tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76903570557923224272024-03-05T16:28:40.643-08:00Text Messages To GodLife. Adoption. Homeschooling. Just being a MOM.Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-79994143361394948082016-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:002016-05-12T10:37:00.053-07:00I Hate Fold Out Doors<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4mWov3STUlmZPSfjm6gBOPKNE08ii2wXRF2JbtiGUtUFn4Cq8g7wwAEfm_B241xvj1_Z40kFsyqpsBAFH3ciwR2uTqq_W4K39_5Oigs6TIK8DIYx109giIci7ia3bj1KaqI2r0b4fw4/s1600/20150413_144336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4mWov3STUlmZPSfjm6gBOPKNE08ii2wXRF2JbtiGUtUFn4Cq8g7wwAEfm_B241xvj1_Z40kFsyqpsBAFH3ciwR2uTqq_W4K39_5Oigs6TIK8DIYx109giIci7ia3bj1KaqI2r0b4fw4/s640/20150413_144336.jpg" width="360" /></a>Yep, I'm not going to lie. I REALLY HATE fold out doors. Closet doors should be easy to keep shut and these atrocities seem to be open constantly. Especially when it's your pantry doors. I love my kitchen. LOVE IT. However, the doors on my pantry made me crazy because they seemed to beckon my children to them..."sneak food here, little children, and make lots of messes" (insert creepy, whispery voice). See? Now you can agree with me, these had to go. What's funny to me is that I hate these white doors, yet pursued a white kitchen. I even painted the doors to try and boost my kitchen appeal which was only met with sadness and the feeling of failure. But hey, it was a nice try. And yes, I do know that the sign 'Kitchen' is off centered. Character, people. LOL. So, because my parents were staying with us for a short time while they purchased their land in Wyoming, they got to help me redo these wretched doors. Like many of my ideas, my dad and husband were very resistant. However, because I usually get what I want, I struck fear in both of them using my FAVORITE word phrase, "Alright, no problem. I'll just do it myself." Not sure why, but this usually ignites action. Huh. Anyhoo, here it is.<br />
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This was the attempt at doing a helpful color splash with notsogreat results. Then, because I LOVE bead board and wanted to have a balanced look in my kitchen, I told my dad I wanted to put it on top of the fold out doors. He looked at me like I was crazy and sighed, knowing that unless he proves to me that it won't work, I'll continue to haggle him about it. (Wait, this cannot be where my children get it!? GASP!?) So we went ahead, bought the extra panel of bead board, and went about adhering it to the top of the doors. Guess What!? IT WORKED! Liquid nails and some finishing nails around the exterior secured those panels really well. The doors are heavy. I didn't want them just hanging open, so we bought the stronger magnetic cabinet door latches and put one on each door and added a door stop on the top of the frame to catch the doors and latch them closed. I know that the barn door style is in and I had originally wanted the doors to slide. Big problems there. I have zero room for them to slide without hitting a fridge or going past the wall and having a child run into the door and rip the door off the wall and whatever else could happen there. LOL you know exactly what I'm saying there. We got hinges and attached the doors this way and because I ran into the same astronomical pricing for barn door handles, I had to find a different option. Home Depot had decorative garage door handles...$12 for the pair!? YES, THANK YOU!? Otherwise I was on my beloved amazon, only to find that the cheapest 8" handles were around $36 for ONE handle...again, choke, cough, sputter. Even if I had the money to do that, I still wouldn't. Decorative Garage Door handles it is! Thanks, Home Depot!?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3bNDGQzCXUPSW_yTwRQzXNFwUyCyDORFd0lTLOIj3FFi6-xBmFAHNevT15v6m8GEz36OjFDzwJrKSPk92T8Oso9Q4NAIgsby4naP0jRSy1D7q_muItFtYYYV9qQFVh5MOYiI4cKT5ec/s1600/20160418_152013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3bNDGQzCXUPSW_yTwRQzXNFwUyCyDORFd0lTLOIj3FFi6-xBmFAHNevT15v6m8GEz36OjFDzwJrKSPk92T8Oso9Q4NAIgsby4naP0jRSy1D7q_muItFtYYYV9qQFVh5MOYiI4cKT5ec/s320/20160418_152013.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZX-FsCmMWIUKsw-OjqOBDXTA9ikKPK00GUv8-oRhiUd7RppozZaL4MRf4IQLAtYbVw-bHYwZlq0ks1OPq84cY8TSDnf7cXtDI9xjezUwwExwyDTp40Oi5BHz2TVoMSY-8YvsWea4SXg/s1600/20160418_195958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZX-FsCmMWIUKsw-OjqOBDXTA9ikKPK00GUv8-oRhiUd7RppozZaL4MRf4IQLAtYbVw-bHYwZlq0ks1OPq84cY8TSDnf7cXtDI9xjezUwwExwyDTp40Oi5BHz2TVoMSY-8YvsWea4SXg/s320/20160418_195958.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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So you can see again the difference the Primer looks next to the Shoji White. Still amazes me. There yah have it. My pantry door make over. </div>
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-91912813491839735172016-05-12T10:09:00.001-07:002016-05-12T11:07:00.633-07:00You Painted That??We moved into our new house in 2013 and I was in love with it from the moment we walked in. I will also say that I love the people we purchased it from, though our decorating colors were very different. I don't think this is out of the ordinary, but I was definitely looking forward to putting my own stamp on our home and making it my own. There was A LOT of painting since 2 primary colors, red and yellow, were all over the house. These two colors make me hyperventilate. In fact, I HATE these colors. I love splashes of color, but whole walls sent me running to the garage in a few panic attacks when I wasn't able to get everything painted when I wanted to. Again, let me tell you, I like splashes of these colors. I LOVE COLOR. But anyway, more on that later when I show you the other room transformations. Today is our Kitchen! (please excuse the mess)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXZ57-AT-wurRvfGMbeAcpf_MwtUeb-Z55R-3GETFl8zoLavIzpoTYLByC6cLarM9h_RfVc0Ta-URy5FWvHA6x5Pl50neAg6m8vwO3L7DhOdhkMQWRu2O48XCD0mAsowZ8EwSFdECcU0/s1600/20151103_185439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXZ57-AT-wurRvfGMbeAcpf_MwtUeb-Z55R-3GETFl8zoLavIzpoTYLByC6cLarM9h_RfVc0Ta-URy5FWvHA6x5Pl50neAg6m8vwO3L7DhOdhkMQWRu2O48XCD0mAsowZ8EwSFdECcU0/s400/20151103_185439.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our home was built in 1995, so we still have the original everythings. Including the original cabinets. They are oak and very well made, but definitely DATED. (My mom loved them and begged me not to mess with them. Clear red flags of dated pieces lol!) They were also DARK. And while I have a very open floor plan, the kitchen was very dark. We are only the 3rd owners of our beautiful home, so I'm actually honored to know that anything that has been done has been done pretty well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumNO9M81PW9gbl9j0ahDzMtsfeArLGSWJfXf9RW6gK1Bbjz1doISt9Qwi33UHBFN4qsnwtat6ZF1jfAlxLYLQPeF1EARzinzRaTX3nbqe1poUgeQBR1wsxE4YtPXPqmTdY9ZRJ1EMiHM/s1600/20151121_105412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumNO9M81PW9gbl9j0ahDzMtsfeArLGSWJfXf9RW6gK1Bbjz1doISt9Qwi33UHBFN4qsnwtat6ZF1jfAlxLYLQPeF1EARzinzRaTX3nbqe1poUgeQBR1wsxE4YtPXPqmTdY9ZRJ1EMiHM/s400/20151121_105412.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFN-wAigW0juYRDkb-MiI5EE6eFOaR0Hj634vuwHr49bRf1AbEoEKmhHPRTXS8WSol5zrNSG0Riotj2knxnKapVgWWgug86HEczhqz3AOlPYlgDDgWZmPXPN2eKNYqeIlfbqkQEFdJVU/s1600/20151121_135611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFN-wAigW0juYRDkb-MiI5EE6eFOaR0Hj634vuwHr49bRf1AbEoEKmhHPRTXS8WSol5zrNSG0Riotj2knxnKapVgWWgug86HEczhqz3AOlPYlgDDgWZmPXPN2eKNYqeIlfbqkQEFdJVU/s400/20151121_135611.jpg" width="400" /></a> And I'll go ahead and throw this out there: I HATE OAK CABINETS. I remember my Grandma having them in her kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my Gran. I just hated her kitchen cabinets because it always felt like you walked into a dungeon when you were helping her cook anything. However, the one good thing about oak cabinets is that you never really can see when they're dirty. Coffee is a hidden offender as well as grubby little fingers who didn't bother to wash before opening any of the doors. I know there was hardware on them at one time before we moved in because you can see the holes in the corners. I will also say how much I love the layout of my kitchen. I can see directly into the family room and out to the back yard. I have plenty of cabinet space as well as counter space. Yes, I LOVE my counter-tops. They are in fact, granite tiles. I have always thought they were gray, black, and white, but I have since learned that there is also specks of green. To be totally honest, I still don't see it. I don't love my sink...I have recently been a little obsessed with Fixer Upper and LOVELOVELOVE Chip and Joanna Gaines. So now I want a farm sink. Thanks a lot Fixer Upper!? But until I have $12,000 to do a counter remodel, mine will have to do. Also, please forgive the mess. I wasn't intending on blogging my kitchen remodel, but because so many have asked how I've done it and were shocked THAT I've done it, these are the pictures I had taken during the chaos. Keep in mind that it would have taken me a lot less time had I not been homeschooling 4 children at the time and getting ready for Christmas company while taking on this kitchen project. On the other hand, that was my deadline, so I was bustin' my butt!<br />
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Okay, so you can see that I have a lot of kitchen to cover. We had had someone come in to give us a quote on what it'd cost to have our kitchen cabinets painted...the grand total was about $1200. How about NO. First of all, we still have to refinish our hardwood floors to the tune of the same number and my rule is that if I can do it myself, look out, I WILL. These words strike fear in my husband because he's not always sure how I will accomplish a project or how much it will cost him. I figure that no matter what, it's not going to be a grand. While asking questions for what the professional would use, I gleaned that ONLY Sherwin Williams paint will do. And for those of you biting your nails from anxiety, wanting to know, OMG DID YOU HAVE TO SAND THOSE!? NO. I did not. In fact I also learned that you don't have to sand down cabinets anymore. This was huge for me because I don't have the time either. Let's be honest, WHO DOES!? Admittedly, I did have to sand a few parts simply because of normal wear and tear and white shows more flaws. Plus when we took the crown molding off the tops, there were a few holes I had to fill and scuffs I didn't even know were there because oak hides a lot! So what did I use to get the cabinets ready? Instead of sanding, we used <a href="http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/m1-paint-deglosser-and-prepaint-cleaner/?referringCategory=equipment-supplies/cleaning-supplies/cleaners/&N=1045677058">Sherwin Williams M1-paint Deglosser and Prepaint Cleaner</a>. Hubby and I took the cabinet doors off and started by scrubbing them with steel wool. Then I took paint clothes and just wiped them down. That was a task all in itself because we have so many doors. Now, because I have NEVER done anything like this in my entire life (even while helping my parents when we'd move into fixer upper homes growing up), I wanted to make sure this was something I could do and have it turn out right. The kitchen is a place that EVERYONE sees, so it must be done properly or I'll be out my own costs and paying a pro to come in...so I started with the 3 upper cabinets on the catch-all desk area. Then after talking with the professionals at Sherwin Williams, I had to get a quality primer so that the paint would stick and the sheen would be correct. I like a little gloss, but knew that I didn't want too glossy so I wouldn't need sunglasses while cooking. I used <a href="http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/multipurpose-primer/">Sherwin Williams Multipurpose Primer</a> and you can see the difference in the picture below. The door on the right only has 2 coats of primer and the door on the left has the primer with 1 coat of the white paint on it. Huge difference, right?<br />
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When I began my quest for what I wanted in my kitchen, I fell in love with the white cabinets and cottage look. However, I needed something durable and a white that wasn't going to blind me every time I walked downstairs. I also wanted paint that I could keep clean without having to repaint any time we used the kitchen. Children are REALLY hard on kitchens. I was on pinterest a little too much, but found Shoji White. There's at least 40 shades of white and I also had to keep in mind that I didn't want there to be a yellow tinge (obvious reasons there) and I have gray walls...and super white trim...how to choose a white shade? Seriously?! It's white for crying out loud, but I found out quickly that it was really an important decision.<br />
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So when I went into Sherwin Williams, I was expecting that I'd been spending a lot of money and having to buy A LOT of paint. I expected to purchase at least 2-3 cans of white since my kitchen has a lot of doors. You're not going to believe this, but I only bought one can of the primer and one can of <a href="http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/proclassic-interior-acrylic-latex/">Sherwin Williams Proclassic interior acrylic latex paint</a>. GUESS WHAT!? I STILL HAVE ALMOST HALF THE CAN LEFT! I couldn't believe it. I wasn't skimpy on the coats either. I bought the foam rollers and rolled both the primer and the paint on. I used a brush for some of the grooves of the doors, but when applying the 2nd coat of primer, I used the roller so I would avoid brush strokes. Since the doors turned out to my satisfaction, I began tearing apart the rest of the kitchen. Holy hot mess, Batman. Yikes.<br />
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The microwave was also really low, so when we took off the crown molding, I had my husband raise the microwave 4 inches so I could use the back burners without burning my arms. I feel like it gave the kitchen a bit more character and dimension by doing this. Plus I haven't burned myself since Christmas...it's a beautiful thing.<br />
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Alright, before I get any input, let me just say that I don't care about the inside of my cabinets. I don't have any glass front doors, so I didn't feel that it was necessary for the inside to be painted. Also, we didn't have a paint sprayer, so it would have been way more hassle than I could have imagined. Therefore, painting the inside was discussed and vetoed. If someone is looking in my cabinets to criticize whether or not the inside of my cabinet is painted, we can't be friends. LOL.<br />
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As you can see, it was definitely a process.<br />
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Oh my gosh, I have never really had a project so time consuming like this before. I've taken on painting rooms and doing themes, but this was tedious, EXHAUSTING, & sucked the life out of me by the end of 2 weeks.<br />
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Progress would have been a lot faster if I could have just focused on this for a whole week, but running kids to sports, schooling, and general house stuff, yowzers, it took longer than I wanted.<br />
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I also had decided that I wasn't going to paint the outside of my cabinets, other than the front, because I had decided to do bead board. I LOVE BEAD BOARD. I love the look, I think it adds great texture to boring cabinets, and I've always wanted to use it. So I talked my husband into putting it on. He wasn't so sure putting it on the sides of the cabinets would turn out how I was hoping, but like a good sport, he went along with it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JabrkD1WHzicHyjIIViQXVhXMZEafvZkIF_4riUPhdro1ijd8yDKm3opE8xiXHPYi9XQSBG0l-6eyPHyC3Zorj__foj3IKK9nIMVulK9STF8zFEGXN9LBPOLtwa6eKFR0ZU0O3XydAk/s1600/20151207_171719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JabrkD1WHzicHyjIIViQXVhXMZEafvZkIF_4riUPhdro1ijd8yDKm3opE8xiXHPYi9XQSBG0l-6eyPHyC3Zorj__foj3IKK9nIMVulK9STF8zFEGXN9LBPOLtwa6eKFR0ZU0O3XydAk/s400/20151207_171719.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Here he is helping me as I was clapping in excitement that it was looking EXACTLY how I had hoped!!! Look how GREAT this looks!!! The trim really shows the difference in the whites that I used.<br />
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So, if you notice the hardware...if I may make a suggestion: DON'T BUY IT IN THE STORES! Holy crap, it was between $4-$6 (or more if you have expensive taste) FOR INDIVIDUAL HANDLES!? UNREAL!? I mean, maybe I should have been prepared for that, but I wasn't. My best friend said to check out amazon. This was in my pre-amazon days of sadness, before I knew the joy of amazon and amazon prime. SAVED MY SANITY. I purchased our hardware for $2/piece with free shipping. HALLELUJAH. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHwsKG0mw_irz9ZT4zmx4lGeI5IZWcfaExJX4vA1i76hEZIFWuQv9OZtMVW-v0FZpqp9lTSA4IwKGfkBQTxJ5qOLKmg5ASkZaZbPU8iy-O1ab0DtrTqTnxoQUEGBvMlE_8CvddSQdaGQ/s1600/20151214_122937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHwsKG0mw_irz9ZT4zmx4lGeI5IZWcfaExJX4vA1i76hEZIFWuQv9OZtMVW-v0FZpqp9lTSA4IwKGfkBQTxJ5qOLKmg5ASkZaZbPU8iy-O1ab0DtrTqTnxoQUEGBvMlE_8CvddSQdaGQ/s400/20151214_122937.jpg" width="225" /></a>I also wanted to dress up the space with a curtain that would make the area pop. On a whim, I went to Walmart to see what kind of brighter fabric I could find and saw this granny apple green with the white lines and thought, "Meh, I'll give it a shot." I was laughing when I hung it up because it was exactly what I wanted and I bought the fabric for $2/yard. </div>
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All in all, I spent $25 for the primer. $69 for the SW paint. $12 for the Deglosser. $10 for rollers and roller sponges. $8 for rags. $50 for hardware. $5 for curtain fabric. So around $200 (including tax) for everything. See? If I can do it, SO CAN YOU!!!</div>
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Mama's happiness? </div>
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PRICELESS!!! </div>
Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-66118991770014139002015-04-17T21:29:00.000-07:002015-04-17T21:29:03.721-07:00Go Fund Me...a new way of fundraising Well...I have a confession: I'm stuck. I'm at a point where I honestly hate Facebook & it frustrates me that there's not a lot I can do without getting back on there. Many have said, "Just get back on for a short while & post your gofundme on there & get more donors." Ugh...super discouraging when my spirit & heart rebel at the very notion.<br />
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I was rereading our own story of how Josh's adoption process unfolded in this beautiful, amazing story. And the words I wrote to encourage others seem almost alien to me & as though someone else is encouraging me. It's been a rough month of feeling so disconnected & so busy with paperwork, feeling like...God, is this really going to happen? Our DEAR friend encouraged me in such a way that as I read these words, I knew they were scripture, but I heard them as though Jesus sat across from me, hot cup of coffee in hand, & spoke to my bruised heart.<br />
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"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT)<br />
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Wow. Straight to my heart...<br />
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DON'T GIVE UP. Don't be discouraged. BE Strong & courageous. Strong...what does strong look like right now? It looks like me not trying so hard to make something happen...to actually take that step back & allow God to do His thing...not mine. What does courageous look like? It looks like strapping on my spiritual armor & overcoming the thoughts that assail my heart, telling me it's too hard, I heard the Lord wrong, & accepting defeat. No, I can be courageous by taking those thoughts captive & determining to follow the Lord when it doesn't make sense what we are trying to accomplish. I'm courageous when I decide to TRUST the Lord's calling.<br />
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So can you. Adoption is that one situation that doesn't make sense to anyone. LOL it is a God-given desire that is unbelievably hard & beautiful. It gives one pause to think how intimate each scripture is when God calls us sons & daughters, that we are ADOPTED. It's such a hard hard process, one that means we are willing to sacrifice because we want that child. We ache for that child. We are anxiously looking & waiting for that child. OUR CHILD. The ones not born of my womb, but absolutely planted deep in my heart. There IS NO DIFFERENCE. I look at all my children & I can't imagine life without them. They are all MINE. Their skin color makes no difference to me. And this waiting for our children yet to come home is TOUGH! All we can do is prepare. Dream. Hope. PRAY.<br />
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"If He wants something to happen, He will make it happen. If I may, even though it looks like that's the best way to get the word out, it's a "chariot". "Some trust in chariots...but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. My point is, trust Him. I pray you have peace with His timing and answer. Love that song, "if there's a road I should follow, help me find it. If I should be still, give me peace for the moment." You have great faith! Let it grow." (Thank you, my sweet Sister.)<br />
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May we TRUST in the Lord, our God.<br />
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-64099965841540427352015-04-14T22:52:00.001-07:002015-04-14T23:07:43.554-07:00A year...Already?Yikes, so clearly I've been WAY too lax on my blogging. Truth be told, I've been a bit busy, so I do apologize for the last year getting away from me. However, now that my kids are all in bed, hubby is reading, and I've got a few moments, I thought I'd at least update you all.<br />
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2015 started out with a bang...and not a hooray kind of bang, but a BANG...you are down. "And another one bites the dust..." we all got the respiratory influenza. IT.WAS.AWFUL. Rob must've brought it home from work because on December 19th, he was feeling pretty crummy...and to my horror, so was Josh. Both running a high fever. SERIOUSLY. And, like every domino effect, it was like I woke up to another kid coughing and high fever. I was waiting patiently for my turn. Fortunately, I was not lucky enough to just get the flu, but a raging sinus infection more intense than I have ever had in my entire life...an impromptu date night for my hubby and I as we sat in the ER lobby. Anyway, that lovely little sick stint lasted until the end of January when Josh was sick again, but we didn't find out until the beginning of February that we all had RSV. I'm telling you, FIESTA AT THE RIGGINS. Josh narrowly avoided being admitted to the hospital when he barely got his pulse ox up above 90...since we haven't had RSV, I had NO IDEA that it could even happen to children older than 3. Poor Joshy, he got to spend his 3rd birthday sick. But it meant that there wasn't a whole lot of hype around here. He's gotten so big. He's 43lbs of solid muscle and WAY too smart for his own good. I believe that having older siblings contributes to most of his word usage...such as when I asked him what I smelled...referring to the stank following him, he responded,"I don't smell anysing mommy. Das you!" For which I shook my head and said,"No, I'm pretty sure you pooped." That's when he turned to look me in the eye and with an attitude cock of his head,"Mommy, das ridiculous." LOL Wow, Its a good thing he is so dang cute, it could get real ugly real fast in our house with that kind of sass.<br />
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My kids are GROWING LIKE CRAZY!!!!<br />
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Oh my gosh. We are in the throes of puberty. Yeah, seems like that couldn't be true, but according to studies, kids are hitting puberty faster and EARLIER. Wanna see my husband have a meltdown? Relating why I'm going shopping and what I'm shopping for has been hilarious watching his reactions. Apparently he wasn't ready for all this growing up stuff either!!! My oldest, Natty, has been a complete FISH this year. She has been apart of a local swim team and has completely knocked it out of the water...pun intended! She's been exploding in awesomeness with her form. She is built like her mama, poor thing. Short, but FAST. Her breast stroke and butterfly are her strongest strokes and she's amazed her coaches as well. I don't know anything about swimming, except not to do it with sharks or dangerous animals...but watching her improve has been so amazing. I'm always shocked at how smart she is. Not because I think any of my children are dumb or unintelligent, but her ability academically is incredible for a 10yr old. The sass has been taken to a whole new level and I'm fairly certain that if I ever died or was incapable of being mom, that she could take of. She's basically sure she could too, and often likes to practice her skills on her siblings...no need to mention how much they HATE it...LOL<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpL-anAMPYz6GbyqQ5PZt3Q225cf_21z3JTOkbaC2y-L6fcNqFmiei_DR4Fyk3gnq2ZT1ak1QK2eqMNtq1dvg88UG8N6pxZztLXaDJ_i5N4NFy3QKPf3HugHY6-X6KAMDhq_Gpohh9oT8/s1600/20150405_171711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpL-anAMPYz6GbyqQ5PZt3Q225cf_21z3JTOkbaC2y-L6fcNqFmiei_DR4Fyk3gnq2ZT1ak1QK2eqMNtq1dvg88UG8N6pxZztLXaDJ_i5N4NFy3QKPf3HugHY6-X6KAMDhq_Gpohh9oT8/s1600/20150405_171711.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a>My precious Isannah is almost as tall as me. Seriously, shes only 4in shorter than me and her shoes are almost my size. I can't wait to have the ability of not knowing which clothes are mine and which ones are hers...well, not really, but kind of. She is also grown into such an amazing girl. People often think that she's the older sister because she is so much taller than Natty. Its a bit rough on big sis to be mistaken all the time, but Isannah is so gracious that she will usually grab Natty and they giggle. Good grief, I remember when they were so little and I'd long for the day that they could get their own breakfasts and they could do their own laundry. Thank God I have arrived because my girls are there. In fact, they'll be getting their CPR and babysitting certifications soon and honestly, I look at them and think they are more reliable than most 16yr olds. Isannah is so talented with art. She can take chalk and draw that most amazing pictures. She's learning Spanish and is picking it up like nothing doing. She also has a guinea pig that is definitely HER animal. As soon as Cozy hears Isannah talking, Cozy starts calling out. Cozy is like a living toupee...and for whatever reason, Isannah LOVES that thing. My girls still play with their little Calico Critters and baby dolls...and the infamous American Girl Dolls. I watch them and hear them playing and my heart just aches...not much longer and they will have grown out of these items. And I just pray, Dear Lord, please, let them remain little girls awhile longer...when I watch them I see the precious innocence of life.<br />
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And then there's Duncan. I say this in a completely loving tone...as I laugh...and I'm sure you do to. This boy...MAN, he is ALL BOY. Last week we had to bring him in for hand surgery because he tired to be less of himself by severing his extender tendon in his left index finger. He was called 'The Karate Chop heard round the world' by a few of the nurses who informed us that many of the surgical staff came in to see the damage this kid had done on his hand. He not only severed his tendon, he sliced off the top of his knuckle and the knife went into his finger bone...it was a bad day for mom, who was finally having a lunch date with my oldest brother for my birthday in Cherry Creek (NOT close to Grandmas). It was a rough day for grandma too since she had specifically told him that he was not allowed to karate chop any tree branches, that his job was using the clippers to safely cut off the smaller branches...the ninja master snuck back into the kitchen while Grandma was tending to the smallest Riggins and proceeded to whack with all his might. He was sure he had cut off his finger...my mom didn't believe he had done such a good whack until she caught sight of the gash and called me in a sing songy voice so Duncan didn't continue to freak out. It was quite the ordeal. Needless to say, we got to go to Children's and visit awhile. Then back last week for surgery. He is all put back together, but will be in a cast. Its amazing to me how people make it their business to parent for me as my child has a cast on... At any rate, Dunc has had his fair share of learning what it means to LISTEN AND OBEY...and I'm not sure it's sinking in since he felt that he was perfectly capable of climbing our tree in the back yard. WOW. Thank God I've got plenty of hair dye because I've definitely gotten a few more grays.<br />
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Most of you know that we moved to a smaller area north of Denver. I LOVE OUR COMMUNITY. It sounds really strange to admit that since it's basically a po-dunk little farming town, but I do. I love it. I love our neighbors...yep, even the CRAZY woman that waltzed into my house uninvited 3 times. I still lock our front door for good measure since she has nothing better to do than watch our house like a hawk. I suppose the good thing there is that we are REALLY interesting (cough cough) and I'll never have to worry about an actual burglar because she will have seen it all! Back to loving my neighbors, they've all taken on this kind of extended family feeling. We are involved to some degree with empty nesters, new grandbabies, problem teenagers, new boyfriends, and of course, meeting the neighbors that happen to be from the same area my husband's family is from. That was a hilarious conversation. I never had that in Greeley, so coming here has been a very refreshing experience. I love that my kids can ride their bikes to their friends house 2 blocks away and I know almost every family they could come in contact with.<br />
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Oh, I even had the honor of being asked to accept the position as the jump coach for the local middle school. It may not seem like a real 'honor,' but it was for me. I LOVED TRACK. I LIVED for it. And the interesting thing was I didn't really know how much I missed track until I walked out into the jump pits and began teaching my middle schoolers how to facilitate long and high jumps. Obviously, there was no coach given example for the long jump...it took me about 2 weeks to really walk INto the actual sand. What most of you may not know is that I have had 5 surgeries on my right knee. When I was a freshman in high school, I was getting ready for a regional track meet. I was a good long jumper. I had a very good personal mark...but I was cocky and wanted to prove to my coach that I could place in the top 10. The sand wasn't raked, my body was fatigued from a long practice, and I jumped off the wrong foot. So when I landed in the sand, my right foot went into the sand lip, my ankle wentto the right, but my knee went to the left and somehow my body kept going. Apparently, you can make an 'S' shape with your leg. I tore my MCL, ACL, and did a lot of damage in there. Sadly, the hospital wasn't really up to snuff in little Park Rapids and they told my parents nothing was wrong...after a few falls down the stairs, a trampoline accident, and major pain, my parents took me to Fargo, ND to see a specialist and I promptly had surgery in Jan of 1997. That graft lasted me until Duncan was 18mos or so and he was running around our island in our kitchen. I jumped off a kitchen chair and felt it snap. Like an old weather worn rubber band on a Sunday newspaper...NOT happy. I had had a scope done a year prior to that because I had major swelling and my surgeon had warned me that I had a year left...he nailed it...almost to the day. But when he got in there, there was a cyst that had formed and he had to attach my new ACL in a different way using a 4in titanium screw through my femur. Yay, lots of fun. Since the long jump pit is where it all began, I find immense humor that I'm coaching kids in it. But where my true passion lay is in the high jump pit. I know, I'm 5'4"...high jump? Yep. I can jump my height...LOL It was SHEER DELIGHT as my jumpers taunted me like I wasn't for real. These kids are actually as tall as I am and VERY intent on showing up the coach. So when I actually jumped the boys entry height for meets without a problem, their jaws dropping made my day. The greatest part of this job has been pouring life into these kids. Watching their faces light up with the smallest word of praise and being their biggest fan. I've seen one girl who would cry if you looked at her wrong blossom into a girl who has self esteem. They have made my day by telling me,"Coach, I just want you to watch me do this, I do better when you are watching." Some of the boys are too much and its given me a VERY good idea of what I have to look forward to with my own sons. Holy dramatic. I swear, I think boys are the dramatic ones. Girls may be sass-tastic, but the boys are VERY dramatic. But the girls have been a joy because they too, are giving me amazing glimpses of what I need to be aware of.<br />
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Well, I think I've hit the more interesting things that have happened in the last while. I've got several more posts since I wanted to show off Dunc's pinewood derby stuff. This was his second year competing. Last year he was the pack Champ, unfortunately this year his truck kind of tanked. It was a hard lesson since he was at the top last year, but a good lesson nonetheless!!<br />
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As you can see, I have added a gofundme link. We are still not where we need to be financially with our adoption fees. Man, and it has been a STRUGGLE hitting that year mark. Updates are NOT cheap and its almost like salt in an open wound...waiting is such a difficult thing. Especially when there are no absolutes. I have so much respect and admiration for people who wait for 3-5YEARS for international adoptions...Lord have mercy, your poor hearts. Its hard because we know that it's worth the wait...just doesn't make the wait any easier. I am praying for God's peace to be heavily guarding your hearts and minds as you wait...for I am in the very same boat...I'm so happy to have someone like you to sit by! Maybe we can encourage each other.<br />
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-2798886638766961332014-04-29T14:00:00.001-07:002014-04-29T14:00:46.514-07:00Resurrection Day<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><b><u><i>HE IS RISEN!</i></u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrLR0V2g-D7FbYOrAQeRWPIqhuFEuJgqsJs3WjNAnmh7E9U46xVYhBnGwSQ2D3BCkhmfy5hXDRdisNwHjeP-IhEM3BujW8SHZjhB89wMW71IfNByVA4ncMhNTCRBbGuFDyNq8mNenuMU/s1600/IMG_3417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrLR0V2g-D7FbYOrAQeRWPIqhuFEuJgqsJs3WjNAnmh7E9U46xVYhBnGwSQ2D3BCkhmfy5hXDRdisNwHjeP-IhEM3BujW8SHZjhB89wMW71IfNByVA4ncMhNTCRBbGuFDyNq8mNenuMU/s1600/IMG_3417.JPG" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mCQHVQRDiwz-dinxTvIhi86EQcGg-A63DkV5fY1InfsR9mEj7cx5VrZm2T-_sQdArQ3v5qlImj6hZ_u11S5XIBigW_7uIF1d1a8Ti4sDrOieJ0ZOvw83xg1sKUcPoJskVvVT_XqW2Uk/s1600/IMG_3434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mCQHVQRDiwz-dinxTvIhi86EQcGg-A63DkV5fY1InfsR9mEj7cx5VrZm2T-_sQdArQ3v5qlImj6hZ_u11S5XIBigW_7uIF1d1a8Ti4sDrOieJ0ZOvw83xg1sKUcPoJskVvVT_XqW2Uk/s1600/IMG_3434.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>I'm not sure when the shift happened,...a year or so...maybe 2 years ago? Anyway, Rob and I decided that we were going to gradually pull our kids away from the mainstream hype of the Easter traditions with GOBS of candy and forgetting the real meaning behind Easter. In fact, we've stopped using 'Easter' and began using 'Resurrection Day' instead. Because, for us, that IS the real meaning behind this day. Its not about the Easter bunny or Cadbery eggs (although they've my favorite for as long as I can remember) or egg hunts. Its about Jesus and his magnificent work on the Cross. The last couple of years Rob and I have also made an appoint to watch The Passion Of the Christ as well. This year we watched it on Good Friday and each year, this movie hits me at different points and in different ways. Last year was a sob fest. This year I saw particular parts deep in my gut as I watched from almost a mom-perspective. Regardless of where I am in my relationship with Jesus, this reminder of how much He loved all of us, is overwhelming and completely humbling. Now, I know the different opinions on this movie, but the fact still remains that this movie is a really good representation of this event. I was listening to a sermon and the speaker mentioned that they had wished that there was a way that this movie had portrayed the grace more, but that it still held the reverence. I agree. The love and grace that Jesus had...it's impossible to really wrap our minds around what He did and WHY. Makes me all teary thinking about this and the depth of sacrifice and love. WOW. So the idea that my children would be more influenced by a stupid rabbit and finding candy-filled eggs as opposed to embracing the Love Christ showed for them....oh my gosh, tear my hair out of my head. Just not okay with me. Don't get me wrong, we allowed our children to be spoiled by grandma and grandpa and the fun activity of finding eggs, but we read the story of Jesus and make sure every year that our kids KNOW why Easter is so important. I want to clarify that I'm not writing this because I'm a super Christian or have an agenda to ram what we believe down anyone's throat...it has been a real conviction for both Rob and for me. And its hard not to follow the crowd because the easter bunny is 'just for fun.' The struggle I have is not that it is fun to do a sugar rush activity~ it's that life isn't about 'fun,' it's so much more than that and I'd feel like I had done my children a horrific disservice by not guiding them back to the Savior that loved them so much that He died and ROSE again, so they could have eternal life in God.<br />
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With all that said, we took a few pictures of the day<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgZgm1TBYI5qiQ4hm54MROscGS5XYyHV3vBVnO_5X4Gh_CxvRlH2oXV399YmWOe0FMkYOLkNe2_4sR4SOqIssEOJm9d_n-T6uGXRLrX6xPA_plHlECJ_6DjuvzvCGLiCNrPi2dbDsrmw/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgZgm1TBYI5qiQ4hm54MROscGS5XYyHV3vBVnO_5X4Gh_CxvRlH2oXV399YmWOe0FMkYOLkNe2_4sR4SOqIssEOJm9d_n-T6uGXRLrX6xPA_plHlECJ_6DjuvzvCGLiCNrPi2dbDsrmw/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD36R4_Pqxyowv8oUz0CWRNHi1htLaDux8-GWdmASJJH_cwsmVnD_jtkd_gpgXN79RetZKocEhTwQ2wGdK_FWWzZVrK3PQQAg8LZYv6W3eD3BdU9FfB44IXDroXuBa_e0YE982fcd3HM/s1600/IMG_3426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD36R4_Pqxyowv8oUz0CWRNHi1htLaDux8-GWdmASJJH_cwsmVnD_jtkd_gpgXN79RetZKocEhTwQ2wGdK_FWWzZVrK3PQQAg8LZYv6W3eD3BdU9FfB44IXDroXuBa_e0YE982fcd3HM/s1600/IMG_3426.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a>We even got to spend the day with one of my best friends. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QWpxahgyXBPJqNxo6ZwJByzpWrjdY3m1-X8aU07ZSB5Hib-I5iGUn1tx7MPpklPdp9T6Fo-GSTs57C9N6dTE4sfL3i_cgIDxJgwS5kKoqkL7z49lcYIumyyFT15_BxJILM4ynnn5Qvk/s1600/IMG_3419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QWpxahgyXBPJqNxo6ZwJByzpWrjdY3m1-X8aU07ZSB5Hib-I5iGUn1tx7MPpklPdp9T6Fo-GSTs57C9N6dTE4sfL3i_cgIDxJgwS5kKoqkL7z49lcYIumyyFT15_BxJILM4ynnn5Qvk/s1600/IMG_3419.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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And even though Rob wasn't feeling entirely 'photogenic' (SHOCKER), I still got a few good ones.<br />
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My mom even got in on her very first selfie duck-face...it was a lot of fun. LOL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHps3AOAaPt2wkVBTwLPHldEWoTrZGhBLCnDEBrEMo6aidYtvJ1fq6-4q9cOzm1IPb3lu2ADC-G74j5tgtwp61oemjW0CGrq_qlgZ6UDE_9PO6OdVj8nbq8UvkqQnNezabrHaj5ENoy0w/s1600/IMG_3440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHps3AOAaPt2wkVBTwLPHldEWoTrZGhBLCnDEBrEMo6aidYtvJ1fq6-4q9cOzm1IPb3lu2ADC-G74j5tgtwp61oemjW0CGrq_qlgZ6UDE_9PO6OdVj8nbq8UvkqQnNezabrHaj5ENoy0w/s1600/IMG_3440.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TSOGxMYSF8z3g_Ke_1QWbVuROpzHyhdu1ZTSu4HRLTPFs42eXXpXwZWOMAB28CK8-nLDmlDri2tGuJKhejUdHGUAvYyCJ398laeHx94hCVw2n7e7GS36oBK8s_Bm4gfIaPBnVkPh9Mo/s1600/IMG_3441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TSOGxMYSF8z3g_Ke_1QWbVuROpzHyhdu1ZTSu4HRLTPFs42eXXpXwZWOMAB28CK8-nLDmlDri2tGuJKhejUdHGUAvYyCJ398laeHx94hCVw2n7e7GS36oBK8s_Bm4gfIaPBnVkPh9Mo/s1600/IMG_3441.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><b><i><u>HE IS RISEN INDEED!</u></i></b></span></div>
<span id="goog_264221124"></span><span id="goog_264221125"></span><br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-44588522956442798362014-03-20T15:11:00.000-07:002014-03-24T09:11:54.362-07:00Whoops, I Did It Again...I keep forgetting that I need to keep going with latest and greatest moments in our household. I think its because I have 4 small children that keep me busy enough that if I don't stay focused, whatever task I had set out to do gets forgotten. Oh well, so with that, I wanted to congratulate and praise my two girls. To their daddy & me, they are Nobel Peace Prize WINNERS. They are completely amazing little girls that give so generously with something they have an abundance of: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b>HAIR!!!</b></span><br />
That's correct, their hair! A few years ago, my girls had seen a few of their friends come into school and since I'm friends with these moms, I had asked where their daughter's hair had vanished to. Locks of Love was the word around the halls. So my girls had wanted to cut their hair and asked what Locks of Love was and so we looked it up online. Now, 8 years ago I had donated 17inches to LOL also and it was such a rewarding experience. (Rob had a conniption and heart attack when I walked in with a pixie hair cut...I can laugh now, but I think I may have cried at one point because I'd never cut more than 2 inches off my hair prior to this cut.) I think I'll eventually do it again. So I was very familiar with the organization and felt very good about the girls looking at this organization as a worthy cause. We picked a date and time and the girls chopped their hair for 'little kids with cancer.' (for a quick glance back, click on this link! <a href="http://www.textmessagestogod.blogspot.com/2011/10/goldylocks-and-whole-lotta-hair.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Goldylocks and a Whole lotta Hair</b></span></a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn5SZQ-YiHOXT1tiXy-8BVvp7Qiq8J2iCLPRO835X4UcJIpP41Fj2yHdu09_K_IH0O25_q6wr99YBIXKerufYVawpZJ16f1eHDh8AxZQ40Dr13lotvuLQPavG0r43AmBT42o5xXFzWyo/s1600/IMG_1727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn5SZQ-YiHOXT1tiXy-8BVvp7Qiq8J2iCLPRO835X4UcJIpP41Fj2yHdu09_K_IH0O25_q6wr99YBIXKerufYVawpZJ16f1eHDh8AxZQ40Dr13lotvuLQPavG0r43AmBT42o5xXFzWyo/s1600/IMG_1727.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWYeMAagC97XNkjYEZur51hg2GLWjy9MK27zvXrKO4YsUVhQGAWR8b8-qcPDYvNCuOh5Bj9tbfQ2Fs8bUoal6ngUEayB39rQxuMiqiCe5WVzG4Pl3i68qUYjKXDVcS8MyApTZE3t5BV8/s1600/IMG_1728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWYeMAagC97XNkjYEZur51hg2GLWjy9MK27zvXrKO4YsUVhQGAWR8b8-qcPDYvNCuOh5Bj9tbfQ2Fs8bUoal6ngUEayB39rQxuMiqiCe5WVzG4Pl3i68qUYjKXDVcS8MyApTZE3t5BV8/s1600/IMG_1728.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>It has grown out A LOT since then, and even though people tried to warn us that their hair wouldn't grow back curly or it would somehow grow back tainted (SUCH ridiculousness!!!), it's absolutely as beautiful now as it ever was...if not even curlier than before. But we were again at a point where it was becoming a lot to handle and for some odd reason, they didn't want mom coming in to comb out their ever increasing rat-filled wet locks. And because it was SO long and SO thick for Isannah, it was absolutely unmanageable for her little arms. You can see how long their hair was! Isannah has very thick, heavy hair. Natty's hair is just as long, but much finer and doesn't seem to knot up the way Isannah's does. But still, its a scream fest whenever I have to go in with a comb and untangle the mess.<br />
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Isannah was the first to decide that she wanted to donate her hair again. We live in a different town now, and while I LOVED Christy, it would be a significant hike to go up there again. But looking back, we may have to make an appointment because Christy just rocks. It was about 12 hours after Nan's haircut that big sis decided that she also wanted in on the action. Much to her father's dismay, she chose to have a pixie haircut. Its VERY short...but with naturally curly hair like ours, a super short cut could be very BAD. I had to hold my breath because my oldest child is JUST like her mama...when she decides on something, come hell or high water, she's not backing down. Hair is one thing...it grows back...I'd rather she experience all that she wants with supervision and learning how to love her hair. It's literally JUST hair. And with locks like ours, its hard to have a bad cut every time. And it grows out relatively fast...so daddy gave the final thumbs up and we headed out to the salon for some major snipping. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKjrfsllLTQeqLrZ9XGzLKTWaG8P2gTcsaIQ4L6rpDUPHoRN1wa6hqMNMdAfO1T2OK4844c-Q-ssMN6IS2r4IGsLngW7q5ZAvLSaiIdRD7gE2s5ldGbfsYku5N3T_GTtDjvvsVfo7Wxc/s1600/IMG_2709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKjrfsllLTQeqLrZ9XGzLKTWaG8P2gTcsaIQ4L6rpDUPHoRN1wa6hqMNMdAfO1T2OK4844c-Q-ssMN6IS2r4IGsLngW7q5ZAvLSaiIdRD7gE2s5ldGbfsYku5N3T_GTtDjvvsVfo7Wxc/s1600/IMG_2709.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5Nt3k6aFuye8p_l9fX7rS9JYb2GFILqyuq7nJJHRaCpNqLDR65jLqBNntKCIslu9FqLZ6VCm1YhyphenhyphenO-KNLrsunsyKPZaxpRrn-CFsVvycKJOom1L41NIXk3MRi0yb-Y4zyT-wGdXWFNU/s1600/IMG_2708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5Nt3k6aFuye8p_l9fX7rS9JYb2GFILqyuq7nJJHRaCpNqLDR65jLqBNntKCIslu9FqLZ6VCm1YhyphenhyphenO-KNLrsunsyKPZaxpRrn-CFsVvycKJOom1L41NIXk3MRi0yb-Y4zyT-wGdXWFNU/s1600/IMG_2708.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><br />
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And then Natty went for it! I have to admit...this was the most hair I had ever seen my child have cut off...except for that ONE time when she was about 2yrs old, found scissors, and was quietly cutting her hair in a wedge and cutting Isannah's hair in a chunk kind of way...I was at the gym. Their father said that they were playing quietly and I said that was a dead give-away that something was NOT right. It was a bad day for the household. LOL<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ec5Z5w6saYsoz4vvRsbs9mYa-Ia-KiXKEuzHYpf22PMdUnOPZxK4fcPlrHXNbZXg_JivwJ2sLmz9e2B8mRMXRFWZFmfO63Ooe4z5t5vDKVDsYb6bt_zf60pFLpFlnFikhU1I28zTPWQ/s1600/IMG_2746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ec5Z5w6saYsoz4vvRsbs9mYa-Ia-KiXKEuzHYpf22PMdUnOPZxK4fcPlrHXNbZXg_JivwJ2sLmz9e2B8mRMXRFWZFmfO63Ooe4z5t5vDKVDsYb6bt_zf60pFLpFlnFikhU1I28zTPWQ/s1600/IMG_2746.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KkYbPJNAyny4IcBeMO_HE7BLINIxksDzfUaGvwpL0fC7eCbHodQl_RD82uBjzeruYpsOE2ysCsMHIj1kIjDbASh7kck5JvJ0_ZYWHaKn7WsBWNPxic9EoCvkMRDqWP88h9st4qzY5kw/s1600/IMG_2744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KkYbPJNAyny4IcBeMO_HE7BLINIxksDzfUaGvwpL0fC7eCbHodQl_RD82uBjzeruYpsOE2ysCsMHIj1kIjDbASh7kck5JvJ0_ZYWHaKn7WsBWNPxic9EoCvkMRDqWP88h9st4qzY5kw/s1600/IMG_2744.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>I'm seriously so proud of my girls. I'm not sure I would have done what they have when I was 8 and 9 years old. I find that when a child wants to give of themselves in such a generous and loving way, why would I stop them?<br />
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Oh my gosh, looking back a month or so, it's making me laugh at HOW SHORT Natty's hair was! When we got home, Rob was soon to follow and I was choking back giggles because his face was one of utter shock as well. I had been told, "Please don't let her go too short." But like I stated before, this is what Natty wanted. We looked at several 'pixie' haircuts and because of her curly mass, I had to convince her that she needed more of a Meg Ryan haircut because of the obvious~ Meg can make any haircut look super amazing and she has curly hair! And so this is what we ended up with. I think next time we may go to a salon with a little bit younger taste. However, I think she looks ADORABLE...and both of them look so grown up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUS8tzT_sXOXyiA9SDeTV3dlCR6asvHD4VshDLbrV9SDjKt8B_9QfzIIrmLt680lZu15eQ0B9Xnsg5F9z4AADUCX27uXmnWholzuWX4FIYEeb11cjgJDitvhvotlzKagMpYmeHLeITDs/s1600/IMG_2747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUS8tzT_sXOXyiA9SDeTV3dlCR6asvHD4VshDLbrV9SDjKt8B_9QfzIIrmLt680lZu15eQ0B9Xnsg5F9z4AADUCX27uXmnWholzuWX4FIYEeb11cjgJDitvhvotlzKagMpYmeHLeITDs/s1600/IMG_2747.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>While in the midst of putting together our family book for our adoption process, I noticed the picture I posted up top on this blogpost...I miss her long hair...but I know she enjoys the freedom to take a shower without the drawn out process of doing her hair. Isannah's length is just long enough that its cute, but not as short, but still allows her the freedom to have it up and to enjoy the length without dread locks forming. Our water bills certainly display the water conservation of shorter hair! All in all, I think this will probably become the norm~ grow out hair, donate again. I LOVE this norm. It's one that REEKS of beautiful, GENEROUS hearts.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Natty donated 17inches and Isannah donated 10inches</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-41458838972035715242014-03-11T12:42:00.001-07:002014-03-11T12:57:05.807-07:00When You Least Expect ItI didn't think that I'd have much time to update my blog, but since I have a few minutes, I thought I'd encourage that one reader that is searching for something to read regarding the craziness that happens when you decide to engage in an adoption journey. Yes, its a wild roller coster ride of twists and turns, ups and downs, and you feel like you're going to throw up sometimes. But see, the cool thing is that you're completely safe, belted in with God's plan. Its when you come unbelted, mid twist, from God's plan and things get real UGLY, REAL FAST.<br />
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This time around Rob and I have been very specific in our prayers about being in the middle of God's will. When it comes down to it, the best way I can say this is: I'd much rather be on a roller coster ride IN God's will than outside of God's will. In fact, I can't think of anything more frightening. And quite frankly, the reality is is that it's not just my heart or my husband's heart that will be effected by this monumental decision...it effects EVERY single one of my kids...so four more little hearts that are waiting for instruction and discipleship from Rob and I. Timing is crucial and because we are within the three year mark, our fees are considerably less than they were with Josh. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration...the fees for Colorado are less than they were, but unfortunately, still more than we have and require enormous faith. Its strange though, this time around, we know we are in God's will, but the rate that He answers is somewhat overwhelming! What a silly thing to say? Uhm, I beg to differ. Aren't there times that you think, alright, I'm going to pray for this particular thing and hope that God answers you within a month...preferably within a week...but then it happens in hours and it sends you reeling like...HOLY CRAP!? This is exactly what happened with us this time around.<br />
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I have felt for a few months that time was coming up to the leaping off point. But for me, I need my husband to lead in this way...so I began to pray. I prayed for timing, I prayed for direction, I prayed for the Lord to direct my husband's decisions and give him Godly wisdom. I did this specifically in a hardcore chunk on a Sunday. God answered that evening! I play the 'well, maybe that was more me than God' card and began to think...nahhh...that couldn't have possibly been an answer so soon. On Monday, our friends giving us money to cover our application fees. HUGE. And again, I play my card again and doubt God's goodness. (Don't ask me why!? I don't know...I just doubt sometimes okay!? I don't take the obvious and accept it obvious!?) We decided that we'd wait for our tax refund and see what happens to cover the biggest fees due now...huh...weird...we had more than enough. But we had to pay for a few other things and would be about $1000 short. Okay Lord, if this is the way, and we are to walk in it...I guess I better start looking for dropped money on the ground...envelop of money in the door...right?<br />
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One of our best friends had called and said, "We feel lead to back you guys 100% with where God is leading you on this adoption journey. Be watching the mail." Oh...okay, wow...thank you! All I could think was...these are very good friends and I'm so blessed that they'd feel so strongly. Its been my experience in the past that whenever anyone says, 'hey yeah! This is awesome, we support you!' its more like, crap now we feel guilty and out of obligation to the slip of the tongue, we'll send you $15 in the mail. Please hear my heart on this...any gift is wonderful and we are so very grateful, because it is a blessing... but its hard to accept when it seems more like a sympathy gift or one given out of obligation, rather than wanting to give because you really want to. These friends have NEVER made us feel this way EVER, and we actually consider them to be our family, but because I'm also not friends with Brad and Angelina Jolie, I consider a support gift to be in the range of $25-$50. Yeah...God humbled me as I sifted through the mail and found their sweet card. I opened it up and out fell a $1000 check. I almost fell to the ground weeping. Just that morning I had asked God to give me the faith to walk in His will and to rest in the Hope that He gives me because He loves me. This was almost too much to bear. Man, when God pours out blessing, He does it so lavishly...and always when you least expect it.<br />
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Which is also irritating. Why do we even entertain the idea that God would do something and we'd 'least expect it'?? I've been a christian for a long time. I've only really matured in my faith in the last 3 years. If I'm praying in faith, and I have an intimate relationship with the Lord, why would I even NOT expect the Lord not follow through? I have read that verse in Philippians 4:13 where is says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." about a million times...but it wasn't until recently that it hit me while listening to a sermon through Bethel Church. The speaker said that if this verse says that I can do ALL things through Christ and it's Christ who strengthens me...well, that means I have to be weak. I have to be weak so that Christ can strengthen me...Christ will be my strength...I have to trust him if I'm going to be weak and know that He's my strength...and I have to be weak...awe crap...I don't want to be weak!? Being weak is such a struggle for me because that means I have to build my faith and intimacy with Christ. I'll be willingly and INTENTIONALLY putting myself into situations where I have no other option BUT to trust. That's a lot. And God put that into practice the moment we chose to follow Him down the adoption path again.<br />
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Maybe that's one reason that our adoption journey is such a faith builder...we have to be willing to be weak so that Christ can make us strong...He can be our strength. So if you are just beginning the journey or you are in the middle of one and wondering if God has forgotten...no, He hasn't. He IS your STRENGTH. And He's not about to let you forget that...so...is this when you least expect Him to show you? Awesome! Prepare to get your socks rocked!Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-56906092684916459692014-02-18T13:59:00.000-08:002014-02-18T13:59:20.938-08:00When God says, "be still." But your Human says, "AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" So if you read my last post, you were left with a possible question: Why is preparing for another post about another Riggins a spoiler alert...wait, you thought I mean another dog...LOL! Oh yeah, no. I'm kind of puppied out.<br />
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Ah ha! You're getting a new idea huh? Another...Riggins....GASP!? YOU'RE ADOPTING AGAIN!?<br />
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Interestingly, we don't feel like we have enough? Weird. </div>
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We like to keep the crazy going. LOL Rob and I had been talking about what it'd look like when we adopt. We have plenty of house for it now, so ...okay...when Lord? This last summer the kids and I drove up to Buffalo a little early to enjoy some time with our family up there. The girls were headed to Camp Bethel, but the desperately wanted time with their cousins, so we made sure they all had plenty of time to play and have their girl time. I had brought my painting clothes so Sandy and I could attack the starving walls. During our in depth color extravaganza, I was introduced to Graham Cooke and it was in this week that my spiritual growth drank a bottle of Miracle Grow. It was AWESOME. My whole spirit just soaked up everything Graham was teaching and I heard the Lord tell me many things. One of which was that there was another child...or two...</div>
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Well, this morning I woke up and I had a worship song in my head. I LOVE when that happens! And I was praying over the day and what had just happened this weekend...knowing that the reality is...we're going to adopt another baby. It's kinda like being in the fun 'let's try for a baby stage' with 86'ing the birth control and letting God do His glory. Except this stage for adoption means A LOT of paperwork...and anticipation...and TRUST. Man, this stage is the easy part...but having gone through an adoption already makes me wonder...what will this one look like? And when I say what will this 'one' look like, I don't mean my child...I mean, what will our process look like? As with ANY pregnancy, adoption is a process and each process and journey is completely different. So what will my heart look like at the end of this? What obstacles will the Lord securely walk us through? What kind of joys and tears will be see? I keep hearing over and over, "Trust in the Lord...be still and Wait." I also heard, "Rise up on wings like eagles." I had to sit and ponder this one because I didn't understand what that verse pertained to? Rise up like eagles? Huh? Well it is in reference to the verse in Isaiah 40:31. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary." Rob and I HOPE in the Lord. We don't have any other option. We also WAIT on the Lord and because we are focused on Him, He will renew us. It was like a sweet, whispered promise from the Lord that we will be able to rise up, fly up, like eagles...embracing and using the winds of faith. We KNOW God's got our family in a grip of grace.</div>
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That's about all I've got for now. I will update as we go along, but it could be awhile. I've already made calls to our agency directors and basically reserving our spot at the dinner table! LOL </div>
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I will say this: Last night, one of my very dearest of friends, and her hubby, treated my husband and I out for a double date. It was WONDERFUL. Movie and dinner...CAN'T complain! She reached over and patted my purse on the outer pocket and said, "Do you ever zip this pocket closed?" Completely clueless, I looked down and back at her and said, "Nope, I usually just have a pen and my phone in here...?" She pats it again and says, "Yeah, but it feels like you have something valuable in there, you should probably zip it up." I'm oblivious to what she's trying to say to me, mostly because I do clueless and I do it so well. "Well, I think I stuck some napkins in there..." "Oh my gosh, Robyn! LOL Look in your purse for crying out loud, woman!" I stuck my hand in the open pocket to find a rolled up thickness...I see it is a solid roll of $20 bills. My whole body responded and I'm blinking tears back furiously. I had only started praying for God's timing last week and Rob and I were still only in the newest stage of asking, "HOW DO WE AFFORD ANOTHER PROCESS??" I looked at her through tears and she said, "There's your application fees." I want to shake her and say, "YOU WONDERFUL, CRAZY WOMAN!" But all I can say is a chocked up, "Thank you for everything."</div>
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God is so good. This is quite possibly the next 'stream in the desert.' </div>
Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-19983677941421426942014-02-18T13:03:00.002-08:002014-03-20T15:15:40.140-07:00 No harm No foulAlright, so its no surprise to any of you that know me that its been almost a solid 2 months since I've blogged anything. Its been a busy couple of months and it also seems that no matter how hard I try to get my rear in gear, something happens. I'm getting really good at switching my hats throughout the days...teacher, mom, referee, financial planner, event coordinator, taxi service, counselor, maid...you get the idea, I'm sure.<br />
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2014 came in in a SWOOSH! (without the Nike) No idea where this year has already gone. Obviously, after we get Joshua's birthday out of the way, it's fair game for whatever life throws at us! It's an adventure! I love adventure. Well, what I may have forgotten to mention was that we also got 2 puppies right before Christmas. We are fazing out Santa. I know that this is a delicate subject for a lot of families. Many of our friends still incorporate Santa in...some never did...some loathe the idea of Santa taking away from the meaning of Christmas...some love it. We are somewhere in the middle. We've made it clear what we believe about Christmas being all about Jesus, but there is something magical and fun to allow our kids to believe that there is a man with his reindeer, delivering gifts. ALL that to say, we also feel our older kids are at a point where they are old enough to know about Santa...so this year, we fazed Santa out ahead of time and got puppies as a family gift. 'Gift' is the word that makes me laugh because of how our dogs came to be apart of our family. We had been thinking about getting another dog since our beloved 10yr old Boxer, Gus, was put down in Nov 2012. I was not ready for another boxer, so we considered other breeds, specifically German Shepherds. We found a FANTASTIC breeder and the pups were only $800...the problem is that we didn't really think we could spring for such an expensive endeavor and decided to hold off until we felt comfortable paying more. That's when our wonderful neighbor called us and asked me if we were still looking for a puppy. I cautiously asked what kind of puppy it was..."a Pomwawa" WHAT IS THAT!? Its a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix...oh dear Lord, shoot me. Nah, we'll pass...well...the thing is is that the puppy is FREE. Okay, well that changes it up a bit...so I called Rob. I was choking in laughter just telling Rob, my large, manly, Marine, cop husband that we should consider this 'purse' dog. He vetoed it with flare. Unfortunately it made the void of not having our dog seem worse and we looked at adopting a puppy because it was cheaper and we still wanted a dog. It was a couple days later that we were driving home from our friends' home and Rob asked if I was serious about considering this free puppy. I thought, okay, if the dog is still available, we'll look into it more, but if not~ no harm, no foul.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IO3EKC2IbYR4O70-wWaHdCKd1O2NffqfrQKz-TvjPxOHSZ0Rqb636Lter-A319Amm9zqdgQExl30iNdeRiJREkf97YKJXQSZydt2GqAcCC9-quSEYiLWCZGBdjxN5mRL7h7gYLC5FTA/s1600/IMG_2328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IO3EKC2IbYR4O70-wWaHdCKd1O2NffqfrQKz-TvjPxOHSZ0Rqb636Lter-A319Amm9zqdgQExl30iNdeRiJREkf97YKJXQSZydt2GqAcCC9-quSEYiLWCZGBdjxN5mRL7h7gYLC5FTA/s1600/IMG_2328.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>I rang up our neighbor, and sure enough, the puppy is really needing a home. So I called the lady fostering this pup and we decided to go ahead with it. That's when God introduced Lucy into our lives. She's actually considered a PomChi...and one would assume that she's a yippy, dumb purse dog...but she's not! Thankfully, she's smart and LOVES our kids. I honestly thought that she'd barely survive our household, however, she has brought so much laughter. SHE IS A SPAZ. She's about the size of a young cat, maybe 8lbs. She's not too yippy either, which has solidified her spot in the family. Lucy engages all of our kids and plays in a way that makes you forget that she's so small. Lord, have mercy, may we never have another little dog though. LOL!!! Lulu is special because we later found out that had we not taken her, she and 2 other pups would have been abandoned at 5 WEEKS old on the side of a road. NOT OKAY. (Update~ 3/20/14~ Lucy is actually NOT a Pomchi at all, she is a blonde Jack Russell Terrier.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLpcMCqxDQMJFTpS-gaEtihv3b_16Z9MZ-4yYBNywMkmZwMQUaEhgsDgPvuoT9CBubsU2FV7xDBu7jlIi_JwTTpJfJgJUt9ZWvWsMdPpwvvcHSKTnWVGVakXoy1E3qDjDaDM9qY9DtPM/s1600/IMG_2410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLpcMCqxDQMJFTpS-gaEtihv3b_16Z9MZ-4yYBNywMkmZwMQUaEhgsDgPvuoT9CBubsU2FV7xDBu7jlIi_JwTTpJfJgJUt9ZWvWsMdPpwvvcHSKTnWVGVakXoy1E3qDjDaDM9qY9DtPM/s1600/IMG_2410.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JWYWE7Pt71FAKUjAoOaArqo9VgBumPdTXkjPFYXASnzfxbyWhwKO102fsZ1CCkyxpesaK9Df8E7p0sRaQcA8DA0q9ceMWLJ3soCroS5boq7BsIzMa4XSS8ghoMx4e65KDSPE5wWzDzw/s1600/IMG_2662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JWYWE7Pt71FAKUjAoOaArqo9VgBumPdTXkjPFYXASnzfxbyWhwKO102fsZ1CCkyxpesaK9Df8E7p0sRaQcA8DA0q9ceMWLJ3soCroS5boq7BsIzMa4XSS8ghoMx4e65KDSPE5wWzDzw/s1600/IMG_2662.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>We had already put in our application for another puppy traveling from OK. We had been praying about this decision and felt such peace that we decided to continue on in the process. Thats when we met our next puppy, aptly renamed Rosy Riveter (thanks to Rob). She's a black cur/mastiff mix. She was 19lbs at 10 weeks old and we thought, yikes...better buy stock in dog food. (Update 3/20/14~ Rosy is looking more like a solid Black Mouth Cur...we aren't seeing any Mastiff yet.) Now she's almost 6 months and probably around 35lbs. She's SO CUTE. As you can see from the pix, she's about the happiest dog you'll meet. Her tail is constantly wagging and she is at your beck-n-call. The first couple of days she also thought she was a lap/couch dog...which had to be stopped immediately. I had never heard of a black mouth cur before, but I know the mastiff breed and they get HUGE and I'm not sharing my couch with a big dog. I've gotten plenty of crap from the family about Lucy being on the couch, but Lucy won't be more than 12lbs and is more like a cat...Rosy is going to be a tank and will do a lot of damage to my beautiful furniture! Let me also point out my CRAZY. TWO PUPPIES...that means 2x the house breaking...3 weeks before Christmas. Looking back, it could have been MUCH worse, but these two beauties decided that my most treasured room, my formal living area and FAVORITE place to have my time, was their personal poop box. WRONG~O. For the last few months, they've not been allowed anywhere but in the family room on their bed and the kitchen...everywhere else is blocked off. Just last week we took down the blockade to the stairs, but they are only allowed to be up there with supervision. It's EXHAUSTING!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-NELCqrfrdeHyEvvY4ksB13ke8DIQvTz__w8U0t-JjnQ0R9_uxxH8OG8gGXYv3cNCVHsftL4ektIhqODE0JpImA3_m3h5eiRosZmdX4fVawyQrLn17FjHDfMjeosepWLSQqAEUXtjaE/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-NELCqrfrdeHyEvvY4ksB13ke8DIQvTz__w8U0t-JjnQ0R9_uxxH8OG8gGXYv3cNCVHsftL4ektIhqODE0JpImA3_m3h5eiRosZmdX4fVawyQrLn17FjHDfMjeosepWLSQqAEUXtjaE/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>But the greatest news I have to date is that we are officially done with potty training. I think accidents will probably happen, however, there hasn't been any in about 3 weeks. Its wonderful. They are also crate trained and so I feel like there's a blanket of new 'normal' settling over our household. Its WONDERFUL. LOL I also think it's funny that Lucy's FAVORITE lap to be in is the man of the house...as seen here. She will enjoy any lap though because she's a lover. We laugh a lot because Lucy also gets the speeds and zings around the family room and it makes Josh angry because toys get taken in the drive-by doggy-ing. Maybe we should have named Lucy 'Swiper' instead! And Josh has little or NO tolerance for that kind of nonsense. Especially because Lucy likes to take Josh's Thomas the train items. Rosy just wants to sit and lick Josh while he's on the floor...I can understand. He's usually got food stuck to him or just looks like something that would be fun to lick. So she does. And Josh screams, "NO NO WOSY! QIT YICKING!" Or my favorite is hearing him admonish Lucy, "NO YUCY! I SAY NO NO!"<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuzXxgHGtaDckT_X1-cNCQzl6lyTjPfUxr86TpFtBi4_UfHul8hiaXN4OS-mxdf6hom3yHcFg598T3-Bk75IXIwUZgoVnWaFmkqgLZ_8BQGMSJCtEcfB2xMYi_ItYaX0XQS2Wwhyphenhyphens5mY/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuzXxgHGtaDckT_X1-cNCQzl6lyTjPfUxr86TpFtBi4_UfHul8hiaXN4OS-mxdf6hom3yHcFg598T3-Bk75IXIwUZgoVnWaFmkqgLZ_8BQGMSJCtEcfB2xMYi_ItYaX0XQS2Wwhyphenhyphens5mY/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DoPMNlzYuiq85O_fNU08tYOxxz8ww4ZDfMq4f3N7KreS3xmG7kTZ2_3_yDykf2980D0g_PLwQDfpRq9giNn97ZzOow9FvSO4U0kikGDigp4jzSsh_TX68QCpmcBxNhaXwTqQvRztLkI/s1600/IMG_2421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DoPMNlzYuiq85O_fNU08tYOxxz8ww4ZDfMq4f3N7KreS3xmG7kTZ2_3_yDykf2980D0g_PLwQDfpRq9giNn97ZzOow9FvSO4U0kikGDigp4jzSsh_TX68QCpmcBxNhaXwTqQvRztLkI/s1600/IMG_2421.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> Any way, we'll see how the grass does. I had to employ cayenne pepper to some of my flower beds...Rosy, in her finest hour of brilliance, ROLLED IN IT. She likes to chew on my bushes. This clearly doesn't work for me since we offer an assorted buffet of ANY CHEWY POSSIBLE...but these bushes seem to be the chewy of choice. It's irritating. It's in the irritating scale of when you buy your child a really expensive gift and all they really wanted was the BOX. Oh yiyi. Who thought that having 2 dogs was a good idea!? *smack my forehead* oh yeah me...Hey, I wanted my kids to have that void filled too!!!! (fine, maybe there was some selfishness involved.)<br />
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At any rate...these are the newest Riggins additions to date. (yes, prepare...there will be more.)<br />
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HOWS THAT FOR A SPOILER ALERT!? LOL<br />
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-62161192351243181402014-01-06T16:39:00.000-08:002014-01-13T11:02:19.932-08:00Where Has Time Gone?STRAIGHT OUT THE WINDOW!!!! Jeepers...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx_2NKPylgzYMFpETLKazW_UohubNtIjhJNrAzW4CLMVaGrdsLrvlIFjBGJmyIXaCePEQ78h7a2gCJdP2I7eA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tNL8Nyp7QqUHf02_Mi7DfdXEcZNWjpiFRRIBJwl0CuWkL02278prWP2fSQWedwGiNIeW_L0Axh5b71I0BXhaszwSZ-kTiDGLrZpu2RlHKYgy4zgAqJWama3KLclpCTmqJWhkXBB-IZQ/s1600/DSC02512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tNL8Nyp7QqUHf02_Mi7DfdXEcZNWjpiFRRIBJwl0CuWkL02278prWP2fSQWedwGiNIeW_L0Axh5b71I0BXhaszwSZ-kTiDGLrZpu2RlHKYgy4zgAqJWama3KLclpCTmqJWhkXBB-IZQ/s1600/DSC02512.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was Joshua at his First Birthday!</td></tr>
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Joshua turned 2 today. Good grief, its kind of sad and exciting all at the same time. On one hand I'm sad that my baby is getting so big, but I can't lie, </div>
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I'm SO happy that we are in more of a toddler stage. He hit the busy stages early, even though he walked a bit later than some. He was couch surfing for a LONG time, but didn't actually let go until we moved into our new house, in July. I wonder if it's like the idea of how some of those goldfish that will grow to the size of their pond? Josh had very limited room to get moving without 3 referees stopping any sort of forward movement. Needless to say, he has a specific scream for each older sibling that pisses him off. The more 'loving' the sibling, the more ridiculous the sound. He could probably break glass if I had any wine glasses near him. YOWZERS. Its kind of funny...my dad has to turn down his hearing aids, otherwise Josh blasts him. I don't know if you've ever watched Bill Cosby Himself...there is a part in it when he describes the scenario in which an older sibling takes something away from the baby and he says that the adults leg will begin to shake and we have to seek out the sound of 'MINE! MINE' and you slap the older child upside the head and say,"Don't you hear her screaming!? Give it to her!" and the older child says,"But Daaaad, she has something that belongs to me!" and He responds saying, "She has things that belong to me too!" THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS IN MY HOUSE. Minus the slapping...its usually me yelling down the stairs to whoever is making Josh scream to give it back, whatever it is...good Lord!? *sigh* I love Bill Cosby. He says what every parent wants to say and can't, without being turned in to social services.However, one thing I've found to be true~ parenting is the hardest job you will love and hate equally...for many reasons...all at the same time.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE2rooM6FGxFWelNJ2xNT53rgsRCHrjV1sdUUYFCyEkzr4eVjlW6MW2iy7NBqntP-OPxwKmhPTygFRwSj651tqSiTON94X6WFgIdRGR_h-Mwf6-4NkI3gGtfuKYCyYqzWahc-kX2jGCU/s1600/IMG_0703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE2rooM6FGxFWelNJ2xNT53rgsRCHrjV1sdUUYFCyEkzr4eVjlW6MW2iy7NBqntP-OPxwKmhPTygFRwSj651tqSiTON94X6WFgIdRGR_h-Mwf6-4NkI3gGtfuKYCyYqzWahc-kX2jGCU/s1600/IMG_0703.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Wlx86G9LXxg2rX3JYU26P0oZMhM3OTbodHD_EO4l1NEmMvMwfGd1ac2RCScKmt-F-BiE8axvnrXQnLQyY_Lx1EeNA-zaWBcCb3s7Qmtu486r0RtvkvmGYuofJ3q1rm1owbYZGrgJzI/s1600/IMG_0698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Wlx86G9LXxg2rX3JYU26P0oZMhM3OTbodHD_EO4l1NEmMvMwfGd1ac2RCScKmt-F-BiE8axvnrXQnLQyY_Lx1EeNA-zaWBcCb3s7Qmtu486r0RtvkvmGYuofJ3q1rm1owbYZGrgJzI/s1600/IMG_0698.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>So over the past year, I thought I'd be much better about blogging the highlights, but like many of my brilliant ideas...they never make it past my mouth or brain. Frustrating, but I will share some pictures and videos.<br />
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Walking was definitely a big deal. I was worried that I'd have to lug him around forever! LOL And this boy is HEAVY. Solid eating machine. He must be on a constant growth spurt because he can out eat his 6 year old brother. Josh is my meat kid. He will devour just about anything meaty you put in front of him...including oysters. GROSS. Our good friends joke with us about the teenage years since at a party this summer at their house, Josh mowed through 7 hotdogs...yes, SEVEN... He is healthy and active and such a blessing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaybPlJjJSOqG7fDmAjQUEB78QkGfj_9ds-tog8WOhJCY8TwKuwKXNu82Q1Noyd38OrXxqaZ0lsVPFaxTYhrb5jyLaiSYJXK4031w302Z2TuRSjS4dDKnAxzBcO7zIe3ae6LtmTENHcgs/s1600/0122111216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaybPlJjJSOqG7fDmAjQUEB78QkGfj_9ds-tog8WOhJCY8TwKuwKXNu82Q1Noyd38OrXxqaZ0lsVPFaxTYhrb5jyLaiSYJXK4031w302Z2TuRSjS4dDKnAxzBcO7zIe3ae6LtmTENHcgs/s1600/0122111216.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I believe that ALL of my children are a blessing. Each one brings such joy to my life and it's been so fun to watch each stage of life. I wonder at times if I am enjoying Josh's toddlerhood a little bit more because I'm not bombarded with 2 other really little kids...and I'm glad that we are starting another adoption process when Josh is older. Its hard to imagine that not too long ago, Isannah came when Natty was only 11 months old! And then Duncan came when Isannah was just 22 months old. I was tired...A LOT...and I still am, but I have quite a bit of help. LOL<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyMQ1ERGFxapBBX5d76CHFtn5cawXGh4Aa5-oxoxfT8ZB9_dYiVeSZT2mp53VaEQwRVrvXhEcvoGqny3CeL5Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Josh is a RIOT. Oh my gosh...here is one we got of him just a few months ago. Whenever I'm having a grouchy moment or a sad time, I open this up and laugh with my big kids, because they think Josh is HILARIOUS.<br />
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Then there are other times that I think he's funny, but only because he's being annoyed by an older sibling and things haven't gotten too out of control yet. To say that Josh doesn't have a whole lot of patience is a bit of an understatement. He is NOT shy about letting you know that he's less than pleased. He's also very safety conscience. He MUST be buckled...in his highchair, in his carseat, at the grocery store, or any seat in general. Its kinda funny. He's such a goofball. He loves to be the center of attention and definitely is the apple of his older brother and sister's eye. He is beginning to talk so much and it's so much fun hearing him mimic us. An avid Spiderman fan, he's quick to find ANYTHING to do with super heros.<br />
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Josh is in a train phase too. For Christmas, Rob and I got him a Thomas the Train ride along bike type thing. He had a gazillion presents under the tree, but because this bike was so big, we felt it would have been a waste of paper to wrap it and so it was the first thing he saw when he was woken up MUCH earlier than he preferred (he's more of a 930am kid and Christmas presents began at 7am~ GROUCHY BABY). So he saw 'Thomas' and that was it. I could not coerce him to even look at opening another gift and all the uncles and Grandma's coaxing ...even Grandpa's efforts to rip of wrapping paper would NOT work. He rode around on Thomas for about an hour and then after 3 massive meltdowns, we put him back to bed...and after a 3 hour nap, he still wasn't about to open gifts! He had Thomas and that was good enough. I considered keeping all the unwrapped stuff for today, but thought it would be cheating. LOL It was the true picture of contentment. He literally had 20 gifts under the tree for him...and he had the one thing that brought him sheer joy~ Thomas the Train bike.<br />
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This last year has been such a FUN year. Its been jammed with so many new adventures and wonderful memories that its strange that we are already in another one. I can't believe that my baby is already 2...just blows my mind. Reminds me that tomorrow will mark the second anniversary of getting the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.textmessagestogod.blogspot.com/2012/01/hello-can-i-be-there-tomorrow.html">THE CALL</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span">What a WILD adventure! Last night I was thinking back to the complete lack of order and the chaos of trying to 3 children ready to go so Rob and I could drive 2900 miles to get our new baby clear across the country...starting with driving through a blizzard at night. LOL Good grief! And now looking at it from this side, 2 years later...it's overwhelming to see the love of God and His extraordinary grace. </span><br />
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HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSx_571s9ASeX8qNmaJhagVnYpLrmTDDk3Zs5fFV3ZgUgnS-TicEAKY6xGYYcXPSwS1nh38RjHTyl27mFmmkkB7NLW4a9m0pqLhgokyjd6KD1weLsdBMCM0jqrPaIBhEVvhQS7nxxbew/s1600/IMG_2661.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSx_571s9ASeX8qNmaJhagVnYpLrmTDDk3Zs5fFV3ZgUgnS-TicEAKY6xGYYcXPSwS1nh38RjHTyl27mFmmkkB7NLW4a9m0pqLhgokyjd6KD1weLsdBMCM0jqrPaIBhEVvhQS7nxxbew/s1600/IMG_2661.PNG" height="624" width="640" /></a>Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-18751468676678628632013-12-18T20:30:00.000-08:002014-01-04T11:22:59.712-08:00Playing with Permanent Markers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ironically, no...it wasn't one of my children! (Davida~ and it DEFINITELY WAS NOT Duncan in my car!) </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"> That's right, IT WAS ME! (insert Jim Carrey's voice from Liar Liar) </span></b></div>
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I am 32 years old. I have always been the rebellious child and the kid that pushed ALL the limits. I have 4 brothers. I'm the ONLY one who's ever broken a bone...well, technically my younger brother broke part of his tailbone area playing football, but I take that cake. My parents will tell you that I also did these bone breaking activities while they had no insurance and usually in an extreme attempt to get out of moving. I plead the 5th on that one, although it did come in handy to get out of packing and moving boxes. Lets not get off track too far here. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJGku4f9_un5EBE0cRKFGACubTo-XRjRSiodYeCvzp92FDC5GZ5Qe-0dvk5v_fvWbORV13K5fDNVe7wXVBxPKxWt8U6RIQsA7nDM0AoC-TWEc5LjB90ZBvaGRk9IVjTBEqJTzTc_3ZvE/s1600/photo+1-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJGku4f9_un5EBE0cRKFGACubTo-XRjRSiodYeCvzp92FDC5GZ5Qe-0dvk5v_fvWbORV13K5fDNVe7wXVBxPKxWt8U6RIQsA7nDM0AoC-TWEc5LjB90ZBvaGRk9IVjTBEqJTzTc_3ZvE/s320/photo+1-2.JPG" width="239" /></a>By pushing the limits, I will admit that I'd go and get my ears pierced in the uncommon areas (according to my dad) and I usually sprung it on them when we were in public. I can't help it that my children will have no chance of getting away with things. I LOVE my piercings. I have had my ears done many times, my belly button several times (yeah that was short lived because pregnancy and belly rings = DISASTER. Plus, I believe you grow out of the navel.) I will also admit that I've had my tongue done a few times also. And then my last piercing was my nose, which I still have and alternate between studs and hoops...<br />
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What you may not know is that I'm TERRIFIED of needles. Absolutely terrified. I almost faint every time I have to have my blood drawn. The tears that are uncontrollable as I'm hooked up for an IV are just something that I now warn my prep nurses about. The last lady that came to draw blood for our life insurance policy actually forcefully told me to breathe while she filled the vile. You'd think that will all the needles I've encountered in my life I'd be completely fine with it!? IT'S RIDICULOUS. Which is why, when I decided to get my first tattoo, my husband just laughed at me. </div>
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Yep...ink. And guess what!? IT WAS AWESOME!? </div>
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I won't say that I just came up with it on my own though. One of my best friends MADE me do it. LOL!!! Okay, fine, not really, but she definitely made it hard to say no...and then we decided that this was something we were going to do to celebrate this time in our lives. I'm so glad this is what we did. Nothing really says, "PERMANENT" like a tattoo. I've wanted to get a tattoo for a long time. There have been many times that I've almost done it, but chickened out....again, the needles part. I've been on the search for a good tattoo parlor anyway and since my hubby also has a thing for tattoos, I've been privy to many things I want to be aware of and stay away from. For one thing, I'm extremely sensitive to the feel of a place. I can tell right away the kind of people that dwell in a store or parlor. Since I've had so many piercings, I've seen some really creeeeeeeepy places. But this was a little different, and I needed to feel comfortable where we went. My friend and I were at Target and since the time was getting close and we needed to make a decision, we were scoping out art on everyone we saw. You can tell a lot about an artist by the lines and hey, I've been watching the last 2 seasons of Ink Master, so I'm pretty well versed! (LOL RIIIIIIIGHT) However, I've been paying attention and an artist that enjoys their work and is professional is important and it shows in their work on YOUR skin. I'd say, make sure you choose someone you have a connection with. Anyway, back to Target, because I'm here to tell you that Target always promises to deliver awesomeness. We were checking out and saw that this checker, Whitney, had a REALLY spectacular tattoo. The lines were so clean and it was a well done piece of art. So we asked her where she went and then her friend, who also works at Target, whipped up her sleeve and showed us yet another superb tattoo. I needed to meet this artist. So we were introduced to <a href="http://deedsoftheflesh.com/blaine.html"><b>Blaine</b></a>, at <b><a href="http://deedsoftheflesh.com//"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Deeds of the Flesh</span></a></b> in Thorton. I called and immediately was able to joke with the lady who answered the phone because when we were given the name of the artist to check out, it looked like "BlainO" so that was hilarious. I was able to speak to Blaine and Rob and I went down to check it out. I was SO impressed. It was clean and open and everyone in there was professional, but so laid back and easy going. The owner is a woman name Tiff, and she and her hubby have owned the shop since 2007. Since I was a virgin in the tattoo world, they were really helpful and I HIGHLY recommend them. I'll be going back to Blaine for my next tattoo.</div>
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Ugh, its true, once you get one, you want more. Blaine was HILARIOUS and really made my first experience an amazing one. </div>
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So this is what I've got. Remember that every tattoo is EXTREMELY PERSONAL and mine definitely has a story.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">"Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?" I said, 'Here I am. Send me.' " ~Isaiah 6:8</span></b></div>
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The last couple of years have been very spiritually intense for me. I have fought many battles and God has been asking me recently, "Are you willing to go? Will you OBEY me?" And its been TOUGH! For anyone to tell someone else where they should be in their spiritual walk with God or to judge them for doing or NOT doing what that person thinks the other person should be doing is outright ridiculous. NO ONE gets to tell ANYONE what they should or should not be doing in their spiritual walk because guess what, NOT YOUR BUSINESS. Walk in your own shoes because you only have two feet and clearly God gave you your own to walk with. Walk beside me and show me God's grace and speak God's truth in love~ meaning, you may tell me how God has created me in HIM and that because I'm one of Jesus' creations, I'm not bound by responding out of my fear or anger...its definitely NOT pointing out all the things you see wrong about me. That's NOT the truth in love, that's not speaking life, rather its speaking curses into my life and you do a lot of damage. In fact, you absolutely go against Jesus' very definition of being a light to the world. So I believe thats where the whole 'pull the log out of your own eye before you try to remove the speck out of mine' thing comes in here. This is something I come across often. A lot of people feel they are entitled to judge you because they wouldn't do whatever it is the way you've chosen to do it. It baffles me really, especially when it's people who call themselves 'Christians'. Where is grace to grow in the Lord at your own pace? Somehow God is alright with each of us and allows us to encounter Him WHERE WE ARE IN OUR WALK WITH HIM. Its people who seem to feel they need to express their opinion (uninvited I might add) or 'fix' things because apparently they need to involve themselves. I have to laugh now because I've had to learn to let it roll off my back. God knows my heart and He works with me through the issues that I have and is not concerned that I'll never recover, contrary to what anyone else thinks. We all have issues and the Lord deals with ALL of us in His time because we are all different. Ah, the Love of a Father who truly is in control of all things.<br />
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SO when I was having my quiet time I was lead to this verse in Isaiah...and again I heard the Lord ask me, "Are you willing to obey me...Will you go where I send you?" And BAM. I ran and got my concordance with the Hebrew conversion and found the exact translation for this verse. In that moment my soul connected with this idea..."SEND ME."<br />
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I will go and this was something I could NOT forget and I knew I'd always need that reminder of making that commitment to the Lord's calling...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><u>HERE I AM LORD, SEND ME. </u></span></div>
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-28205523451597988962013-12-04T17:43:00.000-08:002013-12-04T17:48:12.903-08:00Thankfulness...from a New PerspectiveI have to come to realize why Thanksgiving may be my new favorite holiday. And NO, it has NEVER been in the past. I will honestly admit: I hate turkey. I will admit: I HATE cranberry sauce. I also used to HATE it because it meant having to make every extended family member happy and if there wasn't equal time spent with whoever then it meant complete stress...to the point of never wanting to celebrate (if that was even what you'd call it) another holiday again. Just unbearable. At the dinner table (once we actually made it there ALL together and ALIVE ~I will devulge in a moment), my dad expressed something that was said in his office earlier that week. "He said his favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it means that there's no stress of getting gifts, no money issues, no commercialism...just the pure enjoyment of friend's and family's presence." It stopped me in that moment while I looked around the table at my 4 beautiful children and my husband sitting next to me, my brother making a joke at the end of the table and my parents joy-filled faces, WOW...that is so true. There's nothing to commercialize. The only thing thats really on tv is trying to get someone to buy a turkey...which is dumb. Thanksgiving usually means the onslaught of continuous Christmas commercials and society parading Christmas gifts like getting a 75" tv is going to mean all your dreams come true...its disgusting really. It's offensive. 'Be a good parent, get your kid everything they want...' because we don't have enough self centered children out there anyway. I will refrain from saying exactly what I think about all that...but it makes me sick.<br />
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SO back to Thanksgiving. Let me tell you why I was thankful...<br />
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This year we chose to have it at my parents house. They live in a very nice, up-scale neighborhood west of Denver. There are young families all over and its not uncommon to see kids riding alone or playing all over the streets and small parks sprinkled throughout. The only thing that is a concern of mine is that its not that far from a few MAJOR roads. We got to my parents' house around noon and I began cooking right away because I had several things that needed to be baked and that meant I'm on the clear other side of the house and not really around windows to watch where my kids are playing. Since my parents have lived here for more than 10 years, we know the neighbors and all their kids and my kids know that they aren't allowed to leave the culdesac area. I remember looking out the window and seeing Duncan race off on his bike and thinking, 'I hope he watches out for any cars.' About 2 hrs later I heard my mom tell the girls to go get Duncan so we can eat...and I heard "we haven't seen Duncan." While this isn't uncommon to hear...this time it sent a surge through me...something was wrong. He hadn't been in to get water or a snack and he hasn't eaten since breakfast because we eat in the middle of the day for Thanksgiving...then I heard Rob get up and get the keys.<br />
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OH CRAP. I grabbed the multi-colored handtowel to wipe off my hands and I ran outside to the front yard...I watched my dad go to the neighbors across the park and I saw my brother take off on his bike and heard Rob speed off in our car...PANIC SET IN. WHERE IS DUNCAN...so I ran to all the neighbors that I knew had boys Duncan's age...the worst words ever uttered fell from my mouth in sheer terror, "HAVE YOU SEEN MY SON!?" Oh my dear God...I'm unable to hold back the tears now and I'm running down the street, screaming for my son. A mom leaving their home saw me and came to screeching halt in their SUV, "Are you okay!? Whats going on?" "Its my son, Duncan, have you seen him?" She had not and nor had her older son, but they had joined forces with us and sped off to drive down streets, looking for a little 6yr old boy with black glasses, a green shirt in jeans, riding a red bike. Where could he have gone? Surely he can hear my shrill voice SCREAMING his name...?! (everyone else can, otherwise they wouldn't be coming out of their homes...right?) My parents live kind of in the middle of the development...but I SPRINTED, in my 4 inch knee-high boots to a park probably a 1/4 mile away. I saw a large group of people and began screaming at them, begging them to say that they had seen my son. Apparently, this group had some South African's visiting because the one guy kept telling me to calm down. I almost punched him in the throat. A woman with a cell phone ran up to me and told me to talk to 911...I completely lost it at that point. I think I was hyperventilating because I was light headed, out of breath, and could barely talk. There were so many thoughts running through my head. Where was he? Was he taken? Was he safe? Was he hurt? Who would do this on Thanksgiving? What kind of sicko has my child? Will I ever see him again? What will happen to my son? OH MY GOD...I'm married to a cop...I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO CHILDREN THAT ARE ABDUCTED!?!?!? Why hasn't anyone seen him!? PLEASE GOD, NOT MY BABY!!!<br />
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The dispatch was PHENOMENAL. She kept asking me questions...the same questions I think, because it kept me thinking past my own horrific fears and on the facts of the present. What was he wearing? What does he look like? Does he have any allergies? Where do I think he may have gone? Don't worry, 6 officers are on their way to you right now. It was horrifying because I honestly had not seen my son in 2 hours...what kind of a parent can say that?! I always know where my kids are and I'm basically an overbearing parent at times because I'm anal about knowing who they are with and where they are...yikes, now my children are screwed because I'm completely paranoid after 20minutes! LOL My husband saw me off one of the main roads and stopped in the middle of the busy road to run to where I was and thats when I realized how scared HE WAS...that intensified my hysteria. My husband does NOT show emotion really...never in public. His sunglasses were down and he was wiping his face...and then I hear dispatch tell me to breathe also and thats when my brother rode up on his bike, "Robyn!!!! DAD FOUND HIM!!" "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SURE!??!?!?!" "YES~ I WATCHED HIM LOAD UP THE BIKE!" I'm not sure if I said anything except, "HE WAS FOUND! Oh my God, my dad found him!!!!" And I remember handing or throwing or maybe even tossing the cell phone to someone and running out into traffic to my own car. <u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">(To the woman who called 911 for me, THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for not telling me to calm down, but rubbing a complete stranger's back and arm and trying to show some sort of comfort in a situation such as this. Thank you for being apart of my nightmare, understanding that a hysterical mother doesn't need to be told to calm down, rather standing with me as I pace and sob that my child is missing and I can't do anything about it. If you ever see this: I will not forget your kindness and I pray that God blesses you richly.)</span></b> </u>Rob grabbed my shirt to hold me back from getting hit...and as we jumped into the car I shook with sobs of relief and gratitude that God had spared my son from a lifetime of hell or a certain death. My husband held me and we sobbed together that we would see our son, safely, in just moments.<br />
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I didn't even wait for the car to stop, I just dove out of the car as we pulled up in the driveway. I ran through the front door to see my son, looking rather pathetic and terrified that he was about to receive the largest spanken of his life! I went to my knees before him, grabbed him and held on. I couldn't even say words because I was sobbing. I just know that he heard, "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN. YOU SCARED MOMMY TOO DEATH. DON'T YOU EVER DO THIS AGAIN." My parents had to leave the room because well...my mom can't handle seeing anyone bawl and when Rob started to cry...it left the room a complete puddle. A spanken wasn't even necessary because the sheer magnitude of the realization of his actions had enough of an impact on Duncan. And hearing that his bike was going to be put up until he earned trust back...thats a huge chore there.<br />
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Now you can understand why this year 'Thanksgiving' had new meaning...I think so often we forget to stop and thank God for the blessings we have. Especially our children. As a stay at home and homeschooling mom, I'm with my children CONSTANTLY...and there are times that I beg God for a short break from my kids. But this was literally the WORST feeling in the world. DISASTER. I pray for mothers and fathers who don't get the reunion they beg for with their lost children. It definitely changes ones perspective after a situation like this...and it will be something I will be thankful for because it reminds me that every day is a gift.Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-2358814530933390672013-10-07T11:09:00.000-07:002013-10-07T11:13:22.409-07:00The Happiest Place on Earth....Most of the Time....(Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So after our awesome meeting with Jerry and Debbie, we piled back into the RV for the last leg of the drive. Since we had stopped in Gainesville, Joshua's birthplace, Orlando was just another 2-3 hours away!!! It was a WONDERFUL thought because it had been a VERY full 2 days of driving. I love my children and my parents, but I was ready to get OUT of the RV. The coolest part is that we were staying IN Disney World...like camping there. It was the best idea ever. It was called Camp Wilderness and I would absolutely do it again because we had our own space, as in our own private area and our own large camping spot. Which, if you know our family, 'camping' with the Fyocks means going 20 MILES back into the bush and setting up tents, having a camp fire not only for warmth, but to boil our water and cook our food. Yes, I'm very serious. The one and ONLY time we've ever camped any other way was when we went to <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://textmessagestogod.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-monsoon-in-your-lagoon.html">Sterling</a> </span></b>Reservoir and basically encountered a flood of sorts. It wasn't leaving a good taste in our mouthes. LOL So going to Camp Wilderness was pretty awesome!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog6S3lYyXh_dFG2DzEXGJSDBO9aN6F0WR5istMIrduNaBXriqBLahLWJTDQiWJlegZCnTIq1zLubBtTkF_bwCd1KYGBtxZCKgAdXhUJa4M6fpj-ZMjPth6MQwa-r__g2Ml-Q3K3Y_uYk/s1600/IMG_0145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog6S3lYyXh_dFG2DzEXGJSDBO9aN6F0WR5istMIrduNaBXriqBLahLWJTDQiWJlegZCnTIq1zLubBtTkF_bwCd1KYGBtxZCKgAdXhUJa4M6fpj-ZMjPth6MQwa-r__g2Ml-Q3K3Y_uYk/s200/IMG_0145.jpg" width="149" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBIknm-sg_lAW9U7ADYkJ27VSKiPJBkHqRbiykzxlHyHItYYX2U0wI0BQAvGYxW4gfS2ArfFnNpoXBzQ455NnelWlttPbKlasGsAO2Aw_GwzfoPM4M_t_RNsY3ggQguKvKXNTFrdRv-w/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBIknm-sg_lAW9U7ADYkJ27VSKiPJBkHqRbiykzxlHyHItYYX2U0wI0BQAvGYxW4gfS2ArfFnNpoXBzQ455NnelWlttPbKlasGsAO2Aw_GwzfoPM4M_t_RNsY3ggQguKvKXNTFrdRv-w/s320/IMG_0147.JPG" width="320" /></a> It was quite comical watching my dad and husband park this ginormous RV. And because every KOA we stayed at on our way down to FL happened to have a pull through option, backing this big boy into our camp spot in Camp Wilderness was slightly overwhelming. Mom and I grabbed all the kids and headed to the back of the RV where we would be safe from any language or seeing what was actually happening. But because my dad and hubby are rockstar RV parking masters, it shouldn't be any wonder that they got it backed in without a hiccup!<br />
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As soon as the kids were allowed to go out and scope the campsite, they immediately ran for the little swampy area. Because I am not afraid of poisonous bugs or alligators in Camp Wilderness, I was okay just letting them scatter to the 4 winds. Just kidding, I was hyperventilating. And in my mind I knew that surely Disney would properly maintain their property for children-eating animals, however my mother instinct had to relax and drink a little bit. LOL And truth be told, THERE WASN'T A SINGLE MOSQUITO!!! Talk about complete service!!! Yes, even where the girls are standing, not an alligator nor a mosquito. I was shocked and pleasantly relieved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ6N0iqWFDegBD_KY6KDXbBlEP6r7-GkPh_hGh-UaxPpfpx8xxeT9ALSkVVduXBfl9125BCwS3ZMF4WK4UN1_UixP_1y4c3nq69UcuZU5VFgbY0UnNhec7kU73TyLDYMgfQFBeSSQBIg/s1600/IMG_0150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ6N0iqWFDegBD_KY6KDXbBlEP6r7-GkPh_hGh-UaxPpfpx8xxeT9ALSkVVduXBfl9125BCwS3ZMF4WK4UN1_UixP_1y4c3nq69UcuZU5VFgbY0UnNhec7kU73TyLDYMgfQFBeSSQBIg/s400/IMG_0150.jpg" width="298" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qg-yxUIKvzmyRKJkO0K2v3at3bqatWaRCLO54C-LGgjypC4EH_zBwEbCEjJMypeW6h-wwOpUWPq6ZFZrRh_5EZadajh1y7uRQkX0hmyMBM4Rzho689V4paH_0ArnVDu_iNw9jTaB04M/s1600/IMG_0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qg-yxUIKvzmyRKJkO0K2v3at3bqatWaRCLO54C-LGgjypC4EH_zBwEbCEjJMypeW6h-wwOpUWPq6ZFZrRh_5EZadajh1y7uRQkX0hmyMBM4Rzho689V4paH_0ArnVDu_iNw9jTaB04M/s320/IMG_0151.jpg" width="239" /></a>Josh was not to be left out. He immediately enlisted Grandma's help to scout out the area. It was just after dinner when we got there, so we ate a late dinner and decided to relax, put on a Disney flick and chill so we could get up bright and early to experience ALL the Disney Magic the next day.<br />
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And off we went! Now, let me back track a second here. We have NEVER been to a Disney park as a family nor in the last decade of the latest and greatest technology. We only just upgraded to the iPhone in March...yes, leave me alone, I had my reasons. So at this point we were only walking into Disney World Magic Kingdom armed with a map and an idea. NO BUENO. You don't even understand the sheer magnitude of people we were about to encounter (its SPRING BREAK) and the glaring issue that we had NO idea what the hell we were doing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOzh3yi0MaKv1hCqjii9EODzbN-1uH5YFArSzPYQaU2UTrTMFQX8Ei3aUc7UviNumYQeRVlTrz37lsQ3mr09iqqfpuOxsLT4iNmo-J_48kidjW0aPJySgrWhaHrTCVZR_Pi7Dq5cUBLM/s1600/DSC_0746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOzh3yi0MaKv1hCqjii9EODzbN-1uH5YFArSzPYQaU2UTrTMFQX8Ei3aUc7UviNumYQeRVlTrz37lsQ3mr09iqqfpuOxsLT4iNmo-J_48kidjW0aPJySgrWhaHrTCVZR_Pi7Dq5cUBLM/s640/DSC_0746.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPYTIb-ccV1tiis_7b861_rjlWNz-G97DmFFH0hAaEk-JoJpaMsnGk1kOznGYsSWZKwMiynQZKuG4j-WT3_BvE78JOAr9nxg5qhLdBOe5eL7iV79TZ9wiV7Vs6uUQa-YOCnrRpOW_fuM/s1600/DSC_0749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPYTIb-ccV1tiis_7b861_rjlWNz-G97DmFFH0hAaEk-JoJpaMsnGk1kOznGYsSWZKwMiynQZKuG4j-WT3_BvE78JOAr9nxg5qhLdBOe5eL7iV79TZ9wiV7Vs6uUQa-YOCnrRpOW_fuM/s400/DSC_0749.jpg" width="265" /></a>If any of you know my mom, she's a machine when she gets an idea into her thick skull. I love her, but since these were the children I actually gave birth to and quite frankly, they hadn't paid for themselves yet, regarding the blood, sweat, and tears I have poured into them, I was FREAKING OUT that I'd lose one of them in the crowd. Yeah, my mom waits for no one when she's on a mission, man. LOL She's completely unconcerned that we don't know where we are going, by God, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN! Holy Disaster. Okay, so those of you who have been to Disney can attest to this: time is EVERYTHING. The time you wait, the time it takes to walk from one ride to another, the time the Disney Princess is taking pictures, the time that Mickey will be in whatever place, TIME TIME TIME. Oh my goodness. I am aware of the time...like crap, its lunch TIME and I have to figure out something to feed my kids, or Yay! Its nap TIME. This Disney time was SO NOT anything I was even mentally prepared for...nor were my kids and because we wanted to have fun, my children were willingly dragged along by grandma...it was only a 1/2 hour into it and I was on the verge of tears. I cannot handle not having a plan. I have 4 small children, life doesn't go anywhere without even a sketched out plan...to walmart...It was too much for me to even wrap my mind around and I'm the adult! Let me also say that on our first day there were over 20,000 people in Magic Kingdom. Nono, you read that right...20 THOUSAND. It was completely overwhelming...so imagine that maybe 15,000 of them are all racing, with my mom, to Splash Mountain. Apparently Splash Mountain was overwhelmed because it broke after my parents and kids had been waiting in line for 30 minutes. RIDICULOUS. It was at that point that we realized how unprepared we were because we kept seeing signs for 'Fast Pass' and then blinking back tears when it would let us know that there was a 95minute wait. It was then that God showed us mercy and a dad that we had seen earlier that morning on the ferry, as we crossed the lake to Magic Kingdom from Camp Wilderness, saw me in distress. He came over and asked how it was going and I'm pretty sure it was a rhetorical because he then asked if I had an iPhone...which I limply handed to him. He laughed as he told me to quickly download the Disney App and it'd tell me the times of the rides, what the wait was, when fast pass (when you get to go to the FRONT of the line: BEAUTIFUL) was available, and you can even see where the different Disney celebs were going to be where and what time! I would have hugged him, but it would have been weird for anyone around. Word of advice: GET THE DISNEY APP FAST!!!! After my parents located us, in the midst of the mass exodus from Splash Mountain, Rob and I had made a plan and explained the time stuff and the fast pass. My breathing was returning to normal without the oxygen mask and I unhooked the valium IV.<br />
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When I was a kid, I got to go to Disney Land 2 times with my childhood best friend. I won't post a picture and reveal my shame, of wearing a NEON PINK fanny pack, BRIGHT spandex shorts...and bangs. Ohhh...the humiliation. LOL Anyway, I have been sucked into the idea that we've been robbing our children, somehow, by not taking them to one of these Disney parks. Our big kids are definitely at the ages that they would have a GREAT time, and even though Josh was only 15months, he's easily worn in the Ergo or pushed in the stroller. (and when I say 'worn' I really do mean 'worn'. Observe pix of Rob and Josh. Side note: I DIE laughing every time Rob wears Josh because all you can see from looking at Rob from the front is little black arms and legs sticking out like Rob is morphing into a bug of some sort. And when Josh laughs and gets excited, therefore flailing his arms and legs and feet, it just makes it all the more hilarious.)<br />
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And off we went to check out all the rides and embrace the Disney App and all of its MIRACLES.<br />
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Swiss Family Robinson!<br />
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Isannah's not so sure about this ride.<br />
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Even though it was only April, and here in CO that means the weather is often still chilly and unpredictable, in FL its absolutely beautiful. It was actually HOT.<br />
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My kids had SUCH a great time. Normally I'm not into the splashpark in a massively used area...such as this...but if Disney can ensure that mosquitoes aren't apart of the experience, then I am betting they are clean and I don't have to worry about ringworm. Thats my thought too, nothing kills fun faster than the thought of ringworm. LOL<br />
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Duncan is definitely my son...he keeps his shoes on. Natty is more daring...and it paid off this time!<br />
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One of my dearest friends is a Disney ADDICT. She has taken her 3 kids BY HERSELF to Disney many times. I don't think theres enough alcohol in the state of FL to convince me to even CONSIDER doing this by myself. A month before we left, I was talking with her and she was giving all of this wonderful and applicable information. GOLD...gold is what she handed me...she had told me about making the plan, which was completely forgotten in the craziness of just getting to Disney. Another nugget she gave me was to stop in the middle of the day, between 1-3pm and go back to our RV and take a nap, eat, rest, and make another plan for the evening. This was the BEST piece of advice ever. Sadly, this nugget, along with the plan nugget, was set aside. Thinking we had paid all this money and to stop would be wasting something. WRONG. We were in Magic Kingdom until 3pm and my children...ALL 4 of them, HIT.THE.WALL. My oldest even had a meltdown. I looked at Rob, who was also having a meltdown and said, "Alright, we are going to go to the RV and nap." This spurred on another massive fit, but the adults grabbed one child each and we trudged back. We made it back to the RV, ate a solid meal, wiped off everyones faces, and we ALL laid down. We all slept for 3 HOURS. Obviously, we were exhausted and it was only the first day!!!! When we got up and had a light dinner, we made a vow that the next day's itinerary would absolutely include a nap at 1pm. So we cleaned up dinner and made our new plan for an evening out. Unfortunately, about 30minutes before we packed up to head out, Isannah became sick. Earlier she had gotten dehydrated and now she was showing signs of heat exhaustion. Josh was ready to go to bed too and so Grandma and Grandpa decided that they'd keep #2 and #4 children (yes, we actually call them by numbers sometimes to avoid little ears perking up to adult plans) and Rob and I'd take the other 2. It was beginning to sprinkle, but we headed out anyway, planning on a fun night!<br />
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It was really strange just having two kids with us. It was a great evening with Natty and Duncan. I think sometimes it's healthy to split them up and take different kids to different activities. The idea that they have their own time with us is important.<br />
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Around 10pm, we decided that was probably enough for one day and headed back to the RV. Disney has a way of really making each day and night special. The firework display is absolutely breath taking. So as we crossed the lake to Camp Wilderness, we enjoyed the spectacular view.<br />
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-35265743437323606022013-08-29T12:29:00.000-07:002013-08-29T12:29:27.655-07:00The Happiest Place on Earth...MOST of the time...(PART 1)<br />
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We finally had our very first family vacation. <b>IT.WAS.AWESOME!!! </b></div>
Around Christmas of 2012, my mom and I began talking about vacations. Its kinda funny that we had both thought Disney World would be a great destination because Rob and my dad aren't exactly 'fans' of Disney. I won't even divulge in that conversation, but suffice it to say, every time a Disney commercial would come on and our older children would beg to go there, Rob would become more like the Grinch...with the heart size being 4 times too small or whatever. However, with a little coaxing, my mom and I won the men over and we decided around Christmas that we'd plan for a Disney extravaganza over spring break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the 'Rolling Terd' that we chose as our source of transportation!</td></tr>
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When we began looking into transportation, the sheer cost of airfare was enough to choke yah. RIDICULOUS. I think it would have been over $8000 just to fly all of us to Disney World. And, because I'm WAY too cheap, this was absolutely unacceptable. We'd have to figure out another way. An RV is what my dad started looking into and we eventually decided on because it was the most economical and really, who wouldn't want to drive 2000 miles with 4 small children and 4 adults? LOL<br />
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Ironically, it was really comfortable! And because there was enough room to spread out, we all were able to rest when we needed to. It really did have almost all the comforts of home and we didn't have to stop for potty breaks.<br />
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Our trip began in Denver, CO and we were going to hit as many states as we could so that I could use it for educational purposes. Really, homeschooling in this kind of environment was so fun. And my children got to SEE the states we were learning about and I feel like that made the state's history and facts so much more interesting because my kids could tangibly relate to what they were reading and learning.<br />
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Our first day driving was through Colorado, Kansas, and our destination was Lees Summit, MO. We've made this trip several times in the last year, so our kids were fairly up to date on facts in these two states.<br />
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We made it to our first stop was in Lees Summit, MO to visit family and to spend Easter there. It was literally the BEST Easter ever. Our kids got to see their cousins and hunt for eggs. We ALL LOVE going to KC and we are all loved so completely that it makes it hard to leave!!!<br />
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SO we started off with a quick dinner and then a glow in the dark egg hunt!!!<br />
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They had SO much fun. I think the adults were having just as much fun as the kids.<br />
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Unfortunately, we had to leave fairly early the next morning to begin the long trek down to Florida.<br />
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Josh was COMPLETELY done with all the excitement and opted out of the egg hunt.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollie and Greg were given 'Gwynevere' for baby Ava</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkACn9a44KRDZhe8Sq6_nQFa_EtOYgJEoNp3OZuUR-pRDftfAGxK6hZyjebREEnXlEJ0a3J8sVsYavwtXMwAvnC7PX1tbnq-arHk_0-m_EshWG0iCELVQyc5_Islfq-w7ij0FGdBIDYk4/s1600/IMG_0113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkACn9a44KRDZhe8Sq6_nQFa_EtOYgJEoNp3OZuUR-pRDftfAGxK6hZyjebREEnXlEJ0a3J8sVsYavwtXMwAvnC7PX1tbnq-arHk_0-m_EshWG0iCELVQyc5_Islfq-w7ij0FGdBIDYk4/s200/IMG_0113.jpg" width="149" /></a>We were pretty sad that we didn't get to meet baby Ava this trip down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0MiETYGGaOvM8hEtIvR5ZYgVliQtBmNu6FWImG6n7IbbnlL-_VFsHeyzV6b5LO86Tz9qvBA-xI7KE4O3H0nuPmOlj7gil0tWd7-cE68uYCVKqJzCzCHqov4sMJgSRKLvKNtCS0U2lKw/s1600/DSC_0740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0MiETYGGaOvM8hEtIvR5ZYgVliQtBmNu6FWImG6n7IbbnlL-_VFsHeyzV6b5LO86Tz9qvBA-xI7KE4O3H0nuPmOlj7gil0tWd7-cE68uYCVKqJzCzCHqov4sMJgSRKLvKNtCS0U2lKw/s320/DSC_0740.jpg" width="212" /></a>Our second day driving we went through the rest of Missouri, then we hit the tip of Illinois, through a little bit of Kentucky, and over to Tennessee. We stopped briefly to let the kids get out and run around a little. Even though the RV had a fair amount of space, we still needed some fresh air and a bit of a break from the closer quarters. I think when people saw us start piling out of the RV it was almost comical because we just kept coming out. Our main objective was just to get to Florida as soon as we could. We made it to the KOA in Georgia that night. It was interesting to figure out the easiest sleeping arrangements with 4 little kids. Josh still uses a pack~n~play, so he was probably the easiest. But Rob and I were to sleep on the pullout couch...until we realized that the bar that is supposed to support the mattress really only served as an annoying and horribly uncomfortable metal bar in the middle of our backs with a sagging mattress at our head and feet. I can laugh now, but I was worried for a few minutes there. We ended up putting it on the floor and the kids kind of slept around us...?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GAR7QbCYXKwxX9QL8aAchiF7_CycSO5DFBtD_UjADutwfEQfACZ8AOwM6eECP5RWM23ZUSv6WsLRK4fd9Ynf9fgXot8hZfC-19Q_4NP0ViJss6pbrF6xE6IMJIr-ZuIrxIz0ZpJjWks/s1600/DSC01671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GAR7QbCYXKwxX9QL8aAchiF7_CycSO5DFBtD_UjADutwfEQfACZ8AOwM6eECP5RWM23ZUSv6WsLRK4fd9Ynf9fgXot8hZfC-19Q_4NP0ViJss6pbrF6xE6IMJIr-ZuIrxIz0ZpJjWks/s320/DSC01671.JPG" width="320" /></a>We got up bright and early again the 3rd morning, super excited to get on the road and get to our first stop in Gainesville, FL! We were able to meet up with Jerry and Debbie, our agency director and wife. If you have followed me for awhile, then you would have seen them here, on January 9th, 2012. I have updated pictures of all of us coming soon! It was a wonderful visit...the kind that end way too soon and never often enough. Because Gainesville is still a ways from Orlando and we had to be checked in at a certain time, we couldn't stay as long as we would have liked to. (I'll get those pix up as soon as I get them! :) )</div>
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-34655751123398997622013-08-28T16:23:00.000-07:002013-08-28T16:23:13.934-07:00Trimmed into ToddlerhoodYep, this is a real thing. I have loved every aspect of becoming a biracial family and learning all there is to know about the culture my youngest son, Joshua, was born of. Its fascinating and, yes, even scary at times. And not scary in the, I'm shaking in my boots, but the overwhelming realization of: Oh CRAP...I have NO idea what this...means. Several of my AA friends will laugh at me, because I have no problem admitting the PAINFULLY obvious: I'M SO WHITE RIGHT NOW. And they are gracious and willing to teach me.<br />
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Josh's culture, from what I've learned, considers this move from infant to toddlerhood to be a very big deal. A sort of coming of age and because I want to respect his background and ethnicity, I want to make sure I follow traditions as much as I can. AA boys, and girls I think, do not cut their hair until they turn one. This hair cut represents the switch into toddlerhood and I actually struggled with it a lot!! Joshua's black Auntie Caldonia, and our cherished friend, helped me accept and embrace my role as a white mom to a black child. I felt like I was going to be judged or do something wrong and Caldonia was God's instrument to help me walk WITHOUT fear. So naturally I call her or text her whenever I have questions with skin, hair, attitudes...what have you, I know she's got my back!<br />
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So this is my precious baby's first hair cut. We waited until we got back from Florida to do it, so he was more like 15 months and not exactly one, but theres been some gray area as far as when the 'right' time to do it is. And there has been mixed feelings on the haircut in general and the real tradition or meaning. Most will say, if you were to cut the hair before the child is one, it messes up the natural curl and natural growth pattern. When you see Josh's hair, you can see that there IS a pattern and its the most incredible thing! I thought you were supposed to brush it in a certain way or put product in that would curl it in sections, but Josh's hair does this naturally and its just amazing! Others believe that you must wait because the tradition of this stepping into toddlerhood is a very big deal. Because we don't have the absolute pleasure of having this conversation with our birthmom and her thoughts on the matter, we chose to wait and honor both the seemingly logical idea of the growth pattern and the tradition.<br />
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I also chose to go a more natural path with Josh's hair. I LOVE the kids line by <a href="http://www.naturalhair.org/">Taliah Waajid</a>. Its the Kinky, Wavy, Natural. Its AWESOME. Its yellow and smells DELICIOUS. It also conditions Josh's hair so its soft and super kinky. I am not trying to be gross of crass, but after he takes a bath and I wash his hair, it always looks like a bunch of little pubes everywhere. Seriously, I died laughing because my husband got into the shower a few hours after one of Josh's bathes and it made him very worried what was all over the bottom of the bathtub.<br />
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Anyway! Here is a picture of Josh's hair and his LONG locks. I was SO sad to cut these off. But frugality and time consumption won out. Its EXPENSIVE to maintain this kind of hair and this MUCH of it...and he's just 15mos old...it'll grow back!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh doesn't exactly possess a tolerance of hair time. In fact, he HATES it. LOL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in this picture you can see his natural curl. I love it. It's incredible</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because I can already 'hear' my brother inlaws commenting on this picture's contents...that is HAIR...not something else. I just cut off an inch and a half!<br /></td></tr>
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Since this time I have actually buzzed the sides and faded it so that, per Duncan and daddy's request, Josh has the same hair cut as the big boys!<br />
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It is SO hard to fade this boy's hair! Fortunately for me, I got it good enough. LOL After I use the Taliah Waajid conditioner I put in the Kinky Curly Style and Shine so that it continues to moisturize and protect his hair. It also keeps it smelling good and doesn't let it turn into an afro. A great blog that I follow is called <a href="http://www.chocolatehairvanillacare.com/">Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care</a>. This site has AMAZING information and can help you figure out what kind of curly/kinky hair you or your child has!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I LOVE this face. He's not happy with me because he really didn't like the sound & feeling of the clippers</td></tr>
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-7290945706135935152013-08-28T10:31:00.001-07:002013-08-28T10:47:32.119-07:00"Hey, lots of people go to school for 7 years..."<div style="text-align: center;">
"I know; they are called DOCTORS." </div>
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I LOVE TOMMY BOY.</div>
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It was a requirement that whoever I married would share my affinity for hilarious movies and have an entire conversation made up of only movie quotes.</div>
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Okay not exactly that, but to have a man with a good sense of humor was an absolute MUST. He also had to have blue eyes and blonde hair. (I still am not sure why this was a prerequisite?) A Christian with strong morals and values that matched mine. A man that made me feel like a woman; small, adored, cherished, and treasured. A man who's 'horn's matched the holes in my head' kinda thing. I wanted a man who desired to have an adventure in his life and make me apart of it. </div>
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What did I get? Rob Riggins. Ironically he does have blue eyes AND 'blonde' hair...but he blew my list of requirements out of the water. Christian with strong morals and values? Oh yeah, in fact he usually makes me crazy with his undying need to follow rules. Make me feel like a woman? Yep...he looks at me like I hung the moon...he's also 6 feet and 200lbs, so of course I feel small! hahaha but above all, he does cherish, treasure, and (what I love the most) adore me. I am a very blessed woman. This man has chosen ME. Above ALL others. Not only is this HONORABLE, this is BIBLICAL.<br />
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Rob and I met when I was 12 and he was 16. I had just been enrolled to go to a Christian private school in Denver and before school started for the year, every student went up to a camp called Idrahaje. Pretty fun...but what I didn't expect was to find my future.<br />
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It was a fun week of the normal camp stuff and I had managed to sprain my ankle playing basketball the 2nd to last day. So I was lucky enough to get to sit in the gym and watch the other kids, mostly the high school boys (*swoon*), play basketball. It was in one game that one really tall, almost scary looking guy got mad at a shorter, skinnier looking guy and the scary guy threw the ball at the skinny guy and walked off the court. Yikes. Scary guy wasn't someone I'd really seen much of and I didn't think he'd be someone I'd want to run into ever. So the next day as I'm crutching over to the van to throw my backpack into the pile and get ready for the ride back to Denver, I'm startled completely by a deep voice that says, "God, you are a klutz." I clumsily spun around to see the scary guy right behind me! I had no idea what to say and managed to squeak out a, "thanks...?" That was where it started...we began school soon after camp and Rob became less scary. It was a very interesting year. But at one point I remember coming home to tell my mom, as I threw my backpack on my bed, that I was going to marry Rob Riggins some day. She scoffed and laughed and said that I probably wasn't...I enjoy rubbing it in sometimes that I was right. ;) Rob and I broke up near the end of the year and I moved to MN that summer and didn't have much contact with him until my junior year of high school.<br />
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Rob joined the Marines and traveled the world. I stayed in contact with his sister for awhile after I left and in one letter she told me that Rob was in a relationship and it was pretty serious. I wasn't upset at all by the news, but wanted to maintain a relationship with his sister anyway. When my dad announced we were moving to Wyoming, I got ahold of Rob's sister again and asked for Rob's address so I could write him. Just a letter to mend any bridge that may have been broken since I knew that I'd be going to a CO college when I graduated high school. Rob was in Naples, Italy at that time and we began writing a lot. Come to find out he was not in a serious relationship at all and later I found out that when he got my letter, he knew it was God's confirmation that I was the girl he wanted to end up with. (awe)<br />
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I was a junior in high school when Rob flew home for a funeral and he actually drove up to Douglas, WY to meet me for a day. It was AWESOME. He continued to pursue me long distance. I graduated in 1999 and decided that I wanted to go to college without any strings and so we were 'just friends' for my first year of college. I was also interested in someone else and didn't want more than a friendship with Rob. It was odd, but he was like a bad penny, man, he kept popping up!!! LOL!!!! I moved to Greeley, CO right after I graduated high school and began a full 21 hr schedule with UNC. I loved college and I only wish now that I had enjoyed it a little bit more! Rob got out of the Corps in 2000 and seriously, he would not go away. I see it as the greatest leap of faith for him, because I literally had no intention of being with him. His family had actually moved to Greeley, so that was very coincidental!<br />
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I had been spending a lot of time with Rob, but still only as friends. It wasn't until late 2000 that I finally agreed to go on a date with him...with a whole group of friends. We saw The Cell...not exactly 'romantic' by any means!!! But it was enough that I let him in a little bit more.<br />
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During that time in my life I was struggling with events that happened in my childhood. Being sexual in nature, it crippled me in every aspect of my dating life. Bound up by fear and resentment, I was unable to pursue a healthy relationship, much less maintain one. I chose to seek out counseling since the school provided free services and began talking with a psychiatrist who, in what turned out to be our last session, asked me to describe in every possible detail one situation. It made me sick. It was awful. I came home from that session, got into the shower fully dressed, turned on the water, and vomited. After sobbing on the floor of the shower, I got out and dried myself off, took off my jeans, and wrapped myself in my favorite blanket...the 'Elk Blanket' that was my dad's and my brothers and I constantly fought over it growing up. Its a HUGE, heavy cotton comforter that is soft and fuzzy...and it is the one thing that I had from home that always brought comfort. My parents were still living in Wyoming at the time and my younger brothers were in school, making it impossible for my mom to come to me and help me through this excruciating time. Her only direction was,"Call Rob Riggins and talk to him." "No mom, I don't want anyone to know this stuff, especially him." "Honey, please, call him. I need to know that you are with someone safe and he's a very good guy." So that was it. I had no one else. My roommate was in class for several more hours and I literally couldn't call anyone else. So I dialed him up. I was a hot mess and I didn't say much because of choking back tears and the conversation wasn't more than him answering and then 3 seconds later telling me that he was on his way over. Click. I didn't have to tell him much, but what I did say, and I would assume that by the look of me, was enough to shock anyone. What I thought I'd look up to see in my shame shook my entire world. This man sat across from me in my room, at my desk to give me a safe distance, and cried. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why he was crying? It changed everything.<br />
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It was in November of that same year that God ripped the scales from my eyes and solidified, in my heart, that Rob was my future husband. We were laying on the floor of his parents house watching The Perfect Storm. He was falling asleep, like usual, and I was snuggled beside him. I stretched at one point and my arm fell in a way that my hand was in his hand on the ground...a perfect fit. Strange to know something like that in a movie like that, but either way, that was it. He bought me a promise ring and we dated for another year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you know when the groom is pulling the garter off the bride's leg? Yeah, this comedian pulled out these underwear instead. </td></tr>
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Most people have these super amazing proposals...like the baseball game with a huge audience and boo hooing. Or the Christmas/holiday 'surprise' with friends and family...or the huge surprise in some public area....I WAS ARRESTED. No no, you read that right.... I WAS ARRESTED. Let me back up, Rob is a Deputy Sheriff and has cop friends all over Colorado...so he called in a favor.<br />
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One particular day, I needed to run down to another store to return a pair of shoes since the size wasn't in the store near us. It happened to be an hour away...and was SOUTH. Rob came and picked me up and we had planned on running errands. Well, he turned NORTH...and was heading for a town that I didn't like because it was dumpy and again, we needed to go SOUTH...not North and I'm not exactly in the mood for a detour because I wanted my new shoes! So we are driving and I'm thoroughly irritated and making my sentiments known. "Why are we going this way? We need to turn around and go south, Rob. Seriously, I want to get down to this other store!" "I thought we could take the scenic route....com'on, its pretty..." "No, its not. And I hate this town anyway. Turn around." One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't use their blinkers to change lanes or turn. I think Rob does this sometimes just to irritate me and was doing so on this day as well. "You are a cop. You should always use your blinkers. Its just rude. You're probably going to get a ticket, which will make us even more late to get down to the other store! You're killen me, Smalls!!!" <br />
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Huh, as though the cop outside our car heard me point out his lack of blinker usage, lights are illuminated behind us and we have to pull over on the main thorough-fair in a mini lunch rush hour. HUMILIATING. And I knew it! Ugh! See? USE YOUR BLINKERS PEOPLE!!!! LOL we pull into an abandoned parking lot of a closed down Dairy Queen, and Lookie Lou's are everywhere. I gave him the dirtiest look I could muster. "Awesome. I told you. Watch, I'll probably have some warrant out for my arrest and I will never get my shoes. I hate this town. UGH!" The officer gets out of her cruiser and comes to Rob's side and asks the usual, "License and registration." But then she looks at me and says,"Ma'am, I need your identification also." WHAT!?!?!? "No, I'm not driving." "Ma'am, I need your identification please." I was FUMING by this point. I am not driving!? I look at Rob like, are you kidding me??? And he says in a strained voice,"Sweetheart, give her your ID!" Whispering forcefully, "NO! I'm not the one driving and I ALWAYS use my blinkers!" He hands me my purse and says, "Give her your ID NOW." I stubbornly get my wallet out and hand her my ID and she takes our information back to her computer. We wait just a couple of minutes and she comes to MY side and begins to open the door. "Ma'am, I need you to step out of the car. I have a warrant for your arrest." I begin shaking....OH MY GOD, WHAT!?!?!?! WARRANT FOR MY ARREST!?!?!?! I look at her. "I'm not even driving...how is there a warrant for my arrest???" "Step to the back here." She begins grabbing my wrist and putting HANDCUFFS ON ME. ITS LUNCHTIME AND TRAFFIC HAS NOW STARTED BACKING UP BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GAWKING. "Ma'am I have a warrant for your arrest for theft." THEFT!?!?!?!? I DON'T STEAL THINGS!?!?!? I'VE NEVER EVEN STOLEN GUM!?!? Immediately I'm racking my brain trying to think if I had accidentally taken a pen from the bank and a camera saw and that's what I had stolen...but a warrant? That implies I did this a long time ago, right!? What bank branch did I need to return a pen to!? In this micro second, I hadn't even noticed where Rob was...and then the click of the handcuffs brought me out of my brain scanning to the present to see Rob kneeling in front of me laughing and hand shaking, as he held out a ring to me. "You have stolen this man's heart." The officer is now laughing and Rob's crying and my crying is now in full force, but out of joy and merriment, instead of horror and humiliation. The officer unhooked my cuffed wrist so Rob could put my ring on and I held off punching him, since I'd probably be rearrested for domestic violence. And yes, I did get my shoes that day.<br />
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Its been 11 years since that day. <br />
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Where has 11 years gone? In the last few months I've noticed that I'm so attracted to this man. I mean, duh, we have 4 kids together...but I'm talking about this way-down-in-my-gut surge. Its not even necessarily sexual...I'm not trying to be cheesey or corny...its completely overwhelming. I am SO in love with this man! Don't even think for one moment that we haven't had our EXTREMELY hard patches...there have been moments when I've screamed out to God that He made a huge mistake! But I'm pretty sure thats normal, even healthy...I bet Rob's had a few of those too...only a few though LOL. We've had to make huge decisions that redirect our ENTIRE family. We've had to make choices that are REALLY unpopular. But I think my foundation of security is this...that a man shall LEAVE his mother and father and CLINGS TO HIS WIFE. He CLINGS to HER. And in the same way, SHE CLINGS TO HIM. WOW!!!!! Father and mother, siblings, relatives have NO bearing on this union that GOD created. That's pretty intense. And so much freedom is found there. Maybe my overwhelming attraction comes from this pure and simple fact: we cling to God and each other. Its awesome. Its beautiful. Watching my husband embrace his role whole-heartdly is like the most brilliant firework display you've ever seen. WOW. And I'll say this now: I cannot wait for my children to have marriages like this. To be completely overwhelmed by the blessing of a marriage relying on Jesus. TO be the oxen that pull TOGETHER in the SAME direction. For a long time it felt like we pulled in opposite directions or that I pulled and he drug his feet...but now he leads...and we pull together.<br />
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Phew! I'll step off that soapbox for now...I'm sure someone was gettin queasy. LOL And we're about to watch Liar Liar, so I gotta go get my Jim Carrey fix...<br />
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"New to the building?"<br />
"Yeah, I just started on Monday."<br />
"Like it so far?"<br />
"Yeah, everyone's been real nice."<br />
"Well, thats because yah got big jugs. I mean, ..."</div>
Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-87883720117887938982013-07-16T09:37:00.001-07:002013-07-16T09:37:36.862-07:00So Much Goen On!!!I'm so sorry for the obvious neglect to my poor little blog. Our family has gone under MAJOR transitions...they have been AWESOME...God has answered so many prayers and brought many, many dreams into a reality. I cannot even describe my excitement and joy. However, with that excitement and joy, stress and sheer overwhelm has accompanied it. I promise, I have at least 5 more posts that will be made, complete with pictures...including Josh's first haircut, Disney World magic, our first family vacation, and our new house!!! Yes, LOTS of great stuff! I cannot wait to share it with you! Please hang in there with me. See yah soon.Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-24767286541227642232013-03-26T11:54:00.000-07:002013-03-26T11:54:24.138-07:00Candy Makes You Rich!I'm sorry to post so many videos, but sometimes you really need to pee your pants from laughing so hard. And perhaps the only reason these videos are so hysterical is because I have children that say these things, but either way,...I hope you pee your pants.<br />
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-27052352828164673532013-03-26T11:39:00.003-07:002013-03-26T11:41:56.862-07:00Perspective<div style="text-align: center;">
Break out your Kleenex. If you have 23 minutes, I HIGHLY recommend this video. It is amazing.</div>
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-83711647703046825612013-03-26T11:35:00.001-07:002013-03-26T11:35:18.718-07:00This is a GlimpseSo, its really no surprise that I homeschool my kids...because you can see it on my blog title. I will tell you right up front that I had NO INTENTION of EVER homeschooling my kids. One, because I'm NOT a patient kind of woman and Two, I really wanted to go back to school and finish my own degree. However, that is NOT what God had planned. My husband and I prayed about what was the best fit for our family since I would be the main educator of our children. I wanted to try it out with our eldest daughter's Kindergarten year. It wasn't so bad, but I learned that I would have to either begin drinking A LOT to survive future homeschooling escapades or learn how to teach my children different ways. We chose ACE as our curriculum because of its structure and it had every core subject. At the end of Natty's first grade, I realized that the math portion of ACE wasn't a good fit for her and we changed the next year to Math U See. This has been a good change for us and while its not always perfect, it seems to be working well enough for the girls' ages and grade levels. But on one such occasion (because if I say this happens a lot, someone considering homeschooling won't go through with it LOL) in the midst of rounding numbers, I was frantically searching for a fork to stab my eye out and the phone rings. Our poor friend and his mother in law got to hear me 'dealing' with my girls not understanding why 2 does not round up to 10. Yeah, you get the gist of what I'm saying. It had been a full hour and half of sheer TORTURE. So! In light of this occasion, our friends (who also homeschool their kids) introduced us to this hilarious group of people who make real life situations laughable. I hope you enjoy!!!!<br />
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-34099878413475365522013-03-13T16:15:00.000-07:002013-03-13T16:15:01.688-07:00So what about Gluten?I have to laugh at times when people ask me what gluten is. Not because I think they are dumb, but because they think I know!!! All that I have learned and know comes directly from experiencing first hand the effects of this ridiculous little item. I don't have the scientific education to spout this grand education, however, I HAVE LIVED IT...so therefore, <b>regarding my body</b> and the symptoms I have survived, I think I'm pretty expert. LOL All I can share is my story <b><u>(</u><a href="http://www.textmessagestogod.blogspot.com/2012/04/eh-glutenwho-needs-it.html" style="text-decoration: underline;">Robyn's Story, Eh, Gluten. Who needs it!?)</a> </b>and the reasons I live the way I do and choose to eat the things I eat. I will also be giving you solid resources so that you can also make your own decisions.<br />
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No, I do not have Celiacs, although from what I've read in my extensive research, a gluten intolerance, like mine, if not taken care of at the first signs of a gluten issue can very well turn into Celiacs. I believe that my intolerance developed in my teenage years when I started going through puberty and my hormones began changing and raging. This is not uncommon. Gluten reeks havoc on hormones like you wouldn't believe. A lot of people I know don't understand what its like to have a gluten intolerance, and because I haven't been diagnosed with Celiacs, don't believe me. When I was 21 I was diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) because of my severe reactions to dairy and coffee and several other little things. It was HORRIBLE. I couldn't eat anything with dairy that didn't make me feel like I should star in Dumb and Dumber during the EX LAX scene...only add to that horrific sight me holding a bucket, vomiting at the same time. I was constantly bloated, couldn't lose weight, had a HUGE hormone problem going on with Peri-menopausal and bleeding (I was only 28), and finally went to my homeopathic doctor (yes, she is a REAL doctor with the doctorate, but has chosen to put her expertise in a different area of health), who did many tests on me. Diagnosis: "Nope, you have a SEVERE gluten intolerance. STOP EATING IT IMMEDIATELY." This is NOT IBS. I may have symptoms of IBS, but that is NOT what I had.<br />
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I think so often doctors are so UNknowledgable that throwing more pills at you to try and treat a symptom is the only thing they really know how to do, instead of researching the ins and outs of why a body will respond the way that it is. Pills were more of the band aid on the cough, if you will, for me. I absolutely believe that many and most ailments can be cured with diet. And no, I don't mean going ON a diet. I mean the food that you are putting INTO your body. I understand that in the beginning, God made everything and it was good. However, since we no longer live in Eden, I believe that most of the foods out there are either GMO (genetically Modified) or artificial CRAP. Most of what we find in boxed meals are NOT healthy at all! In fact, as I have been on pinterest and following other people who are dedicated to putting information out there that is revealing the uglies in our foods, I had to stand up and further the education here. And this isn't hard stuff!!! This is right there, ON THE LABELS...we are just way too busy or lazy to check it out...problem is, is that I've been one who's thinking was hey, I'm in a rush, I'll just grab a cake mix and get to the party only 15 minutes late instead of forgetting or being an hour late. I'm STILL in that mindset! But now that I have one child that is VIOLENTLY allergic to red dye #40 and showing signs of more allergies to different dyes, one child that is sugar and dairy sensitive, and me, who's gluten intolerant, life isn't as easy as running to get a cake mix. The part I'm embarrassed by, is that I'm an educated adult and I am also a Christian...I should know what I'm putting in my body and the effects it has on me. Because God says that our bodies are His Temple and we are to take care of ourselves. That doesn't just mean exercising and eating organically...while I do think those things are important, what we eat EFFECTS how we function. Our moods, our hormones, our brains, our organs...all of it creates a body that we are to respect and take care of. If something, like gluten, is effecting my emotions and making me a LUNATIC because its creating a mess with my hormones, then by all means, I should know the root cause of the problems! Not trying to take care of the symptoms by taking more pills. I was told once by a doctor that I was depressed. I was NOT depressed. I was told to take birth control to regulate my hormones even though I had had a hysterectomy...uhm NO.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><i> By taking out gluten, my panic attacks STOPPED. COMPLETELY. By taking out gluten, my hormones REALIGNED. By taking out gluten, I LOST 4 PANT SIZES. </i></span></b></div>
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Is this a huge sacrifice? YES!!!! Holy crap, do you know the torture I face as I walk past a fresh bread stand? I realized something else recently: its a matter of perspective. How was I thinking about this? Was I having a pity party? Sometimes. What if I changed my thought process to 'I don't want to eat gluten, it makes me feel like crap.' This is how I changed my thought process. Even now when I see someone drinking a pop I think, 'oh that looks good' and I get one...I take one drink and the blast of sugary bubbles actually grosses me out. I feel lethargic and bloated after I drink it. I get moody and grouchy because now I'm tired...all of these negative thoughts because I chose to put something in my body that is NOT nutritious or beneficial.<br />
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It was stumbling upon this particular <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/159807486750007031/">cake mix pin</a> that sent me reeling in disgust!!!! I went to my cabinet and began pulling things out that I was feeding my kids to see if they had the same ingredients on there! FREAKED ME STRAIGHT OUT.<br />
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Thats when I got on this woman's blog, <b><a href="http://mywholefoodlife.com/2012/10/29/processed-cake-mixes/" style="font-size: x-large;">My Whole Food Life</a>,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></b>to see what else I had been conveniently NOT reading on the labels. I have been apart of the masses buying crap to let my kids ingest!!! No wonder there are so many allergies!!! No wonder our bodies aren't functioning properly!? More pills cannot solve stupid eating just because the packaging is pretty!!! If you read further on her blog, Melissa goes on to post more about other 'healthy snacks' that seriously made me throw up. I had NO idea. My guess is that most of us moms out there really do desire to feed our kids good, nutritious foods. What I'm suddenly realizing is that nutritious isn't exactly package-ready foods. I laughed the other day because I read something that said, "Fruit is always fast food." So true, and yet we race past the fresh fruit for the fruit cups with gel that is made from (get ready for this little gem) BUG SKELETONS!!!!!!!<b> <a href="http://mywholefoodlife.com/2012/11/20/dole-fruit-cups-exposed/">(Dole Fruit Cups~ My Whole Food Life)</a></b> EW!?!?!?!?!?!? I wonder what will NEVER be in my house.<br />
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My husband and I decided 23 days ago that we were going to go sugar free. That means ALL kinds of sugar. At first I flippantly thought, no big deal...I can give up sugar for 40 days. I am a chocoholic. I LOVE chocolate. I've been trying to eat less, but I had no intention of giving it up completely. However, after 23 days of not eating it, fruit is suddenly WAY SWEETER. I eat 3-4 grapefruits A DAY. I am addicted to them at the moment. We got strawberries and usually I would dip them in powdered sugar...I know but it was yummy okay? I cut up some of the Smoked Gouda cheese I bought at King Soopers and ate the strawberries along side the cheese. It was the most satisfying snack I've had in a long time. And it was HEALTHY! Its something I can actually indulge in without guilt! This is one way that I am taking care of my body and rediscovering that I don't have to KILL myself with rigorous and constant exercise. I will even admit something: I hate having to work out. I must for the arthritis in my knees, but by eliminating sugar even my arthritis is better!!! Who knew!? Its just that I have to mentally prepare myself to eat correctly because I enjoy the sweets and notsogood things. I think that having treats is fine as long as its not a regular thing. Birthdays should be celebrated with fun treats...but even the fun treats can be modified into foods that are good for you!!! Like gluten free fruit Pizza <a href="http://www.textmessagestogod.blogspot.com/2012/04/gluten-free-fruit-pizza.html"><b>(GF Fruit Pizza recipe)</b></a>, which is SO DELICIOUS. The other thing I discovered is Stevia. Its not too bad...as long as I only use a little because it falls into the 'little dab will do yah' category.<br />
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I will get off my soap box for a moment. I just needed to vent and get that information off my chest and out into the blogging world because there has to be other moms out there, like me, who really didn't think about it...until NOW. I hope you are able to check out Melissa's blog, its FULL of awesome information. Good luck!!<br />
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-66312807005712833072013-02-26T21:13:00.001-08:002013-02-26T21:15:56.742-08:00Sometimes...<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I just need a little change in my perspective. I find that when I read quotes by Mother Teresa my heart wrenches in a desire to do and be more. Here is one such quote.</span></b></div>
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<br />Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-41551679487114505172013-02-20T16:12:00.000-08:002013-02-20T16:12:50.177-08:00Daily Devotion~ When an Apology Never Comes<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>*This devotional hit me in such a profound way that I had to post it. Not only did it bring healing to some damaged areas of my heart, I realized that I must not be the only one out there that has been in this situation. So often we forget that we can only take responsibility for our OWN actions and not the SHAME that follows when we are forced to believe we've done something wrong...when in fact, we have not. If you are in this season of life when this is absolutely applicable to you, know that you are NOT alone and I, for one, am praying for you.* </i></span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><i>~Robyn</i></span></b></div>
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<b>By Stephanie Clayton</b></div>
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<b>Daily Devotion for February 19, 2013</b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">When an Apology Never Comes</span></b></div>
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<i><b>"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 (ESV)</b></i></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Numb to the pain, I sat in my counselor's office to talk about the rape that occurred 10 years prior. I wanted to share what happened but the words would not come. Even if they did, would I feel better? I hoped so, but doubted the process. This part of my life had been hidden for 10 years; surely another 10 wouldn't hurt, right?</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Although I wanted desperately to run, I desired freedom more than escape.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Freedom from nightmares, uncontrollable mood swings, panic attacks, and the feeling of gasping for air. Freedom from unforgiveness. Hiding any longer from my pain would never help me move forward. So I stayed in counseling.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Uneasy, I described what happened. The sounds, sights, and smells returned as if it were yesterday. I was left wanting one thing.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An apology.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Couldn't someone say they were sorry for what happened? Not a shallow apology, but one that would restore meaning to my life. One that would somehow return my loss of innocence. Surely an apology from the man who raped me would make a difference, right?</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After 10 years, I knew I wanted freedom from the unforgiveness that seemed to enslave me. But how was I supposed to forgive when he never said, "I'm sorry"? I spent a lot of time praying and studying how to move forward when bitter and angry. How to forgive when an apology never comes. Along that journey, I learned a few things.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First of all, for forgiveness to bring freedom, I had to offer it freely, with no strings attached. Not because the person who hurt me earned it, but because it's Christ's gift. If you are a Christian, no one's sin, not even your own, has the right to hold you captive. That means you are free to forgive.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You may not feel like forgiving, but that is where you ask for God's strength. Ask Him daily for help until you are able to offer forgiveness freely to yourself and others.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Second, I had to release my shame. Often when someone hurts us, we blame ourselves. If we had been a better person, done something differently, or spoken more assertively we could have avoided what happened. <i>Right?</i> Wrong! Pressing shame and blame upon ourselves is not conducive to freedom and healing. Galatians 5:1 says, <i>"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shame is a yoke of slavery. Instead of accepting shame, choose to stand firm in Jesus' love. Stand firm in His freedom that releases you from shame. Because of His sacrifice on the cross you are free!</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Third, I had to keep walking forward. To move past your past you must walk through it to move beyond it. This might involve time and professional help ... but here's the freeing part: your past does not define you, Christ does!</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I never received an apology from the man who raped me. But I've come to realize that even if he were to apologize it would not make up for the hurt he caused. His apology could not and would not set me free.</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Freedom is not contingent upon receiving an apology from those who have hurt us. Instead, forgiveness leads to freedom and is possible because Christ's death on the cross set us free.</span></b></div>
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Dear Lord, thank You that Your death on the cross gives us all the strength we need to forgive those who have hurt us. Where there is unforgiveness, uproot it with grace. Allow Your mercy to fall on the burdened places of our hearts and minds and show us the areas we need to be set free. Thank You that Your grace, always has been, and will always be, enough. In Jesus' Name I Pray, Amen.</span></b></i></div>
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Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-43629723538335636012013-02-16T18:49:00.001-08:002013-02-16T19:00:20.031-08:00Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe - 4 KIDS<div style="text-align: center;">
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SERIOUSLY THE BEST SKIT EVER</div>
Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7690357055792322427.post-49755505950127229712013-02-16T18:37:00.001-08:002013-02-16T18:59:41.063-08:00Jim Gaffigan - Cake <div style="text-align: center;">
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Dear Jim:</div>
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I LOVE YOU. </div>
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Fruit; good. Cake; Great. </div>
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Fruit cake; NASTY CRAP.</div>
Robynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02662906316672851675noreply@blogger.com0