tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16168211738501251392024-03-05T09:31:20.990-06:00Double Happiness Down SouthDeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-32910132846123207832009-10-11T07:18:00.001-06:002009-10-11T07:19:33.102-06:00Interesting Article<div>Interesting article about Chinese adopted girls returning to China for homeland tours and how China has changed...</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cc97dd18-a719-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cc97dd18-a719-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html</a>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-21194538158323589112009-10-01T11:35:00.003-06:002009-10-01T11:41:54.016-06:00Happy 60th Anniversary China!Today is National Day in China and it also happens to be China's 60th Anniversary.<br />I found a link to this comparison of China then and now. Pretty interesting stuff...<br /><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/redden-chinas-60th-anniversary.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387687038379734754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhFsGb90gbUOtQIUsHOBgD4SW_PD2xOtFRs5O4qi0RTxtQNWfyFqz922kq6JNxiFhqAiPo4rcJMfOPDg2ZwKVw3Myd5JknYpGK5BAEQLJOq6W8OMRJEe-tH9Pj6eoOvieFhaP2yvinxPd/s320/China+60th+Anniversary.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-52417494659399626542009-07-29T15:10:00.005-06:002009-09-25T11:40:58.198-06:00Concert in the Park<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*ODkwMTU5MTgwMSZwdD*xMjQ4OTAxNjE2NzYxJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1kZGE3YThlMjYxNTM*MTI5OTA*NWRiM2U4ZTRjOWQ5YSZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 480px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-06 June/1881bd1d.pbw" width="480" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-06%20June/?action=view&current=1881bd1d.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />Last year the <a href="http://www.levittshell.org/">Shell in Overton Park </a>was renovated and they started having concerts there on the weekends. At 5 on Saturday they have a children's concert and we'd been saying for a long time that we wanted to take the kids. Well, we finally did... of course it had to be the hottest day for it! <a href="http://www.watotomemphis.com/index.html">The Funzzies</a> performed and the kids loved it. We hope to go back again when the concerts start up in the fall... hopefully it will be cooler!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-1926246308623471562009-07-29T14:58:00.006-06:002009-09-25T11:40:46.673-06:00Father's Day<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*ODkwMDgyOTA4NyZwdD*xMjQ4OTAwODU*NzgwJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1kZGE3YThlMjYxNTM*MTI5OTA*NWRiM2U4ZTRjOWQ5YSZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 360px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-06 June/2c9540db.pbw" width="360" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />For Father's Day we got together with some friends and took the Dads to our favorite restaurant for brunch. They have live music and the kids got to go up and participate. Owen thought it was just the greatest to be able to help bow the violin! Cackie just loved the whole experience and wants to go back every week to see her friend Joyce Cobb who sings.Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-87310173670436883652009-07-16T17:24:00.004-06:002009-09-25T11:40:26.982-06:00Yard Work<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*Nzc4NjQzODUzMSZwdD*xMjQ3Nzg2NDc*MTYxJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1kZGE3YThlMjYxNTM*MTI5OTA*NWRiM2U4ZTRjOWQ5YSZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-06 June/1984b012.pbw" width="400" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-06%20June/?action=view&current=1984b012.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />Just pictures of some of the work we've had to do in our yard. Michael put on his waders one day and started to cut back the stuff growing in the pond. It stunk soo bad! But the fish have liked it much better since he did that.<br /><br />Then, one day he came home to find a huge limb had broken off one of the trees. He and Zack spent a Saturday morning cutting it up and hauling it to the street.Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-65363884783999559522009-07-15T17:41:00.006-06:002009-09-25T11:40:03.670-06:00Cackie's Graduation<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*NzcwMTAzMTI1MiZwdD*xMjQ3NzAxMDgxNDcwJnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1kZGE3YThlMjYxNTM*MTI5OTA*NWRiM2U4ZTRjOWQ5YSZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-05 May/93d80f4d.pbw" width="400" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-05%20May/?action=view&current=93d80f4d.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />The Thursday before Memorial Day Cackie officially graduated from Pre-School. snif, snif... we can't believe how grown up she is getting. Next stop Kindergarten!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-16324734646129405152009-07-15T14:59:00.007-06:002009-09-25T11:39:41.596-06:00May 2009In May the weather started getting really nice and we began spending more time outside. We have a lot of yard in this house, so we're never lacking for something to work on.<br /><br />I was glad to finally be finished with my class and able to spend time working on anything but school!<br /><br />On May 5th we celebrated the one year anniversary of Owen's Gotcha Day. We couldn't believe that it had only been a year... it really feels like he has always been with us. We took him out that night for Chinese food...<br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358795881571194882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH_26X5BYKZFufMqhbJwOV3DWSz-lKoXb7IvIg3DtUcQVrxoLJfRkHN8gOWTYGAPP7QxKjReGx8H5701kC_RKdLcQNdVOlzc35w9Li9iWod1VaWWX47z75AdPI6kjWh_-r62wOq5mdMu1/s320/090505-2.JPG" border="0" />He likes soup now!!!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358797353945661714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfn6qXIOfSoc2UQdy_ETtQ4P0bHd2wOPpxis3IVrulHwOzpOVveYC9D0h3bR__lbTrGTEUM8LIlaxsEborb59VnPVALWUmg2ceTESvnLF8l2toknHgQSOi1yOWoVCU248-jn3DrCZU-s4F/s320/090505-4.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p align="center">Cackie likes fortune cookies!</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358795888991343522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TgjR65TjQoh-jqE4JX3HuRbb7yAWiPu8QjqXDuOY0YzvkfAwprplWrwktxa9EC2YbsashSHvNg6xTnRGuHrZCnkFLDHDQDM4pwh6QeTRAq2hKGjOdXB-G3w2nIY99fkFboAB48vQBAuX/s320/090515-2.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="center">Cackie found a friend while we were out shopping</p><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358795083439950642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4-pJjoWmVy54n15UNKM6y35wcD258tTBlXM-dFHUPQH-08jFnhPJ6HIHOS1W0YjByAgHI4pQBCR7WgMgrIW6N2m77ttv-6HGTGEk7vTRcyAlEHUe96YaxiZWuFlA71Fc7doXy7gmwfnw/s320/090503-8.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="center">My little goof balls!</p>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-50667639796260119752009-07-15T14:57:00.005-06:002009-09-25T11:39:21.206-06:00Four Years!<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*NzY5MTQzNTIzNyZwdD*xMjQ3NjkxNDU3MTY*JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1jMGEwMWZiM2RhOGM*M2IzOTVjYWMyYjU4MWE3NDA5MyZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 480px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/Cackie April 19 photos/2b68b57e.pbw" width="480" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/Cackie%20April%2019%20photos/?action=view&current=2b68b57e.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />On April 19 we celebrated the 4 year anniversary of Cackie's referral. While we were waiting between referral and travel we received updated pictures that were taken on her referral day. So, each year we take a picture on April 19th. I can't believe how much she has grown!!!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-42694052228327380542009-07-15T14:50:00.006-06:002009-09-25T11:38:25.455-06:00Easter 2009<img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*NzY5MTAxMDYxNCZwdD*xMjQ3NjkxMDMxMzE3JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1jMGEwMWZiM2RhOGM*M2IzOTVjYWMyYjU4MWE3NDA5MyZvZj*w.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-04 April/8468456b.pbw" width="400" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/2009-04%20April/?action=view&current=8468456b.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />My parents & sister came to visit for Easter. It was threatening to rain, but we did get in a couple pictures in front of the house.Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-6228714337737370792009-07-15T11:30:00.021-06:002009-09-25T11:37:38.127-06:00March 2009February wasn't terribly exciting around our house, I was working on school and Michael and the kids were keeping themselves busy.<br /><div><div><div><br /></div><div>But, February sure went out with a BANG! It started snowing on Feb 28 in the afternoon and didn't stop until sometime overnight. We ended up with about 6 inches of snow! The kids loved it, I loved it, the dogs loved it!<br /><br /><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.11NXC/bHQ9MTI*NzY4NzgyMjc2MCZwdD*xMjQ3Njg3ODU*MjE*JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmb2Y9MA==.gif" width="0" border="0" /> <div style="WIDTH: 480px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed src="http://w204.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=" width="480" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" /></a><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/?action=view&current=1224839f.pbw" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: left; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" /></a></div><br /><br />To make it even more special, March 1 was Owen's 4th birthday and his first celebrating with us! We had to keep reminding him that he shouldn't expect snow every year on his birthday. We took him out for a family lunch and he got to open his presents after nap. I think it was a pretty awesome day for him.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358749118662815490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWwArlgaklxRCt5qC_56ZITupsH5y3UQMD0cf5r4TbFoKb38fRWkrwOUa6BHdjzEmnYCnsQYrMD_o3anbu98Bcwt52On5udeiiGdyZ_-iQgbLlDGKsH-h6hnQGsIwmMK_AOsqNL53pC05/s320/DSC_0062.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358749122500833634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucyr99LFM_Ic3DSzWHzyjMnmrm8M7qIRdpSDBl1H4GMfBVTlyNPBq_yQRo8osoOxbnwtA4knGhVRg08kmfrMjy0UgLl42-3p3bO2QnG4uxfGR7Bwv_5a6B3We-N8m3YXU-xZigVW6mQDb/s320/DSC_0063.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358749130865992194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpyytyJ7unV6Yh4eMRFP5DXBeDE-5BDMuw7tAhy0ZcZQTd0z8rsD0z0qSxtdv8uiJKHN97xN0me1bCFBy1qtvplzsqzKN2bYntZbCAgqWU0_CvgB8H81tNdKmmSwdLHo9Hvq6JYNU7VJw/s320/DSC_0065.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358749134270990242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IKhGe2oEoCl3MfsSGOt0d66ALQ_jk707jw_fPv1fBIttlnn_qmtRsZDMt3lHkZbqMwZ_bQut_ZxDRwxORqIvVOBtSAazXqDUc8xbpCGCnmIhw4fK80SAuS-3xG9HXvDs7ZQFIlxOj_RI/s320/DSC_0068.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div>We had his birthday party at Chick-fil-A a few weeks later. He really enjoyed that!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358743855912473554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0BqndkPTjXHX8cpBxghmy4ejIWvSySdMnGtqN6HuVvh8cFgybcEJSfYdfl9jfmbobVRMmU_ip0cPOOLiQNRy6gOS-vWJf8cOl8ka_1fbBoUDNe53A185q9NsmXcFr8ItmIheBhOQGeAv/s320/DSC_0069.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358743865937200114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-0Ytd_TcDnummmsSJj3nUmFOMJI2Zo1j9kI38RyHFnbsD9cMhy-PpRYRfYtVsyPnpmPnA5KIgT47wpv9uJxNAkkSM-xtZwOfNa0DHko10x__Sw5LhbnQpmgdsQ_VR7_u9-hlhg3ZlU8K/s320/DSC_0071.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358743868544365554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LQKbIm10TQKjbGZNtMa3vXhMUH3L-2rv1L1bL2gUZlbCrlE7AKGafpyzXOeKPpcAgVH-vRe_ZLVkdOu6p-19UGfsh0FP8uhmw29tNGi0XJzlLuoe91btclbv1sX-2i9but64hm0Prnfi/s320/DSC_0075.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358743880751402850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kSFJBoSP2YN3q-fygKL7vLLo46dxXdLFW-9xMqy3sbMFvUeHPBf0Wh8d1fdVxtF_aNUJWYBtjrfv2P2bVd-_c9Sg7rCybLOKwn-quKAkvBbX-fgPCVktMmqNCDrSJxE0zxFk8afpIV81/s320/DSC_0076.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358747232105598178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1PDCYZ0sA8Ne2ff6tyydadcTcXqgif7IB0ovQnT39Ul_XH5MUsymMNOKXwDBexp6N_-a3MX7wQOiA0CNV3ngnfdt6I8YDD_oWJ77qYOI_Kadx-_877z2vTViqVt1EreUwfO1zP5HvAdG/s320/DSC_0080.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358747243987186962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJew3qwl8jBbpqH5TCiFaRUBcsWkL-Mj7GHiyEOaOrOaD9XceFDsMrBHhMVBQMS487DSvSrYfaLJm-oaEdeHJXQCOwGN6alFFQ1r9JjQsHSBzwOGBdxAm58eTtKFQ1axQaFrCI7WhFyY30/s320/DSC_0081.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358747251765525618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidluusOR0kKLxs-9-xKscMJbk79x70Gv6-6hBdgPENNH7JEx6R4clcwToJaz80XVbda-MWWT9Yl7jI2gpI9DkPS85KHgoUGAuA_K6IesJUlgLMVW-F5uzdHdIAhoyq5Vwh4gFwDux0ve5t/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358747252662440514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUL5XJczZ4CG3ZBonFYD-q1fZ34yfhfwG9XXAVChbmp8YxO13YbMeIPAFkhF2lr6NdbgIJt1pjd8htAUdD6TUYIjEToKt421FsfcyYm9giG1XjYGbzW_jhGpROrTCTmm67d-SSauvSC5u/s320/DSC_0085.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358748083688260850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkQI3ZICh9btbEelOojB4JO72_c_bIRh_9ivytrxvcaoxiSf-lEmNIfZnd8-DoASe50HJDTHLUbFo9q0_1shMxtGe-Tl1yuhIY3GgAYtaQOWiaHnK3lW948LAor-hLONpdC8aYfvECDiz/s320/DSC_0087.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358748093454055458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6kFOAVKR9zYOZrbq4DpkuXOXt6sjfWETRIqxp2Zm4JHcx65aUPUVhC6Q4KLRG4nN9_RV6KM_ozhzh3Bd9ws6fV6NULhd1BGlwH4sJe_qlCiaHZMRk_Iyx79ZRxbKlCUh1r0RaaWIcCDJ/s320/DSC_0088.JPG" border="0" />Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-31584549765401107272009-07-15T11:25:00.008-06:002009-09-25T11:37:05.732-06:00Playing Catch Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFg8EN3FztECA0gneLifKqIUM-X7uJD-f6VKJP6n4qYQyiIJ0r6dtAiTHklcIyrnNlYNTOS_nbVhh8op0I_SmLPR89od6fXH0Vt_aeMBns0-R4XtZGwlUGq0RtiVl_pDQPkeDZGY4HpMKE/s1600-h/Family+CNY0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358739534934470594" style="WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFg8EN3FztECA0gneLifKqIUM-X7uJD-f6VKJP6n4qYQyiIJ0r6dtAiTHklcIyrnNlYNTOS_nbVhh8op0I_SmLPR89od6fXH0Vt_aeMBns0-R4XtZGwlUGq0RtiVl_pDQPkeDZGY4HpMKE/s320/Family+CNY0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's been a long time since I've posted anything, so now I'm playing catch up.<br /><br /><br />The last time I included any pictures was from Chinese New Year. At that event we had a family photo taken since we were all dressed up. It's one of the few pictures I have with all of us in it!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then in February the kids had these photos taken by Lil' Angels. I just love these!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bCTLDzS0kOqLpPmM6XbFtzgBO8EiNwCQNTN61uJRz_MC2ML8z6nnMRHUbOkgDFlQ_eVhIVm34nJp1dphGa8IqEf4CM8GIZ2raL9VhSLzWEK1rQFyItwTkTdHPDTOp7Zf_tpg9eyiAivJ/s1600-h/Cackie+Lil+Angel0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358739816664536418" style="WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bCTLDzS0kOqLpPmM6XbFtzgBO8EiNwCQNTN61uJRz_MC2ML8z6nnMRHUbOkgDFlQ_eVhIVm34nJp1dphGa8IqEf4CM8GIZ2raL9VhSLzWEK1rQFyItwTkTdHPDTOp7Zf_tpg9eyiAivJ/s320/Cackie+Lil+Angel0001.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6094elJLtNR5s4loeEAEpD5YP6TRStq7AA_11VqL8HdYHWM7qVYGRwJTX2bqHODCspQT20KM0-5i9dMGpumJTQB7hIqN7VO49P_pEolCiOHPlAyW5i4ArA6oGXStY-T1l0pYZpPCMKqX1/s1600-h/Owen+lil+Angel0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358739825050032018" style="WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6094elJLtNR5s4loeEAEpD5YP6TRStq7AA_11VqL8HdYHWM7qVYGRwJTX2bqHODCspQT20KM0-5i9dMGpumJTQB7hIqN7VO49P_pEolCiOHPlAyW5i4ArA6oGXStY-T1l0pYZpPCMKqX1/s320/Owen+lil+Angel0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-18354836000873386312009-04-07T18:11:00.002-06:002009-04-07T18:17:28.230-06:00Long Time No Blog....I know it's been a loooonnggg time. School has just kicked my butt this semester, I really haven't done much of anything else. But I'm going to try to do better about updating, even if it's just little things here and there.<br /><br />So, here's something little.... I love the conversations that Cackie & I have in the car on the way from school to gymnastics. Sometimes the things that she comes out with just amaze me! Tonight she wanted to make sure that I knew that the salt in saltwater comes from the sand. Two seconds before that she was telling me how one of her friends had pulled her hair earlier in the day... random stuff, but I just love it.<br /><br />One thing that she loves to talk about is how much she wants to go on an airplane again. I tell her that we don't have any airplane trips planned right now, but that Ill let her know when we do. Then she likes to talk about "when she goes on an airplane to get her baby".... She seems to think that all babies come from China and they all come home on airplanes. Gotta love the logic of a four year old!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-81014404721136996232009-01-25T17:40:00.004-06:002009-01-25T18:29:02.462-06:00Happy New Year!Happy Chinese New Year!<br />This is the year of the Ox,.<br /><br />According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox_(zodiac)">Wikipedia</a>... The Ox is the sign of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Prosperity" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity">prosperity</a> through <a class="mw-redirect" title="Fortitude" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortitude">fortitude</a> and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.<br /><br />To celebrate the year of the Ox we had our Families with Children from China celebration two weeks ago. The kids had a great time and we got to officially introduce Owen to our FCC community.<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOVRc1NCfeHFoXrZepTdaqHkMjPzUa2LjEf6ik75K5xtqvzhERCR1jVI_mFNTzJGkOWCIzMYALxwwshXNcvRkk7Wqe0PJwm1V_IP1E3dBnK1uCXVfPFDNXg7XnxZbHVJQTBSx61pE001S/s1600-h/CIMG0061.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295381472821456754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOVRc1NCfeHFoXrZepTdaqHkMjPzUa2LjEf6ik75K5xtqvzhERCR1jVI_mFNTzJGkOWCIzMYALxwwshXNcvRkk7Wqe0PJwm1V_IP1E3dBnK1uCXVfPFDNXg7XnxZbHVJQTBSx61pE001S/s320/CIMG0061.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSJT70s5liCFPL6x954dI5tq-sNXogLE61V1iKOAhVdRptWn6YD_TgDSB1hZKubXQ8p-_gVeas1jN6QZ_jJLX0mETGJ4e8bi3N-8gMrUpx493TSvTWd5d8RJrhAkUr8xhAQSSo-klfauv/s1600-h/CIMG0062.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295381478585508258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSJT70s5liCFPL6x954dI5tq-sNXogLE61V1iKOAhVdRptWn6YD_TgDSB1hZKubXQ8p-_gVeas1jN6QZ_jJLX0mETGJ4e8bi3N-8gMrUpx493TSvTWd5d8RJrhAkUr8xhAQSSo-klfauv/s320/CIMG0062.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJXs-dA8yzybMnO7hx1zGEE_O2Yi2HgyRzW3Te42J8te_U-Ii4FNYJPC9ydUufeAYgySDhktoFiEfC1XyAeErs9Fx2TQe80at7keQKgVYQshDA6xvUzLMhPpwGXaIeYhr3TA572g048WA/s1600-h/CIMG0070.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295382832023213730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJXs-dA8yzybMnO7hx1zGEE_O2Yi2HgyRzW3Te42J8te_U-Ii4FNYJPC9ydUufeAYgySDhktoFiEfC1XyAeErs9Fx2TQe80at7keQKgVYQshDA6xvUzLMhPpwGXaIeYhr3TA572g048WA/s320/CIMG0070.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV4UzmEf8T_HSuSeoWiPMtDyg162n8XHaxdIfriLbXWmGUy8YvPzxADNccB6xvy1xqTrxHFikpghxAaihYFARZLluh1x1_ZmL7qYpTr8ObalmaDt4sqSK0MKoVNNncxpomEgL965UCaWV/s1600-h/CIMG0069.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295382833507955186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV4UzmEf8T_HSuSeoWiPMtDyg162n8XHaxdIfriLbXWmGUy8YvPzxADNccB6xvy1xqTrxHFikpghxAaihYFARZLluh1x1_ZmL7qYpTr8ObalmaDt4sqSK0MKoVNNncxpomEgL965UCaWV/s320/CIMG0069.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOrmiqiih20xQ8mSbnEjvWbB6b-Yva0oXjZiJ504fbv4rrpkYvyWMTcp92OKEoAXj4JkTq3u5zsJerQXEuhHbvLCTzMgAdguz3NQ2n3TLggnuT5mqyc8ZMQ79c22Ubbwrmz3FsuXx6pFX/s1600-h/CIMG0072.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295386824307336482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOrmiqiih20xQ8mSbnEjvWbB6b-Yva0oXjZiJ504fbv4rrpkYvyWMTcp92OKEoAXj4JkTq3u5zsJerQXEuhHbvLCTzMgAdguz3NQ2n3TLggnuT5mqyc8ZMQ79c22Ubbwrmz3FsuXx6pFX/s320/CIMG0072.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_T9sg5h7GnyoGc8LXzY3u4cpVTQnLHhY3kFUd9LS7m5z1WvUrt5jY0retiq7SM7sxgvUvsESYK_GLagOOZ_4e-hisBBMp-0KoXYUBUs9Fn8y_bwSi-0JFbeq6rqqcYBDC2zsU7ag3fXl/s1600-h/CIMG0076.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295386827772356306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_T9sg5h7GnyoGc8LXzY3u4cpVTQnLHhY3kFUd9LS7m5z1WvUrt5jY0retiq7SM7sxgvUvsESYK_GLagOOZ_4e-hisBBMp-0KoXYUBUs9Fn8y_bwSi-0JFbeq6rqqcYBDC2zsU7ag3fXl/s320/CIMG0076.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>The kids will wear their Chinese silks to school tomorrow and they are having a celebration at St. Jude that I'll be able to attend, but that's about all the celebrating that we'll do this year. We did make Chinese soup and spring rolls for dinner Saturday night, so I guess that counts, too.</div><div> </div><div>Besides Chinese New Year we've been quite busy around here. My classes have started back and the marketing class that I'm taking this semester is quite intense and time consuming.</div><div>We had some unfortunate news a week or so ago when we found out that Michael would no longer be working for the engineering firm that he had been contracting with. He still has his firm, but with no new projects on the horizon the future is starting to look bleak. He's been working hard pursuing new projects and we're hopeful that everything will be all right.</div><div> </div><div>The kids have been trying our nerves quite a bit. They are both going through phases of arguing and making bad choices. There have been a lot of bad choices around here and I'm starting to feel like a warden in my own home. Just today we caught them playing with water from the bathroom (again) and their activities have been severely limited all day. We're starting to see that this is a "downside" to having virtual twins. But, in the end we love them dearly and just try to explain to them h0w we want them to make good choices and love us. We just keep telling ourselves... this too shall pass.</div><div>Enjoy the pictures! I'll update as I can, but this is a VERY busy semester for me and my blogging time may be limited!</div></div></div></div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-79415026378109800212009-01-06T19:03:00.003-06:002009-01-06T19:10:22.965-06:00Another one of my favorite picturesThis is another one of my favorite pictures of the kids. I was trying to get them to pose in their silk Chinese jackets and this was what I got. Cackie just threw her arm around Owen's shoulders and grinned that sly grin of hers. The look on Owen's face cracks me up... it's a cross between "hey dude" and "wassup".<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZqLBpUmQ0oDnDq7fFuAIqCDqszv89G2bssfDSpkeghMA6T3_XSbOUbzgxOQagkx3Ahns93ueo-B2JaAhmihK411CcWB6Xx_1nHexb9gkbKRYm9QVWb7s83FBo9uDWR9ckFr9_qPs0AnR/s1600-h/DSC_0050.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288351713437529890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZqLBpUmQ0oDnDq7fFuAIqCDqszv89G2bssfDSpkeghMA6T3_XSbOUbzgxOQagkx3Ahns93ueo-B2JaAhmihK411CcWB6Xx_1nHexb9gkbKRYm9QVWb7s83FBo9uDWR9ckFr9_qPs0AnR/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Don't they look cute together? They're practically inseperable and you can tell in this picture how much they really love each other.</div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-55347182974431664822009-01-06T18:59:00.003-06:002009-01-06T19:02:25.200-06:00Santa Picture<div>I almost forgot to post the picture we got of the kids with Santa. We went to the mall after church the Sunday before Christmas and despite not yet having any lunch the kids were in a great mood. I think the picture pretty much says it all...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288350722403705122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacR1e36w9bbhnh2xdIscf0CShUsZXBkCE5W6EG1wVLBqXYBRce0XWTm-kjjl_ecuvpjsuHE2_6ZQjRQHxIWH6SC006L6Zm-3-DDQQ1o_76QMMZTx9hybrm-sGfybsW1BZRoje68UbZycm/s400/20080001.jpg" /></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-48371075203521098252009-01-04T21:48:00.016-06:002009-01-06T14:00:17.084-06:00Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>OK, this is another “catch-up” post. We’ve been busy, busy, busy around here and I’m honestly glad that things will start to calm down now.<br />So, what have we been up to? Well, a few weeks before Christmas we had a very busy Saturday with Christmas activities. In the morning we had breakfast with Santa at St. Jude. This was Owen’s first experience with Santa and we were quite anxious to see how he would do. The breakfast wasn’t anything to write about, but the kids had a great time and we got a nice family photo with Santa. Owen did wonderfully and was soo excited to see Santa. It was a good morning for all of us. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCoqd-Yn0QtuFlNPuOY9xmJ9K9v2FJKnIXp6ovt5aMv6XLN3kEZGv5Bqy9MdwE7HbDX81plku0UiNCc2ySer-aQSPlSKJ6ZYdLc0MWpM3-J5xYDvdT5KMqka9ULIx8tyc604HbJIAkXZf/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288209838213369522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCoqd-Yn0QtuFlNPuOY9xmJ9K9v2FJKnIXp6ovt5aMv6XLN3kEZGv5Bqy9MdwE7HbDX81plku0UiNCc2ySer-aQSPlSKJ6ZYdLc0MWpM3-J5xYDvdT5KMqka9ULIx8tyc604HbJIAkXZf/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" /></a></div><div>Cackie & Michael having fun at Breakfast with Santa</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuQSgVmCR3CPCHI30ZD36G2UqCGQ2ZOHsgpqOJOG6KLCNj3g2OsF-VZcKx5xx3-9nspcld622iUnpkkOKDoAQM2AHOAam2sVJ-0rL1uczrDrZkuAo54YGRpZ4l4GlZ0XDhvEDbAJwoTeP/s1600-h/DSC_0013.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288211172419258466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuQSgVmCR3CPCHI30ZD36G2UqCGQ2ZOHsgpqOJOG6KLCNj3g2OsF-VZcKx5xx3-9nspcld622iUnpkkOKDoAQM2AHOAam2sVJ-0rL1uczrDrZkuAo54YGRpZ4l4GlZ0XDhvEDbAJwoTeP/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" /></a></div><div>Owen & Mommy having a great time, too!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6bxmOvVkMfxEZVJXmdYCqNGB5Udi7OPUtDXccPa0qaSnYCH2gMztAWwvBxA9HwaLhWnLRBya_3F5A8KcdL5KviTpv_oW1YS8AvBXNkvO1oKuTidVtFtIE-jUEjvsy5kJATJFLWrTFccZ/s1600-h/DSC_0025.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288211184034052562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6bxmOvVkMfxEZVJXmdYCqNGB5Udi7OPUtDXccPa0qaSnYCH2gMztAWwvBxA9HwaLhWnLRBya_3F5A8KcdL5KviTpv_oW1YS8AvBXNkvO1oKuTidVtFtIE-jUEjvsy5kJATJFLWrTFccZ/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" /></a></div><div>The kids in the new Chili's Care Center at St. Jude</div><div></div><br /><div>That evening we took the kids to an event called “Alpine Village” at a local church. Cackie loved it last year and this year was not a disappointment. Both kids and all our friends had a great time. After the village we went to dinner with some friends, it ended up being a very late night but we all had a great time. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasstUixS6OLzza6MmAQkmFn6XfQGds7vYaX3OV5J3ohQkAcE6rKwypPmfDjmAMlNIkhMTuM5b9jal8i8GdjhhWNTU2I8xulqejhAGPEWyYNoderUMhk14vinelfSv5wBab0EIqfaUKdje/s1600-h/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288211788823309330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasstUixS6OLzza6MmAQkmFn6XfQGds7vYaX3OV5J3ohQkAcE6rKwypPmfDjmAMlNIkhMTuM5b9jal8i8GdjhhWNTU2I8xulqejhAGPEWyYNoderUMhk14vinelfSv5wBab0EIqfaUKdje/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" /></a></div><div>Fun at Alpine Village</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAW74DW-EKq_XSvfh02PT5sYPIjbcBdHt9483ZXNjepa4L5caPZuZBzBcXS-YHP7hCE_GvLcWucUQb7xgnZ-1YG-VUwSApBp6wSYd8UFza-jfl4WKKfTJV5SssZherWDvSwiJm3DVn7VBS/s1600-h/DSC_0016.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288213384732358738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAW74DW-EKq_XSvfh02PT5sYPIjbcBdHt9483ZXNjepa4L5caPZuZBzBcXS-YHP7hCE_GvLcWucUQb7xgnZ-1YG-VUwSApBp6wSYd8UFza-jfl4WKKfTJV5SssZherWDvSwiJm3DVn7VBS/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" /></a></div><div>This is my FAVORITE picture!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIseJ8mxgafulphAh0ET_tqDf2sZLHv34OjVGEKuCD9kfRThXmMcCE_0nXzxAn-Vn0UlAiqNr4XgdcEHPKCvqJCZK56fQ2Uk_kJELvIgVAoWKJHmhcCd14iyZIoaNgISskIWLnMg00Omb/s1600-h/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288213393357702050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIseJ8mxgafulphAh0ET_tqDf2sZLHv34OjVGEKuCD9kfRThXmMcCE_0nXzxAn-Vn0UlAiqNr4XgdcEHPKCvqJCZK56fQ2Uk_kJELvIgVAoWKJHmhcCd14iyZIoaNgISskIWLnMg00Omb/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" /></a></div><div>They loved these rocking horses</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vw2rSWiO520ToVqKundY3ue4tYegUPzrKHgxsx9GxqdSoxYsYspSCO_YJSS_aOY9Oy9rm3s9IqpLMWyzSOmWclRWfjbSvhEnH0Ksv2u8QEsc6GKEW4Zycc67xzEqaWnQr2XRxFGagL7J/s1600-h/DSC_0013.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288213379093533010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vw2rSWiO520ToVqKundY3ue4tYegUPzrKHgxsx9GxqdSoxYsYspSCO_YJSS_aOY9Oy9rm3s9IqpLMWyzSOmWclRWfjbSvhEnH0Ksv2u8QEsc6GKEW4Zycc67xzEqaWnQr2XRxFGagL7J/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpR5twIxcuKGaMscG5cfRfXBEZEZ1mteZ5nyBQqOS24d3cvirP47Jp5mS6LkWG9ptRY_7oNTwEeZQp70HvJQEWAnRt_JsPQK_DEQnDULb51nPSYEs3JL-vTfLpTZKYeEZscOqZpZE9NDO/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288212183911794882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpR5twIxcuKGaMscG5cfRfXBEZEZ1mteZ5nyBQqOS24d3cvirP47Jp5mS6LkWG9ptRY_7oNTwEeZQp70HvJQEWAnRt_JsPQK_DEQnDULb51nPSYEs3JL-vTfLpTZKYeEZscOqZpZE9NDO/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" /></a><br />After that busy Saturday we kept very busy until Christmas. The day after my birthday we hosted a holiday party for Michael's office. I took that day off and cleaned the house from top to bottom (well, I didn't do anything on the 3rd floor since it's just storage... but the first & second floors were spotless!) I was soo worn out by the time our guests arrived and by the end of the night my feet were killing me. We had a great time, though! There were two other kids who were a little older, but Cackie & Owen took to them right away. This was actually one of the best things that could have happened because the other kids LOVED being able to go outside and play with Bruno & Jackson. (We had 60+ degree weather that evening and it was quite pleasant). Cackie & Owen spent a lot of time out on the deck with the dogs too and it really helped Owen to overcome his fear of them! Since that night he has asked us numerous times if the dogs can come in the house and play! (Best Christmas present that Michael & I could have asked for!)</div><br /><div></div><div>The next day we all went out shopping. It was quite an experience! The kids wore us out and we were glad to get home to take late naps.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>Christmas was very exciting at our house. We were excited about Owen’s first Christmas and couldn’t wait to see him open his gifts. Michael’s Mom, stepdad and son Zack came over in the morning and we enjoyed brunch with my family and watched the kids open their presents from Santa. Just after noon the in-laws left and we started in on the rest of the pile under the tree, but it wasn’t long before the kids (and everyone else) started to show signs of needing a nap. So, that’s just what we did… we put the presents on hold and headed for rest. After nap we finished up the pile under the tree… just about the time the sun started to go down. It was a great day! We were all still in our pj’s and we were soo relaxed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDdsz01-Y1vh2mzBCqIZVFhPtVa7ToaCy-yhM_NVSRRaWu9ERKUg4UHatKdS_XitbqVYqPAmlVDJkgnMUS6k93lKqiUM8ZZBBwq6ZAmgw5ucytYZZ0QjbDhP_xpNzn7qHXI40c4IS8FoD/s1600-h/DSC_0009-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288228535539091282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDdsz01-Y1vh2mzBCqIZVFhPtVa7ToaCy-yhM_NVSRRaWu9ERKUg4UHatKdS_XitbqVYqPAmlVDJkgnMUS6k93lKqiUM8ZZBBwq6ZAmgw5ucytYZZ0QjbDhP_xpNzn7qHXI40c4IS8FoD/s320/DSC_0009-1.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitStw9ItdbUaPajaRJsxK6mYM4OvUg1f4erhVs8J7obXCjT5TisKNT8T22p8eD688FYoIh_OZFpI8CyiVO9yV7mWWsHHE_eV1L9v6xCIBst2JKj8MHmM3jchuODeA6_T3bDfw98SMAdoUn/s1600-h/DSC_0006-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288227826329153666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitStw9ItdbUaPajaRJsxK6mYM4OvUg1f4erhVs8J7obXCjT5TisKNT8T22p8eD688FYoIh_OZFpI8CyiVO9yV7mWWsHHE_eV1L9v6xCIBst2JKj8MHmM3jchuODeA6_T3bDfw98SMAdoUn/s320/DSC_0006-1.JPG" /></a></div><div>Putting out "reindeer food" on Christmas Eve</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmKjfIFuiE9X5TTK9gmnA9NLml3c-qwNiqdU9tJDzJcDtJX5P7BBK7kQ1sp-h3ldG9ASywS1vmERca1BrtaFh43428iYLIKcqgExbFtRM1YQG-Fu-lvupwzlRS_nDmQwVoJerMXTJNgOn/s1600-h/DSC_0015-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288228545153842322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmKjfIFuiE9X5TTK9gmnA9NLml3c-qwNiqdU9tJDzJcDtJX5P7BBK7kQ1sp-h3ldG9ASywS1vmERca1BrtaFh43428iYLIKcqgExbFtRM1YQG-Fu-lvupwzlRS_nDmQwVoJerMXTJNgOn/s320/DSC_0015-1.JPG" /></a></div><div>Opening their Christmas Eve PJs</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEoBatxxPUagWI-3ga6emc9PlOv8GAB4IaOp6m0zU2dniQx1Ng_N3gmhspgkGPCPFi5CFVJAhNw-UIIfEypKUqD8TS20fsjIwrHH2Ngrve37gTauW2MQLfdiokEwzHbX4C-bWkGakG9QZ/s1600-h/DSC_0019-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288229180636363666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEoBatxxPUagWI-3ga6emc9PlOv8GAB4IaOp6m0zU2dniQx1Ng_N3gmhspgkGPCPFi5CFVJAhNw-UIIfEypKUqD8TS20fsjIwrHH2Ngrve37gTauW2MQLfdiokEwzHbX4C-bWkGakG9QZ/s320/DSC_0019-1.JPG" /></a></div><div>the tree before we dove in</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIv4zDuOoeovibBuNXAsqU_LK7qd2Eibp73xpEczMDDD22NtGiFbI5ewe-EZf6SfF96pDyjNkh7bBO39KhKg8IsRCsoGYTRaX6TAGhHhlq1i54gze1hCKtgdraOF026aYzvJSCR-ZIffX/s1600-h/DSC_0020-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288229197288906066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIv4zDuOoeovibBuNXAsqU_LK7qd2Eibp73xpEczMDDD22NtGiFbI5ewe-EZf6SfF96pDyjNkh7bBO39KhKg8IsRCsoGYTRaX6TAGhHhlq1i54gze1hCKtgdraOF026aYzvJSCR-ZIffX/s320/DSC_0020-1.JPG" /></a></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXR_1tMeD67oyxkFDtuKvnfPc_xlUfR2bdOjTZnXaoUu7gOh7u5UioJn5i8oCO7LpD_NwZQL8ZYHHBLJLGneEKS33WuvF4zkP6a3URhyphenhyphenWjy5f4qXyRvyDh_hKZ2iPMZ5-whCDn-4Gh0ul/s1600-h/DSC_0027-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 213px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288231291315307474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXR_1tMeD67oyxkFDtuKvnfPc_xlUfR2bdOjTZnXaoUu7gOh7u5UioJn5i8oCO7LpD_NwZQL8ZYHHBLJLGneEKS33WuvF4zkP6a3URhyphenhyphenWjy5f4qXyRvyDh_hKZ2iPMZ5-whCDn-4Gh0ul/s320/DSC_0027-1.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFNho9WtMZwWXeC_mx7XXDNodjYaHiGm4MTRci3aVPaLO1XT_zUckqr7jqD5RHz8nCv3UDPqZqZ2w1wyBtF43yp6p4psN07vf4TAbqutFzXClz0irTzDdIt0h2eqntA3K-WXZCk9wX6br/s1600-h/DSC_0029-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288231303253826546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFNho9WtMZwWXeC_mx7XXDNodjYaHiGm4MTRci3aVPaLO1XT_zUckqr7jqD5RHz8nCv3UDPqZqZ2w1wyBtF43yp6p4psN07vf4TAbqutFzXClz0irTzDdIt0h2eqntA3K-WXZCk9wX6br/s320/DSC_0029-1.JPG" /></a></div><div>they like their new bean bag chairs</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMF2l6Y0BEQD-XSI7I802bU4ErGrvM0WJHFHfkmgOpqJ3sB0TTaNJKKwpENYCUpANbC6jxjN564_UK5b-YYMYOahrN0mrk_Vep-VZiaEBtZjefDmuCWH_uhyLXmhUZP8IahNsTAqv3gk_8/s1600-h/DSC_0034-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288231972328146946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMF2l6Y0BEQD-XSI7I802bU4ErGrvM0WJHFHfkmgOpqJ3sB0TTaNJKKwpENYCUpANbC6jxjN564_UK5b-YYMYOahrN0mrk_Vep-VZiaEBtZjefDmuCWH_uhyLXmhUZP8IahNsTAqv3gk_8/s320/DSC_0034-1.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpcy040ROwG70-VdqILnIntJEUH_GOt6_N9BvI_nOyz7l_9V8gICnkkhaBxpS6TrUIBFzs1-yW15LKPZ_s0R4oWBhEld7-0Ca3Khxovoy7eOnhP1gGW6ib6h7ReZ5yrTULWGw_kGOC78p/s1600-h/DSC_0035-1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288231978111036050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpcy040ROwG70-VdqILnIntJEUH_GOt6_N9BvI_nOyz7l_9V8gICnkkhaBxpS6TrUIBFzs1-yW15LKPZ_s0R4oWBhEld7-0Ca3Khxovoy7eOnhP1gGW6ib6h7ReZ5yrTULWGw_kGOC78p/s320/DSC_0035-1.JPG" /></a></div><div>Barbies and Thomas, oh my!<br /></div><div>That evening we snacked and watched Kung Fu Panda with the kids and then the adults enjoyed Wall-E after the kids were in bed. Unfortunately I had to work the next day, so I couldn’t stay up late, but Friday was an easy day at work.<br /></div><div>On Friday evening we were lucky to get a visit from Robert and Aimee. Robert was a volunteer at Owen’s orphanage and would occasionally send me little updates about him while we were waiting. We got to have lunch with Robert when we were in Tianjin, so it was great to see him again and share Owen’s growth with him.<br /></div><div>After we recovered from Christmas we started getting ready for our New Year’s Eve party. We had a great party with some of our FCC families. The kids enjoyed themselves playing on the 2nd floor and the adults got to sit and enjoy ourselves downstairs. I’ve come to enjoy these get-togethers so much because we have all become such great friends. All the kids stayed awake until midnight and it wasn’t until 2am that Michael & I climbed into bed. It was the perfect way to start the new year.<br /></div><div>Since then we’ve taken time to relax and spend some time with the kids. This week things will start to pick up at work for me and I’ll start my next class the next week. Michael will start getting busy with home improvement projects and the kids keep us busy all the time, so it was nice to have this weekend to relax. </div><div><br />Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a wonderful 2009!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVofLaemhZug0Dm2hMACWQTTBYG7lRnmbf8XQ_3uetVKP663l1m0mfud-NyIHyJgmXEetLKcOFn1g1Qia3Q3amqLlX5V_KOnNTEfxw8IpR425Iu22vlvPAAjzn1u66xHhbKZuN6zIfiV51/s1600-h/DSC_0060.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288232489418871506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVofLaemhZug0Dm2hMACWQTTBYG7lRnmbf8XQ_3uetVKP663l1m0mfud-NyIHyJgmXEetLKcOFn1g1Qia3Q3amqLlX5V_KOnNTEfxw8IpR425Iu22vlvPAAjzn1u66xHhbKZuN6zIfiV51/s320/DSC_0060.JPG" /></a></div><div>Enjoying blackeyed peas on New Year's Day</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-91710546025816857502008-12-18T16:09:00.002-06:002008-12-18T16:18:18.485-06:00Happy Birthday to Me!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB_MkCFHPLGL08VjjFb5zFLoHsxbVKYkRSJ7Am2I-P51axm57eWKb95-248f7uxTjDAfNoo-zCzyFGZ8JhDttu9qXnaHPGzr8ryqoCafmRHRB4RD-jT_0B7lK4a8ZlEA1TmMajwimCZef/s1600-h/flowers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281255986594567378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB_MkCFHPLGL08VjjFb5zFLoHsxbVKYkRSJ7Am2I-P51axm57eWKb95-248f7uxTjDAfNoo-zCzyFGZ8JhDttu9qXnaHPGzr8ryqoCafmRHRB4RD-jT_0B7lK4a8ZlEA1TmMajwimCZef/s400/flowers.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is what my crazy husband brought me today at work for my birthday! There are 36 in total, one for each year! You can't even see them all in this picture. I had to put them in a plastic recycle trashcan to get them all in water, lol! Needless to say... he surprised me! After he gave me the roses he took me to a great little Italian restaurant for a yummy lunch and tonight after Owen's gymnastics we are all going out for sushi and my favorite dessert... cheesecake tempura!<br /><br />Now the only other thing I want for my birthday is for my daughter to behave. For a week now Cackie has gotten U's in conduct at schoool (unsatisfactory). We've tried everything in the book to get her to "use her listening ears" and improve her conduct, but nothing so far has worked. So today I used my birthday to lay a guilt trip on her.... I told her that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was for her to get an E (excellent) in conduct. I'll leave work in a few minutes and will hopefully be met with good news!<br /><br />I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Cackie was well behaved and that Velcro Boy doesn't make another appearance at gymnastics!<br /><br />Stay tuned...Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-69083523287284306232008-12-12T12:22:00.005-06:002008-12-12T13:13:29.194-06:00Velcro Boy and Silly GirlBack at the first of November we signed Owen up for gymnastics lessons. He enjoyed watching Cackie at her lessons for months and a couple of times he tried to sneak into class with her, so we figured it was time to get him involved in his own activities.<br /><br /><br />The only problem was that we wanted to have the kids in separate classes to eliminate fighting and give them each an opportunity for "alone time". Unfortuntately that meant that Owen would have to take lessons on Thursday nights at 5:30 and Cackie would continue her lessons on Tuesdays at 6:30.<br /><br /><br />Trying to get into a routine we planned things so that I would take the kids to their lessons and Michael would spend time with whichever one didn't have a lesson. This was working well until a few weeks ago when Cackie and I were about to leave the house and Owen attached himself to my leg and started crying. Michael freed me from Owen's grips so we could leave and says that within a few minutes Owen was fine.<br /><br /><br />Of course, this concerned Cackie and we had a long discussion in the car about Owen crying and how she didn't want him to cry, etc.<br /><br /><br />This happened a couple more times, but nothing big. Then last week Owen and I were at his lesson, he ran his 2 warmup laps around the track but when it was time to go off with his coach and take his lesson he suddenly became attached to my leg again.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278983043766912706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCt_rmwZGgBJFtYUVZfolfKeNma-YFECRmwj9kFEAgfRHcdgZVFX0rrSPfhB1M4a7D7sgu2_19sj9w4M9bdJImJiUw7XwE_PnCoN5SZahGpEPBHNdFz0EUb3UU1c_0Mb28fp_j3DJmaBk/s320/velcro.jpg" border="0" />He started screaming "I want my Mommy" (this always freaks me out and makes me afraid that someone will think I'm abducting him). I begged and pleaded with him to calm down and go do his gymnastics, his coach even begged and pleaded with him but no luck. We went and got dressed despite the fact that I kept telling him that he was going home to go to bed. We had one brief minute where he wanted to go and join the class, but that was quickly over when he actually had to detach himself from my leg!<br /><br />We went home and I didn't quite know what to do. I was worried that something was wrong, but he had really enjoyed the lessons before and couldn't figure out what happened. It was certainly becoming apparant that Owen needed some time away from Mommy, though.<br /><br />So, this week when Cackie went to her lesson on Tuesday we made a big deal about her going to gymnastics and how much fun it was, etc. To help things even more I had Michael take Owen to his lesson last night. My not being there helped a lot! He enjoyed his lesson and was excited to show off his smiley face stamps to Cackie when he came home!<br /><br /><br />Since Michael & Owen were off at the gym together I took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time with Cackie. I picked her up from school and we headed out to do a little Christmas shopping and then to the dreaded grocery store.<br /><br />On the way to the store I explained to her that we were looking for presents for other people and at first she didn't like that at all, but it didn't take long for her to understand how nice it was to give presents to other people. She very thoughtfully picked out a present for Owen and was very excited. It's something that she can enjoy as well, but she was adamant that Owen will really like it and she wanted him to have it.<br /><br />I had a lot of fun out with her and I think she enjoyed it, too. At the grocery store she didn't want to get in the cart and tried to convince me that she's too big to ride in the seat. She's got a good point there, she almost doesn't fit in the seat anymore! But, I made her squeeze in because I didn't need to worry about her wandering off. As we were walking around she kept putting her hands on either side of my face, squeezing my cheeks and saying "OOH Mommy, you're soo CUTE!" It's really funny when she decides to get silly like that! We also had a good round of a game where we call each others names in silly voices back and forth. I'm sure the other shoppers didn't appreciate it, but we had a good time!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278982361233776450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bBy9vjttYipA08GtMjxBgrHjXNIg-CKyjL4Rg15eFghp_yw9XWwAsZGwCMuYzucfzRoZJVnrvD7U8jyb7kCMtAXA58W3PldkGlsHbCSBwWZgd7MxvG_NeEepUdyg1rJk6M6sbOsqtwEV/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Tonight is Parent's Night Out at school, so the kids will have a little pajama party while Michael and I go out and get some shopping done.<br /><br />Tomorrow will be a busy day for us... We have breakfast with Santa in the cafeteria at St. Jude (this will be Owen's first opportunity to see Santa) and then in the evening we're going with friends to a Christmas Village at a local church. Cackie loved it last year and we're all anxious to see if Owen enjoys it, too. I'm hoping to see more of Silly Girl this weekend and a little less of Velcro Boy!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-61418385082109244152008-12-08T21:23:00.015-06:002008-12-09T15:22:29.927-06:00I did it!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>I did it! I walked 13.1 miles in 3:36!</div><div>Saturday was a GREAT day! It was sooo cold, but I got my butt out of bed and we all headed downtown to Autozone park to meet up with friends before the race.</div><div> </div><div>This is Jennifer and I warming up at the ballpark.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8qqWpdyUM8FEdAdRf9RzfuKrGcLBrhPIaPKGE1f8oytEvRwLUN0nZ9ueseV3_IyMALfcXuo1Rr0Otl1lcnhNabYBOFEtKZNIM8iIGcpa3LefEBNKO8kVPi86XpmZynFHNLKsYpLnDrb2/s1600-h/DSC_0007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277628841515519074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8qqWpdyUM8FEdAdRf9RzfuKrGcLBrhPIaPKGE1f8oytEvRwLUN0nZ9ueseV3_IyMALfcXuo1Rr0Otl1lcnhNabYBOFEtKZNIM8iIGcpa3LefEBNKO8kVPi86XpmZynFHNLKsYpLnDrb2/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" border="0" /></a> The race officically started at 8AM, but it was a wave start, so I didn't actually get started until close to 8:25. Here's one of the groups heading out before me, there were nearly 14,000 people racing!</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277891455840605250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VtaLedb6_KJIkWIvb_bsl22XpoAzYFNo2oftE2CTZy0WTzri9R-59lpcpDkVoljs89OjpjksRQuwUZaY8kBpwxZXsOqn4NdVF02F_twh1uBx8IBOfx0xOQUG4FTYTB4m8OoYIaLXVAZJ/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" border="0" /> Here I am at the starting line, you can't tell but I was sooo cold!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277897066766354754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlB89pg40wHmdG1xJQL6l7ohv6q1XPVc07uHvFYZtkYWb9b-CuVGVx1iVT1toK8-m5YAvv1KOdgyqabOnwzUs_inQRe-wKkDkQk33CDfrh3KUFEyBT2GMFJJ63uZw15ahZ4_r5IvjZLpP3/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>I had my cellphone with me and was able to call Michael at different points during the race. He tried to meet up with me at mile 5, but the police had the roads blocked off and it made getting around town very difficult. They were able to meet up with me between miles 6 & 7 and I was soo happy to see them!</div><div>They were able to make their way around between miles 8 & 9 to see me again. Here's a great shot Michael got while they were waiting...</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277894314276099298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFmdyAHOnr7uGDB37EXoYIXNzYCOyWfXgR0tj5swtcSf_ee9vtw4zn7ZSVySASPXzvizpmAprnX1Jw7jmeDs09KN86GN5-nzXj-TiGJoDe8ifB1khzhk-nS7O-GlcDJu9e-yFvQ53h81M/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>When they saw me here Cackie got very excited. She ran up to me and gave me a huge bear hug. Only problem was that my hips were starting to ache and if I stopped I wouldn't have been able to start again. I almost knocked poor Cackie over trying to get her detached from my legs!</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277894585528146546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXaoI7TMw7vh1Ms4JznfXJiRSCDl_u3EiuXjbIl_yzlB9i_WmK8MVdFezzYIdrgqMdW8NqvhZDriHnw177oG-DxRlD56pi9lDCWtdUEy62dqIfL7Mg3qgydgFB3MPw8FzoYH31CR1UY5g/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277894785242518354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8M6asWUx6UN_JLwtOZG8iXJuEw1PsCfZDZS-H8_rS7OVJnjYfCDcEcXTpmCB1PtjEo76_zGAM4SV8w69TkFFU7IdooWONaFEyUANQu9ogV8FTRpm_Rt-ZPDZ_hPkxq90LhPk18RASa40/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277895148286580002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5ASY4BshSQ7NjvBXfg6J1-CihMEXrCS5hpYobUzbkyyQ16meTrqLsrZnUofvGU_V1_V_-bJ_IkL0CQ-nXuQiUtjS3mjuC1GWoSl-SavYI4ZCCfh8SOpH5CzkcfdamauC-xeAnfr-zlFN/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p>The last 4 miles or so went pretty quickly for me. There was lots of traffic on the street and soo many people were out cheering the runners and walkers on. I was starting to hurt in my hips, but I had no doubt that I was going to finish. In fact, the last mile or so I was passing people who just couldn't keep up any longer.</p><p>Here I am just crossing the finish line.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277895448434384594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDevccZcaEHznYKIpbjNKURu2RbTIUt4834U0neqb2btQQ8k7q86yrX58ca5Iwqmye50YkwxItJ8GuC_Gd0fubxPeCHk8-DZ040vCEC99aAuzFwOXHZZ2xiedEIYRaJEutXf4tDZz1poH/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Michael said I had this big smile on everytime he saw me.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277895764254914098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwaeAmqtkF6f4LMhchAI4VaOxY-ZCni39hcwFIOWrvbUWX_ZaHs-Fy7M32uJKIFHgk2-MVmYcDkF7Xa_cpcL6eWUL_StdLyHSnXu4wKZPYQqtdGErmSuizlEentD7W9Ce1WX-mkSHn7kl/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>The best part was getting to hug my kiddos when it was all over!</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277896061971238802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPesUDtwBhQ2xNxwaKZFQbcHrXXrKvuY0BLfv_xGI8R6WifkH-kovT3SZyueL9iuHbqL5L0ZDatPGtMrIW-BQ4-3rcpiSxsgIy1DP7GKKbh2BxvnSuShOw3uslG8w36sETU_x_dAjm7Tw/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>I finished just after noon and the kids were starving, so Michael took us out to lunch. After that we all took a much needed nap! I was lucky enough to get a massage appointment for that afternoon and that helped my recovery a lot! The rest of Saturday I did absolutely nothing, which is not like me at all. I was just too pooped and achy!</p><p>Sunday I was pretty sore, but I tried to keep moving as much as I could. Yesterday I didn't hurt much and today I'm hoping to get back out and do some walking!</p><p>The race was a lot of fun and I really hope to be able to do it again next year. It has me motiviated now to get back to exercising and maybe next year I'll be able to get an even better time!</p>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-40015375564240266372008-12-01T21:49:00.002-06:002008-12-01T21:53:26.985-06:00I've Decided to do Something Crazy!I've decided to do something crazy!<br /><br />Some of you may know that back in August I began a training program to run/walk the St. Jude Half Marathon. But, then in September I started to have problems with my left ankle and after an MRI found out that I had a couple of stress fractures and had to quit training. Well, there has been lots going on between then and now and I just haven't had time to get back into training. I figured it was just a silly dream to do a half marathon and it was time for me to get back to reality and focus on all the other things in my life.<br /><br />But, the thing is that I work at St. Jude. I’m constantly hearing information about the upcoming events and the Marathon/Half Marathon is a pretty big one around here. When I heard the news that the Half Marathon was sold out I felt guilty… just before I got hurt I signed up for the Half Marathon to help give myself a goal and motivation, I even signed up to be a St. Jude Hero because I believe in what we do here at St. Jude. Once you are signed up to be in the race your spot is taken and can’t be given to anyone else even if you don’t show up to race.<br /><br />So, that race registration has been burning a hole in my brain. I keep thinking I’ve signed up and no one else can take my place. Our old house is right in the middle of the race course, so over the years we’ve tried to go out and about on race day and have seen the participants, some running and a lot of them walking along just to be a part of the race. I keep thinking about those walkers and I’ve told myself, I can do that!<br /><br />So, this Saturday I will get out of bed early and get out into the cold morning to be at the starting line downtown (anyone who really knows me will know that getting up early and out in the cold will be half the battle). I’ll walk for as long and as far as I can. There are no promises that I’ll finish this race! But, the whole time I’m walking I will be thinking about the reasons why I’m there… because I believe in the mission of St. Jude and want to do something else to help, because I’ve been blessed with two beautiful children who are happy and HEALTHY, because there are children out there who not as lucky as my children and they need the best medical care available, because I never knew my grandmother but she believed in Danny Thomas’ mission and would send money to St. Jude and lastly because I’m blessed to be able bodied and can get out and do my part, even if it’s just a little bit.<br /><br />If you believe in me and want to support me in my dream of becoming a St. Jude Hero, please log onto my website <a href="http://www.stjudeheroes.org/users/dwalls">www.stjudeheroes.org/users/dwalls</a> and consider making a donation. If you can’t make a donation, please let me know I have your support… leave a comment here, each one will help motivate me on Saturday!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-89275286773189347692008-11-20T13:17:00.001-06:002008-11-20T13:19:41.314-06:00One Year Ago Today...One year ago today around 3:30 pm, my life was changed forever. I was at work and had just finished cleaning up one of the cubicles to get ready for a new co-worker in my department. I had sat down at my desk and my cellphone rang. It took me a second before it registered that the area code was from Colorado and my heart skipped a beat when I answered and realized that it was Pam from the waiting child department on the other end.<br /><br /><div>I don't remember much about the conversation, but I remember her telling me that she had a sweet little boy who needed a Mommy & Daddy. She emailed me his pictures, but warned me that they were not the best she had ever seen.<br /></div><br /><div>I was in shock and didn't quite know what to do. I opened the email to find this picture...<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270821241036421634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGA3vfEtUaeqRUXhWxhZqGdxFvQFfss7PNpZcfAhm3RAdEkvR6RTQg3VjNm0CfQ2uSk_OGOv4nvqCVSz8AidDT4GpVcaZBzqglw7bk8VdybKB80Pb_6D1Mpe7YLgei8ulxoexBv1k400s/s320/Wei+Jian+Hang+face.jpg" border="0" /> <div>I called Michael after that, he was home with Cackie who was sick that day. I was crying, of course, and he immediately wondered what was wrong. I told him that I had a picture of his son and I could tell that it took at second for the news to register with him. I was glad I wasn't the only one in shock over this!<br /></div><div>I went home shortly after that and we had many discussions. We took a few days to think about this little boy and how he would change our lives. It took us a little longer than we would have liked, but all this happened just 2 days before Thanksgiving. I remember when we finally heard from our pediatrician, we were out eating dinner and we were soo glad to hear that she said we needed to bring this little boy home. We had already come to that decision, but just needed that last bit of confirmation before we jumped in. After we got home from dinner and had put Cackie to bed I called CCAI and left a voicemail for Pam, I just couldn't wait till the next morning to call!<br /></div><div>Today that sweet little boy is my Owen and I can't imagine what our lives would be without him!<br /><br />P.S. On that day, one year ago, after I called Michael and shared my shock with him, I went back into the cubicle that I was cleaning out just to check and make sure I had put everythinig away. Sitting right in the middle of the desk was a little red string off of an interoffice envelope. I knew deep in my heart that the red thread was at work.</div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-70618026236156303242008-11-14T12:44:00.003-06:002008-11-14T13:19:13.410-06:00ARRRGH!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ4BUUNLldr8g86AdBpaaZCZVy9goBy63zfv5yw65ijC5GMYgvw-5RC8BvaU8ZWoD2UsaeFkPOgEZ2A_os52PbmrtcFVPNl9PHIuBnNHtQlFxMhMnZb3T6JEZkROrA_em8czMSlyZTdj5/s1600-h/the_money_pit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268587317899483218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ4BUUNLldr8g86AdBpaaZCZVy9goBy63zfv5yw65ijC5GMYgvw-5RC8BvaU8ZWoD2UsaeFkPOgEZ2A_os52PbmrtcFVPNl9PHIuBnNHtQlFxMhMnZb3T6JEZkROrA_em8czMSlyZTdj5/s320/the_money_pit.jpg" border="0" /></a> Anyone remember the movie "The Money Pit"?<br />I'm beginning to think we're starring in the sequel that is being filmed by candid camera!<br /><br />First, the previous owners left us with a horribly green pool. Actually, it was a beautiful green color, just not something you would ever want to swim in. We were soo frustrated with trying to get the sellers out of our house and get moved in that we just let it go. Finally, two weeks ago we were able to get some pool guys to come out and winterize the pool, at a cost that was much greater due to the fact that it had been neglected by the previous owners.<br /><br />Then, there's been the issue our guest house. The previous owner's had a renter there and had told us before closing that he had moved out.... not true! He finally moved out the same weekend we moved in, but now we've been left with his disgusting mess and the previous owners never came forward to give us the cleaning deposit that they collected from him.<br /><br />We also have electrical issues in the family room that was added on to the original house. Let's just say that the electrical wiring is sooo not to code (this is where having an engineer for a husband is a GREAT thing!). We found one electrical outlet behind the dishwasher in the wetbar that was SPARKING!!!!! YIKES!<br /><br />Now, our latest issue is a leak.... it's in a lovely spot, just off the kitchen in the breakfast room. I came home the other day during a rain storm to find the ceiling leaking. It has continued to leak steadily, but it's not raining any longer. Michael has been working on drawing up the layout of the house and it looks like the issue is not the roof (a good thing?), but that it's the toilet in the master bath. We are very unhappy with the master bath and bought the house knowing that we would be changing it up and expanding it, but we weren't quite prepared to do it right now.<br /><br />Oh, in addition to the leak appearing the other day. It kinda looks like this is not the first time it has happened. It also appears that there may be termite damage in the ceiling of the breakfast room (hmmm, termites like moisture).<br /><br />So, right now the ceiling is falling in my breakfast room and there's an awful wet, musty stench throughout the whole house. I'm just praying that it's not termites and that we can get it fixed and cleaned up soon (and that we can stay sane in the process!). Fingers Crossed!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-24998958207547688862008-11-06T13:27:00.004-06:002008-11-06T13:47:30.797-06:006 Months!Six months ago yesterday was Owen's gotcha day!<br />In six months he has gone from this shy, careful little boy who was scared of just about everything...<br /><a href="http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/0505/?action=view¤t=DSC_0005-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb142/dcwa123/0505/DSC_0005-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />To this little ham who loves to see his pictures on the camera, is still kinda scared of animals but is very curious about them, thinks his big sister holds the moon and stars and loves to jump, run and play!<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265629613674058722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_SprK0_gOAWNs5Kb_8282oIkFxWB1yuWK2ylGOP6FCHknsLHmJXLHY3FV9wXdgSAzLdHwPp7iRDkQlNKdU7ZSCHedtv4bevFEHqWLdueK8fQoDwshZOzt6aYzvlSWIfjmnaBmMFG9Xuv/s320/DSC_0233.JPG" border="0" /> Wow! What an amazing 6 months it has been! A lot has changed in his life, but he takes it all in stride and brings smiles to everyone's faces. We love you Owee!</p><p>So, as a celebration of his 6 months home we are starting him in gymnastics lessons tonight. He's always wanting to take classes with Cackie, but we were a little worried that a class together would be hard on them and the coach. Hopefully he'll enjoy tonight and will want to do more. Cackie won't be there with us tonight which I hope will give him a chance to open up and enjoy his own thing.</p>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-65158552181630342092008-11-04T21:06:00.003-06:002008-11-04T21:17:34.072-06:00Cackie & Owen Tearing Up the PollsWell, the polling booth at least! Yesterday Michael went to pick the kids up from school and came home with this great story...<br /><br />The teachers were planning a voting activity for today and had fashioned a voting booth out of a large cardboard box. Well, when Michael picked the kids up they got a little out of hand (who, my kids?) and were fighting over a spot in the voting booth. In the process of fighting they knocked down the booth and tried to tear it up. If I remember correctly, when Michael was telling me about it he lovingly referred to Cackie & Owen as "numbnuts".<br /><br />Today I'm happy to report that the polling booth was intact and that the kids had overwhelmingly voted for mint over strawberry... um, I mean Obama over McCain.<br /><br />Never a dull moment here!Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616821173850125139.post-8004715884964974562008-10-31T08:42:00.000-06:002008-10-31T08:42:24.095-06:00Happy Halloween!<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7OvgsYsZZSowLTAcG6dYRqGmQlDNSe6-0aFh3aMsveQeR76491uABt7_KiWtIz87adzfayHXMX1wznZT1BI4YoIME1c7peGuOj6ky86yt5UZLAWMDmqpWEVlRkeZdubiVku5wgN6vcxw/s1600-h/DSC_0199.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7OvgsYsZZSowLTAcG6dYRqGmQlDNSe6-0aFh3aMsveQeR76491uABt7_KiWtIz87adzfayHXMX1wznZT1BI4YoIME1c7peGuOj6ky86yt5UZLAWMDmqpWEVlRkeZdubiVku5wgN6vcxw/s400/DSC_0199.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></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>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18247542602233767013noreply@blogger.com0