tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54061636404312255712024-03-12T19:49:01.863-07:00THE BAZIL BUNCH...a bunch of memories...a bunch of smiles...a bunch of loveErica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-36413870866745900302014-06-29T20:42:00.002-07:002014-06-29T20:42:20.318-07:00Easter 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Saturday before Easter we tried out the city's Easter egg hunt at the high school. It wasn't bad but rather than put candy in eggs they just threw it around on the taped off ground. This makes sense seeing that to fill eggs takes so long, but what was funny was that they must have disbursed the candy much earlier that day (the hunt was at 1pm) because all the candy was completely melted by the time the kids got to it. It was so funny to see all the little kids licking their hands and fingers. We just threw ours in the freezer and they turned out fine but we got a chuckle out of that. </div>
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Later that night, after Ty got off work, we had our own little hunt in our house. We're having to get really sneaky about where we hide the eggs because the kids are such good seekers. And boy did Rosie get into it this year - she loved it! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah...she found a big one!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cash was in the habit for a few days of wearing his old 3-D glasses for some reason. <br />
I thought he actually looked pretty cute in them. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at those skills!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And look at that smile!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With every egg Rosie opened she gave a delighted and exaggerated gasp when she saw the candy inside. Even though after the first several you'd think her enthusiasm would dwindle - it didn't!</td></tr>
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Of course Easter morning was fun as we always set out eggs as a trail from each kids' bed to their little treasures and we discussed the meaning of Easter over a good breakfast. We had a good lesson on the resurrection the next night for FHE that has kind of become a tradition to do time and time again but we always look forward to it. Throw some garden work, coloring Easter eggs and a few other things in there and I'd say we had a pretty fantastic Easter weekend. Sorry, prepare for a picture overload:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids in their new Easter Sunday clothes along with their Easter treasures.</td></tr>
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Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-12239880042119008832014-06-29T20:21:00.002-07:002014-06-29T20:21:20.121-07:00Vanna's Birthday <div style="text-align: justify;">
Vanna is now 6 years old! My little girl is not so little anymore! Ahhh!</div>
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She
had a wonderful day. It started with her request for cream of wheat at
breakfast (her favorite) and opening presents. She got a new Sunday dress
(which she needed terribly) the DVD Frozen (the new and very popular Disney
movie ever little girl loves right now and sings songs from) and a hairstyling
doll she can learn new braids on and play with. I told her I might even have to
use it sometimes to master new hairstyles before trying them out on the girls.
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We decided to do all the celebrating for her birthday that day (even
though it was a school day) rather than later on the weekend because Ty had her
birthday off and not the weekend. So we checked Vanna out of school just over
lunch/recess-time and went to Subway to eat (again her choice). Then later we
took a cupcake cake to her class to celebrate for a minute in there. She was so
excited for her dad to come to her class (I guess I'm old news :)! There's a
rule at the school that only store-bought food items can be brought in. Apparently they had an issue once with food poisoning and quickly adopted this
rule. So we ordered the cupcake cake from Albertsons in a Frozen movie design.
She loved it and I think the most exciting part was that the design was made of
edible paper - she couldn't believe you could eat it! Hahaha. While we were at it
we just ordered a small Frozen cake we could share as a family at home and that
we could stick candles in for her to blow out. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her birthday loot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy excited at school when we were visiting!</td></tr>
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After school, we came home and did the regular snack and nap thing and then she had some surprise visitors (some of her friends from Primary) stop by to drop off a present for her. She thought that was neat - I found it very sweet and thoughtful of them to think of her even when Vanna didn't have a party to invite friends over for. Then we had her requested mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner (of course we added beans and steak to make it a well rounded meal :). Then we went to the theater to enjoy a movie - this was what she wanted to do for her birthday. Luckily there was a children's movie playing that she was excited about - Rio 2. By the time we got out of the movie though it was just past bedtime and Vanna was beginning to complain about her legs <em>and </em>her arms aching. Poor thing. So we quickly sang to her again, blew out candles and ate a bit of cake before sending her off to bed. All in all though I think she had a great day. I keep telling her that five sounded like she was still my little girl but that six sounds all grown up - she really does look more grown up to me all the time now too...sniff...sniff. :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm!</td></tr>
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Her grandparents always remember to make her feel special on her birthday as well. They call to sing to her and send cards. She loves getting that mail and loved the pictures in her card this year that reminded her of the presents her Grandma and Grandpa had bought her a bit earlier in the year (the cute stuffed owl you see above). </div>
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A few things about Vanna:</div>
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December 2013:</div>
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Vanna - As we were getting ready for church Vanna said something that made me laugh. We had been practicing our testimonies in FHE again so that they would feel prepared and able to share the truths they have simple testimonies of and I was explaining to the kids that since it was Fast Sunday, if they wished to bear their testimony, this would be the day to do that (our ward turns the first few minutes of testimony meeting over to the primary kids so that if they wish to bear their testimonies, that is the time - it often gives more kids the courage to do so since all their friends are going up there with them). Vanna says, "Wait, that's what Fast Sunday is?!" I said, "Yeah." and because I saw this blank look on her face, I went on to explain the way we skip meals to show our sacrifice and desire for the Holy Ghost to be with us...and so on...and so on. After I finished, Vanna said, "Oh. I just thought it meant we had to be fast, like get ready fast on Fast Sunday." Apparently we need to do better at explaining the "why" behind more of the things we just do automatically. And just because I'm curious - at what age have some of you encouraged your kids to start fasting? We haven't done so yet, well, because we figure they're to young to grasp the concept and too young to ask them to skip meals. I'd love to hear your ideas.</div>
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February 2014:</div>
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Vanna's class had a little party to celebrate their 100th day of school this month. She brought home a paper from the party they'd filled out and one of the questions asked, "If you had $100 what would you buy with it? Vanna's answer: Ice Cream. :)</div>
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March 2014:</div>
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Vanna learned to tie her shoes. She likely could have done this much earlier however, she had never even owned lace-up shoes to this point. She came home one day though and showed an interest in tying them so we started practicing on our shoes and she got it down pretty quickly. I guess I'll have to think about that next year when I buy her shoes for school.</div>
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June 2014:</div>
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We finally took off the training wheels of Vanna's bike this summer - successfully. We had tried each summer the two summers previously (because we took Cash's off when he was four and he did great) but she was just too nervous without them so we put them back on. She is close to out-growing her bike though and we told her that the next bike we get her won't have training wheels so she better figure it out this year. And that was that. We took them off last Sunday and within 10 minutes she was riding solo and Dad was having to sprint next to her to keep up (to be there in case she fell). And it's like we bought her a new toy. She has been riding that bike everyday several times a day because she's so happy with herself. We're so happy for her too.</div>
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Vanna is driven by music. She loves to dance and sing and is so so excited to start piano lessons this fall. I hope she finds she loves it - I think she'd be great at it and what a beautiful and useful talent to have. </div>
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Her laugh is so contagious and she can get pretty filled with the giggles. </div>
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She usually still takes an afternoon nap. Yep. She's six and still takes a nap - it's so good for her and I'll let my kids take naps for as long as possible. :) She is always so worried each day though about whether or not Cash is going to take a nap. It's important to Vanna that everything seem exactly fair and I've had to explain to her multiple times that when she's eight, she'll likely not need to take naps either. </div>
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Vanna loves helping me in the kitchen, especially if it has anything to do with cracking eggs.</div>
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On that note, she is a good enforcer especially with Rosie. I'll often hear her repeat things I apparently say on a regular basis like, "Don't you tell me no." or "Do you need to sit on the wall?" - she acts like she's the boss with her probably too often. And I find it so funny that she thinks like I do when it comes to the rules with Rosie but we do not see eye to eye when it comes to the rules with her (but it usually boils down to her need to hear an apology and to be heard - she just wants to express herself without explanations or disagreement, etc. hopefully I remember that when she's a teenager and we're butting heads because we're too much alike :). But truly, Vanna is so helpful to me with her little sister. I love to see them playing so well together especially considering the bit of a gap in age between them. Of course they argue well together too (I'm always telling her, "Vanna - you're arguing with a baby - stop." :) but they get along pretty well for the most part. </div>
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Vanna is just a joy to us and holds her place as a middle child in our home so well. I worry about that often but she does well and is a good little sister as well as a good big sister. The moments are getting more and more rare that I get to snuggle with my big girl so I cherish the days like today where she comes to sit on my lap and says, "I like sitting on your lap Mom." Awww. I seriously need to find a way to keep these kids from growing up!</div>
<br />Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-10380668929851616982014-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:002014-06-21T09:32:09.077-07:00Random Silly Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Thought I'd just include a bunch of pictures I've taken over the past few months that are silly and make me smile. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">February 2014</span> </div>
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When ever we turn on the music the girls think they have to go get into their dress-up dresses to twirl around in. I tried to capture their creative outfits and after about the fifth picture - Rosie decided she didn't like the flash and started squinting. Still made for a pretty cute picture.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKfZkWTTRDw/U59lzLphpnI/AAAAAAAAEME/snDntv0QsYk/s1600/DSCN5606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKfZkWTTRDw/U59lzLphpnI/AAAAAAAAEME/snDntv0QsYk/s1600/DSCN5606.JPG" height="320" width="188" /></a></div>
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Speaking of dresses and dress-up...those are two of Rosie's favorite things. For some reason she loves her Sunday dresses, sweaters and tights. Who loves tights right?! Well...Rosie does!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdyLUHTXDcE/U6TX6wXtWrI/AAAAAAAAEXw/f3DWEE_g4X0/s1600/DSCN5622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdyLUHTXDcE/U6TX6wXtWrI/AAAAAAAAEXw/f3DWEE_g4X0/s1600/DSCN5622.JPG" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
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Cash just couldn't resist the bubbles in the sink after washing his hands.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61yEBa9UOks/U6TYnZKDhKI/AAAAAAAAEYI/1iGHwzOteF4/s1600/DSCN5623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61yEBa9UOks/U6TYnZKDhKI/AAAAAAAAEYI/1iGHwzOteF4/s1600/DSCN5623.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vanna had space camp at school one week this month and had a great time. She even got to try astronaut food! :) And this was her astronaut helmet they made in class. I think she'd make a darling astronaut don't you?!</div>
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And we tried some new hair-dos for Miss Vanna Marie that turned out pretty cute. I need to be more creative more often rather than doing the same old thing all the time I guess. </div>
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And speaking of creative, Cash got it in his mind that he wanted to make a robot. He asked me for some boxes and had the basic design for this robot all mapped out on his own. I thought it was pretty impressive that his Dad only had to help him put it all together so it would actually stand up. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHnVqXalMrQ/U6TY-trgURI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/uqLSnc5fULY/s1600/DSCN5634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHnVqXalMrQ/U6TY-trgURI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/uqLSnc5fULY/s1600/DSCN5634.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">April 2014</span></div>
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Rosie just loves the cat so much it hurts...the cat...no not really but almost. We have to keep telling her, "It's not a good idea to <em>lay</em> on the cat when you're giving loves." It's a good thing she's so light and that Tiger takes it so well. :)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oHHhQTeWpNk/U59ma5QCmjI/AAAAAAAAEMw/Cr6VV-DuEms/s1600/DSCN5648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oHHhQTeWpNk/U59ma5QCmjI/AAAAAAAAEMw/Cr6VV-DuEms/s1600/DSCN5648.JPG" height="320" width="319" /></a></div>
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Every kid has their little quirks and Rosie is no different. And this is one in particular I always want to remember not only in writing but with a visual...a picture. For some reason, she has always put her little blanket up to her nose (either to smell or tickle her nose, we still can't tell) to comfort her as she wakes up fully in the mornings or from a nap. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGltkGb9UGU/U59nIT5oR-I/AAAAAAAAENQ/uGcQeQ2Vf8w/s1600/DSCN5655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGltkGb9UGU/U59nIT5oR-I/AAAAAAAAENQ/uGcQeQ2Vf8w/s1600/DSCN5655.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May 2014</span></div>
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Rosie likes to get into my drawer of Tupperware to play with and make a mess. Here she decided it was pretty fun to look through the lids and smash her face against them. </div>
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If you know Cash, you know he likes to clown around...especially if it's with his Dad!</div>
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This picture is just the tip of the iceberg in displaying Rosie's love for my lip gloss. She asks for some every morning when she sees me getting ready. I've resorted to hiding them in my closet because she would sneak into my drawer and I'd often find nearly full tubes layered all over her face.</div>
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Rosie likes to ride on the side of the tub as if it's a horsey.</div>
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And last but not least (for now on the blog anyway - didn't feel the funny pictures of Vanna in her undies were quite blog-appropriate :), I wanted to catch Rosie in the act of placing items in a long line and in perfect order the way she often does (whether its pens one day or on another day all her hair bows). I wonder where she gets her organized tendencies? Hahaha.</div>
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Till next time!Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-57618932021021994052014-06-21T09:30:00.001-07:002014-06-21T09:30:53.656-07:00A Visit From Dear Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
When we first moved to Payette it was like a magnet drew us to the Wilcox family and we became fast friends. At that time, we had two kids and they had three girls and our kids played so often, we realized they treated each other almost like siblings (and I'll never forget how Cash called Lizzy Fuzzy for the longest time :). </div>
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But alas, the Wilcox family found an opportunity to move to Pocatello, closer to family. It was a sad time for all of us especially when you're left wondering if such a great friendship will just completely slip away. </div>
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Thankfully that has not been the case. Between our two families, we have found opportunities to stop by and visit one another (us on our way to or from a visit to family and them on their way to or from a visit to family members that live in Washington). We were lucky enough to have them stop by in March on just such an occasion. </div>
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Above you'll see the creativity of all those girls as they tried to put every bow/clip we own into Vanna's braided hair. Pretty funny.</div>
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As you can see, our families have grown. We've had Rosie of course and the Wilcox family finally added two boys to the mix. Here's a picture of the whole lot.</div>
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It was so good to see you guys again. Come again soon!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-77340299700313079062014-06-21T09:30:00.000-07:002014-06-21T09:30:15.507-07:00a L-O-V-E-L-Y trip<div style="text-align: justify;">
We made a trip to see grandparents in February, near Valentines Day, which is always a treat. Speaking of treats - Grandma is always sure to spoil them with <em>something</em>! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEinmykft5I/U59XSqfCG-I/AAAAAAAAEJg/QbyhntVOzp4/s1600/DSCN5620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEinmykft5I/U59XSqfCG-I/AAAAAAAAEJg/QbyhntVOzp4/s1600/DSCN5620.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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That's not the only reason we love to visit though. It's always such a nice break from the regular routine of things and always so relaxing to go to the farm and enjoy time with family. The kids always love to show of for Grandma and Grandpa...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanna's actually pretty good at balancing on her head!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Rosie...well, she tries her best! So cute!</td></tr>
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...and they always love to play with cousins and now we get to see even more of them now that Marcy and her family are in Rigby. The kids especially loved playing school. You'd think they'd want to take a break from that but I guess not. :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two little trouble makers getting into all of Grandma's decorations under the table. :)</td></tr>
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Even though it's always nice to get back home as well, I often feel like the kids do when we leave Grandma and Grandpa's - "When do we go back?" It seems like the kids start asking that the very day we get home. :) </div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-81227907373877164972014-06-18T16:26:00.000-07:002014-06-21T09:29:19.937-07:00Other Winter EventsWe kept busy through the winter months with many things including:<br />
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<u>-School Award Assemblies</u> - these keep the PTO hopping - it seems we're very busy with one thing or another and I often thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" :). But this one was special because our very own Vanna Marie was honored at the Student of the Month Assembly for her excellence in the classroom. Such a cutie all dressed in red and black for Pirate Friday.</div>
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One day just before lunch, Cash was also awarded the V.I.P. (Very Important Pirate) award where he was recognized by his teachers as just an all-around good kid (no problems in the classroom or on the playground, hard worker, etc.). I was proud of him. As part of that award, the Principal (Mr. McKenzie whom Cash is shaking hands with) encourages parents to make lunch a treat that day for their child by either taking them out for lunch and checking them back into school afterwards or by staying to eat lunch with them in the cafeteria. I asked Cash which he'd rather do and he said he wanted to go to Subway. So...to Subway we went.</div>
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<u>-Building Snowmen</u> - Each of the kids built their own snowmen this year (and more times than one). They keep getting bigger and bigger every year! The third picture is a snowman the kids built last year - there's quite a difference! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter 2012 Snowman</td></tr>
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<u>-Crafting</u> - Our Ward's Super Saturday had lots of fun things for us to put together and I signed up to make some holiday wreaths. I think they turned out so cute!</div>
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<u>-Playing with our new kitten</u> - In the fall our all-white cat, Hank, simply never came home one day. We searched and searched, we waited thinking, maybe he'd come back but it never happened. And so a few months later (Thanksgiving time), a friend of ours from the Ward, who knew our cat had disappeared, showed up at our house with a box. Another man in our Ward had found two hungry little kittens in his yard one night. When he checked on them the next morning, one had already frozen so he took the other to our friend (everyone knows she's a cat-lover). She had so many cats already, she figured she knew just the right home and family to take this one to. And so...meet Tiger (named for his stripes). Oh, boy were the kids excited to see the surprise in the box. We had planned on getting them one for Christmas anyway, so it all worked out. He's been such a good little kitten and is very loveable. </div>
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<u>-Re-Decorating</u>- We got the girls new bedding and bedroom decorations for Christmas because we figured at that time, Rosie would be two and old enough to move from her crib to her own bed. So right after Christmas, while I still had Ty at home to help me, we got to work. First we moved the bunk beds that Cash and Vanna were sharing out of Cash's room and put a fresh coat of paint on his walls. We did another coat of dark brown on the bottom of his walls because when it was originally painted, there was only one coat done and ever since we wished we had done two coats. So we figured this would be the best time to do it. We also painted a fresh coat on a couple other walls that just needed it because of the noticeable touch-ups we had done when we moved things around to make room for Rosie in the other bedroom and make this room both Cash and Vanna's space for a while. Once that was dry, we moved the queen bed back into Cash's room for him to sleep in, took down the crib and moved the bunk beds into the girls' room. </div>
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Although I absolutely love decorating and had the itch to just totally re-do Cash's room. Ty brought me back to reality and reminded me there was no <em>need </em>to spend a bunch more money on it when we had all this perfectly good stuff we'd saved from before. He's good at bringing back down to earth when I start daydreaming :). So Cash's room looks much like it did before but I like how it turned out.</div>
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And maybe the only practically new feature to the room is the clock but let me tell you why I love it - it has glow-in-the-dark hands. So it serves as a clock (that can be read even at night) and doubles as a nightlight. Pretty convenient!</div>
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My itch to decorate was satisfied with the girls' room where in a lot of ways we got to start over. First we moved the computer desk to the other side of the room so that you didn't practically run into the bunk beds upon opening the door to the bedroom. </div>
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So, when you first walk in, this is pretty much the view you see. </div>
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I <em>love</em> the beautiful beaded butterfly on the wall next to the girls' pictures. I just couldn't resist getting that. And the below art hanger is another of our favorite features - finally a place to put all the kids' artwork and school projects to display!</div>
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We got the girls matching bedding that blended well with the color scheme we already had (see the vinyl on the wall, chair, curtains and the dresser below - I did not want to re-paint that thing!). It just adds a lot more pink to the room - what little girl's room is complete without some pink right!?</div>
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Throw in holiday Christmas parties (class parties, work parties and parties with friends), regular dance lessons and there you have it. I guess that's what we were up to in a nut shell during those long winter months. Good times!<br />
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Oh by the way, here's a picture from an Ugly Sweater holiday party we went to where Ty's white elephant gift was this picture, framed, and autographed "Live to Ride" - signed Ty Bazil. Ha ha ha. Needless to say, it was a fun party!<br />
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Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-75566930734831625992014-06-18T15:07:00.003-07:002014-06-18T15:10:45.887-07:00Rosie is TWO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I'm so far behind on my blogging it's ridiculous. I have my reasons (not wanting to write about particular events that have happened over the past few months) but I'm trying to overcome those reasons and realize the reason I've always liked keeping a blog - to record my life - whether that's the good or the bad. So in order to play catch up...bear with me.</div>
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I've still tried to blog in order of event so first up (following my last post about our Christmas 2013) is Rosalie's 2nd birthday!</div>
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Can't believe it...our candy cane cutie (like the shirt says) is hardly a baby anymore! </div>
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And since it's been so long ago, I can hardly remember what we did for her birthday - isn't that terrible (that's why record keeping is so important - our memories don't often serve us well right?!). But at least the pictures help us remember bits and pieces. </div>
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"As per usual" (one of Ty's favorite sayings), little ones simply love unwrapping the gifts - Rosie is the same way.</div>
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One of Rosie's favorite songs at this time was "The Wheels On The Bus" so we got her a LeapFrog Learning Bus toy that sings that song and helps her with her ABC's and #'s. She also got her own dolly with a binky (she loved all the gadgets and details of things) that lit up and played a lullaby when you put it in the baby doll's mouth. She also got a darling little black outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Bazil! I think she looks so cute in black and red and pink - so it's perfect!</div>
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We did a butterfly cake for Rosie's 2nd b-day. I figured, skittles on a cake - I can do that! And Rosie loves skittles so double score! What she didn't love was the smoke that came from candles when she blew them out - it scared her enough to make her whimper and reach for Daddy for safety. :)</div>
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Now...to record some things I had written on the calendar about Rosie around this time period (bare with me if some of these are duplicates of earlier posts that I again, can't remember!):</div>
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<u>October 2013</u> </div>
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- Finally learned how to ask for "help".</div>
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-Rosie's said full sentences at this age but her words all blended together so that usually I was the only one blessed with "the gift of tongues" for Miss Rosie. For example: "I want a snack." often sounded something like, "Inanack."</div>
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-Called anything you could drink juice which is funny because she wasn't even a big juice drinker (it was juice for milk, juice for water, juice for juice...)</div>
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<u>November 2013</u></div>
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- Always said, "Awww...cue (cute)."</div>
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-Rosie is practically the school mascot of Payette Primary School. I'm there a lot for PTO or because of volunteering in Cash and Vanna's classrooms and Rosie just acts like she owns the place when we walk in. Everyone knows who she is and wants to be by her or hold her, etc. One thing is for sure...she won't be scared to enter Kindergarten when that time comes - she's so used to being at school already!</div>
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-All the little boys in Nursery just love Rosie and truly treat her like a little princess. They share their snacks with her, they're always playing with her hair, they pull out her chair for her to sit down in, and even sometimes follow her around with their arms somewhat encircling her as if to protect her from all that is scary and dangerous in Nursery. Hahaha. It's adorable. I can see we're going to have to fight them off when she gets older. </div>
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<u>December 2013</u> </div>
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-Rosie can shut doors but not open them yet and she hated the door to be closed. </div>
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-Wrinkles up her nose so cute and says, "Ewww...yuck!" - plain as can be.</div>
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-Loves ketchup and A.1. sauce. She even put ketchup on her bagel and ate it. Silly girl.</div>
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I know I keep saying this, but seriously...I have so thoroughly enjoyed this little girl! She is my little side kick that goes everywhere with me and is such a good sport about it! With only her at home with me for several hours every day, it's easy to give her lots of attention and treasure the time we have. And I know the whole family feels the same way. She is so much fun and makes us laugh every day. She is such a wonderful blessing in our lives! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We love our Rosie Posie!</span></div>
<br />Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-10826921771670856232014-01-22T11:18:00.001-08:002014-01-22T13:02:30.142-08:00HO...HO...HO...MERRY CHRISTMAS<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, to be honest Christmas felt a little different to me this year, I suppose simply because my whole mood had changed to some degree considering the trials my family had faced this past year. I usually type up a letter to send to family and friends sharing some of our best memories over the year and update them on the kids and how much they've grown, etc. And truly there were so many great times to remember - our family reunions, Disneyland, etc. But how could I write about those things and not write about the things that impacted/altered our lives (particularly mine) the most this past year. So I gave it up all together. </div>
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The Lord must have known (of course :) that maybe I needed an extra boost to encourage me to remember my many blessings and the "reason for the season" this year. He must have prompted our dear friends to chose us as their "12 Days of Christmas" recipients. This <em>was</em> fun and did lighten things up. Our kids loved running to the door and peeking out the side windows to see what surprise they'd left us each night. I'll tell you what - they had to be fast in their escape too because our kids were quick to answer the door. I had a sneaky suspicion as to who our "gifters" were (knowing our friends liked to do this as a family tradition each year) and although they usually don't reveal themselves to those they choose, they decided to this year with us (figuring we knew who they were). It really was very fun!</div>
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And once we got right up to the holiday where we carried out some of our own traditions (sleeping under the tree as a family the night before Christmas Eve, reading the Christmas story from the scriptures along with "T'was the Night Before Christmas" and opening one present each on Christmas Eve, etc.) Christmas this year kind of miraculously turned into one of the best Christmases I can remember. It was just such a relaxed, great holiday where I truly cherished every moment spent with the ones that mean the most to me. </div>
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We just did our own thing, stayed home and enjoyed a quiet Christmas with lots of yummy food. I made my mother-in-law's delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning and decided that would be a great traditional breakfast. And later, we had a traditional ham and potatoes with all the delicious side dishes. All the food reminded me of my mom's cooking which was nice (seeing as we weren't able to see them this season as her and my step-dad serve their mission in Belize). There's just something about having traditional cooking that brings back memories and makes certain holidays more special or homey or something to me. I love it! </div>
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So Christmas day was filled with yummy food, loads of excitement, and even some work. As you'll see below - the girls got new bedroom décor and we started working on moving Vanna from Cash's room, taking down Rosie's crib and putting the girls together in one room with their bunk beds. </div>
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So...I'll give the traditional run-down of what we all received this year. Ty has wanted to work on doing more cardio exercise rather than just weight lifting so his big gift this year was an elliptical machine. He also got a book and some Wii games from his parents and a movie, treats and orange to fill his stocking. Ty's grandma also gave him and each of us a keepsake to cherish (she is almost 90) which was amazingly thoughtful and so sweet.<br />
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A couple months ago, we got a new Kirby vacuum and decided that was going to be my Christmas (because they're so expensive) but I also got a calendar & planner along with treats and a book lamp and orange to fill my stocking. Ty's parents also got us a beautiful serving platter, bowl and gravy boat set <em>and </em>my favorite - almond roca. I've always wanted a gravy boat (is that silly?) and a nice dish to place the Thanksgiving turkey on in the future - I felt so spoiled! <br />
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Cash <em>finally </em>got his Nintendo this year. He'd been asking for it three years running - never wavering - however "Santa" had thought maybe he was a bit young for it until now apparently. :) He was beyond thrilled! He also got a couple games and a Nintendo set that included a car charger, ear plug, cleaning supplies, etc. to go with it. He also got some books and clothes. He got some cozy new pajamas and Wii games from his Grandma and Grandpa Bazil and an electric toothbrush, some treats and an orange for his stocking as well.</div>
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Next is Vanna Marie. She got new bedding and room décor for the room she and Rosie will now share. She also got a new outfit and an animal flashlight which was the one thing she'd asked Santa for. She also got books (including one that teaches her simply ways to draw animals - she loves to draw!) and this Flutterbye flying fairy. You should have seen her face when she opened it squealing, "This is what I always wanted!" Hmm...how did Santa know? It's actually really cool, almost like a remote control helicopter. It takes off flying into the air and all you have to do, when it begins making it's way down, is place your hand under it, somehow it detects that and makes it's way back up into the air. She also got cute pajamas from her grandparents and treats, an electric toothbrush and an orange for her stocking of course. </div>
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Rosie Posie looks delighted with her new present doesn't she!? Especially when her brother or sister pushed her around on it!<br />
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She simply loved <em>opening </em>the gifts. And as she did, she'd walk over to dad to show the new treasure to him and then to me to show me. <br />
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Much of what Vanna and Rosie got was shared - their new bedding, and bedroom décor (much of which is pictured with Vanna). But she also got books and pajamas both from mom and dad <em>and </em>Grandma and Grandpa Bazil. In fact, she liked those ones so much she immediately started stripping her clothes off and insisting that we put them on her. She had woken up early before Cash and Vanna and since she's to young to understand what the day was and run out to the tree, we waited until they woke up so they all saw their surprises at the same time - I just got her ready as I got myself ready that morning. Anyway, she wore those pajamas the rest of the day - they <em>are</em> pretty cute complete with a little tutu! And if you couldn't guess at what filled her stocking - she also got treats, an electric toothbrush and an orange as well.<br />
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Both Cash and Vanna got electric scooters as well. You can imagine their surprise and delight when they saw <em>those </em>in the family room! It didn't take long before they demanded we take them outside to give them a try. Cash caught on right away but Vanna struggled a bit with knowing when to let go of the throttle and actually grew a bit scared of the scooter since it would keep going, until I got on it with her and helped her. I think she'll get the hang of it - it may have been a bit advanced for her but Santa must have figured she'd want one too when she saw her brother with one. :)<br />
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My dad and Jannie gave us a big jug of seeds for a huge variety of fruits, herbs, and vegetables. Now maybe this sounds funny but it was actually a very good idea I thought. We put them with our emergency kits where they would prove very useful should we be without the ability to run to the store during a catastrophe. They gave each of the kids money which is burning a whole in their pockets of course. They loved it!<br />
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My mom and Tab are so funny. They had already started purchasing Christmas gifts when they got their mission call (that's my mom - the planner) and so we literally had a bit of Christmas in July when they gave us our Christmas gifts before they left. They got Ty some waders for fishing which he's excited to get out and use. And over the past few years they've bought me more of my Willow Tree Nativity Scene, piece by piece. They bought me the wise men and a few more animals this year - yay! They also got each of the kids toys and jackets - the kids have already worn them lots of course! <br />
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Ty had Christmas Day off of course and, although he had to work on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, we were pleasantly surprised to see that then he had six days off in a row (since they had to re-arrange everyone's schedules a bit to accommodate the paid holidays). We decided to take the family on a "stay-cation" to McCall over that span of time. </div>
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We left on Monday the 30th and took the long way up through Horseshoe Bend so that we could take the kids on a train ride. It's really a beautiful scenic area and you can go on a train ride right along the river. It was pretty (so beautiful to see the river frozen in areas, etc.). The ride takes three hours and I figured that half way through the kids might start getting bored so I brought plenty of books and snacks and even let Cash bring his new Nintendo but they all did very good - even Rosie. In fact Cash didn't even pull out his Nintendo. I was a bit surprised it turned out so great! <br />
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Half way through the ride, the train makes a stop for bathroom breaks, hot chocolate/apple cider and to explore their little village.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the beautiful country we saw along the ride!</td></tr>
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After the ride, we drove up through Cascade (which again, is just beautiful country) and on to McCall where we had dinner and checked into our hotel. The kids always just love to swim so of course, as soon as we checked in we headed to the pool. <br />
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The next morning after breakfast we wandered through the town of McCall and through many of the shops. There's always a couple we make a point to stop at - a rock shop that carries all sorts of petrified stone, wood and polished rocks, etc. The kids are so fascinated by the treasures in there and so is Ty. I had to take Rosie out to the car after only a couple minutes for fear she'd break something. :) And of course we have to stop at the candy shop. They have the best caramel apples there - my favorite is first covered in caramel, then white chocolate and then covered in a sugary/cinnamon mixture - so yummy! <br />
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After we killed time at the shops though, it was time for the indoor ice skating rink to open and so we gave that a try. I guess it was a good experience - fun to try something new but oh boy we had the hardest time. Hahaha. Cash, who is usually a natural at most anything, struggled most. He kept falling and falling and then he'd get all dramatic with waving his arms around when he was slipping that he'd fall some more. And he was so hard to help with all his antics because he'd knock you down too. Poor kid. By the end of it all though he was starting to get the hang of it a bit. Miss Vanna started out very slow and cautious taking the tiniest of baby steps but she didn't want our help and really she did great. She got a little more brave as time went on and I think she enjoyed the experience. I'm not sure Cash could say the same. Hahaha. We tried to give Rosie a chance but she didn't go for it, so Ty and I took turns with her on the benches and watching while the other went out and tried to help Cash and Vanna a bit.<br />
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Afterwards, we warmed up and ate a yummy meal at the Pancake House in McCall. It was my kind of restaurant where they serve delicious home-made fill-you-up kind of food. The kids were worn out and slept pretty much the whole way home (2 hour drive). We got home really good time so I was able to get things put away, start laundry and then sit and relax. Funny how you try to get away to relax, and you do, but then you also want to return home to relax. Hahaha. It was a fun little get away and really we all had a great time it just felt like over the whole holiday season we had so much good quality time together and I think that's what made it all so wonderful for me - I love that!<br />
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Looking back I just sigh with contentment over what was such a great holiday! </div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-69235512037057944872014-01-21T23:43:00.000-08:002014-01-22T13:43:47.211-08:00Beginner's Luck?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ty went hunting this year for the first time ever. We have a friend here who has talked Ty into putting in for a variety of hunts every year since we moved here but Ty has never drawn...until this year. He drew on both an antelope and a cow elk. I kept teasing him because he didn't even own a rifle. And I kept thinking...what would we do if he actually got something!? It was all a little comical but we were also excited for him to go. <br />
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Ty's work schedule is so hectic in the fall (with immunization shots and an average of 400-500 Rx/day) that we knew it would be <em>so </em>very nice for him to take a break from it all, get up in the mountains, enjoy nature, etc. However, the way his schedule worked out, he never did find the time to go try for an antelope. In the long run, this worked out okay because everything we kept hearing was that antelope isn't too good to eat. </div>
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But, Ty did get to go on his elk hunt and again, we owe so much to our friend who lent a pack, his gear, camo and even one of his rifles to Ty and <em>then</em> practically acted as a guide and took Ty right in to where the elk could be found. They had to hike around a lot of course and Ty was shocked at how physically draining that was. He keeps himself in pretty good shape but he told me afterwards, "if I'm going to keep doing this I'm going to need better hiking shoes and get in better "hiking" shape...oh yeah, and I'll need a gun too." Ha ha ha. </div>
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Anyway, Ty left with Brian Adams (our friend whom we teasingly call "Summer of 69" :) on Friday, November 8th at about 5:30am and by 12:45 that day, he called saying he got his cow elk! Pretty fast huh?! Maybe it was beginner's luck or maybe we have a natural born hunter on our hands. Ha ha ha. I've never been too partial to deer meat but I don't mind elk meat, especially when you spice it up a bit. And I have to admit, I am very excited about how full our freezer is and am anxious to see how far it goes/how long it lasts us. I might make Ty do this for us every year! :)<br />
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The way Ty tells the story is this:<br />
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We left early <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT262"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT263">sat</span></span>. Morning for Cambridge with my buddy Brian. Brian
is pretty much a hunting guide because it is his passion and lives to hunt. He
usually spends about 3 months out of the year just to hunt and take others out
to hunt. So Brian knew just where to go and find the elk. We stopped at a few
places on our four wheelers to look for elk, but didn't see much. So, we headed
to a spot where he was sure they would probably be. We started hiking over a
couple ridges and would stop occasionally and with our binoculars try to see if
a herd of elk was near by. After hiking for about an hour and a half, we spotted
a huge herd of elk, approximately 200 elk. The only problem was that the elk
were from the direction we had come from. We couldn't initially see them because
they were hidden around the mountain side, it was only when we were farther out
and at an angle that we could see them. So, as it turns out, we had to hike back
the same way we came which was quite tiring. I soon realized how out of shape
my legs, lungs and heart were. Brian on the other hand was pretty accustomed to
the hiking because he was already a couple months into the hunting season - as
this would be I believe his tenth elk of the season (helping with friends and
family combined). So, I lagged behind and about an hour and a half later we
came into view where we had seen the elk. We had a problem though, the elk had
moved and we couldn't see where. We assumed they traveled around a ridge - after
a little more hiking to our disappointment and relief, the elk were not there.
We wanted to find them, however if we would have found them where we were
looking, it would have sucked trying to pack it out of the steep terrain. We
backtracked and arrived at the location where we saw them. Within a little
time Brian and I were able to follow tracks and droppings to there current
location. As it turns out, we were right on top of them. They were down below
the ridge we were standing on. And to make matters better, the four-wheelers
were not too far off for a much easier pack out. We slowly got into position and
we picked a medium sized cow that was lying down (probably a 3-4 year old). I lined
it up and with one shot at approximately 100 yards, shot the right spot - she
couldn't get up, it was all over. It ended with one more shot to put her out of
her misery. After that, there was a little celebration and we went to work to
get her off the mountain. </div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-38357517305910888252014-01-20T18:29:00.000-08:002014-01-22T13:46:06.189-08:00New Smiles<div style="text-align: justify;">
Again...trying to play catch up a bit over here so look for several blog posts over the next week or so.</div>
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I want to post about the kids' smiles. And to start, I have to tell about how funny Vanna is. One night in August, we had let <em>just</em> Vanna stay up with us to watch a movie because she had taken a long nap earlier that day and Cash and Rosie were plain worn at the end of the day and had gone to bed earlier. It was fun to have some one-on-one time with her. </div>
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After the movie, when her dad went to get in the shower, she sat on my lap and we just talked (I love that!). Whenever we do that I often find myself just admiring her features. She has such big beautiful eyes, the perfect lips, such a pretty shaped smile and such unusual teeth. Hahaha. Vanna has always had a cross-bite and as a result, she has scarring on her teeth and they are worn away in the places where they collide. It was at this time that my attention was drawn to her teeth and the thought came to me...the thought came to me that it shouldn't be long before she starts losing teeth. I remember Cash started losing teeth in Kindergarten so I shared this with her. Only half serious I said, "Let's look at your teeth and see if you have any loose ones." Imagine my complete surprise when I found that <em>both </em>her bottom front teeth were incredibly loose. She thought my reaction was fake and that I was teasing her. She honestly had no idea she even had loose teeth - which baffles me (specially because she is my best teeth brusher and you'd think she'd somehow realize this). I thought it was so funny how clueless she was to it! </div>
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She did not want to wiggle her new found loose teeth or have me or Ty help her to pull them - she was afraid it would hurt. But she lost them both within the month and <em>loved</em> her visits from the tooth fairy! </div>
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As Vanna's permanent teeth began to grow in we soon realized she had indeed inherited my family's genes when it came to our mouths. My side of the family were pretty much all doomed to have large teeth and small mouths which eventually makes for beautiful smiles but in the years leading up to that, it makes for very crowded mouths as new and large permanent teeth try to find room to grow into such small spaces. </div>
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Son after we had dentist appointments for Cash and Vanna and it was determined that they should both have teeth pulled. Cash had already had two teeth pulled in an effort to provide room for his huge teeth to grow in but as you can see below - they started growing in behind other baby teeth because there was still a lack of space. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horrible lighting/shadows + Cash hadn't brushed yet = terrible picture...but you get the idea. :)</td></tr>
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The dentist thought it would be best to pull all of his K-9 teeth and decided that Vanna should have two pulled (the ones next to her new lost teeth in the front bottom) in order to prevent the same problems we've already experienced with Cash. </div>
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Maybe it was Cash's previous experience that had him nervous for the experience, maybe it's just that he can often be a bit melodramatic or because his teeth were large (with large roots) and more difficult to pull than Vanna's smaller ones but he had much harder time of it than she did (having to hold my hand, wincing/whining, etc.). However, I was very proud of how brave Vanna was. she was actually hilarious, acting as though nothing was going on - just shooting the breeze while watching cartoons on the ceiling TV...hahaha. Maybe it was the laughing gas...what do you think? :)</div>
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The kids were such a sad sight as we left the dentist office - both their mouths packed with gauze. I felt so sorry for them. Needless to say - we had lots of soft foods for them to enjoy as their mouths healed...poor things.</div>
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And I definitely don't want to forget Vanna's comment - when it came time to spit out the gauze, she said pointing to her lip, "Mom take this off, I don't like this!" I was confused at first and she kept repeating it until I realized she didn't understand what she was talking about. She was simply pointing to her lip thinking it was more gauze in her mouth or something - just knowing it felt different because it was still numb. I had to take her the mirror to convince her of the truth of it. So funny!</div>
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Now months later, the kids look much different than they did just a short time ago with such different smiles (for a while there we called Cash "Toothless") but we can see a dramatic improvement with the alignment of the kids' teeth/smiles and we're glad. We'll probably have much of the same in the future and our dentist teases (although he's completely serious) about how we have lots of orthodontist visits to enjoy in the future as well. That will cost a pretty penny - what we don't do for our kids right!? Hahaha.</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-30500048318449941352013-12-21T15:47:00.000-08:002013-12-21T15:47:26.743-08:00OUR CHRISTMAS WISH...<div style="text-align: center;">
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...WISHING YOU A VERY <span style="color: red;">M</span><span style="color: #38761d;">E</span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">R</span><span style="color: #38761d;">R</span><span style="color: red;">Y</span> CHRISTMAS </div>
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AND A <span style="color: red;">H</span><span style="color: #38761d;">A</span><span style="color: red;">P</span><span style="color: #38761d;">P</span><span style="color: red;">Y</span> NEW YEAR!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gicgxqhmdyc/UrYn6I2_W_I/AAAAAAAAD9g/DgBNnx-Uv1w/s1600/Bazil+Family+Picture+-+July+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gicgxqhmdyc/UrYn6I2_W_I/AAAAAAAAD9g/DgBNnx-Uv1w/s320/Bazil+Family+Picture+-+July+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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WITH ALL OUR LOVE,</div>
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THE BAZIL FAMILY</div>
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Ty, Erica, Cash, Vanna, and Rosie</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-31429919813286232612013-12-21T09:24:00.000-08:002013-12-21T15:42:03.958-08:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Halloween and the events around it were very fun this year. We were so busy with them though that we never even got around to carving pumpkins. We <em>had</em> pumpkins thanks to these events and kids' school field trips to pumpkin patches but we didn't do anything with them until I made the kids run out and draw faces on them with permanent marker the day of Halloween! Ha Ha Ha...here's what we were up to:</div>
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Ty's birthday is October 25th (and he turned 35 - had to sneak that in there ;) and he shares his birthday with His dad - we often try to celebrate together for that reason. This year Ty had his birthday and that weekend off <em>and</em> the kids had several days around the weekend off from school so we made our way down to Rigby just before Halloween for a visit and to celebrate. </div>
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On our way down, we stopped in McCammon to visit Russell and the boys. It really kind of eats at me that we can't be closer for them, to see them more and support them but I hope we made up for it a bit with our visit. We got all caught up on Russ and Roger's hunting adventures and got to see their autographed Boise State football cards (they'd just been to a game where they got to associate with the players a bit and their families - so fun!). And it sure brought a smile to our faces when Dawson and Mitchell got into their awesome Transformer costumes to show off. Roger didn't want a costume this year - I guess he's too cool for that sort of thing. :) It was just <em>so </em>good to see each of them, and to see them happy, for our kids to get to play around with the boys and for us all to have a good visit. We love them all to pieces!</div>
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After our visit with Russ and the boys, we made our way to Rigby just in time to meet up with everyone (Ty's parents and Ty's brother Nick with his family) and head to dinner at Sizzlers in celebration of James and Ty's birthdays. Sizzlers is a family favorite and Ty's dad was craving a good steak - it was very yummy! </div>
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And afterwards we had cake and ice cream. Ty's mom had made a delicious chocolate cake and I brought a fun flower candle that lights up like a firecracker, open up/blooms and plays the Happy Birthday song. It was the perfect end to their fun birthday!</div>
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It always does us so much good when we go down to visit. We love being on the farm and especially love seeing so much family. Ty's brother, Nick comes to help at the barn most every day so we always get to see him. My kids adore him - I think they grew a little attached to him when they saw him so much while they stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Bazil a lot when I was on bed rest with Rosie. I think they love to play with his dogs too. We usually get to see Nick's family too - we love to be around them - they're so down to earth and friendly. During our visit, we went to see Nick and Haley's basement they just finished and it's sooo nice. I have to admit, Ty and I were a bit jealous - to have two levels or a basement would be so nice for so many reasons! Now that Ty's sister, Marcy, and her family moved back to Rigby we get to see lots of family when we come down. And our kids love playing with all their cousins. We love Case who is a big as Rosie but half her age :) and Cash and Vanna get along so well and play so well with Hallee, Blyss and Sicaly. As parents we found it a bit ironic that what kept them most entertained was playing school. Hallee was the principal I think, Blyss was the teacher and everyone else were the students, if I remember right. It was so funny listening to them pretend. They also liked drawing/coloring. You can see them below fully enjoying Grandma's stencil and marker stash. Needless to say, the kids had a great time - we all had a great time and can't wait to make our way back down there again!</div>
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As much as we hate to say good-bye to family, and as much as we like a break from school, etc. it is also nice to get home and get back into the regular swing of things. I'm a girl that likes her routine. Just after our break from school, we went to a fun Kindergarten Harvest party that the school put on. It was fun - complete with a jump house, face painting, pumpkin carving, frosting cookies, and hayrides...</div>
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If you couldn't tell, Vanna was a mermaid, Rosie was a little pirate and Cash was a J.I.-Jo. Look familiar? The kids' costumes still fit them from last year and Rosie's is one of Vanna's old ones. So we lucked out and didn't have to buy any of our kids costumes this year - and you know what? They didn't mind a bit! </div>
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Each of the kids had Halloween parties that they had a great time with. I went and helped with a game for Cash's class and checked in with Vanna in her class too. They all had fun later that night at our ward Trunk R Treat too. It was so darling to see the light kind of go off in Rosie's mind as she realized, "all I have to do is hold my bucket out and these people will give me candy?...Awesome!" She figured it out pretty quick and thought it was the best night of her little life. It was so fun to watch. We were so busy that day that we didn't make it to our neighbors (and it was a school night so we called it good a little earlier than we might have otherwise) but they were so sweet - we had many bring by treats and even small gift bags full of toys and treats that they had saved just for the kids. I felt bad we didn't make it to them that night because I think they love to see the kids all dressed up. We really have such great neighbors!</div>
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So...our weekend before the holiday <em>and</em> our holiday were great and brought some fun and happiness into the month. Now we are already looking forward to Thanksgiving which is just around the corner (it just seems like time is going so quickly - I find it hard to believe we're already at this time of year!)! </div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-4236848624805119912013-11-18T19:22:00.002-08:002013-11-20T09:30:12.485-08:00What time of year is your favorite?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am so grateful to live in a place where I can enjoy the change in seasons. By the end of one, I'm usually ready for the next. </div>
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I love the winter mostly for the holidays that we get to look forward to, decorate for, share with family and celebrate. And while I don't like the cold for long, I love a white Christmas and think the snow holds it's own beauty. There's nothing like hot cocoa on a cold night or sitting down by the fire to read a good book either right!? </div>
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I love spring where we get to see things green up and get to watch the earth around us bloom and grow. And I love to see all the baby animals running all over the place (don't you just love little lambs in the spring?). </div>
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I love summer for all the flowers and late summer nights you get to enjoy outside. I crave summer food like popsicles, fresh fruit pie or fruit pizza and BBQ dinners - YUM! I love to feel the warmth of the sun and playing in the water on a hot day. </div>
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But I think overall, the season I've always liked <em>just</em> a bit more than the rest is fall. I love the taste of freshly canned fruit (especially after working so hard to get it all done!) and can never wait to sit down with my pumpkin roll and apple cider. There's something about the food of each season that adds to it isn't there?! I also love the smell of a crisp fall day and pulling out my sweaters to wear on just such a day. And while this fall has proven very difficult for me and my family (more of which I'm sure I'll blog about when I have the time and courage/strength), we <em>have </em>found joy in the simple things and been grateful for the season where we can enjoy fun such as this:</div>
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Doesn't that look fun!? Vanna worked really hard to help me rake up all our leaves and was having a ball!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanna wanted to be buried - this is the majority of our leaves from just one of our three trees!</td></tr>
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Rosie joined in too!</div>
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Cash was good at mostly piddling around while we worked at gathering leaves. He found it most entertaining to throw the leaves up in the air and often make a bigger mess than we began with - silly boy - someone should teach him to work harder! Ha Ha Ha!</div>
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And after the work was done, Rosie decided we all needed to finish off our popsicles. It was a perfectly warm day to work outside. I really do like the falls here because they seem to hang on a little longer than in Southeast Idaho where I grew up (where it turns cold a little earlier). I'll have to post about our Halloween too - which is always a fun fall holiday we enjoy with the kids - there's so much catching up I need to do - ahhh! :) Anyway - what season is your favorite?</div>
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Other random pictures from this fall that make me smile:</div>
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Try as I might, I have the hardest time convincing Rosie that it's a no-no and unsafe to be on the counter. She likes to get up there to scribble all over in my planner (probably because she always sees me writing in it :)</div>
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She also<em> loves</em> to get in my closet and wear my shoes - particularly my heels which she is surprisingly good at walking in because her feet are small enough to tuck themselves down into the flat toe part. Here she is doing this first thing in the morning in her pajamas and pulling a funny face.</div>
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This was so funny - ever hear of "sleeping with one eye open"? I thought Cash was pretending to be asleep here but he wasn't! I mean, who falls asleep like this?! In an effort to try and explain his appearance: I had my baskets of laundry sitting on my bed for me to fold and put away later that day and while Cash was having quiet time in my room (I have to separate the kids or quiet time would never work :) he must have been messing around with the clothes and then he fell asleep. He's wearing one of my shirts over his own and for some strange reason, he has a pair of his underwear over his head! :)</div>
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Just a cute very messy face from Rosie. She's really good at saying "cheese" and posing for the camera (like she is here). </div>
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Vanna has learned to give Rosie a piggy-back ride. It sure makes me nervous. While Vanna is really gentle with her I worry that she'll stumble or that Rosie will let go of her tight grip around her neck/shoulders. Both the girls love it though so I just take and deep breath and try not to worry too much.</div>
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Rosie's first bubble bath. Maybe that's terrible to say seeing that she's nearly two years old. We've just gotten out the habit and whenever we did for the older kids, she was already in bed. Well, she is no longer deprived. Do you think she liked it!? :)</div>
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A friend of ours breeds Mini Australian Shepherds and often lets me know when she has puppies so that I can bring the kids over to play with them. She thinks it helps in training her pups to be around kids and my kids <em>love </em>it as you can imagine. Aren't they adorable? Between the two batches, there were 11 puppies so they were everywhere and always snuggling up with you - they were so, so much fun! It's always such a treat for us to do that and it gives our puppy fix until next time. :)</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-19902408629743277352013-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:002013-11-20T09:25:03.390-08:00First Day of School - 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I've got a little friend over to play with Rosie for a couple hours and I thought that maybe while she was entertained I might be able to catch up a bit on my blogging as I watch them. So here's my mad effort to post as many things as I can in that amount of time without feeling like I'm neglecting her. Ready, set, here I go...</div>
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Cash and Vanna started school on August 21st this year. We went to the school the day before walk around and help Vanna get familiar with it and to drop off supplies and meet the kids' teachers. </div>
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Cash's first grade teacher is Mrs. Fitzsimonds. This is her first year teaching at Payette Primary but I think she said it's her 17th year teaching overall. We have really enjoyed her. She is very nice and Cash seems to do very well in her class. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by how much quicker these kids learn things than I remember doing at their age but I am. Cash is working on his addition and subtraction and even short story problems. </div>
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Cash's doing very well with his reading as well although <em>he </em>didn't always feel like he was. This was because he goes to a higher level reading group throughout the day but <em>within </em>that group are two reading levels and he is in the lower level of that group. When school first started, he kept coming home saying he hated his reading group and that he never had time to get anything done, that his teacher went too fast, etc. I gave it some time knowing that Cash can over exaggerate things sometimes and hoping that it might work itself out. I became concerned though when this continued for a couple weeks. I decided to finally talk to his reading group teacher about it when I had to practically shove him out of the van crying one morning because he was anxious to go to school - not wanting to go to reading group. This was just not like him and I wanted to do whatever we needed to in order for him to enjoy school and in order for him to <em>be</em> and <em>feel </em>successful in his efforts. </div>
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His reading group teacher, Mrs. Tuning, expressed to me the she felt he was in the right group ( I worried that maybe he wasn't able to keep up because he wasn't quite placed at the right reading level) and that the kids weren't expected to be able to finish all they were given in class, etc. We decided that she would send home anything he didn't get done in class for him to work on at home where he could feel like he was finishing his work and where he wasn't being rushed at all. I think he would see other kids in that higher level maybe finishing things before him and felt behind. He is such a perfectionist and while sometimes this is great (you should see his amazing handwriting!) sometimes it hurts him too because if he doesn't get everything just right and perfect the first time (whether it's in school or sports or a game) he gets disappointed in himself and I hate to see him disappointed in himself - he really does <em>such</em> a good job! Whew - things were a little rough at first but now things are running more smoothly and he's learning and progressing and I think he feels successful! He even got the Student of the Month award in his class and was honored at their monthly school assembly. We're very proud of him!<br />
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Vanna has been so excited for Kindergarten! I think she feels like she's catching up with Cash now that she's starting school too. I was a bit worried about how she'd handle the schedule because the Kindergarten program is all day everyday this year. Their school got a grant this year that provides for Kindergarteners to enjoy half the day with more of the academic education and then the other half of the day is filled with enrichment activities that allows for more art and music, additional emphasis on math, science and reading, regular field trips every month, etc. I'm actually really excited that she can be involved in such a good program that I think will ultimately provide her with a much better education than she could have gotten before. </div>
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So Vanna's regular Kindergarten teacher is Mrs. Warzyn who we love. Cash had her last year and she is one the best teachers at the school I think - she's taught there for about 30 years so she is very experienced and knows what she's doing. I just love her personality and sense of humor too. She does great with the kids. And Vanna's enrichment teacher is Mrs. Perryman. Vanna thinks it's great that she (her teacher) has such long hair that "goes clear to her butt" in Vanna's words. She tells me she never wants to cut her hair again because she wants to have hair like Rapunzel and like her teacher. We'll see how that goes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanna got all spruced up for her first day with lip gloss and everything! :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosie wanted to join in on the fun - she was a hoot too, she started dancing and getting all excited because the older kids were so excited for their first day of school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanna was quite the poser and hip thrower for all her pictures that day!</td></tr>
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Since this is the first year for each of the kids to go to school all day - one of the most exciting thing about them starting school was that they got to pick out lunch boxes and take cold lunch sometimes. They thought it was great to get school lunches too. Everyday when I'd pick them up from school, for the longest time their responses to my, "How was school?" were all about what they had for lunch that day and recess. We've ventured in responses now to include their friends, what projects they're working on, what they had for snacks that day, what they did in PE, etc. :)<br />
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And this is how Vanna looked about 5 minutes after getting home on that first day. She was worn out. My kids have always been good nappers, in fact, Cash just out-grew his about this last summer. And Vanna took naps all the way up to Kindergarten so I was interested to see how it would all play out once school started. We have a pretty good schedule though: the kids get up at 7am each morning to shower and get ready for school; then by about 7:30 we're ready for breakfast and by 8am they have their last minute things to do (brush teeth, make beds, etc.) and then we're off for school by 8:15. The kids get out of school at 2:45 so I go pick them up and once we get home we first dump sand out of their shoes outside (their playground is one made of sand - ahhhh!); wash hands; have a snack; then have a bit of quiet time where Cash and Rosie read books and Vanna takes a short nap. Then after dinner and homework and practices, etc., the kids are ready for bedtime stories and bed at 8pm. By then we're all kind of wiped out and I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoy that time after they go to bed before I go to bed myself. It's a much needed break and the whirlwind it seems each afternoon and evening brings!</div>
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The first couple days after school started, Rosie and I hardly knew what to do with ourselves. But I'll tell you what - I've really come to enjoy the one on one time our new schedule gives us. She's my little side-kick and goes with me everywhere, whether it running errands or volunteering in the kids' classes each week. In fact, she's kind of become the class mascot and luckily she's really good while we're there so the teachers and kids love her - it's been fun. I think I'd forgotten how much easier it is to get things done with just one munchkin around. <br />
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Anyway, we're settled into things now and school seems to be going well. It's so fun to see the kids learning and growing upErica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-63581752908915349902013-10-23T16:34:00.000-07:002013-10-23T16:37:37.938-07:00A Celebration of Life<div style="text-align: justify;">
My grandma Marie Wheatley passed away on July 25th at the age of 94. She was my last surviving grandparent. Her husband Wayne Wheatley, my grandpa, passed away years earlier, on the day I graduated from High School (May 22, 2002). My grandma always seemed incomplete to me without him - being that they had been married for over 60 years and <em>together</em> is how I like to remember them.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma in March when we stopped to see her in Pocatello after a trip to Ty's parent's house in Rigby. I'm glad we took the time to make that stop. It was funny, because as soon as we walked in, we saw her at the front door - it was like she knew we were coming and was waiting for us. Even though she didn't make sense in a lot of what she said, I could tell she knew who I was and was glad to see us. </td></tr>
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That family has grown from their own 9 children to a number that includes 41 grandchildren, 111 great grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren. I think when we counted at the funeral we found all but one or two of her grandchildren were there. I'm grateful we were able to be counted among them. I attribute that though to how important she was to all of us and how grateful we are to belong to her family and the legacy her and my grandpa built - a legacy of faith, family and hard work.</div>
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Her funeral services were held on Tuesday, July 30th at 11am at the LDS Arimo Stake Center and on Monday evening from 7-9 a viewing was held for the family to receive friends who wished to pay their respects. She was buried in the Robin Cemetery next to my grandpa.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This scene was among the saddest of the day. These men are some of the most happy - always full of jokes and laughter at family gatherings - and it was disheartening to see them so sad and solemn faced as they escorted their mother to her resting place. </td></tr>
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I broke down after seeing my mom release her tears and emotions when she and her sister, followed by all of my grandma's posterity, lined the path leading to the hearse and witnessed my grandma being escorted from the church by her pallbearers (most all of whom were her sons and my mom's brothers). I'll never forget that moment perhaps mostly because it seems to literally break my heart when I see my strong and courageous mom hurt in any way. I ached for her and all of us feeling my grandma's loss. </div>
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Although this whole occasion was sad and tears were certainly shed, it was also, in a way, a time to celebrate. My grandma Marie (whom our Vanna Marie is named after) had lived a very long and wonderful life. Her quality of life wasn't necessarily wonderful her last year with us and so for many reasons, it was time for her to go and perhaps easier for us to say goodbye because of that knowledge we had. And always, it's comforting also to own the knowledge that we <em>will</em> see her again - that hope can be found and there is much to look forward to when we all strive to work towards the blessing of a forever family.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandmas only daughters - my Aunt Annette and my mom - they were strong girls to survive all those brothers! :)</td></tr>
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You might have noticed in the picture above that my mom is wearing her missionary tag. The circumstances surrounding my grandma's death were special for my mom in the fact that she was able to attend her mother's funeral before leaving for Belize on her mission. My mom and Tab had taken into consideration the health of their parents before making the decision to go on a mission, knowing it was very possible something such as this could happen and that they may be unable to make such a long trip back home from out of country to attend such services. However, my grandma passed away while they were at the MTC in Provo and it all worked out that it was possible for them to come home for my grandma's services. I'm so grateful that it <em>did </em>work out that way because my mom was very close with her mom and helped do so much to take care of her that I think it would have been very difficult on her not to be able to attend her mom's services. We all recognized this as a tender mercy and blessing that they were near enough to come home.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each of us holding a flower taken from the beautiful flowers provided for my grandma.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma's favorite flower was the rose and her favorite color was red so it was easy deciding what flowers should adorn her beautiful casket.</td></tr>
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After the services, we all enjoyed a luncheon at the Arimo Stake Center where we were able to renew our relationships with relatives and friends. It was a beautiful day and one that I will always remember.</div>
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Some things I'll always remember about my grandma:<br />
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-her loud and contagious laughter<br />
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-her ever sure testimony displayed through her strong and steady example<br />
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-her skills at quilting and crocheting - it seemed she was always making a blanket for someone and even still, her blankets are my favorites to cover up in<br />
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-her huge collection of books<br />
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-the way she spoke her mind, especially as she got older...haha...I remember a time when Ty and I visited her in St. George and took her our to lunch...she didn't like the drink she'd ordered at the restaurant and voiced her opinion but told the waitress not to worry about switching it..."I can gag it down," she said...haha...I'll always remember that and how we laughed<br />
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-that we could always find Oreos and peanut M&Ms (my grandpa's favorite) somewhere in the house and even Almond Roca could usually be found as well - I must get my love for Almond Roca from my grandma<br />
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-her passion for crossword searches/puzzles<br />
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-the way her and my grandpa opened up their home to my mom and me and my younger brother during the process of my parents' divorce - I feel especially grateful for the closeness I feel to my grandparents through this experience<br />
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-she was an avid Utah Jazz fan, along with my grandpa<br />
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-she enjoyed attending anything her kids and grandkids were involved in (be it sports or other activities)<br />
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I know I will often reflect upon my grandma's life and how she has influenced my life. I will always have a reverent respect for her, as I believe most all who knew her will. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends - I will miss her and I look forward to the time we meet again.</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-42471290489581654872013-10-09T17:11:00.000-07:002013-10-14T16:34:43.818-07:00Bazil Family Reunion - 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
We had our first Bazil Reunion this year! The reunion was organized by Ty's parents and just for Ty's immediate family. It came at a wonderful time just before his youngest brother, Chase and his wife Brooke, moved to California where we'll likely not get to see them too much. I was so happy they put one together and I hope it becomes a yearly thing! </div>
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We started our reunion on Friday July 28th and kicked it off by first doing family pictures back on the river behind the where the family farms. I had to fix the kids up a bit after our long car ride down and change into our red-white-&-blue attire but really, they all turned out so good. Ty's brother-in-law Zak, has a sister who took them and did a fantastic job. She was so patient with our large group and worked so hard with the kids in the blasting heat to get some good ones. You can check out her site here: <a href="http://kunzphotography.com/"> kunzphotography.com</a>. Here are some of my favorites - </div>
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The entire Bazil family.<br />
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And here's some of just our family - we'll have to pick one for our Christmas card! Which one would you pick? :)<br />
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And now for the pictures we love most of our kiddos.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one captures the "natural" in our kids - Cash adoring Rosie, Rosie talking in her sweet, soft spoken way, and Vanna daydreaming. I love it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful brown sugar baby. Vanna gets pretty tan in the summer - add that to the fact that she always tries sneaking in sweets and gets eaten alive by mosquitoes and you've got the perfect recipe for teasing her about them liking her so much because she's pure "brown" sugar. Ty will often teasingly tell her this summer that she would sweat brown sugar if she ever got worked up enough. I wonder where Cash inherited his teasing nature?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosie could not get enough of these stools. She would have sat and played on them and posed all day for the photographer. It was only when she had to get off the stools that she became unhappy about getting her picture taken. :)</td></tr>
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After pictures, we went back to Ty's parents for a "Hawaiian" dinner. We helped the kids make Hawaiian lei's and then turned them loose to simply entertain themselves and play their hearts out. They all had so much fun with their cousins! Ty's sister, Marcy, moved back to Rigby from Utah with her family so we're so excited to see them more often when we visit. They were nice enough to let us stay with them throughout the reunion so later that night, we headed over there, received the grand tour of their beautiful home and tried to get the kids settled down for bed! :)</div>
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The next day, we went hiking up to Cress Creek by Heise, which is a pretty area. We probably didn't think things through very well and brought only Rosie's little umbrella stroller for the reunion and therefore the hike. It was a bit miserable trying to steer that thing up the mountain with only gravel and dirt pathways - luckily Ty was a great sport and took over that job. But we couldn't have asked for better weather - it was overcast so it was nice and cool. It really was a beautiful hike as you can see from the pictures (I had so many more of the hike and reunion but couldn't get them to turn the direction I needed them to - darn it). </div>
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After our hike, we went back to Ty's parents' and had lunch and spent the afternoon playing so more - imagine that. The big hits everyday (as usual) were Grandma and Grandpa's Rhino and four-wheeler. All the kids would pile in and wanted ride after ride. Even Rosie was thrilled with them and must have even found the rides relaxing because she fell asleep once while Ty had taken her out. I tried to capture a picture but she woke up once the four-wheeler stopped. So funny though. </div>
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Dinner was at Marcy's house that evening and since it was stormy by then, we had to move into the garage for dinner but not before a couple games of Frisbee Football which was later followed by more indoor games that were so fun!</div>
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On Sunday everybody went to Marcy and Zak's ward because they had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting (since they're the new and interesting kids on the block :) After Church we went to Ty's parents for lunch and had our goodbyes with Brooke and Chase...sniff...sniff - we'll miss them! We hope we get to see them a little bit at least while they're living in California for school. The rest of us went down to the barn to see Great Grandma (we always love visiting with Melba) and "help out" with the chores. Really it's just a lot of fun for the kids. </div>
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Funny story - I guess while all the kids were sitting here in the barn (notice they're all sitting on piles of paper towels so they don't get too dirty :) watching Grandpa milk the cow, Grandpa suddenly exclaimed, "Hurry - you'd better move!" Because one of the cows had started peeing and it would have splattered (and did just barely) and soaked the kids sitting right in it's line of fire. The joys of farm life right!? We said more goodbyes throughout that day and the next because we extended our trip there even a bit longer than originally planned since we found out the day before we left that my sweet Grandma Wheatley (at age 94) had passed away. Her funeral was to be that Tuesday, July 30th. So we stayed one more day with Zak and Marcy which was fun because we got to share in celebrating Marcy's birthday with her. Then we headed down to McCammon to stay with my sister and her family in order to attend my Grandma's services (which I'll have to post more about next). </div>
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Anyway, it was truly a great time! The kids all had fun together and so did the adults. There's nothing better than spending quality time with the ones you love which is why family reunions or get-togethers are so important. We loved it!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-22241132171129286912013-10-09T08:38:00.002-07:002013-10-11T08:17:25.490-07:00Mendenhall Family Reunion 2013/Missionary Farewell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
In July, we had our annual Mendenhall Family Reunion. We usually have it in August but we bumped it up a bit this year because my parents were leaving for their mission to Belize - we combined the reunion with the same weekend of their "farewell". It was a wonderful weekend (I'm hoping I remember all the wonderful-ness to include in this post since I'm getting so behind in my posts)! </div>
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My sister, Natalie, and her family went to a lot of work organizing it all this year and hosted us all at their house in McCammon for the reunion. What a big job and what a great job they did!</div>
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We left Payette on Thursday, July 12th to kick off the reunion by meeting up with the family around 2 for an afternoon of swimming at Lava Hot Springs where we all grew up and where my parents still live. There have been some changes/additions made to the pool there that are great, especially for the little ones. They've added an entire new indoor kids' pool (which is perfect so they don't get sunburned) that is shallow and exciting with all the fountains, slides, activities, etc. they can do in it. </div>
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Rosie stayed on the outskirts of the pool because she was a bit nervous around all the other kids who were so loud and rowdy with their fun. She was perfectly content with this small fountain.</div>
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And this is what the older kids were so rowdy with. They loved the bucket that filled with water and then dumped out on them. It was so fun watching most the cousins lining up time and time again to get dumped on. They all just had such a good time together. Heck, I had a great time! It was easier and more relaxing to have all the kids in one place. AND there was a hot tub right next to this kids pool that was fun to soak in sometimes while watching the kids!</div>
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After a very full afternoon of water fun, we met up with my dad for dinner in McCammon. We had not seen him and his wife in about a year for one reason or another. So this was a good chance to catch up a bit and for them to see how much the kids have grown. </div>
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After dinner, we headed over to Russ and Natalie's where we stayed for the duration of the reunion. We stayed up late that night just visiting and enjoying one another's company. We had them all to ourselves that night since no one else had shown up to stay there until the next day. This time spent with her and her family is a time I truly treasure beyond words! </div>
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The next day was filled with cowboy festivities! Ever since Natalie sent out the schedule of activities for the reunion, and I had informed my kids about what was available, I heard every day about their excitement to ride "real life horsies" (as Vanna would say it :) and how they were going to wear their cowboy boots and be cowboys! Russell was so good to get the horses out and ready for the kids to "ooo" and "ahhh" over, get up close and personal with, and for each of them to ride on a bit in the corral. </div>
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Both Cash and Vanna kept telling me beforehand that they wanted to ride the horses all by themselves but once Vanna got on the horse and she realized it was a little bumpy (this was her first time on a horse and I don't think that she knew what to expect), she grew uncertain and was more comfortable riding with Russell. She loved it once she had him on there with her. </div>
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This picture is of Roger, Russ and Natalie's oldest, who helped his dad lead the horses around the corral. However, once Cash got on the horses he soon wanted to take the reins in his own hands and try leading the horses himself. He was much more confident on the horses than Vanna and simply could...not...get...enough. I was afraid he was taking time away from his other cousins that wanted rides too. He hung around long after everyone else seemed to have had enough and just didn't want it to end. He felt like such a real cowboy! I think he was jealous of his cousins Roger, Dawson and Mitchell who get to ride the horses often and are used to that sort of thing. </div>
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Of course, the fun doesn't end there - does it ever end when you've got all your cousins to play with!? No matter what was going on, whether it was as exciting as riding horses, or just jumping, swinging, talking, etc, the kids all seemed to be having such a great time and we all just loved watching them all! BTW - check out that awesome clubhouse in the backyard that Russ built the boys just for fun - complete with windows and a loft. That's where all the kids slept each night throughout the reunion - although I'm sure there really wasn't much sleeping going on! What fun!</div>
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After enjoying our traditional and delicious dutch oven chicken and potatoes dinner with cobbler for dessert, we headed over to the McCammon Rodeo, to spend the rest of the night. Growing up, my family used to attend the rodeo most every year I think but I hadn't been to it since probably high school. I love this rodeo - very entertaining, not too short, not too long and very family friendly! </div>
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All the cousins soaking it all up and filling up on treats. We had talked to our kids before hand about not needing any treats but what did we find in their hands after coming back from the concessions with some of their cousins - snow cones, pop, and a gum-shocking trick toy! The little rascals must have given someone their puppy eyes! </div>
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I snuck some pictures of the kids in the clubhouse the next morning. Kids were everywhere and some of them even sound asleep on the hard wooden floor!<br />
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The next day was filled with more fun. The kids played and played, made crafts that Natalie had organized, etc. Both Cash and Vanna got stung by wasps during the reunion (funny too that it was only our kids because not one other person got stung :). This was Vanna's first experience. Poor thing.</div>
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Most the family went clay-pigeon shooting that afternoon, which is always fun. Believe it or not, I usually do pretty well at that. I just aim, follow the pigeon with the shotgun, close my eyes and shoot. not a very good or perhaps safe technique but it serves me well and I usually hit about 3/4 of them - you should try it. :) Although I love to do it, I passed on the activity this time to stay behind and watch the kids and snack on all the yummy munchies everyone brings to the reunion. </div>
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Later that evening, we all went to the McCammon Parade that the town always has the same weekend as the rodeo. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the kids anxiously awaiting their chance to snag some candy!</td></tr>
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Nothing like a small town parade. There was even a van with a donkey riding inside it with it's head sticking out the back window! We all got a good laugh at that. </div>
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Afterwards, the kids had a water-balloon fight. That certainly was fun to watch! I'm glad I didn't get wet! </div>
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And even later, we all enjoyed sitting around the campfire while visiting. I think we all had a fantastic time at the reunion. I'm so grateful for that tradition our family has - I believe it is so important to do things like this with your family and it is just the kind of stuff I live for. I love it when we can all get together, strengthen relationships and enjoy one another's company! </div>
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The next day was Sunday and a big day for Mom and Tab. It was their farewell and we all headed to the Lava Ward to listen to their talks. They were excellent and we can't tell you how excited we were for them to go on their mission. Although it was sad to think about not seeing them for two years, it was likewise exciting think about the experiences they would have and share with us. We're grateful for their example!<br />
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Tab used to be called "Weepy" at one time because he's a kind of sensitive guy who isn't afraid to show his emotions. This occasion was no different - he had us all a little teary eyed as he expressed his and my mom's gratitude for family and friends and the support and love they've felt as they embark on this new journey.</div>
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And more family time! ALL of us kids and grandkids were there together Sunday and again, it was so pleasant being surrounded by our loved ones. I just can't say it enough - those are moments that are forever etched in my memory and heart - moments when we are ALL together - truly a treasure!</div>
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Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-80789499103606243342013-09-22T16:37:00.001-07:002013-09-22T16:37:49.005-07:00My FIRST 29th Birthday<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anymore I hardly want to mention my birthdays - the fact that yes, another year has passed and yes, I'm getting older. I find it more fun to get lost in birthday celebrations for my family anyway rather than my own - I'm sure many of you know the feeling! :) </div>
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BUT, this year, Ty made me feel so special on my birthday that I just have to record it and perhaps brag about what a thoughtful guy I have! </div>
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My birthday was May 6th and that morning seemed like any other. I got up early, got myself ready and then woke up Ty to get ready for work and the kids to start getting them ready for school. As I pulled Rosie out of the tub and was getting her dressed, in walked Ty in his "normal clothes" rather than his work clothes. He <em>never</em> gets mixed up on his days so I chuckled and was just about to tease and say, "honey did you forget you had to work today?" when Vanna beat me to it and asked, "Dad, do you have a day off?!" Ty had a funny look on his face (the I-got-caught-with-my-hand-in-the-cookie-jar face) and tried to dodge the question with jokes until finally he announced that he'd switched his days off so he had the day off. I was surprised and still yet confused, wondering why he had done that when he went on to explain that he thought he'd just spend the day with me and maybe take me out to lunch and a movie for my birthday! Ahhhh...isn't he sweet!? I was so surprised! </div>
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It doesn't end there - so as I finished up with Rosie, Ty made his way into the kitchen and started making breakfast! And not just cold cereal like you might think, but chocolate pancakes - a favorite in our house. He had them ready for us by the time we were all finished in the bathrooms. They were mmm...mmm good. Doesn't food always taste better when you aren't the one who had to make it? </div>
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After breakfast he had me open my present and my jaw dropped. He got me an iPad 4! Again, I was completely surprised! You have to keep in mind people, that we are stone age - we don't have any of the techy stuff and have survived just fine realizing we don't really<em> need</em> any of it. We don't have any tablets of any kind and we don't even have cell phones - I know crazy huh. We had thrown around the idea of us sharing an iPad and maybe getting one for our anniversary or for Christmas because I really wanted one to use for my lessons with the Laurels (to use in sharing videos, etc.), but we hadn't made any decisions. Needless to say, the expensive gift was my birthday and Mother's Day gift combined. :)</div>
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We got the older kids off to school and just spent time with one another until we picked them up and went out to Wingers for lunch. Wingers has always been a favorite of ours because it's where we went on our first date (on Valentine's Day no less) - and it's a place that's comfortable with kids (not too quiet or fancy). Afterwards, we went to Iron Man 3 at the theater. Rosie didn't really cooperate so after I had taken her out to the hall, Ty came to my rescue and told me to go back in and watch the show while he stayed out with Rosie since it was my birthday. Now this might not seem like much but it meant a lot because Ty and I are kind of movie buffs. We love watching movies and he loves the Iron Man movies and I knew he really wanted to see it. The show was entertaining and we had a great time. And to top it off, we came home and everyone got a nap - mom and dad included. So nice!</div>
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I'll tell you what - the man really got it all right this time. The day was the perfect gift in and of itself. It is exactly what I always want in celebration of my birthday or anything really, just time - time spent together. I was so surprised by it all and just loved it! It made for the perfect FIRST 29th birthday!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-43990673542163531912013-08-06T17:27:00.000-07:002013-08-30T17:08:55.421-07:00California Adventure Part 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Our last day! We started out our last day to play in a big way by taking a trip through Downtown Disney as we made our way to a hotel to enjoy breakfast with the Disney characters. </div>
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And on our way there, Mom and Dad couldn't pass this setting and had the kids take a pix of Dad stealing a kiss from Mom. :)</div>
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We ate breakfast with none other than...</div>
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The kids loved the Mickey pancakes and for some reason, they just couldn't get enough of the watermelon - this was Cash's dish alone. </div>
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Cash also got a special birthday song sung to him by the restaurant staff since his birthday was that weekend along with a cupcake and candle. He felt <em>pretty</em> special!</div>
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After breakfast, we made our way to California Adventure where we had decided to spend our last day. </div>
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In order to get a fun picture on the kids laying in the Mickey figure you see below, I had them close their eyes until <em>just </em>before I snapped the picture so the bright sun wouldn't bother them too much. ...And...this is what we got from Vanna. Ha ha ha.</div>
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Our first stop was Cars Land. <br />
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Because we took our sweet time eating a yummy breakfast, we got to the park one hour after it opened and the Fast Pass for the Radiator Springs Racers ride was already all booked out for the <em>entire</em> day! We had heard it was popular but my goodness! We were told we could wait in line without a Fast Pass for 2 1/2 hours but the decision was made real fast on that one. We figured there was much more fun to be had than to waste that long standing in line, and the kids had no idea what they might be missing. So off we went to the next attraction and who did we see driving <em>right</em> by us...</div>
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We enjoyed Luigi's Flying Tires and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree before heading over to "a bug's land". </div>
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Funny story: As we were walking along, there was a time when Ty said "Let me hold Vanna's hand." Right as he said that, we were both looking down at her and she picked her nose. Right on cue Ty said, "Nevermind!" Ha ha ha.</div>
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We couldn't pass up California Screamin but afterward I told Ty, "I don't know if I'm just getting old or what but the way your head kind of gets jarred around on those kind of roller coasters gives me an instant headache." It wasn't my favorite experience :) Ty was pretty impressed by it - just how fast it was and stuff. I much prefer a ride like Ariel's Undersea Adventure. In fact, it turned out to be one of my favorite rides of the trip (call me boring - I don't care :)!<br />
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We enjoyed lunch in the park and that's when I realized I was pretty much done. We were all sitting at the table in a type of daze of exhaustion and I hardly felt like going on another ride. Everyone else felt the same way so we passed on the Adventures of Hollywood Land, along with many other rides on that side of the park, and finished up at Grizzly Peak. We loved the Grizzly River Run (although poor Vanna couldn't go so each of us "big kids" took turns going with Cash)!</div>
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Then we headed back to the hotel for a nap before returning for the night time World of Color show. We were all asleep within seconds I think and I had to drag everyone out of bed to go back. We could have slept through the night we all seemed so tired. </div>
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I'm so glad we didn't though because we would have missed another of the most magical parts of the trip. The World of Color show was in a word - AMAZING! Water was shooting up everywhere creating beautiful displays and I loved how Disney images and movie scenes were projected and displayed on the fog/water. It was just incredible. I just love how all the parks come alive with their lights, shows, fireworks, etc. The night time fun is just the best!</div>
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It was the <em>perfect</em> ending to a fantastic trip. Many memories were made, many laughs were heard (that we are choosing to remember, rather than the arguing that was also heard :) and <em>lots</em> of fun was had! </div>
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As it turned out, I think we enjoyed the experience so much more than if we'd tried to go earlier in the year or even if we'd been able to go in years past when we'd originally thought of doing it. Funny how that works sometimes eh? We wouldn't have been able to see/do as much with our little Rosie with us and Vanna wouldn't have been able to go on near as much if we'd gone any earlier. The kids were at an age where they were young enough to enjoy it and be excited about the characters yet old enough to go on most <em>all</em> the rides and hopefully old enough to remember the experience and the fun they had!</div>
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And although we had a blast, we were anxious to see and snuggle with Rosie Posie. Gosh I missed her! I was a bit nervous about how she would react to me when we arrived to pick her up. I've heard of babies hardly remembering their parents when they go for a trip and not wanting to go to them, and I had in mind how sad I'd be if she responded that way. But she didn't - thank goodness. She first looked at us like she couldn't believe we were there - almost like in shock, poor thing - then she held out her sweet arms to me right away. I gobbled her right up. It was so good to see our baby again! We gave her the little souvenirs we'd bought her (again, we got hers in advance and had them wrapped and just sitting at Grandma and Grandpas waiting for her so we didn't have to pack them) - an Eyore Pillow Pet and Minnie Mouse slippers and just played with her for the rest of the night!</div>
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We stayed that night at my parents, went to church with them the next day and then made our way home. Boy, I love vacations, but I've come to realize that by about day six away from home, I'm missing my own bed, home cooked meals, etc. I think the whole family felt that way! It's always good to be home - and thankfully, we were home, safe and sound!</div>
<img height="96" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nt01shYWHK8/UfAP6InEcnI/AAAAAAAADqM/weFagTy0xnw/s320/DSCN0296.JPG" style="left: 340px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1189px;" width="50" />Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-24362999996194399242013-08-06T16:20:00.003-07:002013-08-06T16:20:55.700-07:00California Adventure Part 4 - Universal Studios<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The next day we rode the bus again down to Universal Studios and snapped a couple photos of these fun monuments welcoming you to the park.</div>
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The first thing we did was go on the Studio Tour which I think was my favorite thing to do at Universal Studios. It shows you famous scenes from movies and shows you a few of the tricks behind movie making. I always find it so interesting to hear about this stuff and I was right when I figured Ty would be fascinated with it as well. We're movie watchers and now it will be fun to see if we can figure out some of their tricks as we're watching.</div>
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On the tour we came across a parking lot of famous cars, one of which was The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo. The kids LOVE Scooby Doo so they of course, thought that was awesome. </div>
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And then guess who we found after the tour?! Scooby Dooby Doo!!!</div>
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Vanna said, "Mom look!" (for about the hundredth time on the trip :) and when I turned around, this is what I found. I thought the hat looked pretty funny and had to steal a snapshot. It reminded me of when my older brother used to tease me by putting his hand on top of my head and making a sucking sound only to describe it as the sound of a starving brain sucker - sounds like an older brother huh!?<br />
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We also got to meet Curious George when we went to the Curious George play area. We started out telling the kids they could get a little wet to cool off but asked them not to get sopping wet. Does it look like they listened? Who can blame them though when there's this much fun to be had in the water and when the weather was so warm? Piece of advice though: don't wear tennis shoes (they don't dry out so quickly :).<br />
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Ty's a Back to the Future fan so you can see his happy face at the following finds:<br />
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Another highlight to Universal Studios was that we got to meet "a real life transformer" (as Vanna would say)! Vanna still talks about this so it must have really impressed her. I have to admit, it was pretty cool. But even for it's coolness and the awesome special effects to the Transformer ride, we were all about sick afterward and wasn't sure it was worth the super long wait to go on it. I guess by this point of our trip, our minds were tired of all the 3D stuff - it was starting to make us all a bit sick or dizzy I think.</div>
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I have to record a funny memory from when I came to Universal Studios as a kid. At that time, The Mummy attraction was a walk-thru and at one point a statue (which was really a dressed up guy) came at me from a dark corner and about scared me to death. As I was in motion trying to get away from the guy, I ended up running head first into a rock arch doorway that led to the exit of the attraction. I had been so focused on looking at the scary guy and not paying attention to my surroundings that I hit the wall with enough force that I think it kind of knocked me out because the next thing I knew, I was on the ground on my bottom and facing the opposite direction of the way I was going. Needless to say, I came out of the attraction with a big goose-egg on my forehead. So you can imagine why I found it comical that The Mummy attraction now is an actual ride, rather than a walk-thru. Ha ha ha.</div>
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We also got to go to a very action packed water show called WaterWorld and a fun show where they showed us how the animals are trained to be actors in films. It was pretty entertaining. </div>
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All in all, Universal Studios was probably<em> my</em> least favorite stop, but it was still fun and provided us with great memories! On top of it all we were just so grateful for great weather we had that allowed us to enjoy every minute of the trip. Before leaving, I kept hoping for good weather and good health for the trip. I guess one out of the two is okay :). I think as far as weather goes, we couldn't have picked a better time - it wasn't too hot yet - it was just right!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-90007548728021590272013-08-05T16:41:00.000-07:002013-08-30T17:10:26.251-07:00California Adventure Part 3<div style="text-align: justify;">
After our "time off" and after Vanna was feeling much better, we made our way back to Disneyland on Wednesday, May 29th. </div>
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We first headed to Fantasyland to finish our adventures there and found ourselves enjoying, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Peter Pan's Flight, etc. And speaking of Peter Pan's Flight...we waited in line for quite a long time for this one surprisingly and when we finally got <em>right</em> near the front of the line, we thought our wait had been in vain. The group getting on the ride in front of us had a child throwing a huge tantrum and his parents couldn't get him on the ride quickly enough - this backed up the ride and jammed everything up. We were told that the ride wouldn't be working for what could be over an hour. I was a little bummed as I had been trying throughout the trip to get as much in as possible and thought, "man - what a waste of time". We decided to wait it out for just a bit and luckily the ride was up and running within a matter of about 5-10 minutes. Ty kept saying, "this ride better be worth it" and it was I thought. For not even remembering the ride before or having never heard anything about it, I was glad we got a chance to ride it because I thought it was very cute and was one I loved. Just kind of a funny story - and one I'm glad didn't repeat itself throughout the rest of the trip!</div>
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While we were in Fatasyland we got to meet the Princesses. Vanna soaked it up - she said she was most excited to meet Cinderella and who do you suppose was the first princess we got to meet?</div>
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Cash played almost bashful (which is quite unusual for him) with his hands in his pockets the entire time!</div>
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After the kids were done admiring and flirting with the princesses, we made our way over to Frontierland where the only thing we enjoyed was the Mark Twain Riverboat. Most everything else was closed for remodeling. But, no matter, not much looked overly exciting there anyway. So we went to see Winnie the Pooh and the gang at Critter Country. We met T-I-double "g"- er! He gives great high fives!<br />
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And Eeyore gives great hugs! OOO, I just love Winnie the Pooh!<br />
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Then we got a Fast Pass to Splash Mountain and while we waited, we hit some attractions at New Orleans Square such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. I was surprised the kids did so well through that. Brave little buggers. Then we ate a yummy (and might I add expensive) lunch in the park at the Harbour Gallery. We finished up just in time to cash in our Fast Pass to Splash Mountain so we headed back for the dive of our lives :). Ty got especially wet - I'm pretty good at ducking behind the person in front of me. :) The kids loved it! It was always so funny - as soon as we got off one ride, Vanna would say, "Let's go for another ride!" </div>
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We finished up in Adventureland with Tarzan's Treehouse, the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki Room but we were hugely disappointed to find Indiana Jones' ride was shut down. We got a fast pass for it anyway and hoped we'd be able to catch it later. It was one ride I remembered loving. </div>
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By then we had literally marked off just about everything there was to do in the park and so we made our way back to a couple of our favorites - like Star Tours and Space Mountain (except Cash - after going on Space Mountain the first time, Cash said, "I hated it!" - the rest of us loved it!).</div>
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At this point we told the kids it was time for them to pick out their souvenirs. We had actually bought each of them a Disney shirt <em>before</em> we went to save on the cost and gave it to them then told them in advance that they could each only pick one thing from Disneyland and one thing from Sea World (knowing how expensive everything is and knowing we didn't have a ton of extra luggage space coming home). They were really good about understanding that and were on the lookout the whole trip for their very favorites. When we got to the check-out counter to pay for the souvenirs, the clerk asked Vanna what her favorite part about Disneyland was. Vanna responded, "Sea World!" Ha ha ha ha!</div>
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By the end of the day we were all walking a bit slowly and the kids were tired of course. But we thought it was so funny when a mean and impatient Cruella came behind us and muttered to Cash, "You walk slow!" before bolting around him. It was so funny - she really played the part. :) The kids found themselves a little resting place along the walk way before we headed over to Main Street for the parade. </div>
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The parade is one of my favorite parts about Disneyland! We saved ourselves a spot right along the route and sat there to eat our dinner of hotdogs and pop and waited for it to start and I'm so glad we did because the kids got to see everything up close and personal!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Mary Poppins everybody. </td></tr>
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Vanna loved this new float with Rapunzel. The whole time I was watching the parade I couldn't help think about how hot each of those characters must get in their costumes and all that get-up.</div>
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After the parade, we went and saved ourselves a seat for the night show Mickey and the Magical Map. I wasn't sitting for long before Vanna curled up on my lap and fell asleep. Since we were just waiting and I was kind of stuck in one spot, Ty went to see if the Indiana Jones ride was open and he lucked out! He got to ride it along with a few other favorites again before the show started. And what a fun show it was. I have to say that I think the parade and the night shows are just the best at Disneyland - they are so magical with all the characters and amazing effects! </div>
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To add even more magic to the night, we stayed to watch the fireworks going off behind the famous Disney Castle. What an amazing day and unbelievable night!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-43932293657550205622013-06-30T19:33:00.002-07:002013-07-01T08:13:30.816-07:00California Adventure Part 2 - Sea World<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our second day in California included a trip and day spent at Sea World! Our vacation package included round trip shuttle bus services to any other destination besides Disneyland (since we were within walking distance from that). This was so nice because then we didn't have to rent a vehicle at all. And on our two hour drive down to Sea World, we passed the San Diego Temple which was beautiful. The bus tour guide described it as a white castle with a golden angel on the top of it - it really was breathtaking.<br />
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I love Sea World and I think I was more excited to go there than anything else we had planned in our trip. Most of that excitement was for everyone else, particularly, Vanna, because she LOVES dolphins (in fact that's what she wanted for Christmas - was a dolphin :) and I couldn't wait for everyone to see these beautiful animals and see all that Sea World has to offer!</div>
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We started out at the Animal Connections where we saw all kinds of animals. The frogs, porcupines and the armadillos seemed to capture our attention most. :) I was slightly disappointed to learn that the Budweiser Clydesdale horses weren't at Sea World anymore - I loved seeing those giants years ago when I was there!</div>
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Then on to the Wild Arctic where we first saw the Beluga whales and the HUGE walrus - right up close and personal!</div>
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Of course the kids thought the Penguin encounter area was stinky - and it is - but they're fun to watch!</div>
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Then we headed over to the Shamu Stadium to see the killer whale show. This is when the rest of the family could hardly contain MY excitement! I knew how much I loved the shows at Sea World and that Ty and the kids really had no idea what was in store for them!</div>
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We LOVED the One Ocean show here at Shamu Stadium. We sat in the soak section and yes, we got soaked. It's amazing the thrust power the whales have behind those huge tails! :) Before the trip, Cash was excited to see the killer whales and Vanna was excited to see the dolphins but would say that she hates killer whales. Immediately following the show, Vanna said with all the enthusiasm you can imagine, "I used to hate killer whales but now they're my favorite!" </div>
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After the whale show, we headed over to the Blue Horizons Stadium to see another show with dolphins, birds, acrobats, and pilot whales but not before stopping at Dolphin Point to see the dolphins. This was what we'd been waiting for...Vanna wanted to pet a dolphin SO bad. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One dolphin showing off right in front of us (you can see Cash's hat in the picture).</td></tr>
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And<em> that's</em> as close as Vanna got...she <em>almost</em> touched the dolphin who was waving 'hi' to everyone. And we tried to hold on to her and get her even a bit closer to where she probably could have touched it but she was being grumpy and brought out her Miss Independent attitude and missed her chance. Oh we were so so so sad she couldn't have been one of the lucky ones to actually touch one. And sadly I had built it up as a possibility because when I came to Sea World (again this was years ago), you could buy fish to feed the huge group of dolphins swimming in a pool and lure them right up to you with a fish and then pet them over and over. So naturally, I thought she might have the same experience...BUT...they did away with that pool and only have a few dolphins swimming in this pool with their trainers and they don't really let them get too close to people and ask that people don't really touch them. Huge disappointment but really, Vanna handled it well. </div>
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We quickly got over it when we got to see another amazing show...with dolphins in it! :) Again, we sat in the soak zone and literally, just after Cash said, "Hey, why aren't we getting wet?" the dolphins splashed us big time. </div>
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After the show, we got to meet the dolphin trainers that were the main 'actors' in the pool with the dolphins and the kids thought that was neat, especially because that's what Vanna says she wants to be - in fact, just following the dolphin show she said, "I'm going to be a dolphin trainer for sure!"</div>
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We hit one more show while we were there - it was the sea lion show and was really cute - more comedic. It featured Clyde and Seamore, the sea lions, and OP, the Otter. We loved that too! You definitely don't want to miss the shows when you go to Sea World, that's all I have to say! </div>
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We saw just so many animals and got so close to all them too - it was all just so fun:</div>
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...bat rays<br />
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...sharks<br />
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...otters<br />
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...fresh water aquariums full of fish (this was one of Ty's favorite places)<br />
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...flamingos<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all those flamingos in their feeding pools - we had so many just right below us on the bridge too!</td></tr>
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...sea turtles<br />
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...star fish and more!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touching star fish at the star fish tide pool. </td></tr>
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We definitely had a lot of fun under the sun then topped it off with souvenirs and cotton candy for the bus ride back to our hotel! This was the highlight of our trip!<br />
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Another part of the trip that I'll never forget is that Vanna got strep throat while we were there! Ahhh! It started off with her and Rosie both getting a cold about a week before we left. Rosie's turned into an ear infection but we got her on medicine and she was feeling fine by the time we left her with Grandma and Grandpa (nobody wants to leave their baby but especially not their sick baby - poor thing!). I just kept praying that Vanna's cold wouldn't develop into anything more since she's prone to getting strep easily (prior to this incident, she'd gotten strep four times within less than a year). </div>
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For the first couple days we were tripping, Vanna still just seemed a bit stuffed up or runny and would cough quite a bit. We kept asking her over and over though..."Does your throat hurt honey?" and she would respond, "No." But throughout the day that we spent at Sea World, we noticed that her eyes became red, she just <em>looked</em> like she wasn't feeling well (although that didn't keep her from running around and being as excited as ever over everything!). And finally when we were on our way back to the hotel, Vanna told us her throat hurt when she coughed, and bless you'd (the way she usually says 'sneeze') and swallowed. Oh no! </div>
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We had inquired earlier at the hotel desk about a service they offered where you called a doctor's office and they had someone come to you and check you out at your hotel (otherwise we figured we'd have to get a cab to take us to a hospital/clinic somewhere and then to a pharmacy...it sounded like a lot of running around)...so although it cost us a pretty penny, it's what we decided to do. So, Vanna got checked out and although they didn't have a strep quick test to give Vanna to determine if it was officially strep, the doctor suggested it likely was because all the symptoms were the same. Regardless, they gave Vanna some medicine to help and by the next afternoon, she was feeling tons better and back to her regular self.</div>
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When planning our trip I left it flexible and one day wide open for us to either just lounge around the hotel, nap and catch up a bit after playing so hard or to go to the beach and play/relax there for a day. We had it planned to do one day later (right in the middle of our trip) but we decided that we'd take Tuesday off, let Vanna get plenty of rest to feel better, and just take it easy. The only thing we really did that day was watch movies in the hotel and spend some time at the hotel pool - but I think it was just what we all needed.</div>
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Most every night throughout the trip we'd call to see how Rosie was doing and here her little voice. We're so lucky that she felt completely fine the whole time and was such a good girl for Grandma and Grandpa. Tab even said, "I don't know if your mom's going to be willing to give her up when you get here to pick her up!" As much as I thought I'd worry over Rosie, I really didn't too much - I knew she was in good hands and all reports my mom gave me was that she was doing great. We sure missed our sweetheart though. What we didn't miss though was all the work it appeared to be to bring a baby her age on such a trip. We saw dad's holding baby's that had blown out their diapers all over them while standing in line, we saw mom's sitting out while holding sleeping babies, we saw about everything and thought about just how much more worn out we'd be if we'd taken Rosie. We would have probably seen/done half of what we did if we'd brought her and since we figured she really wouldn't remember it or even enjoy being dragged everywhere, we'd leave her with grandparents. It definitely turned out to be the right decision and we're so grateful for them and their willingness to take care of our little girl!</div>
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Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-10976779356982234822013-06-30T18:26:00.003-07:002013-08-06T16:05:40.332-07:00California Adventure Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We went on vacation to California </span><span style="font-size: large;">and had such a great time!</span> </div>
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We've been wanting to do this for a couple years now but for one reason or another (being pregnant with Rosie, etc.) we chose to wait, and even thought at one point this time that we might have to wait <em>another</em> year. We tried to plan our trip over Spring Break but it was impossible for Ty to get that time off work (even though we turned the time in very early - I guess everyone else had the same idea :). Then there was the dilemma over whether or not to take Rosie Posie or wait until she was older to go. </div>
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After things fell through over Spring Break, I found myself talking it over with my mom and she brought up the idea of them watching Rosie if we wanted to try again to fit the trip in before Ty's vacation was up (Ty's vacation time is use it or lose it - it doesn't carry over from year to year). What a heaven send! Although this meant leaving our baby for days (sniff...sniff), we thought we'd look into it. This would mean we could use up all the rest of Ty's vacation time we'd saved for a trip and it also meant less stress while we were there (taking a car seat, stroller, etc. on a plane, keeping a baby happy all day and getting everything in that we wanted to, etc.). So... we took them up on their offer to watch Rosie and...it <em>finally </em>all fell into place!</div>
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On Friday, May 24th, the day after school let out, we began our trip by driving to Lava where we got Rosie all situated and comfortable with Grandma and Grandpa and stayed the night there. The following morning, we woke up bright and early to leave for Salt Lake where we were to catch an 11am flight.</div>
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We knew from the beginning, we'd want to fly. When you're a bit limited on how many days you can miss from work, you don't want to spend it all in driving and I thought that if Ty and I were going to enjoy this trip, we might enjoy a couple hour flight more than a what...20 hour drive (rough estimate) each way!</div>
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The kids were stoked to fly on an airplane and get their own drink and pretzels! They could just <em>not </em>wait to begin our California adventure! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting at the SLC airport for our plane to arrive and take us to Long Beach.</td></tr>
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The second we landed, Cash announced in quite a loud voice, "We're in Disneyland guys!". The young guy sitting across the aisle smiled and said, "Not quite yet buddy!" It was so cute! I think everyone on our flight already knew that was our destination by the squeals that came from the kids when our plane <em>did</em> arrive and was ready for us to board and from the huge smiles plastered on their faces! It's just one of those times you'll never forget - a time when you can hardly contain their excitement for it all!</div>
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We had a shuttle take us to our Hotel which was steps away and right across from Disneyland. Then we took the rest of the day to stock up on munchies and the like and then headed to play in the hotel pool. <br />
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The next day, May 26th, we made our way to Disneyland bright and early to spend the entire day playing and boy did we!</div>
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We headed to the back of the park first (to then work our way forward) and passed the whale that swallowed Pinocchio - aaahhh ! :) </div>
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Once we arrived at Toontown, we let the kids just wander and play around for a bit. This picture is fitting because Vanna loves to pretend she's our puppy...and here our poor puppy's stuck in the pound. :)</div>
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Look who we found at Mickey's Toontown...Mickey Mouse!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M-I-C...K-E-Y...MOUSE...MICKEY MOUSE...MICKEY MOUSE!</td></tr>
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The first "ride" we went on was Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin (not my favorite but anyway...) and right outside it's exit is this toon building you can try to blow up by pushing down on the lever. Ty and Cash both tried to hard to get the building to blow but who do you think was successful...Vanna Marie! She was so proud of herself!</div>
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After Toontown, we headed to Tomorowland which I think ended up being our favorite part of Disneyland! I was so surprised by Vanna and how brave she was to go on all the rides. In fact, one of her favorite rides was Space Mountain - even Cash got kind of nervous on that one. But we all loved Star Tours of course - especially Ty I think. It was so fun to see Ty's excitement over some of these rides too because he's never been to Disneyland - we were all just big kids there and had a great time!</div>
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Ty was our photographer when we rode on the Astro Orbitor because he didn't want to go on anything that spun in a circle in case it would make him sick. Can't say that I blame him, I don't do so well with things that swing back and forth.<br />
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We like Iron Man at our house and Ty couldn't pass by them without snapping a few shots while we visited the Innoventions center.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course Cash found some video games to play while we were in there too.</td></tr>
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After Tomorrowland we headed over to Fantasyland to pound out half of it and finish off the day before heading back to the hotel (the kids were tuckered out). Vanna was so excited to ride on the Mad Tea Party and <em>really</em> wanted a purple teacup. I thought it was so funny I caught this face where Cash displays what <em>he</em> thought about her choice of color...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We<em> loved</em> the Mad Hatter Shop - the kids had a ball trying on all kinds of odd hats!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We caught Cash (with his veins popping) putting forth <em>all </em>his effort to remove that Sword in the Stone - I guess he's just not meant to be the next king!</td></tr>
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The whole day was full of fun...well mostly...other than all the fighting between the kids about who was first in line. :) It was <em>hilarious</em> to hear all the other parents in the park (especially by the end of the day when kids are plain worn out and grumpy) saying the same type of things to their kids that we were: "If you're not having fun, I guess we can just go home." or "What do you mean you're not happy, this is supposed to be the happiest place on earth!" or "There's no reason to fight over who's first in line because you're going to get on the ride at the same time!" But really, I have to praise the kids on how well they did throughout the entire trip. Their fighting over who was first in line was literally the only thing we had to get after them for, they really didn't fight, or whine or even complain about being too tired to walk anymore (because they walked all day everyday and I thought surely they'd start fussing but they were<em> such</em> troopers)! </div>
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After getting back to the hotel, cleaning up and watching the Disneyland fireworks, we were out like lights...gearing up for the next day of fun!</div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-2799790896790604112013-06-09T16:24:00.000-07:002013-08-05T16:41:41.107-07:00Walking the Walk<div style="text-align: justify;">
My mom and step-dad have always had it in their plans to serve a mission after they retired. My mom retired a couple years ago and Tab retired in November. Shortly after General Conference this spring, the itch to leave on their mission began. They turned their mission papers in early May and finally received their call (it was so hard waiting to find out where they were going) to serve in BELIZE for 23 months! (For anyone wondering where that is, it's in Central America below Mexico and next to Guatemala.)</div>
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The circumstances surrounding their mission call and the experiences they had in preparing for it are all very unique and inspiring. I believe all our family has already received testimony that Belize is where they are meant to go although I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that they are going that far away. For some reason, I thought for sure their call would be closer - I mean at least in the United States. :) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mendenhall Missionaries - leaving to serve a mission in Belize on July 22, 2013.</td></tr>
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Of course I worry for their well being - this type of worry is a funny feeling too, almost as if they were my kids rather than my parents. I'm sure it will certainly be a culture shock for them and prove a humbling and trying experience which is as it should be. I believe missions are meant to stretch you, teach you, plant in you an even deeper appreciation for the Savior and His work. Can you imagine the impact such a mission will have on them!? :) </div>
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I worry over myself too - having them (not only because they're my parents, but because they're my closest of friends) so far away is unnerving in and of itself. It will likewise prove a trying yet beautiful experience for family left here at home - what an amazing journey we get to share with them! </div>
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My family and I are so very grateful for their righteous example. In one of our recent conversations, my mom made the comment that "you prepare your sons to go on missions, you talk of going on one someday, but this is 'walking the walk' now - we're actually doing it!" As hard as it will be to say goodbye for two years, we're so thankful they have chosen to serve, so proud of their willingness to 'walk the walk'. I've seen already how this mission has stretched them and think it's incredible how much they've learned and grown already in just their preparations to serve.</div>
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As their family, I know we will be blessed for their service and learn so much from their experience. I believe the impact their service will have on those around them will be far reaching, it's so true that your decisions affect not just yourself but those around you because I really feel a part of their mission in a very real sense - and I'm not the one serving - it's hard to explain. I've already learned much, specifically about sacrifice and fulfilling your duty to do all you can. I'm excited to see what more is in store for them and me and all our family as we support them in this important work. </div>
Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406163640431225571.post-17791635043871370432013-05-05T18:32:00.003-07:002013-05-08T11:43:58.100-07:00Vanna is FIVE<div style="text-align: justify;">
Vanna turned FIVE a couple weeks ago (April 17th) and it just blows my mind! We've noticed so often lately that she's not so little anymore and really seems to be growing up before our eyes. She was so excited for her birthday to come and counted down the days for a couple weeks before hand. When it <em>finally </em>arrived, we celebrated by taking cupcakes to her pre-school class. Vanna loves, and I mean LOVES, bubblegum hence the cupcakes with a giant bubblegum center, hence the bubblegum cake and the bubblegum gift bags she helped me make her classmates.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Funny story about the cupcakes though: I made her cake and frosted the cupcakes the day before her birthday, while all the kids were napping, and when Vanna woke up to find them done she was <em>so</em> very disappointed because she had wanted to help. So I caved and made another batch of cupcakes that she could help me frost. I felt like cake batter was coming out of my ears. It all turned out fine though because we just saved most of those in the freezer to use for Cash's birthday that I know I won't have time to prepare much for since his birthday is the very day we're coming back from our trip.</span> </div>
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After school, we picked up two of her little friends (Megan Winward and Kallista Smith) and went out for lunch at her favorite restaurant - Carl's Jr. It's her favorite because it has an indoor play area and never fails to entertain. The kids all had a great time playing around in there for a while until it was time to go to the movie. All Vanna said she wanted to do on her birthday was "go to the feater" so ... to the "feater" we went. We ended up watching The Croods. We had the theater all to ourselves and the movie turned out to be much better than I had expected. I actually found myself laughing out loud and the kids <em>loved </em>it. They couldn't stop talking about it all the way home. </div>
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Once we got back to our house, we topped all the fun off with some cake and ice cream and opened presents. </div>
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Knowing Vanna loved dolphins, one of her friends got her this stuffed dolphin that she's slept with every night since. She just can't get enough of dolphins and says she wants to be a dolphin trainer when she grows up :).</div>
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Later, after Daddy got home from work, Vanna opened her presents from us. She got Hello Kitty earphones (which she lovingly calls ear muffins) to connect to my iPod shuffle that she's pretty much confiscated and called her own. She also got a sandbox that she had been looking forward to for a long time, as well as some Magnaformers which are some really cool magnetic shapes you can build things with.</div>
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It was a wonderful day that was all about Miss Vanna Marie and she kept saying "This is the best day ever!" Apparently, we nailed it!</div>
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Vanna is always remembered by her grandparents as well and received some darling cards with money to buy herself a gift and a treat. She always loves to get her own mail! She also got her first Barbie movie from grandparents as well. She loves Barbie movies (we always just check them out from the Library) and was excited to have one to keep! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness Grandmas and Grandpas!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Birthday Vanna Banana!!!</span></div>
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When the kids' birthdays come up it seems like a big reminder of how fast time goes by and how important it is for me to write down a few things (in an effort to remember each year/stage since I can't make them stop growing up so fast!). Here's some things that just shout Vanna lately:</div>
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-Vanna loves to play in water - of any shape and form. Because it has been a bit too cold yet to put water under the trampoline to play in (until just recently), Vanna will ask to fill up our big tub with water and will then get in her swimsuit to go swimming and play in the water.</div>
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-I've determined that Vanna is seriously addicted to sugar. For example, when I fix Cherrios for breakfast, I'll put some sliced bananas with a bit of cream and sugar in with them and we'll find Vanna scraping what little sugar she can find off the bananas to eat it plain.</div>
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-Vanna still gets painful leg aches a lot which the doctors say are just growing pains so we're trying to find other ways of treating them rather than give her medicine for them all the time. We will sometimes soak her legs in warm water and Epsom salt, we'll put heated rice packs on them, we rub them, we elevate them, we make sure she's well hydrated and eats plenty bananas and drinks lots of milk, ahhh. I think the poor girl is cursed with them much like I was at that age (and even still once in a great while). But if you have any other suggestions for treatment, I'd be interested in hearing them.</div>
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-Vanna has really taken an interest in the kitchen over the past few months and is always pulling up a chair to stand on and help me. I bought a box of apples for a fundraiser late this past winter and so she helped me make apple pie filling and bottle it. She made a sticky mess but boy did she love it. I have to be careful and remind myself to nurture this interest rather than squish it by complaining about the mess it can create because I <em>do</em> want her to enjoy spending time in the kitchen when she's grown.</div>
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-I love Vanna's big, beautiful and even unusual/unique smile (she has a bit of a cross-bite). It truly brightens up the room! And I always tell everyone that Vanna has the best giggle and laugh I've ever heard. The sound of it is the epitome of a happy or mischievous child (depending on what she's up to :) - sometimes both and it is so contagious!</div>
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-Vanna loves a dress she can twirl around in. And speaking of twirling - she is a girl who can't get enough of dancing. She has absolutely loved dance class. We've discovered through her lessons, that really the poor thing isn't very flexible (Daddy says she must take after him) but she's very good at balancing. She's always the first to answer, "What is passé?" and show her teacher the right position. She's super great at headstands too - even better than Cash which she is extremely excited about as you can imagine.</div>
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-Vanna has decided it's too hard to make her bed every morning so now she sleeps on top of her covers with her big cozy blanket that her grandma made her for Christmas rather than mess up her covers. Now she only has to straighten things up in the morning and she's found that to be much easier - lazy bones. :)</div>
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-In Vanna's opinion, we should have Ramen Noodles for breakfast. The rest of the family disagrees.</div>
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-I know I've said it before, but when I listen for Vanna, I most usually hear her singing. In our last General Conference it was said that "a child who sings is a happy child" and that is Vanna to a "T". She is our little songbird and loves to play "name that tune" when I whistle a tune and her and Cash try to guess which song it is.</div>
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-One of Vanna's favorite things to do is to pretend to be my puppy. She always comes up to me and asks, "Mom, can we play, can I be your puppy?" To which of course I answer, "Yes." because it is the easiest game to play on my part. She simply goes around acting like a puppy by crawling, lapping up water from a dish, making a doghouse out of the furniture and blankets, etc. all without my having to do much of anything. Wouldn't you play that game too? :)</div>
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-Vanna never lets me forget what she believes is the most important thing to remember on my grocery list - Cheetos (one of her favorite snacks). She also loves boiled eggs (however she always leaves out the yolks - they're not her favorite part) and olives (funny though that she doesn't like olives in any cooked foods - just plain) for snacks as well.<br />
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-Vanna likes to argue with and tattle on her brother.</div>
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-Vanna has Kindergarten Roundup this week and is so excited to be starting school. She is definitely ready - she's pretty good with her letters and sounds and is so good at patterns, colors, cutting with scissors, etc. Funny story: Literally, as I'm typing this up, Vanna is next to me at the desk practicing writing her letters. She just asked me, "What letter do you want me to write?" I said, "How about a P?" She looked at me and said, "Um, how about a different one?" She's especially good at her numbers though (counts past twenty without missing one and thinks she can count to 100 but misses about 50 numbers somewhere in between 30 and 80 :) and loves to tell everyone her whole birthday and entire name, etc. Like I said, it seems our little girl is growing up...sniff...sniff!</div>
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-Some of Vanna's favorite games to play are Uno, Mancala, Memory, and The Bee Game. And yes, she usually wins me at most of them. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Vanna's "oh no" face!</td></tr>
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-Vanna is a great helper, especially when it comes to Rosie. She has even tried to change her diapers, she loves to help me pick out her clothes, etc. but what she doesn't like helping me with is throwing away diapers!<br />
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-And when there's something I've asked Vanna to do repeatedly and finally make her aware of the fact I'm losing my patience, the new thing she's famous for saying lately is, "Oh fine." with a heavy sigh.</div>
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-Something I love about Vanna is that even for all her "prissiness" she's not afraid to get dirty and have fun outside. She always loves to go to Grandma's and Grandpa's to help on the dairy. Two visits ago, while things at the barn were a mucky mess, she lost her boot when it got stuck in the muck and slipped off her foot while she was walking through it all. She kept going and stepped in all the mess with only her sock on. Gross! But instead of crying about it, she only laughed and thinks everyone needs to hear the story and how Uncle Nick had to carry her the rest of the way inside the barn.</div>
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Funny story: A few days ago, we went to some friends' (an older couple in our ward) to learn from their knowledge about gardening. While we were there, the older kids got to collect eggs from our friends' chickens and they let them each keep one. Of course the kids would not accept our explanations that their eggs would not likely hatch and produce baby chicks - they were determined to nurture their eggs until they hatched. Ty said, "What do you bet, by the end of the night, one of them will have dropped their egg and crumble to the floor in tears." But he was wrong and for days, they babied them, slept by them, drew faces on them, kept them warm and wrapped up in blankets, took them for rides with us in the van, etc. Vanna wanted to show her friends her egg and I was insistent that she NOT take her egg to school (she thinks everyday is Show and Tell at school and that she has to take something to show her friends). Well today, she was very careful to remember her backpack which is highly unusual - she rarely remembers to bring it and <em>if </em>she remembers to bring it in the van, she often forgets it there and<em> still</em> doesn't actually make into pre-school with it. So my suspicions were aroused and I asked her if she had anything in her backpack, to which she responded, "No." Later, I found out from her teacher that she did in fact have her egg with her and when she pulled it out to Show and Tell her teacher started asking questions, "Is your egg boiled?" "Does your mom know you brought this to school?". Minutes later, the egg was dropped and ruined on the floor. I was surprised to learn that Vanna didn't cry when she found there was no baby chick in it - both her and Cash have been so hopeful they'll get baby chicks out of them. I had such a good laugh about it all with her teacher (and was secretly glad the egg had landed on the school floor than my own) and of course had a good talk to Vanna about honesty but I couldn't pass up writing this story down.<br />
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As always, I know that there's often things about Vanna that come to my mind from time to time that I think to myself "I've got to write that down" and then forget and regret not doing so each time I try to sit down and recall everything to record. I suppose what's most important to remember is simply what a joy Vanna is. She really does try to do what's right and tries to be a good girl. She's learning and developing just as she should and we're so happy with the beautiful young girl she is - both inside and out! </div>
<br />Erica Bazilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02705462770377029286noreply@blogger.com5