tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57649167073553764712024-03-14T00:55:17.596-07:00THOMPSON FAMILYKyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.comBlogger522125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-11824678083491919272011-05-22T22:43:00.001-07:002011-05-22T22:43:53.761-07:00Meeting Macie Mckay<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">I was blessed to go meet my new niece, Macie McKay last week in Texas. She is such a doll. I can't get over how beautiful she is. I love being an Aunt to little Macie. She is the sweetest thing. She would look right at my face like she was really trying to recognize me and I don't know it it makes sense or not, but she seemed so familiar to me, like I recognized her. She loves to snuggle and loves to sleep during the day and be up all night (poor parents of hers!) I just love this little girl and miss her like crazy! I wish they didn't live so far away. I am hoping to get to see her (and her parents) in August. So don't grow up too much before then little Miss!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEWf4Ols08ekAXKdF-ztkEgIIyXK7ssxutFbsWkoW-qugIFpEf7Nn9zhG2JEwZYGOa7GPdbWFi38gsCRz3H46elMz1XjKqWv-DWACBbVhQXeNQOeYLULBawKYH19-QDFLSE35qilU25L4/s1600/DSC_0283.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEWf4Ols08ekAXKdF-ztkEgIIyXK7ssxutFbsWkoW-qugIFpEf7Nn9zhG2JEwZYGOa7GPdbWFi38gsCRz3H46elMz1XjKqWv-DWACBbVhQXeNQOeYLULBawKYH19-QDFLSE35qilU25L4/s400/DSC_0283.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYnVts4DAVu5MoMSBHoMYRaKoBtev-qykDzHO5HcypuN-C4yiOWBtkwzU2Q3HhsxQ9buuh0cckCY99tKAJPHGTHhQz5amM_9ppdsuoi9eYYbl53IXTIdasEN56mQQMnCGZAB7yBtzb0-/s1600/DSC_0403.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytYnVts4DAVu5MoMSBHoMYRaKoBtev-qykDzHO5HcypuN-C4yiOWBtkwzU2Q3HhsxQ9buuh0cckCY99tKAJPHGTHhQz5amM_9ppdsuoi9eYYbl53IXTIdasEN56mQQMnCGZAB7yBtzb0-/s400/DSC_0403.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdSXJtSAg8sKVashj85QXiK2FjuFn_yM21joUUmUCxsdiVJPP4Wu56MeYPEmsANPnH1oxsaOU0xRRBh260fpiSN-et4aNWvC_1wI5V17QyvRgiRxmT7kXQsgMz5FUeuj3iPYpI7E5ikm8/s1600/DSC_0323.JPG"></a></div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlzLHsqLub9BxNiE2DUUIXtaCSDissisOgRH8E4HI-Nhe1Q0ZVCLJaUn4Z2wJA_7SvzVO5gVtqHZbZzZQX5y2SCC9M9wVcwck4AgLoB-56jn8StKp6B37OuDPP8JdZu2EwZwXtJUmAHn4/s1600/DSC_0352.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlzLHsqLub9BxNiE2DUUIXtaCSDissisOgRH8E4HI-Nhe1Q0ZVCLJaUn4Z2wJA_7SvzVO5gVtqHZbZzZQX5y2SCC9M9wVcwck4AgLoB-56jn8StKp6B37OuDPP8JdZu2EwZwXtJUmAHn4/s400/DSC_0352.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUQ2KE_mV4cWgDR5yYCr7NNVyi8CmvZ9cmz3p1Sj1qLNsFebk9hKFMxbl5-QyHlCCJe9EJytpcE02W5dyelJtMMQeiPJPPUrkiocsCE3NhRAnG-a6OgUqFCCtO-98BgrYw8EN6JWK0T2J/s1600/DSC_0353.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUQ2KE_mV4cWgDR5yYCr7NNVyi8CmvZ9cmz3p1Sj1qLNsFebk9hKFMxbl5-QyHlCCJe9EJytpcE02W5dyelJtMMQeiPJPPUrkiocsCE3NhRAnG-a6OgUqFCCtO-98BgrYw8EN6JWK0T2J/s400/DSC_0353.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8MGxuv2AqyJP_2RIvF7NWo8lHJPHCh0GJOyd7E7MUWtbem-DInKJ29E3z7JYeiKJzIxK_sicIwHW7PtOvNQ8z52-Mnz-yCdBJo3pJz6pwzV1HB5e-ajh-Fn2K025Nbxtdd0lTrBr1Yy4/s1600/DSC_0356.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8MGxuv2AqyJP_2RIvF7NWo8lHJPHCh0GJOyd7E7MUWtbem-DInKJ29E3z7JYeiKJzIxK_sicIwHW7PtOvNQ8z52-Mnz-yCdBJo3pJz6pwzV1HB5e-ajh-Fn2K025Nbxtdd0lTrBr1Yy4/s400/DSC_0356.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIEQOGns-zsVpoUf2SwWDHrDHc3LqGnI5S5l5SqM33OHIfPegCdMUHTPR098qR8xz5jLmMji8uxTc3s_VFp9FfEpk7GLNz7U1gb0vWvhuJB0XaLpzNeHoh2XqxwPwIC01zAiEntgr2LTx/s1600/DSC_0375.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIEQOGns-zsVpoUf2SwWDHrDHc3LqGnI5S5l5SqM33OHIfPegCdMUHTPR098qR8xz5jLmMji8uxTc3s_VFp9FfEpk7GLNz7U1gb0vWvhuJB0XaLpzNeHoh2XqxwPwIC01zAiEntgr2LTx/s400/DSC_0375.JPG" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-49663626502481226112011-05-09T15:10:00.000-07:002011-05-09T21:00:53.545-07:00You've got Style<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">My kids crack me up with some of the things they come out wearing. One particular evening they were all very excited about picking out each others outfits before we took off to rent a redbox. Ashton picked out Teras outfit and Tera picked out his. Ashton looked at different dresses that Teras Barbie dolls were wearing to come up with the fashion idea for Teras outfit. Apparently the Barbie's outfit he liked was one with layers. Tera loved this lookalso and has since tried to put on the exact same out fit many times. Each time I have to tell her no. I am far from a mom who stresses over what her kids look like. We have been many a places looking very grubby... but even I have to draw the line somewhere. Tera thought that stripes and plaid went well together for Ashton's outfit. Mazzi actually looked quite normal. I think I convinced them to let me help pick out her outfit. And while the kids wouldn't be winning any prizes for best dressed this particular night, at least at the moment they were all bathed and clean. (Which can only be said for one part of every day in our home) </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QJlkejxUzVu9GK2ay9dhXuRiXaXcbyaMbtPaSJYjiInvd-_qGtHbf1VSHvaxaijQqpJlK7UIEgxWZhwU5zYmMmDOcB_Z0Gd9OY5zCAxLHSabiNBji3_zyE-I_vLYkzuCXaBVICF8VDei/s400/DSC_0532.JPG" border="0" alt="" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg_EZdjtFpjutvvPoSvHu-TwrJn6FC5PPPmFHjkd16aN1KOXqqal_6qhCl_FMlwpeYguz4yf12IueT6uwl_6C2wnRSx2wlsWrCj2z4pI59yCtPEuZnK6pAwGQWI2HXjt6gAL1M4eVbijO/s1600/DSC_0509.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg_EZdjtFpjutvvPoSvHu-TwrJn6FC5PPPmFHjkd16aN1KOXqqal_6qhCl_FMlwpeYguz4yf12IueT6uwl_6C2wnRSx2wlsWrCj2z4pI59yCtPEuZnK6pAwGQWI2HXjt6gAL1M4eVbijO/s400/DSC_0509.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgGnoPSMKSUyCQ_Oqb-T0LCINdBNsCeE_CSTjfaW4m_HOLVNMltm2HJ4eNyspka4_SAHNJMqrUIq-kU_5u6P96qsWvyU5UfMJ35ObMzfeLKit78c_va-dast54B1hd1Z7d4PXm_CLLUD4/s1600/DSC_0511.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgGnoPSMKSUyCQ_Oqb-T0LCINdBNsCeE_CSTjfaW4m_HOLVNMltm2HJ4eNyspka4_SAHNJMqrUIq-kU_5u6P96qsWvyU5UfMJ35ObMzfeLKit78c_va-dast54B1hd1Z7d4PXm_CLLUD4/s400/DSC_0511.JPG" /></a> </div>And here they are enjoy the redbox feature they picked out. I love movie night with my kids!<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvysCAFxl02vk8eMapwOeivLbvyXDWp98pvs-eKk00kk2yvtHtbowPWQTuzcYsZxv9eSwQ_DO30L9-hErumb5eQgYX1VKzUHPWJuWGymDWMBlwmTVfO6mSlJdoujOVk6Ry8WJmG5xJhcj/s1600/DSC_0541.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvysCAFxl02vk8eMapwOeivLbvyXDWp98pvs-eKk00kk2yvtHtbowPWQTuzcYsZxv9eSwQ_DO30L9-hErumb5eQgYX1VKzUHPWJuWGymDWMBlwmTVfO6mSlJdoujOVk6Ry8WJmG5xJhcj/s400/DSC_0541.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="clear:both; text-align:CENTER"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-25021388047099043542011-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:002011-04-29T14:45:06.237-07:00Settled...Three weeks later- I am finally feeling settled into our new home. And surprisingly enough- I am happy:) I don't miss our old home much and this place feels like home. Probably because it has four of my most favorite people in the world (and one cool cat) living there with me. I am a bit obsessive, so feel like I can't relax until everything is just as a I want it. And while we are not completely there- we are quite close. I can't wait to get my vinyl machine all hooked up so I can get a few quotes on the wall! And it is a "cute" little place, as many people have called it. There will always be a few things that drive me crazy- like the stained glass in the door, the oak cabinets and the brass doorknobs... but it is a rental, so I will live with it :) So here is our new home revealed....<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yx0Qq0fmEvgYDaMHFOXbk1dnZn7Yy-SBUndv9XWs_P8ZZv9VYVzFSsA6FgND3HoqC3FW35dnvIeAkrPilWScL16DgL9sGhYxC4X-6iBt4qF_IzMk-ZrUlQhAslGnZ_UTfs6dwkYaD9P5/s1600/DSC_0581.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yx0Qq0fmEvgYDaMHFOXbk1dnZn7Yy-SBUndv9XWs_P8ZZv9VYVzFSsA6FgND3HoqC3FW35dnvIeAkrPilWScL16DgL9sGhYxC4X-6iBt4qF_IzMk-ZrUlQhAslGnZ_UTfs6dwkYaD9P5/s400/DSC_0581.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I love that we have a gardener and I don't have to mow or pull weeds or worry about the grass not being green....<br /><br />I love this big front room...<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLYc_69FZWsVWbji2fyxynjrnypzI8lWM8k6bUxoP0C1Ev9YMkMryxS_iViBKdbgi4KG52bJjEC7TMdnLiyJdK-gOr6XFgHfG9txk7deJyuEakNPmjN42UPUqzZPdvrTV1Hbp-g-qo5us/s1600/DSC_0655.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLYc_69FZWsVWbji2fyxynjrnypzI8lWM8k6bUxoP0C1Ev9YMkMryxS_iViBKdbgi4KG52bJjEC7TMdnLiyJdK-gOr6XFgHfG9txk7deJyuEakNPmjN42UPUqzZPdvrTV1Hbp-g-qo5us/s400/DSC_0655.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>(I also love this cute little girl on the couch!)<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8tDMhP_M8tMb7dgMrgbH9Vh7kRSoByxInpaQCkrOGOaXrS5LqAHLf0Ja0gndOoltxWa3MXpvpbbcKypYwhTEzWk6-ttkZTxIg21yJo6NJ4K1BGxnQRrqAjBrvP07mEjg4ddaYvdF2R7q/s1600/DSC_0652.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8tDMhP_M8tMb7dgMrgbH9Vh7kRSoByxInpaQCkrOGOaXrS5LqAHLf0Ja0gndOoltxWa3MXpvpbbcKypYwhTEzWk6-ttkZTxIg21yJo6NJ4K1BGxnQRrqAjBrvP07mEjg4ddaYvdF2R7q/s400/DSC_0652.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The girlies room..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_AjEpiB7prlGAIwvIA2a9vEMAbHvH-U28wKrjrdBB2Fq0hjMFFXGc8xwKJUZpvWOo56DeS-kQonnGOf_Q3f7XhCS5_mJFbYVBrCvz69gwguMPxlcIwAwGxfh_tY-tUudPGDXH_8Y7lDV/s1600/DSC_0673.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_AjEpiB7prlGAIwvIA2a9vEMAbHvH-U28wKrjrdBB2Fq0hjMFFXGc8xwKJUZpvWOo56DeS-kQonnGOf_Q3f7XhCS5_mJFbYVBrCvz69gwguMPxlcIwAwGxfh_tY-tUudPGDXH_8Y7lDV/s400/DSC_0673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120178688653090" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgEbqfXWeF20uuRd1m3NNWzj3HatWerMg5vaXYiTs-uCOatx1Uk4tW81-SGDwg-YP8iZ4k9fE5rydsplUUdpv0V0yK1OVnw_GE6Iy9YjhVJaAV4-QP9VXMIpNbbIxLHmH7BC3urLv0VC7/s1600/DSC_0677.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgEbqfXWeF20uuRd1m3NNWzj3HatWerMg5vaXYiTs-uCOatx1Uk4tW81-SGDwg-YP8iZ4k9fE5rydsplUUdpv0V0yK1OVnw_GE6Iy9YjhVJaAV4-QP9VXMIpNbbIxLHmH7BC3urLv0VC7/s400/DSC_0677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120182212716642" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYPSry0UJP59H36sJVhAWCMRiPP90Ju3e2A4dkMo8WxqJUtJr8TZVIvUp2zKOZYjT8c8wVnm9zyUY48DSiEPMN4YJBQZGrN5tvFIKvetOBxdwGKEgWolGsl_apShz3_KGogpT3bosg_wJ/s1600/DSC_0671.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYPSry0UJP59H36sJVhAWCMRiPP90Ju3e2A4dkMo8WxqJUtJr8TZVIvUp2zKOZYjT8c8wVnm9zyUY48DSiEPMN4YJBQZGrN5tvFIKvetOBxdwGKEgWolGsl_apShz3_KGogpT3bosg_wJ/s400/DSC_0671.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120176025001666" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiNk9s1Zph9v69auNw0i2hYYFSJa29oMLKz0DBbSpkfkAtgKKRjjweFHP-mk8K45wpEsqs2YUw8Ctny2Uj9anbwpswHA7RZgTVwt4eGas-FiaUu_HVtx96uHus90ygUcPH2QL16aOvQTP/s1600/DSC_0658.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiNk9s1Zph9v69auNw0i2hYYFSJa29oMLKz0DBbSpkfkAtgKKRjjweFHP-mk8K45wpEsqs2YUw8Ctny2Uj9anbwpswHA7RZgTVwt4eGas-FiaUu_HVtx96uHus90ygUcPH2QL16aOvQTP/s400/DSC_0658.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My favorite wall<br /><br />Re did the pictures in the girls room<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z-rqfOOnJP7iFpTVO1_LpsWQI3_RnMaVl5zs8hwe0rRlCGvJiolve0jfO3gj97f3GcPgdM5UkzfbUpGUVbB5KS-DaOAyTOl85S59SIyUFbmJYm8If252eDy-BPQfowOGE8CydtDGlZz3/s1600/DSC_0680.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0z-rqfOOnJP7iFpTVO1_LpsWQI3_RnMaVl5zs8hwe0rRlCGvJiolve0jfO3gj97f3GcPgdM5UkzfbUpGUVbB5KS-DaOAyTOl85S59SIyUFbmJYm8If252eDy-BPQfowOGE8CydtDGlZz3/s400/DSC_0680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120189278471202" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx57TWjYfIeM-JZWDpEeLARB-K7guSI5oQHgMNFID1xps3ScqUswAhnsfIobqYuZH0HhsP2-ZS5noP9pH6SS9ueF7s5DFMxZAcZQcJaqXcnRsJQa8yoeQgAmC8jh0v9wtPdHS6LtBH-i2/s1600/DSC_0661.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx57TWjYfIeM-JZWDpEeLARB-K7guSI5oQHgMNFID1xps3ScqUswAhnsfIobqYuZH0HhsP2-ZS5noP9pH6SS9ueF7s5DFMxZAcZQcJaqXcnRsJQa8yoeQgAmC8jh0v9wtPdHS6LtBH-i2/s400/DSC_0661.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Hung up the kids artwork (My mother-in law insisted these should be up) and I love seeing their work displayed in their rooms.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfLxaqi65g13JNt2ffQGMFNiViHBVQvT25QUTDt1GiuVIkS2-H4eNfflL0QldaWap_KNaPMEP89IENLE1LmhA4CxZIC3YztJ0Lx9Xhv-r-kkN0Cgz-Y-4A3sjVVbN7K6HQYVu6DqnjZhl/s1600/DSC_0685.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfLxaqi65g13JNt2ffQGMFNiViHBVQvT25QUTDt1GiuVIkS2-H4eNfflL0QldaWap_KNaPMEP89IENLE1LmhA4CxZIC3YztJ0Lx9Xhv-r-kkN0Cgz-Y-4A3sjVVbN7K6HQYVu6DqnjZhl/s400/DSC_0685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120764493924562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoc2fnpMX5n3NWFpozz8dwxkqoU9Wm-iXVOIJgprL9yB8vbAjrEipxNSwoHVJkfSOOU8YqPN6VYErqMgTPcphJYwl7gCBWVSNtKY3uAkEa-jDnrG3m8_0XcxZ0nVnHUTY6KhNP380DQrG/s1600/DSC_0684.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoc2fnpMX5n3NWFpozz8dwxkqoU9Wm-iXVOIJgprL9yB8vbAjrEipxNSwoHVJkfSOOU8YqPN6VYErqMgTPcphJYwl7gCBWVSNtKY3uAkEa-jDnrG3m8_0XcxZ0nVnHUTY6KhNP380DQrG/s400/DSC_0684.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120768663457090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The backyard is a nice size and the kids are spending a lot of time out there. There is a lot of shade between the overhang and a nice big tree in the back. </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP15TnLwsbCv4rg77xr6N8W8HCNyl0aeWp-4_FuDOsVy_Sdu2nc6VyaK6rCpfYrzkSpGDGJa-Ngk2RTl-qMjMXzrGUjwojOUeaR5mg0p9lmOrc2y6YMqqHK-SpWMi0Kt6fvEQcRLYSjnYM/s1600/DSC_0664.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP15TnLwsbCv4rg77xr6N8W8HCNyl0aeWp-4_FuDOsVy_Sdu2nc6VyaK6rCpfYrzkSpGDGJa-Ngk2RTl-qMjMXzrGUjwojOUeaR5mg0p9lmOrc2y6YMqqHK-SpWMi0Kt6fvEQcRLYSjnYM/s400/DSC_0664.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120170533450834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qB8POAbC8g9gM3aa22UUZhdtOzrnzrn-ezIAD190ISTrHm_PExU8D4jUTZNvu-en5EKLAoGfH9aKEZ8d7w21xK1qMnLxnwtQhO9YMC7vvrDZMUMdA05IjIX2pHk701KU3-8JLhcfy7Tk/s1600/DSC_0689.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qB8POAbC8g9gM3aa22UUZhdtOzrnzrn-ezIAD190ISTrHm_PExU8D4jUTZNvu-en5EKLAoGfH9aKEZ8d7w21xK1qMnLxnwtQhO9YMC7vvrDZMUMdA05IjIX2pHk701KU3-8JLhcfy7Tk/s400/DSC_0689.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601120769785751218" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-88241373702561606502011-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:002011-05-09T20:54:36.205-07:00Beverly Hills<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmMftvQvB81PKvK5IU5fPMrRV_OPCfjbdgDQABxkOieyR0xYVNnSzE9k2oM7w3eV-bJR8kzedwMaNTyfpZuXP1DU79boecWefhjPUhJgG1U2ySs-laVfyeOLYnelNdqVv4ht3kVIp4Dt6/s1600/DSC_0546.JPG"></a></div>Shelley was able to come visit so we made a weekend getaway out of it and went to Beverly Hills. We ate at some yummy restaurants, stayed in a luxurious suite, swam in the pool and hot tub (while eating chocolate cake) and then shopped what I think was called the "Alley?" But I dont really remember. It was a lovely weekend with some of my most favorite gals. <div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LKo8xIOu-V7dTdyPQ978SKF0KRVBF5R5fub4Ge6RcpeeEOTy7iWzhFQAGDDTlxviWGbm0HGfwTIZ8SaJiVLbQrCDcauaUhabIXfN_n-fecXjnJpmgi0Y1X2pkpqHLhHlu85PU5ri4i6U/s400/beverlyhills1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IzH_5zcw-2kuQpzjtoBzyqExrTFymmeqZpn8dXfP6L-T6JMXOFhFNbmuvp1yLRUwgBFvrMcTnNj5WguYs-Q8M8BapiiJIVuKve58lsL6qW_M73-UhO-nQb3u-oDnz0TP_um-kSzBKr2v/s1600/DSC_0553.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IzH_5zcw-2kuQpzjtoBzyqExrTFymmeqZpn8dXfP6L-T6JMXOFhFNbmuvp1yLRUwgBFvrMcTnNj5WguYs-Q8M8BapiiJIVuKve58lsL6qW_M73-UhO-nQb3u-oDnz0TP_um-kSzBKr2v/s400/DSC_0553.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSDF86yeTynNjlCu6PRbY4PW9jbPsogHr7HC0q9OABAo2YMY6QvBtvsriy4AAa7ehkqp-I2DsVRRPpd6CloHKNsJCe_mFDw9JI717vXKfUMIir8m7Fhyphenhyphen-qE03Eub3kATZj1R-Teigf4hi/s1600/DSC_0554.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSDF86yeTynNjlCu6PRbY4PW9jbPsogHr7HC0q9OABAo2YMY6QvBtvsriy4AAa7ehkqp-I2DsVRRPpd6CloHKNsJCe_mFDw9JI717vXKfUMIir8m7Fhyphenhyphen-qE03Eub3kATZj1R-Teigf4hi/s400/DSC_0554.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJPJCDw6BPGJC9yn_X8XHkSqnkMCwZOHnFXGdbX9m6OxduA-fsbvplFD_XUZ1oj0A8VugUxtSLa04YpfP24TTO8kcS4WLGDIzXgyXNeZZiVyKYZer14f0gwURuc69U3LPMyv1iGhEzViR/s1600/DSC_0311.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJPJCDw6BPGJC9yn_X8XHkSqnkMCwZOHnFXGdbX9m6OxduA-fsbvplFD_XUZ1oj0A8VugUxtSLa04YpfP24TTO8kcS4WLGDIzXgyXNeZZiVyKYZer14f0gwURuc69U3LPMyv1iGhEzViR/s400/DSC_0311.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJBK9Hi3I8i3JvC2ozKegFeB2sj86IVsQ9y0uoetjPlCe_W7qKXthWtTyduq4LoqpnBtcLAOnd2pNaxf1GPqW9dh6snzhu6eIS8OfKt0NdtF4oXJtUHTVM-_azS8FcPg_n4-z0TVit1gm/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJBK9Hi3I8i3JvC2ozKegFeB2sj86IVsQ9y0uoetjPlCe_W7qKXthWtTyduq4LoqpnBtcLAOnd2pNaxf1GPqW9dh6snzhu6eIS8OfKt0NdtF4oXJtUHTVM-_azS8FcPg_n4-z0TVit1gm/s400/DSC_0308.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="clear:both; text-align:CENTER"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-76636360688668063892011-04-07T23:13:00.000-07:002011-04-07T23:51:39.689-07:00Coming to terms...As I sit in our home full of boxes, em<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3JRwsbg6g2acARzfVR-S3QXO7FFv9lYLyJi-Qsj6fP5NcPO1WfKpXFw5o4114QW1hbCMwkhQzIzXsYx84R6w40MO0H_-ev0FFWxgIDiH4LVyIafDR0NreSn2iOacTqD31SVyqSPZkbU6/s1600/n733792726_383642_2183.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3JRwsbg6g2acARzfVR-S3QXO7FFv9lYLyJi-Qsj6fP5NcPO1WfKpXFw5o4114QW1hbCMwkhQzIzXsYx84R6w40MO0H_-ev0FFWxgIDiH4LVyIafDR0NreSn2iOacTqD31SVyqSPZkbU6/s400/n733792726_383642_2183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093065578685090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSA88r2weBtCn8aR2ocyeILpV1gT4u37fh2iG2n-P05J8XZNA8MonTF1uh8ySBQwDkg0FiaPU47UU8uHP2V_2GAyMZLgQUl2X-79VdFO3Q6KZTd8oEF_y2SFwv0-sIoZZwkZEzazQxFpGe/s1600/DSC_0463.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSA88r2weBtCn8aR2ocyeILpV1gT4u37fh2iG2n-P05J8XZNA8MonTF1uh8ySBQwDkg0FiaPU47UU8uHP2V_2GAyMZLgQUl2X-79VdFO3Q6KZTd8oEF_y2SFwv0-sIoZZwkZEzazQxFpGe/s400/DSC_0463.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593100916322407874" border="0" /></a>pty walls and four and a half years of wonderful memories, my heart feels full. I am very blessed, and I know that what we are going through, or went through to get us to this point of making the decision to sale our home, is so little compared to what so many people have gone through, or are going through, but to me it has been a challenge. This experience has reminded me that material things aren't what matters. It doesn't matter the size of your home or what car you drive... what matters is what you can take with you. It is my kids last night sleeping in their beds at our home. Tomorrow they have a sleepover with their friends while Matt and I finish packing up. Tonight I find my mind won't stop thinking. I am grateful that this move we only have to move seven miles away, but I know even if we had to move 700 miles, or 7,000 miles we would still be okay, because I would have my family with me.... That said... on with the ramblings of my crazy mind this night.<br /><br />Four and a half years ago we bought our home. We loved our home. I don't remember ever being happier to wake up each morning. Just knowing that I wasn't in an apartment, but was in OUR home. A home that we could plant flowers at, wash our car in the driveway, park in the garage (heck-HAVE a garage) paint the walls... It was a beautiful feeling. And the feeling didn't go away quickly... it stayed for quite some time. Of course I eventually began the very human way of thinking- that I wanted bigger and better.... but for the most part, I was very content with our home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpKYy5bgbr7-MKk4-V6V8nHszcc3VcJgrhX1RyCPvy7o7sNlvMFRh74GvP6XuWaOJCEOVpharFd_Ovhp7557WFiO66mdjunIKu917eR7V3Dy62SNG6vxGmhuLsOP0QcJSzNwQreOsM6-_/s1600/IMG_3265.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpKYy5bgbr7-MKk4-V6V8nHszcc3VcJgrhX1RyCPvy7o7sNlvMFRh74GvP6XuWaOJCEOVpharFd_Ovhp7557WFiO66mdjunIKu917eR7V3Dy62SNG6vxGmhuLsOP0QcJSzNwQreOsM6-_/s400/IMG_3265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093063161917266" border="0" /></a>I remember my Dad asking what the worse case scenario would be when purchasing our home. We discussed that worst case scenario Matt would lose his job and the h<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JihcocFbdDf0Y9jaikNZsEgwXIYRlQiMB4ykRfRSsfTrElVybpGaZ5HIWRQYX30j9gOMHnLvxziNV-crnYR1ZxKm7xSigLGBXlvQxxysqn2WRyMDdPR91JEuNKBs8Lk_6i_LRq87yP9Q/s1600/DSC_0470.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JihcocFbdDf0Y9jaikNZsEgwXIYRlQiMB4ykRfRSsfTrElVybpGaZ5HIWRQYX30j9gOMHnLvxziNV-crnYR1ZxKm7xSigLGBXlvQxxysqn2WRyMDdPR91JEuNKBs8Lk_6i_LRq87yP9Q/s400/DSC_0470.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593100630459794658" border="0" /></a>ouse market would plummet. We thought that was very unlikely, and we felt right about buying the home so we went ahead. Then, less than a year later the housing market plummeted, and because Matt worked for a home builder, he lost his job. Worse case scenario housing wise- brought to life. Matt found another job and things kept working out... however, that five year mark of the interest rate jumping, was looming over our heads.<br /><br />We have watched our home decrease in value by 60% over the past four years (along with everyone else who bought at that time). It has been hard to see other people buying bigger and nicer homes now for less than what we paid for ours and its hard to be happy for people when you feel like the situation was so unfair, but such is life.<br /><br />When we went to Redding for Matt's CHP Academy we decided it was a good time to try to sale our home as we didn't know where we were going to end up. Thus began the short sale process. We tried to work with the bank several times to do a loan modification, but they weren't willing to work with us. The thought of doing a short sale on our homes was very hard on my pride, but I knew that we are not alone by any means in going through this, as we have had several other friends in the same situation. While we were in Redding there were three or four different offers on our home and each one ended up falling through. I think the timing wasn't right for us and feel so blessed that we were being looked out for. If our home had sold while in Redding I would have had to find a rental and pack the house completely on my own while Matt was in the academy. Once we got back to Lake Elsinore there were two more offers on our home and the last offer actually got approved by the bank. It is now scheduled to close on the 12th of this month.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfIU7b0dB-nY1M7l2UAN37UJ6xqHWDQR0g-P0D9Xg5t1KHl25SxGmuR4sSLFOELjkLsWnQzMTNKmdRbD5H-iJn_XP13zaW56GXCSguZ-BJgSu_IlZB7wlO28JxU-AShbaRYPeW3XY9h85/s1600/DSC_0466.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfIU7b0dB-nY1M7l2UAN37UJ6xqHWDQR0g-P0D9Xg5t1KHl25SxGmuR4sSLFOELjkLsWnQzMTNKmdRbD5H-iJn_XP13zaW56GXCSguZ-BJgSu_IlZB7wlO28JxU-AShbaRYPeW3XY9h85/s400/DSC_0466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593101323180013234" border="0" /></a><br />I have spent the last month looking at rental homes. I thought I could be okay with leaving behind our home if I found a really nice home to rent, or at least as nice as ours. I spent every spare moment driving around looking for rentals and on craigslist viewing postings. I was not having the best of luck. Two homes that I really liked got rented out before we even filled out an application, even though we looked within the first day they were posted, and the rest I liked were too far out of our price range.<br /><br />The criteria I had when looking for a home was- it had to fit our budget, be at least four rooms, have a backyard, be in the ward, and closer to Matt's work, not the opposite direction on the freeway. I found I couldn't be as picky as I had hoped. We finally settled on a 3 bedroom home just across the street from our ward boundaries. (2 criteria shot to heck) The plus sides of this home was that it has a nice backyard, it has a very clean feel, it fits our budget, and might be 2 minutes closer to Matts work. :) Ashton will have to switch schools next year, which he is heartbroken over, but the school is right by Teras current school so they will both be attending there next year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww-4HZbKs58k734ouilRBdTKFw_w47cGpP0a77QEUqDa0QQcmrRxxS-lX47PbUVtUi7-oWVqydJ7TfsG8pcq-sjNtsz8keQR2_vXurb4bi8_NJLj4N-Dcy8EIIvMoEO7O8OgZZ6bnADC_/s1600/DSC_0477.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww-4HZbKs58k734ouilRBdTKFw_w47cGpP0a77QEUqDa0QQcmrRxxS-lX47PbUVtUi7-oWVqydJ7TfsG8pcq-sjNtsz8keQR2_vXurb4bi8_NJLj4N-Dcy8EIIvMoEO7O8OgZZ6bnADC_/s400/DSC_0477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593101678457847122" border="0" /></a><br />As I've been packing this last week I have tried to be excited about this change... as excited as I can be at least. And while it is sad to see these empty walls and empty closest starting to appear, it is also nice to de-junk my life and get rid of things as we downsize. I am glad we will be able to put money away each month as we choose the more affordable option and we will still be able to do fun things. I am trying to really focus on budgeting. Last month was the first month I have ever stayed at all on a budget. I didn't buy a single thing for me or the kids (clothes, toys etc.) and it felt so great. So, wish me luck in the future!! I know it will be hard to stay that good this month as we move. But I need to remember how good it felt!<br />But, truth be told, it is sad losing our home. While we feel grateful to be able to get out from under it and that it didn't foreclose, there's nothing happy about losing your home. So when people ask if I am excited about moving, it is hard for me to not look at them like they are stupid... because seriously.. who would be excited about something like this? I look at the walls we painted, the grass <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAeiZswtnxnJx-zOJi01uLBO6GYNt7FHEoxfbRIvQ1XPTvuXtAhRCWr_9EakkXTLuHUv3NcOf5eeqCNB8P9h5xK3RVBzjHlyXY3ZGNnCjc8z5YdAUZbxwHa6OVfgITpAzl1OO6H_rEvRN/s1600/DSCN0028.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAeiZswtnxnJx-zOJi01uLBO6GYNt7FHEoxfbRIvQ1XPTvuXtAhRCWr_9EakkXTLuHUv3NcOf5eeqCNB8P9h5xK3RVBzjHlyXY3ZGNnCjc8z5YdAUZbxwHa6OVfgITpAzl1OO6H_rEvRN/s400/DSCN0028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093063463841154" border="0" /></a>we planted and the retaining wall Matt laid and it makes me sad.. because this is OUR home... our FIRST home. The home where our kids started school, where Mazzi joined the family, it is full of a lot of memories. And not only are we losing it, but someone else is getting it for such a ridiculously low price that we could easily afford it if the bank would work with us at all. I know thats not the right attitude, but its just how I feel. And if you can't tell.... I'm not holding anything back in this post. So wish me luck in the move this weekend, and wish me luck in having a better attitude and adjusting adjusting adjusting! Life is all about change- I am just glad this is a "7 mile change" And I know there will be more happy memories in our new home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/34f5636e7b651409.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/34f5636e7b651409.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF98Ggy2kX54yGnTfJ1hxdkC8Id1JNE6jIQ4n_ya1o8BwqhsYKhmUaRUDtUuaAC28XcqOwv_6Fn_Myrchm6QpqB6sGw4dCBpTqO276JVmgf5G8EvOtdmwXvxJNQRhtGE9g49rJiqk-Utsc/s1600/IMG_5003.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF98Ggy2kX54yGnTfJ1hxdkC8Id1JNE6jIQ4n_ya1o8BwqhsYKhmUaRUDtUuaAC28XcqOwv_6Fn_Myrchm6QpqB6sGw4dCBpTqO276JVmgf5G8EvOtdmwXvxJNQRhtGE9g49rJiqk-Utsc/s400/IMG_5003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093307674361874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrFvMkqQwwo-r4JgrTS_se-ZQnZojvgk95DMvEufa8sXSU5SfyZpeDarWJFHjnkO2bT2pIzUAoj-lxOGLLHML-KYcP057eDSUlbfb3aqkuSUw2XkV0A5HLG0yZ9NgQ81AQ9aVkf7fSvLE/s1600/IMG_4128.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrFvMkqQwwo-r4JgrTS_se-ZQnZojvgk95DMvEufa8sXSU5SfyZpeDarWJFHjnkO2bT2pIzUAoj-lxOGLLHML-KYcP057eDSUlbfb3aqkuSUw2XkV0A5HLG0yZ9NgQ81AQ9aVkf7fSvLE/s400/IMG_4128.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093072392768658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMbC2QzNNwSZFpSDzmgd1mdwZ2nT0mUSQUHLqqXvJ1jDTEQz7YenLlheK58ZsV_zfqmdD29TfloSmmaZPO4SJdB0893_1IguhJ4pEQYZZ5RmpkkPpLGpsJiBwN94mcCRaXHpjoCj3X-bl/s1600/IMG_3873.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMbC2QzNNwSZFpSDzmgd1mdwZ2nT0mUSQUHLqqXvJ1jDTEQz7YenLlheK58ZsV_zfqmdD29TfloSmmaZPO4SJdB0893_1IguhJ4pEQYZZ5RmpkkPpLGpsJiBwN94mcCRaXHpjoCj3X-bl/s400/IMG_3873.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593093068332123010" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/6f7020505391bd77.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/6f7020505391bd77.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/ab2f84ecf6e0ba1f.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/ab2f84ecf6e0ba1f.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/832170ab7badb5b7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/832170ab7badb5b7.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/90d23d10aa571f41.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/90d23d10aa571f41.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/a280c1b9b6484337.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:3481/894891ad721d132b3311e8adfc749cdf/image/a280c1b9b6484337.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-82197104505469067532011-04-06T22:42:00.000-07:002011-04-06T22:58:56.895-07:00Blessed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEL1ZBzIS5M0litksaYlE7JOcxb3Yx59CYYS4SppFmD1yDIkNgxRWV1vI8ZMMe0l7OCnxKZJx-ruiI95qKXrzYU65SxvZBiTe3YpFCpGAbffMEHA9tbAbnfxsHRaCHevFR58Z12QVgYH8H/s1600/DSC_0410.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEL1ZBzIS5M0litksaYlE7JOcxb3Yx59CYYS4SppFmD1yDIkNgxRWV1vI8ZMMe0l7OCnxKZJx-ruiI95qKXrzYU65SxvZBiTe3YpFCpGAbffMEHA9tbAbnfxsHRaCHevFR58Z12QVgYH8H/s400/DSC_0410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592715412024482418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYesia5pq7CE6nhDhAD9P7guI-rCHqbSH-i4sTwI9BaKvPiHLZFpNM9z_uOuSgQNVP25KyJ2KyBCe4Mpgi0w7kpLwsKvxzCiIrBKCOCMvM5nMKqh_UPmovoFXHGFXpkelYGw6infe7jCN/s1600/DSC_0406.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYesia5pq7CE6nhDhAD9P7guI-rCHqbSH-i4sTwI9BaKvPiHLZFpNM9z_uOuSgQNVP25KyJ2KyBCe4Mpgi0w7kpLwsKvxzCiIrBKCOCMvM5nMKqh_UPmovoFXHGFXpkelYGw6infe7jCN/s400/DSC_0406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592715409164957874" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">I am blessed... <a href="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/936c1df9277c070c.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/936c1df9277c070c.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/aeb3f44755132468.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/aeb3f44755132468.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/23af144a39e4c03c.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/23af144a39e4c03c.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/52dec858ef2300e9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/52dec858ef2300e9.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/cda23ab0cdb7122e.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2189/3d4591525d5bfe58e4c95d23d01d4d24/image/cda23ab0cdb7122e.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-6140778593287621842011-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:002011-04-07T23:52:48.602-07:00Girls Just want to have FUN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYsRxuPyUbNknM4QRgQnVUZG3xVbIfrqJ_W7M1kMaUnwAScjEkz-fbaj3SAu8rN_yGd79qgFJGbxuHTJZ64hfy0H8HMZJT1loRjerLq9ptDg7FOCD-Mz9TCq4YQ2F4oLhytE2iEHtpCVU/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYsRxuPyUbNknM4QRgQnVUZG3xVbIfrqJ_W7M1kMaUnwAScjEkz-fbaj3SAu8rN_yGd79qgFJGbxuHTJZ64hfy0H8HMZJT1loRjerLq9ptDg7FOCD-Mz9TCq4YQ2F4oLhytE2iEHtpCVU/s400/DSC_0280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592713933469849026" border="0" /></a><br />We had such a great time celebrating Niki's B.day 80's style!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt16FYgcdoQ56woH1vhlDbjYYJxGAlqUg7RDxDJ2uLRwdESVO-JyRJ6rw8gIYuejBNLrtzdWY2T8RskVOrgNmrqWJASpRI04kdeNsG1tIaq974BPs5fyeEj9y8cooLzQzRZy5D_a9gkTQv/s1600/DSC_0266.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt16FYgcdoQ56woH1vhlDbjYYJxGAlqUg7RDxDJ2uLRwdESVO-JyRJ6rw8gIYuejBNLrtzdWY2T8RskVOrgNmrqWJASpRI04kdeNsG1tIaq974BPs5fyeEj9y8cooLzQzRZy5D_a9gkTQv/s400/DSC_0266.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592714329159918610" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/91c2d22b044c9a91.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/91c2d22b044c9a91.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEing-IjFfv4slGmSQinAEUDZncOy2H80DBW4ieTPPNjttEPtlxce3YejEwJDKF45MXp6-61ikX7OXS7XB4dUlxA6v0nMe2nCnC54NvZRJuwNXCqw02qGrCutEte0rs97lSOQ2PVYsbVAG1J/s1600/DSC_0265.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEing-IjFfv4slGmSQinAEUDZncOy2H80DBW4ieTPPNjttEPtlxce3YejEwJDKF45MXp6-61ikX7OXS7XB4dUlxA6v0nMe2nCnC54NvZRJuwNXCqw02qGrCutEte0rs97lSOQ2PVYsbVAG1J/s400/DSC_0265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592714326291402114" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/c0adf4a6a6d52bf8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/c0adf4a6a6d52bf8.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p_OP4ouRhsKmtyQFn4P6FW5qEUT_mWKd2eiSwMqBc3vuYSd2x80zkyNtx2hRMcwTZnYw7m0Utk7LcDCxHDuFazj2x3hWfqF53s7GbFiIN8VRU954DYe2ScifjtJXNJsa-ZOy_VF5QVnr/s1600/DSC_0260.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p_OP4ouRhsKmtyQFn4P6FW5qEUT_mWKd2eiSwMqBc3vuYSd2x80zkyNtx2hRMcwTZnYw7m0Utk7LcDCxHDuFazj2x3hWfqF53s7GbFiIN8VRU954DYe2ScifjtJXNJsa-ZOy_VF5QVnr/s400/DSC_0260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592714322812626882" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/548cf6f80461035e.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/548cf6f80461035e.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB13ss2P66knWggVPGqES-t5g9B0xnG_qX7Y6cGumvVuzRGMJmJNDzdr8kylY_BKXUE2rWU4d_UDSO3vNKFsi6Wwaf2ntB-_qhYEySRp140TzICgT-KJpc4gOIcvivb40lo4DNJWZ9DXjx/s1600/DSC_0226.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB13ss2P66knWggVPGqES-t5g9B0xnG_qX7Y6cGumvVuzRGMJmJNDzdr8kylY_BKXUE2rWU4d_UDSO3vNKFsi6Wwaf2ntB-_qhYEySRp140TzICgT-KJpc4gOIcvivb40lo4DNJWZ9DXjx/s400/DSC_0226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592713656736719186" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/6211968d667c2811.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/6211968d667c2811.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwo1ZXsVA32-ZYI0tEGa4ZJujKYIQbzo4qBHoSCcpcQZSv-4cAiuuAoHP8Xx6fMJSy1Io7aFx6a90-ubtNE75UpMT_lwZkuIps_qyD72vVbBwZ-KuhRsAXT5vslhRmJenRelHYT4C2PDf/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwo1ZXsVA32-ZYI0tEGa4ZJujKYIQbzo4qBHoSCcpcQZSv-4cAiuuAoHP8Xx6fMJSy1Io7aFx6a90-ubtNE75UpMT_lwZkuIps_qyD72vVbBwZ-KuhRsAXT5vslhRmJenRelHYT4C2PDf/s400/DSC_0299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589532147603704978" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/eef8bdbd1e4f34d3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:4343/6b082bf81ce39dfcc94b751ce9e27dec/image/eef8bdbd1e4f34d3.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-81144676081137970272011-03-22T13:31:00.000-07:002011-03-22T16:16:30.345-07:00Pigeons Bite...Mazzi was playing outside the other day, when she came in crying and holding her finger saying "bite." I looked at her finger and there were no teeth marks, but instead a small piece of her skin was missing, like it had been pulled off. Confused at what could have done this to my child, I went outside to look for the culprit. Mazzi came with me and pointed to a little pigeon who has sitting by the fence. The poor little bird was hurt (most likely by our hunter cat) and could no longer fly. I didn't know what to do for the bird, so I just left it there and didn't let Yoda go out anymore. Matt thinks I should have just let "nature take its course" and let Yoda kill him, but instead I let the kids "nurture him" (torture him) and prolonged his sad, meager life, for a painfully long day.<br /><br />Mazzi knew not to try to touch the pigeon anymore since it bit her, but that didn't stop her from observing him very closely. She would bend down and get really close to him and say "Hi ducky- cockadoodle-doo!" It was adorable.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aNkywcFC4CuUGGO5tAGh_gYYSmXaQEMHyTnKsRXTz1VqOX2EpLcPW_T2ZeuI-4nLj9lJGZ1Mxp6gMA2ygo9Xh95oQ82zx-E0DxpV_ZPU2E7jj6oTLcsT4SobEQrL0l4yJboEFqyr3_I2/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aNkywcFC4CuUGGO5tAGh_gYYSmXaQEMHyTnKsRXTz1VqOX2EpLcPW_T2ZeuI-4nLj9lJGZ1Mxp6gMA2ygo9Xh95oQ82zx-E0DxpV_ZPU2E7jj6oTLcsT4SobEQrL0l4yJboEFqyr3_I2/s400/DSC_0086.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK9Fok1uArAmB9II-9-xyw_2HcqHJC7V4ynk1D9XxrZ5bhrv8wDA5tMlGZZm6ZnnF3bpVcjrU-_kD7RDb6DexanCbMrIw-qdudulkFek-gobH1Ok8Y23rIGi_cXWLeHMPKMiYR-iO4ILk/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG"> </a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK9Fok1uArAmB9II-9-xyw_2HcqHJC7V4ynk1D9XxrZ5bhrv8wDA5tMlGZZm6ZnnF3bpVcjrU-_kD7RDb6DexanCbMrIw-qdudulkFek-gobH1Ok8Y23rIGi_cXWLeHMPKMiYR-iO4ILk/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK9Fok1uArAmB9II-9-xyw_2HcqHJC7V4ynk1D9XxrZ5bhrv8wDA5tMlGZZm6ZnnF3bpVcjrU-_kD7RDb6DexanCbMrIw-qdudulkFek-gobH1Ok8Y23rIGi_cXWLeHMPKMiYR-iO4ILk/s400/DSC_0090.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxoadup093vZbfYIr9c6R9dMzrgypCmCijVTqiWsNvIw52ACs-Kbq6H2kkUZ80taDcCY8RFXwMj44jMq3zhLIZASflB56ci9J5-gVieTl27HylC2P3GC9onKkZmv017mQFogs-ohpwr7_/s1600/DSC_0100.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxoadup093vZbfYIr9c6R9dMzrgypCmCijVTqiWsNvIw52ACs-Kbq6H2kkUZ80taDcCY8RFXwMj44jMq3zhLIZASflB56ci9J5-gVieTl27HylC2P3GC9onKkZmv017mQFogs-ohpwr7_/s400/DSC_0100.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />When Ashton got home from school he was excited to see the pigeon and decided to give it a home. He put it in a cage so Yoda wouldn't get him and gave him some bread crumbs and water. They loved this little pigeon and so badly wanted to take care of him until he was able to fly again, but unfortunately, he died overnight :( I thought the kids would be sad to hear that the pigeon had died, but Tera was happy to know that the pigeon is now in Heaven with Jesus.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB12pgB6k8B3gmSKtYtIH3vyXSWWpvd2TPPFov5ukiPScE3sAq1XDGl_zrJu-qQMvc3nn1iML-hgHRUIOscQ42hbM1t_YnK3bZrnOPLosOZnpFqkeU8RmiSRJzaun6Nz_kl9Vgm_SrL4P/s1600/DSC_0108.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB12pgB6k8B3gmSKtYtIH3vyXSWWpvd2TPPFov5ukiPScE3sAq1XDGl_zrJu-qQMvc3nn1iML-hgHRUIOscQ42hbM1t_YnK3bZrnOPLosOZnpFqkeU8RmiSRJzaun6Nz_kl9Vgm_SrL4P/s400/DSC_0108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585520459035386914" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MFxDGrUmmcOMNil9Nn0sm1enL7TWKk22QRDJemyg-CFr16up4rfCHxdTWbnUwX4vBW1HbGImho4cAimMB4b9_Haf3di5iaRWFk6rv78ClomlfPuUeYcRSY_5E3-VIW5CDI-p5I9w8SbL/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MFxDGrUmmcOMNil9Nn0sm1enL7TWKk22QRDJemyg-CFr16up4rfCHxdTWbnUwX4vBW1HbGImho4cAimMB4b9_Haf3di5iaRWFk6rv78ClomlfPuUeYcRSY_5E3-VIW5CDI-p5I9w8SbL/s400/DSC_0092.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuz-sse_-fRe1I-6JrPY3uetRUv6wLqWJspCSwre4KuAgH3Tcjur14OKVdygR_kIAlM_zL13kxXy1MSRTkhgk51iLU6qHE37E-wBOLZnSeQ57lArPi4xxGTwzREjnEUe2SmHaWfzkL-Av/s1600/DSC_0096.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuz-sse_-fRe1I-6JrPY3uetRUv6wLqWJspCSwre4KuAgH3Tcjur14OKVdygR_kIAlM_zL13kxXy1MSRTkhgk51iLU6qHE37E-wBOLZnSeQ57lArPi4xxGTwzREjnEUe2SmHaWfzkL-Av/s400/DSC_0096.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Here's Ashton scolding Yoda for hurting the pigeon.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxoadup093vZbfYIr9c6R9dMzrgypCmCijVTqiWsNvIw52ACs-Kbq6H2kkUZ80taDcCY8RFXwMj44jMq3zhLIZASflB56ci9J5-gVieTl27HylC2P3GC9onKkZmv017mQFogs-ohpwr7_/s1600/DSC_0100.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp_PzCyc4kqW5KcbezSMLVyuyf9GpvDYA7oifb0n570qZWMAgsgXk87BaTqyniwM5XcSo2Iw3FOy1orSttSnG9LK196xaPUoXWY43gMD4Hg8zq7-1dUuz8wyKZy2O5dLD-zogoIjC4vh7/s1600/DSC_0106.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp_PzCyc4kqW5KcbezSMLVyuyf9GpvDYA7oifb0n570qZWMAgsgXk87BaTqyniwM5XcSo2Iw3FOy1orSttSnG9LK196xaPUoXWY43gMD4Hg8zq7-1dUuz8wyKZy2O5dLD-zogoIjC4vh7/s400/DSC_0106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585520449045033250" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-19199971978110809822011-03-21T22:39:00.000-07:002011-03-21T22:39:00.219-07:00Smile...<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9W7sYafySE4lIbeL_9STQnsdPFZvm0mKaE2EjBYHLb1HUeE4el8bDfXltetDOaV7LBy6ZmSQAS1SVwNspeqliGItFRKW2pFU-DjulYWg3-w3sIo4QomGv_EjM3JmZyEDi5679eeKbL_j/s1600/DSC_0093.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9W7sYafySE4lIbeL_9STQnsdPFZvm0mKaE2EjBYHLb1HUeE4el8bDfXltetDOaV7LBy6ZmSQAS1SVwNspeqliGItFRKW2pFU-DjulYWg3-w3sIo4QomGv_EjM3JmZyEDi5679eeKbL_j/s400/DSC_0093.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRMqHbn90L2yG9OmFWx-XdFuXiiJy5yEs21CigjjWhDOS_JfrLgdtzO9bimBRX7cqQlMnYWyYKjFTPq5oeSVr8S9p0fb6u4nRFfeeST3bebwRkl1q1o3nLGGkNHSMbOBvms3hfEYCMJ59/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRMqHbn90L2yG9OmFWx-XdFuXiiJy5yEs21CigjjWhDOS_JfrLgdtzO9bimBRX7cqQlMnYWyYKjFTPq5oeSVr8S9p0fb6u4nRFfeeST3bebwRkl1q1o3nLGGkNHSMbOBvms3hfEYCMJ59/s400/DSC_0092.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVNUe6xBtVP4FGVUVIlcvvS8KLljd_GlFnxoCDQ0Vvfz6eO7JJ62ZUC7pVZQiHd3utWUR1wfVIDD5204twRP9Wxbqz_oeYebNwUjKCQJjMaHpNcQeGyrVlgUc2RzwxvahitUVAcPzMTLj/s1600/DSC_0070.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVNUe6xBtVP4FGVUVIlcvvS8KLljd_GlFnxoCDQ0Vvfz6eO7JJ62ZUC7pVZQiHd3utWUR1wfVIDD5204twRP9Wxbqz_oeYebNwUjKCQJjMaHpNcQeGyrVlgUc2RzwxvahitUVAcPzMTLj/s400/DSC_0070.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOj-wzm6xgyfVMyJjeuQ5_7Tmq3hdUZBZ6o82XyxTbhcbshUDivMMySija706yZEkq98at8C4MqNm26X5OV70jrqD9spyCQAgcUYp0fZcH00UAVWapVWNnx3jZR6RNdvJSRMkUUyugseT/s1600/DSC_0125.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOj-wzm6xgyfVMyJjeuQ5_7Tmq3hdUZBZ6o82XyxTbhcbshUDivMMySija706yZEkq98at8C4MqNm26X5OV70jrqD9spyCQAgcUYp0fZcH00UAVWapVWNnx3jZR6RNdvJSRMkUUyugseT/s400/DSC_0125.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNE006lKKDNis5V7qe8M6qN6xFNe4wOhr7vp5iowpvO6xcWdhgmgjmTw9XXszqbhyBsoHnAuPy4PGBOHBzTkxbLX01w0h3s8J9h8h-TutcokXAtsACdA4vwUmCoZFPAU8WwcY7rjfYtBhN/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNE006lKKDNis5V7qe8M6qN6xFNe4wOhr7vp5iowpvO6xcWdhgmgjmTw9XXszqbhyBsoHnAuPy4PGBOHBzTkxbLX01w0h3s8J9h8h-TutcokXAtsACdA4vwUmCoZFPAU8WwcY7rjfYtBhN/s400/DSC_0132.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-69344952673272882642011-03-18T13:05:00.000-07:002011-03-21T14:52:25.330-07:00Hike<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfW_l7-Tk5zauU3NambtX-sX80UVsKGbVQzI4K7APOw55nL6EbT3nqIAM9ytBer9TW4zqFUUNxV9FGNfaYr6ZVud1Vq0d3OCIUfUxnGj21n-cbuykqHojxZj4iiYwPf8I1L_U291iJoOK0/s1600/DSC_0187.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfW_l7-Tk5zauU3NambtX-sX80UVsKGbVQzI4K7APOw55nL6EbT3nqIAM9ytBer9TW4zqFUUNxV9FGNfaYr6ZVud1Vq0d3OCIUfUxnGj21n-cbuykqHojxZj4iiYwPf8I1L_U291iJoOK0/s400/DSC_0187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585521985218861906" border="0" /></a><br />We enjoyed a nice hike out at the Santa Rosea plateau last weekend. It is one of my very favorite places near Lake Elsinore, I think because it reminds me of the landscaping of Redding, my hometown. We were happy to share the evening and the beauty with some of our good friends.<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vAkneb88uzAjpBJLb96KYabVRe3g3JaPwxZh_a0IODzm_QV3I_zd_mObYyQ3-YCW5OsREdjOXg8mnZfYR7mc3KFMtU4zevWp9tRuNEZUZWIX4PxsmA_u-vaa7oaGMti9cMYgrdHW4fZ_/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vAkneb88uzAjpBJLb96KYabVRe3g3JaPwxZh_a0IODzm_QV3I_zd_mObYyQ3-YCW5OsREdjOXg8mnZfYR7mc3KFMtU4zevWp9tRuNEZUZWIX4PxsmA_u-vaa7oaGMti9cMYgrdHW4fZ_/s400/DSC_0119.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYue02ZkUWDT3wPg_lOsMw_Mx7lBxrHnEA2YVdzw_M6lIurn8vgLaCadSCbnXiQWwbYpUl8WV1DNRS1OFqO7tGvM5nLiX0DEUgyfPMLVh8-TuZHFEH2QycRazLceJYTWtbgk_Zh3YIhU-T/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYue02ZkUWDT3wPg_lOsMw_Mx7lBxrHnEA2YVdzw_M6lIurn8vgLaCadSCbnXiQWwbYpUl8WV1DNRS1OFqO7tGvM5nLiX0DEUgyfPMLVh8-TuZHFEH2QycRazLceJYTWtbgk_Zh3YIhU-T/s400/DSC_0126.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhbaF-6arrScnvB68y2Wl6tuPOGFA0t15e7-zt24MGV77v463-a417aV5Es8vAks4FBEYG5116imxe0Ts3MonNYNF6K7TlgJwTKQ6rRcvutY93QYal4tV_JaZjxCPnmjSn9EKCbqphwyR/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhbaF-6arrScnvB68y2Wl6tuPOGFA0t15e7-zt24MGV77v463-a417aV5Es8vAks4FBEYG5116imxe0Ts3MonNYNF6K7TlgJwTKQ6rRcvutY93QYal4tV_JaZjxCPnmjSn9EKCbqphwyR/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4lBTujieB3KxzuqvBBQ7TMacrOEwFPz6G5YybMNLI4ccH892etxp1KZ7aeNrWRrSmU0UW9eIb-3cNolCo839xUs5fEoU_eySgz9r8cIE8KiOd8oNxPdujM835KMBJbpxv8-eg6nYMOw8/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4lBTujieB3KxzuqvBBQ7TMacrOEwFPz6G5YybMNLI4ccH892etxp1KZ7aeNrWRrSmU0UW9eIb-3cNolCo839xUs5fEoU_eySgz9r8cIE8KiOd8oNxPdujM835KMBJbpxv8-eg6nYMOw8/s400/DSC_0134.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGbNMeyPUnRCoI4TQ_3NgbpdWdfj4bbU5GBEkpxHzSj6MfdNejEc5E6R8CJq18qU8M0jezCsUNmOpbEMZ29nLnHMOGDlNVeIr4C-Js0QqMrDvM4kOewl23CBmxDidC3W-8886wte1cQ7b/s1600/DSC_0152.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGbNMeyPUnRCoI4TQ_3NgbpdWdfj4bbU5GBEkpxHzSj6MfdNejEc5E6R8CJq18qU8M0jezCsUNmOpbEMZ29nLnHMOGDlNVeIr4C-Js0QqMrDvM4kOewl23CBmxDidC3W-8886wte1cQ7b/s400/DSC_0152.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-36147688487279895462011-03-17T22:04:00.000-07:002011-03-17T22:31:11.711-07:00I believe in Prayer.Today I was frantically searching my house for our car keys, trying to get out the door to bring Tera to school. I was clueless to where I could have put them, as I had already checked the usual places to no avail. I asked Tera to say a prayer with me that we would find the keys. I like to allow my children to have the opportunity to say prayers so they are able to see their prayers be answered. Also, for some reason, that I know is entirely untrue, I think Heavenly Father is more apt to listen to a prayer when it is coming from a cute little girl like Tera. Tera prayed that we would please find the keys. Before she had even finished her prayer I pictured Mazzi playing with the keys. "Oh yes, thats right. I saw her playing with the keys and thought... I should take them from her. but I didn't." I then retraced Mazzis steps around the house. When I didn't find them in the house another inspired thought came to me to check the backyard. Sure enough, there they lay on the back patio. I quickly showed Tera that I had found the keys to which she said, "Jesus and Heavenly Father are so nice." Yes they are.<br /><br />I know prayers are answered. Little prayers, big prayers and prayers in between. Prayers that we can have peace when things around us are falling apart, prayers that we will be comforted, and even prayers that we will find our keys.<br />I have had many other instances of little prayers being answered.<br /><br />One day I was trying to get Mazzis car seat out of the car. Matt likes to put in all the safety clips/locks o the back. Not just one, at least two or three. Then he puts them in as tight as he can so it is nearly impossible to get them out. While I admire and appreciate that he wants his little girl to be safe, it is a pain to get out. While Matt was in the CHP academy I think his concern for safety sky rocketed, so at this time the car seat was in even tighter than usual. After trying for what seemed like hours, but was probably only 5 min. I was so upset with him and was losing my temper. I tried again for another hour (5 min) and still didn't get it out. My mom came out and I was telling her how frustrated I was and that I could not get it out. She told me to pray. At first I thought, "I am not praying over something so silly." And then I repented, and thought, "It never hurts to pray and will at least get me in a better fame of mind." I said a quick prayer that I would be able to get the car seat out. After praying I tried to loosen the clips and within a minute got it out. Yet another testimony that prayer works. I called my mom to tell her that I prayed and it worked. :)<br /><br />On another occasion I had spent several hours going over our budget and paying bills, getting the checks together and putting everything in envelopes with stamps and addresses on. I got distracted doing something with the kids and then went back later to get the stack of envelopes so I could mail them. I couldn't find them. I looked all over the house and spent a few hours wondering where I could have placed them. Once again, I asked Tera to say a prayer that we would find the envelopes with our bills in them. As soon as she stopped praying I felt like I should go look in the garbage (which I had already looked in) I went to the kitchen garbage, and sure enough, there was the stack of my bills.<br /><br />Knowing that Heavenly Father will answer such little, seemingly insignificant prayers, makes me that more certain that he can, does and HAS answered so many more significant prayers in my life- altering prayers in my life. Sometimes not in the way that I would have hoped, but in His own, better, all-knowing way. I am grateful to know that I can pray whenever I want and wherever I am and he will hear me and answer. I am grateful for all these moments that make me feel my Heavenly Fathers love and remind me that He is aware of me and can help in all aspects of my life, if only I ask.<br /><br />Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to youKyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-20479183158904555052011-03-17T21:43:00.000-07:002011-03-17T22:04:44.390-07:00Ashtons Award<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">A few weeks ago Ashton's teacher called me, with news that made my day, or maybe even my month. She called to tell me how much she loved having Ashton in class. She said he was so well behaved and such a fun kid to have in class. You can tell by the smile on her face when she hugged him that she does love my child. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that the person who spends such a huge part of the day with your child loves them and appreciates them. Ashton received the "Most improved" Award.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFUBjlPVogtST1HNsXKQvgapjLsODKctBNS2WOvU5LAuOGMyqHvM13HBepJpU3GLM8fFU467SQu5ObQXy5wW1DaJAm9CR2vup6W1LMMcm7LZB8F9S33QKRcvXRCv_fYl09_hrNEFz0xUS/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFUBjlPVogtST1HNsXKQvgapjLsODKctBNS2WOvU5LAuOGMyqHvM13HBepJpU3GLM8fFU467SQu5ObQXy5wW1DaJAm9CR2vup6W1LMMcm7LZB8F9S33QKRcvXRCv_fYl09_hrNEFz0xUS/s400/DSC_0002.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Since we moved back Ashton has gone from reading at a Kindergarten third tri-mester level to where he should be (a first grade third trimester level.) I was so relieved to hear this. He has been working hard and it is paying off. I am proud of my boy. Keep it up Ash!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS98qnSbTp4Ca3R2tKq0suED7pArGWf3cgwF4FJHnbSdYHNvHkSgyYNkjlSPr-a0mdSZzNWH_j10WMn3-mI-qfeiNQCVnUk4_hlHPRX3yzwlf1gugvbceYosJRzkaYN9QF81ioP1_jMd3/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS98qnSbTp4Ca3R2tKq0suED7pArGWf3cgwF4FJHnbSdYHNvHkSgyYNkjlSPr-a0mdSZzNWH_j10WMn3-mI-qfeiNQCVnUk4_hlHPRX3yzwlf1gugvbceYosJRzkaYN9QF81ioP1_jMd3/s400/DSC_0009.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim80vWlvdiyKJux2TukfR6DlGpwwMe3LOfqEslWNU-ePS8mS6dBQCd0R_rT52FYYL8jFy2TfPZnG-ulDRY9YZJofOqUp5jJysSHmoKIDnRxbiEVSx7JMcJ5K8YbX_1uvll4z3lZVwbSneK/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim80vWlvdiyKJux2TukfR6DlGpwwMe3LOfqEslWNU-ePS8mS6dBQCd0R_rT52FYYL8jFy2TfPZnG-ulDRY9YZJofOqUp5jJysSHmoKIDnRxbiEVSx7JMcJ5K8YbX_1uvll4z3lZVwbSneK/s400/DSC_0008.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-77858981990744067102011-03-17T21:39:00.000-07:002011-03-17T21:40:12.531-07:00One of the many reasons we love So Cal<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">We love that Sea World is so close that we can go down for the day, spend a few hours and be back in time for dinner.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXAYCvibGGweuteJ4l0rz5UGw1zCLnP8XAwNIX9pJ5wg0qrljFAHIZSxfcNG-QkakVoBwn3KiKBCGAu9Iz-RqKBISGaViXZ7jWJS-vGzDCeo7f59f_xukHRlqO7kaFkrwf_cPyECeh-kW/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXAYCvibGGweuteJ4l0rz5UGw1zCLnP8XAwNIX9pJ5wg0qrljFAHIZSxfcNG-QkakVoBwn3KiKBCGAu9Iz-RqKBISGaViXZ7jWJS-vGzDCeo7f59f_xukHRlqO7kaFkrwf_cPyECeh-kW/s400/DSC_0017.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnwQMjXebFhWl3x-pBKxa9u-LZjU_NvekTlQ8c1UpD1mPOQv2G6o-Tkx6ERykgYQR24W23pzlceOMJWJS1oO0RsAtp2HWFB2RNWM3ts36mvLNQckdqjIdjIMKIvel2GMit84viNGNDiBV/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnwQMjXebFhWl3x-pBKxa9u-LZjU_NvekTlQ8c1UpD1mPOQv2G6o-Tkx6ERykgYQR24W23pzlceOMJWJS1oO0RsAtp2HWFB2RNWM3ts36mvLNQckdqjIdjIMKIvel2GMit84viNGNDiBV/s400/DSC_0011.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OwHhx_AldtrG1aLZOUuxh6_Ixk1tCx0Nnc0294zPUqeQmJKxpbg-ko702zLtrygV3UIE3bf-oVwRIzyf7oazdl3ZI8TPpGIXJotBsR0t5HWUChUm4M3Vs_nMM-pL8dtGG1H8esZSzb4y/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OwHhx_AldtrG1aLZOUuxh6_Ixk1tCx0Nnc0294zPUqeQmJKxpbg-ko702zLtrygV3UIE3bf-oVwRIzyf7oazdl3ZI8TPpGIXJotBsR0t5HWUChUm4M3Vs_nMM-pL8dtGG1H8esZSzb4y/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-63421159160603312982011-03-06T20:23:00.000-08:002011-03-06T20:23:00.350-08:00Our family is cool....The other day on the way to the gym Ashton was very impressed that I taught people how to exercise at the gym. He said "Mom, our family is really cool. You teach exercise, Dad is a police man, I do tae kwo do, Tera can dance good and Mazzi is learning to talk." For some reason that made my day. Yea, our family is pretty cool. And I say that in a humble way. :)Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-87799997078647687192011-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:002011-03-01T20:23:03.504-08:00:)I need to remember that today was a near perfect day for Ashton. He did his homework without a single complaint. I didn't have to pester him to keep doing his math or continue on after each problem. He read all the words by himself on his English homework and filled in the blanks. Then without me asking, he read his practice book. His teacher called me last week to tell me how much she loves having Ashton in her class and how well he is doing in school. When we moved back, only a month ago he was reading at third tri-mester Kindergarten level. She said he is now up to grade level, in a matter of only a few weeks. He has been working hard at home and during tutoring. He is receiving the "Most Improved" award in his class on Friday. I am so happy that he has been blessed with great teachers. Mrs. Sellers has been amazing and puts in so much of her extra time helping get him caught up. I went from being a stress case over his education only a few weeks ago, to feeling so relieved and at peace. Thank you Heavenly Father :) Back to my little man- Ashton was pleasant to be around all day, used his manners and did as he was asked. When it was bed time he took a bath, brushed his teeth and said his prayers. Wow! My boy is growing up. I couldn't' stop hugging him and kissing him tonight because I was so proud of the boy he is. And the best part is... at this age he still lets me smother him (as long as his friends aren't around) and he even likes it.Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-54831864662682739252011-02-24T21:22:00.000-08:002011-02-24T21:29:27.900-08:00A happy Day!!<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">January 26, 2011</span> will always be a day to remember for me. The day I got my husband back and life became the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"new normal.</span>" It was so neat witnessing Matt taking the oath to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">serve and protect people</span> and see him looking all sharp in his uniform. He endured a lot over the past six months and I am so <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">proud</span> of how well he handled the stress. I love this man and love that he is making a difference in the world and has, what I consider, a very <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">noble and respectable job.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizCmm8QUfQE9MzT4Y8kNcPBaS6Tj-l6FTuVwPuFCI-wsTVIozktk6QuBcgRQqtXsO3_bPGu6b7HA0wYgL0pBWb-6YYGyp-wL1PNJmFHmWSFof1ttWUQ4_dwFfiHv0aXJikNPLw3_i8k2R/s1600/DSC_0410.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizCmm8QUfQE9MzT4Y8kNcPBaS6Tj-l6FTuVwPuFCI-wsTVIozktk6QuBcgRQqtXsO3_bPGu6b7HA0wYgL0pBWb-6YYGyp-wL1PNJmFHmWSFof1ttWUQ4_dwFfiHv0aXJikNPLw3_i8k2R/s400/DSC_0410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571912249949891506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYlZTkA6WhFgwwHef2uvai38KVv53ju6vImb9l9ICJNkzc7C_41wTWDEHaX9ZVkN8DMju3Wq7BOoYcxxd8vqjQ9cf1tKu7oNaDRVQc1ppS3ttjN-cTG5JedfmKMH9xYdh8-a5QnDIX-LO/s1600/DSC_0403.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYlZTkA6WhFgwwHef2uvai38KVv53ju6vImb9l9ICJNkzc7C_41wTWDEHaX9ZVkN8DMju3Wq7BOoYcxxd8vqjQ9cf1tKu7oNaDRVQc1ppS3ttjN-cTG5JedfmKMH9xYdh8-a5QnDIX-LO/s400/DSC_0403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571912237609246242" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZoCIyiAKE-E-e7e7c8gXMEYVLEP_0P0lIDnJo-Hno8UgfBt8iKI8161PnVLEa0c_aYPUS54Sd_jd-212pvv_igOYYwL-0garBneujoxJgxf4bfDhPT9zKXnCdzjv39F9Y5sh9robbHjx/s1600/DSC_0381.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZoCIyiAKE-E-e7e7c8gXMEYVLEP_0P0lIDnJo-Hno8UgfBt8iKI8161PnVLEa0c_aYPUS54Sd_jd-212pvv_igOYYwL-0garBneujoxJgxf4bfDhPT9zKXnCdzjv39F9Y5sh9robbHjx/s400/DSC_0381.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3DL2xC3ztHXvruNWtmUJNfbo_EY-MANxlozgfYFORYo-6PeuoixXHLIHVUixEhZBiDJU9pFlpjCG7T4QuW6U1GAWDzuisxdBXzSJ4XwvdJaBaxc-V9Z5zVj_nqvmTO8zvM5LWRmDqhnp/s1600/DSC_0400.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3DL2xC3ztHXvruNWtmUJNfbo_EY-MANxlozgfYFORYo-6PeuoixXHLIHVUixEhZBiDJU9pFlpjCG7T4QuW6U1GAWDzuisxdBXzSJ4XwvdJaBaxc-V9Z5zVj_nqvmTO8zvM5LWRmDqhnp/s400/DSC_0400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571912233419569122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuYN8c8WwzmTAOMuaeXZNWrNpKBc6f9jxaMcs4pNKMaCAHBjbkrvHj6KiL-pg07ExWJIX9ELDR104YoLsaAptAS5b1fGZjwSkID2cJV4aDCWPtIt5Fgz3I-OMxlmYQI4ZVd-B7n1wJzM6/s1600/DSC_0417.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuYN8c8WwzmTAOMuaeXZNWrNpKBc6f9jxaMcs4pNKMaCAHBjbkrvHj6KiL-pg07ExWJIX9ELDR104YoLsaAptAS5b1fGZjwSkID2cJV4aDCWPtIt5Fgz3I-OMxlmYQI4ZVd-B7n1wJzM6/s400/DSC_0417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571912254425075010" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrnLKd9pwJbm9ErZoToOv7heRTXG0cRr8ETnQizTOv28ZgAqoLkrECH66UcRitgtLeuDCReJgQ4T6v4bKnQ4zU9bAR_toq6I7bEqTRrFRAGeOkJVG-u66c5hYWaYYb6FQunpYcP5u-Kvq/s1600/DSC_0374.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrnLKd9pwJbm9ErZoToOv7heRTXG0cRr8ETnQizTOv28ZgAqoLkrECH66UcRitgtLeuDCReJgQ4T6v4bKnQ4zU9bAR_toq6I7bEqTRrFRAGeOkJVG-u66c5hYWaYYb6FQunpYcP5u-Kvq/s400/DSC_0374.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZoCIyiAKE-E-e7e7c8gXMEYVLEP_0P0lIDnJo-Hno8UgfBt8iKI8161PnVLEa0c_aYPUS54Sd_jd-212pvv_igOYYwL-0garBneujoxJgxf4bfDhPT9zKXnCdzjv39F9Y5sh9robbHjx/s1600/DSC_0381.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OgzGym9fQPo3_mm8oUs794yqFulxt3_jQchO_M5HaEuIV2mR7_Z6T0h5XZiCdUSiR1i5FbuqToD0r7zS2wA0lBg0IRcdkMght5ktXIIm7DSISUKGM-IVBvoFtfLJpFeH12XJSo65Pann/s1600/DSC_0390.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OgzGym9fQPo3_mm8oUs794yqFulxt3_jQchO_M5HaEuIV2mR7_Z6T0h5XZiCdUSiR1i5FbuqToD0r7zS2wA0lBg0IRcdkMght5ktXIIm7DSISUKGM-IVBvoFtfLJpFeH12XJSo65Pann/s400/DSC_0390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571912229594520546" border="0" /></a> </div><br />Matt has several close friends, and relatives who are CHP officers, which helped influence his decision to go that route. They all love their job and played a big role in his decision to accept the invitation to the academy. The group includes one of his leaders at church, three young men whom were his friends that were in our ward growing up, and my brother.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPekQ4vfO8DhWF96Cw-gvdKanl7l-XWDKpIoASbc6LPTkWwynYWHtLxpD0LwVJj9ZpLG7v8V0ld8YGLnJR-eInjAvOatFtin4n4pWXuLRDLFF8f9D1TPW8HzM70YNx5Rcwhvsg4-b8eMzt/s1600/DSC_0383.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPekQ4vfO8DhWF96Cw-gvdKanl7l-XWDKpIoASbc6LPTkWwynYWHtLxpD0LwVJj9ZpLG7v8V0ld8YGLnJR-eInjAvOatFtin4n4pWXuLRDLFF8f9D1TPW8HzM70YNx5Rcwhvsg4-b8eMzt/s400/DSC_0383.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmjlM2nmMJxMhzkNIY97iK4M3OazYpWKBR9Ijt1G_juQsdKn2WtSLIqJJ4ucKe3h1YkQ6F1RI9g_meBWuSg6gUHW8qwe9yoVzN7TIGRD42tqsM64XSbtsAVChpStzCgN4WmVg3boYJlMj/s1600/DSC_0385.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmjlM2nmMJxMhzkNIY97iK4M3OazYpWKBR9Ijt1G_juQsdKn2WtSLIqJJ4ucKe3h1YkQ6F1RI9g_meBWuSg6gUHW8qwe9yoVzN7TIGRD42tqsM64XSbtsAVChpStzCgN4WmVg3boYJlMj/s400/DSC_0385.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-86171820983657045812011-02-24T21:20:00.000-08:002011-02-24T21:29:59.889-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9dLg6gHUsK-opplJ_1zhnqW9dC4ieTbO_BC6mkjwgeA9juWgQjaiQbG_8Ker18Jsco0kw4uIf69vrfNdXkEkQ1jS86O2E7CjiNBBA4b43e1rGWc3mUpreBQNz0xCagQvMw8bNTzvMQy_/s1600/DSC_0366.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9dLg6gHUsK-opplJ_1zhnqW9dC4ieTbO_BC6mkjwgeA9juWgQjaiQbG_8Ker18Jsco0kw4uIf69vrfNdXkEkQ1jS86O2E7CjiNBBA4b43e1rGWc3mUpreBQNz0xCagQvMw8bNTzvMQy_/s400/DSC_0366.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571808402931125266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3niDEUL0i6vZe4dCUsVGzC23pwrPDBlFH2cZ26gGlvafJeKXVpn3Tbfiu_IVMRSYtytUgNtP5ser6S7uz3k4PVSYcMI2BALX7yhj9CuLDD-7kXE33jzO8M3ThyiT7uERJNegn4R8z5i5/s1600/DSC_0356.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3niDEUL0i6vZe4dCUsVGzC23pwrPDBlFH2cZ26gGlvafJeKXVpn3Tbfiu_IVMRSYtytUgNtP5ser6S7uz3k4PVSYcMI2BALX7yhj9CuLDD-7kXE33jzO8M3ThyiT7uERJNegn4R8z5i5/s400/DSC_0356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571808394638748818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lAewRPsGYyqYyl-uFBAkJ3DChvGzylx1QJQRfNY9RGK6Hq0mJPXobvVVxAh9EsUkEkFa6QlB51K4OMKT0EjEMVyMAJhe67MBUBERHhJJSLlEPduoItcsbaRBcHOwlARDbzxagVZltv4N/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lAewRPsGYyqYyl-uFBAkJ3DChvGzylx1QJQRfNY9RGK6Hq0mJPXobvVVxAh9EsUkEkFa6QlB51K4OMKT0EjEMVyMAJhe67MBUBERHhJJSLlEPduoItcsbaRBcHOwlARDbzxagVZltv4N/s400/DSC_0346.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L_9A8qA2dNOnkhp9gxVNdBADRUlyfaICIGXugQbmxyOPKjEDWq4ic3oPGJ1LG8X_xBQv1kAzs1_XamImihWTZgHKLzxS4H0WpnstX2kxMExU6Xx5UabaFk0mHS6GWXRc6nWi2RjI9V_1/s1600/DSC_0347.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L_9A8qA2dNOnkhp9gxVNdBADRUlyfaICIGXugQbmxyOPKjEDWq4ic3oPGJ1LG8X_xBQv1kAzs1_XamImihWTZgHKLzxS4H0WpnstX2kxMExU6Xx5UabaFk0mHS6GWXRc6nWi2RjI9V_1/s400/DSC_0347.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dU8obyDwAPFm5VtHUGK9jUBt6hDEegCld4InlpMLb8a2KP00L-JRf-rMGNDUMDk1c5OFy5eNPf4wijvuq5y0flKzp9wrTy04ZcxJ8jLbXyAFANE42QjxYHYnvamTFa0bn958nva89R2I/s1600/DSC_0352.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dU8obyDwAPFm5VtHUGK9jUBt6hDEegCld4InlpMLb8a2KP00L-JRf-rMGNDUMDk1c5OFy5eNPf4wijvuq5y0flKzp9wrTy04ZcxJ8jLbXyAFANE42QjxYHYnvamTFa0bn958nva89R2I/s400/DSC_0352.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5brMtGiTuhOdoPtUanG2Lsw1_woZ_nUmAj0lj3bLTSyCLri0hyphenhyphenWPMnUKql-6P3h0Z-30YBPwqGUfCQruBX-Y-qEQBAIA3v1L2wvElp3n5CJSoXEhdLHBvlgDQtSQaX_pNSsmsL8IOYdgL/s1600/DSC_0354.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5brMtGiTuhOdoPtUanG2Lsw1_woZ_nUmAj0lj3bLTSyCLri0hyphenhyphenWPMnUKql-6P3h0Z-30YBPwqGUfCQruBX-Y-qEQBAIA3v1L2wvElp3n5CJSoXEhdLHBvlgDQtSQaX_pNSsmsL8IOYdgL/s400/DSC_0354.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-69393410403079815002011-02-24T20:45:00.000-08:002011-02-24T21:14:02.624-08:00Surprise!!!<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">We had a surprise party for Matt once we got back in Lake Elsinore to celebrate his graduating from the CHP academy. We are so proud of him. It was nice to be surrounded by friends.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoW-EhOgRgKPbfaAIqmIswTgTUetY2hs7kwVcpfyVGwkoshl-hvjUJPbaK89oOj-wgrHLf7W3MMLXzE_G00kWSCfhltEcqVXEnwEcqgl6wOxpb2ePKCdCpdhq2ruybpR9qBIwYpaOFh5y/s1600/DSC_0446.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoW-EhOgRgKPbfaAIqmIswTgTUetY2hs7kwVcpfyVGwkoshl-hvjUJPbaK89oOj-wgrHLf7W3MMLXzE_G00kWSCfhltEcqVXEnwEcqgl6wOxpb2ePKCdCpdhq2ruybpR9qBIwYpaOFh5y/s400/DSC_0446.JPG" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TsN_Nk54YnnDtCTRy3qvDZcShyzMze9O0XDUXzNyK2ZqXlP8JZb0uRQc7utuWtMOfeMhOUbG7vYuDhXjkizWNNzfsV5Dp8AlkHkgN2u8rbf3cZDVsF5JAS3E1w7ZKOFdc3VtjQtq_oAY/s1600/DSC_0452.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TsN_Nk54YnnDtCTRy3qvDZcShyzMze9O0XDUXzNyK2ZqXlP8JZb0uRQc7utuWtMOfeMhOUbG7vYuDhXjkizWNNzfsV5Dp8AlkHkgN2u8rbf3cZDVsF5JAS3E1w7ZKOFdc3VtjQtq_oAY/s400/DSC_0452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572288637173541234" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJMqOV5lEhaPP9Amt7DRFp-mQ-65EI1E_Ow-Hmx9-VSIoMKi2sKxBDIFaCHkRJqFicKC1yoNEwVxB3loRsG8RMGdR8-5MYJNsV6iVSyUuLLlf864h6UAHkpzTnBZvAyf42xTexHHWiNT/s1600/DSC_0448.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJMqOV5lEhaPP9Amt7DRFp-mQ-65EI1E_Ow-Hmx9-VSIoMKi2sKxBDIFaCHkRJqFicKC1yoNEwVxB3loRsG8RMGdR8-5MYJNsV6iVSyUuLLlf864h6UAHkpzTnBZvAyf42xTexHHWiNT/s400/DSC_0448.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzbaOQKtMmUG190gjpyy0EKWZBVyc5VQstIXvlJziUTAgxPZpQp5X_we3Rr6rOzDW6_tH-lgC_Nth3wmP9qlzO5_3_nPOYW33fD0epKi3gdtQUMCrrKWT7_kZ8CW87Ca3upYnW1aLL8X_/s1600/DSC_0449.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzbaOQKtMmUG190gjpyy0EKWZBVyc5VQstIXvlJziUTAgxPZpQp5X_we3Rr6rOzDW6_tH-lgC_Nth3wmP9qlzO5_3_nPOYW33fD0epKi3gdtQUMCrrKWT7_kZ8CW87Ca3upYnW1aLL8X_/s400/DSC_0449.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7t4QLuvWLJ8lw9auwuuVjfcCGw3Y71x9RdzW091V0DFRzlML9MWXQZmQwkpDloNJbis4v8YZrmYG_mcaAAjOSztHEwb0ZL4pwZbzcbY4NGEl78ER4w9A340Sq9fyGqlCnGcVImMzp4Fy/s1600/DSC_0451.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7t4QLuvWLJ8lw9auwuuVjfcCGw3Y71x9RdzW091V0DFRzlML9MWXQZmQwkpDloNJbis4v8YZrmYG_mcaAAjOSztHEwb0ZL4pwZbzcbY4NGEl78ER4w9A340Sq9fyGqlCnGcVImMzp4Fy/s400/DSC_0451.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-13736053326051448752011-02-23T13:40:00.000-08:002011-02-24T21:16:59.230-08:00CHP Party<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">The night before Matt's graduation they had a CHP party and dinner to celebrate. It was fun meeting the guys that Matt has spent the past six months, 24 hours a day 5 days a week.<br /><br />Here are his roommates Sullinger and Torres<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLv6KS6QiVAZ_CAcIOHcZEkhoNIZ2pj1YHTvuySw6mRFcv2i4NsSbTvLYep9Y8rrmbdw3aIkZpUFpoRaXmzgFs72vJx7jZ-tg_Nmn8CjwpCFaGsnVd8xLHug7D0NtxTeUDp19ddQ2u8yy/s1600/DSC_0331.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLv6KS6QiVAZ_CAcIOHcZEkhoNIZ2pj1YHTvuySw6mRFcv2i4NsSbTvLYep9Y8rrmbdw3aIkZpUFpoRaXmzgFs72vJx7jZ-tg_Nmn8CjwpCFaGsnVd8xLHug7D0NtxTeUDp19ddQ2u8yy/s400/DSC_0331.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>And here's his silly buddy Reese. This guy made me laugh, and Matt as you can tell.<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kmxbj3yL_kMaAE_7xtx3CEmiTdnp06eej8KfEHgG1jV4CtvhCp2C5_-rATxxZSkSejp_MOesvUyAa2ylyRSwM7qgA1kIOkCM6ZI4rWiMrb_X75Nn1I-e5S9cEKFkfJ5hKIArZlwgb_0i/s1600/DSC_0340.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kmxbj3yL_kMaAE_7xtx3CEmiTdnp06eej8KfEHgG1jV4CtvhCp2C5_-rATxxZSkSejp_MOesvUyAa2ylyRSwM7qgA1kIOkCM6ZI4rWiMrb_X75Nn1I-e5S9cEKFkfJ5hKIArZlwgb_0i/s400/DSC_0340.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvX1K_XgOZ_1l_h9mu9-1QQkBbsx_Xe87MM_9b4yAr9Jy5lYP5uQV5AvwO05AtaMBdDTG3dc2YIcHP5egVcqC2PjwMfkxgYm4O2_xbdIVUO7TIfVvdXVBm8ZogyCl1AVCFmixCZu91Zie/s1600/DSC_0341.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvX1K_XgOZ_1l_h9mu9-1QQkBbsx_Xe87MM_9b4yAr9Jy5lYP5uQV5AvwO05AtaMBdDTG3dc2YIcHP5egVcqC2PjwMfkxgYm4O2_xbdIVUO7TIfVvdXVBm8ZogyCl1AVCFmixCZu91Zie/s400/DSC_0341.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Matt and I wanted a couple's shot, but Reese wanted to be in on the love. What a weirdo.<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLq6hqknmzIQyNeeWC4Deai8PyLgREldUu7BoKIa0b7TQycpqghJrjPB6SFnVpfxirr6nUYTqvA6tvX58JVhj_50IjnHX7nlZjGMfuc1Q9RnEqy-xPEJdrlURmn4TV5HyBhwelgpIiDvW/s1600/DSC_0343.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLq6hqknmzIQyNeeWC4Deai8PyLgREldUu7BoKIa0b7TQycpqghJrjPB6SFnVpfxirr6nUYTqvA6tvX58JVhj_50IjnHX7nlZjGMfuc1Q9RnEqy-xPEJdrlURmn4TV5HyBhwelgpIiDvW/s400/DSC_0343.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-5694465978141089942011-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:002011-02-22T21:14:39.937-08:00Some evenings are longI am adjusting to Matt;s new schedule. We LOVE having him home three, and sometimes even four days a week and I am used to not having him around in the evenings because for the six month academy without him. However, some evenings when he is gone are so long. Tonight was one of those evenings. My day went by so nicely. It was just Maz and I at home most of the day while the other two were at school. Then, come three thirty Ash comes home and the whining and fighting me on homework begins. "Can't I just watch TV or play video games" and so on and so forth. I try to force him to do his homework unsuccessfully because I know we will be gone most of the night. I agreed to sub a step class in Mureitta. I hadn't got a work out in yet and a little money on the side is always good so thought it would be fine. On the way there Tera is complaining that she has a headache, Ash won't do his homework and Maz is whining about who knows what. We get to the gym and I drop the little munchkins off at the Kids Klub and head to my class. I have been teaching long enough that I generally feel pretty confident about my classes. I know some will go better than others. Some days I will be more motivating, more upbeat, etc. but for the most part feel that I should be teaching generally good classes after seven years of teaching aerobics. Tonight however, humbled me and proved me very wrong. Not that any one thing went wrong. I just was feeling bla. I couldn't make myself be in the least bit peppy, the mic sounded odd and the music all seemed annoying to me. I was annoying myself. I was very aware of phrases I kept saying over and over like "good job" and "okay?" I left the class feeling like a lame instructor. And to top it off, I had a fellow instructor in the class with me. (One who happens to be extra peppy which bugged me even more as if she were comparing my lack of peppiness to her over-peppiness)<br />So, I barley finish my class (emotionally and physically with my feet and back aching) and then go to pick up my kids. Turns out Mazzi has been crying the last several minutes because she bonked her head and then someone hit her. She's recovering while I hold her. All the kids get their shoes on and off to Chick-fil-a we go. This was their treat for going to the gym with me at night. I always feel bad dragging them along at night after a long day of school. I chose Chick-fil-a becaue it was Tuesday and kids eat free on tuesday. Right? Nope, they changed it. So, we are already tight on money this month and I was splurging paying for one adult meal and one kids meal and getting one free. So to spend 20.00 on a meal for me and the kids seems a bit ridiculous. Oh well, we get two big meals and split them. No bigggie. Besides the fact that Tera didn't get her chocolate milk. That as a big deal apparently. Just a little dissapoint amonngst other little dissappointmentes. And then no one said "My pleasure" and all the worekrs were kinda rude. Wierd- what is up chick-fila?? So I hope that as you are reading this you are aware of what I am as I am writing it. How nice my life most be if these are the thigns that bug me and tire me?? It is true. I have a nice life. A great life. It is a tiring life, but I love it. But, I must continue on with my long evening. The kids play in the play area, Tera pees her pants on the way to the bathroom, Mazzi drops her ice cream cone, Mazzi poops so change her diaper, Ashton does his homework in the kid splay place without complaining (thank goodness) then we drive home. Ashton and Mazzi fall asleep in the car. I carry them upstairs and tuck them in... no baths, no teeth brushing. Just chick-fil-a and gym kid klub cooties all over them as they sleep. Makes me a little sick, but not sick enough to wake them up and bathe them. I think I will go rub purell all over them though. That will make me feel better. And now, it is time for a bath, a book and ibuprofen. Ahhhh.... life is good.Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-77238242848550631892011-02-22T13:02:00.000-08:002011-02-22T13:08:39.887-08:00Fiercely IndependentThis is just how independent and stubborn our little Mazzi has become. Today she refuses to let me get her anything. She wants to get her own snacks, change her own diaper (I wish she just wanted to potty train herself), roll out her own play dough, etc. She pushed a chair from the kitchen table to the pantry in order to get her self a capri sun. I decided I should get it for her, as it was on the top shelf of the pantry and the next step for her would have been to climb the shelves. So I handed her the capri sun and brought it over to the table. She was a little frustrated that mommy was helping. Then I did the unspeakable. I took the straw out of the wrapper. That happens to be her favorite part, banging the straw against the table until it pokes out of the wrapper. But I forgot. She was livid. She yelled at me and tried to put the straw back in the wrapper. She eventually realized she still got to put the straw in the juice box so forgave me a bit. This example just shows how and independent and stubborn this little girl is.Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-32621750903410991782011-02-14T20:50:00.000-08:002011-02-14T20:50:00.364-08:00This is why I bring my camera....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVG2pJ_2K9kQAFAfti5x9UAaaYlL2FO1dMWVOf71f3HDVb0UQpY8HLMdM-AFngcMDfm9o-q9GnOh5NktYH31FEQkawtJRoHZ0XabguaSPdRZEF4VBpbApZAqUojAfYhVoyTvvIFPP6wQo_/s1600/DSC_0483.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVG2pJ_2K9kQAFAfti5x9UAaaYlL2FO1dMWVOf71f3HDVb0UQpY8HLMdM-AFngcMDfm9o-q9GnOh5NktYH31FEQkawtJRoHZ0XabguaSPdRZEF4VBpbApZAqUojAfYhVoyTvvIFPP6wQo_/s400/DSC_0483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572290217281243106" border="0" /></a>to the beach every time. These shots are priceless to me!<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">Tera, Tatum and McKenzie<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uCw96sLCZW0Oe6bSYmvOltWNqB68YAMNe_llYHUsEK2K2v9d3BbUbtRdT4hEZtlleZr7A0wSSLKWtvtlI0vTlqc87Qi7aRMcnfNOeP6cnzxA0lqVs3rWc26lvKqeB2xobqQ-d1anDjr1/s1600/DSC_0457.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uCw96sLCZW0Oe6bSYmvOltWNqB68YAMNe_llYHUsEK2K2v9d3BbUbtRdT4hEZtlleZr7A0wSSLKWtvtlI0vTlqc87Qi7aRMcnfNOeP6cnzxA0lqVs3rWc26lvKqeB2xobqQ-d1anDjr1/s400/DSC_0457.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_50eU_S6_92rpOQArMoNymhu3Z4G3QfoUkdkAmyKZOT2FWTgxiwjrz0L1W1QbGshXhAhqJUikxaZdKKhJx0-IwdZW9Xfy7vh6ERPvdV2ZUuEzyA0ufcVAlL68ivIZp5FgCwxfridpk8r/s1600/DSC_0462.JPG"></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJIgsegt8eJ-cSQ_i0Pv9kg4fk7xTaqeKHgcD1fn4enswGvsgoP8XA7WQuOEzCUtr-LRsg06z4CXAmfqGuaNpkJHIeprkpRCj1l_IqICh0k8cscwV8K4nlH-3G0NyopT2vseNJWQy56eE/s1600/DSC_0458.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJIgsegt8eJ-cSQ_i0Pv9kg4fk7xTaqeKHgcD1fn4enswGvsgoP8XA7WQuOEzCUtr-LRsg06z4CXAmfqGuaNpkJHIeprkpRCj1l_IqICh0k8cscwV8K4nlH-3G0NyopT2vseNJWQy56eE/s400/DSC_0458.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU4lhkLxUtPO7M3TiX0OmpmludsejDx8j2uufWb64OHnTWXfDBCGy8goO2oW5fuIJQXyruOa-rM9foWcZK9EfBtuCbSheV3ILv19dHWZo0uUV0MGlkU1aQ7yn5T-bJ2nBUAPjgedk6y-D/s1600/DSC_0463.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU4lhkLxUtPO7M3TiX0OmpmludsejDx8j2uufWb64OHnTWXfDBCGy8goO2oW5fuIJQXyruOa-rM9foWcZK9EfBtuCbSheV3ILv19dHWZo0uUV0MGlkU1aQ7yn5T-bJ2nBUAPjgedk6y-D/s400/DSC_0463.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-36845338481653186242011-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:002011-02-13T20:00:00.812-08:00Getting comfortable with guns<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;">Because I knew we would shortly have a gun in our home I went shooting with my friends <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sephora</span> and Gracie. I think I shot a total of nine guns ranging from revolvers, rifles and shotguns. At the beginning I was extremely nervous holding the guns, but by the end I was feeling a bit more comfortable and was even having fun. There is something kinda cool and "Alias like" about holding a gun. But they still scare me. I'll get used to it!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35T3mGhrTs9sQHMOt89yNPzG5OwSDfHXuAaLeclFVBRQt4tOHOsq8zfuuAnUxp6zuCDswW24Mwfh9Zx2GX05aiiovJGfGrMK5pDp5SCQHQ7zdq5jU-Q4E59G9reSjrmc_3qVkdAdvWQBF/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35T3mGhrTs9sQHMOt89yNPzG5OwSDfHXuAaLeclFVBRQt4tOHOsq8zfuuAnUxp6zuCDswW24Mwfh9Zx2GX05aiiovJGfGrMK5pDp5SCQHQ7zdq5jU-Q4E59G9reSjrmc_3qVkdAdvWQBF/s400/DSC_0224.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-5694362773353439442011-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:002011-02-11T20:02:00.766-08:00Pregraduation party!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaee_ycJqIpU_AlD_sQsR-_u_u7Yy5GJmFwkLkNhmPMU3RaLhpTdcovo4Qg0igU2st8b_pL53SnNrYWwpbZCXf4XuBFlSSRPtEdbSRUEYHHz9Im5XynK9K2XB8zbsKqgCp5QpIjsKYN1M/s1600/DSC_0264.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaee_ycJqIpU_AlD_sQsR-_u_u7Yy5GJmFwkLkNhmPMU3RaLhpTdcovo4Qg0igU2st8b_pL53SnNrYWwpbZCXf4XuBFlSSRPtEdbSRUEYHHz9Im5XynK9K2XB8zbsKqgCp5QpIjsKYN1M/s400/DSC_0264.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571798839190834754" border="0" /></a>We had a surprise pre-graduation party for Matt at Chevys in Redding. Both sides of the family attended as well as several of his high school friends. It was cute seeing Matt with all his buddies from high school, some of which he hadn't seen in five or more yeras. It was a great night and I was so glad that everyone was able to attend. We are all so proud of Matt!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCkJycVbMOY2zvC7g1Jmvt_1ol4TCWVlx8ChhQ4Jj6mxTZXZR0eJNvPJfS5-M5oOL1QkSa6znZ7W-YrE1_g2C48eP6RzXYEKF9eUotDl25bZB_6ztlmS3eMOPEne5oGPUh5fmqmUa8NIC/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCkJycVbMOY2zvC7g1Jmvt_1ol4TCWVlx8ChhQ4Jj6mxTZXZR0eJNvPJfS5-M5oOL1QkSa6znZ7W-YrE1_g2C48eP6RzXYEKF9eUotDl25bZB_6ztlmS3eMOPEne5oGPUh5fmqmUa8NIC/s400/DSC_0258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571798837731734674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWS02iqIKoew2YvJ1z7X4CjVcIHyvqkspYtkjkdR97wAXpNFRmsf8wyuHy9gWG_ywFrk5wlZHWk5amXtsK4MBM1TvaG_I_okUcnxmiKHH4_HLWU4CCbRw_0kh4kWkxNwY8I6RyeiW51ba/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWS02iqIKoew2YvJ1z7X4CjVcIHyvqkspYtkjkdR97wAXpNFRmsf8wyuHy9gWG_ywFrk5wlZHWk5amXtsK4MBM1TvaG_I_okUcnxmiKHH4_HLWU4CCbRw_0kh4kWkxNwY8I6RyeiW51ba/s400/DSC_0252.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CBQ04RVEAWLT8wF_HIzpTe_KMykjpx8Y5s3029EwaAfPUfDVEmPH1q6g0t6erBxnRcICELmtp4-9G2l5l89rBzvPO00E5aeWYrHMLQozbTe4MwYYlYTp-kP27Yx6BSkeN_LGbW1gD7T9/s1600/DSC_0251.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CBQ04RVEAWLT8wF_HIzpTe_KMykjpx8Y5s3029EwaAfPUfDVEmPH1q6g0t6erBxnRcICELmtp4-9G2l5l89rBzvPO00E5aeWYrHMLQozbTe4MwYYlYTp-kP27Yx6BSkeN_LGbW1gD7T9/s400/DSC_0251.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cEPt5S5Ii0U6Ua4CRFOumrZi1ZnY8bJNZRevHhqOFIe98QBDZhAccoA923Za9TGRPMCNaGMCbT8z24T1NhSOffpPH17sVQ_vSET6ZsXZt43uoY7mn1mMF8mOU22jboNb_SeZICKRkuGV/s1600/DSC_0254.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cEPt5S5Ii0U6Ua4CRFOumrZi1ZnY8bJNZRevHhqOFIe98QBDZhAccoA923Za9TGRPMCNaGMCbT8z24T1NhSOffpPH17sVQ_vSET6ZsXZt43uoY7mn1mMF8mOU22jboNb_SeZICKRkuGV/s400/DSC_0254.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sda7hj78LA3nZ9QqJ4nUW1MLZBeczQQRM4XZiPycelnoiq62OWlueUaOXVHUTG-r5cWKI0IXFOhmm4DVF7nkvsLnFcpMGQ5Cx_atyeDp45mXApgfSjuNraQJrc2o8N9RHqrZx-zUrlBC/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sda7hj78LA3nZ9QqJ4nUW1MLZBeczQQRM4XZiPycelnoiq62OWlueUaOXVHUTG-r5cWKI0IXFOhmm4DVF7nkvsLnFcpMGQ5Cx_atyeDp45mXApgfSjuNraQJrc2o8N9RHqrZx-zUrlBC/s400/DSC_0257.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764916707355376471.post-27872426309338330042011-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:002011-02-11T13:25:00.222-08:00Using my credential... adjusting and various tangents<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uOLX6gX5TDRjclSp7ajBdqxjkg2Y1es2hYjVXImZ5uVdxNhgneNiUIb9BNFjRo_1eRMTFOUcvRFrR2uln4vAf3I-8iDpF32DgunStrV_p3nsExmv-f8Bv9op2XIht4GVXvIfgWJW3Utl/s1600/DSC_0287.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uOLX6gX5TDRjclSp7ajBdqxjkg2Y1es2hYjVXImZ5uVdxNhgneNiUIb9BNFjRo_1eRMTFOUcvRFrR2uln4vAf3I-8iDpF32DgunStrV_p3nsExmv-f8Bv9op2XIht4GVXvIfgWJW3Utl/s400/DSC_0287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572279401347887378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsbW888dq7qydipqyEUjuJWbtdGgjDV7B02u2fQT2Y9GQ67qt8LxR3XZPa73XMS2Yth2nu4acupWN8myAeeWyQFIcVjolDTuvuA_7Jau-28HNl3QRdurDcnOvukz9R_pA6DGXe7OIHAiv/s1600/DSC_0282.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsbW888dq7qydipqyEUjuJWbtdGgjDV7B02u2fQT2Y9GQ67qt8LxR3XZPa73XMS2Yth2nu4acupWN8myAeeWyQFIcVjolDTuvuA_7Jau-28HNl3QRdurDcnOvukz9R_pA6DGXe7OIHAiv/s400/DSC_0282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572279396414496770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ01psipgH5x_-LxEecf7A1iy4Qf48PFgtAQjC1FFg-R3hMQfJllxk6zyXli9vzH8T3oWqcxZw-_cxhnA4GMIhriIIluc8FPwM9L5dL1K-kqznrxSbiu4-7qXb3xkh8rGTTFr85r8tgPmO/s1600/DSC_0281.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ01psipgH5x_-LxEecf7A1iy4Qf48PFgtAQjC1FFg-R3hMQfJllxk6zyXli9vzH8T3oWqcxZw-_cxhnA4GMIhriIIluc8FPwM9L5dL1K-kqznrxSbiu4-7qXb3xkh8rGTTFr85r8tgPmO/s400/DSC_0281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572279391915972802" border="0" /></a><br />I received my credential in Elementary Ed five years ago, and while I am sure I have used bits and pieces of the knowledge I acquired here and there without my even knowing it, this day I used a specific strategy I was taught, and it worked wonders.<br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br />But before I explain, let me go off on a big of a tangent. My children have struggled in school so far. Ashton has not caught on to reading very quickly and because of that has had a poor attitude regarding school in general. I think he is finally starting to catch on and get a bit excited about reading, but up until now he has done homework and reading dragging his feet the whole time. We have been very lucky with him so far in school though as I think all of his teachers have been outstanding and have pushed him to succeed. He just began early morning tutoring with his teacher in attempts to get him up to grade level so that he will not have to be retained next year. As a parent this has been extremely difficult on me emotionally. School and learning always came naturally to me. I was always an over achiever and perfectionist when it came to school and just assumed that it would come as easily to my children. And I thought I would always be able to help them easily because I have my elementary ed credential. To see that not be the case has been hard. Especially because I know how smart and creative my children are and I want that to come across in their schooling and testing.<br /><br />Tera is doing okay in school but is also not catching on to reading as quickly as I had hoped. I was not impressed with her kindergarten teacher when we were in Redding and think that could have caused her to be a bit behind. I think with a good teacher she would have caught on more easily, but I felt the whole class was still being taught the basics and she did not have a chance to move on. Now that we are in lake Elsinore she has an excellent teacher. Let me take this moment to go off on yet another tangent.<br /><br />When we came back to Lake Elsinore I went to register the kids for school. Ashton got into his first grade class, which also happened to be with four of his good buddies from church. However, then they informed me that Kindergarten was full. So she was sent to Rice Canyon school and they would provide transportation (which was fortunate because I have two kids in separate schools getting out at the same time) I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with moving back her and getting back in the swing of things and finding out that the kids would be going to different schools made me stressed. Then we went to Teras school for her first day and I met her teacher, Mrs. Kaas. Jana Kaas is one of my moms friends from when we lived in Lake Elsinore when I was a child. I also worked with her during the dance festival, and think she is one of the nicest, funnest people I have ever met. So, as soon as I found out who Tera's teacher was I felt Heavenly Father's love and felt grateful for Him letting me know that he was aware of my circumstances, that I He knew was feeling overwhelmed and wanted me to know that He was looking out for me. It was a sweet moment.<br /><br />Now that Tera has a great teacher, I am hoping she will be able to catch up and be successful. Although if Ashton does get retained, I wouldn't have Tera move up anyways because I can't see having my five year old and seven year old in the same grade. That would be too hard on Ashtons ego.<br /><br />Now I just have to figure out the bus schedule for Tera. On the way home she ends up riding the bus for a hour and a half, which I hate. But I also can't make myself do the 40 minute round trip to pick her up from school each day. Today I waited at her bus stop for a half hour as the bus was late. The whole time I was frantic that maybe she hadn't got on the bus or was lost... something and I started crying because I couldn't get a hold of the transportation department and didn't know what i would do if the bus just never showed up. Wow- writing this I realize I am a bit fragile emotionally right now. If I were you reading this (I don't even know if people read my blog- let alone my long tangents) I would think- she must be pregnant.... let me tell you- I AM NOT!<br /><br />So, such is life in the Thompson home with two kids in school. Not what I expected.<br /><br />And now- back to what i wanted to tell you about. Ashton hates studying for spelling test. He whines and complains the whole time. Then I remembered a strategy that I was taught in school at good ol' BYU Idaho for the kinesthetic learners. They taught us that you can mix up practicing spelling words by having the kids write in shaving cream or in pudding. So I decided to give it a try. It was a hit! He loved spelling the words. And not only did he love it, but he got every single word right! The next day he could not wait to do his spelling words. So, my professors and books at college really did know what they were talking about. Tera enjoyed it too. So, if you have little ones struggling or fighting you on spelling words. Just get out the shaving cream. The little bit of mess is sooo worth it!<br /><a href="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/cecf86bfe679a895.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/cecf86bfe679a895.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/ed140b7034090c12.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/ed140b7034090c12.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/55b459da70d05569.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:2287/930b485a18d3e2c99f54ede875d33fbf/image/55b459da70d05569.jpg?size=400" border="0" /></a> </div>Kyrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01716325482590996434noreply@blogger.com6