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Beach Badge
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Beach Badge

Jul 26, 2014

Ladies and Gentlemen, Today I took my toddlers to the beach by myself.  and survived.  I’ve been wanting to earn my Motherhood Beach Badge for so long, but it has been a way-too-intimidating hurdle for me.  There’s mess, gear, parking, cars…and what about rogue waves? Conquering this feat today was motivated by hot weather reports and sheer desperation: we just can’t repeat the past two...

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The Problem With Getting Out
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In general, we don’t get out much. I am not the mom who takes her kids to the park or on walks every day.  I’d like to be, but most environments are just not fun for very long with my two littles.  I’ve been feeling like we’ve been growing out of some of the chaos and that the kids are starting to follow directions...

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Polar Bears and Cabbage
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I’m playing a lot of catch up from my Nomadic November…the nice part about it is stopping to rethink again how special it was to have these visits with family and friends. Before meeting up with Tyler and Whitney for an early Thanksgiving with our Phoenix Family, Dylan and I went on a Midwest tour: first to Chicago (post to come) and then to...

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Uncle Ironman
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Uncle Ironman

Dec 4, 2013

We got to gather with my in-loves last month.  While there, we had the privilege of watching some of Uncle Jason’s Ironman Triathlon.  Tyler went and took pictures throughout the whole event and we joined him for a few hours in the middle of the day.  If you’ve never seen an Ironman let me tell you…it is amazing.  First of all, it starts before...

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Let’s Go Fly a Kite
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Let’s Go Fly a Kite

Sep 27, 2013

Family fun at the park… The wonderful world of Dylan Boy: And then there’s the really truly sweet side: Cheering squad.  (Dylan demonstrating the baseball “Charge!”) Enjoying the light through my kitchen window…  It’s been a busy week with lots of photography, a new membership at the YMCA, and toddler wrangling.  I really hope to do some more writing to share...

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Traveling With Toddlers
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We’re still in the afterglow of a great trip to see family in Colorado this past weekend.  The piles of laundry are disappearing and the kids are back to taking good naps, and finally I’ve gotten to go through my photos and reminisce some of the good times. We haven’t been on a plane with them since Christmas…and travel days can be tough…here are...

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Manic Toddler Dance Party
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There really is nothing like a dance party to de-stress.  Especially when it’s toddlers.  Especially during the after-dinner mania. The past week has been a rough one.  Very needy kids, tired mama, and hearts carrying heavy stuff going on with close family and friends.  Thank God for the levity amidst the mess. Next time I think I’ll DJ.  And then join in and show...

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63 Charms
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63 Charms

May 4, 2013

For a few decades my mom collected charms.  Dozens of adventures and meaningful moments are molded into these little tokens.  I love it that I can scan through her charms and remember some of these experiences because I have either been a co-adventurer or have lived vicariously through her stories.  At Christmastime I decided to figure out how to get these memories out of...

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Springtime!
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Springtime!

Apr 23, 2013

In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. — Shakespeare Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day. I’ve got a beautiful feeling everything’s going [our] way! — Curly in Oklahoma! [the way I sing it with the kids] Wake up buttercups and daisies, wake up violets dear, see...

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Oatmeal with a side of Crazy
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Little dude is part Tasmanian devil. I have been mommy-trained to assume the triple threat position when he starts giving off his crazy cues: his brow furrows and his jaw thrusts forward, clenched.  What’s next is unpredictable but has recently been any combination of shrieking, throwing, running, jumping, climbing and tackling.  Here he is balancing on the seat of Whitney’s horsey, which promptly turned...

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Family Adventure: Mt. Hamilton
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We took a little drive up the Eastern hills this Friday for a fun family adventure.  This time of year the hills are a lovely green and there’s mustard blooms proclaiming spring all over the place.  It is trips like this one that make me well up with pride to be a native Californian.  When we actually take the time to explore I find...

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It’s a wonderful life again.
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We’ve been home from the hospital for just shy of a week now, and life is just about back to normal, a wonderful new normal.  Whitney is a superstar, happily playing and dancing and chatting away.  We are weaning her off the little bit of Tylenol she was on since she appears to be pain free.  Amazing.  Praise God. I’m brewing up a post...

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