tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64950259558313595372024-02-18T22:52:55.140-08:00ryan alissa ella & annaAlissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.comBlogger518125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-47994187346114869952016-03-16T18:29:00.001-07:002016-03-16T18:29:22.521-07:00Tokyo DisneyRyan and I had a couple of days in Tokyo. Well, Ryan had to work for a couple of days in Tokyo, and I got to explore. I hadn't figured out what I was going to do when Angie (the other wife on the trip) texted me in the morning and told me she was headed to Tokyo Disney. Sounds fun, right? So off we went. It was October, and apparently Mickey's Halloween Party was going on. These people do Disney right. EVERYONE was in costume. And most were a part of a group costume. These were no make it yourself, throw it together kind of deals. Legit. We had more fun watching people and taking their pictures than we did going on rides. We went to Disney Sea, which is connected via monorail, as well. Disney Sea is more like California Adventure or Epcot, although it doesn't mirror nearly as well as Tokyo Disney mirrors Disneyland (almost identical). Disney Sea didn't have many Halloween festivities, and almost no one was dressed up. At both parks adults outnumbered kids. The princesses and characters were all caucasian. And besides the parade, there weren't many around. The characters we did see were odd--like Prince Charming, Jimminy Cricket, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. The one bummer to the day was that I forgot my Dramamine, and spent more time than I should have looking for some. In the end I bought some ginger and ginger candy. I was amazed at how well it worked--I hardly got sick at all. But later I realized that some of the medicine from my scopolamine patch was still in my system, and was more likely responsible good time.<br />
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We stayed until dark and then ate dinner at Ippudo at the equivalent of Downtown Disney. We left tired and happy.<br />
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-161558529433681302016-03-16T12:09:00.001-07:002016-03-16T12:09:52.936-07:00Kyoto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ryan has a conference each year in Japan, and I've gone with him a couple of times. I wasn't planning on going this year, but when one of the wives was going, I decided to join in on the fun. Ryan and I were able to make it more of a vacation than usual, with Ryan only working a few days.<br />
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We spent the first few days in Kyoto. It was lovely. I went back and forth and back and forth on where to stay. Our choices were the Westin which was older but very close to many of the things we wanted to see, and a brand new hotel the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=4239&language=en_US" target="_blank">Suiran</a>, a ryokan-style hotel built on a historic shrine. It was off the beaten path, and I worried that we would spend all of our time trekking back and forth to the hotel. But we decided to give it a go. It was so great. A small, very Japanese hotel, in a gorgeous setting. The beds were low to the ground, we had beautiful Kimonos, and a small private courtyard with an outdoor bath (kind of like a one person hot tub).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking into the dining room<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the hotel</td></tr>
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We spent our first day with the other couple that came on the trip, the Hammonds. We hired a guide to show us some of the Kyoto sites. One of the fun things was all the students in the town. They had assignments to practice their English, and were so excited to talk to us. They always wanted a picture, and ALWAYS made a peace sign.<br />
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At one of the sites we saw an ancient mantra, which reminded me of President Hinckley's 5 Be's. Be honest, be remorseful, be humble, show service, be grateful.<br />
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We learned lots of interesting things from our guide Hiroko. I don't remember any of them right now (as I'm blogging 6 months after the fact), but I know at the time I thought it was great!</div>
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After our tour the Hammonds headed to Tokyo and Ryan and I went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This was one of my favorite things. It is a 4k hike through 40,000 Tori gates--the bright red archways. At the bottom they are small and densely packed, and as you get higher and higher (233 meters high) they are huge and more spread out. At the bottom it is packed with people and we were trying hard to get a shot without people in it. Little did we know that the masses wouldn't make it to the top and there were loads of photo ops.</div>
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It was a good day and we worked up quite the appetite. We ate Tonkatsu in downtown Kyoto before making the trek back to our hotel. </div>
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The next day we took to the streets and saw the Golden Pavillion, two rock gardens/shrines, the bamboo forest and a few other shrines. The Golden Pavillion was amazing. We got there early and were able to enjoy it before the throngs of people arrived (only slightly--we were literally steps ahead of huge school groups). </div>
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How's this for zen?</div>
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Our hotel was near the bamboo forest, which was cool to walk through. But the best part were the groups of preschoolers making the trek. They were so excited to say "Hello!! Hello!! Hello!!" and wave. Darling.</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-48623821116629887332015-08-02T07:17:00.003-07:002015-08-02T07:17:57.753-07:00NormandyWe finished the trip with a tour of the WWII sites in Normandy. Because we were only there for a day, we had a guide show us around. We thought we were getting a private guide, but when he showed up at our hotel he told us that he had double booked himself, and we would be joining a group of 6 other people....hmmmm. But turns out that was fine, because talking one on one for 10 hours would have been a little much. This way we had 6 other people for Jacque to engage. Jacque was around 75 years old. He was a child during the invasion, and was hit with a piece of shrapnel and nearly died. But he didn't--in fact, he told us that he hopes to die during one of his tours. He's certain that the people wouldn't mind--they wouldn't have to pay him for the day! He was quite the character.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">It started out a fairly rainy day. But the mood felt about right for the somber German cemetery. </span></div>
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We next went to Sainte-Mère-Église, one of the towns involved in the D-Day invasion. One of the paratroopers parachute caught on the spire of the town church. He hung there for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">When the church in the town needed a new organ, many years after WWII, they reached out to the American Veterans. They received so many donations they added new stained glass windows and honored those who fought there.</span></div>
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A bullet hole in a fence across from the church</div>
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We went to a WWII museum. Jacques offered to take everyone's picture in front of the tanks...it was easier to oblige than to say no so there are an unprecedented number of pics of Ryan and I together. </div>
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We next went to Utah Beach. It was really beautiful. We ate lunch and then continued onto Pointe du Hoc. I was amazed at how much remained 70 years later. There were still German bunkers, depressions from the bombing and barbed wire. It was odd for the surroundings to be so beautiful and peaceful.</div>
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Inside a German bunker, looking out.</div>
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These are the cliffs that the Army rangers scaled. I was amazed that they could make it up, let alone under fire. </div>
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We went next to Omaha beach. This was the most meaningful part of the day for me. The sun had come out, and it was gorgeous. It was low tide, similar to conditions on the morning of June 6, 1944. Before the trip we had watched parts of Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, and in my head I had images of what happened on these beaches. It truly felt like sacred ground. </div>
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Our last stop was to the American Cemetery. There is an interesting museum and then the iconic rows of crosses. It overlooks the ocean and is very peaceful and it made me proud to be an American. The most surprising thing about Normandy was the gratitude the people still feel. 70 years later, they still revere Americans. American flags fly all over the place. Jaques told us that if he ever gets pulled over for speeding, he speaks English and tells the officer that he is an American and his grandfather fought in WWII--and it works! Never in all of Europe have I felt so welcome.</div>
Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-34683591820035004732015-06-04T20:06:00.001-07:002015-06-04T20:07:12.183-07:00Mont Saint MichelAfter leaving Groombridge we took the Chunnel over to Paris and a train to Bayeux, a small town in Normandy. We found our hotel and settled in for the night. The next morning we headed off to see Mont Saint Michel. Unfortunately, it was raining (it rained on and off for most of the trip) AND it was a French holiday weekend AND it was as Saturday, so conditions were less than ideal. But still, it was really amazing.<br />
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For nearly 1000 years, people have been making a pilgrimage here hoping to ensure their salvation. I was fascinated to see people brave the cold and mud and walk barefoot along the sand. The tides had been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/22/travel/gallery/mont-saint-michel-tide/">unusually high </a> a few months ago, so we were glad to be able to make it to the island without any issues.<br />
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We coincidentally timed our visit with Mass in the Abbey. I've never been to Mass so I made us stay. It was nice, although we couldn't stay for the entirety.<br />
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Ringing the church bell</div>
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Bayeux<br />
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We stumbled upon a wedding in Bayeux. Kids will be kids no matter where you are! </div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-20287575642941262792015-05-31T14:11:00.000-07:002015-05-31T14:11:14.088-07:00Groombridge PlaceThursday morning Ryan and I got up and headed to Groombridge Place. We almost didn't go because there really wasn't a good, timely way to get there and back, but we ended up just hiring a driver to take us. Groombridge about an hour out of London--it is amazing to me how quickly you go from London City to beautiful Jane Austin countryside--and is the home of Philip Packer, Ryan's great x8 grandfather. The house was used in the filming of Pride and Prejudice and has the feel of a classic English manor. The gardens and surrounding grounds have been turned into a park of sorts, with animals, a small boat ride, archery lessons, trails through the forrest with giant swings in the trees. They even have a Zedonk. I mean, come on. This place is legit. As we wandered through the forest Ryan decided that Groombridge would make the perfect place to have a cyclocross course. And I am certain that all of the grandkids would love it. Packers, I think we need to step up and start a "Buy Groombridge" fund!<br />
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-6216439701294618612015-05-30T19:59:00.001-07:002015-05-30T20:00:57.376-07:00London, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ryan had some meetings in London, so we decided to take advantage of all those frequent flier miles he's been racking up. Ryan flew out on Saturday, and I joined him on Wednesday. Ryan and I had been adjusting our schedules towards London time for a few days, and I was able to sleep for a good portion of the flight over, which was great for beating jet lag. On Wednesday I successfully navigated my way from the airport to the hotel. I was not so lucky on my afternoon run. But thanks to google maps (and a little help from Ryan) I made it home safe and sound.<br />
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Ryan showed me around London and we ate at an Indian restaurant in Knotting Hill and wandered around the city until I called it a night.<br />
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The next day I had great time exploring the city. I started the day at Westminster Abbey. I was the first one in line and able to enjoy it without the crowds.<br />
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From there I made my way to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen was in residence--probably awaiting the birth of Princess Charlotte who was born two days later.<br />
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I then took the tube to the Victoria and Albert museum. I intended to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, but the wait was too long so instead I checked out a cool fashion through the ages exhibit.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">As I wandered toward Kensington Palace, I stumbled upon the Natural History Museum </span>and the LDS Visitors' Center. I stopped in for a quick tour and met some very nice sister missionaries.</div>
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I was starting to get hungry, so I found some food at the Royal Albert Theater. And from there I went to Hyde Park. It was wonderful. So green and peaceful. I found my way to Kensington Palace. I'm not up on my royals, and when the usher told me that Kensington Palace was the current home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge I had to google it to know that Kate and William were close by.<br />
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After the tour of the palace and the gardens I rented a Barclays Bike and rode through Hyde Park. It really is amazing how much more ground you can cover on a bike! It really was fun, and was nice because there weren't too many cars.<br />
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My next adventure was a different story. I had signed up for a "Secret London Bike Tour." We started in this somewhat sketchy graffiti tunnel where Banksy frequented during his early days. Then we went all over, joining right int with London traffic. I was amazed at how easy it was to ride with the cars when you were following a guide. We even rode over the Tower Bridge. The scariest thing was that near the end of the 3-hour ride my cell phone died. Ryan and I were in the middle of texting each other to make plans for the evening. Thankfully my guide let me use his phone (and Ryan's phone number is one of the few that I have memorized!) and we hooked up.<br />
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Ryan and I had dinner at Nobu with some of his friends. Then we wandered around SoHo (I think--I was just following Ry) and got a waffle. If you've only got one real day in London, make it count!Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-81225521072170659192015-04-25T17:49:00.001-07:002015-04-25T17:49:34.132-07:00Family Pictures, 2014This year the stars aligned and I was able to get family pictures done <i>before</i> Christmas Eve and put together a decent Christmas card. Lisa Harbertson took our pictures in our friend's apple orchard, just down the street from us.<br />
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-5035853059183084202015-04-18T17:08:00.001-07:002015-04-22T13:26:58.165-07:00Anna turns 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anna's 4th birthday celebration turned into quite the event. Apparently Grandpa Paul wasn't cool with us bringing in the princesses for Ella and letting Anna choose what we have for dinner and calling it a party. So he took matters into his own hands. They offered to have the girls over for a sleepover on Friday and have a little party on Saturday at their house. Yes, please. But then in true Harman fashion the little party turned bigger. With a balloon artist. And a face painter. And a homemade princess cake. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">They ran into a little bump in the road when Brent's family went out of town that weekend. The guests went from enough to awkward pretty quickly. So we moved the party to our house, hastily invited some friends and boom! Party!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Check out the turtle balloon bracelet Sara is sporting! </span></div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-65933458401484464652015-04-15T17:38:00.002-07:002015-04-15T17:38:54.444-07:00Hawaii, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year Doug's conference was in Kauai (where we went the <a href="http://blog.ryanandalissa.com/2012/02/l-o-h.html">first time we joined in the Arrhythmias & the Heart fun</a>). We decided to capitalize on the free babysitting and discounted room rates and off we went. If you recall, <a href="http://blog.ryanandalissa.com/2014/04/hawaii-2014-part-2.html">last year's trip</a> was filled with a little too much excitement, so we were hoping for something pretty chill. No trips to the hospital this time! </div>
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This is the view from Doug and Janet's room. Not bad.</div>
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But we did have a 6-month-old, which made things more complicated. Sara was actually really good for 6 months...but she was still 6 months. Sleep was where things got a little messy. She needed to nap during the day, which meant we either had to schedule around it or suffer the consequences (ie, a screaming baby all the way up to Waimea Canyon). But nights were what killed me. At home she pretty much slept through the night. But at home I never hear her little awakenings that apparently are happening 3-5 times a night. In the one hotel room where there were 2 sleeping kids (not to mention the other guests) I didn't feel like I could let her fuss at all. So every time she made a peep I was up nursing her back to sleep. She was still on MST, so she woke up around 5:00 every single day. So I would throw on some clothes in the dark, put her in the stroller and go down to the lobby and hang out for a few hours. As I am typing this, I am realizing that it doesn't sound like much. But for some reason (perhaps because every time I nursed her back to sleep I worried about the habits I was creating) but it really stressed me out. By the third or fourth day I was seriously contemplating getting on a plane and coming home, leaving the rest of the clan to enjoy the trip. </div>
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Our view each morning</div>
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We went to the faculty dinner at the Beach House Restaurant. They had hired a photographer to take family photos, and we took advantage. You will notice Sara is not with us. Janet took one for the team (or maybe just one for herself...) and stayed home to watch her.</div>
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Dinner at the Beach House.</div>
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Lush.</div>
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Poolside naps. </div>
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The hotel has a man made lagoon by the pool. The sand is really hard and grainy. Every time we would venture the 100 feet to the real beach I was blown away at how soft it was.</div>
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We took a drive to Waimea Canyon. Ryan rode his bike and then we met up with him. It was raining and Sara was at her finest, and then Ella got carsick, despite taking Dramamine. Every few minutes she would cry out and say she thought she might throw up. So we'd find a spot to pull over, give her some fresh air, and she'd declare herself fine. Until she wasn't. But we made it. On our way home we went to McDonald's for dinner. We were all a little tired and grumpy. As we were waiting for our food, the man next to us asked if we were from Utah. We said yes and asked how he knew. He said he had lived in Utah before and guessed we might be because you don't see too many nice looking families like ours...ha!</div>
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The hotel had exotic birds who hung out in the lobby. On certain days they had "Bird Talk"time when the birds put on a little show. The girls <i>loved</i> it and we had to plan our day around it.</div>
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Doug, Ryan, Ella, Anna and I went on a whale watching tour. It was really fun. I had to double up on Dramamine and look straight to the horizon and keep munching continually to not get sick. But I didn't, and we saw lots of whales. It was hard to get a good picture, but trust me, they were there. </div>
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Another great Hawaii trip. Thanks Doug and Janet!</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-48332519401992962342015-04-08T13:55:00.001-07:002015-04-08T18:58:38.990-07:00Christmas, 2014Christmas was filled with family, good food, and lots of fun. Jamie came to town, which gave us an excuse to do things which we otherwise might not make the effort to do. We went to the scavenger hunt at the Grand America, a BYU basketball game, lights at Temple Square, ZCMI candy windows at Macey's and Thanksgiving Point. All of the Harman's spent the night at our house on Christmas Eve and we played the traditional round of Christmas Bingo. Some of the more notable prizes: Dutch Blitz, an inflatable Unicorn horn, cheetah slippers, a battery powered motion sensing light, Stanz socks, Delta SkyMiles, J Crew gift cards, a Garmin watch, Costco Gift Card (which I won and bought a Bosch mixer with!), and a few other good things that I can't remember now--Jame and Kim you'll have to remind me!<br>
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Christmas morning was full of crazy. We told Ella that she couldn't open another present until everyone had opened one. She took the job of present-passer-outer to heart and made sure there were no lulls in the unwrapping. It turned into a bit of a free for all, but was fun. Ella got an American Girl Doll (Isabel) and Anna got a Frozen blanket and a Glitter Glider Castle. Ryan got a Trunk from Trunk Club (for the win!) and I got a necklace from Tiffany (that I took back because I am too cheap--and then replaced it with a much less fancy necklace from Tiffany).<br>
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Doug and Janet came to Utah to spend Christmas with Grandma Packer, and then visited with us for a few days. It was great to see them.<br>
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<br>Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-29043151957846491372015-02-22T20:52:00.003-08:002015-02-22T20:52:39.839-08:00Rochester NativityFor the past three years my mother-in-law Janet has been in charge of a creche that their church puts on. It is a two day activity with hundreds of nativities on display, over a dozens of musical groups, food, and a transformation of a Stake Center. I've wanted to see it, and since this is the last year Janet is in charge I thought I'd try and make it happen. I had a companion fare ticket that was about to expire, so I brought Ella (and Sara) with me. It was a really quick trip. We left on Friday evening and came home Monday afternoon. But I loved seeing the nativities and the entire event. It did not disappoint.<br />
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By far, my favorite nativity was this small, hand-carved wooden one. The memory of childbirth was still fresh in my mind, and the image of Mary lying down cradling her baby with Joseph kneeling at her side rang true.<br />
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We also got to spend some time with Janet's sister Sandra. She was so sweet with Ella and so helpful with Sara. An added bonus for us! On our way out we stopped at the Mall of America and checked out the American Girl store. Ella was taken with Isabelle, the Girl of the Year. Because she has a pink streak in hair, of course. Keeping it classy.<br />
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It was a quick trip, but I was so glad to see Janet work her magic one last time before handing it off. Love you!</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-20602443664817077802015-02-22T20:51:00.001-08:002015-04-08T18:59:09.310-07:00Halloween, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Halloween fell on a Friday this year, which meant I was celebrating it at work. I had no good ideas, and then I was walking through Wal-Mart and saw a Doc McStuffins shirt. Yes! I found the pieces to the outfit in the junior's department. Apropos, I suppose! </div>
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Ella was excited to make her own costume. She found some kitten jammies, taped some black paper triangles to a headband for ears, and we hot-glued some fun fur to the hands, neck and made a tail. Anna was a teddy bear last year (thanks Grandpa Paul for the costume) and she informed us she was going to be a teddy bear this year. Sure thing. And Sara, well, we had a leopard print shirt and a tiger hat, so jungle animal it is. </div>
<br>Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-82402217156390525532015-02-09T09:38:00.001-08:002015-02-09T09:38:18.072-08:00Family pictures, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the past 2 years our Christmas card has been put together on a whim, with Jamie taking the picture over Christmas break--last year it was on Christmas Eve! So this year I got organized and scheduled with <a href="http://www.lisaharbertson.com/">Lisa</a> in the fall. We took them in our neighbor's apple orchard. Sara didn't cooperate with wide awake smiles, but we still got some great shots. I got my cards out before Christmas, which was a first!</div>
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<br />Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-90014946402097235402015-01-15T21:15:00.002-08:002015-01-15T21:15:58.762-08:00Carlsbad, CA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple years ago my dad threw out an idea about doing a family vacation with everyone. We all thought it sounded fun to be together, but weren't sure what we could do that would be good for everyone. Just like he does, my dad figured it out. Carlsbad, California. Golf and biking for the boys, swim and shopping for the girls and LEGOLAND for the kids. Add an amazing house right on the beach and we were sold. Finding a time that worked for everyone was a near miracle, but we did it. And it worked out perfectly because Jamie and Taylor had a fire in their New York apartment and were definitely looking for a break from the chaos of clean-up and apartment hunting.</div>
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I have to admit that I was a little nervous with all of us in the close quarters for a week that we all might cramp each other's style. But the house was so great and we all had plenty of room--we could have stayed for another week! </div>
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It had been 5 years since our last family photo. So we threw one together. When the tripod didn't work out my dad made friends with the construction worker in the house next door and asked him to shoot the shot. He did great, with a little help from Jamie's mad photoshop skills.</div>
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One of the best things we did was to buy a 5 day pass to Legoland. We found a deal so it was only $89--less than one day at Disneyland! The beach house was <i>literally</i> 5 minutes away, so it was easy to go for a few hours at a time. Ella went on the big roller coaster. It was a little scarier than I thought it would be, and as we were walking out I was happy when she told me she LOVED it. When I saw this picture I about died laughing. </div>
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So the next time we went she was determined to get a smile. It took a few times (once she had a smile, but eyes were closed). Grandpa was happy to shell out the $15 for this keepsake.</div>
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We had a great time at the beach. The house was right on the beach, but a few days the tide was too high so we went down the street.</div>
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While the girls beached, the boys golfed. Taylor and Ryan vs Chris and Paul. While Taylor and Ryan have historically killed it, it was not their day and Paul and Chris took home the trophy (which, ironically, Taylor saw in the pro shop and suggested they buy--before he lost, of course.)</div>
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The girls and I walked around the San Diego Temple grounds. Ella told Anna, "It's like church, only happier." Then later in the afternoon she told Anna that it was like Elsa's ice castle...</div>
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View from the house. Pictures never do it justice.</div>
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About halfway through the trip Taylor went to Wal-Mart. He came home with a plan. We were going to have a boat making contest with popsicle sticks. There was a little scoffing at first, but by the end we were all in. While it's a little unclear who actually won, Jamie and Kimmy's was the winner for most sea-worthy, even if it did look like a sandwich from a vending machine. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(I just had a baby...remember that when you look at those hips!)</td></tr>
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We had one great day of low tide, and we made the most of it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">corn field in the making</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">making a farm with grandpa--back to his roots</td></tr>
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As a Thank You to the owners of the beach house we made this movie (Ryan brought his helicopter).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/109517913" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<a href="http://vimeo.com/109517913">Thank You</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user24254217">Ryan Packer</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-39186716448894235322015-01-14T13:02:00.003-08:002015-01-14T13:02:28.735-08:00San Anna-tonio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My parents really are the best. Every year my dad has meetings in San Antonio in September. They stay at a hotel with a really really great pool and lazy river. They've taken Ella twice, I've gone once,and this year they took Anna. She had been acting out a bit after Sara was born, and this was just what the middle child (between a diabetic and a newborn) needed. She had so much fun. So much. And as soon as she came home, her attitude totally changed and she went back to being the sweet little thing that we love.</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-8003434459223620642015-01-04T20:20:00.003-08:002015-01-04T20:20:37.278-08:00Sara's newborn picturesI hadn't ever done real newborn photos for my girls, but the ones the hospital took weren't my favorite. So when Sara was 2 weeks I called my friend and favorite photographer Lisa Harbertson to see if she could get us in. Since I already paid for pictures at the hospital, I just did a one hour mini-shoot with Lisa. But Sara did not want to fall asleep. I was fine just going with what we had, but not Lisa! She was determined to get some good shots. She was amazingly patient and her skills as a former NICU nurse shone through. I was so happy that we held out because the sleeping shots are my favorite. <div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-71930909443999242472014-11-03T08:31:00.002-08:002014-11-03T08:31:43.232-08:00Happy Birthday, Ella Jane!With Ella's birthday 2 weeks after Sara's, I knew that I wouldn't be up for a mom-intensive party. Ella wanted a Frozen party (surprise, surprise) so we called in the big guns. Elsa and Anna. These princesses saved the day. They sang songs, read stories, made snow (real snow, mom. It almost melts.), gave out stickers and did glitter tattoos. They were the best. We also played "<a href="http://zakadoo.com/games/donteatpete.html">Don't eat Olaf</a>" which the kids loved. The game didn't make a ton of sense to me, but the kids <i>loved</i> it. It's all about knowing your audience, I suppose.<br />
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I had great plans to take each girl's picture with Elsa and Anna, print it out, and take it home in a foam picture frame that they had decorated. But of course, our printer decided to wig out and not print properly, so all the photos looked like they had a crazy 70s filter on them. </div>
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It was short and sweet and a fun party. Anna is already planning her Frozen birthday party!</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-74038853827809042702014-09-23T21:37:00.000-07:002014-09-23T21:37:05.301-07:00Sara Elizabeth PackerThe birth story. For the books.<br />
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I had my 39 week OB visit on Wednesday August 13th. After 2 weeks of being dilated to a 1 didn't expect much, so I was pleasantly surprised to have progressed to a 3. Dr. Gravelle stripped my membranes and said she expected I would deliver within the week. </div>
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After a day of getting things done (oil changed, pedicure, buying food for Ella's school lunches in case I wasn't home for the first day of school) I started to have contractions in the evening. They were fairly regular, every 10 minutes of so, and after some hemming and hawing I decided this might be the real deal (or maybe it's not! I don't know!) and around 10 pm I called my mom. She came down and we all settled in for the night. The contractions were still consistent but they weren't getting stronger. But it was enough that I couldn't sleep. Around midnight they started getting a little stronger and more painful. I downloaded an app to track them and they were fairly consistent. Around 3 am I decided it was go time and started to get ready to go to the hospital. I packed my bag, combed my hair, brushed my teeth and was ready. But before waking up Ryan and my mom I decided to lay down and time them again to make sure they were still close together. And just like that, nothing. They completely stopped. So I went to bed and slept for a few hours until the girls woke me up at 7. After a bit I realized that I wasn't feeling the baby move. I couldn't decide if this was the norm and for the morning time or if it was something to worry about. I called my friend Amber (who is an OB) to get her opinion. At this point I was starting to feel a little crazy because I wasn't sure if I should go it, if I wanted to go in, if I was being dramatic, if I was being negligent... I was so glad when Amber gently chastised me for not going in the night before and told me to go to the hospital. Yes. Direction. So Ryan and I packed our bags, left the girls with Grandma Sue and headed to the hospital.<br />
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Screen shots of the app I used to monitor my contractions.</div>
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As we pulled into the parking lot of IMC 40 minutes later the baby started kicking and moving all over the place. Of course she did. But since we were already there, and since Amber told me to (again, thank you Amber!!) we checked in. They did a non-stress test, and baby's heart rate was a-okay. Then they did an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level. It was a 4 (normal is 8-18) so she checked again. This time she got a 5, so she went to see what Dr. Gravelle wanted to do. At this point I was really hoping to be admitted and induced. My mom was already with the kids, Ella started school in 5 days, this would be an easy birthday to remember (8-14-14)...and above all I would stop having to figure out if I was in labor or not! When the nurse came back and told me that it was a go I was thrilled.<br />
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There were 21 deliveries at IMC that day (which is a lot for them) so things were a little slow to get started. But once they gave me a whiff of pitocin, my body responded and the contractions started coming. After about an hour or so, around 1:00 pm I asked for the epidural. They were busy, so it took a little while for them to come. After he was done the Anesthesiologist told me that he was about to go into a c-section, so if the epidural wasn't working I needed to tell him within the next 10 minutes. It worked beautifully except for a 3 inch circle on my left lower abdomen. I couldn't feel a thing anywhere else, but in that circle I could feel the full force of the contraction. The nurse had me lay on my left side to try and coax the medication down, and I think given more time it may have worked. But because of the pending c-section I had them call the Anesthesiologist back. He re-dosed me, and very quickly the circle of pain dissipated. But the increased medication made it so that (once again!) the epidural was too strong and I couldn't feel a thing or move my legs. It is such a weird feeling to see your bent knees flop down if they aren't supported and not be able to do a thing about it.<br />
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Things kept progressing quickly. Around 2 the nurse checked me, and I was dilated to a 6. She checked again at the end of her assessment (about 20 minutes later), and by that time I was a 9! The contractions continued, although I was blissfully unaware of them because of the epidural. Dr. Gravelle came in around 3:30 (maybe--I'm really not sure) and it was go time. It was frustrating to push but not be able to feel <i>anything</i>, but everything seemed to be going well. But when the head was coming out things started to get a little concerning. I wasn't totally sure what was going on, but fairly quickly the room filled up with people and when I saw the NICU team was there I knew that there was an issue. Dr. Gravelle told me that the baby's heart rate had dropped to the 50s, and "we can either do a c-section or get aggressive with forceps." I told her to do whatever she needed to, but I was fine with forceps. She worked quickly and after a few pushes (and a lot of tearing) we had a baby (3:51 pm was the official time). She did great and I was so relieved to hear her cry. Although I was never really that worried. Dr. Gravelle did a great job. When they weighed her we were shocked to find out how big she was--8 lbs 4 ounces and 20.5 inches.<br />
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The baby was a little worse for wear, and her eyes were puffy and swollen and she had some forceps marks on her. She wasn't our cutest baby--but with a little time the swelling went down and she looked much better.<br />
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She was a fairly good baby. She nursed well, and slept relatively well. I had good nurses and overall the hospital experience was great.<br />
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With Ella and Anna we had their names mostly picked out before they were born. But we really had no clue what this little one was to be called. I made a list of possibilities the day before, and none of them really jumped out. I loved the name Jane, but we used it for Ella's middle name. I still thought it might be okay, but Ryan thought it would be weird. Ryan and I spent an afternoon going through various websites trying to narrow it down with little success. At the end he said that maybe Jane would work. I jumped on it and started calling her Jane Elizabeth. But I wasn't 100% certain, so we didn't fill out the birth certificate. Once we got home I realized that it wasn't going to work. Ryan would call for "Ella Jane" and I would address the baby as Jane and it was just weird. So we (I--Ryan really left it up to me) tried out Elizabeth. But it just was such a mouthful for me. And I didn't love any of the nicknames. Not knowing her name was really stressing me out. I would lie awake at night pondering it. I kept coming back to the name Sara, even though it wasn't one of my initial favorites. But it started to grow on me, and pretty soon I was calling her Sara Elizabeth. The girls weren't so sure, and they called her Abby for a few days. But I felt really good about it, and a little over a week after she was born I made it Instagram official.<br />
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-29542528563319215092014-06-26T21:47:00.000-07:002014-06-26T21:47:22.535-07:00Lobster and LightbulbsLess than 2 years after moving in, all six of the lightbulbs in our living room have burned out. Not that big of a deal, except that our ceilings are crazy tall and changing them is no easy task. Brett offered to come over with his 16 foot ladder and help us out. Ryan was in Boston yesterday and brought home a couple of live lobster, so we decided to make a night of it. Lobster and lightbulbs. None of us were lobster experts, so Ryan printed off instruction sheets for each of us on how to crack it open. We all decided that next time maybe we should just go to Boston and have someone extract the meat for us. <div>
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Thanks, Jess and Brett for the fun times and for bringing light back into our living room!</div>
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Testing out the waters. We used a light bulb changing pole as well.</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-43653866331150353222014-06-22T16:49:00.001-07:002014-06-22T16:50:14.196-07:00Disneyland, 2014After spending half of our Hawaii trip in the hospital or stressed out, we thought it would be fun to do a make-up trip with the kids. Where else to go but the happiest place on earth? We tried to find the week that would be the least crowded (after Spring Breaks, but before school let out) and off we went.<br />
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We had a great time. Although it started of with a little glitch. We had decided that it would be worth the money to get a room with a kitchen in it so that we could have more control over Ella's food. We ordered groceries online, had them delivered to the hotel, and were ready to go. Until we got to our room and realized it was a two bedroom suite, but the suite part only had a sitting room, no kitchen. When we talked to the manager we found that there had been some miscommunication and not only had we not booked a kitchen, but there were none to be had. After some discussion, Disney really showed their commitment to making things right (or to not getting sued by the parents of a Diabetic child...still not sure of their motives) by giving us our room at a discounted rate <i>and</i> covering all of our food during the trip! As much as I wanted to avoid the breakfast buffet, you can't argue with free, and the girls LOVED being able to eat with the characters. So score 1 for Disney. </div>
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Ella's favorite ride was still Splash Mountain. Anna liked the tea cups. Being pregnant made it easy to decide who was going to go with Ella and who would stay with Anna on any of the exciting rides. Ryan and Janet were the thrill seekers and Anna and I scoped out the characters. We were disappointed in how busy it was. I think that even though it was an "off" week, the fact that some big rides (Pirates, Small World, Indiana Jones, Grizzly Rapids) were closed made the other attractions more crowded. But we did have amazing weather. We had debated going the second to last week in May, but settled on the last week. Good choice. The week before we came the temps hit high 90s every day. We had high 60s to low 80s. Thank you California. </div>
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Disney really is a racket, but you can't help but being enthralled when you are there with a 3 and a 5-year old. Even not really being Disney people, we were <i>this close </i>to buying a season pass. Thanks Janet for joining in on the fun, and thanks Disney for bringing the magic. </div>
Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-8975042346542805172014-06-15T15:21:00.001-07:002014-06-15T15:21:19.364-07:00Anna bugWith all of the hullaballoo of Ella's diagnosis, Anna has been ever so slightly neglected. Starting with her birthday 'party.' I made a cake, but we were still new to counting carbs and it was quite the process to weigh out each ingredient for the cake, calculate how many carbs were in the entire thing, weigh Ella's piece and then calculate out how many carbs she was getting. I <i>think</i> we sang to her...honestly can't remember. Good thing Anna was just excited about the tiara on the cake and didn't notice much.<br />
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Another milestone in this little one's life came with her first visit to the dentist. He took one look at her teeth and asked if she was a binky lover. Yes she is. She only gets it when she is in her bed, which made bedtime and naptime a breeze. She happily would lie in her bed with her binkie. But the dentist said it was pushing her teeth and no more binkies for her. Amazingly, that was that. She listened to him and took it at face value. No more binky. She never asked for it, fussed about it or complained. But now there was no incentive to go to bed, and naptime/bedtime turned into a whole different ballgame. What was once an easy 1 minute routine turned into an hour (at least) ordeal. And the decreased sleep, combined with having a sister who had quite a bit of attention focused on her, combined with being 3, made our Anna bug not quite as sweet as she once was. Thankfully she has turned a corner recently and the meltdowns are fewer and further between. But we had a rough few months. </div>
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One of the things she does lately that cracks me up is add the word "silly" to the end of her sentences that are directed at you. Like, "Mom, give me some more milk, silly!" Or "Mom. I need a ______, silly!" She does it so naturally that even though it is a bit rude, it is so funny it almost always makes me laugh.</div>
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Anna loves her big sister, and wants to do everything like her. I'll ask her what she wants for breakfast, or how where she wants to sit, or if she wants cheese on her sandwich, and typically the answer is "What did Ella choose?" </div>
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I love this video of Anna figuring out "this little piggy..." The first few times she tried she did it perfectly, and as soon as I tried to video her she forgot it all. </div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-33777813002036298352014-05-22T21:36:00.001-07:002014-05-22T21:37:18.637-07:00Hawaii, 2014 (part 3)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfclaFiMygJmvxs99j5gC2TVuZdo5UATTDKnrYgc4Q83N8G-yR7aFgigoAFc8ojQmELQ18J867XPYWkol8sqjo9dzhpmV0UZFnT-EwJsBrGvuRPLdG5xbnGptZthCdcxV_TZLhsfPonXg/s1600/IMG_0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfclaFiMygJmvxs99j5gC2TVuZdo5UATTDKnrYgc4Q83N8G-yR7aFgigoAFc8ojQmELQ18J867XPYWkol8sqjo9dzhpmV0UZFnT-EwJsBrGvuRPLdG5xbnGptZthCdcxV_TZLhsfPonXg/s1600/IMG_0439.jpg" height="320" width="291" /></a></div>
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We got back from the hospital late Wednesday afternoon. We were all still a little shell-shocked, but Ella wanted to go to the beach, so to the beach we went. As she ran around laughing and splashing, I was amazed that already I could see a difference in her. The sparkle in her eyes was back. I hadn't noticed it was gone, but as we thought back we realized she had been difficult lately. Ryan had described her as a moody teenager, and one day she said to me, "Mom, Sometimes I try to have day where I don't whine, cry or fuss AT ALL. And then I cry and think, 'Maybe tomorrow's the day." Broke my heart when I realized that many of the times she was whiney or fussy she was just high or low. And the first night when she conked out after eating a cheeseburger, mac and cheese and fries...? It wasn't jet lag, it was a meal filled with carbs! Seeing her so, so happy made the whole diabetes pill a little easier to swallow. I felt badly for the my mom and dad who were 3,000 miles away, and didn't have Ella's newfound smile to comfort them.<br />
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While being in Hawaii when Ella was diagnosed had its perks (a shorter hospital stay, lots of distractions for her, grandparents right there) eating all of our meals at restaurants without nutritional information was challenging to say the least. Trying to guess how many carbs she was eating was really tough. Especially at the breakfast buffet. The first day we let her have whatever she wanted (if we're being honest she pretty much got whatever she wanted from the moment of her diagnosis until we went home) and her plate had something like 2 strawberries, 3 blueberries, 2 pieces of pineapple,1 small pancake, a mini yogurt, 1 piece of bacon, half a box of cereal, 1 pastry and a glass of juice. Ryan and I broke out our iPhones with various carb counting apps and tried to piece it all together. The next day I did insist that she could only choose 3 items.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt91XyaCWUBwmg_-C-qwTqX773WNajjAdIUOnggBXvl6xclzzuwa3lkDqFOqycEcp-cblS7VUgfhm1nSnI6HDhyphenhyphentygdNK-4SRFKDdCqBLBSfrj_N23o8yjYkzSQ4Om9Ru5StENRnyv9RQ/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt91XyaCWUBwmg_-C-qwTqX773WNajjAdIUOnggBXvl6xclzzuwa3lkDqFOqycEcp-cblS7VUgfhm1nSnI6HDhyphenhyphentygdNK-4SRFKDdCqBLBSfrj_N23o8yjYkzSQ4Om9Ru5StENRnyv9RQ/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how we looked during most meals</td></tr>
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Ryan, Doug and I had planned on going on a helicopter tour on Thursday, but I didn't feel like I could leave Ella so Ryan and Doug went and Ella and I had a girls' day. We went to the spa and got pedicures. Ella picked out 10 different colors for her toes. Pretty cute. We had a good day hanging out at the beach and pool. Ella played, made new friends and hardly put up a fuss when she needed any diabetic cares. In fact, she started checking her own sugar and getting the insulin ready. We were all amazed at how well she handled it. She really was a rock-star.<br />
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By Thursday night we weren't quite as overwhelmed as we had been, and we were starting to enjoy Hawaii. We seriously considered extending our vacation. Ryan talked to Delta, and they couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. But we had a hard time finding a great place to stay, and we were still not sure if it was a good idea for me to manage her diabetes without input from an endocrinologist. It was a close call, but in the end we decided to leave Friday as planned.<br />
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Ella brought a camera on this trip, and took most of our pictures. Here are a few...<br />
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Ryan brought his new helicopter, and it was a welcome distraction. He and the girls had fun flying it all over. Inevitably, multiple people would come up and want to know what it was all about. </div>
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Many of Doug's colleague's at the conference brought Ella gifts. The Hawaiian paper dolls were a favorite.</div>
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On Friday we spent some time at the beach, and then packed up. We had some time between dropping Doug and Janet off at the airport and when our flight left, so we ate dinner and visited the Kona temple. One of the temple workers came out to greet us. He looked like a native Hawaiian, so we were surprised to find out that he was from Pleasant Grove, Utah (about 10 miles from us) and was returning home the next week. Small world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcsJl7DrhyphenhyphenDyQaZxwDufeV-W7E7Jz6tggmU25P7gfrhVjeIIbifVSGfA6nNqoO95hBGA34nY6Vb7Iy1ZtZgSJWTU4qb3mp0vtoEKHR-KNaiYy7vLE1hHD6jWhjjl-4ktgZpPyK683di8/s1600/IMG_0462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcsJl7DrhyphenhyphenDyQaZxwDufeV-W7E7Jz6tggmU25P7gfrhVjeIIbifVSGfA6nNqoO95hBGA34nY6Vb7Iy1ZtZgSJWTU4qb3mp0vtoEKHR-KNaiYy7vLE1hHD6jWhjjl-4ktgZpPyK683di8/s1600/IMG_0462.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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The flight home went relatively well. We took the red-eye, and Ella slept through all of her glucose checks and insulin injections. I was fairly nervous about it all, but we made it without a hitch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">supplies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">girls trying to sleep at LAX</td></tr>
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Grandma Sue and Grandpa Paul were dying to see Ella with their own eyes and make sure she was okay. They were at our house waiting for us with groceries when we got home. I had told my mom that she was going to be shocked at how happy and spunky Ella was. I didn't take into account the toll that traveling all night would have on her, and she acted like a tired, somewhat cranky 5-year-old, leaving my mom a little doubtful that Ella was doing as well as I had said. But by Sunday she was doing great, and my mom came back down so she could see it and believe it.<br />
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All in all I felt incredibly blessed and taken care of during this week. On Wednesday night, after being back in our hotel room, I jotted down a few of the things I was grateful for so I wouldn't forget them. Here's the list I made: <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Tender mercies</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am not having a baby right now* </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It was raining, so we had down time to get the labs drawn. Also, since we weren't doing anything I took a nap, which was helpful when I didn't sleep much in the hospital</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dr. Garvey was able to direct us to the lab, and change the order to stat </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dr. Lee trained at PCMC and we knew the same people, giving me instant credibility</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Not flying to Honolulu</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Nurses named Penny and Sue</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Pokey the flamingo who was able to help Ella cope</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The kind night nurses</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">When Ella's sugar dropped from high 200s to 196 so we didn't have to poke her at 3 am. I prayed specifically that it would be below 200, even though the trend would suggest she had one more above 200.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Going home today</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Finding string cheese sticks that she could eat without a poke</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The sun coming out so we could go to the beach.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Doug and Janet being here and loving her.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Ella coping so incredibly well with the shots.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My peace and comfort.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">*</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">we had been trying to get pregnant for about a year, and if things had happened as I had hoped I would have been very very pregnant or taking care of a newborn during this time</i><br />
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It's funny how kids have a different perspective. Now when we talk about our trip, most of what the girls talk about are scenes like this one...playing on the beach, picking shells, swimming at the pool. Mahalo, Hawaii, for being amazing enough to overshadow our little rough patch! We'll be back :)</div>
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<br />Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-54110515458143464332014-04-17T20:48:00.000-07:002014-04-17T20:50:29.837-07:00Hawaii, 2014 (part 2) Our second day was kind of rainy, so we skipped out on our plans to go on a 4-wheeling adventure. Ryan and I were sharing a room with the girls, and in those close quarters I had noticed that Ella was always asking for water and woke up a few times during the night to go to the bathroom. We had recently had her well-child visit, and she had only gained a few ounces in a year. I thought the worried Pediatrician was probably getting the better of me, but the idea of her having diabetes crossed my mind more than once. I knew I was going to continue to worry about it for the rest of the trip, and we weren't doing anything that day anyway, so I called the hotel doctor (who knew such a thing existed!) and arranged for a lab to check her urine for glucose. Throughout the 14 years I've been in medicine, there have been <i>many </i>times when I've worried that I (or a loved one) have some crazy disease, and it always turns out fine. So I wasn't that worried. But I did have a dream the night before that we had Ella tested and it came back positive. So I was a little on edge. But not enough to keep me from taking a long nap in the hotel after we came back from the lab.<br />
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Around 3 pm, the hotel doctor called me back to let me know that Ella's urine had 1000+ glucose in it. I immediately knew what this meant--she had Type 1 diabetes. I was alone in our room when I found out, and went across the hall to Doug and Janet's room to let everyone know. I started to break down a little as I envisioned Ella's (and our) future. One filled with carb counting, glucose checks, insulin and careful monitoring of food intake. Ryan helped bring me back to the present--one in which my little girl did not need a weepy mother. Ryan gave Ella a sweet blessing, but I was still a little overwhelmed to really hear what he said. Janet remembers him saying that Ella would grow up to be healthy and happy. I packed a bag, and Doug and Ryan and I left for the hospital. Janet stayed with Anna, which was a gift--trying to keep her entertained would have made things much harder.<br />
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On the way to the hospital I called my dad and let him know what was happening. He was at Temple Square at the time (he is in the mission presidency of the Temple Square mission) and before we even left the hotel I got these texts: "Her name is on the prayer roll at all SLC and Bountiful temples. I love you all" (from my mom) and "She has 200 sister missionaries praying for her in 45 languages" (from my dad). I truly felt those prayers. From that time forward, I was amazingly fine. I felt peace and comfort. I was able to focus on Ella in the moment, and not worry about what this diagnosis meant for the future.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First IV</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So glad we brought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Nothing like some Oompa Loompa's to keep your mind off of things </td></tr>
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We drove the 45 minutes to the Waiemea hospital and went through the ER. Her sugar was 415 (even though she hadn't eaten anything for hours), which confirmed the diagnosis. The ER was great and awful. The nurses (Sue and Penny--how about that!) were wonderful, but it was there that Ella realized we had to spend the night in the hospital. Up until then she thought she was getting checked out and going back to the hotel. She lost it. Crying, wailing, <i>so so </i>sad. Then she found out she had to get an IV, an insulin shot and her glucose checked. Not fun times. Our saving grace was a stuffed pink flamingo they gave her. I dubbed him "Pokey" and we decided that whatever they did to Ella she got to do to Pokey first. It worked like a charm, and from then on she did much much better.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWqprMvttvSvgVPttUwBMdUZdaDlzI7dFDGBWcmznt-ujsL_jphr6O210IdhgM4SHu10uWzMLeWvjQQNQfwRg6T7_4j5MOx5H0oJR7Qpmm5ii391hvVR_uPhz3xTl7TxBp6gKt5ucy1Y/s1600/IMG_0400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWqprMvttvSvgVPttUwBMdUZdaDlzI7dFDGBWcmznt-ujsL_jphr6O210IdhgM4SHu10uWzMLeWvjQQNQfwRg6T7_4j5MOx5H0oJR7Qpmm5ii391hvVR_uPhz3xTl7TxBp6gKt5ucy1Y/s1600/IMG_0400.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pokey</td></tr>
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We waited on labs for a while to decide whether or not we could stay on the Big Island or had to fly to Honolulu. Thankfully we caught it early enough and Ella was not in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ketoacidosis">DKA</a> so they let us stay. I think it helped that the Pediatrician in Waiemea did her residency at Primary Children's, and we knew all of the same people. She knew I was well-trained, and trusted (rightly or wrongly!!) that I would be able to take care of Ella without getting the full 3 days of parent training. The hospital at Waiemea had a rule that minors needed to be in a room with a window and all such rooms were full. The next best alternative was a room in the ICU. Our bed was awful (self inflating and deflating all night long) but at least the nurses were attentive!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and Grandpa brought gifts--crayons, coloring books, etc.</td></tr>
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The next day we met with the dietician and waited for our doctor to come and send us home. I called the people at Primary Children's and they gave me a mini-refresher course in diabetes care and set us up with education when we got back home. Ryan had gone back to the hotel the night before, and away from Ella the reality of it hit him hard. I don't think he slept a wink. He was dying to come back to the hospital, but had to wait for Anna to wake up and get ready, and of course she slept in. But by noon we had seen our doctor, gotten our prescriptions are were ready to high-tail it out of there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqMnXlX73dY3fBys28q9e6hyphenhyphenoJlCLuQZrT0OFOoN6V_SYPAP9SoibLgdD6CE_LFklTPR6u9KFLENDADTyB8qP80qM8z1XNfhEXgnUK4gbrK5w-JPR_ZY0EMmTOnD397OMeIAjEB-IZDY/s1600/IMG_0062_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqMnXlX73dY3fBys28q9e6hyphenhyphenoJlCLuQZrT0OFOoN6V_SYPAP9SoibLgdD6CE_LFklTPR6u9KFLENDADTyB8qP80qM8z1XNfhEXgnUK4gbrK5w-JPR_ZY0EMmTOnD397OMeIAjEB-IZDY/s1600/IMG_0062_2.jpg" height="400" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "notes"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of Ella's favorite pictures :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hospital grounds. It rained the entire time we were there, and cleared up as we were leaving. </td></tr>
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<br />Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-11217899000911046172014-04-13T20:54:00.000-07:002014-04-17T20:50:29.831-07:00Hawaii, 2014 (part 1)<i>*disclaimer--all photos were either taken by Ella or from my phone. No high quality pics here.</i><br />
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Ryan's dad is in charge of a medical conference in Hawaii every year, and last year we decided to take a trip with the kids that coincided with theirs. It was so much fun that we decided to do it again this year. The conference was on the Big Island, which was totally different from the other islands. It felt like Idaho, with a beautiful beach. Kind of eerie but really beautiful and cool. We arrived Sunday evening and settled in. Monday we played on the beach, flew Ryan's helicopter and swam at the pool. We ate dinner at Tommy Bahamas and Ella was OUT midway through dinner. We blamed jet-lag, and looked forward to the rest of our adventure.<br />
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495025955831359537.post-66442180373067769952014-04-13T20:16:00.001-07:002014-04-13T20:16:19.570-07:00Family PhotoAbout mid-December I decided I wanted to do a Christmas card. I knew it had no chance of getting out on time, but better late than never, right? Jamie was in town, and we took advantage. We picked what we could find from our closets, went to a neighbor's barn, and made it happen. The only problem was that it was snowing and my camera kept focusing on the snowflakes, not on us! Out of all the pictures, none were in focus.<br />
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But Jamie worked her Photoshop magic (and really, it was impressive) and made one of them passable. And the snow made it feel more like Christmas, right? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmO61vG-ZE3hgfWQwQmmBTvdevi1n00egojmGbKdX9ZVTgoPPHi_QJN1V5iEFBgBUzxfKONu709I-gftUxs7lXJlUzedicsn70WltqkRQWNAgFif3dGI09uaNS4OnyYoskHFBie5XaXMY/s1600/final_sunny_barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmO61vG-ZE3hgfWQwQmmBTvdevi1n00egojmGbKdX9ZVTgoPPHi_QJN1V5iEFBgBUzxfKONu709I-gftUxs7lXJlUzedicsn70WltqkRQWNAgFif3dGI09uaNS4OnyYoskHFBie5XaXMY/s1600/final_sunny_barn.jpg" height="640" width="464" /></a></div>
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On Christmas Eve we went to a short devotional at our neighbor's barn (a different neighbor--there are lots of barns here in Alpine). I was convinced we could get a better shot, so I made everyone wear the same clothes and try again. The problem this time was that we were about 20 minutes too early for the good light, with somewhat impatient kids and a party waiting at home. But still, a nice shot. I had the hardest time deciding which one to use. In the end, we found a card that worked better with the snowy one, so we went with it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XOKlK730_6brs-yc1qrm0hyphenhyphenRm8ol_1WlGyfL_4Z_SahGfgiuX3lihkSnvRE4xM3e54FeD6V_mFQQN2DOjz0PCo5ObrMdsNf1KfHS4EaZf3UanKZxLoOt0Nt_1b5VjnRylhs8CiQcFcE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-13+at+9.14.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XOKlK730_6brs-yc1qrm0hyphenhyphenRm8ol_1WlGyfL_4Z_SahGfgiuX3lihkSnvRE4xM3e54FeD6V_mFQQN2DOjz0PCo5ObrMdsNf1KfHS4EaZf3UanKZxLoOt0Nt_1b5VjnRylhs8CiQcFcE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-13+at+9.14.38+PM.png" height="640" width="460" /></a></div>
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Thanks, Jamie, for making it all happen!</div>
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Alissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08441815992931379802noreply@blogger.com1