tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49702168256790887962024-03-05T11:56:24.456-06:00DigiLaura: Hugs and PugsOur Family Living with My Multiple Sclerosis
and other Multifarious MusingsDigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-72102265347519392272011-04-16T20:25:00.027-05:002011-05-05T15:14:44.123-05:00MS WalkI am fortunate to work with a group of caring, generous people. This may be only my second year at this school, but I feel very thankful for the opportunity to work here. For me, the MS Walk each year is a time I am especially grateful for the kindness of my colleagues.<br />
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Though I never hide the fact that I have multiple sclerosis, I tend to not make a big deal of it, either, especially with people I am just meeting. Somehow, though, several teachers at school did learn of my MS early on. One teacher had recently been affected by the disease as well, with her sister being diagnosed. This teacher formed a team last year and this year to walk in the Northwest Arkansas MS Walk. Several faculty and friends joined with us on a cold Saturday morning to walk in honor of her sister and me and raise money for the National MS Society.<br />
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After several venue changes, including on the University of Arkansas campus (on the same day as the ESPN-broadcast spring red-white football scrimmage), the walk took place at Lake Fayetteville. This turned out to be a great location, because it had good parking and a wide-open space for gathering, as well as a pretty location to actually walk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215750_1726348687435_1499958663_31474593_8154394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215750_1726348687435_1499958663_31474593_8154394_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/226120_1726348527431_1499958663_31474592_6282203_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/226120_1726348527431_1499958663_31474592_6282203_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Our "Woodland Walks" team arrived early for a photo, but wound up huddled together due to the chilly temperatures. Shawn had layers on, but had not brought a jacket. One of the teachers had a sweathshirt in her vehicle that she let him borrow. It was too big for him, but he loved it! (Notice the hole in the knee of the sweatpants. Both boys wound up with holes in THAT knee for some reason.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctV8mUXMleBIWhXCM6e5AOQOpnz9S6dqLSRDkAhKjD8Fx1Mfjznm3jSqTuks4j8mFoocf9TU2jnROdl53Ycc5yQsdO7NGt_hq2WTLgoDkBPKzkorh5PQ49BojgH4RUBLYNu6o7C6NA9M/s1600/IMG_1254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctV8mUXMleBIWhXCM6e5AOQOpnz9S6dqLSRDkAhKjD8Fx1Mfjznm3jSqTuks4j8mFoocf9TU2jnROdl53Ycc5yQsdO7NGt_hq2WTLgoDkBPKzkorh5PQ49BojgH4RUBLYNu6o7C6NA9M/s320/IMG_1254.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>He also loved the donuts the walk coordinators provided.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/229790_1726349407453_1499958663_31474596_5766308_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/229790_1726349407453_1499958663_31474596_5766308_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>A couple of teachers brought dogs along. (We had plans for the afternoon, so our dogs stayed home. I was also on my own with Shawn, so I didn't want the extra work!) Shawn's dog-loving nature meant he was quick to play with them. He talked about sweet Lola long after the walk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/228505_1726349607458_1499958663_31474597_934254_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/228505_1726349607458_1499958663_31474597_934254_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Once the walk was underway, we started off with some friends at the same pace as the rest of the walkers. It was a pretty brisk pace, though, and not one I felt I could keep up for long. Though I enjoyed walking and talking with my friend, it wasn't long before I needed to slow down. I took time for some photos on the path as a way to keep it slow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/215410_1726350007468_1499958663_31474600_6568695_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/215410_1726350007468_1499958663_31474600_6568695_n.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The walk was set up so that you could walk 1/2 mile, then turn around and return to make a full mile walk. There were also longer options. I didn't want to push it once I started feeling the strain in my left leg (the one that tends to "go out" with fatigue due to the MS). Fortunately, since MS is known for stopping people from walking at all, I believe people understand that someone with MS may not make it the full mile!</div><br />
On the way back I photographed the other side of the bridge, with a small stream and bluffs. Northwest Arkansas is so pretty. (Yes, I may have gone overboard with the number of photos. My dad also did that with scenery and flowers, so I believe it's natural for me!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/223212_1741974598073_1499958663_31496691_2551966_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/223212_1741974598073_1499958663_31496691_2551966_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I feel so honored to have such caring friends and colleagues who would walk partially in my honor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/222266_1741973318041_1499958663_31496683_6092698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/222266_1741973318041_1499958663_31496683_6092698_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-2222118040908407952011-04-15T16:01:00.002-05:002011-04-19T15:31:16.903-05:00Orthodontic AdjustmentsIt's now been seven weeks since Shawn and I started orthodontic work.<br />
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Shawn seems to have adapted to his orthodontics for the most part. He has a palatal expander with a device attached to curb his thumb sucking. Unfortunately, that little device had to be altered a bit last month. Just before leaving for Nana and Papa's house for spring break part of the metal snapped off. We had to contact the emergency line for the orthodontist office on Saturday morning from a Pancake Breakfast Fund Raiser (Tyler was working it for Boy Scouts). The main man himself, Dr. P, who owns the practice, arranged to meet us in the Bentonville office. He bent the pointed metal remaining in Shawn's mouth up and out of the way so it wouldn't hurt him and set up a follow-up appointment in Fayetteville a few weeks later. At the follow-up visit we decided he seemed to be adjusting to it as it was, so we would move forward with treatment without the cost of making a new device. We made plans for Shawn to get braces on his top few teeth in the upcoming weeks. Shawn would soon have more to adjust to.<br />
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I seem to be adjusting to my braces pretty well also. Like many things, some days it feels like the braces are just a part of me, while others I'm still shocked by them. Most frequently, the feel of the braces seem normal, but the APPEARANCE is a huge shock--I still tend to do little double-takes when I spot them in the mirror or in a picture.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YaMf_oD-R3NO3NVrS43u_hEmEipzDGVtcJHp4ykg-fkub8lBF9HAieacrJSwbRY7pMuvJE8yo-oI0pcW6YUz7bHJpkw0Jou5CEXMjOKsnV4VBklWHnHHVYfllIuXR3m0kd1NgPq1uyw/s1600/20110324_LakeDardanelle_LauraShawn01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YaMf_oD-R3NO3NVrS43u_hEmEipzDGVtcJHp4ykg-fkub8lBF9HAieacrJSwbRY7pMuvJE8yo-oI0pcW6YUz7bHJpkw0Jou5CEXMjOKsnV4VBklWHnHHVYfllIuXR3m0kd1NgPq1uyw/s400/20110324_LakeDardanelle_LauraShawn01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I, too, had an unexpected visit back to the orthodontist. Just 10 days after getting them placed, one of the metal bands around my molars started sliding. I had already had the most difficulty with that particular band, since part of it rubbed my tongue pretty painfully, so that when it also started hurting my gums I was a bit unhappy. When I realized it was hurting the gums because it was sliding on the tooth, I made a quick call to the orthodontist. They worked me in and got it tightened.<br />
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The experience of having the band repaired was not pleasant. It did, however, prepare me for adjustments. I knew to be sure to take pain meds, and I knew to expect an odd sensation when the metal wire was removed from the brackets--an odd pain from no longer having the teeth "locked" into place by the wire. I also knew that reattaching the wires with the little ligatures was, well, painful!<br />
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Fortunately, my true adjustment yesterday only required a brief recovery time. I had heard that after every adjustment soft foods would be necessary, but I was actually able to eat a real meal. I had to take small bites, and didn't eat much, but the soup, mashed potatoes and milkshakes that became my mainstays for the 2 weeks after first getting the braces on--and then having an unexpected added visit--wasn't necessary this time.<br />
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Maybe by my next visit I'll have adjusted even to getting adjustments. :)DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-33926354171379315112011-04-12T20:43:00.000-05:002011-04-18T10:56:46.703-05:00LessonsLessons Learned (or Reiterated) Today<br />
<div class="gmail_quote"><br />
* Say the nagging rules in a funny voice and they might hear them.<br />
Shawn loves to laugh, and saying anything in a silly way can often make him chuckle. I "laid down the law" today but said it in a funny voice, and he thought it was hysterical. He kept repeating it. He may not necessarily obey, but it won't be because he didn't hear it!<br />
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* Be careful about using phrases or even words from a Phineas and Ferb song (or any other for that matter), or I'll hear it repeatedly.<br />
I make a lot of connections to things I know the boys enjoy, but I'm learning to be careful of doing so when it could become a song. Today I compared something to the word "aglet"--the tips of a shoe lace. We really only know that word because of Phineas and Ferb, so the boys had to start singing the song. On repeat. I had it in my head all day.<br />
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* My husband can be the worst of the lot with boyish behavior.<br />
If I have to be careful of references with the boys, I have to be especially diligent with HoneyBear. I called him after dropping off the boys and told him the aglet story. I didn't make it to past the word "aglet." He immediately started singing the song as well. When I made it to school and we said goodbye, apparently the phone didn't disconnect. I heard a strange sound and looked down to we were still in a call. The sound was him yelling through the phone "A G L E T" and the rest of the song. At least it made me smile.<br />
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I'm sure there were more, but I slept late this morning after taking some pain meds last night. Of course, that reminds me of another lesson learned--the meds that you take when you DON'T want to sleep will knock you out right away. Taking meds with the hope of letting them do their thing and you get some sleep means the meds won't take effect until just before your alarm is supposed to go off the next morning, and will then last the entire day!<br />
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Sometimes life is just full of lessons.</div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-57149640344967325032011-04-11T20:42:00.001-05:002011-04-18T10:52:41.181-05:00Beans and OrangesWe had a pretty good den meeting last night. We completed an elective of planting a seed or pit from something you have eaten.<br />
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<div class="gmail_quote">The original plan was to plant oranges. The boys like eating oranges, so having oranges as a snack and then planting orange seeds from the oranges made sense. We had some challenges with orange seeds, though. First, the only bag of oranges I found at WalMart were the "cuties." They were small, which is fine, but as I looked at the label I discovered they were seedless. That wouldn't work for our project at all! Unfortunately, the weather this year made it a bad year for citrus, and navel oranges were not cheap. We decided to get just a few of the more expensive navel oranges, with the thought of eating the little ones and using the navels for the seeds--and enjoying them ourselves. <br />
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Sunday evening we finally got around to opening those oranges to get the seeds prepped for Monday's meeting. After peeling all 3 oranges, we only found 1 seed! The oranges actually tasted pretty good, but they wouldn't work for the project at all. I ran out to the closest grocery store for some more oranges, thankful that HoneyBear in particular likes oranges so they wouldn't be wasted. I brought home a 5 pound bag thinking that surely that would work, and HoneyBear dove in. He peeled 4 of them without a single seed. It was definitely time to change plans.<br />
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Fortunately, I had already planned on also planting beans along with the oranges. Oranges aren't fast growing, and the boys might not have good results, so I wanted them to have something that would hopefully grow fast so the boys could see results quickly. Since I already had beans, we decided to only plant those and just talk about oranges growing from seeds while we had our snack.<br />
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The meeting itself seemed to go well. They drew a garden as their gathering activity and some of them really got into that. They enjoyed their oranges, and we had apple juice with it, so we were able to talk about apples coming from seeds as well. <br />
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I had brought in fresh bean pods I discovered at Harp's. We snapped off the ends to show how the green beans we typically eat are made from the full beans. I even got to share my memories of sitting on the porch at Granny's house and snapping beans. After we snapped them, HoneyBear cut them open to see the seeds inside. Each boy got a bean and worked with it a bit to try to get to the seeds inside. After cleaning up the table from snacks and bean experiments, we were finally ready to do the planting.<br />
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It was a warm evening and the rain had passed, so we did the planting part outside to make clean-up easier. HoneyBear had the soil in the back of the truck and parked with the tailgate against the sidewalk, so we were able to do all the planting from the tailgate of the truck. Each boy got to plant two beans. We brought them back in and gave them some water, and were finished a bit early with the meeting.<br />
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I brought Shawn's beans to work with me to grow in my large sunny window. Hopefully we'll remember to keep them watered and he'll have some plants to admire soon!</div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-59827653379441320802011-04-11T09:09:00.000-05:002011-04-11T09:09:02.627-05:00Pugs in the 'HoodWe had an adventure this morning as we were headed to school. It happens to be testing week for Tyler, so it was important he get good rest, eat a good breakfast, and get to school on time. We did manage to mostly accomplish this, but had some interesting moments along the way.<br />
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It was a stormy night last night, with thunder and lightning waking us up throughout the night. It was very wet and muddy this morning, so that when Tyler took the dogs out for their morning "elimination" only Roly joined him--it was too wet for finicky Tucker, apparently. When Shawn opened the door to join Tyler, even Roly ran back inside, so they didn't spend much time out at all.<br />
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After everyone was dressed and we were ready to go, I prepared for my little ritual of taking the dogs out one more time. Only I couldn't find the dogs. Tucker often creeps under our bed or behind the living room chair and falls asleep, then can't hear us since he's lost his hearing, so I was less concerned about Tucker. Roly is never so quiet I can't hunt him down, though--even when he's trying to hide, his snuffles and snorts are like a beacon. This morning, however, he was nowhere to be found. I asked Shawn to look under our bed, but it was dark under there, and he was suddenly too afraid of the dark to look. Since I wasn't able to hear Roly, I didn't really think he was under the bed anyway, so I let that one slide. I left the boys to continue looking and took my things out to the car.<br />
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As I turned around from the car door, I found the dogs. They had somehow gotten out of the house and were having a grand time down the street. Not only that, our next-door-neighbor's pug, Arlo, had also escaped and joined our two for a full neighborhood pug adventure! Tails were curled and tongues were out as they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.<br />
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They all made it back into our yard, then decided to make sure they knew each other. It became a pug-go-round, with rear-end sniffs by all while walking in circles. They were filthy, wet, and loving it, even Mr. Tucker.<br />
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By this time it was definitely time to go, so we started herding our dogs into our house with the thought of taking Arlo to his yard next door. I didn't count on fast, distracted pug dogs. We finally got Tucker inside, but Roly and Arlo decided to chase one another around my car. First Roly chased Arlo, then Arlo managed to shift gears so he was chasing Roly. I don't think either cared; they were just having fun.<br />
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I finally got to Roly and managed to pick him up, holding the filthy pup at arm's length. I ushered him inside and had Tyler get him into the bedroom for the day. I expect he'll enjoy a nap after his adventure.<br />
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Sweet Arlo came to me when I called his name, and willingly followed me. He followed me until I hit his property. Since it was the neighbor's yard, I didn't want to invade, but was hoping to get him back safely inside his own fence. Somehow he must have known there would be trouble, because he wouldn't go near his fence.<br />
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Just then the oldest girl from next door rounded the corner at the rear of the house calling for Arlo. I was able to tell her where he was, so that she called her mom to go out front and get him. He was rounded up and taken inside. My favorite comment came from the mom, who told Arlo he wasn't a "free-range pup" and shouldn't be out! I don't think he listened.<br />
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Without time for doggie baths, our bedding will have to be washed tonight after this adventure. We never discovered exactly how they got out, either. Fortunately, I laughed about the whole thing rather than crying, and the boys thought it was hysterical. I expect to read a modified version in at least one of the boys' writings soon. I suppose if it gave them an adventure to write about it was worthwhile. We'll be extra careful about making sure the dogs aren't allowed out on their own in the future, though, regardless of the level of adventure.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-44151992702776710872011-04-10T21:43:00.044-05:002011-05-05T10:25:13.110-05:00Yard WorkWith grass growing and rose bushes out of control, this weekend was finally spent outside working on the yard a little. Tyler once again mowed for us. He even said he liked mowing because of the way it made his hands feel--the vibrations of the push mower made them almost numb! We quickly assigned the mowing to him so HoneyBear could work on bushes and yard waste, and he pushed on.<br />
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With the camper in the driveway, my vehicle goes off the driveway in the yard just a little, so I had to move it while he got started. I let Shawn join me, and the dogs hopped in, too. I even let Shawn ride up front, since we were basically just backing the car out of the driveway. He LOVED that privilege! We're keeping him in his booster until he's 8, going by recommendations rather than the strict letter of the law, so not only was he out of his booster but up front! I cheated and drove around the block since he loved it so much. It was a highlight for him he talked about for days (I just hope he didn't talk about it to someone he shouldn't have!)<br />
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By the time we got back around, Tyler was sorta finished mowing. He doesn't mow very straight, and tends to swivel the mower so he's going back and forth rather than around in ever-decreasing circles the way I was taught, so he winds up missing a lot. I do mean a LOT. He had to go back over quite a few strips because his back-and-forth missed the grass between passes. By the time he finished the front portion--not the sides--he thought he would drop. He grabbed water and collapsed to the ground. Oh, the drama :).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNZERjz7pTVE6rlyxT4zBpzPnnLxU9YEZLQ4toXXpBU6Gb4vZok5YZShupw_aTt_gpFn6QGK-B7qDhpSJdjgHFvYyA1kuTNhihQk25H4Zsejq9jK08SKdcZWTD-tIFlgDrHQpY5aT98M/s1600/20110409_YardWork01_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNZERjz7pTVE6rlyxT4zBpzPnnLxU9YEZLQ4toXXpBU6Gb4vZok5YZShupw_aTt_gpFn6QGK-B7qDhpSJdjgHFvYyA1kuTNhihQk25H4Zsejq9jK08SKdcZWTD-tIFlgDrHQpY5aT98M/s320/20110409_YardWork01_Tyler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfoN1ijt3LttpMJu65_qih06lpK3zjv5auRLOwD3zLCHbwKDeVF347x0QaS0KgCQJOyDdnjlwgv7gsV9vJZeVCKVXkEpUyYAvIXWNapPOGdqDFj9M9YbVr46fsrIf7fMUy5D3372X8U/s1600/20110409_YardWork02_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfoN1ijt3LttpMJu65_qih06lpK3zjv5auRLOwD3zLCHbwKDeVF347x0QaS0KgCQJOyDdnjlwgv7gsV9vJZeVCKVXkEpUyYAvIXWNapPOGdqDFj9M9YbVr46fsrIf7fMUy5D3372X8U/s320/20110409_YardWork02_Tyler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Meanwhile, HoneyBear worked on trimming back our rose bushes and other out-of-control plants. I brought a chair to the porch to try to be a part of everything without getting in physical trouble. We discovered a friend on the porch, and Shawn especially enjoyed him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EJErXLAU1TzYKA0Tann9qvtoyVltGIWq0TSB5CclWSpPE3lvQOH5yZcPmhYnihbo23gFzDm_KhxPtINUMuOEIguO2x-5CHWl9RtsspNdoNgeWDVNOsd-BZUFVxMXGUT3H1clBk8IHkw/s1600/20110409_YardWork09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EJErXLAU1TzYKA0Tann9qvtoyVltGIWq0TSB5CclWSpPE3lvQOH5yZcPmhYnihbo23gFzDm_KhxPtINUMuOEIguO2x-5CHWl9RtsspNdoNgeWDVNOsd-BZUFVxMXGUT3H1clBk8IHkw/s320/20110409_YardWork09.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Eventually I put Shawn to work sweeping the sidewalk. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27jthv3euRfAFVtC5i9gdKO2mc9GSwRgkjbleo4FGeIXNwE6YPtL2WHWhLs8GOKkU79COjOuo6LHNR4xAYQ7S1W6nLfiKv38gGyIPvDaJBC3A6LK4crdBTWY3-eQnKXcNoiWC3pqfuug/s1600/20110409_YardWork03_Shawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27jthv3euRfAFVtC5i9gdKO2mc9GSwRgkjbleo4FGeIXNwE6YPtL2WHWhLs8GOKkU79COjOuo6LHNR4xAYQ7S1W6nLfiKv38gGyIPvDaJBC3A6LK4crdBTWY3-eQnKXcNoiWC3pqfuug/s320/20110409_YardWork03_Shawn.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-suGTivpkRxH6kduE548buSq2xSNPMS1JmPjM2h1FvA1YP_T2AKoXk6UG6vksjKTpBte16Iw-NejwK03B_eWtGJwn6dYTMgHm6JVHDYcHt_wudQ7YoDKuVcq2SiNYAQlQWpFwCnFYg9U/s1600/20110409_YardWork04_Shawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-suGTivpkRxH6kduE548buSq2xSNPMS1JmPjM2h1FvA1YP_T2AKoXk6UG6vksjKTpBte16Iw-NejwK03B_eWtGJwn6dYTMgHm6JVHDYcHt_wudQ7YoDKuVcq2SiNYAQlQWpFwCnFYg9U/s320/20110409_YardWork04_Shawn.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>After watching his attempts, I finally stepped in and took over some of the sweeping, asking the boys to beat out the doormats instead. Apparently this is not something they've done before. Admittedly, they were pretty thick mats, so weren't easy to clean, but they didn't exactly make much progress. Tyler sure had fun, though!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8fFqbF9XHOGnnQrC76YKMIrXYB4eufeAZD-PGQ56s4RwRpvVLU0VWvJuSltsYmZF5O49BKR4t_-eJhJIrbrdxZSbwjtpDdy2wkUmfqJJLs9yDSJ58WH2ewMqPFMwMwxwvrzleFsWCKo/s1600/20110409_YardWork05_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8fFqbF9XHOGnnQrC76YKMIrXYB4eufeAZD-PGQ56s4RwRpvVLU0VWvJuSltsYmZF5O49BKR4t_-eJhJIrbrdxZSbwjtpDdy2wkUmfqJJLs9yDSJ58WH2ewMqPFMwMwxwvrzleFsWCKo/s320/20110409_YardWork05_Tyler.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQSpl9tO3rPGO2jyI0m72xprGdfVzpKVWE6S89pfcDRtpgii70XXi_xonfwkrYJvzdnIJwUKNiYmXUckH7djTZqlSh6eEm_8Fs0U0uWjac6gY4G4Q1tr9dqBHrveUcq3CZn0KNKaHIAs/s1600/20110409_YardWork06_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQSpl9tO3rPGO2jyI0m72xprGdfVzpKVWE6S89pfcDRtpgii70XXi_xonfwkrYJvzdnIJwUKNiYmXUckH7djTZqlSh6eEm_8Fs0U0uWjac6gY4G4Q1tr9dqBHrveUcq3CZn0KNKaHIAs/s320/20110409_YardWork06_Tyler.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj06fpHJXnt6XWAE6Pt-AZUjOxqy_mBUR4QFgKfMsy7cUF-gvAaJcoo4AZ8bnVasgyvM4kGb8CYzoMu6zHp7uAn-rB5ekRq1w7TvLaHXNWJSa0SBkD3UXsRA47opjHUofocccqfcxtxo/s1600/20110409_YardWork07_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj06fpHJXnt6XWAE6Pt-AZUjOxqy_mBUR4QFgKfMsy7cUF-gvAaJcoo4AZ8bnVasgyvM4kGb8CYzoMu6zHp7uAn-rB5ekRq1w7TvLaHXNWJSa0SBkD3UXsRA47opjHUofocccqfcxtxo/s320/20110409_YardWork07_Tyler.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrydxyXlxEUE7n6zuBJxRhISKUzbDnq4GoANt15JjVgzsqG0p4EOAf1OoGUDPfX8BAWQsLgzOxdCdSEURLn_6cuD652kMnOCj9YD0ek_7lGMhEz15BsZ1wzb6MKhtV0TgOwDyuHnYHNU/s1600/20110409_YardWork08_Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrydxyXlxEUE7n6zuBJxRhISKUzbDnq4GoANt15JjVgzsqG0p4EOAf1OoGUDPfX8BAWQsLgzOxdCdSEURLn_6cuD652kMnOCj9YD0ek_7lGMhEz15BsZ1wzb6MKhtV0TgOwDyuHnYHNU/s320/20110409_YardWork08_Tyler.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>We may not have gotten as much done as was needed, but the front definitely looked better after our day of work. It was a pleasant time to be outside, too. Overall, our day of yard work was a confirmed success.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-17183725091407928382011-02-03T15:25:00.002-06:002011-04-11T09:35:07.624-05:00Big Wheels Keep On Rolling...And Sometimes SlideWhen the area gets heavy snow and ice, people are encouraged to stay home. Often, though, they don't. They go shopping. They buy stuff. And stores require restocking of products to keep up with the demand.<br />
<br />
This means that people who work in delivery can't stay home when the weather is bad. Trucks still have to run when there is snow and ice closing schools. Even when the police strongly encourages everyone to stay off the roads, delivery drivers often still drive.<br />
<br />
Because Pepsi still had to be delivered during the <a href="http://digilaura.blogspot.com/2011/02/northwest-arkansas-snow-2011.html">Northwest Arkansas Snow of 2011</a>, HoneyBear drove his truck. He drove all over Northwest Arkansas. He even made it all the way out to Oklahoma. He had a few problems getting out of docks that were slick with ice since the stores don't as a rule clear off their docks - regardless of safety - but overall made it through the day. He made it back to Springdale and only had to get fuel and head back to the warehouse before he could come home, get warm, and relax after the stressful day.<br />
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I was looking forward to getting him home. I hadn't worried all day, but had been concerned, and was ready to have him with us and off the roads.<br />
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Instead, I got a call from him after I knew he was almost done. He had been in an accident. His truck had caught some ice and slid off the road. He was fine, but he had to wait for the truck to be towed.<br />
<br />
Well. This was not good news, but my main concerns were his warmth ("Do you have enough fuel to keep the heat going?" "Do you have your coat on?") and how his boss would react. I wasn't overly worried, though.<br />
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Almost two hours later I started to get concerned. At 6:09 I finally got a text. He had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. (He had also gotten to play with the stuff in the ambulance. We had recently visited a fire station with our Cub Scout den and seen an ambulance, so we were seeing the fun side of the little ambulance adventure--or trying to see the fun side at least!) He didn't think we needed to go to the hospital because he had a ride back to the warehouse to get his truck.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDk__W6bfHNT8W88qx8j5jPzYJVNSxmhWGmzCJt79SIaaMrnZE748hm4Q0GOLQVpjCYKBm-YX2cDTuWIiuYvm7AtaeMoiKyA1e27aemhPzUTBJ-UXXXl-nCpdHM_Wr7RXFyY_BCnEoQo/s1600/IMG_1143.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDk__W6bfHNT8W88qx8j5jPzYJVNSxmhWGmzCJt79SIaaMrnZE748hm4Q0GOLQVpjCYKBm-YX2cDTuWIiuYvm7AtaeMoiKyA1e27aemhPzUTBJ-UXXXl-nCpdHM_Wr7RXFyY_BCnEoQo/s320/IMG_1143.png" width="213" /></a></div><br />
With slick roads and it getting dark, I wasn't so sure driving home was such a good option, though. I started getting shoes on and having the boys get ready.<br />
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Then I happened to see part of the local news. Which caused me to grow really concerned.<br />
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The local news reported that there weren't many accidents in the area, but that one semi truck was still on I-540 and was about to be towed. It seemed to be a nondescript white semi, without the Pepsi artwork on the trailer I would have expected, so I didn't think much about it, especially since it had been several hours since the accident. Then I looked closer. There, on the door of the cab, was a Pepsi logo. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcrT5zDTG95vbduShJVzZoh1dcHkLSXcWLYr5CLbpBGaFKJbIylmuxbs1VMKGA50p1QpwDdld3D12spnBb5sut0paVFrb74w2EOrhEb8bts3CUVNvz38YwPaLKCRqjnS1kyzp3hgwgWI/s1600/18-Wheelers+On+The+Ice_+Too+Dangerous_+_www.keepvid.com__0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcrT5zDTG95vbduShJVzZoh1dcHkLSXcWLYr5CLbpBGaFKJbIylmuxbs1VMKGA50p1QpwDdld3D12spnBb5sut0paVFrb74w2EOrhEb8bts3CUVNvz38YwPaLKCRqjnS1kyzp3hgwgWI/s320/18-Wheelers+On+The+Ice_+Too+Dangerous_+_www.keepvid.com__0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
(It's very small in this image, but was more obvious on our TV. The images are from from 40/29 TV, and are actually grabbed from a segment later in the week on truck safety on the ice rather than the original segment I watched. They reused the footage from the accident, but said in the package it had happened in Bella Vista. After knowing the rest of the story, that was one more thing to shake my head over regarding the newscasts.)<br />
<br />
This had to be HoneyBear's truck. This truck hadn't just slid off the road, though; this truck was jack-knifed. This truck was very, very close to the supports for the overpass bridge. This truck could mean my husband was not exactly as fine as he wanted me to believe.<br />
<br />
I immediately started texting and calling, but didn't a response. I found out later that the state trooper was in his room in the ER filling out the paperwork, so it was understandable he didn't interrupt the trooper to text me, but I was getting seriously worried! Fortunately for my anxiety level at the time, the news segment had a follow-up a bit later in the broadcast. The reporter shared that "the driver" had been released from the hospital with no injuries. This was a big relief! If he had been released, he would be coming home soon. I stopped getting ready and just waited.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for my anxiety level, I was still not getting a response from HoneyBear. I started worrying again. Tyler tried to make me feel better by reminding me that the news said he'd been released, but he should have contacted me by that point. I was not feeling calm.<br />
<br />
He finally got in touch with me from the ER. He was waiting on a CT scan. He had hit his head on the back glass of the truck cab, and the doctors were concerned. It was also starting to hurt. He had NOT been released as the reporter had said, and did not know when he would be released.<br />
<br />
Of course this meant the boys and I would be going up to the ER. There was no way I would let him drive after dark in pain and possibly on pain meds. My vehicle was the 4-wheel-drive, and surely I could make it to the hospital and back once I got the car out of the snow pack of the driveway.<br />
<br />
I did get the Explorer out, and we did make it to the ER. HoneyBear was finally released and given pain meds, with orders to rest for 24 hours. We were able to call our family and friends and let them know things were okay. After a long evening of worry and pain, we were all finally at home resting.<br />
<br />
<br />
We all stayed in and relaxed the next day, with Pepsi even closing down for the day. Of course, this meant that HoneyBear wound up working Saturday with his co-workers rather than having a sick day, but at least he got a day to recover.<br />
<br />
Tyler learned something very important from the event. He didn't understand why we were going to the hospital when the reporter had said Daddy had been released. He couldn't quite grasp yet that what they say on the news isn't always correct. It was a media literacy lesson that was important to learn, though I definitely would not have chosen that way of teaching it. It's one he may never forget.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-41119314940707651682011-02-01T17:16:00.003-06:002011-03-16T14:26:16.406-05:00Northwest Arkansas Snow 2011After a short week of school due to a holiday and <a href="http://digilaura.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-snow.html">snow days</a>, having a full 5-day week made the last week of January seem very long. Just as we were preparing to get back into a routine, however, another round of winter weather hit for the first week of February.<br />
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The timing of this storm fit our weather pattern for the past two years. An <a href="http://digilaura.blogspot.com/2009/01/ice-ice-baby.html">ice storm</a> caused a lot of damage with power outages the last week of January in 2009, and a <a href="http://digilaura.blogspot.com/2010/02/nwa-ice-storm-2010.html">snow storm</a> hit the first week or so of February in 2010. The forecast of sleet and ice to start off this storm made everyone a bit nervous. In our case, we had escaped to Little Rock when we lost power during the 2009 ice storm, but with this system central Arkansas was expecting bad weather, too, so we would have been in trouble if we had lost power again.<br />
<br />
As predicted, we started off with sleet and freezing rain, followed by snow. The slick roads meant more snow days, but we didn't lose power. In all, we wound up with about 4-5 inches of snow over about .25" of ice in Fayetteville.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179067_1592282535865_1499958663_31286575_6514341_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179067_1592282535865_1499958663_31286575_6514341_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/179079_1592283095879_1499958663_31286578_5800019_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/179079_1592283095879_1499958663_31286578_5800019_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sometime during the warmer days before the snow, Shawn decided the football belonged in the tree.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179074_1592283855898_1499958663_31286582_7368638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179074_1592283855898_1499958663_31286582_7368638_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The warm weather also caused Tyler's tree to start budding. The new buds were coated in ice in the storm.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168046_1592283935900_1499958663_31286583_811208_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168046_1592283935900_1499958663_31286583_811208_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179368_1592284135905_1499958663_31286584_7446672_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179368_1592284135905_1499958663_31286584_7446672_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We only spent a short time outside, because this storm was followed by frigid cold temperatures. We were thankful to stay warm and cozy inside, playing a lot of video games and (in my case) getting some rest.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-88581650129820524142011-01-23T21:34:00.003-06:002011-03-06T20:25:19.381-06:00To the DentistMost parents will agree it's hard to find time to get basic appointments taken care of, like the eye doctor and the dentist. Shawn was scheduled to start some orthodontic work in February, so it was very important he visit the dentist for a cleaning before stating ortho. Unfortunately, I was in the hospital the last week of 2010, and the appointments I had scheduled for the three of us had to be canceled.<br />
<br />
With snow days keeping us home in January, I took a chance and it paid off--I was able to get the boys in to the dentist on a snowy afternoon! They didn't have time for all of us, but we scheduled a time for Shawn. When the person after Shawn didn't show up, we snuck Tyler into the schedule as well, so they both got their dental checkups and cleaning.<br />
<br />
Surprisingly, Shawn had done a great job of keeping his teeth clean. Considering the difficulty we've had with him brushing his teeth, this was a very pleasant surprise. (HoneyBear thought his lack of appetite due to meds might have been in his favor since he didn't eat much. Not eating much meant less ick in his mouth!) He chose a gumball machine from the treasure chest and got a "Certificate of Bravery" good for a free taco from Taco Bell.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hOYmbzNxpqEEPsyCazazyHFj1DMYtMNpH-dxXT1VgLDW9DRkWn1ka3KQGXPsq6kg7wM4Q1PTT6jwcWlP0luScraY3c8afIoNQlc5EZjpdmah0kIMj0Wl7WM0-caviGuyQUDSo99XAXA/s1600/IMG_1101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hOYmbzNxpqEEPsyCazazyHFj1DMYtMNpH-dxXT1VgLDW9DRkWn1ka3KQGXPsq6kg7wM4Q1PTT6jwcWlP0luScraY3c8afIoNQlc5EZjpdmah0kIMj0Wl7WM0-caviGuyQUDSo99XAXA/s320/IMG_1101.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Tyler didn't get a good report, unfortunately. Hearing this from someone other than parents might be a good thing, though. The hygienist showed us all proper brushing habits again, and he seemed to take the lesson to heart. He chose a little toy lizard from the treasure chest and also got a "Certificate of Bravery."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG7iDf7T5_SVZcdkcolWWIshfg4VkkI3nyyByobdA8ZmaunyMqoHvr3BJSw4NlWfbU1W98y3G1O4Ao1acdhUt4__SSGtprGRI4XoEP6fptMsk6qpfxclrKJz1HzoItP5RYaySE2_ILGI/s1600/IMG_1103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG7iDf7T5_SVZcdkcolWWIshfg4VkkI3nyyByobdA8ZmaunyMqoHvr3BJSw4NlWfbU1W98y3G1O4Ao1acdhUt4__SSGtprGRI4XoEP6fptMsk6qpfxclrKJz1HzoItP5RYaySE2_ILGI/s320/IMG_1103.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>They got their usual goody bag of dental care items after the visit. The upcoming weekend was a big football day with the Chicago Bears playing rivals Green Bay, so when I saw their toothbrush colors, I almost cheered. Orange and blue for Chicago--Go Bears! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/167376_1576789268543_1499958663_31259911_4878386_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/167376_1576789268543_1499958663_31259911_4878386_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I may not have gotten a cleaning, but the boys were set for another 6 months, and Shawn was ready for his orthodontic work. Besides, it's much easier to schedule one adult than a child who has to be picked up from school!DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-52761724640051900592011-01-23T21:08:00.001-06:002011-03-16T14:24:34.246-05:00January SnowThe third week in January was a full week. With the very successful start of Cross Church Fayetteville on January 16, we were glad for a holiday and no school the next day for a bit of rest. Of course, we wound up not getting much rest between doctor appointments for me and Shawn and a vet appointment for Tucker and cub scout meetings in the evenings, but the boys and I did get a little extra sleep in the morning.<br />
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Our short school week was made even shorter by the weather. Early morning of January 20 ushered in a snow storm that resulted in accumulation of 4-5 inches in Fayetteville. Fortunately, it wasn't too terribly cold, so we were able to get outside in it and play.<br />
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They brought out some cars to drive through the snow. The cars got buried in the depths and had to be "rescued."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168126_1575674120665_1499958663_31258222_301576_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168126_1575674120665_1499958663_31258222_301576_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> They had a snowball fight.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166130_1575672880634_1499958663_31258215_2263187_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166130_1575672880634_1499958663_31258215_2263187_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/165647_1575673200642_1499958663_31258216_7756445_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/165647_1575673200642_1499958663_31258216_7756445_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Shawn much preferred sending snowballs after his brother than getting hit.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166110_1575673320645_1499958663_31258217_4454433_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166110_1575673320645_1499958663_31258217_4454433_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>They had left the football in the yard so that it was buried in snow. They decided they had to play football, so dug it out. I think Daddy was jealous when he got home to learn they'd played snow-football. The crazy weather days were his favorite times to play his favorite game!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168703_1575673520650_1499958663_31258218_1878286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168703_1575673520650_1499958663_31258218_1878286_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/179835_1575673680654_1499958663_31258219_1697463_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/179835_1575673680654_1499958663_31258219_1697463_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/167378_1575673920660_1499958663_31258221_3765991_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/167378_1575673920660_1499958663_31258221_3765991_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When they tired of playing with the football, Shawn decided to bury it again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168182_1575674280669_1499958663_31258223_7456640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168182_1575674280669_1499958663_31258223_7456640_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Tyler threw a few more snowballs, but Shawn had a bit of a meltdown when a snowball hit him in the face. He couldn't get the snow off his glasses with his gloves on.<br />
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He continued playing sans glasses. Now that the football was buried, it was time to bury a soccer ball. Even in winter we have an abundance of balls in our yard. They may not be aired up, but they're there!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/168069_1575674640678_1499958663_31258226_500751_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/168069_1575674640678_1499958663_31258226_500751_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It was only snowing very lightly, but enough to try to catch flakes on the tongue.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179012_1575674880684_1499958663_31258227_6061943_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/179012_1575674880684_1499958663_31258227_6061943_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Tyler was very serious about his snowflake-catching!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166436_1575675040688_1499958663_31258228_7847563_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/166436_1575675040688_1499958663_31258228_7847563_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>They moved on to lightsaber duels. Tyler was not happy to have to use the red one, though, since no one used a red lightsaber on Planet Hoth in <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i>. Since they were playing in the snow, it had to be Hoth, right?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-snc4.fbcdn.net/164578_1575675200692_1499958663_31258229_6710865_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-snc4.fbcdn.net/164578_1575675200692_1499958663_31258229_6710865_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168954_1575675360696_1499958663_31258230_2897578_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://s-hphotos-ash1.fbcdn.net/168954_1575675360696_1499958663_31258230_2897578_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Missing two days for snow meant the holiday week was very short, but the boys had much fun playing in the first big snow storm of the year. We had already experienced a snow event in January, but "only" had about 1/2" of snow, so this one could indeed be called the first "big" snow storm. Meanwhile, there were already predictions of another storm or two headed our way. At least this one allowed some fun in the snow!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-30411080322312984022011-01-16T16:15:00.000-06:002011-01-22T07:44:13.076-06:00Praying for FayettevilleWith hours left before the start of Cross Church Fayetteville, the Fayetteville Core Team gathered together Saturday evening, January 15, in prayer for the next day. It was an amazing time to be together. We were able to see the stage prepared for the services the following morning. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167874_1570864200420_1499958663_31250443_2445326_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167874_1570864200420_1499958663_31250443_2445326_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs888.ash1/179608_1570864360424_1499958663_31250444_432320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs888.ash1/179608_1570864360424_1499958663_31250444_432320_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The worship leader's iPad was all ready as well. <br />
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We prayed together for the leaders, the people who would be there the next day, and the city. We finished with a brief worship time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs069.snc6/167949_1570864720433_1499958663_31250447_4111765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs069.snc6/167949_1570864720433_1499958663_31250447_4111765_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We were ready to see what God would do the next day as we began our great adventure.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-61023405951505465422011-01-16T14:42:00.001-06:002011-01-29T15:08:27.921-06:00A 5 Mile HikeTyler is thoroughly enjoying being a Scout. He has done a lot of work to ensure he not only gets his Webelos rank, but also achieves Arrow of Light, the highest rank a Cub Scout can achieve. By going those extra steps to reach Arrow of Light, he'll be able to "crossover," moving from Cub Scout to Boy Scout, at the end of February, rather than waiting until the end of the year.<br />
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One of the requirements for Arrow of Light involves an outing with a Boy Scout troop. He actually met this requirement with a campout in the fall, but had the opportunity to go on a hike with the Boy Scout troop this weekend. <br />
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A 5-mile hike seemed like a long distance to me, especially since he's never done any hiking, but he was excited to participate. They hiked the path around Lake Fayetteville, a beautiful trek that goes by the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and concludes by crossing over the spillway for Lake Fayetteville.<br />
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The boys had a great time! There wound up only being a small group of his Webelos den, but Tyler enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know some of the older boys, too. Since he'll be a part of their troop in a very short time period, it was good for him to start getting to know them. The weather was almost perfect. It was a cool day, but not cold, and after a short time they were able to take their jackets off. Tyler had carried his lighter jacket, so it was good for the time they needed the jackets, but also lighter to carry once they took them off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs016.snc6/166640_1568646504979_1499958663_31248240_2748891_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs016.snc6/166640_1568646504979_1499958663_31248240_2748891_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Even after a 5-mile hike, the boys had plenty of energy. When I arrived to pick them up they were even chasing one another around the pick-up area!<br />
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Tyler thoroughly enjoyed the day and the time with his friends. He's now looking forward to crossing over and joining his new friends in Boy Scout Troop 107.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-5430144556464744442011-01-14T21:28:00.002-06:002011-01-21T17:04:50.624-06:00Cross Church FayettevilleWhat exciting times! We are so close to the first service of Cross Church Fayetteville. The building is almost ready, and the plans are coming together for each team.<br />
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Wednesday night, January 12, our main teams met together at the building for the first time. HoneyBear and I joined the CrossKidz team to find out our roles. Though we'll be focusing on the Wednesday night activities once they start up in February, and HoneyBear will be balancing parking responsibilities with his time with CrossKidz, we're excited to be able to serve during the Sunday morning services for the first month or so.<br />
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HoneyBear did not have a good work day, with some problems occurring with the Pepsi truck, so he met the boys and me at the church. We arrived early enough to get a good look at the building and enjoy the Kidz area set.<br />
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We spent a little bit of time cleaning up toys for the preschool area. The boys, especially Shawn, joined a friend in her magical box--the best toy ever--and stayed entertained for quite some time.<br />
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Mr. Cameron gave us some great info, with Nick also joining in the meeting.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1395.snc4/164793_1570863760409_1499958663_31250441_4191719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1395.snc4/164793_1570863760409_1499958663_31250441_4191719_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We left excited about the upcoming weekend for Cross Church!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs783.ash1/167327_1570864000415_1499958663_31250442_3702119_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs783.ash1/167327_1570864000415_1499958663_31250442_3702119_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-16536384351508437182011-01-11T20:57:00.001-06:002011-01-27T11:53:40.892-06:00I Love FayettevilleI moved to Fayetteville in 1993 to go to school. Though we did live in Springdale for a few years after we were married, we've lived back in Fayetteville since Tyler was 2. We don't dislike Springdale, or any other town in Northwest Arkansas, but I work for the Fayetteville School District and our boys go to Fayetteville schools. We love Fayetteville.<br />
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We also love our church. HoneyBear has been going to First Baptist Church of Springdale since junior high. I started going my junior year in college. (I moved to that church because he went there, as well as a few other friends from our college group.) We were married at the church. Although we did attend another church not long after we were married, we both loved First Baptist and wound up back there. Both of our boys were baptized there. The boys and I have been in numerous childrens' choir presentations there. We love our church.<br />
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Our church is in Springdale. That's only a short drive up the road, but it is in a different town. It's a great town, but not our town. Last spring I began feeling a slight bit of discouragement about the location. The boys' friends (other than church friends) live in Fayetteville. I felt a bit of resistance asking friends to go to church with us in Springdale when we live in Fayetteville, even knowing it's so close. I also realized that a lot of the kids active in the youth group and childrens' ministry attended Springdale schools. Though there was absolutely nothing wrong with that, I began growing a bit concerned that the boys would have church friends separate from school friends. Since I have had a tendency to "church hop" in the past, though, I determined to ignore my concerns.<br />
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I was amazed and awe-struck in April when Pastor made an announcement that would change our lives. Our church would be planting a location in Fayetteville. We would have three campuses, all with the same mission and focus of reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/11243596?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/11243596">FB AdvancingOurMission</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/crosschurch">Cross Church</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Even with my previous feelings and concerns, it was not an easy decision for our family to become a part of the Fayetteville campus core team. I had a ministry opportunity with children's choirs, the boys were active there, we had friends we loved, and of course we had history at the Springdale location, especially HoneyBear. After prayer and discussion with others and together, we did make the decision to move to the Fayetteville location and work as part of the core team at the new campus.<br />
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We are so thankful for this opportunity. The first service is almost here, and we're moving forward in our new roles. I have an amazing opportunity to still be part of the children's ministry, including childrens' worship. HoneyBear will be not only part of the children's team, but will also use his vocation of driving to help the parking team. He'll be driving the 16-passenger vehicle to transport our members and guests between the various parking lots available to us up to the building. This is something he is uniquely skilled for, and it's exciting to see him have a perfect fit in our new adventure.<br />
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The boys will leave some of their friends, as will we, but God is working in our lives, and we all feel that we are where God wants us. What an amazing feeling it is to have confidence we are in God's will and his perfect timing.<br />
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We thank our God for our church and our city, which we love.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-29040331764542198422011-01-10T21:35:00.000-06:002011-01-21T17:12:00.516-06:00Sugar SugarThe Hogs had a great football season overall this year! With a final record of 10-3 (6-2 in SEC), they played in the Sugar Bowl on January 4, 2011.<br />
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I wasn't feeling up to a big get-together or watch party, so we opted to just stay home. I did, however, pick up some special treats. Rick's Bakery was doing a special on pre-orders for the game, so I ordered some cupcakes--some in chocolate and some in white for my son who doesn't like chocolate (I know, I don't understand it either.) We love Rick's--not only do they taste great, but they always turn out so cute. I ordered a Rick's cake for Tyler's first birthday party, and it was just so precious I got hooked. Tyler's birthday cakes come from Rick's every year now, and many of Shawn's as well.<br />
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The Rick's cupcakes this year fit well with the theme--SUGAR bowl! They were so sweet with all that icing. But we enjoyed them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdIu1Qb8ExjC8HRU2h5ln10QI0hf9umZXhgT3kuHvX4_deOE-L-RXw78RRyCoZ5g0lZbs4Gcf__8LqYrMHrjiJrSV1NU72r8YxWNxywgh5x0KhXruCS3-hEb8HSDPnTN78t5AE-L-DjQ/s1600/20110104_HogCupcakes_edTMP-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdIu1Qb8ExjC8HRU2h5ln10QI0hf9umZXhgT3kuHvX4_deOE-L-RXw78RRyCoZ5g0lZbs4Gcf__8LqYrMHrjiJrSV1NU72r8YxWNxywgh5x0KhXruCS3-hEb8HSDPnTN78t5AE-L-DjQ/s320/20110104_HogCupcakes_edTMP-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> We may not have won the game, but we're still proud of our Hogs.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-68949228808501446662011-01-08T20:48:00.000-06:002011-01-21T17:09:24.699-06:00Deer Camp<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've become more of an "inside kind of girl" over the last several years, particularly since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and experiencing the accompanying heat intolerance and challenges with temperature fluctuations. I think it's sometimes hard for my boys to believe that Mommy really did grow up spending more time outdoors. I've had to be careful, but we have been able to take some camping trips and do some fishing, so hopefully they can learn to enjoy these things anyway. Of course going boating with Papa and Nana also means tubing, which they already definitely enjoy. (They were shocked to see some pictures of Mommy as a teenager water skiing recently, though. It seems they think Papa has a boat and tubes just for them!)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This past year we were able to introduce Tyler to another outdoor activity that's always been meaningful in my family--hunting. Although Nana has never hunted, and I only went a few times as a teenager and young adult, deer season and squirrel season were always important parts of the year in my family. My dad, my grandfather, my dad's cousin, and some other men loved spending the time together in the woods almost as much as the hunting. With my grandfather and dad's cousin no longer with us, the love of hunting didn't change, but the loss of the important hunting partners certainly dampened some of the comradery that these trips allowed.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">HoneyBear did not grow up hunting, but he has always adored being outdoors and quickly learned to enjoy hunting trips. He has tried to join my dad hunting several different times since we married, but time off work has rarely worked out. Since he works with several hunters, he can't take off the times when my family spends time in the woods, and trying to coordinate the boys' fall sports and other things just gets crazy. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This year finally worked out with an after-Christmas hunt. To make it even more special, this year Tyler joined in to begin learning about his hunting heritage! He had already learned to enjoy his Red Rider BB Gun, but had not had any other opportunities to be involved in guns or hunting. HoneyBear and Tyler went through hunters' education classes in early December. It wasn't the most entertaining class for Tyler, but he did pass the test and seemed to learn some things. He especially noted the information on ATVs, since riding Papa's 4-wheelers has become a favorite activity at Nana and Papa's house. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the hunting trip, we traveled to Little Rock late Christmas Eve for Christmas at Nana and Papa's, then on December 26, the first day of the after Christmas hunt, we all traveled down to Camden and the deer woods. HoneyBear towed the 4-wheelers, and Papa towed the camper. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MNXh0KBEZBQ5rIlKENQN70-98hjbS1YeUoLZQlrPm8MAOy5fLeoAZnq7P3lf4p8MeEbPBljtVM9ldoatYiKwFnrEzwFRVErLOx6u26nagsM2QUHKhKaK_wMJDV7BRTp0Yd4LKyWU6tw/s1600/20101226_Geoff01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MNXh0KBEZBQ5rIlKENQN70-98hjbS1YeUoLZQlrPm8MAOy5fLeoAZnq7P3lf4p8MeEbPBljtVM9ldoatYiKwFnrEzwFRVErLOx6u26nagsM2QUHKhKaK_wMJDV7BRTp0Yd4LKyWU6tw/s320/20101226_Geoff01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HoneyBear's Christmas present seemed to be appreciated--a Hogs hat perfect for hunting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjI_K_VakwpYuROXwAaJWWoDikHjbQml3uHHRkm3LZBtJMSyVz6neRGMXsviylr8oECZYvRRicFdy4cStzgZZgXiZrzt7PoH-0ixmnlscISQwDU6W0OvJBEX7nH8TWrMu_HVPny9LXr4/s1600/20101226_Hunting01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjI_K_VakwpYuROXwAaJWWoDikHjbQml3uHHRkm3LZBtJMSyVz6neRGMXsviylr8oECZYvRRicFdy4cStzgZZgXiZrzt7PoH-0ixmnlscISQwDU6W0OvJBEX7nH8TWrMu_HVPny9LXr4/s320/20101226_Hunting01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HoneyBear looked on as Papa connected the trailer with the 4-wheelers to our truck.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZAdQVzRVHv9jZfEOWU8Zz2XAxaavDBcYg2Iuk4tAJy27Cs76jatk068aukU4fCF5KalZQXKt8mj7lxwKE6vjh8uzfm8B88awxF-t7L0fu1S1SwatASmpoCQqpKcxd4RFN0IJOlNfEC4/s1600/20101226_Hunting02_Dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZAdQVzRVHv9jZfEOWU8Zz2XAxaavDBcYg2Iuk4tAJy27Cs76jatk068aukU4fCF5KalZQXKt8mj7lxwKE6vjh8uzfm8B88awxF-t7L0fu1S1SwatASmpoCQqpKcxd4RFN0IJOlNfEC4/s320/20101226_Hunting02_Dogs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tucker and Roly enjoyed chasing Papa as he headed around the camper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since it was a pretty chilly day and Nana and I both were feeling poorly, once we got there she and I settled in to the camper and napped (which meant there were no photos taken at camp). Shawn enjoyed being in the campsite, and wandered around collecting rocks and just being all boy. Tyler got a chance to go over with HoneyBear and Papa to sight in the gun he'd be using and do some shooting. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a brief moment of being directionally challenged, Shawn, Nana and I left the guys in the woods and headed back to Little Rock. They wound up not seeing any deer, but did enjoy the time together in deer camp. </div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-89838326106423742062010-06-11T21:46:00.000-05:002010-06-11T11:00:50.741-05:00BuildersThis year we have gotten involved in a new free activity for kids--building workshops. Lowe's has Kids' Building workshops every few weeks, and provides a free building kit and a place to build it, along with an apron and badges for each project. We've had so much fun with these! <br />
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We've built baseball games.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs439.snc3/25228_1275277930948_1499958663_30650979_1443501_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs439.snc3/25228_1275277930948_1499958663_30650979_1443501_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs439.snc3/25228_1275294691367_1499958663_30651018_7588301_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs439.snc3/25228_1275294691367_1499958663_30651018_7588301_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We've built bird feeders (and purchased bird seed from the store to use in the feeders...that one didn't turn out to be as "free" as the others ☺).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs471.snc3/25858_1287304631608_1499958663_30675417_3002131_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs471.snc3/25858_1287304631608_1499958663_30675417_3002131_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We built a little school house for teachers' appreciation week that could also hold a business card. HoneyBear even built one of those for me!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs562.snc3/30697_1293413824334_1499958663_30688281_5376294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs562.snc3/30697_1293413824334_1499958663_30688281_5376294_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYPl-gLWWeGgeFhrr9wMqBakTxcCVsDKv5y5Apsx9Wp3mcELwdqy9RcRjlbnNd2L6MLYl8fvofmoNKzKfiayZAWXgtSCCAPnr5A8FWTiDrj1UlVYKRzbG3v5jqYcKDheJBAg9_jk5ZS4/s1600/IMG_0512+edite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYPl-gLWWeGgeFhrr9wMqBakTxcCVsDKv5y5Apsx9Wp3mcELwdqy9RcRjlbnNd2L6MLYl8fvofmoNKzKfiayZAWXgtSCCAPnr5A8FWTiDrj1UlVYKRzbG3v5jqYcKDheJBAg9_jk5ZS4/s320/IMG_0512+edite.JPG" /></a></div>We planned to build a catapult--the project Tyler was most excited about--but wound up getting there too late. We were able to get the kits, though, so we'll build them at home this summer.<br />
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This weekend we changed it up a bit and went to Home Depot. Home Depot does their kid clinics once a month, on the first Saturday of each month. It makes it easier to remember, but of course is less frequent. This month's project was a mini soccer game in honor of the World Cup. The boys were excited that Home Depot's project used wood glue as well as tools. They also use pins on the aprons rather than sew-on patches, so the pins could be added immediately, as opposed to patches, which are still waiting to be attached.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo-n3dAU9Bg3x3JFBnK8TqGz6OzKQ-e54KaJZAmvQjdQWL7mOHpcrT-17xmnZ_IVbKll75IfmvUztI8NtD6edPppW488K_7jN2UEDcZz5_Rboj8TE2Kqd5TOigw4m172p91BsdI3wZHc/s1600/IMG_0558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo-n3dAU9Bg3x3JFBnK8TqGz6OzKQ-e54KaJZAmvQjdQWL7mOHpcrT-17xmnZ_IVbKll75IfmvUztI8NtD6edPppW488K_7jN2UEDcZz5_Rboj8TE2Kqd5TOigw4m172p91BsdI3wZHc/s320/IMG_0558.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnyv96bzMFbd6Vi1AsSXrSvA5BKtFXgp3-UYyfrFa8h4tp6hkk8qQ6DqLczFhne2Q21cTGErmI0i7HE-H2BzKEXDhei3BckswFx5-SIgxuw_NfIrCNU9bGlxylaGv7uYiA1CPx0qv4Ks/s1600/IMG_0559+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnyv96bzMFbd6Vi1AsSXrSvA5BKtFXgp3-UYyfrFa8h4tp6hkk8qQ6DqLczFhne2Q21cTGErmI0i7HE-H2BzKEXDhei3BckswFx5-SIgxuw_NfIrCNU9bGlxylaGv7uYiA1CPx0qv4Ks/s320/IMG_0559+edited.jpg" /></a></div>We'll continue these fun, free outings as long as the boys enjoy them, especially since they wind up with a fee toy after the building is complete!DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-45450338695790987542010-06-04T11:09:00.001-05:002010-06-11T09:39:24.360-05:00School's Out for Summer!Snow days never look as good in June as they do during the winter, and this year our area certainly looked askance at them after Memorial Day. Our district only had 5 days out of school, which was actually fewer than many of our neighboring districts. Unfortunately, no snow days were built into the schedule this year, meaning that all five had to be made up at the end of the year. Rather than finishing the year the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, we went the Tuesday through Friday of the week of Memorial Day, and an additional Monday of the next week. June 7 felt like it would never arrive for many of our students--and teachers!<br />
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Our family made a decision this year that still seems a little surprising--the boys missed the last day of school. Hear me out before you gasp too deeply, please. Though I work in the district, I am on a longer contract than teachers in order to ensure technology in the building is ready for summer. This also gives our team the chance to offer some early summer professional development that counts toward the following year. This means that a week after school is out for students and teachers I am still on contract. This is not a problem, but it does require child care for the boys. The week is the perfect week for the boys to stay in Little Rock with Nana and Papa!<br />
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Going to school on Monday and then getting to Little Rock with Mommy and Daddy working the next morning was more of a challenge than we wanted to face, however. With the boys still in elementary school, and teachers assuring me that there would be little but movie time and cleanup missed on the last Monday, we opted to take the boys to Little Rock over the weekend.<br />
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Friday, June 4, was the last day of 4th grade and kindergarten for the boys. I forgot the 'real' camera, but did get a quick cell phone camera photo of them as they were going in the back door.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HK0_KYOsiUodqyJe3lPVlC3Nr2eadQ1MUxl5l-104e25ohAYyrNw097rRmWXhyphenhyphenjjng311ck6iTpvxqJa9PaP0QZO7jNhOVY-42Mzoe4DI5ZRhXJ81o-HanIsjZxjwLeaicHdHOPuhZw/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HK0_KYOsiUodqyJe3lPVlC3Nr2eadQ1MUxl5l-104e25ohAYyrNw097rRmWXhyphenhyphenjjng311ck6iTpvxqJa9PaP0QZO7jNhOVY-42Mzoe4DI5ZRhXJ81o-HanIsjZxjwLeaicHdHOPuhZw/s320/IMG_0556.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>They've grown up so much this year! Of course, they have grown physically. Here they are on the first day of school, excited about a new school year in a newly remodeled building, with Shawn just starting 'big school.'<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFdK1FMHHw4-9L_MnDuP37rVkFEe1RcnqMcuiFdB_kzDVkTj1y6lgFkqb5x6QOXDMs4n4Emg-mriL1kwKoPSICki8MGV-sXgBjojeMKJtYiLHkG3F5WHOp8oD63BrW9Jb5xgg08Nz1Uk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFdK1FMHHw4-9L_MnDuP37rVkFEe1RcnqMcuiFdB_kzDVkTj1y6lgFkqb5x6QOXDMs4n4Emg-mriL1kwKoPSICki8MGV-sXgBjojeMKJtYiLHkG3F5WHOp8oD63BrW9Jb5xgg08Nz1Uk/" width="240" /></a></div>They also learned a lot this year. The both brought home wonderful report cards, and Tyler even got a certificate and a medal for getting all A's on the Honor Roll all year. He also showed a huge boost of confidence, between GT presentations and reports, getting a solo in the school musical, and having the lead in the church musical. It helped to make a great new best friend, too.<br />
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Shawn had an impressive year of learning, despite some challenges. He struggled with his sensory issues, continuing to chew on marker lids and bouncing a lot. He started his occupational therapy during the year, and also began taking medication for ADHD. Despite these challenges, his reading, writing, and math skills were wonderful, and he continued to surprise us with his new abilities and knowledge.<br />
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We're so excited about a fun summer with time at the library, at dollar kid's movies, camping at the lake, trips to Silver Dollar City, a day at Wild River Country in Little Rock, fireworks at Nana and Papa's house for the 4th of July, and just lots of fun. I expect them to have some video game time, too!<br />
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So our rising 5th grader, our rising 1st grader, and their Mommy are very glad to sing "school's out for summer!"DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-71082338049726061632010-04-16T20:05:00.019-05:002010-04-19T21:09:18.305-05:00Baseball, Books, Buffets, and Nerf BulletsSome of our Saturday's are filled with rest, especially when certain MS symptoms show themselves. Some Saturdays are filled with family fun. Still others are productive days where we get things done around the house.<br />
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It's a rare Saturday when we are able to have family fun AND be productive.<br />
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Saturday, April 10, 2010, was fortunately one of those Saturdays where we had some fun family time in the morning, and still had some productive time in the afternoon. It was a wonderful day, and the boys enjoyed it a lot.<br />
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We started the day with a first--we went to Lowe's for a kids building workshop. They provide kits and aprons for each child, and let them use tools. After the kit is built the children get patches to sew on their aprons and a certificate. Tyler now wants to go back every time there is a clinic, and I think it's as much for the patches as the building projects!<br />
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April 10 was a perfect kit for our boys--they built a miniature baseball game, complete with ball, that they could then play after it was built! Both boys were very excited to get started.<br />
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They opened the kit and sorted out the pieces, then started going over the directions. This is Tyler's special area--following directions--and Shawn loves to follow his brother.<br />
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9t8O3g9Rd53ifg6q2xwXWWhoWxt5FULDumzl-ioezFexfUHrMIDusiA_rtFZpTeSyQbgUIn7uCaf5smP1ryWpZsTbse6J8OA6Lq5sh5EipLCuiNYYDOOS_b6Akm9a77t6Ds3QrnHkwM/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9t8O3g9Rd53ifg6q2xwXWWhoWxt5FULDumzl-ioezFexfUHrMIDusiA_rtFZpTeSyQbgUIn7uCaf5smP1ryWpZsTbse6J8OA6Lq5sh5EipLCuiNYYDOOS_b6Akm9a77t6Ds3QrnHkwM/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" /></a> </div>With some help from Daddy and the Lowe's workshop leader, the boys built their baseball games.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/11032231">Lowe's Kids Workshop 4/10/10: Baseball Game</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3312395">DigiLaura</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Once the games were built, it was time to play with them!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bIeQr9E1eWysDP7M61RF1PGA-M_f6-0UiKtchfIa5L723RDU5CLj0QybgKFlCS2wRGunQ-NS_RNaibCpANnVLwvkHwd3DqaJ_7H19b_-2T4zceqfXYPXusjIpYbDxM12N_65E1JNea8/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bIeQr9E1eWysDP7M61RF1PGA-M_f6-0UiKtchfIa5L723RDU5CLj0QybgKFlCS2wRGunQ-NS_RNaibCpANnVLwvkHwd3DqaJ_7H19b_-2T4zceqfXYPXusjIpYbDxM12N_65E1JNea8/s320/IMG_0464.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32WPIKSpYzcmgSZ9BaGkdpN95WoPsZ_kneg4ipMSkDa9K87lpIlTwu16mRVCwsqGDAla34SxMudr4humTmRtBQ9_ZYJ-nKW-LJ2nGFSmKsYOKmo3gd9f6c3EKJ6JulGBih-_MbFawQ2s/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32WPIKSpYzcmgSZ9BaGkdpN95WoPsZ_kneg4ipMSkDa9K87lpIlTwu16mRVCwsqGDAla34SxMudr4humTmRtBQ9_ZYJ-nKW-LJ2nGFSmKsYOKmo3gd9f6c3EKJ6JulGBih-_MbFawQ2s/s320/IMG_0465.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9vNBxUOz6jz3BHHYeez2Wwv8a4Bsvg2_aaKWtcOpsOF9nHVFhIF8oeKEUR2rvQkdY3GwuNHTbyMOFJYpnnxRD4PIUF1DamdqC7aUL1WkmpHP81xbNXfjNxCdVBJ5IF2xsL0RwutGb5s/s1600/IMG_0469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9vNBxUOz6jz3BHHYeez2Wwv8a4Bsvg2_aaKWtcOpsOF9nHVFhIF8oeKEUR2rvQkdY3GwuNHTbyMOFJYpnnxRD4PIUF1DamdqC7aUL1WkmpHP81xbNXfjNxCdVBJ5IF2xsL0RwutGb5s/s320/IMG_0469.JPG" /></a></div><br />
After our baseball building fun, we headed for some books. We needed new stories for bedtime, so we went to the Fayetteville library. The boys and I renewed our cards (and paid some fines), while HoneyBear got a new card. Tyler went for the digital card catalog to find books for a research project, while Shawn was drawn to the computers, from which we had to drag him away when it was time to leave.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgkL26dBxVoeYLUvz95myViOT0ZUbHmZjYg7jZLyLvz3gAbvLimGD_WqIb3oWvhoC89esyCI1zOM9gsYwzxhaiq0E526i5szNtkBAOudIJyKy-T4ngTSs2jeoNgKPtCPS-PahXK8jP4s/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgkL26dBxVoeYLUvz95myViOT0ZUbHmZjYg7jZLyLvz3gAbvLimGD_WqIb3oWvhoC89esyCI1zOM9gsYwzxhaiq0E526i5szNtkBAOudIJyKy-T4ngTSs2jeoNgKPtCPS-PahXK8jP4s/s320/IMG_0470.JPG" /></a></div>After much deliberation, HoneyBear chose <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> for our next family read. I'm not sure if our current musical about diving under the sea had any influence, but it was a good choice.<br />
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After leaving the library, it was time for lunch. The cafe I was hoping for had closed since the last time we were there, which was admittedly a while ago, but we were able to drive by the Razorback baseball stadium in our lunch quest. Since we had spent the morning building a miniature baseball game, seeing the actual baseball stadium seemed appropriate. With my lunch choice no longer available, we decided upon a favorite of the boys, especially the big boy--Chinese! Somehow this has become a common theme, though HoneyBear would say we don't go there enough. We do go enough, apparently, that the owners and several of the wait staff know us, making the boys happy.<br />
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After a full morning, we made it home. With pretty weather and a desperate need to get some cleaning done, we opened up the garage and became productive in the afternoon. The boys enjoyed this process, since we found several stored toys that hadn't yet been used, as well as some that had gotten buried. The favorite of the afternoon was a Nerf tag set, though Shawn struggled a bit playing by the rules!<br />
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<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11033303&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11033303&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/11033303">Nerf Tag</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3312395">DigiLaura</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Our fun and productive day was a great mix, and created memories for the boys and us. Hopefully we'll be able to repeat the formula soon!<br />
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-50048043829768375882010-04-13T21:54:00.004-05:002010-04-14T11:42:20.859-05:00Do We Already Have a Pre-Teen?Some things really surprise me. Fortunately, a lot of surprises are good things. Particularly as a pessimist---ahem...realist---surprising outcomes are often a very good thing. Expecting to have to replace the starter in my car and only needing a battery is a good surprise. A card or gift from my hubby that I find in my car is a good surprise (hint, hint...).<br />
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Having my sweet little boy, who is only 9 years old, suddenly act like a rebellious teenager, however, is not such a good surprise. <br />
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This week is testing week for Tyler. THE testing week. The tests that determine how the school and district is ranked and rated. The tests that he should have no problem doing well on, but still require concentration. <br />
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Testing week does not mean he gets away without doing homework or chores, however. It does mean an earlier bedtime.<br />
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With testing week upon us, Monday night we saw a side of Tyler that we wish we hadn't. First, he chose to not do his homework. We have been having some struggles with math homework this year. He is consistently not doing his math practice exercises, so he is behind on his multiplication and division facts. This is unacceptable in our house, and he knows it, but the math facts are not fun, so the sheets get forgotten at school. I even bought him a game for his Nintendo DS for Math, but it's not as much fun as his other games. <br />
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His homework was to redo questions he missed on his math test, all of which went back to the basic math facts. Not only had he not done them after school, but he did not do any of his work, instead getting on the computer and later on his DS. I asked him about the test just before bedtime, so that he suddenly remembered he had to redo it and get a parent's signature for bonus points. <br />
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Instead of gathering to read a book chapter or two before bed, we all gathered in the boys' room to go over the missed problems. Forty-five minutes later, he finally got it corrected. With testing continuing the next day, staying up that far past bedtime was problematic, so we skipped our reading. We hurried to get them into bed and tucked in, and went about our evening.<br />
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An hour later I discovered a problem. <br />
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At about 9:45 I went back to my room to go to the bathroom. Hearing a noise from the boys' room, I prepared myself to get Shawn back into bed. This is a regular occurrence, unfortunately. I was quite surprised to find Shawn sound asleep and looking quite angelic. This was a good surprise.<br />
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I was also surprised to see Tyler in his glasses, even though I thought I remembered him putting them on his bedside table. I was even more surprised to move his covers and discover something unexpected. His DS, which was supposed to stay in the other room at night, had somehow gotten into his bed. It had somehow been turned on. It had somehow been in the middle of play. My child had somehow done all this in order to play games. To top it off, he excused himself by saying he just has a problem stopping playing the games.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpNtpCdf6mTFt-5JA5f3fIL4-84uKVb8v5YoIByxIKVu4EzxlYnGQdL6bfdVHTEmIYxGN_hku5g9FWZ1_R7ql-s1-A1Hh1d_3S_KNLlqC4uenAZtuYylGsGGS5UWvosbs5NQXpgkVLE/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzpNtpCdf6mTFt-5JA5f3fIL4-84uKVb8v5YoIByxIKVu4EzxlYnGQdL6bfdVHTEmIYxGN_hku5g9FWZ1_R7ql-s1-A1Hh1d_3S_KNLlqC4uenAZtuYylGsGGS5UWvosbs5NQXpgkVLE/s320/Copy+of+IMG_0404.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Fortunately for him, it's quite easy for us as parents to help him with this problem. In his words, he is now "banned" from the DS. He is also not to be on the computer at Grandma's house after school, since that time is supposed to be used on homework. I would be surprised if he were to do something like this again anytime soon.<br />
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I hope that this is the only surprise of this type I have from him. Of course, as a realist, I know that I'm likely to be in for some other situations as he gets older. <br />
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Hopefully he'll surprise me and his teenage years will be wonderful. Because I think we have already started the process. <br />
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I think we now have a pre-teen.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-76257005394487959682010-03-24T20:36:00.004-05:002011-01-20T08:50:50.388-06:00Spring?The first day of spring was March 20 this year. Spring break was March 22-March 26. The boys went to Little Rock for spring break and basked in the sun and outdoor fun.<br />
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So how did Northwest Arkansas wind up with yet more snow? It's spring! We live in the south!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybt-PkU784ZZqVCdfC6Mad-04m3a_itFTanRCcBMvuKDzmB_-7UY5nGG7ncRoy9XrdaBmn9KfubVr1-k8hCvJz-R2iXCKD_O9K6vt_B3F4bqjUu0wk5IpeYk2AZBzBrJW5uyhkTEdVJM/s1600/20100322_SnowHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybt-PkU784ZZqVCdfC6Mad-04m3a_itFTanRCcBMvuKDzmB_-7UY5nGG7ncRoy9XrdaBmn9KfubVr1-k8hCvJz-R2iXCKD_O9K6vt_B3F4bqjUu0wk5IpeYk2AZBzBrJW5uyhkTEdVJM/s320/20100322_SnowHouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2k9NAfrUmBISSIhCq4S5YSp7wRkNuuMr5s1XVu_4_CFQQSmwH5PJ7_8QB_iaB7ULHER6O9czDQF1mgrGbats5bJft81Q1kHcgWls-5KbEZpl6QqiIPRS7zgNjM0VuJ07c6Scx32Le_k/s1600/20100322_SnowVehicle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2k9NAfrUmBISSIhCq4S5YSp7wRkNuuMr5s1XVu_4_CFQQSmwH5PJ7_8QB_iaB7ULHER6O9czDQF1mgrGbats5bJft81Q1kHcgWls-5KbEZpl6QqiIPRS7zgNjM0VuJ07c6Scx32Le_k/s320/20100322_SnowVehicle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is certainly not the first time it has snowed in the spring. Grandma's birthday is April 5, and she has had snowy birthdays multiple times. I think we're just really ready for some warmer weather. <br />
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Of course, wait until July and August and we'll be wishing for snow...DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-67899301340296140282010-03-04T17:06:00.002-06:002010-04-18T20:02:41.510-05:00Looking Towards a Musical SpringI have expected to share pictures of the boys in the snow, and in fact have two days of snow adventures to share. With the snow finally melted and the sun peeking through, though, our family is ready to look toward spring and warm weather. I'll plan to share our snow adventures when we're out of school for spring break, and looking at snow won't cause fear of more snow days and more days to make up at the end of the year.<br /><br />We can definitely tell the boys are ready for spring--we've already had multiple times jackets have been lost at school after being forgotten on the playground. It is frustrating for them; with mornings still cold with temperatures in the 20s, we have to have jackets and coats, but the afternoons are in the 50s, which is a heat wave for us after our colder temperatures this winter. Of course, it's even more frustrating for them when they get in trouble for forgetting their coats at school.<br /><br />This spring will be another musical one! Last spring Tyler and Shawn and I were in our church musical and Tyler was also in a musical at my middle school while taking guitar lessons. That got out of control quickly, so we won't be doing all of that this year, but we will have another musical at church--God's Word in 3D. Tyler is ecstatic to have just been told he'll have the lead drama part in the musical! He'll play Jonas, the leader of the little pack of kids going under the sea to explore God's world. Jonas has a sidekick TJ who follows along with whatever Jonas does, and that part will be played by another Tyler in our group. <br /><br />This will be a family event, since Shawn will be in the preschool/kindergarten choir and sing before the musical, and I will again lead a small group. This year we get an extra special treat in that Daddy will also be leading a small group. He will work with some kids to have them act out without words a song about the story of Jonah, complete with a big blue whale. He's excited to be doing some drama work again, and Tyler and I are proud to have him join us.<br /><br />This spring in school Tyler also gets another musical treat--the 4th graders are learning to play the recorder. I'm incredibly excited, since learning recorder and doing well is what led me to choose to play clarinet in band. He loves music, so he's just happy to play. Tyler gave a little recital for me while Shawn was in therapy, which I was able to get on video. They heard it in the therapy session, and Shawn told everyone that it was his brother, who can play Hot Cross Buns on the recorder. He was very proud of his brother.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9913868&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9913868&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9913868">Hot Cross Buns on Recorder by Tyler</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3312395">Laura Wainscott</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />Shawn also loves music, especially pretend instruments. His air guitar and air drums are outstanding :). He especially loves the song Monster by the band Skillet, which I often have to play over and over when the boys are in the car with me. I finally got a part of that on video as well, though it's in a moving vehicle.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9913939&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9913939&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9913939">Shawn Feels Like a Monster</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3312395">Laura Wainscott</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />We're looking forward to seeing more of the sun, feeling more warmth with the spring weather, and hearing more music this spring.<br /><br />Do you have any musical adventures heading your way this spring?DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-6816305429478629822010-02-15T20:50:00.001-06:002010-02-16T11:54:11.283-06:00Happy Valentine's DayI love Valentine's Day! It's my favorite holiday. It's made extra special for us, because we actually consider February 12 and February 16 special days, too.<br />
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February 12 is special because we consider it the anniversary of when we started dating. That sounds corny, of course, but when we met in college we were best friends first. After a year, we both started to feel like we wanted it to be more, but there was so much at stake with our friendship we were concerned. On February 12, 1997, my dorm roommate and I had a little dinner party. Her boyfriend was in town from England (yes, the country, not England, Arkansas), and we wanted to have a special time. The four of us had dinner and watched the movie "The Rock." When HoneyBear left, we had a moment to talk, and decided to see what would happen if we became a dating couple. We celebrate February 12 as an anniversary.<br />
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February 16 is the day that HoneyBear proposed to me, in 1998. We had made a joint decision, and had even picked out a ring together, but he presented me with it, along with a giant panda bear and a precious card, in the living room of my apartment. It was a Monday night, and I had rehearsal for Fine Arts Team through the University's Baptist Student Union that night. Since he had been on the team the year before, the team members were good friends to both of us, and we planned to tell them that night of our engagement. He had excellent timing to ensure I had a ring with the announcement. Of course, he was a little sneaky and told me it wasn't ready so the actual proposal could be a surprise. We definitely consider February 16 a special day in our lives.<br />
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With the two dates, plus Valentine's Day, it's easy to find a time to celebrate together! This year we had the fortune of having two celebrations. We had a date night on Saturday night with the boys staying with Grandma. We took advantage of the Valentine's special at one of my favorite restaurants, Marketplace Grill. We even saw some friends--the instructors of our dogs' obedience school classes were out for the evening, too. As a plus, my hair was actually fixed curly, since I had gotten it highlighted that afternoon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LC-tona7rrUfdG5OU4C69E8xO1FoBrLJYkwDtaJhcfiXsyVFtTF0nDs-wacwVKTe5mRIXrz7RjPq3szhB6gFkTp90Kz-rE9OXCtaAX9pdd-ikxQNbThJ94pDqbbJyLUM64kawwLSJ5M/s1600-h/Copy+of+IMG_0317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LC-tona7rrUfdG5OU4C69E8xO1FoBrLJYkwDtaJhcfiXsyVFtTF0nDs-wacwVKTe5mRIXrz7RjPq3szhB6gFkTp90Kz-rE9OXCtaAX9pdd-ikxQNbThJ94pDqbbJyLUM64kawwLSJ5M/s320/Copy+of+IMG_0317.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5Its5I0EljZFIJjT4aWHWeOyluP8LDJVVrH3utnYLTF-ZADatCCY0Ir0JEDj_QC-4GFhegCPWrytd3Ji9KPmGVd7NcxvFrsmC-_btFiFUzLbXkVmXVk4KWGlUWNwiD-bSnc-tYMV_ws/s1600-h/Copy+of+IMG_0319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5Its5I0EljZFIJjT4aWHWeOyluP8LDJVVrH3utnYLTF-ZADatCCY0Ir0JEDj_QC-4GFhegCPWrytd3Ji9KPmGVd7NcxvFrsmC-_btFiFUzLbXkVmXVk4KWGlUWNwiD-bSnc-tYMV_ws/s320/Copy+of+IMG_0319.jpg" /></a><br />
The next night was a special evening organized by our church. Child care was provided at church, so the boys were able to play with friends. Called the Great Date Experiment, it was the first of 6 structured dates, with instructions available for download. To be honest, we didn't follow the guidelines exactly, but we did appreciate the parts we did complete. This first one was on Communication, so there were some guided discussion questions that were really fun and helpful. We were also supposed to take a picture of ourselves at each step of the process. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMNleGlbSn2agFQ7yWokRb85BqK-KPww2c7DgkySCnHUJzp92Lp7uTRzM0y8tNvYOvUns_RVTMi-xRnEmUqXRumXBEWiEvxfadPFcaH2Qr5HcLlr-9LdPav78haMgnvE4NSg-ToNrrXA/s1600-h/1002034560.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438898656026095698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMNleGlbSn2agFQ7yWokRb85BqK-KPww2c7DgkySCnHUJzp92Lp7uTRzM0y8tNvYOvUns_RVTMi-xRnEmUqXRumXBEWiEvxfadPFcaH2Qr5HcLlr-9LdPav78haMgnvE4NSg-ToNrrXA/s320/1002034560.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 180px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Did you make a memory this Valentine's Day?DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-47579105816231149432010-02-09T22:26:00.007-06:002011-01-20T08:20:17.577-06:00Making a Man Made Out of Snow<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Snow! Our family has had some fun in the snow this year. During the days we called the NWA Snow Storm, the boys and I had several days outside in the snow. HoneyBear got to be in on some of the snow play, too. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sunday afternoon, with snow everywhere and snowmen all over town, we made our first family snowman. HoneyBear had of course made lots of snowmen, and had always loved the snow. Tyler had also made some snow creatures, the most memorable being the one he made with the little Blue (from Blue's Clues) sprinkler we had in the garage when he was just 2. We moved Blue into the yard and packed snow on him. A little scarf finished off the snow Blue.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This time we had help from Daddy. We would make a snow man. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The boys brought Daddy the snow, with some help from cottage cheese buckets. The dogs didn't last long outside, but still left some marks that had to be avoided when collecting snow. With the boys' help, the snow was packed into a form. We added a cap from HoneyBear's collection, and he was done. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I took the chance to use my Flip Video camera from school so we could remember the day we made a man out of snow.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyQIMQBwDD7okFRONGHkhPlWrEYZlrSl0n2SSh6gbpBRNS8shB_7k_Cc-_PeX-hrc_Zh1OxjG38QUnlIaVr-g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970216825679088796.post-41295174842986112372010-02-06T22:04:00.037-06:002011-01-20T08:15:34.636-06:00NWA Ice Storm 2010During the last week of January last year Northwest Arkansas suffered from an <a href="http://digilaura.blogspot.com/2009/01/ice-ice-baby.html">ice storm</a> that caused almost the entire area to be out of power. When people in Northwest Arkansas heard that almost exactly one year later we would be facing another winter storm warning with ice and snow accumulation, the region reacted. Grocery stores were quickly wiped out of bread and milk, and Sam's went through quite a few generators. People in the region also stocked up on bottled water, so that HoneyBear had extra deliveries to the grocery stores with Aquafina and other Pepsi products. <br />
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As we watched the weather move into our area, we all watched the radar and the weather predictions. Thursday morning started with some sleet and freezing rain, but then cleared, with no road problems, so we made it to school. The winter storm watch was changed to a winter storm warning and a winter weather advisory, though, making us nervous all day that school would have to dismiss early. Fortunately, we made it through the day before the rest of the storm system hit.<br />
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Just after school was out, light precipitation started. By the time I got home, just minutes from school, my Explorer was covered in icicles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0ENi7KjvaNvz7fhqcHJwsODL-WKOwDvqO1LpDVoGhH1xjQCcHGlDgdaX0yCBMRI9nASPF5m-8Nb_fgyHB_Jlgr6ZowYskBnc2pIvWvYYD0nW0MMrrK9_T6nzfRFtvXCJTTOyzd2qjXc/s1600/20100128_Ice_Explorer01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0ENi7KjvaNvz7fhqcHJwsODL-WKOwDvqO1LpDVoGhH1xjQCcHGlDgdaX0yCBMRI9nASPF5m-8Nb_fgyHB_Jlgr6ZowYskBnc2pIvWvYYD0nW0MMrrK9_T6nzfRFtvXCJTTOyzd2qjXc/s320/20100128_Ice_Explorer01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With memories of last year still in our minds, we began to get nervous. For our family, our safety net was even eliminated--though we had been able to escape to Little Rock the year before, central Arkansas was also expecting winter weather, and we could no longer drive down to Nana and Papa's house if we lost power.<br />
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Fortunately for keeping power, NWA Ice Storm 2010 turned into NWA Snow Storm 2010! The sleet and freezing rain changed over to snow, and kept it up for hours. The ice and snow in our yard was so pretty--a true winter wonderland.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fpugbug12%2Falbumid%2F5564257378578327681%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCNq27efm5-mA5gE%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed></div><br />
Tucker wasn't very happy with the cold or the snow, but Roly spent time outside. He was so funny prancing through the snow. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40cIqtBLoJDBD0X-QE1QxBbiIbr8jkyhoqd6UhO3GHEXUcORt5EFZ6SYvULPPGwDmMLUqhdMR6XtksI9ZYaxAZDRxEabtm7t8T04dpDrcXTmuc3CcKcdT6i9TADPR_y0fQuAKCaazP0A/s1600/20100128_Snow_Roly02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40cIqtBLoJDBD0X-QE1QxBbiIbr8jkyhoqd6UhO3GHEXUcORt5EFZ6SYvULPPGwDmMLUqhdMR6XtksI9ZYaxAZDRxEabtm7t8T04dpDrcXTmuc3CcKcdT6i9TADPR_y0fQuAKCaazP0A/s320/20100128_Snow_Roly02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We were quite thankful to not have the power outages and dangerous conditions from the previous year as we settled in to enjoy the snow.DigiLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02847381305366665631noreply@blogger.com0