tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82172845796386009312024-03-12T20:31:52.210-04:00Live. Read. Create. Thrive!a glimpse of this mom's life, moment by moment...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-61003480888378211222013-12-01T20:29:00.001-05:002013-12-01T20:29:27.206-05:00an ending...and a beginningWell, faithful readers, you have certainly noticed my absence in the past few months. Here it is, December 1, and I am ready to admit this blog has served its season in my life. The kids are in school full time, the adventures seem fewer and further between. Life moves on. I am writing more, just not in this blog. (Will it ever be published? Only God knows.) And God moves in me. He moves. And so I move too. I will not be here at Live.Read.Create.Thrive! any longer. Perhaps you will find me at<br />
<a href="http://gatherhope.blogspot.com/">gather(hope)</a>, a new blog I am (maybe) starting. There are no posts yet. Maybe soon. We'll see.<br />
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Friends, thanks for being here with me. Thanks for sharing my life and loves and adventures. This space has been a blessing to me, largely because I could share my life with you. Thank you.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-34497835563483840882013-08-22T13:57:00.001-04:002013-08-22T13:57:16.362-04:00in the past 30 days: last but not least...the zoo!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was yesterday's adventure, and it brings me up to date on the blog: hurrah! One of our summer "bucket list" items was to spend a day at the zoo. We are most familiar with the Baltimore zoo, as it is close and we had a membership there for a year or two, but it had been 5 or 6 years since I last went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., which is part of the Smithsonian. It was a photographer's dream. It was also HOT. The forcast was for 87 F, but the car read 95 when we got back to it about 3 pm. And the humidity. We narrowly avoided the three of us melting into one big puddle. Thank goodness for airconditioned exhibit buildings! Here's my view of our day:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wildlife up close and personal: a praying mantis on the lion exhibit railing!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-75492150075357361962013-08-22T13:48:00.002-04:002013-08-22T13:48:25.024-04:00in the past 30 days: miscellaneous fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This post is full of photos from several fun adventures that didn't really each need a post of their own. First, the kids and I took a daytrip to Breezy Point Beach, about an hour south of us on the Chesapeake Bay. The water was unfortunately heavily infested with jellyfish, so there was no real swimming, but that didn't stop the fun! This beach is one of the places in southern Maryland where fossilized sharks teeth are plentiful. We found about 50 teeth in our morning there, ranging from about 1/4 to 3/4 inch in size! They are so neat. There was also a playground on the beach; I don't think my kids had every ridden a playground merry-go-round before!</div>
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These next photos are from Brickfair, which is a Lego convention with lots and lots of unique Lego creations displayed. Hubby took the kids on a Saturday that I was working. He took 200 pictures! :) Here are just a few... <br />
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Lastly, I took the kids to one of our county parks one evening last week, to burn off some energy. And so I threw the 50 mm lens on the camera to have some fun with the evening light. I couldn't have been more delighted with how some of the pictures came out.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-75043812325602774112013-08-22T13:37:00.001-04:002013-08-22T13:37:53.530-04:00in the past 30 days: beach tripOh, this is the hardest one to sum up. Two weeks ago we spent a weekend with my parents in Wildwood and Cape May, NJ. There is no doubt that the beach is my "happy place" in life. Even in the midst of lots of activity (and there was lots of activity), just being at the beach brings me so much happiness.<br />
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Friday, we had our traditional arrival lunch at the Beach House restaurant in Cape May before heading to our hotel in Wildwood and out to the beach for the afternoon. It is so much fun that the kids are both old enough to boogie board and enjoy being out in the waves. That evening we had a terrific late afternoon storm, which resulted in hubby and I wading through calf-high water to get to our car as we headed out to a delicious lobster dinner date while the kids hung out with their grandparents, eating pizza, walking the boardwalk, and playing cards.<br />
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We had an amazing lightning show out to see on Friday night that we watched from our balcony:<br />
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Saturday was pure and simply a beach day. We went out before breakfast, after breakfast until lunch, and after lunch until late afternoon. Glorious! After dinner, we took everyone miniature golfing (the kids first time!) and for ice cream.<br />
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Sunday we got some brief beach time in after breakfast, before we had to check out of the hotel. Then we headed to Cape May, to play skee-ball and other arcade games, have some pizza on the boardwalk, and say goodbye...except after we left my parents, the four of us decided to drive down to the Cape May Lighthouse, climb the 180 steps to the top, and enjoy the view, and then the nature centers at the base. It was a fun way to wrap up a really wonderful weekend.<br />
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You can see all the way to Wildwood from the lighthouse!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-79568697229742910852013-08-21T20:22:00.001-04:002013-08-22T13:49:13.393-04:00in the past 30 days: birthday celebrationsOur girlie turned 8 this month, and we had lots of fun celebration! It started the week before her birthday, with a trip to the "American Girl" store to have her doll, Molly's ears pierced. We surprised K. by letting her get her own ears pierced that day too!<br />
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Then on her actual birthday, we had dinner with both sets of grandparents, with cake, ice-cream and presents:<br />
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And finally, about a week later, we had three of her best friends over for a sleep-over party!<br />
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These are sun-catchers we made from melting pony beads, a great craft for the morning after the sleep-over!<br />
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I think everyone would agree it was a good birthday!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-38137883358447756902013-08-21T20:12:00.000-04:002013-08-22T13:48:49.764-04:00in the past 30 days: farm fair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of our summer traditions, which has been documented at least twice on this blog in previous years, is going to the county fair where I grew up, which is called "Farm Fair". We love to see my mom's best friend perform as Candy and Cupcake (a children's entertainment show), see the animals and the 4-H exhibits, and hubby loves a good tractor pull. This year the weather became ominous and the radar (thanks, smartphone) looked terrible...and then the storm blew over. I told hubby, " I guess God loves a good tractor pull too!" We had a wonderful day, as we always do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my boys love combine harvesters!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">super-cool! riding in a giant tractor-pull tractor!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">earplugs in, and ready for the tractor pull!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-59695903690083314652013-08-21T20:00:00.002-04:002013-08-21T20:00:26.565-04:00in the past 30 days: long island trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer has FLOWN by! We have been so busy but it has all been wonderful, wonderful fun. And I just haven't been here on the blog. But I do want to update with all the wonderful fun that has been going on, with some specific posts of trips and adventures, and a few miscellaneous posts of a mish mash of fun. So here is the first of several: near the end of July, the kids, my mom and I took a two night trip up to see my sister-in-law and my niece and nephews where they were spending the month in Cutchogue, on Long Island, NY. Because my brother is in the Navy, we often see them only once or twice a year while they are stationed far away (currently San Diego). So it was a joy to spend this bit of time with them, to let my kids know their cousins a bit, to be with family. My niece just turned 1, her brothers are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2. Here are the highlights (yes, there are a lot of photos!):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the faces crack me up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy cousins!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-71167156615103728752013-07-21T20:20:00.001-04:002013-07-21T20:20:40.202-04:00on the lake (part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As <a href="http://livereadcreatethrive.blogspot.com/2013/07/lake-days.html">promised</a>, here are the pictures of the kids learning to waterski, tubing, and enjoying being out on the boat! Without further ado...<br />
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They started skiing like this, crouched down: <br />
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But soon both were able to ski from a standing position (although my boy did continue to prefer the crouched ski for whatever reason): </div>
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And much fun was to be had out on the tube (Mommy too, but alas, no photos!):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AIRBORNE!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-40854564910299788442013-07-21T20:13:00.000-04:002013-07-21T20:13:32.965-04:00lake days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent much of the past two weeks at Kerr Lake, in NC, where we
vacation with hubby's family every year. This year was the wettest that I
can remember, with more rain and higher lake levels than I can
remember. (The lake's level can go up/down by about 30 feet in
elevation, regulated by the corps of engineers, but it usually stays
within a foot or two in the summer). The state park beaches were
underwater, and the point where our dock is was mostly under water too.
Soggy mud bogs along our golf-cart path required some creative detours
as well!<br />
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Despite this, we were able to enjoy the
overcast days and find quite a bit of sun by the end of our 10 days
there. The kids had a wonderful time learning to waterski on the boom
that hubby made (similar to a barefoot ski bar) and they were<u> so proud</u> of this tough accomplishment. They also had fun swimming and letting daddy haul them around on the tube. Because this mommy took so many pictures, I'm putting the waterskiing, tubing and boating pictures in a separate post! <br />
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Our first night there, James and I biked to a west-facing overlook for a view of the gorgeous sunset. It was the only pretty sunset all week!<br />
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We had calmer water than I can remember, too! The lake looked like glass most of the week. I guess "still waters really do run deep"! </div>
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My handsome, crazy husband--love this guy so much! </div>
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The kids wanted to be IN the lake every waking moment!<br />
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T.J. really wanted to keep the rocks he found high and dry...they were underwater again the next day! He also wanted to build a sand castle, but settled for a "mud castle" instead!<br />
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Family portraits, lake style: </div>
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My handsome boy:<br />
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My beautiful girl:<br />
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And silly mommy teaching her some synchronized swimming (which I did one year in college). Here are our "ballet legs". Life jackets make this much easier!<br />
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Hubby even captured a nice picture of me:<br />
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So there you have it. Lots and lots of family pictures! With more (the boating ones! stay tuned!) to come. We love being at, in, and on the lake!<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-14166041068280796482013-07-05T22:20:00.000-04:002013-07-05T22:20:17.725-04:00celebrating independence The week has been full of the things we crazy Americans do to celebrate
our independence: Fireworks, firecrackers, and running around with
sparklers. Parades with fire engines, politicians, marching bands, crazy
bicycles, men on tractors eating lollipops, and sheep (I didn't get a
good picture of the sheep: take my word for it!). Pool time on a
scalding hot afternoon. Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. A Capitol
Fourth (and Neil Diamond!) on PBS. Red, white and blue outfits,
decorations, and food. And lots of fun and lots of family. Its all life
as it should be, in the land of the free, and home of the brave. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? Men on tractors eating lollipops!</td></tr>
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And here are my favorites from playing with sparklers and camera settings tonight!<br />
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Hope your Independence Day was as wonderful as ours was! Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-79876568019214593332013-07-01T20:01:00.000-04:002013-07-01T20:01:00.180-04:00family summer adventure: rodeo and patriotic funThis past weekend's adventure was a trip up to <a href="http://www.rivervalleyranch.com/">River Valley Ranch</a>, a Christian camp up near the Maryland line in Manchester, MD. They were having an early Independence Day celebration amd it looked like the best time to catch fireworks with the kids (as I will work early on July 5th and won't want to be out too late on the 4th). What a fun afternoon and evening we had!<br />
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The craziest thing that happened the whole day was that as we pulled in, who should pull in two cars behind us but a family that has been one of our very best friends for the past 10 years. We had no idea they were coming, and after an hour-plus drive, how funny to pull in together out of all the thousand of people there! It was great to spend our time together for the day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Rodeo- with our friends boys in cowboy hats on the left!</td></tr>
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We arrived just as the Rodeo was starting and it was fun to see the various events from bull riding to steer-wrestling (called Chute Dogging) to a crazy form of musical chairs performed on horseback, and rodeo clown stunts with exploding watermelon. We would have stayed for the whole thing but it. was. HOT.<br />
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So off we went to the "Chuckwagon" barbecue dinner under the trees, followed by letting the kids splash around in the creek that winds its way through the property. My miniature engineer boy immediately found a group of kids building a dam across the creek, and jumped right in to help. Girlie got involved too, and they all had a great time until they were turning into little blue popsicles from the cold water.<br />
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There was a nice patriotic concert by the Westminster Municipal Band, and then finally--finally! It was time for the fireworks. It was a good show! The kids had seen fireworks before at Disney (in Jan 2011) and a couple other times but didn't really remember them, so they were thrilled to see the beautiful show "up close". Their mom was pretty thrilled too...nothing beats watching fireworks from a lawn chair in the beautiful outdoors. The clouds were pretty impressive too as storms skirted us on several sides but never came too close.<br />
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And thus ends a long but fun family adventure. One of my common themes for this summer so far is my kids both asleep in the back seat of the car as we travel home from our various days of fun. Its a good way to end a day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crazy kids with glowsticks!</td></tr>
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Happy summer adventuring, everyone! And happy Independence day!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-35611278639661135272013-06-27T18:13:00.000-04:002013-06-27T18:13:00.588-04:00pool fun and friendsThis has been a great year for the pool! The kids are old enough that they are both swimming well enough to be in without an adult right next to them...allowing me to sit under the umbrella and take lots of pictures! We've had friends and lots of fun.<br />
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And, just because, here is a silly picture of the boy and his buddy being, well, just silly:<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-6550142649140135342013-06-27T17:00:00.000-04:002013-06-27T17:00:00.017-04:00family summer adventure: butterflies and playgroundsDisclaimer: this post is actually from last week. Its just taken me that long to sit down at the computer to get the photos uploaded! Summer is too fun and busy to spend it at the computer.<br />
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After a friend posted pictures online of their trip to Wheaton Regional Park's awesome and unique playground, I just knew we had to go! Bonus: it's just a mile down the road from the Butterfly garden at Brookside Gardens. So we took a morning last week and visited both! The butterflies were fabulous (although not interested in landing on us at all, much to daughter's disappointment), and the playground was so different than ANY other playground we have been to...my kids were daring and had lots of fun!<br />
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Keep adventuring, friends! Happy summer!<br />
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-20604246903452752412013-06-27T16:10:00.001-04:002013-06-27T16:10:16.810-04:00first feis and first lost teethTwo big events recently! <br />
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On June 15, the girlie participated in her first feis. A feis (pronounced fesh) is an Irish Dance competition, and is a crazy, somewhat overwhelming, and yet fun experience. 800 dancers plus family. Crazy hair (most advancing dancers wear either full wigs or wig buns to give them those crazy curls). Waiting and waiting and waiting some more. Music coming from three different stages set up in one big hall. And my girl:<br />
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(see all the waiting going on behind her?)<br />
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Serious faces. Ready to dance.<br />
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And after, the face of, "I did it!", wearing her participant's medal. (note girl with crazy wig in upper left!)<br />
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Then, three days later, the boy had a milestone of his own: a first lost tooth! Loving the gappy grin.<br />
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Summer firsts. Happy summer, everyone!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-10347637858314618902013-06-13T15:26:00.000-04:002013-06-13T15:26:15.329-04:00family summer adventure: King's Dominion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday we surprised the kids with a day at King's Dominion amusement park in Virginia. It meant the girlie missed school (which was only a 1/2 day anyway as this is the last week of school) so the surprise was extra-exciting for her. Throughout the day, we kept hearing, "This is the best day ever" from her mouth, so I think we can call the day a success. Her brother seemed pretty happy too...in fact, we all did! As the kids get bigger I think there is so much more fun to be had at these parks...at this stage we get both kids on all the kid-sized rides and sister can now go on some of the roller coasters and all the water slides. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Avalanche: T.J. loved it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the ponytails flying in the breeze!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the Eiffel tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(girlie lower right)</td></tr>
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The weather held out (no afternoon storms!) so we enjoyed the park rides for most of the day, and in late afternoon we headed toward the water park section for some fun swimming before heading home late last night.<br />
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A great start to our summer adventuring! I can't wait until school is out next week...tomorrow is the girlie's last day!<br />
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-56863662725641974342013-06-01T11:43:00.003-04:002013-06-01T11:43:57.363-04:00summer is coming!We had a week full of the signs that summer is on its way! The pool is open, and despite the 68 degree water, the kids got in on Wednesday for the first time (its up to a "balmy" 74 now...I think I'll wait a few more days before I get in!).<br />
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The garden is getting into full swing. My spring onions from last year are in full bloom, we've had about a dozen ripe strawberries, and after a third (!) planting, I finally have some cucumbers and one lonely pumpkin plant coming up. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty onion blooms!</td></tr>
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My buddy and I went to a new-to-us farm for Strawberry picking on Thursday. We still had a few cups of strawberry freezer jam from last year in the deep freeze so we restrained ourselves and only picked 5 lb. The berries were significantly less expensive than the farm we went to last year, but I also found them to be smaller and less sweet. Hmm. Maybe the extra cost was worth it last year? Either way, we are enjoying the "fruits" of our efforts!<br />
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Friday, Hubby and the boy headed toward Dulles to visit the <a href="http://airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy/">Udvar-Hazy Center</a>, which is part of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. It is a huge hangar with literally hundreds of airplanes, helocopters, and rockets displayed, including one of the retired Space Shuttles. A fun day for the boys!<br />
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We are spending our weekend doing summer-variety chores---vacuuming the pool, mowing the yard and other yard clean up, as well as the other miscellaneous weekend activities. We will wrap up the weekend tomorrow with a "Welcome Summer" cookout at my Aunt and Uncle's house with all the local family.<br />
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Now its down to counting down the last two weeks of school for the girlie, and then we can say summer has truly come. Happy June, everyone!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-81972860792282665722013-05-27T18:03:00.000-04:002013-05-27T18:03:23.144-04:00riding the railsOur Memorial Day weekend has been very nice, starting Saturday afternoon attending a cookout at our friends' home, and on Sunday we took a daytrip up near Frederick, MD to ride the <a href="http://wsrr.org/2013/">Walkersville Southern Railroad</a>. They were having rides behind a steam engine this weekend, and hubby's parents had planned this fun outing for us! It was a beautiful day, and the train ride was a great way to spend the afternoon.<br />
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Nothing is better to a boy of 5 (or 40) than climbing in the engine!<br />
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Walking through the rail yard...<br />
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My wonderful in-laws, who planned this fun day for us. I love this photo of them! :)<br />
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All of us (except hubby, taking the photo), on the observation car, which we rode for the first half of the trip.<br />
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Hubby and his mom ( I love this photo too):<br />
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For the second half of the trip we got to ride in the caboose! Here we are riding in the "cupula" (the upper level seats in the caboose):<br />
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Here the kids are sitting in the rear doorway of the caboose, which was really the "front" as we reversed the several miles back to the station! It was a great view, as we saw things no one else on the train could see, like two deer crossing the track and a groundhog. We also got a great view of the bridge over the Monocacy river. The kids even got to blow the whistle! <br />
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Silliness...<br />
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At the end of the journey!<br />
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And as they say when you come to the end of the train, "That's all folks!" What a fun adventure.<br />
Today has been a busy day at home, with hubby working hard to get the pool open for the season. Now all we need is some warm weather, which hopefully will be coming later this week!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-65357950145917930712013-05-19T21:48:00.002-04:002013-05-19T21:48:35.704-04:00braveThis afternoon, the girl scout troop went to <a href="http://www.sandyspringadventurepark.org/">the Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School</a>, which is advertised as "the largest aerial forest adventure park in North America"--basically a giant complex of ropes course type activities and zip lines put together into trails up in the treetops.<br />
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What fun the girlie had! This was a challenge for every girl. I saw just
about every troop member push herself to a place she thought she could
not succeed and then push on past fear. Our girlie had one element that
she fell on (caught by the safety harness) twice trying to cross, and
when given the choice of going back or trying again, she chose to try
again. Tears turned to smiles as the third time she made it across. <br />
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What a confidence building experience this was for the girls. I was so proud to see them each so brave.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-54901052847204580052013-05-16T15:14:00.001-04:002013-05-16T15:14:59.771-04:00every day is mother's day......but it sure is nice to be treated like a queen on that one Sunday in May! We had a full Mother's day weekend, and I felt blessed to be a mom from start to finish. There are many hats I wear every week...wife, mom, chauffeur, housekeeper, chef...I even get to "play" Veterinarian a few days a week! But my role as mom is one of the most challenging yet the most consistently rewarding role I have. Raising and loving these two munchkins is something I thank God for everyday!<br />
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The boy had his preschool "graduation" and ending program on Friday evening. We have been so blessed to have this wonderful preschool for both of our kids to attend...after many years there is a bit of bittersweet to see it coming to an end as the youngest finishes. Boy, is he ready and excited for Kindergarten in the fall!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thats his self portrait with the blue shirt!</td></tr>
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Saturday, the girlie had her very first piano recital. She started taking lessons just in February and has made such good progress! She played very well and barely showed her nervousness. Here she is playing, and with her wonderful sweet teacher, Mrs. Wise.<br />
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Then Sunday! Mother's day started with a wonderful breakfast of bacon, cinnamon rolls, and omelets (did I mention bacon?). Energy food....for we headed out for our first family biking adventure since the boy's training wheels came off and I got my new bike! Getting a bike after about 20 years without one has been a surprising (to me) delight! I am so happy with my bike and it has been great fun to get out with the kids and hubby. On Sunday we drove over the Bay Bridge to bike part of the Kent Island Cross Island trail, going about 4 miles in all. It was a windy day and there were kite-surfers at Terrapin Park, where the trail starts. Hubby's comment was "cheaper than water-skiing....no gas required!". Hmmm....yeah, I think he would enjoy it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my new bike...cute AND sporty! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new bike rack too...4 bikes! </td></tr>
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We wrapped up the day with hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill with my in-laws, and they treated us to old family movies from when hubby was just a baby- age 0 to 3, perhaps. Sweet fun. The whole day just felt right...relaxing, fun, surrounded by my family. The kind of day a mother loves. This mother, anyway.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-13097658461108338052013-05-03T19:58:00.001-04:002013-05-03T19:58:15.529-04:00end of April...oops, early May!...update Despite not being present here on the blog much lately, there have been a few fun events going on in our lives, things like:<br />
...the second grade musical performance at the girlie's school (she is a butterfly, in case you were wondering):<br />
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...a field trip with her class (and Daddy as a chaperone!) to the Baltimore Museum of Industry and Fort McHenry:<br />
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...a boy who is trying to learn to ride his bike without training wheels (we're not there yet...):<br />
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...a "reading nook" which has come together in our upstairs area that is half library/ half craft room. Its not quite finished yet, so I promise you more details later. So far I have a crib mattress, four throw pillows and a quilt I made that is backed in "minky" faux-fur that is oh-so-snuggly!<br />
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...a few trips to the park and various playgrounds:<br />
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...and the park with the 4-H animals; love those spring lambs!<br />
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And finally, just tonight, I dropped the girlie off for her first weekend Girl Scout Encampment! She was so excited, and I can't wait to hear about all the fun when we pick her up on Sunday!<br />
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So, that's life in a nutshell around here. How are things in your neck of the woods?<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-8730690080142004282013-04-09T16:18:00.000-04:002013-04-09T16:18:03.602-04:00spring beauty!Today is the 9th of April. 2 weeks ago we had enough snow to make a snowman. And today we were in shorts, with temperatures in the 80's! Crazy mid-Atlantic spring weather. But great to be outside in today!<br />
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To celebrate spring (summer?) being here, the boy and I went off adventuring to the <a href="http://www.usna.usda.gov/">U.S. National Arboretum</a>, which is on the outskirts of D.C. but inside the beltway, a wonderful oasis of green and beauty as you head into the city. It's cherry blossom time, and last year we had a wonderful time exploring around the tidal basin. This year, however, I was more in the mood for the natural side of things, so the Arboretum was perfect. Last time I was there, I had the double stroller along! That tells you how long its been...4 years, I think!<br />
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Anyway, the pictures really do speak for themselves. It was a gorgeous day. We had a wonderful hike. And I had fun with my camera. Adventuring at its best!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bees were everywhere...love a healthy apiary! mmm...honey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">amazing all the camellias in bloom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fiddleheads = spring in the woods!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the old U.S. capitol columns</td></tr>
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Happy spring, everyone!<br />
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-41652581493820893392013-03-31T12:07:00.000-04:002013-03-31T12:07:10.307-04:00Easter happenings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He is risen! We have enjoyed this Easter weekend very much so far, and are looking forward to spending the afternoon with family. Last night we dyed a few eggs, using a kit from the Dollar store, which advertised, "a touch of gold"! We were quite pleased with how vibrant the colors were and the gold accents really did make them something special:<br />
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Then this morning we spent at our church, celebrating Jesus, that "HE IS...the resurrection and the life". We have been doing a sermon series on the statements of Jesus, so these "HE IS" statues have become a fixture in the church the past few months, each week, they have been decorated a little differently:</div>
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And, as usual, the Easter Bunny usually arrives at our house while we are at Church, and he did not disappoint this year, bringing chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, a movie and other goodies for the kids:</div>
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We pray that you, also, are celebrating the Risen Lord, Jesus, today as you celebrate Easter with those you love!</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-76813993338529224782013-03-31T11:58:00.000-04:002013-03-31T11:58:01.070-04:00march momentsThe days are long, the weeks and months and years are short. So true! In the past few weeks we have:<br />
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...enjoyed "Blasting off with a good book" at the preschool's annual reading night. A great theme for my astronaut boy! <br />
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...enjoyed homemade shepherd's pie and apple pie from the pie filling I canned last fall, all to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day:</div>
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...gone on a preschool Easter egg hunt...<br />
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...enjoyed seeing Cassie and Dora snuggling together: <br />
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...and enjoyed a "spring break" snowstorm, on Grandma's birthday! <br />
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We have also seen my sweet girl through surgery to repair the hole in her eardrum that never healed after her second set of tubes, kept her quiet for the past 10 days (and at least 10 days more) and prayed over and over that it would be successful, since we won't know until the next recheck.<br />
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We have had a quiet but relaxing spring break from school, with books and movies and playdates with friends.<br />
<br />We have seen daffodils bloom, both before and after the snow.<br />
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And we have approached Easter... Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-51872631224161733022013-03-10T19:56:00.000-04:002013-03-10T19:56:01.192-04:00a parade...with dancing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was our local St. Patrick's day parade...the "first annual", which hopefully means many more to come! It was fun to march the parade route with my girl's Irish dance group, <a href="http://mapleirishdance.com/">the Maple Academy of Irish Dance</a>. It was her first performance with the group after changing dance schools in the fall. This school includes not only girls from our area but also classes in Bethesda and northern Virginia. The girls all seemed to have a lot of fun! Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma and Grandpa came to watch with hubby and the boy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love those tongues sticking out in concentration!</td></tr>
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Happy (early) Saint Patrick's day, everyone!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217284579638600931.post-36968453361272877582013-03-03T19:58:00.000-05:002013-03-03T19:58:42.247-05:00monster trucks invade baltimore!(subtitle: How to make a 5-year-old boy really happy)<br />
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When the boy turned five last month, we decided to skip the traditional kid party at home (which may or may not have been decided when mom couldn't come up with adequate enthusiasm for a "Cowboy party". Not sayin'. But it might have something to do with that.). Instead in a moment of inspiration, I suggested we take a couple friends to see Monster Jam when it came to town. Thankfully (!) that idea was met with great enthusiasm. And today was the day!<br />
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The day actually started on Friday, when there were several "celebrity appearances" around town and hubby, Papa and the kids got to go see "Max-D" up close and personal at the local Wal-Mart, and came home with autographed photos and a lot more excitement for today.<br />
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Then today we met up with two families with boys who are friends with ours, and had a blast watching all the great monster trucks! "Max-D" remained the boy's favorite, while my girlie cheered on "Madusa" (with her female driver), and others cheered for Grave Digger, Spider Man, Higher Education, Captain's Curse, Crustation, or the Grinder. It was really loud. It was silly. It was so much fun. And it was perfect for a five-year-old celebrating his birthday. <br />
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Hopefully I will be back blogging here more frequently, again, friends! February saw me fighting off minor illness that just dragged on and on and I just had no energy...not to do fun activities or crafts, not to take lots of fun photos, not to blog. Thankfully, I think its all behind us now...and spring is coming!!! Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11211033934271305870noreply@blogger.com0