it all up using the large base of the tree we cut as the table. If you look in the video, you'll notice a pond/sludge factory right under the tree. The previous homeowners had given up on it a few years before we moved in and we haven't done anything with is since we moved in last year...wait, 8 1/2 years ago. Yikes.<br />
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We decided to get rid of the "pond" and use the stones in and around it for the new outdoor game table area. The kids couldn't wait for us to finish putting it all together before trying out several dozen rounds of stones vs. acorns tic-tac-toe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're wet and barefoot because <strike>we're hill people</strike> they had just finished playing in the water table.</td></tr>
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We stacked the stones then used some flat stones from around the pond for the floor and poured gravel in to fill in the gaps. Here's the finished product...<br />
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We'll probably get a few more decorative things for around the outside and have the kids paint a 'welcome' sign for it or something. We're also planning on taking some stones and painting them black with Xs and Os for the tic-tac-toe board (just in case we ever run out of pebbles and acorns).<br />
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(P.S. - If you're ever looking for a good gift for someone, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-BDCDMT120-20-volt-Matrix/dp/B009VK6G8U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364581258&sr=8-2&keywords=black+decker+matrix" target="_blank">Black & Decker Matrix Drill</a> is great. It, along with all its cool attachments, made things much easier for the project. It was really nice to be able to switch from drill to trim saw to sander to jig saw all in the same tool.)Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-66454940555825222492013-03-09T14:39:00.001-05:002013-03-09T19:24:23.270-05:00This Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At age 3...<br />
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<strong>She is constantly moving and 99% of that movement is dance.</strong><br />
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<strong>She's getting goofier as she grows</strong>. And I'm pretty sure she's going to be somewhat of a smarta$% (in a good way, of course.). When we were at Fernbank a month ago there were several older ladies <br />
that passed us going into an exhibit.<br />
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<strong>The brother and sister silliness continues.</strong> They have a blast together. End of story.<br />
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The transition to a big girl bed from a crib has gone well so far. Instead of calling for us when she wakes up, she now goes into Patrick's room to wake him up (bonus!)(Also, sorry Patch! Thanks for taking one for the team.). The first time it happened was on a Saturday morning. Toby and I woke up for a minute when we thought we heard a door close, then when things were quiet again fell back asleep for another 30 minutes. Eventually we found the kids snuggled up in Patrick's bed reading together. Toby and I high-fved each other and snuck out of the room to make breakfast and have a cup of coffee together. It was like a date! A 15 minute date, but a date nonetheless.<br />
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<strong>She's getting even more independent</strong>. It's not unusual for her to go off to read books or play on her own. I think that's pretty typical of a 2-3 year old. What's not typical is the way she holds her own with older kids- be it in school, on a playground or a bounce house. She never wavers in her confidence and has yet to let a bigger kid push past her or boss her around. When we went rock climbing she insisted on doing everything herself. No matter how high, how dangerous or if she's done it or seen anyone do it before- she wants to do it on her own.<br />
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<strong>She's turning into a cuddle-bug</strong>. As long as its on her terms she will hug and kiss you all day long. Quite often she'll turn to one of us while we're reading or playing and say ever so softly, "I love you" and lean over for a kiss. And then my heart melts...<br />
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Madelyn makes us smile and shake our heads each and every day. I love that she likes fairies and princesses and dancing but also loves to get messy and play tackle with her brother. She's tough when she needs to be and stubborn when she wants to be. She's more confident in herself and abilities than I ever was and probably ever will be.<br />
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I love that she could be singing a soft lullaby to her babydoll while wearing her "Tangled dress" one moment and catching bugs and climbing trees the next. I love that she loves to do each of those things equally. She's a Daddy's girl to the core and adores her brother more than anyone in the world. There is no way to convey how much we love her. And no way to measure how much joy she's added to our lives by being in it.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-4489186429386043582013-02-24T21:16:00.001-05:002013-02-24T21:16:36.424-05:00Like Mother, Like DaughterAngie's gotten into doing CrossFit the last few months and has been working on her "kipping" pull-ups. It's a way of doing pull-ups where you swing a little and use your momentum to help do the pull-ups more quickly. Well, Angie's practiced these at home, sometimes with the kids around. Then we went to the rock climbing gym and she tried them out on their pull-up bars. Here's what they look like...<br />
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Apparently Madelyn took note of the way her Mommy gets things done and decided to give it a try herself. It's pretty darn funny if you ask me (sorry about the small video in the middle)...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="428" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OrMmTdGEXcc?rel=0" width="570"></iframe>Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-79411476560730784202013-02-12T21:11:00.002-05:002013-02-12T21:11:59.793-05:00Christmas Roundup Part III - The Video. Finally.I know, I know, it's February and I'm still posting about Christmas. But we've been in party planning mode for Maddy's third and it took me a little longer to get the video done this year. <br />
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But let the record show: Christmas was awesome. Having a 4 year old and an almost-three year old really made it a fun month. Both kids completely loved the Elf on the Shelf this year (unlike last year where Patrick was extremely skeptical that the elf could fly since we hadn't even seen him move) and both were very excited about Santa (unlike last year where Patrick was also skeptical (I sense a theme) and a little weirded out about somebody coming in our house while we are all sleeping). This year, the kids wrote Santa letters, got excited about the reindeer and wanted to do Christmas crafts and projects every day. It was great. <br />
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We had our usual three Christmases this year as well which always makes holiday seem like a month long celebration. So, it's kind of perfect. We got to really get in the spirit and enjoy the holiday for a long time. Between the cabin, our house and Grandma and Grandpa's house, there was A LOT of Christmas going on. <br />
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I'll stop rambling now and just post the video. Let me just say that it's super hard to squeeze three families' worth of Christmas in to a few minute video, but I tried. The song is called 'Family Tree' (DOUBLE MEANING ALERT!) and it's by Dave Barnes. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="321" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X_utEPXgM-Q?rel=0" width="570"></iframe>Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-38410980124214636192013-02-07T04:00:00.000-05:002013-02-07T04:00:07.882-05:00Happy Birthday Madelyn!Happy THIRD birthday to our sweet Madelyn! We can't imagine our lives without our daring, smart, strong willed, silly, beautiful little girl. "Blessed" doesn't begin to cover it. What a truly amazing part of our lives Madelyn is. We love you, angel!<br />
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<br />Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-11436870923877818362013-01-15T21:30:00.000-05:002013-01-15T21:39:41.968-05:00Christmas Roundup Part II - Oh, Christmas TreeAngie heard a story on the radio earlier in the season that, I think, almost made her cry. It was about the number of families with real Christmas trees vs. fake trees. I don't know the exact numbers, and I'm too lazy to open another tab and Google it, but there was an astounding number of fake tree families (FTF). It was apparently a number higher than Angie's psyche could take because she brought it up several times over the next few weeks.<br />
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Angie and I have always had real trees and always liked the whole process of going to a tree lot, picking one out, driving home with it on top of the car and then spending 16 hours trying to get it to stand straight in the tree stand. Most of our trees have done well except for the one time we went to Lowe's and found out when we took it down that there were THOUSANDS of some kind of bug living in it and had now died on our carpet. That year kinda sucked. But other than that, live trees have gone well. This year's tree was especially great due to poor measuring and/or labeling on the tree merchant's part.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAZwXvcWhHk/UPW352KGzVI/AAAAAAAAEbA/0LI-B5NGTQU/s1600/Photo+Dec+03,+7+06+45+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAZwXvcWhHk/UPW352KGzVI/AAAAAAAAEbA/0LI-B5NGTQU/s400/Photo+Dec+03,+7+06+45+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We usually go to a big local tree lot and pick out the tree but this year, in the name of efficiency, we ended up just getting it from Home Depot since we were there for other stuff anyway. We were a little wary after our Lowe's experience a few years back but we thought we'd chance it. Our house has 10' ceilings so we headed for the 8-9' section of trees. We figured, even if we got the tallest in that section, we'd still have a solid 12 inches to spare on top (good thing I did that really complex math for you. Sorry.). The kids and Angie unanimously agreed on what appeared to be a very large tree. But, it had a tag (and, more importantly, a price) on it that clearly said "8-9 feet!" Fast forward to us at the house and me trying to stand the tree up and we quickly realized the tag was not accurate at all. The tree scraped the ceiling then bent...a lot. It was at least a foot too tall. I think Madelyn expressed it best when she saw it fully standing up and said with wonder and awe "*gasp* Daddy! It's touching the sky!" After a good laugh, some tree trimming and creative star hanging/tying, the tree actually looked pretty darn good.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5x2ZkyDGvzM/UPW35v6HjLI/AAAAAAAAEa8/ZcI38nXyBqA/s1600/Photo+Dec+03%252C+7+05+49+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5x2ZkyDGvzM/UPW35v6HjLI/AAAAAAAAEa8/ZcI38nXyBqA/s400/Photo+Dec+03%252C+7+05+49+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Once all the branches settled, it felt like the tree took up half the room. But it was great. The whole house smelled like Christmas and the kids loved decorating it, playing around it (we put it in the playroom) and hiding things in it. The tree also lasted longer than any other we've had and was healthy right up till the end. Last Friday, we finally had to let it go. I'm pretty sure I saw Angie hugging it one night before we went to bed.<br />
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Good bye Christmas tree. We'll miss ya...<br />
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Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-57852459958782949412013-01-04T07:57:00.000-05:002013-01-04T07:57:38.816-05:00Christmas Roundup Part I - St. Nick's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've celebrated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day#German_speaking_countries" target="_blank">St. Nick's Day</a> at our house every year since we've had kids, but this year was definitely the most fun. We kind of used it as a Christmas kick off point for everything from getting our tree to hanging decorations to our Elf on the Shelf (named Moguls last year by Patrick).<br />
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The night before St. Nick's Day, the kids wrote notes to Santa telling him what they would like for Christmas, assuring him they had been well behaved and letting him know the cookies were for him. This was also Santa's chance to drop off Moguls the elf who would stay at our house through Christmas and keep an eye on the kids. Angie had the kids make "elf donuts" out of Cheerios for Moguls to eat when he arrived because starting off on Moguls's good side seemed like it was in everyone's best interest.<br />
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When the kids woke up the next morning, they raced downstairs to see what St. Nick had left for them. They got a few little things like a book, some candy, their ornament for this year and a snow globe. The snow globe was the big hit because both kids had asked Santa for a stuffed-animal boy and girl husky pup named Jingle and Belle respectively. The snow globes they each got had a little figurine of the dog inside which gave them confidence Santa knew what he was doing and wouldn't botch Christmas morning up :)<br />
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Here are some blurry pictures of the kids opening their gifts because THEY NEVER STOP MOVING...<br />
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This year's Elf on the Shelf was a lot more fun too. Last year, Maddy was too little to really get it and Patrick was just skeptical and a little creeped out. But this year, both kids woke up every day wanting to find where Moguls was hiding and couldn't wait to see where he'd be the next day. Moguls hid all over the house, mostly up high so as not to be manhandled, over the course of the month and the kids loved every second of it.<br />
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I really like that we've kept doing the St. Nick's tradition. It's been a great way to start off the season and get all of us in the Christmas mood. We had a really busy and fun December with the kids' Christmas programs, a way-too-large Christmas tree, three Christmas celebrations and tons more; but I'll save those for their own posts. Happy new year to everybody!Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-3226072203593383872012-12-25T13:46:00.001-05:002013-01-03T15:24:04.328-05:00Merry ChristmasWe are truly, truly blessed and hope everyone else has a blessed and happy Christmas as well. <br />
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Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-73098307989264910502012-12-09T15:19:00.000-05:002012-12-09T15:19:42.409-05:00Meeting DeclanFor the full story on this, you can visit <a href="http://kbbean.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-boy.html" target="_blank">Katie and Brandon's blog</a>; but I wanted to share a few pictures of my beautiful new nephew, Declan Thomas Bean.<br />
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On the night of November 17th, we were up at the cabin celebrating Thanksgiving with the Suskays when I saw call come through to my cell from Brandon. I was mid-soaping-one-of-the-kids up in the bath so I ignored it for the time being. Usually when Brandon calls at night it's with a question about game consoles, how to hook up some part of his home theater system or just to tell me I'm a great guy (not really on that last one). I also knew that the Beans weren't expecting their baby till November 26th when they had their planned C-section so I didn't think too much of it. But, moments later, I got a text from Brandon that simply said "baby's on the way." And only a couple hours later, Declan was here.<br />
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Angie and I came back Sunday morning to visit while the kids stayed up at the cabin with the rest of the Suskays. It really was great that it worked out that way because we each got to visit baby Declan at the same time and didn't have to worry about the kids (who both had a cough) touching the baby or getting hungry or bored or tired. Instead we just got to hold Declan for as long as we wanted. Which was a pretty long time. 'Cause, just look at him...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Declan thought Angie was hilarious.</td></tr>
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The day after Thanksgiving, we all headed out to the Bean's house to visit some more. This time the kids got to see Declan for the first time and hold him. Needless to say, they were THRILLED....<br />
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When Maddy held him, she wanted to make sure her one arm was free at all times so she could stroke his head and touch his fingers. She also couldn't stop kissing his little cheeks (I don't blame her).<br />
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Welcome to the family Declan! You're already perfect and we can't wait to see you grow with such amazing parents and a wonderful big sister! And congratulations to Katie, Brandon and Carson - you four are a beautiful family.<br />
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<br />Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-63985712099276555872012-11-15T23:13:00.000-05:002012-11-15T23:13:46.918-05:00Boys' Night OutOh hi ... we have a blog. I've been terrible about updating here as things have gotten busier towards the end of the year. It always seems like we're out of town (or at least out of our house) more than we're in for the last few months. But it's all been for fun stuff so I'm definitely not complaining.<br />
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One thing I've been meaning to post are some pictures from a boys' night/girls' night we did with the kids back in September. Since I was really only part of the boys' night (for obvious reasons) I'll stick to the stories and pictures from the that perspective.<br />
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Ang and I had been talking about the fact that we don't get a lot of one-on-one time with the kids. It's so cool to see them play together and so fun to be a family of four but it's also neat to see what the kids are like when they're apart. Patrick and Madelyn are very used to the other one being there and do almost everything together. They finish each other's sentences, questions and jokes so much that sometimes they don't get to fully say whatever it was they were going to say before their sibling jumps in. And we feel like we don't always get to answer their questions or really hear them out individually because we're usually trying to talk or listen to both of them at the same time. So we decided to split them up and pick an activity to do with each one that we wouldn't normally do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go!</td></tr>
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For the boys, we decided to go indoor rock climbing. There was a time when Angie and I would go climbing a few nights per week before we had kids but at this point, I hadn't been climbing in years. It seemed like a cool activity to do with Patrick that we don't normally do and something fun for "the boys." Patrick was SUPER EXCITED. I don't think it really would have mattered what we chose to do, he was just really happy to have a boys' night. All week he would randomly yell "Hey Dad!" and when I'd look at him he'd say "The boys!" in his "cool guy voice" and give me a thumbs up. It was really cute and it was all he could talk about.<br />
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As soon as Patrick woke up from his nap, we jumped in the car and left. The first thing on the agenda was actually to go through the car wash. For some unknown reason, Madelyn is really, really frightened of the car wash. Like, terrified. A few months before the boys' night, I tried to go through the car wash with the kids and Maddy panicked. Patrick wanted to go through though so I told him we would sometime when it was just the two of us. So, the week before boys' night when I asked Patrick what he wanted to do with just him and me, he immediately said "Let's go through the car wash!" And so, we did...<br />
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Then we got down to business and hit the rock climbing gym.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chalked up and ready to climb.</td></tr>
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Patrick had zero hesitation about anything in the gym and made himself right at home. He climbed everything he saw and ran all over the place making up imaginary scenarios that involved him having to climb. The gym has a small kids' section with a little black-lit tunnel, small climbing wall and slide that Patrick loved. He would pretend he was an animal and hide out in the tunnel from predators then when he saw a chance to make his move he'd come running out and climb the wall to get away. Then he'd fly down the slide and do it all again.<br />
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The other thing Patrick really loved at the gym? Chalk.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the floor looked like everywhere Patrick went in the gym.</td></tr>
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It was a really fun night for both of us. He was the only non-adult in the gym and it was really cute to watch him act like a grown up. If I was climbing a route or looking at the wall for something to climb he'd say to me "Hey Dad, I'm just gonna be over here doing some climbing if you need me" in his most serious and grown up voice, then walk off by himself and start climbing things. I loved watching him get to be independent and feel like a big guy. It was also really nice to be able to have full conversations, completely uninterrupted by anything or anyone else for hours in a row.<br />
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After a few hours of climbing, when our hands couldn't take any more punishment, we met the girls at the food court in the mall to get some dinner and swap stories of our nights. We got in the car to leave for the mall and Patrick said "Dad, that was the most fun thing I've ever done. We should do that all the time. Maybe sometimes we'll bring Maddy and Mommy though so they can see me climb. But sometimes let's climb with just the boys." Sounds like a plan to me :)Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-82459014233621239372012-10-25T21:18:00.000-04:002012-10-25T21:18:45.513-04:00Random, Random and More RandomFound these little nuggets when I was cleaning out the videos/pictures on my phone. Some of them are only a few seconds long but they still made me smile...<br />
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Madelyn executing some killer dance moves while Patrick introduces me to his assistant.<br />
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Tossing water balloons at the beach house. (It's really too bad Patrick never gets excited about anything. Especially bird nests).<br />
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Zumba with Aunt Mollie at the beach house.<br />
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Mo trying to herd Toby, Carson and Madelyn as they sing Ring Around The Rosie.<br />
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Carson, Patch, and Madelyn dancing in church at St. Ann's Life Teen 20th reunion.<br />
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And finally, a little Call Me Maybe to end this random post. We were at a surprise party and everyone else was inside the clubhouse waiting on the birthday boy to arrive so the kids got the dance floor to themselves for awhile.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8dfVmTcrK9g?rel=0" width="579"></iframe><br />Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-30575972142167001782012-10-09T21:18:00.000-04:002012-10-09T21:18:57.303-04:00Meeting MoiraSweet Moira Elizabeth was born midmorning on September 13th. We were lucky enough to spend two weekends in a row with the Garity family and their precious new baby girl. The first weekend we visited Asheville and the next weekend the whole family met at the cabin in Blue Ridge for some apple picking and fall fun. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnF12QySgFnoUAugRLBoV096EmsCTxfJq1O7WNDBqdCzBFnXXLKBPeTjf_4Dcc-_XzjRyEfp3eL4hnQbbBennc9S3Bmc52WRQEtVyrmabfYu2cA4Pgmly6QCzf9LJ19-naaLdanx3Da09/s1600/moiraeliz.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnF12QySgFnoUAugRLBoV096EmsCTxfJq1O7WNDBqdCzBFnXXLKBPeTjf_4Dcc-_XzjRyEfp3eL4hnQbbBennc9S3Bmc52WRQEtVyrmabfYu2cA4Pgmly6QCzf9LJ19-naaLdanx3Da09/s400/moiraeliz.JPEG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">perfection</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbI7T5fOJooI-3Bpn9QlvgwZNv1_yXDy7fOof3R1zubAmeg-P7jltgh8bqGcjqYsT4P-Pi_SErhLVMWdymSyWY5LTQw2TRKVkJpf0waqhJ20QdlIfB6vjjuDSierrYa5H4nA_pdZdOAR2/s1600/CreightonDSC_0127.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbI7T5fOJooI-3Bpn9QlvgwZNv1_yXDy7fOof3R1zubAmeg-P7jltgh8bqGcjqYsT4P-Pi_SErhLVMWdymSyWY5LTQw2TRKVkJpf0waqhJ20QdlIfB6vjjuDSierrYa5H4nA_pdZdOAR2/s400/CreightonDSC_0127.JPEG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creighton has stepped into his role as a big brother with ease.</td></tr>
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Patrick and Madelyn were in awe when they saw baby Moira. They went on and on about how tiny and cute she is, wanting to touch her hands and feet. Madelyn, especially, can't seem to get enough of her. When she held Moira for the first time she looked up at me and asked. "She's my baby sister?" (wishful thinking)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick's first impression, "You have a ball head, baby Moira."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3yvdOG57mHLytG29RiivviNKxkreQ_C4F2Ip85ENQVFVCc3neHPtYrgeMPgz4hlX8Zo88LaYD7jikLARADqOVQCicw12d2tmCw4zuMkJANNbvw1ci6HJ2BZ2u6x3gF9wXKObK_ZFa-3x/s1600/maddymoira2.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3yvdOG57mHLytG29RiivviNKxkreQ_C4F2Ip85ENQVFVCc3neHPtYrgeMPgz4hlX8Zo88LaYD7jikLARADqOVQCicw12d2tmCw4zuMkJANNbvw1ci6HJ2BZ2u6x3gF9wXKObK_ZFa-3x/s400/maddymoira2.JPEG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madelyn literally could not stop kissing Moira over and over again.</td></tr>
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Patch, Maddy and Creighton had a blast playing together, as usual. Have I mentioned how lucky we are to have family close by? And to have the cousins so close in age? Very lucky and extremely blessed indeed.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrk7fR0ep3IuVCXc1Su4JUCIf4l2muanlOpEZn7VoioCrXnThmfJsAa9bm4oWN3NI0ntK7qrK1dZ3VVT_ZefxXpo9WCI_d7BRHm6jyOg83f10Nful0KT6rlCJUOTs4qB0gzZ_UVXKSM2T/s1600/creighton%252Cpatch%252Cmadelyn.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrk7fR0ep3IuVCXc1Su4JUCIf4l2muanlOpEZn7VoioCrXnThmfJsAa9bm4oWN3NI0ntK7qrK1dZ3VVT_ZefxXpo9WCI_d7BRHm6jyOg83f10Nful0KT6rlCJUOTs4qB0gzZ_UVXKSM2T/s400/creighton%252Cpatch%252Cmadelyn.JPEG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "big" kids. And one very ugly, yet very loved opossum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cloud watching</td></tr>
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Congratulations Tim, Mandie and Creighton! Moira is an angel. Toby and I are so very honored to be chosen as godparents. We look forward to spoiling her in the future.</div>
Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-92053609289741552472012-09-27T21:49:00.001-04:002012-09-27T21:49:38.029-04:00An Open Letter to the Insanely Rich<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">To: Insanely rich people everywhere</span><br />
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">From: Toby, on behalf of the not rich people everywhere</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Re: Let's make a baby (dinosaur)</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Dear Rich People,</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQ6Q5hWIRAw/UGT8-9Ek-zI/AAAAAAAADl0/5kABz3M--wM/s1600/Photo+Aug+05%252C+8+59+15+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQ6Q5hWIRAw/UGT8-9Ek-zI/AAAAAAAADl0/5kABz3M--wM/s400/Photo+Aug+05%252C+8+59+15+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">For as long as I can remember, I've loved dinosaurs. They're big (or not), majestic and a reminder that something much cooler than us used to dominate this planet. There were literally millions of years where these creatures were at the top of the food chain (and the bottom). They had daily routines just like animals today and had to learn to co-exist. When I was three years old, I decided I wanted to be a vertebrae paleontologist just so I could get close to any part of these animals. Later in life, I realized that I wanted a wife and kids and to not spend every evening washing sand out of all my nooks and crannies after laying on the desert all day searching for fossils. But, I'm still pretty amazed by dinosaurs and sad that I'll never actually see one run or eat.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fke-lNX3_y8/UGT87LVeITI/AAAAAAAADlU/ywqLGjg7qok/s1600/Photo+Aug+04%252C+12+18+33+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fke-lNX3_y8/UGT87LVeITI/AAAAAAAADlU/ywqLGjg7qok/s400/Photo+Aug+04%252C+12+18+33+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">When the movie Jurassic Park was released almost 20 years ago (20?! WHAT THE HELL?!) I watched it countless times and imagined what it would be like to drive in a jeep to a field and <a href="http://youtu.be/PJlmYh27MHg" target="_blank">catch my first glimpse of a brachiosaur eating its breakfast</a>. I prayed that one day someone would be able to recreate just one dinosaur to see in person.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zEAXqjF4RsM/UGT9A4BulUI/AAAAAAAADmE/eLrJymXlT-0/s1600/Photo+Aug+07%252C+12+27+54+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zEAXqjF4RsM/UGT9A4BulUI/AAAAAAAADmE/eLrJymXlT-0/s400/Photo+Aug+07%252C+12+27+54+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Well, it looks like somebody is going to try. I caught wind of a story about an eccentric billionaire in Australia who is <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/08/billionaire-plans-to-build-real-life-jurassic-park.html" target="_blank">going to try to make Jurassic Park</a> and my whole day (life) got better. Now, I'll admit, I don't know much about Australia. The only things I'm positive exist there are great white sharks (thank you Shark Week, my other love), kangaroos and <a href="http://youtu.be/mmSPxVbdUsc?t=18s" target="_blank">this dancing hurdler</a> (courtesy of my wife, who loves this girl). But if this guy really exists in Australia and is crazy/rich enough to attempt a Jurassic Park, then my opinion of Australia just went soaring past my opinion of any other country I have limited knowledge of; which is most every country. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">So, rich people, here's my request to you: let's make a baby. A baby dinosaur. You know what? Let's make lots of 'em. And let 'em get all big and cool.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZmwRyfIkOk/UGT85K764wI/AAAAAAAADlE/74Pch-7Rho4/s1600/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+04+37+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZmwRyfIkOk/UGT85K764wI/AAAAAAAADlE/74Pch-7Rho4/s320/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+04+37+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXxN0OpXNao/UGT84ffIOII/AAAAAAAADk8/HN2_Hk6Kuag/s1600/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+02+50+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXxN0OpXNao/UGT84ffIOII/AAAAAAAADk8/HN2_Hk6Kuag/s320/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+02+50+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NWnUazx3K3Y/UGT86Q8TY6I/AAAAAAAADlM/D9wnwE4qN2E/s1600/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+06+14+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NWnUazx3K3Y/UGT86Q8TY6I/AAAAAAAADlM/D9wnwE4qN2E/s320/Photo+Aug+04%252C+1+06+14+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this. But, with skin and stuff.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">See, you have TONS of money (literally tons if you put it on a very large scale) and if I've learned anything from watching TV or governments, it's that you can make whatever you want happen if you throw enough money at it. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Let's take a look at what you're doing with your money right now:</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><u><b>Buying yachts:</b></u> Boring. You all have one. Nobody is impressed. Knock it off.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>Buying helicopters/private jets:</u></b> Again, you all have one already. Stop it.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>Buying lots of cars:</u></b> <a href="http://youtu.be/QyL9H4wJ0VE?t=14m50s" target="_blank">You lack creativity</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">**</span>. Just because you wanted to buy an expensive car when you didn't have money doesn't mean you should buy dozens of them now that you do. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>Putting the money in overseas accounts so you don't get taxed:</u></b> Ugh. Really? You might as well stash it under your enormously large mattress made out of baby angel feathers. Yawn.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRs1R83lhIs/UGT88-VRgjI/AAAAAAAADlc/gBL1kQT-QwU/s1600/Photo+Aug+04%252C+12+30+30+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRs1R83lhIs/UGT88-VRgjI/AAAAAAAADlc/gBL1kQT-QwU/s400/Photo+Aug+04%252C+12+30+30+PM.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Just imagine how all your rich peers would react when you rode up to their stuffy fund raiser on an Allosaurus. Think how much more exciting your boring garden party would be if, occasionally, a giganotasaurus walked through and ate all the hors d'oeuvres and you casually commented "Oh that one? He's new. Come around back and I'll show you my others." </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Isn't that exciting? I don't want you to think about whether or not you should do this or if it's "right." I don't want you to think about the science behind it or if it's even possible (from what I gather, most of you hate science anyway). I just want you to find the closest group of scientists and start giving them all your money. After all, this HAS to be possible given enough resources. If you look at the time line of the earth, we're closer to a Tyrannosaurus Rex than he was to a Stegosaurus. Here...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Science.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">See? This can't be that hard. Make it happen.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Stop buying dumb things. Stop buying lots of things. Just invest all your money into making some dinosaurs. I'll happily be a spokesperson for the project if you need one, given my obvious enthusiasm. Actually, you should probably use that Australian hurdler girl. She seems WAY more enthusiastic than me. Anyway, I'll be here if you need anything from me. In the meantime, I expect to see lots of dollars flowing into startup companies with names like DinoTech, BioDin and iDino.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Also, if you haven't seen Jurassic Park, don't watch the ending. No big deal; just don't worry about it. Let's get that money flowing.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Regards,</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Toby</span><br />
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: -webkit-auto;">*This post is just an excuse to post pictures from our visit to Fernbank this summer. </span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">**If you get a chance, you should really watch the entire interview starting at Part 1. Malcolm Gladwell is always amazing.</span></div>
Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-66227556096707430792012-09-16T14:57:00.002-04:002012-09-27T21:49:54.098-04:00EvidenceDouble proof that the kids take after their mother in the singing department...<br />
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<strong>Exhibit A:</strong> Our baby-wearing duo singing, "grow little flower, grow."<br />
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<strong>Exhibit B:</strong> Madelyn's debut of her self-written and choreographed song,"I am a diamond, I am a star", while cleaning out the playroom.<br />
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How early can we start those singing lessons, Aunt Anna ? ;-)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-55878288730301724452012-09-11T21:48:00.000-04:002012-09-11T21:48:30.730-04:00Pacis and Potties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4SUg2t3wfE/UE_ooWQJ5zI/AAAAAAAADdg/qh3zNxl9ohc/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4SUg2t3wfE/UE_ooWQJ5zI/AAAAAAAADdg/qh3zNxl9ohc/s400/photo+(7).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Apparently Madelyn was tired of being a little girl because one morning she woke up and decided to shed two major indicators of her youth: her pacifiers and her diapers. We had bought some underwear for her just in case and she even tried them on a few times; but it was clear she wasn't ready yet. But on August 3rd, just a few days before she was 2 1/2 years old, Maddy woke up and said she wanted to wear underwear and that she was "all done with diapers because I'm a big girl now." We went along with it thinking she'd have an accident sometime that morning and then not want to wear them again. Instead, she put them on and hasn't looked back since. She had the occasional accident in the first week if she was playing outside and misjudged how bad she had to go vs. how long it would take to get inside, but other than that she handled it like a champ and is in underwear all the time now. She even naps in them!<br />
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As if we weren't excited enough about saying goodbye to diapers (can't tell you how weird it is to not have diapers to change after four years of it) Madelyn rode the momentum of growing up right into the decision to ditch her pacis that same afternoon. This one was a little crazier because we were rushing around trying to get ready to go to Aunt Anna's senior recital when Madelyn grabbed her pacis out of her bed and said "I wanna give these to the babies. I a big girl now and don't need them. I wear underwear." Angie and I REALLY wanted to say no because we were in such a hurry to leave but we didn't know when she might give us such an easy out again so we jumped on it. We decided to do the same thing we did with Patrick and have her "send the pacis to the babies." After she sends them, the babies give her a little gift in return which, thankfully, always-10-steps-ahead-of-me Angie, had purchased a month earlier just in case.<br />
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Since we were so short on time, the whole ordeal was done very quickly. We decorated the envelope...<br />
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Dropped the pacis in the mailbox...<br />
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Then left for Anna's recital and happened to spot a gift from the babies on our way out. Needless to say, Tinkerbell attended the recital as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chanting "Anna! Anna!" on their way into the recital while holding the flowers they picked out for her.</td></tr>
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After the recital and celebrations we came back home for a movie night (also known as "keep Madelyn up late so she falls asleep easier without her pacifier). We watched her brand new Tinker Bell movie, put the kids down for the night and crossed our fingers. She did awesome that first night but we knew not to get our hopes up after doing this with Patrick. The next day we put the kids down for nap and braced ourselves for the<a href="http://www.flowers-home.net/2011/01/bye-bye-binky.html" target="_blank"> endless crying and story telling of a heroic mailman who rescues the pacis from the babies</a>. Amazingly, Madelyn just sang a song then went to sleep. That was it.<br />
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She really made the whole thing very easy on us. She barely even asked about her pacis in the beginning and by now seems to have almost completely forgotten about them. It takes her a little longer to go to sleep but she's always happy. She'll just lay in bed and talk and sing and hug her new Tinker Bell.<br />
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We're very proud of our big girl. She took on two pretty major milestones at once (especially the potty training) and conquered them both with no problem. Congratulations on being such a big girl Maddy! We love you!<br />
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<br />Tobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493156186644124616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822260359697714853.post-73712839755700703652012-08-28T21:34:00.000-04:002012-08-28T21:34:03.773-04:00TypicalIn the series of pictures below Patrick is trying to explain a rocket launch to Madelyn who is more interested in her fairy book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkz6Q91sSg7830HIjEH4DPJh3jXuf8iOOYkMDuTJIrJu1B_M6S9ZquFdyDOJkLD3oQIr-GlhsOmmy6u_PMYkoAS8PSVMFI6UfnbIradx18GOX9CdHxBGAY7Mkw-qS0eSkS1K5qTIEY93O/s1600/rocket+launch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkz6Q91sSg7830HIjEH4DPJh3jXuf8iOOYkMDuTJIrJu1B_M6S9ZquFdyDOJkLD3oQIr-GlhsOmmy6u_PMYkoAS8PSVMFI6UfnbIradx18GOX9CdHxBGAY7Mkw-qS0eSkS1K5qTIEY93O/s400/rocket+launch.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEW13HBXdE_GEEotesbd-YBxNoFrN4g3KsgcWkiyiALJl4oDMKakiwHjMsWNBIzwZWcNFdgvRq_jghwwAfTqpmGyxkRxTVNH9Qu-fyGYtLsWhPGWck0erqWw_NQfOO9xziJifjTN8ItVo/s1600/rocket+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEW13HBXdE_GEEotesbd-YBxNoFrN4g3KsgcWkiyiALJl4oDMKakiwHjMsWNBIzwZWcNFdgvRq_jghwwAfTqpmGyxkRxTVNH9Qu-fyGYtLsWhPGWck0erqWw_NQfOO9xziJifjTN8ItVo/s400/rocket+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After several minutes of talking and gesturing wildly, simulating a rocket blasting off, he realizes Madelyn is not paying attention.<br />
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Patrick: (sigh) Why do you like just pink and purple things?<br />
Madelyn: I like pink and purple and yewyow and green...<br />
Patrick: (totally flabbergasted) I mean you just don't like things that are REAL<b>!</b> You like fairies. Stop learning about things that are not real. <strong>You're wasting time!!!</strong><br />
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Madelyn's reaction is pictured below...<br />
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Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906794719082677277noreply@blogger.com5