tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82237331890373310082024-03-05T19:01:30.388-07:00The Skinnersskinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-41870939262054323172012-06-15T22:03:00.000-07:002012-06-15T22:03:04.571-07:00Why, Hello There!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx-b8UrwSZSxQVGgZYP9DLR7f5825BBh9zyBkPtWQKQ2h3UUWpHsPTlBHHHNJvFWifJJolm5Mbm2FDcdh-VMF4gcUtHUbohO1JJWstrI9qS3b21MBJ4Lv6XIs5qiuuHQamMT5dPyzSag/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx-b8UrwSZSxQVGgZYP9DLR7f5825BBh9zyBkPtWQKQ2h3UUWpHsPTlBHHHNJvFWifJJolm5Mbm2FDcdh-VMF4gcUtHUbohO1JJWstrI9qS3b21MBJ4Lv6XIs5qiuuHQamMT5dPyzSag/s320/photo.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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its been six months...six months!?! </div>
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i hardly remember how to do this anymore and it looks like blogger up and changed everything on me. </div>
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some of what you've missed: </div>
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we spent Christmas in az/ut</div>
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dan and i celebrated our 8th anniversary</div>
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he turned 31</div>
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madison turned five </div>
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dan spent a week in alabama </div>
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(we might be moving there next year!)</div>
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and part of another in chicago </div>
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madison finished preschool</div>
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we attended the kansas city temple open house </div>
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i <strike>ran </strike>walked a half marathon </div>
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the girls started gymnastics</div>
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we joined a pool</div>
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they started swimming lessons</div>
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and i've become a shuttle service :)</div>
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as for jake... he's learned to sit up, crawl, stand, and almost walk. he had his first haircut, survived his introduction to peanut butter, and says mama and dada. this week we turned his car seat facing forward. he's practically all grown up now. </div>
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these last 6 months have <i>raced</i> by and it makes me nervous the next 12 will too. i wish our time here in columbia could go on forever...</div>
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**next up - most embarrassing moments</div>
<br />skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-35324514515893227942011-12-06T23:19:00.001-07:002011-12-07T13:53:51.969-07:00iPhone Snippets<div style="text-align: center;">if i stop blogging about the present to write about the past, i'll always be playing catch up. </div><div style="text-align: center;">so, here's a little something current.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQgivELOzvi1rDklADA30RzpT_MeLHWL1LLtU3qdnUc-YWxaVi0P-V9GvWrLBFgZnXmr2SLlqUk2nIxGAcwC7GFbzh_WEgHgzG-k0zRFTbTfWcd-DPsuX80qBTnJna23msn6QYvXzGxo/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQgivELOzvi1rDklADA30RzpT_MeLHWL1LLtU3qdnUc-YWxaVi0P-V9GvWrLBFgZnXmr2SLlqUk2nIxGAcwC7GFbzh_WEgHgzG-k0zRFTbTfWcd-DPsuX80qBTnJna23msn6QYvXzGxo/s400/photo2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
LOVE this picture!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Christmas pjs from grandma skinner (thank you!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4r0Dd1BjwC22Yxu98ibiCnZ9FsKmK76XkQQm3mDRdmd9JFEB_DoYntVL_N30K2dLFaqOxdJuQ2jEGE3sQlE3uuc0F5S3VjzrdH6aJeZRaH5T2EgLycS5s-k8DufA3dM_lspSpLDhpR8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4r0Dd1BjwC22Yxu98ibiCnZ9FsKmK76XkQQm3mDRdmd9JFEB_DoYntVL_N30K2dLFaqOxdJuQ2jEGE3sQlE3uuc0F5S3VjzrdH6aJeZRaH5T2EgLycS5s-k8DufA3dM_lspSpLDhpR8/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">have i mentioned i trained for a 5K the last two months?</div><div style="text-align: center;">yep, the jingle bell dash. </div><div style="text-align: center;">last saturday. </div><div style="text-align: center;">between a cough, the rain, and being wimp - i didn't run it.</div><div style="text-align: center;">BUT, i ran four miles today, in the snow, and that's a record for me. </div><div style="text-align: center;">my santa socks and elf skirt are put away for next year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dHmDddkDs7GqWjnQhqdOC0J6S0uFLGvLo1quRN-vMvRI_Z2Vb9EOJRS88px0M7RVTqoV4kH1134uaFB3_YWJbJfG31H4BcWuy9dLeX2k0OBzOXIV-5XHfkNx5I66mbVTA9ApkF_FhF0/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dHmDddkDs7GqWjnQhqdOC0J6S0uFLGvLo1quRN-vMvRI_Z2Vb9EOJRS88px0M7RVTqoV4kH1134uaFB3_YWJbJfG31H4BcWuy9dLeX2k0OBzOXIV-5XHfkNx5I66mbVTA9ApkF_FhF0/s400/photo1.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">jake is madi's mini-me with darker coloring.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">sidenote: we were decorating the tree and <span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">madi kept asking for more "hookers". </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">i reminded her that ornaments hang on hooks, not hookers. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">then, in her prayer that night she said, "please bless my eye brows and eye lashes, all the stripes, the dresser, and all the hookers." :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYPNl4MbHKDCeJMn-DWwZNXlYCYTujY6hJRXrEBZI_S4FYrMK_rw9_Prh1ftorSTFQc7Y2_uikagHHWh_SZB6qLDy-NW06FbDxVEaUoR5qbQYjEJduF2QASEb3M56ViWPfyXzKIsFzsY/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYPNl4MbHKDCeJMn-DWwZNXlYCYTujY6hJRXrEBZI_S4FYrMK_rw9_Prh1ftorSTFQc7Y2_uikagHHWh_SZB6qLDy-NW06FbDxVEaUoR5qbQYjEJduF2QASEb3M56ViWPfyXzKIsFzsY/s400/photo5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
learning to sit up is still on our To Do list but we're getting close...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfq0bGf_TIlNFbgVWJxfrUTPKbL0_dMMcLT6nTpdpaPj6PtrQxH01EMjK6bl36ZKrnW4zz96jgScnZOS7e0aKvlXsV_gKDQvD_KIaW98sA6XL52KKzGASEQU6DDRyicr6rCX-3dHLuTpg/s1600/photo6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfq0bGf_TIlNFbgVWJxfrUTPKbL0_dMMcLT6nTpdpaPj6PtrQxH01EMjK6bl36ZKrnW4zz96jgScnZOS7e0aKvlXsV_gKDQvD_KIaW98sA6XL52KKzGASEQU6DDRyicr6rCX-3dHLuTpg/s400/photo6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
outing to twin lakes - heavenly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDARESDjuW2nw5Qm_Ncvbo_CtF8Ubg1iCuCeYOP0Ufv46qKqOJcGq4mJ7ae7sUg0ZcYabBi32lsZHTRIQbGiYOHMnmyIzHrVkgjKn57n9tpN2ryNHPi98p3K-tR5CqotTfRStheTwCwgM/s1600/photo7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDARESDjuW2nw5Qm_Ncvbo_CtF8Ubg1iCuCeYOP0Ufv46qKqOJcGq4mJ7ae7sUg0ZcYabBi32lsZHTRIQbGiYOHMnmyIzHrVkgjKn57n9tpN2ryNHPi98p3K-tR5CqotTfRStheTwCwgM/s400/photo7.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
my boys. so dang cute.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sB_gxI10r325JUhQ64NIgwtAfYmRDEktw1SMFDGE3Z0wgitLZRfnJLZRSV0cKOMgWdh-5MoPDy_llArLW265dbjmwLog9Nq7QB9yzJTU1pH-zc3EZWcy1pM6q_z7xn1eB2JYaX2Ybto/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sB_gxI10r325JUhQ64NIgwtAfYmRDEktw1SMFDGE3Z0wgitLZRfnJLZRSV0cKOMgWdh-5MoPDy_llArLW265dbjmwLog9Nq7QB9yzJTU1pH-zc3EZWcy1pM6q_z7xn1eB2JYaX2Ybto/s400/photo3.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Christmas skirts (made by grandma!) and sweaters.</div><div style="text-align: center;">is madison saying cheese, or what? :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHCb0wUovS5KBz9UUio38gBmATIaUzeDNHJNBA3O8ivSDPIZlQJreNeBKMwgwixEVR2-Qm1bfNEHshyV3tXt9Aq8RGRrJ8-UqmdOaJNFj7Vg4f2qyX9J3MTJtqbVMzwWrke8UcDV8ZpQ/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHCb0wUovS5KBz9UUio38gBmATIaUzeDNHJNBA3O8ivSDPIZlQJreNeBKMwgwixEVR2-Qm1bfNEHshyV3tXt9Aq8RGRrJ8-UqmdOaJNFj7Vg4f2qyX9J3MTJtqbVMzwWrke8UcDV8ZpQ/s400/photo4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">the mauling dan is greeted with when he gets home from work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">we are well- </div><div style="text-align: center;">racing between responsibilities and perfecting the art of tag teaming</div><div style="text-align: center;">loving the bits and pieces of time we spend together here and there</div><div style="text-align: center;">laughing at the hilarious and adorable children we have</div><div style="text-align: center;">counting our many blessings</div><div style="text-align: center;">and enjoying this Christmas season.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-423752367609150892011-11-28T23:56:00.000-07:002011-11-28T23:56:35.682-07:00Yard (March/April 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF89QCdh2QoJVQFkpNWEeWqg6KsKjx_F7eC72EWwPi4_urIlirZhHfEDtUA_01GxWuTDjbYIgNs-BVFlzNTAKps6Vz_NqxE4w1dGUactPz22sBPA5dt8cC3rS94fZH1kUS7rYYQ3-Ia98/s1600/IMG_8618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF89QCdh2QoJVQFkpNWEeWqg6KsKjx_F7eC72EWwPi4_urIlirZhHfEDtUA_01GxWuTDjbYIgNs-BVFlzNTAKps6Vz_NqxE4w1dGUactPz22sBPA5dt8cC3rS94fZH1kUS7rYYQ3-Ia98/s640/IMG_8618.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
last spring, <strike>we</strike> dan spent forever working in the backyard. he raked bags and bags and bags of leaves, shoveled a pickup full of dirt into our grow boxes, tied up the pampas grass and cut it down with the chain saw, hauled debris away and planted strawberries with the girls. i love seeing him tackle a project and our backyard had plenty. he even planted dozens of flowers in our front planter right before jake was born so i wouldn't have to bend my super pregnant body in half to do it myself. <br />
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what can i say - i'm a lucky girl!<br />
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ps- the pictures at the bottom? sweatpants, princess shoes, high waters, costume jewelry, and goldfish. hilarious and adorably unstaged. so glad i caught those moments of sisterly love.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfAXhbFG9AV2n50JJ0g8n0hkmQ2VyjB4-_2JcpR3Cgevs5dxJFkbujlmvtcIthqn4P2bX-rCCOy4cfHNmOZ5E14UA4XFpviJWia3-QwrVgrfGRYIyOqcf4fut_wYrS0eKy2p-YykW-3c/s1600/IMG_8642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfAXhbFG9AV2n50JJ0g8n0hkmQ2VyjB4-_2JcpR3Cgevs5dxJFkbujlmvtcIthqn4P2bX-rCCOy4cfHNmOZ5E14UA4XFpviJWia3-QwrVgrfGRYIyOqcf4fut_wYrS0eKy2p-YykW-3c/s640/IMG_8642.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ0zX0FQXMUUWdjShehU4eeq9eV_O7As7ReKRsNSMBnfE3m9xyWRZ0pQzPSTdpzSCBVwTKqgZVhR1fY6IiaPlDulMN6NEFYhjyq80rQsFdBYoux3UpODTmgcByjj4x86XuPU1AVQcs8M/s1600/IMG_8623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ0zX0FQXMUUWdjShehU4eeq9eV_O7As7ReKRsNSMBnfE3m9xyWRZ0pQzPSTdpzSCBVwTKqgZVhR1fY6IiaPlDulMN6NEFYhjyq80rQsFdBYoux3UpODTmgcByjj4x86XuPU1AVQcs8M/s640/IMG_8623.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-55011997316480117402011-11-28T22:25:00.000-07:002011-11-28T22:25:54.846-07:00St. Louis Trip (April 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWmR5tb7LD7UnLR1PX_7rRrYByj9i2h-1sEAOPH0-qOzoRUSZHaLwmhLDkLiS-i6YaMf-fIa06CO3zrUdO4vKDUrL_HKgX2L3rWStEX7HX5y_NznE0PS_GQ8OJdaCDEQE5LQd-LssKqs/s1600/IMG_8745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWmR5tb7LD7UnLR1PX_7rRrYByj9i2h-1sEAOPH0-qOzoRUSZHaLwmhLDkLiS-i6YaMf-fIa06CO3zrUdO4vKDUrL_HKgX2L3rWStEX7HX5y_NznE0PS_GQ8OJdaCDEQE5LQd-LssKqs/s640/IMG_8745.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
last spring we had an awesome 36 hour vacation as a family. one last hurrah before jake joined our family. i mentioned it <a href="http://danielandmarie.blogspot.com/2011/05/getting-there.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
we:<br />
attended the st. louis temple while some friends watched the girls at a nearby chapel<br />
explored forest park<br />
treated ourselves to Ted Drewes - twice<br />
stayed at a hotel overlooking the arch and mississippi river<br />
and swam in the pool <br />
met up with friends from college<br />
stayed up half the night watching william and kate's royal wedding<br />
dinner at zia's at the hill (best italian i've ever had)<br />
day at the city museum - the girls LOVED it. at 35 weeks pregnant i was mostly an observer so dan got quite a workout<br />
<br />
we loved every minute that we spent together and can't wait to do it again! <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd174D6aR4Dn20p1T-xj-oPusK9a7_mN2pUC5rI5hcNEJwCeC6z6sIqlyJ7Jq5toPEuG8q_vr4XwFZUwzA9GzKPuHlUQmwKaNN6s6cGBmLFxhvjGD8A4Sehyphenhyphen4um9Z9fHd2RI57Eb3YFE/s1600/IMG_8769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd174D6aR4Dn20p1T-xj-oPusK9a7_mN2pUC5rI5hcNEJwCeC6z6sIqlyJ7Jq5toPEuG8q_vr4XwFZUwzA9GzKPuHlUQmwKaNN6s6cGBmLFxhvjGD8A4Sehyphenhyphen4um9Z9fHd2RI57Eb3YFE/s640/IMG_8769.JPG" width="394" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the girls tried out their cute new swim suits from aunt lindsay. we forgot a swim diaper :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtBNfHmW8DyyrjDhxoiJUAdY6_YBZgpjBm2rrXzwdRg_G8idnZyIkfWpSRx3_B0iCNeM1BRfjnH0Kqzbdp2fqqkbFEXIRx-e7TiAGcuQeK5X6KIJQhUWuRny9OWSqjMpMylwt1_C_kng/s1600/IMG_8775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtBNfHmW8DyyrjDhxoiJUAdY6_YBZgpjBm2rrXzwdRg_G8idnZyIkfWpSRx3_B0iCNeM1BRfjnH0Kqzbdp2fqqkbFEXIRx-e7TiAGcuQeK5X6KIJQhUWuRny9OWSqjMpMylwt1_C_kng/s640/IMG_8775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuYyuiiQ29lnOhe-FYknMXHaX0M1vdbLCyOiGhrcDmHf_T2xGG0ubj9BQpSiuVOibQ2ZnpTfrLtZ36OkMtBKU07AeMg3D8-wK-zGKzkeEYA9I_LjQZx61kcye53giuvcTRZ0tzWjP4Ow/s1600/IMG_8788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuYyuiiQ29lnOhe-FYknMXHaX0M1vdbLCyOiGhrcDmHf_T2xGG0ubj9BQpSiuVOibQ2ZnpTfrLtZ36OkMtBKU07AeMg3D8-wK-zGKzkeEYA9I_LjQZx61kcye53giuvcTRZ0tzWjP4Ow/s640/IMG_8788.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just looking at these pictures make me claustrophobic. they climbed in and out of these re-bar tunnels, stories above the ground. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsrUKeA3GPl0u9opFDBNR5dHtf-FHeu2Vq15NhnTGnbFVH3yocGTnoAXtI1dp0CBY2xmyzyeehOFMyABj4JGxSYJvhbhA5vJpWgs_bU9bJ1etIbAFe3lxHjIO-NYMBQUXkI8ByBB0nC0/s1600/IMG_8791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsrUKeA3GPl0u9opFDBNR5dHtf-FHeu2Vq15NhnTGnbFVH3yocGTnoAXtI1dp0CBY2xmyzyeehOFMyABj4JGxSYJvhbhA5vJpWgs_bU9bJ1etIbAFe3lxHjIO-NYMBQUXkI8ByBB0nC0/s640/IMG_8791.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KVTTA88WKQRdTMjBzONwXxLYx-k6k44U6HRAFW-R1k0iYx1pXyQKnUVOZP7d1btdd_EWx-g-4iNfsibwPVy8UH4tWXI6kWNvumc9X1ego9A8PgKKtBLvMQGRU5kwBsVJicW1wcAU4eE/s1600/IMG_8794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KVTTA88WKQRdTMjBzONwXxLYx-k6k44U6HRAFW-R1k0iYx1pXyQKnUVOZP7d1btdd_EWx-g-4iNfsibwPVy8UH4tWXI6kWNvumc9X1ego9A8PgKKtBLvMQGRU5kwBsVJicW1wcAU4eE/s640/IMG_8794.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so, so pregnant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoaK-qEEOTqSom32xZwsUQzv4BaANjEUDA1zLfyUBnKYnyMT6bVzNl5MKt-qJRst7nZ8GRuUPY_iCfaJoYVnV6_3taNxDD_Vs8ImC1WHMdRY3Vdn4Bq_kU1YS2fZjdAifOvTR_Vm5l6I/s1600/IMG_8834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoaK-qEEOTqSom32xZwsUQzv4BaANjEUDA1zLfyUBnKYnyMT6bVzNl5MKt-qJRst7nZ8GRuUPY_iCfaJoYVnV6_3taNxDD_Vs8ImC1WHMdRY3Vdn4Bq_kU1YS2fZjdAifOvTR_Vm5l6I/s640/IMG_8834.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-67481095108029815462011-11-19T01:51:00.001-07:002011-11-21T01:40:32.921-07:00Piano (Feb 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-SMCjVog6VLIbii5y0J_SKDZiGapFIw-9H9qkpvM0s99wtiRs2KOudYzRct2WLJof1M2XreyS4dKgGy-rPxeTxMe62MTw6lpSRx9Ke4npZtdUHA-BV4vO5_1xnInUqHwOmlWJI3UiEY/s1600/IMG_8262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-SMCjVog6VLIbii5y0J_SKDZiGapFIw-9H9qkpvM0s99wtiRs2KOudYzRct2WLJof1M2XreyS4dKgGy-rPxeTxMe62MTw6lpSRx9Ke4npZtdUHA-BV4vO5_1xnInUqHwOmlWJI3UiEY/s640/IMG_8262.JPG" width="448" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">what do you get when you combine birthday money from your parents, in-laws, grandparents, and grandparents in-law? </div><div style="text-align: center;">enough for a piano on craiglist!! </div><div style="text-align: center;">do i play? </div><div style="text-align: center;">barely. </div><div style="text-align: center;">but i love it. </div><div style="text-align: center;">so do the girls. :)</div><br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxjXdjfqIRM3MTePm4adNkrRZLrdZ5JmKZYkjmFOzAQUY8Lsati51-ZC_CaOnsvsONG-AAjNv6w_oY8Yow1IpwWXl2AnfdxWUDyUGHZsNFV0ZE71_JtNMW8ASxUeybCQFeLesbIf0zWM/s1600/IMG_8268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxjXdjfqIRM3MTePm4adNkrRZLrdZ5JmKZYkjmFOzAQUY8Lsati51-ZC_CaOnsvsONG-AAjNv6w_oY8Yow1IpwWXl2AnfdxWUDyUGHZsNFV0ZE71_JtNMW8ASxUeybCQFeLesbIf0zWM/s640/IMG_8268.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-80317531722633211432011-11-19T01:15:00.001-07:002011-11-21T01:40:32.926-07:00Madi Turns 4 (Feb 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxD1hGxyjclKEfjHbVihzx37BeeriM8aKXwFigtj0X4tjEhOQXSnsPKwQoemm7-f-FevBxKGvGlDPoW02XqwXm1O0Uef2kf2PlihlKjTOzCyfh6AIPGLFyru_zrvDqzFEGNG3Ck8_7h8/s1600/IMG_8444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxD1hGxyjclKEfjHbVihzx37BeeriM8aKXwFigtj0X4tjEhOQXSnsPKwQoemm7-f-FevBxKGvGlDPoW02XqwXm1O0Uef2kf2PlihlKjTOzCyfh6AIPGLFyru_zrvDqzFEGNG3Ck8_7h8/s640/IMG_8444.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">madison's 4th birthday party:</div><div style="text-align: center;">preschool friends- hallie, jackson, brylee, cohen, lauren, and parker </div><div style="text-align: center;">pin the the gold coin in the pot under the rainbow</div><div style="text-align: center;">duck, duck, goose</div><div style="text-align: center;">lunch</div><div style="text-align: center;">pinata</div><div style="text-align: center;">spin the bottle (to choose who gives their present to the birthday girl next :)</div><div style="text-align: center;">and rainbow cake, same as <a href="http://danielandmarie.blogspot.com/2010/03/lets-go-on-ride-bike.html">the year before</a><a href="http://danielandmarie.blogspot.com/2010/03/lets-go-on-ride-bike.html"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJP3IS17ch3dhPGIfnE7UyozeRsY8bU-8Q95OF-hulrBJzqBkpHazVLjM8IIYD_7hHcJV8G0izeNTL5pELy-vCdodt6YNt2MP1zgkTTmZWi3cUcKneplvll4T4i42ZtO3-qb9PffFcS4/s1600/IMG_8494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJP3IS17ch3dhPGIfnE7UyozeRsY8bU-8Q95OF-hulrBJzqBkpHazVLjM8IIYD_7hHcJV8G0izeNTL5pELy-vCdodt6YNt2MP1zgkTTmZWi3cUcKneplvll4T4i42ZtO3-qb9PffFcS4/s640/IMG_8494.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-4437532274735423672011-11-19T00:27:00.001-07:002011-11-21T01:40:32.931-07:00Lindsay's Visit (Feb 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDgNoye5Tjiw4B1y674ZKje3DkwtsPP9Sarq2o5gZ8zjfgGKRPLcu6kfvYdf7UjXlcxFLNdKNcPScxHg25lzrZp6-gRI0oQLtkIST_xGVP3Pk5Q79pvTzqRFAgbDaK_nLUbT9IuuwQT0/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDgNoye5Tjiw4B1y674ZKje3DkwtsPP9Sarq2o5gZ8zjfgGKRPLcu6kfvYdf7UjXlcxFLNdKNcPScxHg25lzrZp6-gRI0oQLtkIST_xGVP3Pk5Q79pvTzqRFAgbDaK_nLUbT9IuuwQT0/s640/IMG_8321.JPG" width="436" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">we LOVE getting visitors! lindsay came out and we did all our favorites - cosmo park, the carousel at the mall, the MKT trail, and bonkers. it happened to be madison's birthday and she was a huge help with that too. we miss you lindsay! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-65118191902852308492011-11-19T00:06:00.001-07:002011-11-21T01:40:32.939-07:00The Blizzard (Feb 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztvC0p4SiU0-Ylb5aawl9OJL87QEn_FinPfIdTnQpVgioyBHX0lwhnmHw8jDjIzqR4UAJSKXAL3DGcGav_PJMMookjOzefY9ozZtuEr6Xb9uafRlOerWzd8c-MFssLuSnX-fECN2yUtSV/s1600/IMG_8059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztvC0p4SiU0-Ylb5aawl9OJL87QEn_FinPfIdTnQpVgioyBHX0lwhnmHw8jDjIzqR4UAJSKXAL3DGcGav_PJMMookjOzefY9ozZtuEr6Xb9uafRlOerWzd8c-MFssLuSnX-fECN2yUtSV/s640/IMG_8059.JPG" width="576" /></a></div><br />
we survived and even enjoyed our first and only blizzard last winter. we stocked up on food and water, bought a camping stove in case the power went out, and weathered the storm at home. after it snowed 18 inches or so, Dan's clinic was canceled and we enjoyed time as a family for a couple days. dan spent hours and hours shoveling our driveway and helped the neighbors afterwards as well. it was an adventure!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-86263908426618435752011-11-18T23:43:00.001-07:002011-11-21T01:40:32.948-07:00Firsts (Feb 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDk6yEipFIQuJSknyPhufmPP3Lh8BsEG7xn826V1gJgNqsThCwgrFFdIEX0s_XN0-iSqjP5Qxj5i_95kY_E3_2hKjzSLftq0dhjxJW5CiYRwkT_jOW4zbGyWCNxKHfVtatrtz9jXQycf1/s1600/IMG_8011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDk6yEipFIQuJSknyPhufmPP3Lh8BsEG7xn826V1gJgNqsThCwgrFFdIEX0s_XN0-iSqjP5Qxj5i_95kY_E3_2hKjzSLftq0dhjxJW5CiYRwkT_jOW4zbGyWCNxKHfVtatrtz9jXQycf1/s640/IMG_8011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">first snowball to the face.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">first walk in the snow with boots and pants.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">first snow angel.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">first time sledding.</div><div style="text-align: center;">love the homemade sleds!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">and first snowman!</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-63933111094994218972011-11-17T21:24:00.000-07:002011-11-17T21:24:16.278-07:00Alive and Well<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/AVvXsEh-XmfohJLS0Rh064lEgyFOnWOwFaOQ4XS6XwNvAcZCEEG7d_9iijttGgx-Gpf_x8imt5uVc6kjzavrGgNccqg78d2pBpCYtu4uuBrw3b7xMBrdAnM4BGuzOPKwFxJCNNnNuGHagp0hCQoI/s1600/IMG_9785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XmfohJLS0Rh064lEgyFOnWOwFaOQ4XS6XwNvAcZCEEG7d_9iijttGgx-Gpf_x8imt5uVc6kjzavrGgNccqg78d2pBpCYtu4uuBrw3b7xMBrdAnM4BGuzOPKwFxJCNNnNuGHagp0hCQoI/s640/IMG_9785.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 2011</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">remember us? its been a little while - two months!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">excuses and updates are being saved for later (moles, mice, flooding, birthdays, a baby...). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we've been busy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">for now, enjoy our picture perfect fall afternoon a couple weeks ago. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">78 degrees</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">me and the kiddos</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">5 minutes from home </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the MKT trail</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">twin lakes </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">skipping rocks </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and bright fall leaves</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a spur of the moment decision turned into hours of fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">one of my favorite days as a mom so far.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7POP9Paz5GCTJ-USjWeL306yc09uZeTTA8kOwAUCY7idH_OzmTs_NV74NUONOOO2sECXgHGTAAAYHZ1fvrBIwrPmDHgk1J66iDIa-UAqJ4bBWqHIV5EPRmG3VBxpiEdktGGklhRATELK/s1600/IMG_9831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7POP9Paz5GCTJ-USjWeL306yc09uZeTTA8kOwAUCY7idH_OzmTs_NV74NUONOOO2sECXgHGTAAAYHZ1fvrBIwrPmDHgk1J66iDIa-UAqJ4bBWqHIV5EPRmG3VBxpiEdktGGklhRATELK/s640/IMG_9831.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0a0oFmCmDj4hYCc5m-lFZp193SuNx4Kp5_kscDsFaIJszMtWahRJydcGzsZ4GYD9B_j4mlfTMBU8v54f2dP9w-nb_0P0ISRI44J3S0HdfpF5mAiXq5NDMs27L9A7mE_a_nrQVnUd7ikOV/s1600/IMG_9835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0a0oFmCmDj4hYCc5m-lFZp193SuNx4Kp5_kscDsFaIJszMtWahRJydcGzsZ4GYD9B_j4mlfTMBU8v54f2dP9w-nb_0P0ISRI44J3S0HdfpF5mAiXq5NDMs27L9A7mE_a_nrQVnUd7ikOV/s640/IMG_9835.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-76066739002681928722011-09-21T22:43:00.000-07:002011-09-21T22:43:36.660-07:00Can't Get Enough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHtJ9FBm0qJ6RjxIE5LDhac-MgiJizYAVMUOrMLOWZyys9FqedUGVOCB53TbAfld3yvDQB_C5GrxYEAZt2e3X3o42OfNWUNQBwFJFLfJBzggd9xObhKvGJf6SyrfSjFRu9zINoYv8PFHo/s1600/jake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHtJ9FBm0qJ6RjxIE5LDhac-MgiJizYAVMUOrMLOWZyys9FqedUGVOCB53TbAfld3yvDQB_C5GrxYEAZt2e3X3o42OfNWUNQBwFJFLfJBzggd9xObhKvGJf6SyrfSjFRu9zINoYv8PFHo/s320/jake3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOW6cni_8NzW9xQ-TyV3m_YkJi-RGAewd4DY9QvSZDdSL-JXomh8uALZunsGNi040eegh0FrjXbSZTTP4IvCjQMOEYy6ELyqGkVly4PTTAt1rB1F8QluB-zNWnfCnzF_4N9mDy9MstQvz/s1600/jake7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOW6cni_8NzW9xQ-TyV3m_YkJi-RGAewd4DY9QvSZDdSL-JXomh8uALZunsGNi040eegh0FrjXbSZTTP4IvCjQMOEYy6ELyqGkVly4PTTAt1rB1F8QluB-zNWnfCnzF_4N9mDy9MstQvz/s320/jake7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVa8f2WVaw90IE6aTCH2H8s2oCJ3TXDmS7CQlJuCCsnK8WjuajXy3Zm8iW5nSfNQE-LcvvX7nI0eX8bIrVWFhbVoRVdSzfyA6gJTK2b4kQKoG2Qim4Gbv5eH0NcnRxX6SOKBuHsaszmOQ9/s1600/jake8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVa8f2WVaw90IE6aTCH2H8s2oCJ3TXDmS7CQlJuCCsnK8WjuajXy3Zm8iW5nSfNQE-LcvvX7nI0eX8bIrVWFhbVoRVdSzfyA6gJTK2b4kQKoG2Qim4Gbv5eH0NcnRxX6SOKBuHsaszmOQ9/s320/jake8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf543yaB5iTQlJwT3dNWkwzyZWQgro5QIc1718IGiGIBDNtxQBb2K4aQf0RP9iffYZUDCr2NvxajvtZZFHTtzM2yGEgqqUrerRHvTSq1KONLAK4j0Bi_aqJcIBZfJUV6uB4IODhRbSuweY/s1600/jake9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf543yaB5iTQlJwT3dNWkwzyZWQgro5QIc1718IGiGIBDNtxQBb2K4aQf0RP9iffYZUDCr2NvxajvtZZFHTtzM2yGEgqqUrerRHvTSq1KONLAK4j0Bi_aqJcIBZfJUV6uB4IODhRbSuweY/s320/jake9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">this kid is addicting. </div><div style="text-align: center;">cheeks. chub. eyes. smile. and laugh.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i just snuggle and smooch him all day long. </div><div style="text-align: center;">if having kids gets this much more fun every time... </div><div style="text-align: center;">we might end up with a lot. :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-14880191893600704212011-09-01T13:42:00.000-07:002011-09-01T13:42:23.091-07:00Girl's Got Spunk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjek4tfgaBZ8J4UAycf6exnuvrwClb5oF_9MP3T3w5Dqv8-lZkf6XiLqxXt8rzX6cCo30zSCNbdK8on3sQNR6wYnhRg8mRHpk5-DHyheskM8WIM60Gjbg7O5Cohb01hOOl0CM-Zuo6MhDAl/s1600/IMG_9146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjek4tfgaBZ8J4UAycf6exnuvrwClb5oF_9MP3T3w5Dqv8-lZkf6XiLqxXt8rzX6cCo30zSCNbdK8on3sQNR6wYnhRg8mRHpk5-DHyheskM8WIM60Gjbg7O5Cohb01hOOl0CM-Zuo6MhDAl/s640/IMG_9146.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this girl only has one volume and that's loud.</div><div style="text-align: center;">she bounces on two feet like a kangaroo, everywhere she goes.</div><div style="text-align: center;">she knows exactly how to push her sister's buttons and does it often and well.</div><div style="text-align: center;">she'd give anything to go to be a big girl and go to school.</div><div style="text-align: center;">she's feisty, stubborn, full of energy</div><div style="text-align: center;">and pays attention to jake in 7 second intervals. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">long enough for a quick hug, kiss, and picture.</div><div style="text-align: center;">works out perfectly. </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMEc_DhJDc7IMZ-EMWX8_CLk733QSSnm9EuC7GmsPP-Iic0zYhBsagJBnySJpQAk9wvZGYuDMoX5Qs23fe0spsdh-ZmwcHZZG3hb5Xh0b2zT4DvkANLFDULTjfn8NYJb5Bv4yjhjI5Wn9/s1600/IMG_9148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMEc_DhJDc7IMZ-EMWX8_CLk733QSSnm9EuC7GmsPP-Iic0zYhBsagJBnySJpQAk9wvZGYuDMoX5Qs23fe0spsdh-ZmwcHZZG3hb5Xh0b2zT4DvkANLFDULTjfn8NYJb5Bv4yjhjI5Wn9/s640/IMG_9148.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{jake at 6 weeks or so}</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-55373250784250329452011-08-25T11:29:00.001-07:002011-08-25T13:13:20.870-07:00If You Let the Camera Out of Your Sight...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE2drQjrY875usYkk4B78p3up2kYSCSm0fzScJYoe6wqFtccc4ZtM4BNHiRqh1Uu0X-WojIH1ZfbkXIz70hhEu_vdQanfz0Hdx5wfo3XPzaUhRJdle2iGlsImv2fGrxMrCakHvazEIrRr/s1600/IMG_9366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE2drQjrY875usYkk4B78p3up2kYSCSm0fzScJYoe6wqFtccc4ZtM4BNHiRqh1Uu0X-WojIH1ZfbkXIz70hhEu_vdQanfz0Hdx5wfo3XPzaUhRJdle2iGlsImv2fGrxMrCakHvazEIrRr/s640/IMG_9366.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">..... you'll later find several pictures similar to this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg21YbI268SKOh3JMCcTbvI342udI-DB5Atnpu9EPASBmojDcxUGtcfMYPHPjOay6iHxg8end9JD5Mu1d2VK9G2RjQjfsuz9OFohCfNf-WK-zWrVbx8wdrQB4RtUtq4jeBHmOAQPD5G34/s1600/IMG_9365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg21YbI268SKOh3JMCcTbvI342udI-DB5Atnpu9EPASBmojDcxUGtcfMYPHPjOay6iHxg8end9JD5Mu1d2VK9G2RjQjfsuz9OFohCfNf-WK-zWrVbx8wdrQB4RtUtq4jeBHmOAQPD5G34/s640/IMG_9365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">or maybe even a cute one like this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Jdb2bio7aTDxSePV99j1j6_1SgazQ1mu7NG4ozYdNR0T5wO56mahL2MGl0lpnrwrSmJHQ4pwnpgXggFW9L2rvWV4WKwmBNbMPjfHQZVnpHFfsR_d9MEKYKyPJbhAmdyPYBhYidZCE_Tc/s1600/IMG_9628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Jdb2bio7aTDxSePV99j1j6_1SgazQ1mu7NG4ozYdNR0T5wO56mahL2MGl0lpnrwrSmJHQ4pwnpgXggFW9L2rvWV4WKwmBNbMPjfHQZVnpHFfsR_d9MEKYKyPJbhAmdyPYBhYidZCE_Tc/s640/IMG_9628.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">but, if you're lucky, dozens and dozens and dozens will look like this. :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">happy <strike>friday</strike>! (oops, thursday!)</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-19940342634180221152011-08-24T15:02:00.000-07:002011-08-24T15:02:31.405-07:00Three Years and Good Traditions<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/AVvXsEjCGUYpbqJVjws3ABX5nC3v88RL5RqbchqScvITZXmqfIyrfkCaSdiFUiGKz3haUm0cBVDhRoBRK4rEdGmXsZGZKkSputpyD_y-4NgrUHVKAHipFLP8SaNDkI191aHvwtkhyphenhyphen3vBwF_NXbCa/s1600/three+years+balloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGUYpbqJVjws3ABX5nC3v88RL5RqbchqScvITZXmqfIyrfkCaSdiFUiGKz3haUm0cBVDhRoBRK4rEdGmXsZGZKkSputpyD_y-4NgrUHVKAHipFLP8SaNDkI191aHvwtkhyphenhyphen3vBwF_NXbCa/s640/three+years+balloons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mark and chris in a field near tremonton, utah - august 22</td></tr>
</tbody></table>i talked to my mom sunday night to see what their plans were for the 22nd. my mom and mark were going to be driving to yellowstone with hannah and chris, one final hurrah for the summer, so they planned to release balloons somewhere along the way - in memory of dallin, val (mark's wife), and my dad. dan and i agreed it would be the perfect way to include our girls in the day and keep it light and fun for them. <br />
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the girls picked out balloons, colored pictures and wrote "letters". dan and i wrote letters as well. i peeked at his before rolling it up and was quite touched at the depth and sincerity. i think i sometimes forget that even though it wasn't his immediate family members that died, he still loves them and misses them like i do. it was a great reminder - one of the best parts of the day for me.<br />
<br />
we drove to our favorite park, cosmo, braving the midday heat and humidity. we found a good spot, snapped a few pictures, counted to three, and let the balloons "float to heaven". madison asked me earlier in the day if they'd write us back. that's when your smile holds back the tears. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDdRf_MC6B3bPcpUXu16ih-8GxONsXYH-jl1pMGX7fG8z5I2jI5eBwFby3hKSkhATJ1ZWWw6-zZzCkAK_GuO44taOZNuz3lfX09seFOaxpj9gmf0JhIjMkzKto7aHOw0wiVG5WBIglvdb/s1600/IMG_9639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDdRf_MC6B3bPcpUXu16ih-8GxONsXYH-jl1pMGX7fG8z5I2jI5eBwFby3hKSkhATJ1ZWWw6-zZzCkAK_GuO44taOZNuz3lfX09seFOaxpj9gmf0JhIjMkzKto7aHOw0wiVG5WBIglvdb/s640/IMG_9639.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLyBsKvCVzrMHaTWeU97POKw44gbnJzzzceggUmpFBHjTjAmvELGZPaOMk7ujsXzbimpZ6Bbiepw1W6ax1fxIYBpoLZNrsfaU13PGozGRGTjxUlNqwZATY4C0F5ZO7i-AG0FwknRZujih/s1600/IMG_9643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLyBsKvCVzrMHaTWeU97POKw44gbnJzzzceggUmpFBHjTjAmvELGZPaOMk7ujsXzbimpZ6Bbiepw1W6ax1fxIYBpoLZNrsfaU13PGozGRGTjxUlNqwZATY4C0F5ZO7i-AG0FwknRZujih/s640/IMG_9643.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3nJnzkNOCZcs5FUw2QRvA_M_bRO4Jg31Zon0Hpf2d8AoyYeNZwL2w25e1SDkb9Qyqkbm1T_Q5b6-NPkwoBHZc9Ty274UmHKt7zHxNPjAeMZGaR8ipKkpUwY60opFy8R4WNN1l5Eccno7/s1600/IMG_9648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3nJnzkNOCZcs5FUw2QRvA_M_bRO4Jg31Zon0Hpf2d8AoyYeNZwL2w25e1SDkb9Qyqkbm1T_Q5b6-NPkwoBHZc9Ty274UmHKt7zHxNPjAeMZGaR8ipKkpUwY60opFy8R4WNN1l5Eccno7/s640/IMG_9648.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBMZwnoDOSVtui7JekH17saKxbyLUtHOeB5G51mh4aSjagMScn0ON-SQ3MCex4qlS_-3ovL8vnEkkD3jwPihnY3fwzMxRT_W70JHtsRqzGY1QChXx1BlyIWDK31bzNnRIIn2YXSOSge5z/s1600/IMG_9656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBMZwnoDOSVtui7JekH17saKxbyLUtHOeB5G51mh4aSjagMScn0ON-SQ3MCex4qlS_-3ovL8vnEkkD3jwPihnY3fwzMxRT_W70JHtsRqzGY1QChXx1BlyIWDK31bzNnRIIn2YXSOSge5z/s640/IMG_9656.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpn2uV1nDu5_UI8FNHZatYKqNAVzykVA6YyeXMzFOvH50wYY4a8k6zWOO1YQWTcTlsZypT4Da-8xYOyU1VLc5pgzRO5MNhbAXhpe0oEY3pccv9LcTT_tEsFU4M_PoqKJPU-9-keA8PU4a/s1600/IMG_9657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpn2uV1nDu5_UI8FNHZatYKqNAVzykVA6YyeXMzFOvH50wYY4a8k6zWOO1YQWTcTlsZypT4Da-8xYOyU1VLc5pgzRO5MNhbAXhpe0oEY3pccv9LcTT_tEsFU4M_PoqKJPU-9-keA8PU4a/s640/IMG_9657.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>we told the girls it was a special day to remember their grandpa and uncle since they are in heaven and can't be here. i'm grateful for the conversations this experience has allowed us to have with the girls. they know dallin and my dad are not alive but we haven't ever needed to talk about the crash or the airplane or things like that. we just talk openly about heaven and living with Heavenly Father and Jesus and that we can still be a family, together forever after we die. they believe it, accept it, and know its true. i'm grateful for the simple faith of children. <br />
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we had the missionaries over for dinner which is always a treat. we really enjoy these particular elders and it felt like a good addition to the day. did you know we stood up and sang "Called To Serve Him" as the closing song at the funeral? a beautiful, hard thing that seemed to end the program perfectly.<br />
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for dessert we had strawberry milkshakes - my dad's favorite. between the balloon release, missionaries and milkshakes, i think we've founded some pretty good traditions for the day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPf6Trj9q-qoZED5sDQ61Sbsg7Uj6nwvje4N2RdbvZchMzGGi2frIBOSmLaSU10r95CkvKOhoJ5k6jLb9yhHyw8dR3Guh4IyirjuypgSSWxMZw9gnUyVYzi7grollKBAn8bzCa5ZovPOd/s1600/IMG_9666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPf6Trj9q-qoZED5sDQ61Sbsg7Uj6nwvje4N2RdbvZchMzGGi2frIBOSmLaSU10r95CkvKOhoJ5k6jLb9yhHyw8dR3Guh4IyirjuypgSSWxMZw9gnUyVYzi7grollKBAn8bzCa5ZovPOd/s640/IMG_9666.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strawberry milkshake mustache - making grandpa proud</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
i'm grateful. really, really grateful. for a wonderful family and loving, righteous husband. for the gospel and the answers it provides and the peace that it gives me. for a plan that enables us to be eternal families and be with those we love forever. for the examples of hannah, chris, kamber, mark, and my mom. and for a life, that despite loss and heartache, is still full and makes me happy.<br />
<br />
Dad and Dallin - I love and miss you. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-82588044481553820182011-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:002011-08-21T20:19:12.095-07:00It's Hard To Put Into Words<b>April 23, 2010</b><br />
<br />
it's 2 am, utah time, and i can't sleep.<br />
my dad's suitcase from his mission in paraguay. i can't get it out of my head. i saw it sitting calmly on a shelf in the storage room of my parent's house tonight as i was looking for something. it triggered thoughts and memories. then again, just being in cedar does that.<br />
we have a full house tonight - mom and mark upstairs, with jacob and natalli {my cousin and his wife} in the guest room. hannah, dan, and the girls and i are taking up the three bedrooms downstairs. chris's bedroom is set up, ready for him to come home next month.{i know, next month. crazy.} dallin's room looks as it did in high school- his grandees hat still pinned to the bulletin. you would never guess that kamber and porter lived in these two rooms for almost a year.<br />
<br />
*************************<br />
<br />
<b>April 25, 2010</b><br />
<br />
i sang to madison tonight while tucking her into bed, just as she requested. <br />
"i love to see the temple", "i am a child of God", and "families can be together forever".<br />
perfect for the occasion.<br />
we've been in cedar this weekend and tomorrow we'll make the big trek home.<br />
its been hard.<br />
<br />
************************* <br />
<br />
<b>January 16, 2011</b><br />
<br />
december was a hard month - i was stressed and sick and tired and sad. i think it first started to creep in during thanksgiving weekend. i remember waking up that friday morning and saying to my mom, "i just feel kind of ornery today. i don't know why." it felt like being a moody teenager again. after several weeks i started to realize the why. i alluded to it <a href="http://danielandmarie.blogspot.com/2010/12/countdown.html">here</a> but couldn't ever find a way to put into words exactly what i was feeling. plus, december is saved for holiday cheer and i was like the grinch trying to disguise myself as an elf.<br />
<br />
i miss my dad and brother. i always will, i know that. but sometimes the swirling strength of those emotions is overwhelming. unfortunately it impacted me too much this holiday season. <br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
************************* <br />
<br />
today is august 21, 2011. tomorrow marks three years since my dad and brother passed away. three whole years. can you believe it? i can't.<br />
<br />
i've found it's harder to open up about it now. not them - i <i>love</i> to talk about dallin and my dad. but about my feelings and thoughts and how much i still miss them. its almost as if three years later, i'm surprised at how raw it still feels and that i should keep it to myself. so i mostly do. <br />
<br />
when i do try and write down what i'm thinking, like i did in the months following the crash, it usually results in unfinished posts, like above. they get saved away, never to be finished. but that's ok because there is a time and a place for everything.<br />
<br />
i'm ready for tomorrow to come and go. dan has the day off, madison has her first day of <i>real</i> preschool, grace and i will get some quality bonding time, the missionaries are coming over for dinner, jake fits in there somewhere, and on top of that we have some fun things planned to help make the day special. <br />
<br />
because we have some pretty special people to remember. skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-24268655335746446412011-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:002011-08-19T14:38:00.464-07:00Cousins<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/AVvXsEi5jawdFYZYihT79WRuTQ24F3wTxbviEDm2boj0qQX_XJ-b6IQQu3Ls3gR7oyr1aJS1yld2v3CGt1QoxEViEvVqJS4zoZIYXFoqHlLSq4uMTkPJ09g75T5YnjtlPGZjiPqnZdJhmMtMjp38/s1600/IMG_9546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jawdFYZYihT79WRuTQ24F3wTxbviEDm2boj0qQX_XJ-b6IQQu3Ls3gR7oyr1aJS1yld2v3CGt1QoxEViEvVqJS4zoZIYXFoqHlLSq4uMTkPJ09g75T5YnjtlPGZjiPqnZdJhmMtMjp38/s640/IMG_9546.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">august 2011 - kamber's house</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">i love, love, love living in columbia but one of just the few hard things is being so far from porter. </div><div style="text-align: center;">the girls miss their cousin! </div><div style="text-align: center;">(plus, now there's easton and soon-to-be emerson.) </div><div style="text-align: center;">these three ran, played, fought, shared, and rode the carousel together while we were in AZ. </div><div style="text-align: center;">it was so fun to see them interact and have fun. </div><div style="text-align: center;">can't wait till Christmas to get them together again! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkt6cA184ELNZBRqnhl806v1qWKm968gor6QrPtpyFbHE4vyhBpLnX0A1fsl6VVM6H-JUvYdnwzf2TeDkz-fnM26W3Z1zpDltlY1iCl0VHIQjm1bFQD3ZWjPMI6YUqE3k0TSgTrm_OcbV/s1600/IMG_9545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkt6cA184ELNZBRqnhl806v1qWKm968gor6QrPtpyFbHE4vyhBpLnX0A1fsl6VVM6H-JUvYdnwzf2TeDkz-fnM26W3Z1zpDltlY1iCl0VHIQjm1bFQD3ZWjPMI6YUqE3k0TSgTrm_OcbV/s640/IMG_9545.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHDDGt52N4FZ_WhAZTTn3JBmgqkZeI6RzslCsFRzwr2Z1MdcKKG-7NLwQeh_FovRvVEyM3aPIYF8dDIdGVLXGcHaDJffMSMDKMO0clirE3Us-Zwgeh2FMzr5AHNtfSvvibI4STf05OLZz/s1600/IMG_9544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHDDGt52N4FZ_WhAZTTn3JBmgqkZeI6RzslCsFRzwr2Z1MdcKKG-7NLwQeh_FovRvVEyM3aPIYF8dDIdGVLXGcHaDJffMSMDKMO0clirE3Us-Zwgeh2FMzr5AHNtfSvvibI4STf05OLZz/s640/IMG_9544.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">and we did happen to get a normal picture of them all looking happy. </div><div style="text-align: center;">maybe not smiling and looking at the camera, but close enough. :)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9evrvAiBiS71PoU1donuQ-4Ujbfap3S4q85LiKhkAENTM-s_9u5kxOVix-WeZhka5Qq-egACXi8xpw7i65G0llTJZctrI-y85WevWCcLsr-LO9-5R3JGaLuc6fpimQ6L64PqccamcwtSX/s1600/IMG_9556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9evrvAiBiS71PoU1donuQ-4Ujbfap3S4q85LiKhkAENTM-s_9u5kxOVix-WeZhka5Qq-egACXi8xpw7i65G0llTJZctrI-y85WevWCcLsr-LO9-5R3JGaLuc6fpimQ6L64PqccamcwtSX/s640/IMG_9556.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-36560703013082132792011-08-18T07:23:00.000-07:002011-08-18T07:23:09.675-07:00One Happy Mister<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4teLjN1aUF7pLF6d_E5nZVhGuH4eMNS4qwXpDYUPRGTlEt960MfjsyGPBURY9QblpUp4hYqi-lYeCa2QaBV5CU_rm3BBybFrn8zppnU8DJluU9bupZHJa6iVvs6F-z1aMbCgmCJWOd6z/s1600/instagram1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4teLjN1aUF7pLF6d_E5nZVhGuH4eMNS4qwXpDYUPRGTlEt960MfjsyGPBURY9QblpUp4hYqi-lYeCa2QaBV5CU_rm3BBybFrn8zppnU8DJluU9bupZHJa6iVvs6F-z1aMbCgmCJWOd6z/s400/instagram1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">when this little guy smiles it pushes up his chubby little cheeks and his whole face lights up. </div><div style="text-align: center;">i swoon. seriously. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">at almost three months he's in the 70% for height and weight so he's a hefty little dude.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i like 'em that way. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">we are crazy about him. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-89255842883591799232011-08-12T12:00:00.000-07:002011-08-12T12:00:05.454-07:00Humbledwe are busy. work, callings, and little ones. so, so busy. several weeks ago, before we left on our wonderful vacation to the west and to our families, i was ready to vent. to the blog or whoever would listen. i felt maxed out and i know dan did as well. <br />
<br />
thankfully, i caught my breath, found a reserve of energy and pushed on. <br />
<br />
then, just days before leaving town, we were asked to meet with a counselor in the stake presidency. we were anxious.<br />
<br />
when i heard him say to dan, "we'd like to call you as 2nd counselor in the new bishopric.", all i felt was peace. i looked at dan and thought of all his many responsibilities, all the things he's trying to balance, and all the things he'd like to do but doesn't have time for. yet i knew he would say yes and start serving. <br />
<br />
we weren't in town for the announcement or the changes but now we're back and the busyness has started right where it left off. <br />
<br />
the day before his new calling was extended, while he was still serving as elder's quorum president, dan found out at the last minute that a family needed help moving and it was super early in the morning. i tried my darndest to tell him he shouldn't feel obligated but he went anyway. i was wrong and i'll admit it. today a letter came in the mail, from the family he helped move that morning. <br />
<br />
"Dear Brother Skinner,<br />
We cannot express to you how grateful we are to you for helping us move. Especially knowing how busy you are between family, work, and your hectic calling, we are deeply humbled by the time you sacrificed to lighten our moving burden! Thanks again."<br />
<br />
i feel so humbled by this whole experience - the family's gratitude, the lesson i learned, and by dan's willingness to serve in any way that's asked of him. i know that the next two years will be even busier than i could have ever imagined. but they will be wonderful too. our family will grow stronger and be blessed because of his service. <br />
<br />
i am grateful for an incredible husband who works and loves and serves with everything that he has. i love you dan! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-88833662546612557492011-06-28T21:18:00.001-07:002011-06-28T22:32:50.086-07:00Jake's Arrival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtJUDXDhLt5QS-WFmTfpO__XaA-s2Bt17kse1oFG9omNjYWIlJx2bHzZ32xjWR1wfJbGHFdLPkF4WgLeCRjqJUj2dTGzd9EFC5ipDhowu-moJAVr2z_egjksK2ueaK6M9_IdnsFTmdZJP/s1600/IMG_9196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtJUDXDhLt5QS-WFmTfpO__XaA-s2Bt17kse1oFG9omNjYWIlJx2bHzZ32xjWR1wfJbGHFdLPkF4WgLeCRjqJUj2dTGzd9EFC5ipDhowu-moJAVr2z_egjksK2ueaK6M9_IdnsFTmdZJP/s640/IMG_9196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
this guy is getting chunkier by the minute so it's about time i write about the day he was born while he's still "little".<br />
<br />
a bit of background - my pregnancy with jake was pretty much by the book until about 37 weeks. i was standing up and saw/felt my belly move every which way and i thought maybe he flipped. after being checked the next day at my dr appointment and having a quick ultrasound, it was confirmed that he was breech when previous weeks he'd been head down. this led to a couple days of worry, questions, answers, a second opinion, and various options and risks. we decided the right thing for us would be to do an external version since we wanted very much to avoid a c-section if at all possible. we convinced my dr to do it earlier (38 and 3) than his 39 week standard, thinking a smaller baby is easier to flip. everything was scheduled for may 25th. an external version followed with an immediate induction or c-section. <br />
<br />
i was stressed and nervous, knowing we'd go into the hospital to have a baby but not how he'd get here. i felt much more calm after a priesthood blessing and knew everything would be ok, however it happened. we lined up our babysitters, scheduled visits/help from family, cleaned the house and waited for the day to come. after a nearly sleepless night we got up bright and early, dropped the girls off, and headed to the hospital.<br />
<br />
<b>7:30 am</b> - we checked into the hospital<br />
<br />
<b>8:00 am </b>- quick ultrasound to see if the baby flipped back by himself. no luck.<br />
<br />
<b>8:30 am</b> - i was given an epidural (it took forever and i was poked so many times. ouch!!) because the version can be quite painful and they want the mother prepped in case there is a need for an emergency c-section.<br />
<br />
<b>9:00 am</b> - i was given terbutaline as a muscle relaxant for my uterus to reduce the resistance as the dr tried to manipulate the baby.<br />
<br />
<b>9:15 am</b> - the dr came and externally felt around to find the baby's position, located his head way up at the top, and asked if he was about the same size as my other babies. i was looking at dan and in the middle of answering when it felt like the air was knocked out of me. he began to manipulate the baby, pushing and prodding, and before i really knew what was happening, the baby was flipped back into a head down position. it took less than 30 seconds and everyone in the room was really excited. i couldn't believe it happened so quickly. he had two nurses hold the baby in place while they double checked his position via ultrasound. everything looked good so the dr broke my water right then to start my labor going. he said i was 4cm but the baby was still high (i was 1 cm the week before so this was a surprise). at this point i was afraid to get my hopes up, thinking at any moment the baby would flip back around and we'd be back to square one. i held super still and kept my hands close in case i needed to suddenly hold him in place. :)<br />
<br />
<b>9:45 am</b> - i was given pitocin to push me into active labor.<br />
<br />
**during the next four hours: the pitocin kept getting upped and i was really comfortable and hardly feeling anything but the baby's heart rate had some questionable decelerations. again, in the back of my mind i kept wondering if a c-section was how this whole thing was going to end. he ended up being fine and we waited and waited for progress to finally be made.<br />
<br />
<b>2:00 pm</b> - this is when things got interesting. i was checked and finally at 6cm. then i noticed it was getting pretty stormy outside. (on the way to the hospital that morning i reminded dan that the chance of a tornado that day was the highest it had ever been since we moved to columbia. plus joplin, missouri had the F5 tornado come through their city just three days earlier- see pictures <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-201_162-10007861-31.html?tag=page;next">here</a>. it even hit the hospital.) the nurse started prepping the room and when she brought in the baby warmer she said a tornado had just touched down in sedalia, about an hour s/w of columbia. then the hospital intercom system came on saying code something (i didn't hear what), which means a severe weather warning. the nurse seemed pretty calm but pulled down a thick window shade as a precaution. i wasn't sure what to think at this point and asked her how often this had happened at work before. she said "never". i started to get a little bit nervous. we turned on the tv to watch the news and weather updates and that didn't help me calm down at all. what we heard was several rotating storm cells were southwest of columbia and they were issuing a tornado watch. part of columbia was in the projected path and the sirens were going off. i started to panic a little bit - here i am stuck in a hospital bed, numb from the legs down and hooked up to a bunch of machines, getting closer and closer to delivering this baby, texting our families to keep us in their prayers, staring at the weather report to see whats going to happen, and just hoping my girls were safely tucked away in my friend's basement. because of the tornado warning, they moved all of the moms and babies that were already delivered out of their rooms and into the hallway. i was far enough along in labor that they kept me in my room but turned the bed so i was facing the inside wall and raised the head so i was sitting up. this was in case of debris coming in the window. i was pretty shaken at this point. my dr's office is across the street from the hospital and his building was evacuated down to the first floor so he spent much of this time in our room. luckily and thankfully, a tornado never materialized and everything they did at the hospital was indeed just a precaution. thank goodness! at least the excitement from the storm made that hour pass quickly.<br />
<br />
<b>3:00 pm "ish"</b> - things started to settle back down as the worst of the storm passed and the room/bed were put back how they originally were. unfortunately, because i'd been sitting up, the epidural medication went down to my feet and wasn't very effective in blocking out the contractions. i was in a lot of pain so they gave me something else to help. i don't know what it was and i don't care - it worked and i was happy. :)<br />
<br />
<b>3:15 pm</b> - the nurse checked me once i was comfortable and said i was at 7cm. pretty soon after i could feel things changing. she had me try pushing once, called the dr, he came, and at 3:45 our little jake was delivered after two more pushes. six hours of labor from start to finish. healthy mom and healthy baby. not too shabby. <br />
<br />
random thoughts (as if this post isn't long enough):<br />
** though he was hardly mentioned, dan WAS there for the whole thing and i couldn't have done it without him. he kept calm amidst the craziness and was a huge support for me. plus he had the girls all to himself until our help arrived and did a great job.<br />
** during my stay at the hospital, nurses and other staff kept asking if i was "the mom with the successful version". i guess the good news spread quickly because versions don't happen often and even then the odds aren't always in your favor. we felt very grateful to be the exception! <br />
** last summer when dan's fellow residents were recommending their OB's, i picked a completely random one from the same practice. why? he was from tucson, went to the u of a for med school like dan, and while it seemed odd, i just felt good about it. it turned out that he performs versions when not all OBs do, and he has the second highest success rate out of the 14 dr's in his practice. tender mercy indeed!<br />
** i remember laying in the hospital bed, listening to the beeps of the machines and monitors and looking at all the things i was hooked to (antibiotic/fluid IV, epidural pump, blood pressure cuff, catheter, internal contraction monitor and fetal monitor - no less than six!), and feeling grateful for modern medicine. i know many women prefer a more natural route to childbirth but as strongly as they feel that's right for them, i know that how i do it is right for me. <br />
** and lastly, what a miracle it is bringing babies into this world! the whole process from start to finish is such an incredible thing to witness and be a part of. it strengthens my testimony of the plan of salvation, of the family, and of my Savior and loving Heavenly Father. i am so grateful for the blessing it is to be a mom and that we've been lucky enough to have these three little people join our lives and family forever.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">now on to the pictures!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuxT3qNkK5ql_z34gykTl1cMJWuf8aFcRn4dIkmSpy6xQaeqIIgBeiN73Sx4bBg5TGBrdrBHLe1KpGlLUFHH4yDZbrC_qvkqHFcrPUu4EPIahI8NnDEC0Gi_ze_fQ4WGunAi64a8h8jcn/s1600/IMG_8960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuxT3qNkK5ql_z34gykTl1cMJWuf8aFcRn4dIkmSpy6xQaeqIIgBeiN73Sx4bBg5TGBrdrBHLe1KpGlLUFHH4yDZbrC_qvkqHFcrPUu4EPIahI8NnDEC0Gi_ze_fQ4WGunAi64a8h8jcn/s640/IMG_8960.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">excited sisters!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dRUv4GaLPXYkD5AhM9m_fdbEaYtke1ibiSSZDO0CYhyJYVDb9g9xS1qkWCdh7fBkk06dt12P6rCO7mHnOtyb3EzJ5xNfe1CwzVtPuA_iqHwUbv8hvjfwWFJ7BpqUZx3HEBYSBwyK8-z6/s1600/IMG_8966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dRUv4GaLPXYkD5AhM9m_fdbEaYtke1ibiSSZDO0CYhyJYVDb9g9xS1qkWCdh7fBkk06dt12P6rCO7mHnOtyb3EzJ5xNfe1CwzVtPuA_iqHwUbv8hvjfwWFJ7BpqUZx3HEBYSBwyK8-z6/s640/IMG_8966.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PkO4t4FdA1nepvz4qeeDglrIApqK0ubYqEXkVuJeMHnihHvnepwYsflRylW7X3KAdSCdqyiVSYnsWywBnMkEU9zwYfWLTstwDAX0HcC3b9Qv4tHYp40FPkbSDWh9WseQxJoXbVileFR-/s1600/IMG_8976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PkO4t4FdA1nepvz4qeeDglrIApqK0ubYqEXkVuJeMHnihHvnepwYsflRylW7X3KAdSCdqyiVSYnsWywBnMkEU9zwYfWLTstwDAX0HcC3b9Qv4tHYp40FPkbSDWh9WseQxJoXbVileFR-/s640/IMG_8976.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">proud papa!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfGQt-JhFQAMyA8_g89edtZyNNA9plddwwwpy636SLAnwtJIjhy315s82_aad8tOgQGAxj0ZDPh6GOM1UhY4-gALFMm3xitbe7UYbkzCUznz1iVsMbmLMFZm5J-WXtUn-UrZWzcOKBQxL/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfGQt-JhFQAMyA8_g89edtZyNNA9plddwwwpy636SLAnwtJIjhy315s82_aad8tOgQGAxj0ZDPh6GOM1UhY4-gALFMm3xitbe7UYbkzCUznz1iVsMbmLMFZm5J-WXtUn-UrZWzcOKBQxL/s640/IMG_8937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoRzoyLnRa98vQv3VlbrvSZbbRHmskB076tWMdcL-77C-xYfRZm_2-Ad48UEIaZ5q5oYKstGionMP481IehChKrIse55gjSZWtnm2n0PgriDVnJPY67jGy8f8n4YPJ7SsDlFWdxRMVJyT/s1600/IMG_8941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoRzoyLnRa98vQv3VlbrvSZbbRHmskB076tWMdcL-77C-xYfRZm_2-Ad48UEIaZ5q5oYKstGionMP481IehChKrIse55gjSZWtnm2n0PgriDVnJPY67jGy8f8n4YPJ7SsDlFWdxRMVJyT/s640/IMG_8941.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">and now we have three kids. crazy. fun. and wonderful.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-11670477988507877632011-06-26T14:55:00.000-07:002011-06-26T14:55:18.106-07:00Newborn No Longer<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/AVvXsEgkgDcgkKFLbxwGNKJDRSXP8zMsZx9C2iApzle1p7i8kDMQZ1-IMCDYz4ZF1liKFFxaFpyycsKYQla3JismAjV0UtVQGDBcbGa7U1TlBhQQFBPxl-A-ZvZbZJNtSYr1tbkHAVBHV9TD7Brc/s1600/IMG_9117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgDcgkKFLbxwGNKJDRSXP8zMsZx9C2iApzle1p7i8kDMQZ1-IMCDYz4ZF1liKFFxaFpyycsKYQla3JismAjV0UtVQGDBcbGa7U1TlBhQQFBPxl-A-ZvZbZJNtSYr1tbkHAVBHV9TD7Brc/s640/IMG_9117.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{boots were a must for madison during the cicada invasion we had. she wouldn't step outside without them. }</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> jake is one month old (yesterday) and starting to get chunky. </div><div style="text-align: center;">time isn't just flying by anymore, its zooming straight past me. </div><div style="text-align: center;">i had high hopes for this post but if i try and type more than a few sentences, i fall asleep.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i. am. beyond. exhausted.</div><div style="text-align: center;">other than that, things are great.</div><div style="text-align: center;">so here you have it - a snapshot of our life with little old jake.</div><div style="text-align: center;">one month old and along for the ride.</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-16438849234217185912011-06-19T21:44:00.000-07:002011-06-19T21:44:47.300-07:00Father's Day 2011<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/AVvXsEjXf0K7AcLDmZ-1TwWcK7gYwTXCaEXia-ZxI8knGmJttDAe8yAJJ_UDm5u8fpLZLUxtAzWgHBRhfpd-bRSLQrQFu3NCXkB_CwfkvEjhYlUmzxzipJpB_bChoFYFoK8LMz1rEShV9wMbn5aO/s1600/Skinner09-b%2526w_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf0K7AcLDmZ-1TwWcK7gYwTXCaEXia-ZxI8knGmJttDAe8yAJJ_UDm5u8fpLZLUxtAzWgHBRhfpd-bRSLQrQFu3NCXkB_CwfkvEjhYlUmzxzipJpB_bChoFYFoK8LMz1rEShV9wMbn5aO/s640/Skinner09-b%2526w_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{june 2009}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>today consisted of:<br />
bran muffins, bacon, and oj <br />
illustrations of our family by madison and grace<br />
a questionnaire about dad<br />
(sample question- what does dad do when he's not with you? madison's answer - "wishes he could be with me". so funny!)<br />
a new shuffle<br />
and a new polo - purple w/ stripes, girls' pick<br />
church and meetings<br />
dad's choice for dinner - stroganoff<br />
and skyping with family<br />
<br />
dan barely had two minutes to himself today, which is pretty typical around here. hopefully amid the busy-ness he felt extra appreciated. <br />
<br />
i found these two pictures today. probably my favorite ones of dan <i>ever</i>. they capture him perfectly.<br />
<br />
i'm grateful for his example, for the way he leads our family, and how he tenderly loves the girls (and jake). he is an incredible husband and father and i'm so glad he's ours forever.<br />
<br />
Happy Father's Day Dan! We love you!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3p0MK_v0idGDC0qATNkNkoehAyLOS4rRhbVn5JPR8cSyitsocwbVFsDJ86gxeikzEYiW8WOKY0mSUnos7YLSIp50Sl8JdROAqK6ZSRH9Ac5oZcLIOXKITmRdhIYvZD2nOIS4JInAl0eE/s1600/Skinner09-b%2526w_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3p0MK_v0idGDC0qATNkNkoehAyLOS4rRhbVn5JPR8cSyitsocwbVFsDJ86gxeikzEYiW8WOKY0mSUnos7YLSIp50Sl8JdROAqK6ZSRH9Ac5oZcLIOXKITmRdhIYvZD2nOIS4JInAl0eE/s640/Skinner09-b%2526w_09.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{june 2009}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-38408021885029852732011-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:002011-06-14T19:48:53.012-07:00Officially Outnumbered<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimywJRYfbfozjjlJLTeX1toRu8RMbZjaXR0A1AhLq1I9JPLuhmo_dcaOaOi7C3Qs5XryaLOsYq_YCeHXmch_HNOifVvTHx_YMkrLD0CSLVkKdg-R7-hu2Dk7swNZ7nWpYoQ1JozIZ9Y4VT/s1600/IMG_9092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimywJRYfbfozjjlJLTeX1toRu8RMbZjaXR0A1AhLq1I9JPLuhmo_dcaOaOi7C3Qs5XryaLOsYq_YCeHXmch_HNOifVvTHx_YMkrLD0CSLVkKdg-R7-hu2Dk7swNZ7nWpYoQ1JozIZ9Y4VT/s640/IMG_9092.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{grandma skinner reading library books with grace and jake}</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
its been almost three weeks of sweet comments, congratulatory emails, meals brought to our home, thoughtful gifts, and visits from family. we feel lucky, blessed, and grateful. not in that order. the last of our help, dan's mom, left today. we're on our own and officially outnumbered.<br />
<br />
i. am. nervous. <br />
<br />
being the mom (and dad) to three little kids is hard work and exhausting. this evening, dan had his hands full as he bathed the girls and got them ready for bed while they asked for mom every step of the way. they knew i wasn't available (jake decided he was starving and couldn't wait another minute). i'm sure we'll have plenty moments of chaos in the future. <br />
<br />
but the small things keep us laughing about this crazy new phase of life for us.<br />
<br />
like poor jake peeing all over his own little face before i realized what was happening.<br />
grace bursting into tears as her grandma left today, saying "but she didn't say goodbye to sadie!" (our dog) <br />
or madison asking me, "when your stomach gets smaller, will you still have milk in your <i>two things</i> forever?" :)<br />
and just barely i pulled grace out of madi's bed because they're best friends and wanted to cuddle and sleep together.<br />
<br />
i'll take this sleep-deprived, chaotic new chapter of life. i think it's going to turn out pretty good.<br />
skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-281831640523815082011-06-06T20:09:00.000-07:002011-06-06T20:09:48.613-07:00Twelve Days Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIx-obxoWJwtqCVfqZnsdUuyStVRYACOVloe8dDhaCTXaDWIbAcG9I5Uk3wzJN56ehMZwXBHo1jW-iBFb6B9HiqefI1S6y_ra4naNnrGxwGULpPIFyM4j0R180FswcBLOjOVGMkelOWJFZ/s1600/IMG_9029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIx-obxoWJwtqCVfqZnsdUuyStVRYACOVloe8dDhaCTXaDWIbAcG9I5Uk3wzJN56ehMZwXBHo1jW-iBFb6B9HiqefI1S6y_ra4naNnrGxwGULpPIFyM4j0R180FswcBLOjOVGMkelOWJFZ/s640/IMG_9029.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
this little boy has stolen all of our hearts.<br />
he gets held, squished and cuddled all day long and none of us seem to get enough of him.<br />
<br />
i have lots of pictures and there's so much to write about - tornado sirens and warnings during labor, the art of "tucking it down", the comments from m and g about nursing and changing a boy's diaper, and how this little guy keeps reminding me of my dad and brother.<br />
<br />
but for now i am going to be content with one picture. the simple goal of keeping us all dressed and fed is enough to keep me plenty busy. plus i need plenty of time to snuggle with my sweet girls, husband, and little newborn. <br />
<br />
if only life had a pause button.skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-15298351416016613692011-05-26T15:32:00.000-07:002011-05-26T15:32:08.842-07:00Our Baby Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EdM8P6GZG1DDVp0V7e5ZJN94DVXyIEGsqVEj4OHskdWpM7AMMGM-Ta2E2prB9akXng7gfjBI21mRS1XwuExVvtio1KMaLgY3mBCVDRJCJcjdlzwFfBTHZZywmk7bSX_RBR17TBQC5J32/s1600/IMG_8956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EdM8P6GZG1DDVp0V7e5ZJN94DVXyIEGsqVEj4OHskdWpM7AMMGM-Ta2E2prB9akXng7gfjBI21mRS1XwuExVvtio1KMaLgY3mBCVDRJCJcjdlzwFfBTHZZywmk7bSX_RBR17TBQC5J32/s640/IMG_8956.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">meet <span style="font-size: large;">jacob daniel skinner </span></div><div style="text-align: center;">born may 25th at 3:45 pm</div><div style="text-align: center;">7 lbs and 19 in</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">yesterday was quite eventful but we'll save that story for another time. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">for now...</div><div style="text-align: center;">madison is in heaven and "can't believe he is ours forever and ever!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">grace has interest in 30 sec intervals and <i>really</i> wants to help me nurse him. </div><div style="text-align: center;">dan can't help but walk around with a proud look on his face and its adorable when he says, "hey buddy"</div><div style="text-align: center;">and i think little jake has the cutest nose that i've ever seen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">we're all in love with this new little boy over here and</div><div style="text-align: center;">can't wait to head home in the morning - all five of us!</div>skinnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04273303640102974865noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8223733189037331008.post-56345768314217508822011-05-20T12:30:00.000-07:002011-05-20T12:41:45.252-07:00Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hRc9YoDjYNoTYrW9Y2RLoGhpynhntzpDxnqpDdxUNsurOOiRayemqcvjpMvhsRHK54LgyreRL9goKOHTVHCUNX_nYVQkbe2qG-QAAnXQWv12d4FQtV6zADlyGeKDZb2BccdbSVgs8005/s1600/IMG_8640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hRc9YoDjYNoTYrW9Y2RLoGhpynhntzpDxnqpDdxUNsurOOiRayemqcvjpMvhsRHK54LgyreRL9goKOHTVHCUNX_nYVQkbe2qG-QAAnXQWv12d4FQtV6zADlyGeKDZb2BccdbSVgs8005/s640/IMG_8640.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{i have a lot to be thankful for!}</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>we are busy. i am tired. and the girls are as cute as ever. that about sums things up. but for the sake of posterity, a blog book, and family and friends that still occasionally check in on us, i'll elaborate a little more.<br />
<br />
-we finished stocking up on water and feel better prepared having a solid two week supply for the four of us. our three month supply of food is almost replenished (from moving last summer) and i just need to get organized with specific meals and rotating lists. a huge thank you to dan's parents for contributing to our emergency preparedness supplies for christmas - we're finally putting it to good use!<br />
<br />
-we got a new hot water heater for christmas, from my mom and mark, and finally listed our old one on craigslist and got rid of it. yay!<br />
<br />
-we've spent hours and hours doing yard work in the back including raking up 26 huge garbage bags worth of leaves. next fall we'll stay more on top of things and have much less to do in the spring! we bought, put together, and filled raised garden beds with top soil and hope to have everything planted by this weekend. i also have 90+ little vincas and marigolds to plant in various places around the yard. being 38 weeks pregnant is hindering my excitement to bend over that many times. :) <br />
<br />
-dan is still serving as the executive secretary while adjusting to the demands of being elders quorum president. we're all hoping that sooner rather than later he'll be down to just one calling. <br />
<br />
-madison finished her first year of preschool and loved every minute of it. this spring she was evaluated by an early childhood educator and qualified to be a peer mentor for title 1 preschool next school year. she scored 97% and 95% for her behavior/skills and will help kids with special needs. i am so excited for her and think she will do awesome!<br />
<br />
-on mother's day, madison sang with all the primary kids up on the stand. for her first time. i don't think she even noticed there was a chorister because she looked at us the whole time, grinning, in between singing all the words.<br />
<br />
-grace wants to do <i>everything</i> madison does. she can't wait to be in primary and preschool. last week she was invited to stay at school with madison and all the big kids and i don't know if i've ever seen her so happy (except for maybe <a href="http://danielandmarie.blogspot.com/2010/11/piggy-bank.html">here</a>). <br />
<br />
-grace is loving the nice weather and i often find her outside, barefoot in the grass with sadie. we quickly learned that our side gates needed locks after she ventured into the front yard and let sadie out a few times. she is our mischief maker and adventurer! she comes inside sweaty, with rosy cheeks, telling me all about the things she saw and did and has quite a talent for finding lady bugs.<br />
<br />
-we have really enjoyed spring with all the flowers and blossoms. we were pleasantly when daffodils popped up in our back yard and tulips in the front. our hibiscuses are getting bigger everyday and will hopefully bloom soon. this last week i bought gerber daisies, and a dahlia to plant in pots and planters along with the vincas and marigolds.<br />
<br />
-dan enjoys watching the show "shark tank" and recently saw a new product he was interested in called the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/CitiKitty-Cat-Toilet-Training-Kit/dp/B000F1OS20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305918020&sr=8-1">citi kitty</a>. he purchased it and it should get here any day now. i told him i get to tease about it as much as i want and then if he can successfully toilet train our two cats, i'll take it all back. <br />
<br />
-a pair of sparrows built a nest in our garage this winter and a couple weeks ago i heard a bit of commotion out there and found two little birds trying to learn how to fly. i figured between our dog and two cats they'd have a hard time surviving the day so we spent hours scooping the babies up off the ground and putting them back up high on the shelf. at the end of the day, one flew away with the parents and the other was left behind with a broken leg. we nursed it for three days, feeding it with an eye dropper, before it finally died. madison and i cried. grace said, "thanks for showing me the dead bird, mom." and rolled over to take a nap, unphased by it all. madison was devastated when i threw it away (we didn't want to bury it and have our dog dig it up) and said, while sobbing, "can't we just put it back in the next and let its parents deal with it?" we had a nice conversation about heaven and animals. :) <br />
<br />
-we hosted a bbq with most of the residents and their families at our house (20+ people). i was nervous but everything turned out well and everyone loved the chicken dan grilled. we played some golf toss, watched the kentucky derby, and enjoyed eating and visiting outside in the gorgeous weather. they were sweet to spoil us with some cute baby clothes and accessories as well.<br />
<br />
-our families have a lot going on as well: my sister hannah is currently spending 6 weeks in belize with a service organization, my brother, chris, has four weeks of boot camp for the air force coming up, my mom and mark have started building their new house out in new harmony, and dan's brother, brett, is returning home in june from his mission in brazil. we also have kamber and shane's new baby boy joining the family in july and stephanie and robert are due with a little girl in oct. a lot of exciting things happening! <br />
<br />
-as far as this pregnancy goes, we are at the tail end of things, thank goodness! i'm officially 38 weeks and counting down. we found out this week baby boy is breech and that was a huge bummer. after a lot of talking, praying, and second opinions we decided to schedule an external version on may 25th (after giving me an epidural, they'll try to manipulate the baby so he'll turn head down). immediately after i will either be induced or have a c-section, depending on whether or not the version is successful. my doctor said our chances are 50/50. we have our fingers crossed! <br />
<br />
this random list of things hardly covers everything we've been up to but it gives you an idea. like i said, we're busy and i'm tired. but life is good and i wouldn't change anything (except this baby boy being flipped back the right way!!). i'm trying to soak up the small and simple moments before life changes with a new baby next week. but we're very excited for everything about to happen and can't wait till this little guy makes his big debut!<br />
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