tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207932402024-03-23T14:06:40.170-04:00Stacey Jewell Stahl's BlogGemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.comBlogger511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-3494294562284540782017-04-17T22:02:00.000-04:002017-04-17T22:02:05.519-04:00Catchlights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSFO4S6oWEHC4_UIiQm_g0bHyOyxxeBX0LiUa5iT4X7jNwVBaC7d_4YlftCH8droGRiCP1nYuyI9zYIVma3dJgabRV_ddqPJry36RnqdL7ud-CqCEgbfjHUgo1jrF0f-L9dGE0w/s1600/Catchlight+04-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSFO4S6oWEHC4_UIiQm_g0bHyOyxxeBX0LiUa5iT4X7jNwVBaC7d_4YlftCH8droGRiCP1nYuyI9zYIVma3dJgabRV_ddqPJry36RnqdL7ud-CqCEgbfjHUgo1jrF0f-L9dGE0w/s640/Catchlight+04-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My Gramp and I often painted walls or furniture together. He used to say that the difference between a professional painter and an amateur painter was the seams and corners. No cracks? Professional. Cracks? Amateur.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I always say the difference between a professional portrait photographer and an amateur is the eyes. Catchlights? Professional. No reflection of the sun in the eyes? Amateur.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm doing my best to teach these lessons to the next generation!</span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-42314071509094992172017-04-17T17:37:00.001-04:002017-04-17T17:37:33.362-04:00Them Bones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9DjmNvTJQEpNAsdy5rqq89n589sEIHYkEuoSGL2Lb1AYFL8c6Eh8J3-c1f1xIS0siwf5Uz5UQP2De0ZFkBNlRvhJtUUT83F6p5JY3RhFRU9J6xhe7tx9n7KbozKym86s2WSZgg/s1600/Them+Bones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9DjmNvTJQEpNAsdy5rqq89n589sEIHYkEuoSGL2Lb1AYFL8c6Eh8J3-c1f1xIS0siwf5Uz5UQP2De0ZFkBNlRvhJtUUT83F6p5JY3RhFRU9J6xhe7tx9n7KbozKym86s2WSZgg/s640/Them+Bones.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jaden is fascinated with bugs and birds and reptiles and BONES. Our church and parsonage are located on five acres of land that includes of grove of pine trees that the girls and our neighbor girls love to explore. This scrapbook page is one that shows the bounty of one of the treasure hunts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Side note: Jaden's love of bones had moved to any dead animal, and recently Michael and I had a "Come to Jesus" moment with her to stop her habit of picking up dead critters. </span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-29979181939007644192017-04-16T23:39:00.001-04:002017-04-16T23:54:00.261-04:00Four Years of Two Sisters at Easter<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Easters, 2014-17, (I guess I did not take photos in 2016!) It's a tradition now that I set up our dining room table with decorations, goodies and gifts. The girls head to bed early, eagerly awaiting the excitement of Easter morning. Both girls have said how much they enjoy getting treats on Easter morning, but they agree that the best part of the day is going to worship to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH7eiZ0AgHvYj8dQCKiHdrrQXOEge3eG3LwzBMXWW6Ue2_lUhA6N3f98dSYO1xLUFrcWPPn_H7TlIfbZvUoBbMD1j5fH1pgMCPWRFNrZOv1LtAVznkg2LdjOIzqQkVlCStAInjQ/s1600/IMG_1088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH7eiZ0AgHvYj8dQCKiHdrrQXOEge3eG3LwzBMXWW6Ue2_lUhA6N3f98dSYO1xLUFrcWPPn_H7TlIfbZvUoBbMD1j5fH1pgMCPWRFNrZOv1LtAVznkg2LdjOIzqQkVlCStAInjQ/s640/IMG_1088.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden - First Easter 2014<br />
Stuffed Lamb, Love a Lot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb-n4tBY-4nCL3BwCBBBx8EAO65N5TmREb1yB3x2aPSnQlrsIIDnNnvHeSRG1Fupz9xUmIhsji8UXtjxk8a26vXlPZ-OME85WoC6pgO_W7oZSllSapOFj9W09OX5IuibF4ebl6g/s1600/IMG_1089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb-n4tBY-4nCL3BwCBBBx8EAO65N5TmREb1yB3x2aPSnQlrsIIDnNnvHeSRG1Fupz9xUmIhsji8UXtjxk8a26vXlPZ-OME85WoC6pgO_W7oZSllSapOFj9W09OX5IuibF4ebl6g/s640/IMG_1089.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lannah - Easter 2014<br />
Stuffed Pig, Howard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair curled on Easter morning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffe5fVUlndci3t9fmVejSg4djJz34U0MHb1b0ra4np2Aad4i2AIX_XAgb9-umZoD5LPqzsO9dk3HtW_t3UarfSFb4NBLGtKRHdv_RpVFdj-DfuNvjnDBRkZxwvuPZJiHiZUAKwQ/s1600/Easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffe5fVUlndci3t9fmVejSg4djJz34U0MHb1b0ra4np2Aad4i2AIX_XAgb9-umZoD5LPqzsO9dk3HtW_t3UarfSFb4NBLGtKRHdv_RpVFdj-DfuNvjnDBRkZxwvuPZJiHiZUAKwQ/s640/Easter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made our own chocolates with Miss Gretta's help in 2014. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1PdwkcIJpkrHFkRy5HKd0aXP8o_MIvlMcOGEjymwqOg0RQZcc9njnuOHiXK8aqIkxbZYBK39FCpZQgpYgbRnAHeAdLHk-fvM0_GwwRdCi2US9xt1v4ERIHJWVb25puZZal9YCw/s1600/Easter+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1PdwkcIJpkrHFkRy5HKd0aXP8o_MIvlMcOGEjymwqOg0RQZcc9njnuOHiXK8aqIkxbZYBK39FCpZQgpYgbRnAHeAdLHk-fvM0_GwwRdCi2US9xt1v4ERIHJWVb25puZZal9YCw/s640/Easter+014.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring eggs 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTctCFNXNXwgFb4Lbc7PMF-XKUTNq59SmphUbPe7WBcs_0niLJpxJXb96wzuflXKf-DVEZ4vxXCBGKCqAsxIq1VhzwvZwsAU1x8Dp6Bss7p2s51PPChI01OhsGZ4fK2uL48SLvw/s1600/Easter+2015+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTctCFNXNXwgFb4Lbc7PMF-XKUTNq59SmphUbPe7WBcs_0niLJpxJXb96wzuflXKf-DVEZ4vxXCBGKCqAsxIq1VhzwvZwsAU1x8Dp6Bss7p2s51PPChI01OhsGZ4fK2uL48SLvw/s640/Easter+2015+008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before worship on Easter morning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKZYBonyXxMRMeZx86dQXnOfRCHdokFuslVn0ijsHAHi9j2jnw3LkwqMV2NuDsP0vJFyeM-WatH0uiy05FJxLWl5sGmXCZSAjPnCieos55Q2q1rlXVmE2C-lfMau-1tgViQiUog/s1600/Easter+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKZYBonyXxMRMeZx86dQXnOfRCHdokFuslVn0ijsHAHi9j2jnw3LkwqMV2NuDsP0vJFyeM-WatH0uiy05FJxLWl5sGmXCZSAjPnCieos55Q2q1rlXVmE2C-lfMau-1tgViQiUog/s640/Easter+031.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The goodies await</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JhdUQuRLSYO4DnvTBAy-myN7IADslsthb-Y5rdkl7LAczNWLjQ_FHz6MRrlaRvNRSR0ciUFWKiZPaG9vAejVXvvjTDNmQptX67ewLbILNmFCQtS4xy0IuRpedB9ltGAHGvg81w/s1600/Easter+2015+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JhdUQuRLSYO4DnvTBAy-myN7IADslsthb-Y5rdkl7LAczNWLjQ_FHz6MRrlaRvNRSR0ciUFWKiZPaG9vAejVXvvjTDNmQptX67ewLbILNmFCQtS4xy0IuRpedB9ltGAHGvg81w/s640/Easter+2015+026.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After worship</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lJ84TIPsBDnEuMGr7qm_VkBUxkZs0RqPuCqu2JLn-qbJzBpWpe9MYZwMpzMkYQ6JibeQQ4iXtXdzJpFpDRieTNxI26fCBk7rRrZH1XgwbgeW4SvSgWDb_E20IzqfDtz3IqIfdw/s1600/IMG_8146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lJ84TIPsBDnEuMGr7qm_VkBUxkZs0RqPuCqu2JLn-qbJzBpWpe9MYZwMpzMkYQ6JibeQQ4iXtXdzJpFpDRieTNxI26fCBk7rRrZH1XgwbgeW4SvSgWDb_E20IzqfDtz3IqIfdw/s640/IMG_8146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The goodies await 2017</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBDJ-95seJz6laqymoB-15eY8ABbqLdmMdtOX9Qd_DUDmGHgjCGqFJsviJBk-FHttguY3aQFK4m-_X7NpwAIM5YqV0J_64E1dONCFvU3pN1RfaIKHorwFQ8FV8KTj2Bwg8Jv0Jg/s1600/20170416_122922+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBDJ-95seJz6laqymoB-15eY8ABbqLdmMdtOX9Qd_DUDmGHgjCGqFJsviJBk-FHttguY3aQFK4m-_X7NpwAIM5YqV0J_64E1dONCFvU3pN1RfaIKHorwFQ8FV8KTj2Bwg8Jv0Jg/s640/20170416_122922+-+Copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter 2017 with our dog Missy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9CU1ZKRaeLCLoZ01NCX1YAGd5PKI9_L4PYj65IFsvm70edjTF7m2CL3iNXgU0yekYVHBYy-gxnhNs-PfT3Jqbk4hPjGto7FKrjmne66hQ9pVaIG9eQZnsJ_ZG0g1HR76QvWF7Q/s1600/20170416_122814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9CU1ZKRaeLCLoZ01NCX1YAGd5PKI9_L4PYj65IFsvm70edjTF7m2CL3iNXgU0yekYVHBYy-gxnhNs-PfT3Jqbk4hPjGto7FKrjmne66hQ9pVaIG9eQZnsJ_ZG0g1HR76QvWF7Q/s640/20170416_122814.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting taller!</td></tr>
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<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-82779912632088673112017-04-07T00:20:00.000-04:002017-04-07T00:20:42.572-04:00A Frozen Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2E0JXuCRUmMhXUBVkWxf0hWVIZE8HDxBc_5t75STun1RHS-Sbhh3VkMVfKRqnfQv2X8HYf-UP7C6zI03vYv25bZU7HqCfZmWLzm_xdfQSJ_psBNj4F2xp339DZoKWfxvZZcbPg/s1600/FrozenBirthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2E0JXuCRUmMhXUBVkWxf0hWVIZE8HDxBc_5t75STun1RHS-Sbhh3VkMVfKRqnfQv2X8HYf-UP7C6zI03vYv25bZU7HqCfZmWLzm_xdfQSJ_psBNj4F2xp339DZoKWfxvZZcbPg/s640/FrozenBirthday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-39637532341851151642017-04-06T21:28:00.002-04:002017-04-06T21:28:36.609-04:00Sweetie Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78PTdNnyv4XpnfDH3dfCW4hE1Kvjz7eJkR__NYqm4Rkw0W0BCMOHx6jx1GXwzHhyphenhyphenrLLWTXxqdZ_ZZkMSvphqDE4cNfHtZ7ECtvFwOzCOCXB7_aX-ZcuupE8TrjF2tdE6cNGr08w/s1600/Layout+2+april+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78PTdNnyv4XpnfDH3dfCW4hE1Kvjz7eJkR__NYqm4Rkw0W0BCMOHx6jx1GXwzHhyphenhyphenrLLWTXxqdZ_ZZkMSvphqDE4cNfHtZ7ECtvFwOzCOCXB7_aX-ZcuupE8TrjF2tdE6cNGr08w/s640/Layout+2+april+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-59041954726551830652017-04-06T13:20:00.002-04:002017-04-06T13:20:38.186-04:00Always Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkX8wAMRsuc8zq9M-gKPUBf7X6UH9rQpQ0aiaV8SP5ZKIztoa8_D7IZJh3FuA3kTiaNtPqchwZ1yRBuk1LdIRtldaDkPsoIvyFshXJXzpEqlMPNTb0gCq7z6OVRkoLPgw4U-N82g/s1600/Layout+April+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkX8wAMRsuc8zq9M-gKPUBf7X6UH9rQpQ0aiaV8SP5ZKIztoa8_D7IZJh3FuA3kTiaNtPqchwZ1yRBuk1LdIRtldaDkPsoIvyFshXJXzpEqlMPNTb0gCq7z6OVRkoLPgw4U-N82g/s640/Layout+April+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An important message to my daughter. Hope can be a choice.</span></div>
Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-18099243377538735932017-03-31T01:24:00.003-04:002017-04-06T19:19:15.496-04:00Third grade books that Jaden loves<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jaden's favorite store is Barnes & Noble. Alannah loves it too, and both of them gravitate towards the games and gadgets before the books, but I always lead them around to the reading material. With a gift card from her birth family, Jaden purchased these:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Jennifer-Li-Shotz-ebook/dp/B01E3Q9C6O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490937111&sr=8-2&keywords=hero+children%27s+book+dog" target="_blank">Hero</a> - </i>She read this one first and loved sharing the story with me as she progressed through the book. A search and rescue dog was the "Hero" and he was joined by a cute puppy in the story. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tale-Despereaux-Being-Princess-Thread-ebook/dp/B002NC733K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490937145&sr=8-1&keywords=tale+of+despereaux" target="_blank">The Tale of Despereaux</a> - </i>Nostalgia time for me for this book as it was Alannah's breath-taking, sigh-inducing favorite in third grade. Jaden was just as spellbound, and again she regaled me with the storyline daily. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-L-Holm-ebook/dp/B00IQRN4PW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491499362&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fourteenth+goldfish" target="_blank"><i>The Fourteenth Goldfish</i></a> - A fun science fiction book about a girl and her grandpa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-Truly-Pumpkin-Falls-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00IBHU4S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491499426&sr=8-1&keywords=absolutely+truly" target="_blank"><i>Absolutely Truly</i></a> - A a girl from a military family that frequently moves has her life turned upside down when her dad is disabled and she moves to a little town. With her new friends she solves a mystery.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the moment she is reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rain-Reign-Chapters-1-5-Martin-ebook/dp/B00LRXROWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490937323&sr=8-1&keywords=rain+reign" target="_blank"><i>Rain Reign</i></a>, a book she simply HAD to have from Barnes & Noble. She did judge the book by it's cover. I'm looking forward to reading it when she is done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Her fall 2016 MAP scores in reading indicated she had a 10-grade reading level. It's difficult find third-grade age appropriate books that challenge her reading level, but we are avoiding middle school books and focusing on books with interesting heros and/or animals. I'm hoping to convince her to read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Lemoncellos-Library-Chris-Grabenstein-ebook/dp/B00AUSCOQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490937576&sr=8-1&keywords=mr.+lemoncello%27s+library" target="_blank"><i>Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library</i></a> soon, as she's a big fan of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka. Her teacher is currently reading the BFG to the class, and Jaden loves it. She also enjoyed his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Tales-Childhood-Roald-Dahl-ebook/dp/B00F9F0TV6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490937670&sr=8-1&keywords=roald+dahl+boy" target="_blank"><i>Boy</i></a>, about his childhood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jaden, like Alannah, will always prioritize everything above reading (oh, the insanity!), but both of them get lost in the books they read when the finally sit down and get to business. Unlike me, who was often grounded from reading, my girls must always be reminded to read and reminded they are not being punished when they do. I'm just happy that both of them enjoy reading when they have an excellent book in hand.</span></div>
Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-35344652090926782062017-03-29T16:40:00.001-04:002017-03-29T16:44:50.093-04:00A Rose by Any Other Name<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr2QxgRkTLdgg4xVCcHP2Ks6b4bhoJQcJeWpA0dnHP87mherWG9pSqWY9hdC-3F-yBJjNi1KFH9CMj2ZaOdeZq4FA-tDIdhL99t8Vii9kTaKgzCf_orOG25wD61mHITvIbbka6A/s1600/gemma_name_design_by_valleyink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr2QxgRkTLdgg4xVCcHP2Ks6b4bhoJQcJeWpA0dnHP87mherWG9pSqWY9hdC-3F-yBJjNi1KFH9CMj2ZaOdeZq4FA-tDIdhL99t8Vii9kTaKgzCf_orOG25wD61mHITvIbbka6A/s320/gemma_name_design_by_valleyink.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Two years have passed since I last wrote in this, my neglected blog. By no coincidence, two years ago I re-joined Facebook after a 2 year absence. I find it difficult to post meaningful things on Facebook that are positive, faith-lifting and family-affirming AND post here, so I've not come here. But today I wanted to share a longer message and so here I am. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's been over 3 years since Jaden became our daughter. We knew she would not be calling us "mom" and "dad" after she was removed from a foster home where she called her foster mother "mommy" for over two years. No, it would be a long time before she trusted an adult with a parental title.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the meantime, she's hugged us a thousand times, smiled genuine smiles every day, been sad at the thought of an extended absence and many other things that a daughter does. Except . . . she does not call us "mom" and "dad." For a while we let it pass by with only one question: "When are you going to <b>think </b>about calling us "mom" and "dad"?" We never asked <b>when</b> she was going to start calling us "mom" and "dad." Mere weeks after she moved in with us, she spoke of us as "my mom" to other people. It's been over two years since I've heard that designation; now, I'm always "Stacey" when she talks to others about me. We ask her frequently when she is going to think about calling us mom and dad, and I explain that calling us by our first names is now her habit, so anything else is "weird." Jaden distrusts new things, and when she's uncomfortable with something new, she calls it "weird" - the kiss of death in her mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Strangely, my ego is not bruised at this demotion from "my mom" to simply "Stacey," but I am deeply concerned how not have someone to call her parents is affecting our daughter. Last year I asked her to stop calling me Stacey and start calling me anything else. She could pick. A variant of "mom" or even another name, I didn't care. I simply wanted her to end the habit of calling me by my first name. For a good six months I would periodically ask her what new name she would call me, but it was clear she had not spent a moment thinking about it. So I finally told her that I had come up with the name I wanted her to call me: Gemma. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Growing up as Stacey Jewell, I often heard an expression after being introduced to someone new: "Stacey Jewell? You must be a gem!" I did not tire of this little joke. Seriously there are awful names out there, and I happened to have loved mine, and being called a "Gem" was quite lovely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I chose Gemma as the name I wanted Jaden to call me. It's personal, nostalgic, and it is similar to Mumma, the title Alannah calls me. Also, Gemma can have two nicknames: Gemmie and Gem, which also sound like Mommy and Mom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And . . . Jaden would not call me Gemma. She didn't have a reason. She forgot. She's sorry she forgot. Months and months passed with me still being a pronoun. So I switched tactics. I would remind her to call me Gemma. I'd ask her to call me Gemma 20 times that day; perhaps she would 3 or 4. One day I asked her to draw a "G" on her hand as a reminder. Still, no significant change. In a self-reflective moment she admitted, "I think I call you Stacey because it's a habit." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A new tactic from me: "When I call you Jaden, you call me Gemma. Every time."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's been about a month of this strategy, and I think we are on our way to me having a new name. Just this week Jaden has come to me twice to give me a hug and say softly and warmly, "Good morning, Gemma!" The smile on her face tells me she is happy with this title, and I am deeply touched. Without me asking, she calls me Gemmie when I call her Jadie. Another touching moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If she calls me Gemma for the rest of my life, I will consider the year-long struggle to get here a success. Maybe I am a gem, but I definitely think she is!</span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-64110790958894031342015-04-04T22:24:00.003-04:002015-04-04T22:38:41.152-04:00Easter Eve 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">The </span></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">girls went to the
Easter Egg Hunt this morning and proceeded to watch</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Mary Poppins</span></i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"> </span></i><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in the afternoon. I spent a couple of
hours with my dear friend Maggie who celebrated a birthday this week, and then we went
to the Easter Vigil. When we got home, we colored the eggs I had boiled before
church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Last year we did not
color eggs, and I cannot remember the reason why, but Jaden thought </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; text-decoration: none;">it ha</span></span>d something to do with she and Alannah not listening
to me so it was a negative consequence. It sounds like something I would do
(mean mom that I am), so we'll go with it. </span></div>
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I made the two Minion eggs, one for each girl. Alannah's has one eye and
Jaden's has two. I think they're fun, and the girls absolutely love them. They loved mixing colors and dunking eggs in several different colors for a unique egg. I loved watching them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the tablescape is different <a href="http://www.staceyjewellstahl.blogspot.com/2014/04/as-night-falls-on-easter-saturday.html" target="_blank">from last year</a>. First, we had a different table! Second, this year we didn't make our own chocolates. Third, I bought many Easter decorations at an estate sale last year, and then Maggie bought me a large box of Easter decor at an auction. Yay! <br /><br />The girls put themselves to bed at 8:30 tonight, just like last year. Before bed Jaden said, "I'm going to sleep with Alannah every night before Easter until she moves away." I gasped a little and exclaimed, "Alannah, you are moving away?" She quickly assured me it would be 10 years before she moved out, and I gently told her that when it was time for her to leave, she would be ready to go because dad and I would have trained her to be ready. I'm going to enjoy every moment until that becomes reality and not be sad now.<br /><br />This year they think they know what to expect, and they are most likely correct. I did buy them little gifts instead of loading them up with candy. They each got manicure supplies, mechanical pencils, and a ring. Alannah got mascara, and Jaden got Lip Smackers. I think they will be surprised and pleased with their Easter gifts, and I feel blessed to make their day feel special. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Easter is not about the bunny, the chocolate, the gifts. Easter is about the eternal, life-changing event that happened when a dead Man came back to life because He had the power of God to triumph over sin and death. For you. For me. And tomorrow we'll celebrate once again with this victory chant: He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!</span></span></div>
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Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-56503011060590714292015-03-14T01:16:00.003-04:002015-03-14T01:16:52.586-04:00Digi Dare #395<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow, this was fun. I haven't scrapped much lately with a wonky PC, but today I downloaded the trial version of PSPX7 and found it to be much more stable than X3 that I've been using for several years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made this page for the <a href="http://digidares.com/?p=8150" target="_blank">Digi Dare 395</a>. I used the gorgeous paper and brush made by this month's sponsor, <a href="http://digidares.com/?page_id=8112" target="_blank">KimB</a>. </span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-12683608705525206362015-02-28T22:43:00.002-05:002015-02-28T23:18:38.391-05:00First Place!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYCvR4S2ZTeOYEokJ2qSIdfClYtuqxp641IiWhQFVb2MKI0Ex0JIx7bpixv72i0Ls73ohAnWvVwv6y_hCqY4WYlozIVghlVXBXohDgoN0KhNppm1z239K-MqbuPQE4mjNvRfeww/s1600/IMG_6432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYCvR4S2ZTeOYEokJ2qSIdfClYtuqxp641IiWhQFVb2MKI0Ex0JIx7bpixv72i0Ls73ohAnWvVwv6y_hCqY4WYlozIVghlVXBXohDgoN0KhNppm1z239K-MqbuPQE4mjNvRfeww/s1600/IMG_6432.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our church holds an annual Cook-Off with categories for
children and adults. Last year Jaden did
not want to make anything, but she was sure that Alannah would win for her
ravioli recipe, and she was so proud of me winning first place for my Crock
Pickles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year when she heard the Cook-Off was happening, she
poured through the Pampered Chef kids cook-book for a recipe. She found one she liked, and she and Michael
went shopping. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today she said that it wasn't fair that she took my trophy
so she's giving it back, and she hoped to win her category, but she really just
wanted people to like her dessert and doesn't care if she wins. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This morning at 9:15 she asked me, "Is it afternoon
yet?" Later I learned that Michael told her she couldn't make the brownies
until the afternoon. We made them at noon on the dot. At 2:15 she said, "I
think I need to go to church now." I told her that worship was at 5 and
the Cook-Off wasn't until 6:30, so she had four more hours before she needed to
leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At 3:15 she was sure it was time to leave! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The event started around 6:15 with the appetizer round, then
we sampled 6 crock pot recipes. We finally got to the dessert round, and Jaden
proclaimed her dessert to be "phenomenal!" Then she asked, "Now
everyone at this table is going to vote for me, right?" I just laughed and laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The woman who made all of the announcements saw that her son
and Jaden were giddy while they waited to hear who won, so she started with the
dessert winners. When she announced Jaden's name, my sweet daughter ran to get
her trophy. I took photos of the first
and second place winners of each category, and you can see the first photo in
this post has two super-happy kids in it.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She made Brownie S'Mores, but the entry card read
"Fudge Brownies." After she was announced the winner and given her
trophy, she ran to me for a hug and whispered in my ear, "The fudge gets
'em every time!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She did give me my trophy from last year back to me, and she
named her trophy "Trophena." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a day she will never forget. Ever.
Oh, and the pictures of Alannah helping are posed. The love you see between them is real. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAd4nEj8ktKDEmU7yRv5JcNcrgq0ZWwnWqh0B_n3YepfRCX9nbcXuYQ6LcoXq4GKtScQHQ-7E6qcBMlVwa19mgWjuNy7aBfm-CdawPjYx4hsNXDQnBlGVh99goWUQKRXEyFdNkrw/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAd4nEj8ktKDEmU7yRv5JcNcrgq0ZWwnWqh0B_n3YepfRCX9nbcXuYQ6LcoXq4GKtScQHQ-7E6qcBMlVwa19mgWjuNy7aBfm-CdawPjYx4hsNXDQnBlGVh99goWUQKRXEyFdNkrw/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></span></div>
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Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-70021207695480537952015-02-02T22:57:00.000-05:002015-02-02T23:13:23.818-05:00Snow Day!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's how I spent my snow day. Jaden and I decorated the TV room with the canvases I ordered and the girls' school pictures, plus some canvases of Alannah I had done in the past. Here's the result:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvdGZHIG8_IEqiXFGHOkMPswHI2PNtcNWsbupTbjAHk9LfIhMrL0-nQsZnyVDINFK0VSrylyEAeK06NtGU8s_AI-baEFHKS-1aA7b6nTGAOt0OPfn3pumz347aGboQWTessjcsw/s1600/IMG_6372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvdGZHIG8_IEqiXFGHOkMPswHI2PNtcNWsbupTbjAHk9LfIhMrL0-nQsZnyVDINFK0VSrylyEAeK06NtGU8s_AI-baEFHKS-1aA7b6nTGAOt0OPfn3pumz347aGboQWTessjcsw/s1600/IMG_6372.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vinyl wall art is something we talk about as a family. Jaden also helped me dust the TV and stand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6RbUSVj_cZfvz8tF-UjS1pMLKRGFQ2w_t_P3NJ-QKcY5LWqOMTJzUnxk4j84mdKkocgt-zx1vXemXSQg_SarLdTrfR_Bjb2-7xaCRIFm7qzbYc98DEdwLPnOGirJzz7jnAmThg/s1600/IMG_6377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6RbUSVj_cZfvz8tF-UjS1pMLKRGFQ2w_t_P3NJ-QKcY5LWqOMTJzUnxk4j84mdKkocgt-zx1vXemXSQg_SarLdTrfR_Bjb2-7xaCRIFm7qzbYc98DEdwLPnOGirJzz7jnAmThg/s1600/IMG_6377.JPG" height="246" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a storm window I found in my mom and dad's basement. Sanding and black paint made it look sleek and modern.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I added 12x12 scrapbook paper to the back of the window pane and then affixed the girls' school photos to the front. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The two metal art images of Alannah were projects that I made and got printed when I won first place two times in a scrapbooking contest. I wish that they were in our budget, but I did find an awesome deal on the 8x8 canvases that I made of Jaden at canvasdiscount.com.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yMbvXil2VIOTA8H6BmkXBb4Q4H1HZW9-DEap_T31-_FmA1w9O6W2J5d7VqrUx9f_8AOJdVy7MZsyfZdLvKA8QNSXaThB3AQmRHXgnUjbJ4YH4-T7u6IgGQFAUZru4pH_piLRzw/s1600/IMG_6380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yMbvXil2VIOTA8H6BmkXBb4Q4H1HZW9-DEap_T31-_FmA1w9O6W2J5d7VqrUx9f_8AOJdVy7MZsyfZdLvKA8QNSXaThB3AQmRHXgnUjbJ4YH4-T7u6IgGQFAUZru4pH_piLRzw/s1600/IMG_6380.JPG" height="640" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made these projects about five years apart, and when Jaden got her<br />
face painted, she posed for me based upon the image of Alannah.<br />
I love my girls!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Saturday my friend Maggie gave me a couple of bags of clothes, and I scored some beautiful sweaters. Such a bummer that they are too small for me and too big for Alannah, but I did make these beautiful leg warmers from two ivory sweaters that looked like they were brand new. I added a bit of lace and some buttons. Totally free and it only took me about an hour. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You could easily make this from one sweater, but the outside
one had a loose weave and so I choose to use two coordinating sweaters. Here's
how I did it with two sweaters:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Step 1. </b>Fold down the outer sweater's sleeve to make a cuff
and insert the inner sweater sleeve into it. Arrange how you like it (I left
about an inch peeking over. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Step 2. </b>Make sure the seams of both sweater sleeves line up
and then cut in a straight line from the armpit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Step 3.</b> Carefully arrange the cuff and pin on the opposite
side of the seam. Here is where you'll sew your button through both sweater
sleeves. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Step 4.</b> Stretch out the sleeves and then sew them together at
the seam.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Step 5</b>. Cut lace 1 1/2 times the width of the cuff. Sew to
the cuff, making little folds about every inch or so to add dimension.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Step 6.</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Where the lace seams meet, gently sew the lace
together and remove the leftover lace.</span><br />
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Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-23011941303109885072015-02-02T12:31:00.000-05:002015-04-16T19:26:20.723-04:00My JadenIf I took 10 photos a day of Jaden, I would never catch up to the amount of photos I've taken of Alannah, but that doesn't stop me from trying! :)<br />
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Here are some recent photos I took of Jay, all dressed up for the cold. She loved doing this photo shoot with the layers of clothes and the curly and crimped hair. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzkFXwR8S_POHWiTQU8M6tzDCHhTQ0xEaJ1sNgLJ5M0W_FOwdUf0PgFytgBL-G32w7M4MyvGlyzUnDbYJMHRI1kAUfv4t5qX-ILzoH-8dzGFoi7gCXFvbPX9g0ujP7PE5sAVO-w/s1600/IMG_6366.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzkFXwR8S_POHWiTQU8M6tzDCHhTQ0xEaJ1sNgLJ5M0W_FOwdUf0PgFytgBL-G32w7M4MyvGlyzUnDbYJMHRI1kAUfv4t5qX-ILzoH-8dzGFoi7gCXFvbPX9g0ujP7PE5sAVO-w/s1600/IMG_6366.CR2" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She posed herself and gave me this brilliant smile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GGMctzDZAjTSOOjI_Nr6OLByQCuV0xnveRr-4AVUxvtwjmjgRd6IBRDnZyANtZ4xqozbc2RJU-EEyMHfYZRfeCOjKOz9aQky59QzS7nNJ-M1UiiR16wcBUJkoJ815Po_X30hFg/s1600/IMG_6371+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GGMctzDZAjTSOOjI_Nr6OLByQCuV0xnveRr-4AVUxvtwjmjgRd6IBRDnZyANtZ4xqozbc2RJU-EEyMHfYZRfeCOjKOz9aQky59QzS7nNJ-M1UiiR16wcBUJkoJ815Po_X30hFg/s1600/IMG_6371+-1.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wind and cold brought us in the house for this photo. She again<br />
posed herself although I suggested that she recline on the glass table<br />
for a bit of a reflection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVE8T39JEkYI11ME85IIHEOhSGCWmgQ5AjEwuusQQO3lyhc_5e37dv82dEnC00JM6zgZU-p5scVAtCpQ7YjOb4XveIECCtSYIdONqTQpHYaObxnrBQRxJ7msz5nygx_347W-xoQ/s1600/Jaden+smiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVE8T39JEkYI11ME85IIHEOhSGCWmgQ5AjEwuusQQO3lyhc_5e37dv82dEnC00JM6zgZU-p5scVAtCpQ7YjOb4XveIECCtSYIdONqTQpHYaObxnrBQRxJ7msz5nygx_347W-xoQ/s1600/Jaden+smiles.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden says this is the best picture ever of her, and I love her sparkly eyes and<br />
flower in her hair. I took this photo on the way to our family vacation to the<br />
Creation Museum in July 2014. We were at a rest area and she picked a flower.<br />
I asked if I could take her picture with the flower in her hair, and she was<br />
happy to oblige. When I made this canvas, she asked me to add more<br />
sparkle to it, so I did! I bought an 8x8 canvas of this image.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8eIzH2_7TNIO2ivGIkwnVvH1ushw1YjCnmqStyuoqjgIt1KIblZpn29axG_3ZKMvWGFwzK9HuIzXVutlRKMRWLiKk4yHr7LvxQRU9CfPvF_cv7FGNy-YnG_AT-Sa71Jz28eDtg/s1600/Jaden+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8eIzH2_7TNIO2ivGIkwnVvH1ushw1YjCnmqStyuoqjgIt1KIblZpn29axG_3ZKMvWGFwzK9HuIzXVutlRKMRWLiKk4yHr7LvxQRU9CfPvF_cv7FGNy-YnG_AT-Sa71Jz28eDtg/s1600/Jaden+Snow.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to work hard to edit this photo, as it was my first photo of the session and I had not<br />
checked my aperture settings so it was extremely overexposed. But Jaden's smile and her<br />
pose was my favorite of the session, and I wanted this picture for a 16x20 canvas. She<br />
is very proud of this photo, too, and I am happy that she found her smile as a member<br />
of our family.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-85803775232765602272015-02-02T12:16:00.002-05:002015-02-02T12:54:12.275-05:00From Thanksgiving to Christmas 2014<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfyJ1uoEMQ7-slOeOAONr0mX4Y4LRhoUG6rsqO669CuaxxGayjrCfej6tJ1bFzOo7zfLZEsz_NVphjNaWXfa9OCF0Xw5zkG3wOMLCm1UAZFhFNDcgiTW3THS3yuOUmNbSnTnfBA/s1600/IMG_6265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfyJ1uoEMQ7-slOeOAONr0mX4Y4LRhoUG6rsqO669CuaxxGayjrCfej6tJ1bFzOo7zfLZEsz_NVphjNaWXfa9OCF0Xw5zkG3wOMLCm1UAZFhFNDcgiTW3THS3yuOUmNbSnTnfBA/s320/IMG_6265.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite float was Super Grover, and I thought it was<br />awesome when the float handlers would spin the float.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpk14-58HszOxu9-SoFjeW5TXph0hh8KF1CR1_WqeGzujwI2CVN8zpJK6q6AXlWHvh6aclc4sWgGatSgJFqG1IVaKn46C4NPj69PlAAeFvFKOTOn51qoSoKHymns8zCQpOpLb1Q/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpk14-58HszOxu9-SoFjeW5TXph0hh8KF1CR1_WqeGzujwI2CVN8zpJK6q6AXlWHvh6aclc4sWgGatSgJFqG1IVaKn46C4NPj69PlAAeFvFKOTOn51qoSoKHymns8zCQpOpLb1Q/s320/IMG_6233.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The theme of the parade was "Walking on Sunshine"<br />based on the song by Katrina and the Waves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My PC was near death for about 6 months, and both my CD drive and camera card drives are still inoperable, so I've not taken many photos or done any scrapbooking in ages. I finally found a fix for the issues I had and can now use my PC for more than I could a tablet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Here's an all-inclusive update for the past few months, starting with Alannah's 13th birthday </b>which we celebrated by going to the Thanksgiving Day parade in Detroit with my mom and dad. The day was super cold, so we left a little before the parade ended, but I was so geeked to see a massive live parade for the first time. We sat across from Comerica Park under the Fox Theater marquee. Alannah enjoyed her birthday, and she and Jaden spent a lot of time in the pool with Michael and my dad. I joked that Bob Evans was making our turkey this year, and his lovely wife was doing the dishes, and that's exactly how it went! I loved spending time with my mom as we shopped on Thanksgiving evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My grandma turned 90 on December 12, 2014, and the following photos are from that special day.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrUmOyPBqeZgRDYhIwdSXXrzvppjnNzv7SATyyIcVJxjol3bEI7EBlk0ajzpxz-tjViZ23tEkNDyGyMWPiwfR1Grh9RlI43m6xy-BuzNl63dZAoTZ94j36AItaix2PhgMbtM4KQ/s1600/IMG_6304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrUmOyPBqeZgRDYhIwdSXXrzvppjnNzv7SATyyIcVJxjol3bEI7EBlk0ajzpxz-tjViZ23tEkNDyGyMWPiwfR1Grh9RlI43m6xy-BuzNl63dZAoTZ94j36AItaix2PhgMbtM4KQ/s1600/IMG_6304.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma and 8 of her 13 grandchildren.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqjWIK0XsIOqxfblmJ-DmvyrfZhNqbv9XWWcECEI4LO8cE76Evy096OSPAt1_Jwq89AmVzdMZ3RNImDGYkmQJf3tBBmMkn2t5TYCNzleFwBTUU8Jf9r1oXSH5bPaH_xv72rTmqg/s1600/IMG_6305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqjWIK0XsIOqxfblmJ-DmvyrfZhNqbv9XWWcECEI4LO8cE76Evy096OSPAt1_Jwq89AmVzdMZ3RNImDGYkmQJf3tBBmMkn2t5TYCNzleFwBTUU8Jf9r1oXSH5bPaH_xv72rTmqg/s1600/IMG_6305.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma and 20 of her 24 great-grandchildren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbj6eMA0tdKgw-uzZunT_OE1P7HLbX5n9A6wGxV1bTloN3WZ34xLqmEobocqykPaOmP1x5XlC9WA3iEISbyrVnNEejY1c_cJ4rkGorgJxc-gO9bdSDbIF1_UeccCRQUmlbaAyrg/s1600/IMG_6310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbj6eMA0tdKgw-uzZunT_OE1P7HLbX5n9A6wGxV1bTloN3WZ34xLqmEobocqykPaOmP1x5XlC9WA3iEISbyrVnNEejY1c_cJ4rkGorgJxc-gO9bdSDbIF1_UeccCRQUmlbaAyrg/s1600/IMG_6310.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden would not pose in the photo with the<br />
great-grandchildren, but she wanted me to take<br />
a picture of her and her Cookie Grandma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd1jTjfaatEFJsfnjPtWjEsw-cwxK6diZWp3R275Cdl9w1OlI54LggGt7ae2b2zhcqhyphenhyphenbLb3Vt2VMiZJG9uCXDiPjVYZwBhvEhKg1OkFOUxRyWgOxpFvjFFdrTS5WzUE_G_E6gw/s1600/IMG_6289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd1jTjfaatEFJsfnjPtWjEsw-cwxK6diZWp3R275Cdl9w1OlI54LggGt7ae2b2zhcqhyphenhyphenbLb3Vt2VMiZJG9uCXDiPjVYZwBhvEhKg1OkFOUxRyWgOxpFvjFFdrTS5WzUE_G_E6gw/s1600/IMG_6289.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma, my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law,<br />
my nieces, nephew and daughters. Missing are my sister,<br />
Erin, who lives in Chicago, and my husband, Michael, who<br />
was officiating a wedding (on 12-13-14, a popular wedding date.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Christmas was extra special this year</b> because we've been a family of four for one year instead of a few days. Jaden gave me a plaque that read, "Mother, your voice is soft and soothing, you have a tender touch; I thank God for you, Mother, I love you very much." Michael said when she saw it in the store she declared, "This is Stacey!" On Christmas Eve after we had opened our presents, she ran to me and said, "Hey, mom! Uh, I mean, Stacey." I told her later that in her heart she calls me "mom" but her head isn't ready for that yet. I think this was the best Christmas we've ever had!</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhIoYXOI0L8KeE1jeL8K15Scr0RKSfgb_v1xfWnOgeKHiqeR7Y3ZpaB3SjD5UPDctfddf5V3d08VnKQ6PueCbncYPDXSn3X8RkJXlOicZUw9EQSQ4Y1EteR4sHOqRtMnVeJMuTQ/s1600/IMG_6318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhIoYXOI0L8KeE1jeL8K15Scr0RKSfgb_v1xfWnOgeKHiqeR7Y3ZpaB3SjD5UPDctfddf5V3d08VnKQ6PueCbncYPDXSn3X8RkJXlOicZUw9EQSQ4Y1EteR4sHOqRtMnVeJMuTQ/s1600/IMG_6318.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alannah directed our Cantata choir, sang two<br />
solos and also had a recitation. She was so nervous, but<br />
did an outstanding job. I was so proud of her!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IhsSQ-2T9jLMed2K4-b6w5Ni_lvwgAPSD4ln9qXhmGRDEUbgrfdCXbJlm3gNOeagnl_RndoX9HcSg8WM921DGjRUQID-oRsPAfNN_V-n0FJtY1cpH0MfNWnN-nScHB_pRHKLDA/s1600/IMG_6319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IhsSQ-2T9jLMed2K4-b6w5Ni_lvwgAPSD4ln9qXhmGRDEUbgrfdCXbJlm3gNOeagnl_RndoX9HcSg8WM921DGjRUQID-oRsPAfNN_V-n0FJtY1cpH0MfNWnN-nScHB_pRHKLDA/s1600/IMG_6319.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden was an angel in the Sunday School pageant, and<br />
she was happy to participate but disgruntled because she<br />
didn't have her own speaking part. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44CBDoPaFHkLQ3b5bSu0ZKLA7B7lrxKScFN2T8GMbUj-umZXvyCzZSf8KK0R2NUfSCNEeAXC3vcvG9KYW2yCdiYL2V3KdKVCkb6QoQyhDmxk1yNqukSzq9yZAugLga4hDXuPadg/s1600/IMG_6330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44CBDoPaFHkLQ3b5bSu0ZKLA7B7lrxKScFN2T8GMbUj-umZXvyCzZSf8KK0R2NUfSCNEeAXC3vcvG9KYW2yCdiYL2V3KdKVCkb6QoQyhDmxk1yNqukSzq9yZAugLga4hDXuPadg/s1600/IMG_6330.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve dinner was stuffed manicotti shells and<br />
sparkling grape juice. We ate between services.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSigBlt9OVEueSFiNaBgm_sPMH2kTWRFBXgUD-615Ff8cR6A4_isVyTz23VuVu_odI1ZOl3LY1QU556tEKunPUO0XjrHqApqeGbfoADj_EgeXKsZd2ePBnLrlQAW4dIpSptAqm9g/s1600/IMG_6333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSigBlt9OVEueSFiNaBgm_sPMH2kTWRFBXgUD-615Ff8cR6A4_isVyTz23VuVu_odI1ZOl3LY1QU556tEKunPUO0XjrHqApqeGbfoADj_EgeXKsZd2ePBnLrlQAW4dIpSptAqm9g/s1600/IMG_6333.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alannah's big gift was a touchscreen laptop.<br />
The smile did not leave her face all night!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-HoUD-u6Rv8YH6Qn0IUVl9rDuAEYO1WndTotvYzeMVbCdRlAx1nk4dDDTVeo7jyiU3Mj3QH4p0Yp0Kohg8FrLGtCFucYE1IZJJoT0-v8drBKL3ynOWgxm1cLcDr1oyOeVu0kCg/s1600/IMG_6332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-HoUD-u6Rv8YH6Qn0IUVl9rDuAEYO1WndTotvYzeMVbCdRlAx1nk4dDDTVeo7jyiU3Mj3QH4p0Yp0Kohg8FrLGtCFucYE1IZJJoT0-v8drBKL3ynOWgxm1cLcDr1oyOeVu0kCg/s1600/IMG_6332.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden asked for and received a fish tank, and<br />
was happy that it glows in the dark! She also<br />
got two fish and two snails. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-75199349089647733412015-02-02T11:39:00.002-05:002015-02-02T11:39:37.890-05:00Send me to Alaska!<iframe frameborder="0" height="454" src="http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser-widget.aspx?frid=300658" width="335"></iframe>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-71306051190450673802014-09-23T23:09:00.003-04:002014-09-23T23:09:55.174-04:00Happy Birthday, Jaden!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRT9h1WeW5Rioml67sJf7fgC2AFtzhopHR9oNbygUgPLzOkc0g3PSXL5TpZXEpNi_g10qQTXHfTT2JgfI3ahPDMUAN8DhH4zX93UfbY0WW-qKiRajBgGF04u8CBebB3R75gkZ7g/s1600/Birthday+Wishes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRT9h1WeW5Rioml67sJf7fgC2AFtzhopHR9oNbygUgPLzOkc0g3PSXL5TpZXEpNi_g10qQTXHfTT2JgfI3ahPDMUAN8DhH4zX93UfbY0WW-qKiRajBgGF04u8CBebB3R75gkZ7g/s1600/Birthday+Wishes+2.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Me: On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, how has this birthday been?</span><br />
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Jaden: <b>FIFTEEN!</b></div>
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Let's recap:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikJphcMNuJzo6bymKINwmmzO8foxxrT3wNrKQkBf_QAH0um4JjvTtBiztqtP-4SI30oCrVQi-HXMGxk-beMOzszrRgKo0DbbKFvWF9itvPcHimV_FKE5YEfxqS2eqXkKvaQ9Z7w/s1600/Sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikJphcMNuJzo6bymKINwmmzO8foxxrT3wNrKQkBf_QAH0um4JjvTtBiztqtP-4SI30oCrVQi-HXMGxk-beMOzszrRgKo0DbbKFvWF9itvPcHimV_FKE5YEfxqS2eqXkKvaQ9Z7w/s1600/Sisters.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a>1. Today at her violin lesson she learned how to play the bow over one string and is very proud of that fact.<br />2. She loved her new boots (the coolest boots ever!) and her dresses, and called her outfit today an "outfit." She thanked us profusely for her new clothes.<br />3. Her classmates loved the ice cream sandwiches she brought to share.<br />4. After school she was efficient in her routine: picked out clothes for the next three days (new dresses), cleaned her thermos, practiced her violin, practiced the piano and recorded the progress of her bean seeds for Science.<br />5. Pumpkin farm! The four of us explored the pumpkin farm on a beautiful feels-like-summer day.</div>
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We ate dinner late, but it was her favorite, spaghetti and salad.</div>
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Yes, I think today has been a FIFTEEN too!</div>
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<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-54396992354804767232014-09-22T22:28:00.000-04:002014-09-22T22:28:06.818-04:00My Heart Skips a Beat<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today is the day before Jaden's seventh birthday. We have a plan for tomorrow: wake up early to take her to school for violin lessons, go to school, and go to the pumpkin farm at her request. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We gave her a present tonight for her to wear to school: new black slouchy boots and a black and white houndstooth dress with fuchsia accents. She was open-mouthed when she opened the box of boots and was sad when we wouldn't let her wear them to bed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the snack to give her classmates, she asked if she could bring ice cream sandwiches. After getting her teacher's approval, she will be sharing the ice cream sandwiches at lunch time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is her first birthday with us. She's excited and happy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bedtime was later than usual because it's Bible study night. Alannah and Jaden "babysit" the kids whose parents come to the Defending Your Marriage study. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After packing lunches and last-minute homework, I tucked them in, prayed over them and blessed them. Then I called them by the pet names they gave each other; Alannah, "Sissy Boo" and Jaden, "Baby Boo." They giggled, and Jaden reached out to me and called me in a baby voice, "Mommy!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alannah and I immediately responded, "You called her/me 'Mommy'!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She realized what she'd said she told me that she was "just teasing." She's not ready to call me mom, and that's okay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I comforted her by saying, "I know you were teasing, but it made my heart skip a beat."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Her eyes grew wide. "Really?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You see, a couple of weeks ago she began winking at me when she was happy. After a couple of days of this new habit, I told Michael in front of her that she was doing this and that it "made my heart skip a beat." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She's continued winking at me a couple of times a day, and Sunday she questioned me after winking at me, "Does that still make your heart skip a beat?" I raised my eyebrows in surprised that she remembered my quote exactly and told her it did. She smiled at me and said in a satisfied tone, "Good." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hugs from Alannah, winks from Jaden, encouraging words from Michael - these are what makes my heart skip a beat. God is good. All the time.</span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-61623445166848966952014-09-15T17:58:00.000-04:002014-09-15T18:00:05.932-04:00Tattoos and the Bride of Christ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEN8nJCg3K_-lMQdcrACwf6BRYgPKTq3mbx8RLAfSHy27hyphenhyphendv-QB57S1CczqfSgovEVVRmdCEvA1Etzd9Gj8FDrCJsVHI30DWKeHb6FgKB3DoHCbkDgW-37Px_l9yGwsePEfpfQ/s1600/maori+tattoo+half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEN8nJCg3K_-lMQdcrACwf6BRYgPKTq3mbx8RLAfSHy27hyphenhyphendv-QB57S1CczqfSgovEVVRmdCEvA1Etzd9Gj8FDrCJsVHI30DWKeHb6FgKB3DoHCbkDgW-37Px_l9yGwsePEfpfQ/s1600/maori+tattoo+half.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yesterday I met a young couple at an event at our church. They are not members, but are related to people who are. I asked them if they were married (I noticed a ring on his left hand) and he said that they were going to get married, and had plans to get married in May but they didn't. He didn't offer an explanation, and I felt it wasn't my business. But I did ask these questions: Where do you live? Do you go to church?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He did all of the talking. They live close by. He doesn't go to church anymore because all they talk about there is money and politics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I mentioned that I hear many people don't come to church because of the hypocrites, and that everyone I know is a hypocrite. I continued by saying that no one stops going to the grocery store or bank because there are hypocrites there, but they stop going to church because of the hypocrites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then the real conversation started. He said, "I want to go to church, but when I do I am told I'm the son of satan (he doesn't deserve a capital letter) because of my piercings and tattoos, and I've actually been told that exact words!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I looked him in the eye and apologized on behalf of the people who told him that, telling him if that happens again that he should tell them the Bible makes no mention of satan having children. That made him grimace a little, but he was not amused because of the painful memories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I said, "I hope this doesn't offend you, but I didn't even notice your tattoos." Then I looked at his arms and realized he was covered in ink! I continued, "I did notice your earrings, but they don't bother me." My ears are pierced, so why should it bother me that his are? So I'm not a hypocrite about piercings, but I am about other things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I told him that if he came to our church that no one would mind his tattoos or piercings, and that I hoped he would consider coming. To my surprise, he immediately responded, "I would like to come here!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I then suggested that they get married at our church, and I offered to photograph the wedding and do the graphic design of their invitations and such. His fiancee asked for my contact information, and I gave her my phone number and e-mail address. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have been praying for them constantly since our meeting, and I hope they do come to our church, get married here, and I get the honor of photographing their wedding. Most of all, I pray that our conversation has an eternal difference! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Church, we have to stop thinking that people need to be a certain way or look a certain way before they come in the door! No one would ever be able to cross the threshold if we had to be perfect. Jesus died for us because we weren't perfect! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-39750650965995760142014-09-02T20:39:00.003-04:002014-09-02T20:39:32.560-04:00Just Fiddlin' Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e20yYxNT9FmCrNTLUwqmo_CK3neYyEblLtGaIS02zENPZ7UOdMaVTOFBPaabCqf2oAKODss3sb_v_EjL0mWLwP1ELTR2VLmMtS0_1AkV2ViNSGVhMZMZG01tTT2qdAWZJXoQGQ/s1600/IMG_6047+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e20yYxNT9FmCrNTLUwqmo_CK3neYyEblLtGaIS02zENPZ7UOdMaVTOFBPaabCqf2oAKODss3sb_v_EjL0mWLwP1ELTR2VLmMtS0_1AkV2ViNSGVhMZMZG01tTT2qdAWZJXoQGQ/s1600/IMG_6047+-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QwSjznjHR79JLhD5g4zpMDd2TntLTQXmEM3cpRCARUOrdUChOAXB-IjN8p7_e1NA9QAcQ0XAW3u7GizrDq4FsRtmioggupfC8ZBCyIxGBXc8A3vo5vwr9pV3VqdeEmbW-xv6Qg/s1600/IMG_6049+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QwSjznjHR79JLhD5g4zpMDd2TntLTQXmEM3cpRCARUOrdUChOAXB-IjN8p7_e1NA9QAcQ0XAW3u7GizrDq4FsRtmioggupfC8ZBCyIxGBXc8A3vo5vwr9pV3VqdeEmbW-xv6Qg/s1600/IMG_6049+-1.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's our Jaden with her electric purple violin that she purchased with the gifts of money she received on her baptism day. She is as happy as a kid on Christmas day, and has carried her violin in it's backpack-style case around the house all evening. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She'll begin lessons at school in the middle of September!</span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-59994879707183580002014-08-31T16:52:00.002-04:002014-08-31T16:52:29.982-04:00While at the eye doctor . . . <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alannah wants glasses so bad and has for years, and recently she'd been commenting that she couldn't read signs from far away so I scheduled an eye appointment. Sadly for her, she has 20/20 vision. While she was being examined, Aja took some photos of Jaden. They are adorable, so I had to share.</span><br />
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<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-43065472360216088832014-08-25T16:04:00.003-04:002014-08-25T17:42:30.515-04:00First day of first and seventh grades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had another "first" today. It was the first day of school. First day of first grade for Jaden. First day of seventh grade for Alannah. First day at a new school for both girls. First day for Michael and me to have two kids going to school on the first day of school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They now attend the school where I work, saving time and money in transporting them. It was not an easy decision. We were thrilled with their old school; a place where both girls thrived. The teachers were incredible, and the staff was too. We will miss Immanuel in many ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We look forward to the future at their new school. Things change, but some stay the same. Opening chapel was today, the same as it's been since kindergarten for Alannah.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jaden tells friends, family and strangers that she's going to learn to play the violin at her new school. Regardless of their age, gender, appearance or location, she tells everyone who will listen about her violin. Some people respond with interest and others ignore her. Personally, I am geeked she's excited to play and look forward to the coming years as her skills improve. She had a tough time at school today as her new name is now a reality. She was introduced as Jaden Stahl, and her desk tag reads the same. She's acclimated so well to being part of our family, but she simply doesn't like the name Stahl. I wish I could help her work through this issue, but time will help her come to terms with her new name. Other than that, she had a great day. Her teacher had given her a booklet for her to read last night that included some pretty confetti to put under her pillow to help her to not be anxious. She woke up this this morning and immediately told me "that stuff didn't work because I had a dream about zombies last night." I told her I was sorry to hear about the dream and then asked if she knew the confetti did not have powers, but it was a special gift from her teacher to make her feel better. She paused and then said that she knew that. I had weird dreams last night too, and I had no confetti.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alannah has always had stomach aches on the first day of school, but today she did not. I don't know why her annual anxiety was gone, but when I hugged her after school she whispered, "I didn't cry today." This is a huge milestone for her, and I think her life is turning a corner. She's going to be in handbells for the third year and also play the trumpet in band. She'll run track in the spring in a much longer season than her old school. Piano lessons begin on Thursday, and we have to discuss if she'll get a new guitar teacher as hers has gone back to college. What else? She's eager to make good choices and get organized this year. She adores the teaching staff at Bethlehem, and is eager to get involved in the youth group. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I attended morning chapel and photographed the service to post on Bethlehem's Facebook page. Pastor Korte took off his shoes at the beginning of his message to the kids in reference to the Old Testament reading about Joshua standing on holy ground. Then he asked the kids who else in the Bible took off his shoes to stand on holy ground. Jaden raised her hand, was called on, and answered, "Moses!" I just smiled. Moses is her favorite Bible character, and she has a deep sense of injustice that he does not have a book of the Bible named after him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What more can I say than I'm grateful to God for a beautiful first day of school. The only thing that marred the day was me throwing up in the car on the drive home. Yes, I've been sick for nearly three weeks (hence the silence on my blog) and today was not a good day for me. However, my girls are happy and safe, in another school that values them as children of God, and I am content. To God be the glory!</span>Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-89614049796088435842014-08-25T14:15:00.002-04:002014-08-25T14:15:56.155-04:00August in photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwqzUK_wFu8-RqOtDRIABPf7Goc3ZI6Jqzm1jF1CfBskqAteTvGuHVGPYJg3RAglWiW92-WgZQFzfCud1azC9R6FJ-HGGyHtoo6Oi5Xm4GhxaxvdPAXHmFeG2TwVVH6UV5fbQWg/s1600/IMG_5908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwqzUK_wFu8-RqOtDRIABPf7Goc3ZI6Jqzm1jF1CfBskqAteTvGuHVGPYJg3RAglWiW92-WgZQFzfCud1azC9R6FJ-HGGyHtoo6Oi5Xm4GhxaxvdPAXHmFeG2TwVVH6UV5fbQWg/s400/IMG_5908.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia, Laurine, Alannah, Karder, Sarah, Jaden and Mercedes performing a mini operetta to<br />"Hello, My Name is" by Matthew West on Jaden's baptism day, August 10.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand motions to "Hello, My Name Is"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mercedes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhH72C4VQTscpnVQWzFnBsFCJeR_y7w9HFcjDSJ_BF_TVmUjE6RV5HWyCMEG1r_GDpbVLtO5ASjxuLfuYY8CGfdk8CiY7WPD_zQvJ3I_ZTJ9cWkEN2le9jkYmoPkwa3DgaPsXbg/s1600/IMG_5913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhH72C4VQTscpnVQWzFnBsFCJeR_y7w9HFcjDSJ_BF_TVmUjE6RV5HWyCMEG1r_GDpbVLtO5ASjxuLfuYY8CGfdk8CiY7WPD_zQvJ3I_ZTJ9cWkEN2le9jkYmoPkwa3DgaPsXbg/s400/IMG_5913.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm-s0_crNQIV3v_gAEbJzIrtmN0-gkQGJObeypGDUz5yKXwyeCSClhqH4bey2r0IEZcvy1TA3UBeX74IWlK4KrbwFYv5PjoaLYqGE2n6C0aJuAefdS678J0TbCNJbiWtP8cKmnw/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm-s0_crNQIV3v_gAEbJzIrtmN0-gkQGJObeypGDUz5yKXwyeCSClhqH4bey2r0IEZcvy1TA3UBeX74IWlK4KrbwFYv5PjoaLYqGE2n6C0aJuAefdS678J0TbCNJbiWtP8cKmnw/s400/IMG_5914.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karder</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alannah</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad with Jaden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie Grandma and Jaden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom, grandma, me, Alannah and Jaden - three generations</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad, his sister, Susan, her husband, Jim - plus me and the girls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vbj-kDteZ9nrsoVTyeCN4A3n_oyq70t7I_p2LhJNsMdf7q4R2D2L2TxNSNFJ9fcAZHnnV30azJsfuyZ3aMJCJQ47eZFETLZRd-2lZ4Bi-9oc_Fq_Wc-k4yIJVPLOl7Y6CdwWmA/s1600/IMG_5937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vbj-kDteZ9nrsoVTyeCN4A3n_oyq70t7I_p2LhJNsMdf7q4R2D2L2TxNSNFJ9fcAZHnnV30azJsfuyZ3aMJCJQ47eZFETLZRd-2lZ4Bi-9oc_Fq_Wc-k4yIJVPLOl7Y6CdwWmA/s400/IMG_5937.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad, his sister Susan, her husband Jim, my sister Angie - plus me and the girls</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKlBROR807E2jETYBhKpGiDHywmdSOb5oSGrkHBeQFBmJF6hOYMAZFKCQfxlMOpmvV4HQBJp_3deO3ht6JEeIWumUZjzHdJ6m2ztgO0uijcCjOw0ksCgsr2iW8ivZVMKQDpHatg/s1600/IMG_5942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKlBROR807E2jETYBhKpGiDHywmdSOb5oSGrkHBeQFBmJF6hOYMAZFKCQfxlMOpmvV4HQBJp_3deO3ht6JEeIWumUZjzHdJ6m2ztgO0uijcCjOw0ksCgsr2iW8ivZVMKQDpHatg/s400/IMG_5942.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stahl family photo</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskJ-wQjO-a1NTErGD2R3IAuxYtdTsNo_c-8GwCgwNSZ_vVvbKyqQE5eoQUT_TdyfdFF5cSwm_78aF4IR7iCwR1kz4DegLkpO1n6F7A9FMJUSNbd7hGhA6AR3ykYBQ-6jqzN0SsQ/s1600/IMG_5943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskJ-wQjO-a1NTErGD2R3IAuxYtdTsNo_c-8GwCgwNSZ_vVvbKyqQE5eoQUT_TdyfdFF5cSwm_78aF4IR7iCwR1kz4DegLkpO1n6F7A9FMJUSNbd7hGhA6AR3ykYBQ-6jqzN0SsQ/s400/IMG_5943.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden posing with her cake</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bX5avpZqlf8vsweY8k5_saN95reQUvtNng7ZpAUfGL3148cammITr27F_9VmzLjFWEIihqXy_BaEc3qh39GtfBGpiZh5qB-lWE-dmFST7l7VoZD_hnCeNA-elCB6_kLWW0jX0A/s1600/IMG_5956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bX5avpZqlf8vsweY8k5_saN95reQUvtNng7ZpAUfGL3148cammITr27F_9VmzLjFWEIihqXy_BaEc3qh39GtfBGpiZh5qB-lWE-dmFST7l7VoZD_hnCeNA-elCB6_kLWW0jX0A/s400/IMG_5956.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden wearing the tiara she purchased</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDXIKtZ_HRkFPDGllT_0fyY9-lwwDsP95nETEfspYiVQgILqAepJ4DLnXCtu6IRUESIOFvQPrzYBcORafOsmWns6J9rij2ubL1xxB8ciVfbdvrrxeuLZFHU1ItFn58Jdi9kfh6A/s1600/IMG_5959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDXIKtZ_HRkFPDGllT_0fyY9-lwwDsP95nETEfspYiVQgILqAepJ4DLnXCtu6IRUESIOFvQPrzYBcORafOsmWns6J9rij2ubL1xxB8ciVfbdvrrxeuLZFHU1ItFn58Jdi9kfh6A/s400/IMG_5959.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden & Alannah on the first day of school!</td></tr>
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Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-24579819408387256572014-07-27T19:46:00.000-04:002014-07-27T19:46:03.487-04:00This is love<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoWyuy_d1w5x_6t-CwKFLyhHOjt2TqD_50UenM0-J267xmErea9mIce43zx8ZRjTydb_HrlExpkdKWpp17DfaJ0Gx2HSjSyCChf57CbD3iE7zqOetjfCZ2SQ-4dv5i4e91LyO8A/s1600/braid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoWyuy_d1w5x_6t-CwKFLyhHOjt2TqD_50UenM0-J267xmErea9mIce43zx8ZRjTydb_HrlExpkdKWpp17DfaJ0Gx2HSjSyCChf57CbD3iE7zqOetjfCZ2SQ-4dv5i4e91LyO8A/s1600/braid.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is love: Letting your 6-year old do your hair in the style of Robert Palmer's<br />"Addicted to Love" band models with enough hair gel for the entire band<br />and then doing her hair just like the photo she found on Pinterest. I'm not<br />a coordinated braider, but she encouraged me: "You can do it, Stacey!" <br /><br />Then she asked if I would put this on the internet for the world to see.<br />See!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-68585898620595676602014-07-27T15:17:00.001-04:002014-07-27T18:05:23.484-04:00Despicable Them!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was the annual parade in our little town, and our dear neighbor Aja had the brilliant idea to create a mini float based upon her favorite movie characters from Despicable Me 2. She and her parents made all of the costumes for the minions (4 of her sisters and my Alannah). She was Lucy. Two neighbor boys were Gru and Dr. Nefario. Our little Jaden was Edith. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each minion costume was made by paper-machacing a beach ball and poster board. Yellow felt, black pipe cleaners and custom-made overalls with a "G" on each of them rounded out their costumes. Even Dr. Nafario's gloves and Gru's hat had that "G" on it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just got a phone call that their entry got first place! Yay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the photos I took of this very special day. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG1kPDuSOs_EV048JpuNbi2pObmK6fNyBV5HITUUY9-AY0c4tqo8efNYr6ZXde3fC5_qztWwRlJN3gI2RiURFfLQ8JFv6tfOWNBusfLyZmnMvjJzo_LoIHf13v_owVgVkpyIx_g/s1600/IMG_5645+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG1kPDuSOs_EV048JpuNbi2pObmK6fNyBV5HITUUY9-AY0c4tqo8efNYr6ZXde3fC5_qztWwRlJN3gI2RiURFfLQ8JFv6tfOWNBusfLyZmnMvjJzo_LoIHf13v_owVgVkpyIx_g/s1600/IMG_5645+-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karder is driving the mini-float.</td></tr>
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</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkEpLgzd4Im0GsKZc3KZMmiznPQwB8kjbfmHvZq49nq5JZJ-Ybe6s8Dv0Lsn_Cs4cNaIwYTdoTK75uQ-SzMWkkdr8e0ayfMeBLXV3CLsG6sBKmKJtMSBKN9P6x9HSLywuZjcPJw/s1600/IMG_5646+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkEpLgzd4Im0GsKZc3KZMmiznPQwB8kjbfmHvZq49nq5JZJ-Ybe6s8Dv0Lsn_Cs4cNaIwYTdoTK75uQ-SzMWkkdr8e0ayfMeBLXV3CLsG6sBKmKJtMSBKN9P6x9HSLywuZjcPJw/s1600/IMG_5646+-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They played Pharrell's "Happy" the two-miles of the parade route and Jaden danced the whole time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGd5WzywudsB_1iL_wo3x7IWmWw9wYS4wr2hbRZEFCe8TuPKxXK9hKlXVjKziNMtfXmqr2XbEpTQCOiQok4-0ol5IMOhSvkyrv-xRod6BTeE-yOzOsI0B2-7h7l_ixIjjUnHaQbA/s1600/IMG_5647.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGd5WzywudsB_1iL_wo3x7IWmWw9wYS4wr2hbRZEFCe8TuPKxXK9hKlXVjKziNMtfXmqr2XbEpTQCOiQok4-0ol5IMOhSvkyrv-xRod6BTeE-yOzOsI0B2-7h7l_ixIjjUnHaQbA/s1600/IMG_5647.CR2" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was seriously the highlight of a fabulous week!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpB-qPWIFQKc-EfMcKzPQvFjhK061RcSMd7ZOvUDz661oyzId001ZmlHrkGYaydlr4HEe1RNoDwiipuQBu-UYNZKT4ovlmcyoSsf9IJf7oKWIymXmsUfv4qVnzZflkU5PYpprsw/s1600/IMG_5648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpB-qPWIFQKc-EfMcKzPQvFjhK061RcSMd7ZOvUDz661oyzId001ZmlHrkGYaydlr4HEe1RNoDwiipuQBu-UYNZKT4ovlmcyoSsf9IJf7oKWIymXmsUfv4qVnzZflkU5PYpprsw/s1600/IMG_5648.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karder was so awesome!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2QSO2bscDIO6dFxYWNNFv0NwsyVU7iLHvzxiu5SPtWlpQTokM4tZKllbodlFsh_hsnpZ0tEhjn3nIKx7kXN8vs5nUJvIozLCxW4n8Kg4O-YIrvN-feGBy4XvLpCrcBhM5sjjEg/s1600/IMG_5649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2QSO2bscDIO6dFxYWNNFv0NwsyVU7iLHvzxiu5SPtWlpQTokM4tZKllbodlFsh_hsnpZ0tEhjn3nIKx7kXN8vs5nUJvIozLCxW4n8Kg4O-YIrvN-feGBy4XvLpCrcBhM5sjjEg/s1600/IMG_5649.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Nefario!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGRyymHervFn7032K92GaTAe56rPqyJTTkx6g8zoo9xK_-WKYXFMHKiioxkwQimjaIfs5F3Tx7NGwctMS7l4Y7IQDkQZ9_6AOy_z9whsLbXGeBql8eJLhN4FNlBvSOmOHsdYCgA/s1600/IMG_5650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGRyymHervFn7032K92GaTAe56rPqyJTTkx6g8zoo9xK_-WKYXFMHKiioxkwQimjaIfs5F3Tx7NGwctMS7l4Y7IQDkQZ9_6AOy_z9whsLbXGeBql8eJLhN4FNlBvSOmOHsdYCgA/s1600/IMG_5650.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy and Edith dancing to "Happy"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1Yw4fyctvXJDZ-7odB47hgYww8GERsEzFWmRBOzYVORypUDUKJEsvl_yJ07gIB21Cq4-6dDCopzSljvKswcDowta_8osHAkxqcN0ZRVM71HoUJDZ01Mjq9Xqp3sK2WSX0Vx-pg/s1600/IMG_5651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1Yw4fyctvXJDZ-7odB47hgYww8GERsEzFWmRBOzYVORypUDUKJEsvl_yJ07gIB21Cq4-6dDCopzSljvKswcDowta_8osHAkxqcN0ZRVM71HoUJDZ01Mjq9Xqp3sK2WSX0Vx-pg/s1600/IMG_5651.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alannah, Mercedes and Laurine as minions.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pH-OO08jyp6rK80ujbBC_uobNGmz60ZuZi9hqQwZ1fQctB0xedbcdjXSaBQddtKbmfqG2FU3w3r8L1eFW2eZEnE1neu7Yu-868LxUY8rcC2Xz7E0sBF1q3_ZdXccMiJA5TxuAA/s1600/IMG_5652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pH-OO08jyp6rK80ujbBC_uobNGmz60ZuZi9hqQwZ1fQctB0xedbcdjXSaBQddtKbmfqG2FU3w3r8L1eFW2eZEnE1neu7Yu-868LxUY8rcC2Xz7E0sBF1q3_ZdXccMiJA5TxuAA/s1600/IMG_5652.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They went by so quickly, but it was an incredible moment.</td></tr>
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Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20793240.post-45864956346858060402014-07-26T19:03:00.001-04:002014-07-26T19:03:45.937-04:00Seven months of photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6fEUAN3cmjb_5xYRtDfjoedVrqu3hWDFoh0p7D6IJV4hM6O2pLWFOCS0DeoimmernTm7ysmsSzcWX45gGcc3KMyY0-soBrVkq3vAGj4zpotRHlXLQKGZG-I7YNZ-g38mzbfXfA/s1600/Jaden+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6fEUAN3cmjb_5xYRtDfjoedVrqu3hWDFoh0p7D6IJV4hM6O2pLWFOCS0DeoimmernTm7ysmsSzcWX45gGcc3KMyY0-soBrVkq3vAGj4zpotRHlXLQKGZG-I7YNZ-g38mzbfXfA/s1600/Jaden+003.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Jaden's first visit on December 14, 2013, we went grocery shopping to buy foods she liked. She raved about lemons, so the first thing she and Alannah made in the kitchen was lemonade. This is the first picture I took of Jaden. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf61FhyT0eID-8JuBVKtE2J46CG7K3I_7joJbA0TLW7L-AraNheYpBeQDDqE2_49CBA0FJVIZij-Wh72EexVSS1Bo5bOlsqvH3dY-bYp3rbiBUxfBXSSnMfBsmL87Q9JmtpzpnzA/s1600/Jaden+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf61FhyT0eID-8JuBVKtE2J46CG7K3I_7joJbA0TLW7L-AraNheYpBeQDDqE2_49CBA0FJVIZij-Wh72EexVSS1Bo5bOlsqvH3dY-bYp3rbiBUxfBXSSnMfBsmL87Q9JmtpzpnzA/s1600/Jaden+005.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She really doesn't like getting her picture taken, so I was surprised when she smiled for me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnfAMHgAsN2yX-17BSoriidmjUFa_S6eFMwDFCpW6ht87S5ijp450bq1G1GLsafjNargznb_sZgoNCIWQEmCC7zykvZLdVa9PWbui14MJps8bJ1pd0wWIjXIuMCix2kPdi6fzmg/s1600/Jaden+013.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnfAMHgAsN2yX-17BSoriidmjUFa_S6eFMwDFCpW6ht87S5ijp450bq1G1GLsafjNargznb_sZgoNCIWQEmCC7zykvZLdVa9PWbui14MJps8bJ1pd0wWIjXIuMCix2kPdi6fzmg/s1600/Jaden+013.CR2" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Alannah trying to get Jaden to smile for a picture. She laughed and smiled, but never when I was pointing the camera. Jaden thinks Alannah is the funniest person she knows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMhEBffFDWMWl8PWoX5II4ABGEDd6Z4gxrakvoXzubnanUFL_LOAhZuuEjVEpVu2gJb1SpB2jxlxnFcB5QDxUJK6n58eQi5KAADs1FyW0CQwprutDUDXq1qFNnmTVLe6UMxPJ-g/s1600/Jaden+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMhEBffFDWMWl8PWoX5II4ABGEDd6Z4gxrakvoXzubnanUFL_LOAhZuuEjVEpVu2gJb1SpB2jxlxnFcB5QDxUJK6n58eQi5KAADs1FyW0CQwprutDUDXq1qFNnmTVLe6UMxPJ-g/s1600/Jaden+018.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our friend John on Christmas Day at our open house. The little girl in dark pink is Olivia, Jaden's friend at church. The two of them giggle non-stop!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8_KCF-MPnzDxqFCSG3X9hdUdzrHgROD6rSjJHabO9YzHA9y1FggWBxsG67ZEuHFyWqRVvdDi5pDOC5oL4LH5DI6xAWl0kiZJibtCVlCnFWny_4EO4yHaqBsm7HYpv4pz6b7D2w/s1600/Jaden+043.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8_KCF-MPnzDxqFCSG3X9hdUdzrHgROD6rSjJHabO9YzHA9y1FggWBxsG67ZEuHFyWqRVvdDi5pDOC5oL4LH5DI6xAWl0kiZJibtCVlCnFWny_4EO4yHaqBsm7HYpv4pz6b7D2w/s1600/Jaden+043.CR2" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Take a picture of us eating ice cream!" Okay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj_ogRjAdSu0GMeD8J-1wJbLdtfbk7VQ-cSRDLQhUHklEbIKVaFPs7VtOk5XqGLh8osIvapC4nYhw58AmGyizq2orI4WTiSdDUWN5ZlfijfCVwuM-UC-hNOcXlQLuoy44yFwliQ/s1600/Jaden+and+Bear+8x10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj_ogRjAdSu0GMeD8J-1wJbLdtfbk7VQ-cSRDLQhUHklEbIKVaFPs7VtOk5XqGLh8osIvapC4nYhw58AmGyizq2orI4WTiSdDUWN5ZlfijfCVwuM-UC-hNOcXlQLuoy44yFwliQ/s1600/Jaden+and+Bear+8x10.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden brought Bear home twice from school for the weekend and had to journal what they did together. This is pure joy on her face.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_InFKITWjaC-g34rm39c35Bm_v7ZYuFsMg8jJkvKyBSI8IdUVLZErQMymFFy9i9IWsJ0t5MTCjY-hKYqyaXCaziJ9bDCIoz2O1Nimv-31qxVggei0NSPFwc9NTuIZP5FgflE_w/s1600/JadenOrange+001+-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_InFKITWjaC-g34rm39c35Bm_v7ZYuFsMg8jJkvKyBSI8IdUVLZErQMymFFy9i9IWsJ0t5MTCjY-hKYqyaXCaziJ9bDCIoz2O1Nimv-31qxVggei0NSPFwc9NTuIZP5FgflE_w/s1600/JadenOrange+001+-2.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden: Knock, knock.<br />Me: Who's there?<br />Jaden: Annoying Orange <br />Me: Annoying Orange Who?<br />Jaden: Annoying Orange Blah Blah Blah Blah. Isn't that annoying? I made that up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi809iTSu0eJkS_ovn337FARXhZUgEYqC6H-6P-_DmIylMEQNe7yMkBCx6AwuhfxD9TLLZsuQCxNCYWwfDONQ5OZk9n-8E01nuJj6tvpQGvCXcOFHqVFBkTOsq7mVHSK6kltoTP1w/s1600/Jaden1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi809iTSu0eJkS_ovn337FARXhZUgEYqC6H-6P-_DmIylMEQNe7yMkBCx6AwuhfxD9TLLZsuQCxNCYWwfDONQ5OZk9n-8E01nuJj6tvpQGvCXcOFHqVFBkTOsq7mVHSK6kltoTP1w/s1600/Jaden1.jpg" height="640" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite photo of Jaden. I had just brushed her hair and asked her to pose for me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6A20yoU6fpOgLuJfu254ClM5D9JmJIFpBIibeoxx-ttWb69aBjxi7oLAO-7tbFPpqhxfeKOIZ1Vb7kSVfVz0d4D0p7yHnnNF7_W24B2AjY7mZYjTzCQClUjtKfH6FcF3_t5cYQ/s1600/Confirmation2014+006.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6A20yoU6fpOgLuJfu254ClM5D9JmJIFpBIibeoxx-ttWb69aBjxi7oLAO-7tbFPpqhxfeKOIZ1Vb7kSVfVz0d4D0p7yHnnNF7_W24B2AjY7mZYjTzCQClUjtKfH6FcF3_t5cYQ/s1600/Confirmation2014+006.CR2" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So . . . Michael thought it was a great idea for him to knock over the loveseat while the girls were in it. They thought so too. Me, not so much. But I did get a series of pictures of them with my ISO on the wrong setting so everyone one of them is blurry like this. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaRPLLK0UP5FeKKVD01o-kYzCGDyoj2_Xg1nl8-N7E4eO38iRK7sb_AGWyG-KABTYk5DFzm3XXMNCxxs-fx-vXWRSpEU2h-Xt1yoniTCoxEYgVvM7nIE55IDPMIWdgUW9mKz3RA/s1600/Confirmation2014+104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaRPLLK0UP5FeKKVD01o-kYzCGDyoj2_Xg1nl8-N7E4eO38iRK7sb_AGWyG-KABTYk5DFzm3XXMNCxxs-fx-vXWRSpEU2h-Xt1yoniTCoxEYgVvM7nIE55IDPMIWdgUW9mKz3RA/s1600/Confirmation2014+104.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After getting several classic poses of her, this is the one that best represents her strength and determination.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhld1bdCDFHOl2mEmyoCAeKY2IJf2ncO1u9_jLUfShaXC6hhChQWnII-apRpatqXNozpnD9RewVtEcVm7vfm9hjsI0OEKubuB67KLsZjBYWrmvKbFJ6y6mvMkFj0m7ZFny9RSooUA/s1600/Confirmation2014+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhld1bdCDFHOl2mEmyoCAeKY2IJf2ncO1u9_jLUfShaXC6hhChQWnII-apRpatqXNozpnD9RewVtEcVm7vfm9hjsI0OEKubuB67KLsZjBYWrmvKbFJ6y6mvMkFj0m7ZFny9RSooUA/s1600/Confirmation2014+001.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pillow Pets, blankets and girls transfixed on the TV. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEG3Ch6-Kv_YIM7AueddDrfTd450GQrdNJCncuGBt7WI5SDZWZ6UXDn2Hbij9vUhy4ZRHs-GCoiDkDVLwHHvnJWTWtlzgTuh2KxiyHpL7OV4_scKGOFbIZltaQNMbX_TCbwvHHQ/s1600/girls+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEG3Ch6-Kv_YIM7AueddDrfTd450GQrdNJCncuGBt7WI5SDZWZ6UXDn2Hbij9vUhy4ZRHs-GCoiDkDVLwHHvnJWTWtlzgTuh2KxiyHpL7OV4_scKGOFbIZltaQNMbX_TCbwvHHQ/s1600/girls+014.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden had this dress and a few weeks ago she found the same one in Alannah's size at a consignment shop. This is the two of them after church one Sunday. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh_sDRLQA5XWQggdF4Ike8JTHcp3CiiuBaM4pjqokM2KNamFwtjNr0cq81hegKeQdJYtfBdNWIc-DvwDJE23a-4MOp5jsBSG-tQgRvbUY1IbZcdfTsLHmShF7csryh5i-WyAjvQ/s1600/Image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh_sDRLQA5XWQggdF4Ike8JTHcp3CiiuBaM4pjqokM2KNamFwtjNr0cq81hegKeQdJYtfBdNWIc-DvwDJE23a-4MOp5jsBSG-tQgRvbUY1IbZcdfTsLHmShF7csryh5i-WyAjvQ/s1600/Image1.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She melts me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEmyyZSdBDiOl81c9H4vC6x6nicLAOnZVaimLxPbxKfbm-TE90yGbKwPYiHf-4EfpEdJTuqJofGi7Al6oEZHotznjPRpn72iwRqxGO84qG2_5qCC19uhoLs6sqTrMUp15yIXMZw/s1600/IMG_5410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEmyyZSdBDiOl81c9H4vC6x6nicLAOnZVaimLxPbxKfbm-TE90yGbKwPYiHf-4EfpEdJTuqJofGi7Al6oEZHotznjPRpn72iwRqxGO84qG2_5qCC19uhoLs6sqTrMUp15yIXMZw/s1600/IMG_5410.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this girl so much.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_fobdQay6p3l7WoDshBvL8gvnxhYKuJa4IgNWjqNdS1QkxxcVntqBebhqIApcLHoHLdaus-D-hCEii-S-7-rQRpKUETrqO89fBEGwTzy4KEspLeQBZXL0V7iA-xMYOhcYgRe3w/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_fobdQay6p3l7WoDshBvL8gvnxhYKuJa4IgNWjqNdS1QkxxcVntqBebhqIApcLHoHLdaus-D-hCEii-S-7-rQRpKUETrqO89fBEGwTzy4KEspLeQBZXL0V7iA-xMYOhcYgRe3w/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to the Balloon Festival in Frankenmuth and had a blast. Jaden loved looking in the program for information about each balloon as it was filled with hot air. "Take a picture of me, Stacey!" So I did!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCGqa3i_YeU5J9aRSm7eTlTk-RSTzG4kliJNVS0F5lwjQKmbVchyxwnhOkxk2tWbEkGz8TmmK04WCWEQo7x3dvf8ketfLnaF6ysh3572kWs8dcql0A9XMVkisRUzziCaEQH6XrQ/s1600/2014-04-25_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCGqa3i_YeU5J9aRSm7eTlTk-RSTzG4kliJNVS0F5lwjQKmbVchyxwnhOkxk2tWbEkGz8TmmK04WCWEQo7x3dvf8ketfLnaF6ysh3572kWs8dcql0A9XMVkisRUzziCaEQH6XrQ/s1600/2014-04-25_0001.jpg" height="640" width="488" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our neighbor, Aja, took this photo of the girls as a possible choice for a birthday present for me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwEacLxQTHc4SuYe-rkUeLQeWz_7_51w92z6jsoSjeYpHrS4G1yqO5yObwjxIklx2cjvR6LXEGpwQDOGPxTBHu82CSk0vBlJ2-Wua5dUnsMIw5HZP4mPzoqdUTvG47dFtpQOVgw/s1600/IMG_5132.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwEacLxQTHc4SuYe-rkUeLQeWz_7_51w92z6jsoSjeYpHrS4G1yqO5yObwjxIklx2cjvR6LXEGpwQDOGPxTBHu82CSk0vBlJ2-Wua5dUnsMIw5HZP4mPzoqdUTvG47dFtpQOVgw/s1600/IMG_5132.CR2" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked Gretta at church if she would teach the girls how to make candy, and this is her patiently teaching Jaden the art of chocolate the week before Easter in the church kitchen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1IprGy_68WvYECAaVLycHd_wOJQeAxQOyGQ87R9pgirxPzzQIPYHWMtTcJSphnkpmk9K5CLYSXQMvnRMFh050e9HyCBVWXkSwLmPy0D1GTcWx9mOAKkj7-YF-YRQmUml7wkH2A/s1600/IMG_5140.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1IprGy_68WvYECAaVLycHd_wOJQeAxQOyGQ87R9pgirxPzzQIPYHWMtTcJSphnkpmk9K5CLYSXQMvnRMFh050e9HyCBVWXkSwLmPy0D1GTcWx9mOAKkj7-YF-YRQmUml7wkH2A/s1600/IMG_5140.CR2" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look at this piece of chocolate!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5QeQmkQpaABOSJbN26ibUojFPEkDgyU35w7vxwZ3IdLcVZu9J0-UDOt7-7oXmtmnOuxwrP8LMWd4u1T58onH-0eWqeiY08xGBkJtialQeQVQrc1BLUoF2iCo6AJxex9ZsnpctA/s1600/IMG_5176+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5QeQmkQpaABOSJbN26ibUojFPEkDgyU35w7vxwZ3IdLcVZu9J0-UDOt7-7oXmtmnOuxwrP8LMWd4u1T58onH-0eWqeiY08xGBkJtialQeQVQrc1BLUoF2iCo6AJxex9ZsnpctA/s1600/IMG_5176+-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls on Easter Sunday.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqUAuLjiTPqflDlr6qxFD7X2dolUDVfXnT11M9QZM-aphDtJZcxKz4UbsmQujrQBfdmG4oFMdbZZwb7sbPd0_rMkSfbZOzAMz5V__u1Qh9h6xZnY4j8WtIyQPF4KJ_7Wn-uSZWw/s1600/IMG_5174+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqUAuLjiTPqflDlr6qxFD7X2dolUDVfXnT11M9QZM-aphDtJZcxKz4UbsmQujrQBfdmG4oFMdbZZwb7sbPd0_rMkSfbZOzAMz5V__u1Qh9h6xZnY4j8WtIyQPF4KJ_7Wn-uSZWw/s1600/IMG_5174+-1.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaden with Love-A-Lot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5g9ZLmyEFWvIBH9F98RrWuYPovlAd8H5ATRW7vMAW770ErWhb5fWZI9wY7H86EcoIUN9CQgV_GoJ2kX3557ER_okkBjlFAYNOMhSKZl7pGyeFbQ-O0loa64mOXjhcXb9AikrpQ/s1600/IMG_5178+-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5g9ZLmyEFWvIBH9F98RrWuYPovlAd8H5ATRW7vMAW770ErWhb5fWZI9wY7H86EcoIUN9CQgV_GoJ2kX3557ER_okkBjlFAYNOMhSKZl7pGyeFbQ-O0loa64mOXjhcXb9AikrpQ/s1600/IMG_5178+-1.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alannah with Olaf. </td></tr>
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<br />Gemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934611171033721134noreply@blogger.com0