tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55809322485797399632024-03-13T01:38:55.727-04:00The MabrysEmmaus AcademyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger666125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-52753905406831143702018-08-30T11:17:00.002-04:002018-08-30T11:17:25.269-04:00Interesting!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Homeschooled: How American Homeschoolers Measure Up" border="0" src="https://www.topmastersineducation.com/homeschooled/homeschool.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div>
<h2>
HOMESCHOOLED: HOW AMERICAN HOMESCHOOLERS MEASURE UP</h2>
Once upon a time, all children were homeschooled. But around 150 years ago states started making public school mandatory and homeschooling eventually became illegal. It wasn't until the 90's that all states made it legal again. Today, with more than 2 million homeschoolers making up 4% of the school-aged population, it's the fastest growing form of education in the country.<br />
<h3>
HOMESCHOOL HISTORY</h3>
<ul>
<li>1840: 55% of children attended primary school while the rest were educated in the home or by tutors.</li>
<li>1852: The "Common School" model became popular and Massachusetts became the first state to pass compulsory attendance law. Once compulsory attendance laws became effective, America eventually relied entirely on public and private schools for educating children. Homeschooling then became something only practiced by extremely rural families, and within Amish communities.</li>
<li>1870: All states had free primary schools.</li>
<li>1900: 34 states had compulsory attendance laws.</li>
<li>1910: 72% of children attended primary school.</li>
<li>1960: Educational reformers started questioning public schooling's methods and results.</li>
<li>1977: "Growing Without Schooling" magazine was published, marking a shift from trying to reform public education to abandoning it.</li>
<li>1980: Homeschooling was illegal in 30 states.</li>
<li>1983: Changes in tax law forced many Christian Schools to close which led to soaring homeschooling rates.</li>
<li>1993: Homeschooling become legal in all 50 states and saw annual growth rates of 15-20%.</li>
</ul>
<b>Today:</b><br />
32 states and Washington D.C. offer Virtual Public Schools - free education over the internet to homeschooling families: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia (DC), Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.<br />
4 States offer tax credits for homeschooling families: Iowa, Arizona, Minnesota, Illinois.<br />
10 States don't require notification of homeschooling: Alaska, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut.<br />
14 States require notification of homeschooling: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Delaware.<br />
20 States and D.C. require notification of homeschooling, test scores and/or professional evaluation of students: Washington, Oregon, Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, New Hampshire, Maine, D.C., Hawaii.<br />
6 States require notification of homeschooling, test scores and/or professional evaluation of students; plus other requirements like curriculum approval, parent qualification, home visits by state officials: North Dakota, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rode Island.<br />
No Federal help is available to homeschooling families yet. The IRS says that homeschooling costs "are nondeductible personal, living, or family expenses."<br />
<h3>
HOMESCHOOL GROWTH</h3>
Home schooling is the fastest growing form of education in the country.<br />
<ul>
<li>1999: 850,000 homeschoolers (1.7% of the school-aged population)</li>
<li>2003: 1.1 million homeschoolers (2.2% of the school-aged population)</li>
<li>2007: 1.5 million homeschoolers (2.9% of the school-aged population)</li>
<li>2010: 2.04 million homeschoolers (4% of the school-aged population)</li>
<li>From 2007- 2009 home-schoolers increased ate a rate of 7%/year</li>
<li>From 2007- 2009 public-schoolers increased at a rate of 1%/year</li>
</ul>
<h3>
HOMESCHOOL PARENTS</h3>
Education Level of Homeschooling Parents (Fathers/Mothers)<br />
<ul>
<li>No High School Degree: 1.4% / 0.5%</li>
<li>High School Degree: 8.4% / 7.5%</li>
<li>Some College: 15.4% / 18.7%</li>
<li>Associate's Degree: 8.6% / 10.8%</li>
<li>Bachelor's Degree: 37.6% / 48.4%</li>
<li>Master's Degree: 20% / 11.6%</li>
<li>Doctorate Degree: 8.7% / 2.5%</li>
</ul>
Number of children in homeschooled families:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 child: 6.6%</li>
<li>2 children: 25.3%</li>
<li>3 children: 26%</li>
<li>4-6 children: 35.9%</li>
<li>7+ children: 6.3%</li>
</ul>
Most important reasons parents say they homeschool their kids (students, ages 5-17, 2007):<br />
<ul>
<li>36 %: To provide religious or moral instruction</li>
<li>21 % : Concern about the environment of other schools: safety, drugs, and negative peer pressure</li>
<li>17 %: Dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools</li>
<li>14 %: Unique Family Situation such as time, finances, travel, and distances</li>
<li>7 %: Nontraditional approach to child's education</li>
<li>4 %: Child has other special needs</li>
<li>2%: Child has a physical or mental health problem</li>
</ul>
<h3>
HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS</h3>
Standardized achievement tests: On average, homeschoolers rank in at the 87th percentile. (Note: The 87th percentile is not the test score. It is the percent of students that scored lower... so, only 13% of students scored higher.)<br />
<ul>
<li>Boys: 87th</li>
<li>Girls: 88th</li>
<li>Reading: 89th</li>
<li>Language: 84th</li>
<li>Math: 84th</li>
<li>Science: 86th</li>
<li>Social Studies: 84th</li>
<li>Core: 88th</li>
<li>Parents income <$35,000: 85th</li>
<li>Parents income $35,000-$70,000: 86th</li>
<li>Parents income >$70,000: 89th</li>
<li>Parents spend <$600/child/year: 86th</li>
<li>Parents spend >$600/child/year: 89th</li>
<li>Neither parent has a college degree: 83rd</li>
<li>Either parent has a college degree: 86th</li>
<li>Both parents have college degrees: 90th</li>
<li>Neither parent has a teaching certificate: 87th</li>
<li>Either Parent has a teaching certificate: 88th</li>
</ul>
Grade Placement compared to public schools:<br />
<ul>
<li>Behind: 5.4%</li>
<li>On track: 69.8%</li>
<li>Ahead: 24.5%</li>
</ul>
<h3>
WHEN THEY GROW UP</h3>
<b>Homeschooled Adults' Perception of Homeschooling</b><br />
<b>"I'm glad that I was homeschooled"</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Strongly Agree: 75.8% </li>
<li>Agree: 19.4% </li>
<li>Neither: 2.8% </li>
<li>Disagree: 1.4% </li>
<li>Strongly Disagree: 0.6%</li>
</ul>
<b>"Homeschool gave me an advantage as an adult"</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Strongly Agree: 66.0% </li>
<li>Agree: 26.4% </li>
<li>Neither: 5.7% </li>
<li>Disagree: 1.5% </li>
<li>Strongly Disagree: 0.4%</li>
</ul>
<b>"Homeschool limited my educational opportunities"</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Strongly Agree: 1.0% </li>
<li>Agree: 4.2% </li>
<li>Neither: 6.6% </li>
<li>Disagree: 29.2% </li>
<li>Strongly Disagree: 58.9%</li>
</ul>
<b>"Homeschool limited my career choices"</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Strongly Agree: 0.9% </li>
<li>Agree: 1.2% </li>
<li>Neither: 3.9% </li>
<li>Disagree: 18.8% </li>
<li>Strongly Disagree: 75.3%</li>
</ul>
<b>"I would homeschool my own children"</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Strongly Agree: 54.8% </li>
<li>Agree: 27.3% </li>
<li>Neither: 13.5% </li>
<li>Disagree: 2.8% </li>
<li>Strongly Disagree: 1.6%</li>
</ul>
<b>Homeschooled / General Population</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Participate in an ongoing community service activity (71% / 37%)</li>
<li>Consider politics and government too complicated to understand (4.2% / 35%)</li>
<li>Read a book in the past six months? (98.5% / 69%)</li>
<li>Continue on to college (74% / 49%)</li>
</ul>
<b>"Taken all together, how would you say things are these days--would you say that you are ..."</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Very happy (58.9% / 27.6)</li>
<li>Pretty happy (39.1% / 63%)</li>
<li>Not too happy (2% / 9.4)</li>
</ul>
<h3>
HOMESCHOOL COST</h3>
Average homeschool family spends $500/child/year.<br />
The average public school spends $9,963 per child per year, not including capital expenditures or research and development.<br />
<h3>
Sources</h3>
http://www.synergyfield.com/homeschooling_parent/homeschooling/a-brief-history-of-american-homeschoolin/<br />
http://www.education.com/reference/article/home-schooling1/<br />
http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/christian-education/homeschool/homeschool-history.html<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_the_United_States<br />
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/home-schooling/<br />
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009030.pdf<br />
http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf<br />
http://www.hslda.org/docs/media/2009/200908100.asp<br />
http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/543/666<br />
http://www.nheri.org/HomeschoolPopulationReport2010.pdf<br />
http://blogs.christianpost.com/bright-ideas/home-schooling-state-laws-infographic-11302/<br />
http://www.hslda.org/research/ray2003/HomeschoolingGrowsUp.pdf<br />
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2903485/posts<br />
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/advice/20041109a2.asp<br />
http://www.hslda.org/earlyyears/Costs.asp<br />
http://www.homeeddirectory.com/articles/1_feb10<br />
http://www.k12.com/schools-programs/online-public-schools#.UfATehZdU6o<br />
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/our-schools/availability.aspx<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-52411823743099428072018-08-21T11:20:00.000-04:002018-08-30T11:23:44.377-04:00Little Dresses Ministry<br />
<a href="http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/">http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/</a> and <a href="http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/blog-2/">http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/blog-2/</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-76562498713739265362014-05-04T23:03:00.002-04:002014-05-04T23:12:16.670-04:00We're back! Whew! What a loooong hiatus. Things are finally starting to settle. Our move from Georgia to Kentucky was interesting to say the least. Our Georgia home was twice the size of our already furnished Kentucky home. So finding space and sifting through things to keep versus things to donate has been very tedious. I think we have the hang of it now. <br />
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Leaving all our Georgia friends and church family has been very difficult for us. Fortunately, the move "home" made it easy and we're once again surrounded by friends and family, even if we miss those in Georgia terribly. <br />
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So... things are coming to an order... slowly but surely. Life is crazy for our growing Mabry family. There's never a dull moment. Our diva, Cora, loves dance and all things girly. Our pink tomboy, Elayna, loves all things outdoors, dirty, and hands-on. Moving to the country has been good for all of us! We no longer have television and are enjoying every moment of it! (Of course we still watch the occasional movie online.) The girls love being outside and we're making quite the country home. There's always something to do: for the home, family, church, homeschool, property, etc. <br />
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Speaking of country home, let's not forget to mention the chickens, pigs, bees, and baby. Yep, we have 15 chickens (soon to be less if the jerk roos don't straighten up), a pig to slaughter this fall which currently lives on a friend's farm, another pig we'll acquire this summer, one hive with three more on the way this week, and a baby due the day before Thanksgiving. We have A LOT to be thankful for and we're looking forward to more regular updates for our friends and family near and far.<br />
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I make no promises to the frequency of blog posts, but I'm definitely shooting for at least once a week. :) Stay tuned...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-23934184782514035852013-06-07T12:25:00.003-04:002013-06-07T12:25:43.793-04:00Dinosaur Puppet ShowBad dinosaurs die, always. Nice dinosaurs are happy and fun (notice their smiley faces and how they double as slides and horses for the caveman). So you know.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="355" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ErGlTgTeeuU" width="460"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-91666296452676644982013-05-20T00:32:00.002-04:002013-05-20T00:32:38.984-04:00Forest Fairy Elayna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know, I know. The quality of these photos is very craptastic. However, in my defense, I'm not exactly sure where the camera is... let alone the battery or charger. So my iphone will have to do. And it doesn't do well. The photos aren't OCD aligned and text isn't consistent. Being after midnight, I'm ready for bed. This is a milestone and I've been really bad about blogging. It must be done! Even with all the errors, enjoy the post anyway!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend was Elayna's ballet recital. Randy & Renee were able to come down for the weekend and we're so excited they're here. Cora bursts out in random bouts of squeals, gets really quiet, and then whispers, "I'm so excited." It's hilarious and yet kinda creepy at the same time. It should be documented, really. Elayna has been capitalizing on her time with the grandparents and is totally "all jacked up on Mountain Dew"-ish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, here's what out afternoon looked like:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Isn't she the cutest Forest Fairy ever?!</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: medium; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">One of the backstage moms brought movies... best idea ever since the academy director insisted on keeping several dozen toddlers and preschoolers cooped up in itty bitty rooms for multiple hours each day this past weekend. Sheesh. They take this recital business very seriously. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We brought a half dozen coloring books and a box of crayons. Notice how nobody wanted Bible Stories?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucUmaXAw2x9lt1bZyKP5eiaMerH2Ql8cPDcRSMbwJp77J_hiY056PGJjwTcN6DlhXxplLBn7ZlxZP5NC-XBUQHtjUcft0lqu3YFnczXC0W0uhNDPpuw5Y2JvEWOSbuzp-RUtUO72482A/s1600/photo+1-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucUmaXAw2x9lt1bZyKP5eiaMerH2Ql8cPDcRSMbwJp77J_hiY056PGJjwTcN6DlhXxplLBn7ZlxZP5NC-XBUQHtjUcft0lqu3YFnczXC0W0uhNDPpuw5Y2JvEWOSbuzp-RUtUO72482A/s640/photo+1-4.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Elayna KNOWS this dance and has been performing it for the family on a daily basis. She was uber excited about the recital... up until the fairies lined up to go on stage, then she got a real bad case of backstage jitters. </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a strict "no cameras" policy, so we don't have any pics of the actual dance, but here's her rehearsal video. Elayna's the second one from the right. Folks, she knows this dance and can do it in her sleep. WHY she kept watching and following the girl next to her, I don't know. But it made the crowd chuckle a few times and she had fun. ***CAUTION: The volume may be loud.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVuTZfsNWEufpMiWLae75V6-r2ZWJeJNUOrXo3Ze7IbrCVkI0xBy3SCzW877EJ03cUAqIVt1Bi_XvZtUh6ik8Ev60sXSOZw_4uqnTkxUmjEUSPU43Vc_21dsyhAch_6UsyxZFsrplIHQ/s1600/photo+1-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVuTZfsNWEufpMiWLae75V6-r2ZWJeJNUOrXo3Ze7IbrCVkI0xBy3SCzW877EJ03cUAqIVt1Bi_XvZtUh6ik8Ev60sXSOZw_4uqnTkxUmjEUSPU43Vc_21dsyhAch_6UsyxZFsrplIHQ/s640/photo+1-3.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After the intermission Elayna was allowed to leave the holding cell and join her family for the rest of the show. Here she is with the flowers Ryan bought her. Why is she not in costume? Oh, it's another one of the director's rules "No costumes outside of the dressing rooms or off stage" and I think it's silly. I mean, come on, this is a children's dance recital, not some Broadway production. Although tickets were a whopping $20 each (there was a mandatory 5 ticket purchase, per child per class), so... maybe it was on some level and I just didn't realize it?<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Elayna finished the "production" (director's word, not mine) on Daddy's lap.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And this is how Cora spent the whole show.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Elayna suckered spare change out of Mooma. She's making a wish.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And now she's picking the penny back up...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So she can make another wish. Funny girl!</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-90834726678621980632013-04-16T22:04:00.001-04:002013-04-16T22:04:45.706-04:00Sunscreen, yes please!Our girls know how important their skin is. Even if it's only because they've snuck into a bag they're not supposed to be in. The weather here has been insanely warm. Swimming warm! We had a slip n slide block party just yesterday and it's only gonna get warmer! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjH_m_cAS7CRfOChbprLLVxqM9srJkfnsNwlTbF9n3uzu5ZvBnLcbGdDhoYyQuc8W3pbzB4LEe1wkfM-H_guGP-aRM_pSvJQpVemlhUmP8tH_ziKCelpsPa7ngjfEYL8Md_ECoMx9y8A/s640/blogger-image-1715578062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjH_m_cAS7CRfOChbprLLVxqM9srJkfnsNwlTbF9n3uzu5ZvBnLcbGdDhoYyQuc8W3pbzB4LEe1wkfM-H_guGP-aRM_pSvJQpVemlhUmP8tH_ziKCelpsPa7ngjfEYL8Md_ECoMx9y8A/s640/blogger-image-1715578062.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKNHjiFS43i1iAPwukRGoZmDjkMSO5sl4u_kXkkxS8EM9rCQin39dLPOLNpwzy3qkDHMJpa8Vrp6T0ADjj_7TtRgHEgxLYBJapgAU5MTOMWwggnWRuXscQmRZmtdtAkq4pnjZGcHwTdU/s640/blogger-image-1898618416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKNHjiFS43i1iAPwukRGoZmDjkMSO5sl4u_kXkkxS8EM9rCQin39dLPOLNpwzy3qkDHMJpa8Vrp6T0ADjj_7TtRgHEgxLYBJapgAU5MTOMWwggnWRuXscQmRZmtdtAkq4pnjZGcHwTdU/s640/blogger-image-1898618416.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbjP-sohJaigjtEJjbMTuwTnZxTGkUOd1ns0UUo-ecz5rW-1n_P6UBCvYVx_fG7Dfpbihy6AetteyaeZDzW1dX1PhZyX78gQCyD8e9acptxWHmQprfFHn7Ijh1P19bA1vEEx589MHSvY/s640/blogger-image--1188499690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbjP-sohJaigjtEJjbMTuwTnZxTGkUOd1ns0UUo-ecz5rW-1n_P6UBCvYVx_fG7Dfpbihy6AetteyaeZDzW1dX1PhZyX78gQCyD8e9acptxWHmQprfFHn7Ijh1P19bA1vEEx589MHSvY/s640/blogger-image--1188499690.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMQA8iYCwGkkOnbip-DR4hE-ZKijDv7-3svrQPEQsEMmhHbzJcGSmsEQQYszni4_TfD-J4pCCRW5lxwmq58PR0510-XgFq-kCyU9sQZt-zZwIQZW7EDY7sbB-ORNhhThG7EH_KLiDrN4/s640/blogger-image-359213087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMQA8iYCwGkkOnbip-DR4hE-ZKijDv7-3svrQPEQsEMmhHbzJcGSmsEQQYszni4_TfD-J4pCCRW5lxwmq58PR0510-XgFq-kCyU9sQZt-zZwIQZW7EDY7sbB-ORNhhThG7EH_KLiDrN4/s640/blogger-image-359213087.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-51435685234878862792013-03-09T10:16:00.001-05:002013-03-11T22:54:37.816-04:00<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rxuVc9dXgHaNUlKXQSkUQAvJfYZiu6HXfRdh9Xwj9Kqbk6bIgzSUYzJa77y0APqmvLzxm3MSM72RmC5YW_4ZCwyQ74yoBpGvUsT7RALcOxtJk_1eHS9jW5qGbSYPIXbwMXPxuZfqj9o/s1600/IMG_2629-788607.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="478" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5853362632454175554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rxuVc9dXgHaNUlKXQSkUQAvJfYZiu6HXfRdh9Xwj9Kqbk6bIgzSUYzJa77y0APqmvLzxm3MSM72RmC5YW_4ZCwyQ74yoBpGvUsT7RALcOxtJk_1eHS9jW5qGbSYPIXbwMXPxuZfqj9o/s640/IMG_2629-788607.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Lazy Saturday morning. Cora's watching Mickey Mouse with her BFF.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-48636683742501156822013-02-21T11:56:00.001-05:002013-02-21T12:42:59.568-05:00"ELAYnA"<div class="mobile-photo">
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That's how she spells her name. Elayna found one of my spare packing logs and went to town on it. The girl LOVES schoolwork.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-45117308899092902652013-02-04T13:54:00.001-05:002013-02-21T12:42:01.167-05:00It's an "X".Driving down the road, this was the conversation (?) between Elayna and me. <br />
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Mom! Mommy! <br />
What?<br />
Mama! Look!<br />
What?<br />
MaMA! <br />
What? <br />
Mommy! <br />
Elayna, what?<br />
Look! Mom! Look!<br />
What do you see? <br />
Mom!<br />
Tell me. <br />
It's an "X".<br />
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Yes, that's right. My kid had a crazy excited freakout over an "x". <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-68923976605178186252013-01-23T21:36:00.000-05:002013-01-23T21:36:00.295-05:00Leonard Theodore Sasseen<div>
So random family trivia, Ryan's great-great-grandfather was in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. (I think that's right, someone correct me if I'm wrong.) I've posted all the pics I can find of him online, but the family has more memorabilia safely stored away. Granny and Renee are even more interested in this than I am. On our trip out to Washington, Renee and I stopped at Buffalo Bill's house in Nebraska. <a href="http://mabrymadness.blogspot.com/2007/08/voila.html">Check it out</a>. If you choose not to, the only significant photo you're really missing out on is this one. That's Renee, the funnest mother-in-law ever. She will kill me for posting this picture. But you should know we have a no-holds-barred sort of a relationship, like friends. It's great.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">These pics were all pulled off an auction listing that sold over the summer. I <i>so</i> wish we'd caught it sooner so we could've added these photos to those already stored. It really makes me wonder who had all these pics of him specifically. Someone who could've been a distant relative? (Anyway, some photos blow up nicely, but others not so much. Enjoy.)</span><br />
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There was a bit of scandal on set, with rumors of women dressed as men to get close to their boyfriend cowboys. And Ryan's great-great-grandfather was pulled into it! Here's a copy of the letter sent to his wife, explaining the mishap.</div>
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The letter is dated for June 25, 1913 is addressed to L.T. Sasseen's wife and reads, "My dear Madam: I regret very much that through a mistake of our press agent, the name of Mr. Leonard Sasseen, appeard in an article which went the rounds stating that some old sweetheart of his from the west had followed him in male attire. This being the first season of Mr. Donalson with us, he was not familiar with the cowboy riders, and in this way got the name of Leonard Sasseen when he should have used Mr. Thomas Collins. I regret this very much as Mr. Sasseen has been with me a great many years, and his conduct has always been above reproach. I can assure you that your husband, Mr. Sasseen, had absolutely nothing to do with this story, and I am very sorry by mistake his name was used and that it has caused you and his family any annoyance. I have written the Messenger who carried the story making a full explanation to them, and I trust that their denial of the article may fix everything all right. Yours respectfully, (not sure of the first signature and) Pawnee Bill (Buffalo Bill)". </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-75850901421054614332013-01-17T21:24:00.000-05:002013-01-17T21:24:00.224-05:00We Love Kentucky!<div>
Never thought I'd be that put-my-kids-in-matchy-matchy-outfits mom, but apparently I am. Get used to it. They're stinkin cute and I love it.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Elayna's got the dandelion wish down, but Cora's still trying to figure out how to blow all the seeds off.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">This is my favorite picture of them. Loving on each other with Grandaddy Rex's barn in the background.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-63945479024700537362013-01-17T01:55:00.001-05:002013-01-17T02:07:48.513-05:00SOME watchdog!Fire trucks, an ambulance, and a small army of workers are right outside our house and Mati never barks or lets me know or anything. I wake up to a blazing red window and immediately start freaking out on my exhausted, just back from the field, sleeping like a log husband. <br />
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But being the grumpy bear he is, gives it a half a thought and rolls back over, telling me to find out if everything's okay. What?! The block could be burning down and he'll just leave it to chance? Not me! I'm putting some clothes on when I see a monster walk right past our window. Firefighters in full getup are knocking on our door wanting to check our home for Carbon Monoxide. Okay... please do! They explain that our neighbors had very high readings and just wanted to check things out on our side of the duplex. What does Mati do? Not a thing. Oh she knew they were in our house, but didn't offer one bark or even so much as a boof. THAT was weird. Well they didn't find anything and didn't recommend we evacuate the house since it wasn't likely to seep through our common wall. Y'all, my mind is not at ease.<br />
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And now neither one of us is sleeping. Ryan because of all the engine sounds and lights flashing just outside our window and me because I have this sense of responsibility to stay awake and protect my family in case they all pass out from poisoning. I know, that's dramatic. <br />
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Anyway, everyone's okay (I think). I'll be sure to visit them in the morning. <br />
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I am, however, just a bit dismayed at how little Mati, our protector from all things evil, cares about neighborhood happenings. We could all be dead and she'd be like, "My bed's so warm. I'm a happy dog." <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitpgrPQYXViWBIo3bSwi_eegkQzjf1tsIDFJohJl8k22jDkgQs_paryvjL5uptBVk8P_jefg2KymfuGOTcAHU2MbWcwD0ynn59mEOIq_BXM2smeZM6_3cs4FhNERu3-J39N_HNGdapdY/s640/blogger-image-1080592836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitpgrPQYXViWBIo3bSwi_eegkQzjf1tsIDFJohJl8k22jDkgQs_paryvjL5uptBVk8P_jefg2KymfuGOTcAHU2MbWcwD0ynn59mEOIq_BXM2smeZM6_3cs4FhNERu3-J39N_HNGdapdY/s640/blogger-image-1080592836.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-83540930990748726072013-01-14T11:14:00.000-05:002013-01-14T11:18:51.275-05:00Funny Girls<div>
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We can't take them anywhere. These photos were taken at Reece & Lauren's Kentucky reception back in November.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-38839231963601108752012-12-28T22:40:00.001-05:002012-12-28T22:51:40.450-05:00Where's Waldo?... er, I mean Shelby and Nosey.<br />
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If you've been on facebook, then you know Mr. Beta died. We'd had him since Ryan was deployed, and that was nearly four years ago. Poor guy, he lived a long and healthy life. Anyway, that's his moss ball in with the frogs. Their bamboo died, so now they have a new plant, a fake plant, their old rock, and a fancy schmancy new home twice the size of their old. (It was kinda cramped and they tried to kill each another on more than one occasion, typically around feeding time.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Do you see them? Points if you can find both.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shelby came out to say hi.</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-54442561876531549742012-12-26T23:52:00.001-05:002012-12-27T23:40:30.375-05:00Ready, Set, Curl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLjAeXZ3vm7TlaZA4VbjX2FBx-YoCzO3AZDMlmYVi_mijYZr1b5-nggzap7mvP-s3l2lbQtRRzy4eOtYi9v2A5YsXxAhCldFnl885w1GgtNjb900m8eyX0sF-ephnPd04v_aBnKaH6cA/s1600/IMG_0767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLjAeXZ3vm7TlaZA4VbjX2FBx-YoCzO3AZDMlmYVi_mijYZr1b5-nggzap7mvP-s3l2lbQtRRzy4eOtYi9v2A5YsXxAhCldFnl885w1GgtNjb900m8eyX0sF-ephnPd04v_aBnKaH6cA/s640/IMG_0767.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After I braid or roll the girls' hair, their heads are wrapped in toilet paper while they sleep so everything stays nice and neat.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Sister hair." (Because her hair's curly like Sister's.)</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-83044709937142843172012-12-21T20:29:00.003-05:002012-12-26T23:56:02.918-05:00We Are Spur HoldersRyan's in the Army, more specifically the Cavalry. Are there horses? Pffft, no. Do they still use riding jargon? Yes. Is that silly? I think so. Nevertheless, each year, soldiers and their spouses have the opportunity to earn their spurs in what is called a "Spur Ride" (go figure, yeah?). Soldiers earn them over a course of 2-4 days which include a road march, land navigation, other physical events, an obstacle course, let's not forget shooting things, and other tests of soldier abilities. Most pass but some drop out. All for the honor of wearing their spurs on certain days and to specific events.<br />
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But it doesn't just end there. The Army and soldiers encourage their wives to participate in the severely watered-down mock version of a Spur Ride so that they too can wear spurs. I earned mine when we were at Ft. Lewis, Wa. <a href="http://mabrymadness.blogspot.com/2009/06/8-1-cav-spouse-spur-ride.html">Check it out.</a> And while I could've gone through all the obstacles again for the fun of it, I decided not to. Instead, I proudly wore my spurs and took the girls to visit our Captain Mabry officiating. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They were so excited to see him. And I think he was happy to see his girlie girls too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This one cracks me up. Cora looks like complete and yet very trusting dead weight.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Elayna did not want to give up that water balloon, which would later be used to ambush a few wives moving from one cover to another while trying not to get pelted and soaked by a bunch of soldiers.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Playing a good ol' game of "Beat the Baby/Toddler". It's a favorite in our house.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cora managed to finagle the Stetson from Elayna. It was probably while she was being beat.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">She's such a Daddy's Girl. No really.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And Elayna has her moments.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the perks of being married to the Troop Commander is getting to play with the big boy toys. There was some down time before the next group, so Ryan took me to the simulator so we could shoot things. It's a giant box with a tiny, tiny cockpit-like thing where we got to wear the gear and flip a bunch of switches. Folks, it was a giant video game. This is how it worked: I'd watch the screen which displayed a nightvision-like desert scene. It spanned what would be several acres and I had to find the one tiny target/moving vehicle, switch a bunch of controls I couldn't remember, and attempt to shoot it. I was really bad and only managed to kill one guy. Ryan is happy I'm not one of his soldiers. I too am very happy to not be responsible for the safety of our country.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's a really bad photo because when I ask Ryan to take a picture, he takes it literally. To me, "take a picture" means take as many as you possibly can so that way there's bound to be at least a few good ones. To him, "take a picture" means take one. Literally "a" picture. That's the man I love.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-7051065669500143122012-12-18T10:44:00.001-05:002012-12-26T23:57:22.679-05:00Stop, Drop, and Roll<div style="text-align: left;">
This fall, Elayna's preschool class studied communities, what makes one, the people, how they work together, etc. As a special treat, they were able to meet firefighters, who help keep the community safe. Home fires are one of the "life lessons" Ryan & I have been discussing with the girls. "If you see a firefighter in the house, you don't hide. You yell, 'Here I am! Here I am!' as loud as possible." There's plenty more to it, but that's the highlight. I learned if we're trapped in the house, the first place firefighters will look is in the windows, so wait near one. Which, yes, that seems like common sense and probably would be everyone's natural reaction if trapped, but hearing it just seemed to make me feel safer. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Elayna was <i>way</i> into the lesson. She was so eager to listen and learn. Made this mama proud. No really, she was. I know she's wearing her helmet on her <i>face</i>, but she really was into it. More than Cora anyway.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After he was all suited up, I encouraged Elayna to go talk to him. He called out through the mask so she'd know what it sounded like and then she hesitantly gave him a high five. Poor guy. I'm sure he was hoping I'd shut my pie hole because it was warm outside. But I really wanted the girls to see and interact with a firefighter in his getup.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cora did not like the hat. She took it off every chance she got. But she really liked sitting in the truck. It was neat to see one so up close. I also learned how the firefighters' oxygen tanks are securely held at their individual seats, so when they put their seat belts on, they're actually putting on their tanks, so when they arrive, they can release the hold on the tank and head out completely equipped. Neat huh? I thought so too.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Elayna refused to take a smiling picture with me at the front of the truck. Every shot has her mouth wide open. Like a goon. That's my child.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-38144112701880412012-12-11T14:50:00.004-05:002012-12-11T14:52:56.377-05:00Mati Out!Okay, so you've seen enough pictures of Mati to know she's our family pet. But, did you also know she's our trained personal protection dog? <br />
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Just before Ryan's first deployment, we bought her as an ornery three month old puppy from a Northwest breeder/trainer. We immediately began her training on obedience and soon after protection work. If I'm gonna have a husband in the Army who has to work A LOT, I'm gonna need back up.<br />
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She's amazing. No really, she is. We've been fortunate to find trainers who work to bring out her best and use positive training methods. Anyway, she makes me feel safer when Ryan's working late or in the field or when I have the girls in Kentucky. Her desire to work combined with her willingness to do anything to make us happy is sometimes overwhelming. She's just that good. People, she helps me do laundry. She's that dog that fetches our paper in the morning and plays with the girls during the day, all while keeping a watchful eye and ear out for any signs of danger. She's super crazy hyper like a typical malinois, but also has the rare "calm" gene where she can lounge with the best of them.<br />
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I'm convinced we'll never get another dog as awesome as Mati is. <br />
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Here's a video of her training last weekend. There's a man watching us and making his way a little too close for comfort. I tell her to guard me (bark like crazy to let the guy know we mean business) and when he makes a direct move towards us, I tell her to bite him. Now that's not her only option; it's just what I told her to do in this scenario. She performed exactly has she should've, except when I had to tell her twice to let go. That should've happened on the first command. Otherwise, I'm very proud of how well she did.<br />
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In real life (this has actually happened twice to different postal workers, one in Ky and one in Ga), her natural reaction (and what she's been trained to do) is bark and "hold" the guy in place. It's where she basically sits right in front of the potential threat and barks her brains out until I come running and then tell her what to do-- if she should back off or continue guarding. The guy's not allowed to go anywhere and if he tries, she goes with him, never turning her back on him and constantly firing up. <br />
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Anyway, this is Mati as a personal protection dog:<object height="480" width="640"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param>
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<embed src="https://www.facebook.com/v/504499602917747" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="1" width="640" height="480"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-12318130647784214702012-11-25T15:22:00.002-05:002012-12-11T15:14:39.336-05:00Eyes and Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Elayna had her first eye appointment back in September. I know it's almost December, just roll with it. At my appointment this past summer, the doctor noticed the girls (how could he not, really?) and went on to tell me how children between the ages of 3 and 4 need to have their eyes checked. He explained how they can easily go cross-eyed or gain a lazy eye when one eye works harder than the other. Enough said, appointment made. </div>
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No worries, Elayna received the "all clear" and won't need to go back for at least another year. She absolutely loved all parts of the appointment. EVEN the dreaded air puff to the eyeball part. Weirdo. With Halloween coming up coupled with her fascination of ghosts (she really is a weirdo), I led her to believe there was a ghost waiting in the machine to try and scare her and make her laugh. And laugh she did both times he got her. Then she passed every test with flying colors. She had so much fun.</div>
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After the appointment, just like any other doctor visit, we go get ice cream. Don't judge, it's what we do and it's especially helpful when the girls get shots.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-67393451319696089542012-11-20T02:11:00.000-05:002012-12-11T15:14:58.721-05:00Gourds and Birthdays... for Diane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Blogger fail. What else can I say? Diane, your persistence has paid off. Here you go. :)</div>
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September is Gourd Festival month for Mayfield, Kentucky. NO WAY we were going to miss that. Here are the girls painting gourd pieces. They made bracelets and rings and ... other things. So..."tell me about it," right?</div>
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Aren't they cute?</div>
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For their birthdays, Ryan & I gave them a Power Wheels dune buggy. Best and worst idea ever. They love it. But Cora is a little too vertically challenged and can't quite reach the pedals. Elayna is more than happy to gas while Cora steers. But they both still fight over it. Problem almost solved.</div>
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The birthday theme this year was PIRATES. Several folks dressed the part and we had a lot of fun. (Yes, there are more candles than there are years of age on that awesome cake our friend Vana made. That's what happens when you throw your husband the box of candles and tell him to light it up. He pays attention to neither detail nor birthday cake etiquette.) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YqXci4vF6R4lARgmL2sOvevaMJNixv38Hw9K5TAsjwDPrnmMRESGj0Te1tAvz3EmoI_ad5JpPWIwOIOpKNDknEr7SWH1HHwFm15_qGprdy_i-sqqqqRhU5w7gpt1AKkFJZP-hoBNurE/s1600/IMG_0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YqXci4vF6R4lARgmL2sOvevaMJNixv38Hw9K5TAsjwDPrnmMRESGj0Te1tAvz3EmoI_ad5JpPWIwOIOpKNDknEr7SWH1HHwFm15_qGprdy_i-sqqqqRhU5w7gpt1AKkFJZP-hoBNurE/s640/IMG_0230.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBkDWk6XtPZ-ZXy3Bnz1GjD84T6ysHZxaumIETcjNbN3VfKclwUFBclZK2cA4MDnNvdyUXfpdCvb1ky25yvwzYDBT5X3_d4N0BpKcFueDANc6LrAXvnaOHlBvVcJUgFyugII6Mu2Dspo/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBkDWk6XtPZ-ZXy3Bnz1GjD84T6ysHZxaumIETcjNbN3VfKclwUFBclZK2cA4MDnNvdyUXfpdCvb1ky25yvwzYDBT5X3_d4N0BpKcFueDANc6LrAXvnaOHlBvVcJUgFyugII6Mu2Dspo/s640/IMG_0238.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The one thing Elayna begged for this year was a piñata. I thought to myself, "Okay, where in the world am I gonna find a pirate piñata?" One word: Walmart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIRNzZ-ChFsSovEBq33hxXe9wahugi2n7zYzlAS6M_kzly6w4x1i8Z5tOwPOWvtLT5TsXfYqitxeNNWFYgPDlUvo6mo_iNR0rqWw_mxVKootL0nJaFVE4NZHRywKhJEwR09-FpeYjGSc/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIRNzZ-ChFsSovEBq33hxXe9wahugi2n7zYzlAS6M_kzly6w4x1i8Z5tOwPOWvtLT5TsXfYqitxeNNWFYgPDlUvo6mo_iNR0rqWw_mxVKootL0nJaFVE4NZHRywKhJEwR09-FpeYjGSc/s640/IMG_0252.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cora even got in on the action, with the help of O'pa. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtIPAL8h-73E18FXGdXXMQsj2D9h5ogMlUYQoSpmvK05F2D7yK5Ew1MuHtLlwrlq1kRGM8VvaY36hzRMup3wzwHA2J7bNSQ9_RBVQ-OUs9mozOLli43Pp8n5xp3O4JVdzLxFuhPf4f-g/s1600/IMG_0273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtIPAL8h-73E18FXGdXXMQsj2D9h5ogMlUYQoSpmvK05F2D7yK5Ew1MuHtLlwrlq1kRGM8VvaY36hzRMup3wzwHA2J7bNSQ9_RBVQ-OUs9mozOLli43Pp8n5xp3O4JVdzLxFuhPf4f-g/s640/IMG_0273.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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None of the little kids could bust the thing open, even though they had a ton of fun trying. So we brought out the big guns. (It helps that she's a softball player. Nice form, Alex.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVagFSwBpvGHLWYHFI2s1uJZmtJFdBJ2LLWn0EDBP4_eZf2jhGxHZpmLU526oAtjf40u2IKG_-PioimYNjiiN00cWFsUqv5FhRjhVCqo3AeU00rpjQUJ5nGQVpmofpqUXbRopfK9e7z0/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVagFSwBpvGHLWYHFI2s1uJZmtJFdBJ2LLWn0EDBP4_eZf2jhGxHZpmLU526oAtjf40u2IKG_-PioimYNjiiN00cWFsUqv5FhRjhVCqo3AeU00rpjQUJ5nGQVpmofpqUXbRopfK9e7z0/s640/IMG_0284.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's our pirate chest full of booty. Instead of spoiling our girls with more gifts than they could handle or appreciate, we decided to give to the <a href="http://chchblog.blogspot.com/">Cap Haitien Children's Home</a> in Haiti. The children there needed school supplies and our friends and family were happy to help out. In lieu of gifts, nearly everyone brought paper, pencils, highlighters, rulers, crayons, and other various school supplies, which we then sent on to the orphanage. CHCH holds a special place in our hearts because this is where our good friends <a href="http://pirtles.blogspot.com/">the Pirtles</a> have gone on several mission trips and have fallen in love with the people there. Not only do they devote their time, energy, and resources into assisting the family at CHCH, they are currently in the adoption process and eagerly await the arrival of two precious Haitian boys, Sam and Alto.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkcvNn1xURRZdpiV4iZYL-B-j4uJgblba8KjvXmS58XuALCfu9QvcC-ZKpqVfBHJAGgYxH40-LjtV5cvAvlVKOleWJ08mHL7IMx4rWeDHSFi7JMw5ardhxBZT5nrYSl6Y-1Ed_SjAwY0/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkcvNn1xURRZdpiV4iZYL-B-j4uJgblba8KjvXmS58XuALCfu9QvcC-ZKpqVfBHJAGgYxH40-LjtV5cvAvlVKOleWJ08mHL7IMx4rWeDHSFi7JMw5ardhxBZT5nrYSl6Y-1Ed_SjAwY0/s640/IMG_0290.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-15505308040529999902012-08-31T18:23:00.000-04:002012-12-19T21:33:59.242-05:00Some photo love. August.I admit to being a Blogger fail. But we're just having so much fun in Georgia and Kentucky, there's no time to document past Facebook. Really. So sorry. Hopefully these photos will make up for the lack of. <br />
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So what have we been up to the last month?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_CR9RK-6gj9BoBKgbbuNGaQdImgVH5CfABphe-u9_B87phEJpkNLx0k9_7snra-hfaa375joFbql6hjxVprdzWX2JKi3MgxCQVcCQYqH-0Bj-ZzHDulJKZcI6fEEEBL0NFNGltkB_js/s1600/IMG_9691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_CR9RK-6gj9BoBKgbbuNGaQdImgVH5CfABphe-u9_B87phEJpkNLx0k9_7snra-hfaa375joFbql6hjxVprdzWX2JKi3MgxCQVcCQYqH-0Bj-ZzHDulJKZcI6fEEEBL0NFNGltkB_js/s640/IMG_9691.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course we've been horseback riding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbzH4MVJobe3mtyz6sj3bq-onhPTuUKYEye2Ej72Eog2cZl66AWwVuEK4P8xvXfn50UbizczqAxFzW0ulcDBoKuU8om2u5zQONADnNsnOLegl2JXouLwkj1UqjKOzgzZgjrnd9j3nD7o/s1600/IMG_9694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbzH4MVJobe3mtyz6sj3bq-onhPTuUKYEye2Ej72Eog2cZl66AWwVuEK4P8xvXfn50UbizczqAxFzW0ulcDBoKuU8om2u5zQONADnNsnOLegl2JXouLwkj1UqjKOzgzZgjrnd9j3nD7o/s640/IMG_9694.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bala loves to lead Belle around with the girls. Doesn't Belle look thrilled?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFn9TpMRjyrYfSu37CFP09pabkIN77OeMY1h3UayKjAFXDpm9sX2IQfXywhFxqC27hK4k9fUsCxnQ74-rSbSL51vu8DPG9KCwu4iOog8tHvtf2yLWsOn8XBGn2NsjMhMmGbdIk50JnKw/s1600/IMG_9697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFn9TpMRjyrYfSu37CFP09pabkIN77OeMY1h3UayKjAFXDpm9sX2IQfXywhFxqC27hK4k9fUsCxnQ74-rSbSL51vu8DPG9KCwu4iOog8tHvtf2yLWsOn8XBGn2NsjMhMmGbdIk50JnKw/s640/IMG_9697.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-ghVMoaQ_o0c39oH10bVYhneaeGGI-pxGy6eS-AuRPvNzPEzrpBDZPRYWA1yPyQ1OGxVufHnVaBWiITXTamwjs4hDQm4PZP9vkX20G1E50D4Zq7kw1kSazxPlBo8wy8p3yxpXNuHcZI/s1600/IMG_9704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-ghVMoaQ_o0c39oH10bVYhneaeGGI-pxGy6eS-AuRPvNzPEzrpBDZPRYWA1yPyQ1OGxVufHnVaBWiITXTamwjs4hDQm4PZP9vkX20G1E50D4Zq7kw1kSazxPlBo8wy8p3yxpXNuHcZI/s640/IMG_9704.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cora will not be left out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_cuwGNdeKtSuWRd8sFcQ8ZDNBSsXRtZB43QArEtOoU4c8EOoC8ophyH5xb8EQ5ADGOrkWErz4AMmhE8tcmyRM8vKHSHGLSjKOAxxHMaBzEV4WBSDbvhOQvk_DeKGdkxMqsmdxX26Qp0/s1600/IMG_9707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_cuwGNdeKtSuWRd8sFcQ8ZDNBSsXRtZB43QArEtOoU4c8EOoC8ophyH5xb8EQ5ADGOrkWErz4AMmhE8tcmyRM8vKHSHGLSjKOAxxHMaBzEV4WBSDbvhOQvk_DeKGdkxMqsmdxX26Qp0/s640/IMG_9707.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it's time to get off, she gives us a finger and says, "One more time." There are usually at least five one-more-times.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NMAa4Lu-fx-aEvpI1A-jUJ_N_oA8onUgtT4f1xxRL7lpPDE4kZbvnkoMNSa9YROXnSVT9KGEcVTSOUjF6nxcJ2461Jw-2YyuIqEpN4oqBLHyWvcsd-h-QaR6ZY9v12TQTZtQKHkLSl0/s1600/IMG_9719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NMAa4Lu-fx-aEvpI1A-jUJ_N_oA8onUgtT4f1xxRL7lpPDE4kZbvnkoMNSa9YROXnSVT9KGEcVTSOUjF6nxcJ2461Jw-2YyuIqEpN4oqBLHyWvcsd-h-QaR6ZY9v12TQTZtQKHkLSl0/s640/IMG_9719.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elayna was preggers for about a week. She gave birth every day, complete with labor pains.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99e7q2xp-DIaAyA1Vm3tGs1MrHZI5Ik4aRKRFpzfw2LDzRd5e8jvCs628ZCdHKcwuA8qq9lI7HwbAL6eJp7462v8B55tufU1fvnUTNr57butxkalJyEsd-MPTyXeXEFFIn8V-xOelSbc/s1600/IMG_9603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99e7q2xp-DIaAyA1Vm3tGs1MrHZI5Ik4aRKRFpzfw2LDzRd5e8jvCs628ZCdHKcwuA8qq9lI7HwbAL6eJp7462v8B55tufU1fvnUTNr57butxkalJyEsd-MPTyXeXEFFIn8V-xOelSbc/s640/IMG_9603.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cora's fallen out of her crib a few times now (from climbing it). I decided it was safest if she slept in Elayna's bed with a guard rail up. So far so good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQb4JZNRuLC6xSfEbV20fonRLkPz7DJyoMjocjhmsUwsqXSlkniiWECxTaPU2Y_MMDwUOtcugwc-18XZuBQT-YaGdEAC4htvq2357kHdX4KXsqiL6gOQ4GUpuPNDymTp3ANadeG3tVfo/s1600/IMG_9772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQb4JZNRuLC6xSfEbV20fonRLkPz7DJyoMjocjhmsUwsqXSlkniiWECxTaPU2Y_MMDwUOtcugwc-18XZuBQT-YaGdEAC4htvq2357kHdX4KXsqiL6gOQ4GUpuPNDymTp3ANadeG3tVfo/s640/IMG_9772.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except Cora's a bed hog. And she's made Elayna cry many a night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJ_NelJLdFvZhr7pHbG1wKveT5-dTT22r9lp8xrrtzmgthvsb7f9862p9G1kEHzssLNmtTJU7SlWqusYJCtnwK052uOaZNZTxjailvG8shc62GiXr-ytFmpHyokE-gcdXhtS738GfkvI/s1600/IMG_9774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJ_NelJLdFvZhr7pHbG1wKveT5-dTT22r9lp8xrrtzmgthvsb7f9862p9G1kEHzssLNmtTJU7SlWqusYJCtnwK052uOaZNZTxjailvG8shc62GiXr-ytFmpHyokE-gcdXhtS738GfkvI/s640/IMG_9774.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cora is completely in love with Granny. Granny loves it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwcsV7d_bRIUGNatfz6mYwoPBaCGN7eq4ikz7y8L613QdiSJyUrIrH7qP2tkb5o8Je3KaEQBVfreNowKNx4cG2MRkk6nmeuiPVETNCUmdJvdELJduR6Vq56oYXd1XN87mZF0M2PkWRQw/s1600/IMG_9798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwcsV7d_bRIUGNatfz6mYwoPBaCGN7eq4ikz7y8L613QdiSJyUrIrH7qP2tkb5o8Je3KaEQBVfreNowKNx4cG2MRkk6nmeuiPVETNCUmdJvdELJduR6Vq56oYXd1XN87mZF0M2PkWRQw/s640/IMG_9798.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandaddy celebrated his 77th birthday this past week. He spoils the girls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vDiRic71kSqP_JiGmPOlfSAl3LX3zfOt2U-RDfEaSZpmsDGnjlIAOXfzcz9VOcFjVq7_T8Os6TviMYh-qyVP-X2p6dRWa_3eb_P7Ic7FQFevW1zMShT38ibvd-Xrb4qmmvkTNGRt70U/s1600/IMG_9785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vDiRic71kSqP_JiGmPOlfSAl3LX3zfOt2U-RDfEaSZpmsDGnjlIAOXfzcz9VOcFjVq7_T8Os6TviMYh-qyVP-X2p6dRWa_3eb_P7Ic7FQFevW1zMShT38ibvd-Xrb4qmmvkTNGRt70U/s640/IMG_9785.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They made him tractors for his birthday using their footprints. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGAX_RsXLte51Wuu8GJWbvLBH0IdVFwFIhfE69JT6Ai5iBcX-BRB6GmAf_9opOw2C1Z5onXa5kp38OgHfHBloL-kP_mOyv3BXDctjumXG-CStnbiP0je8tg3utPsnH_wgetA6WyjAvEE/s1600/IMG_9808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGAX_RsXLte51Wuu8GJWbvLBH0IdVFwFIhfE69JT6Ai5iBcX-BRB6GmAf_9opOw2C1Z5onXa5kp38OgHfHBloL-kP_mOyv3BXDctjumXG-CStnbiP0je8tg3utPsnH_wgetA6WyjAvEE/s640/IMG_9808.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I braid Elayna's hair in a feeble attempt to manage tangles. Her hair is so beautifully curly but it turns to dreads in no less than two days. The second Elayna gets up, Cora slides into place to have her hair braided. She loves it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-qG_0Wa2Od8IcjKHZJtQzAgSfhbxhG5WIS-AOtkk5mukk32vV4-aa5L06iPtoUDJgZGdN__s_u2j5cxcA8wo9SNRLV200ipgQAUQvUTO4kArhZsYRRJzWYJKPQBnD5l-nv1JQPMyEWY/s1600/IMG_9834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-qG_0Wa2Od8IcjKHZJtQzAgSfhbxhG5WIS-AOtkk5mukk32vV4-aa5L06iPtoUDJgZGdN__s_u2j5cxcA8wo9SNRLV200ipgQAUQvUTO4kArhZsYRRJzWYJKPQBnD5l-nv1JQPMyEWY/s640/IMG_9834.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She also loves to swing.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQAdovgqISkXpuy1VceTpV_V6LFKYZ_ablAvVf6cDBKQdonOnRRaSWcm-ei8Wb-IGr_RSjw7Tw5OYUgJqsIvr7czw6AE8QdzcDfgIcNjTLn6zsZ1xAvK9HwyA0gjMePGw2_92TV8QOTI/s1600/IMG_9840.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQAdovgqISkXpuy1VceTpV_V6LFKYZ_ablAvVf6cDBKQdonOnRRaSWcm-ei8Wb-IGr_RSjw7Tw5OYUgJqsIvr7czw6AE8QdzcDfgIcNjTLn6zsZ1xAvK9HwyA0gjMePGw2_92TV8QOTI/s640/IMG_9840.PNG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmw4WyeZ4CWzHf0Oy4qBXX4I7fh-PEOtuPcR-XRPGbHH9LS3ZPL8cpBvO59sSh1rv2bZHL9n59Ns1rNI9awyS_r66hd8Rsk48THPOZlBfCcYnTEOimZ8ttYvzSn9f9Bp6D2EmAA2gyr10/s1600/IMG_9844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmw4WyeZ4CWzHf0Oy4qBXX4I7fh-PEOtuPcR-XRPGbHH9LS3ZPL8cpBvO59sSh1rv2bZHL9n59Ns1rNI9awyS_r66hd8Rsk48THPOZlBfCcYnTEOimZ8ttYvzSn9f9Bp6D2EmAA2gyr10/s640/IMG_9844.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mati injured herself a few days ago. She split her nail into pieces. PIECES. It was disgusting. I put a sock on her paw and wrapped bandaids around it to keep it in place until we could get to the vet. DID NOT slow her down in the least. Looked like it would hurt to me so I took her in. Vet clipped what she could and said she'd be tender for awhile but would heal. I regularly rinse it with peroxide and she's good to go. Most accident-prone dog ever.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HLgnjhNSozFQReP5Ur96OgBc_ObXv9fJOogd8Q7CCONdBmTPN_WzNBZI7xXc7ALU6vBiX4RhAgf1296-iTWU1-lo1g2bzIwQIcrZa-O_mZFNJDOGKEXQC7QVw-FUHkTEo9KLw1I7cgo/s1600/IMG_9622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HLgnjhNSozFQReP5Ur96OgBc_ObXv9fJOogd8Q7CCONdBmTPN_WzNBZI7xXc7ALU6vBiX4RhAgf1296-iTWU1-lo1g2bzIwQIcrZa-O_mZFNJDOGKEXQC7QVw-FUHkTEo9KLw1I7cgo/s640/IMG_9622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of accidents. Doesn't this look like one in the making? I don't know why these huge trucks want to drive on the back roads. Seriously, why? Fortunately, we were behind this one instead of meeting it on one of the blind hills or turns. Yikes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRsdrIzxKwmrQ6njuL4ZgVwFcmzrVICzvLTdZ0MBKFs3yuUd4v3ZNpIi4a60Tsopv4ZdQcyxuclJyP9nINK0v1ZDKTNACoSuhIP_khnlc8txMYUEKd9SAD-95nCoNJg07NMU9e39BPr0/s1600/IMG_9856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRsdrIzxKwmrQ6njuL4ZgVwFcmzrVICzvLTdZ0MBKFs3yuUd4v3ZNpIi4a60Tsopv4ZdQcyxuclJyP9nINK0v1ZDKTNACoSuhIP_khnlc8txMYUEKd9SAD-95nCoNJg07NMU9e39BPr0/s640/IMG_9856.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elayna is now a professional tree climber. Her secret, so she says, is wearing a swimsuit. "You have to climb trees in your swim suit. Okay? That's how you do it."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lXhP846dhdDVh3LF0sVqjGmxgG4BJkocWh2ii22DzSNsnYDvBzWGD1ohTn9MVtaVKiwfaT5kkBKZvZRA5icGBw3uqV-gBsvVGhyphenhyphen35vcEFyef1nEcz9qqUqpBmpntC2rizSr5OC1HEF8/s1600/IMG_9866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lXhP846dhdDVh3LF0sVqjGmxgG4BJkocWh2ii22DzSNsnYDvBzWGD1ohTn9MVtaVKiwfaT5kkBKZvZRA5icGBw3uqV-gBsvVGhyphenhyphen35vcEFyef1nEcz9qqUqpBmpntC2rizSr5OC1HEF8/s640/IMG_9866.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, the rest of us camped out under the pine boughs. Made a cool little fort.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ULg0aOYMKf88A38Ui2f5VCkz-MGLvLl287qilLMFYqj2NyToorMjp2FNmfQ6NqqSqIat3r49F4AsUVO9vKtGm5lVWWyOYE8CFSJTspvvH-HpU6paNDFx06PoOaVGZhzwItchVdgxTVk/s1600/IMG_9870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ULg0aOYMKf88A38Ui2f5VCkz-MGLvLl287qilLMFYqj2NyToorMjp2FNmfQ6NqqSqIat3r49F4AsUVO9vKtGm5lVWWyOYE8CFSJTspvvH-HpU6paNDFx06PoOaVGZhzwItchVdgxTVk/s640/IMG_9870.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWy-GaYKLqtw1biuly12DPB1zg20fljQXABA7V0BkJRfFgE-bgE1zju1vjKXLRO8K3T8vkYOitN7SVR01GFRVdQ1ApRuWvtphBnQiFA5AoBAGyhBiD0gwblt3oCplkXs7sWzCI3S8NFW4/s1600/IMG_9878.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWy-GaYKLqtw1biuly12DPB1zg20fljQXABA7V0BkJRfFgE-bgE1zju1vjKXLRO8K3T8vkYOitN7SVR01GFRVdQ1ApRuWvtphBnQiFA5AoBAGyhBiD0gwblt3oCplkXs7sWzCI3S8NFW4/s640/IMG_9878.PNG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art of Glow. One of Elayna's favorite apps on my iphone. You draw pictures that sparkle and shoot tiny stars. It's pretty cool. This is her self-portrait. You kinda have to use your imagination because a few of the lines are mid-blink/shoot and so the picture isn't quite complete.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8VL7dAdsSFQeNdP5g1Gq8yovyk-FXRe350T3N8Eeu8s_6Ss-ZMO4M-s4uudpiJEykyx2W5-Efglomu0V4p7uxvCkSn5B0XH7kgTJbVyVzB-DK4OEsGzKEOvD0XoddcuXSZCEcGs3UBk/s1600/IMG_9884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8VL7dAdsSFQeNdP5g1Gq8yovyk-FXRe350T3N8Eeu8s_6Ss-ZMO4M-s4uudpiJEykyx2W5-Efglomu0V4p7uxvCkSn5B0XH7kgTJbVyVzB-DK4OEsGzKEOvD0XoddcuXSZCEcGs3UBk/s640/IMG_9884.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan's in for the weekend and we went out as a family today. One of the stops was at Shooters. I know you're shocked. They have this giant Alaskan bear that Cora was scared to death of. So of course we had to take a picture with it.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbFHDKOqjlf3-dbrJu_0brzh-aT0bub9RzFWXM_TDu2t8M7G90Xq-J187JuNQqfuJjfYqYAA3c3JB-aI5L-ExB3FXSbJ0lRQ9PJ7mVJkkOMGyV9fVJCEweFYlJ05ANeI8buDiI7YJt78/s1600/IMG_9885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbFHDKOqjlf3-dbrJu_0brzh-aT0bub9RzFWXM_TDu2t8M7G90Xq-J187JuNQqfuJjfYqYAA3c3JB-aI5L-ExB3FXSbJ0lRQ9PJ7mVJkkOMGyV9fVJCEweFYlJ05ANeI8buDiI7YJt78/s640/IMG_9885.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDbDkytoPK6h5BDVWdh-TLBdfX3zJZ3lUDYqhl-IEDmuHwSLhtGbtljmmdjo4ruVCPb9cZnXvAt96CFVDz3RLtFo2uTj10fqajBpPW5gXj8mp-1s95rT1iakIFtRW2GEfQbiEXJ-CMEU/s1600/0001H6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDbDkytoPK6h5BDVWdh-TLBdfX3zJZ3lUDYqhl-IEDmuHwSLhtGbtljmmdjo4ruVCPb9cZnXvAt96CFVDz3RLtFo2uTj10fqajBpPW5gXj8mp-1s95rT1iakIFtRW2GEfQbiEXJ-CMEU/s640/0001H6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lastly, we're making plans for the girls' birthday party next month. Here's a sneak peek. :)</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-61355751896198983232012-08-21T16:26:00.001-04:002012-08-21T16:26:25.198-04:00Ugh.Mati's expression said it all, assisted by an awful burning rubber/electrical fire odor. "You'll never guess what I just found!" Skunk.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-72501844898055495332012-07-23T16:08:00.001-04:002012-07-23T16:11:16.083-04:00Jesus walked on water.Unless you are familiar with Elayna's version, then it was a river. I might need to have a chat with her Sunday school teachers. :) And she said his arms are folded up like wings, that's why you can't see them... Hmm... <br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQDcDu0CGo5lKCCZb9jvGhQ_3gD0P78zMKcVMTgpIgQvSIX4o8-XGlI-gDybWER4Ho2Yjw4s1tTExXBzLE-GN3aX6UFrmJodsfquUs1QVSPHeiSH2yc9uZLLI4iMsdLLGceeZ70itmvRn/s640/blogger-image--1471691444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQDcDu0CGo5lKCCZb9jvGhQ_3gD0P78zMKcVMTgpIgQvSIX4o8-XGlI-gDybWER4Ho2Yjw4s1tTExXBzLE-GN3aX6UFrmJodsfquUs1QVSPHeiSH2yc9uZLLI4iMsdLLGceeZ70itmvRn/s640/blogger-image--1471691444.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-66423448477021367202012-06-25T13:05:00.001-04:002012-12-19T21:35:08.787-05:00Army Brat<div class="mobile-photo">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegftkXsbuDGVhJBrg1GFbJpwEWe6f30l5fqf4Q7fIv39ojhe0OPTd9rb6aBxD4jYkcYpbbDkzn0Q6N4fCQ4D2nphTDqiNUD6F_a22Hp5R8SKWIFjAG1zkCf2EJRO1_DmVsMaG8zK4AdQ/s1600/photo+2-729836.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5758021837629177154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegftkXsbuDGVhJBrg1GFbJpwEWe6f30l5fqf4Q7fIv39ojhe0OPTd9rb6aBxD4jYkcYpbbDkzn0Q6N4fCQ4D2nphTDqiNUD6F_a22Hp5R8SKWIFjAG1zkCf2EJRO1_DmVsMaG8zK4AdQ/s640/photo+2-729836.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Elayna went to PT with Ryan a few weeks ago. The girl loves her daddy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5580932248579739963.post-10311750407483591392012-05-22T16:34:00.000-04:002012-05-22T16:35:02.715-04:00Cleaning Cukes<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7qXKZLJ0aj4PQrMHKh0htoz6m0Mva5qkxyusvtyS71RGoz5HdeHuZPI5NK4Q1436io0QR6lJ6zvQ40x6BivK2d9gBND8QKtyGx3ezQeygJ05jdvrbfHWOomlfB9kMjMtX6J3oqCWnR4/s1600/image-702716.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7qXKZLJ0aj4PQrMHKh0htoz6m0Mva5qkxyusvtyS71RGoz5HdeHuZPI5NK4Q1436io0QR6lJ6zvQ40x6BivK2d9gBND8QKtyGx3ezQeygJ05jdvrbfHWOomlfB9kMjMtX6J3oqCWnR4/s320/image-702716.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5745458940547175842" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUbjCcnpD9m6EyX6dLQHZTBvCkxCut5HwCbYEijauORVp0cpoXfOBfWJCzCFQc5pvHLafU0ihvHlLYdHk0RT3nPSd14xZbzYHhpw_hP6kB22WebtOr1nn4QBkEuqnhEKEf3VyyRFPKlQ/s1600/photo+2-704375.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUbjCcnpD9m6EyX6dLQHZTBvCkxCut5HwCbYEijauORVp0cpoXfOBfWJCzCFQc5pvHLafU0ihvHlLYdHk0RT3nPSd14xZbzYHhpw_hP6kB22WebtOr1nn4QBkEuqnhEKEf3VyyRFPKlQ/s320/photo+2-704375.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5745458945712757218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6fUDsX0Tg7ZfxnwFQSIHPgA8LGhc05p7iLBXcofp_vy48f0eFO01hi98CLXUtHAlL43_keHdbyUvW4AU0xdZ9RUm2BZbZDM_WQBkjo5UVxJbRE01S67KyiIhHBbbIAuOmyhpQXWZW6Y/s1600/image-707865.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6fUDsX0Tg7ZfxnwFQSIHPgA8LGhc05p7iLBXcofp_vy48f0eFO01hi98CLXUtHAlL43_keHdbyUvW4AU0xdZ9RUm2BZbZDM_WQBkjo5UVxJbRE01S67KyiIhHBbbIAuOmyhpQXWZW6Y/s320/image-707865.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5745458963979861858" /></a></p>We picked cucumbers from our garden today. We almost had enough to pickle. Maybe we'll find more tomorrow. That'll give us enough time to study a recipe and prepare. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com