tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79614922428896253592024-03-13T04:25:56.249-07:00The Way We AreJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-22809593925043681662015-10-12T00:14:00.001-07:002015-10-12T00:39:57.958-07:00Carter's Professional Pictures<div style="text-align: center;">
We got professional pictures done when Carter was 2 weeks old. I love how they turned out!</div>
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<img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5767.jpg?m=1439529388" height="213" width="320" /> <img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5786.jpg?m=1439529387" height="213" width="320" /></div>
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<img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5809.jpg?m=1439529724" height="213" width="320" /> <img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5819.jpg?m=1439529724" height="213" width="320" /></div>
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<img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5852.jpg?m=1439528967" height="213" width="320" /> <img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5909.jpg?m=1439528992" height="213" width="320" /></div>
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<img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5865.jpg?m=1439528968" height="213" width="320" /> <img src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/Stephens-Professional-Photos/CBP5923.jpg?m=1439529393" height="213" width="320" /></div>
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You can find more pics <a href="http://tedjamulia.com/index.php/view_all_photos/dialog/18050">HERE</a></div>
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<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-17037986815415938302015-10-11T18:02:00.001-07:002015-10-12T00:46:50.977-07:00What Jackson's Been Up ToJackson has been a busy bee. I am homeschooling him for preschool this year, and he is learning a lot! He is very inquisitive and I can see the wheels in his head turning. We learned about dinosaurs last week, and I told him they were extinct. He thought for a second and asked what happened to them. I said a giant rock came and poomied them (Jackson's word for when something dies). He thought about it for a little bit and then asked me, "So what happened to the rock?" I thought that was so funny. I told him I wasn't sure, that it probably broke into little pieces.<br />
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Jackson has started doing gymnastics. I wanted him to do something fun with other kids his age and didn't think he was quite ready for soccer. He loves doing "flips" on the bar and doing somersaults on the floor. I'm pretty sure he is one of the favorites because all the teachers fight over him and tell me how cute he is. He is all smiles for them.<br />
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Jackson loves playing with his cousins here. He gets along so well with Cousin Will And Cousin Daniel. When they are all 3 together, they run around and play. It's cute.<br />
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<img height="205" src="http://tedjamulia.com/var/resizes/A-Million-Pictures-of-Marie-and-Carter%27s-Blessings-%28Just%20Kidding%21%29/IMG_2720.JPG?m=1441651071" width="320" /></div>
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Jackson loves watching football with Ryan lately. He always requests to turn football on.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VAfF3rkO2uc/VhtaiKVMmRI/AAAAAAAAB04/Km604lWPIOk/s1600/IMG_6519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VAfF3rkO2uc/VhtaiKVMmRI/AAAAAAAAB04/Km604lWPIOk/s320/IMG_6519.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Jackson is also very stubborn and is starting to test his boundaries. He likes to be defiant and see what he can get away with. He is really good about not doing anything naughty like drawing on walls or getting into things, but he sure does know the word "no". I have to remind him to be obedient about 390824 times a day.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7324.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505aee7743845dc&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ83Oc3kO6TtND6u2ZRoqINOi0fukvWDvrKyDsP3do-keJD0cZKbMbFITSvkktlumTYqd_tfeEq1LObSa7Sv5WSTDfBBdh2lOCbMNEw1DsXFoy515BvWsHGVm8k&ats=1444635171408&rm=1505aee7743845dc&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="255" /></div>
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We still love our little (or I guess big now) boy. He is a sweet older brother and really is a sweet boy. He loves playing Minecraft and also loves Spiderman. We are going to have to put some of his toys away in his room because he's outgrown them. Can't believe he is turning 4 next month!<br />
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<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae44cea11a77&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9I-5fdwOHMPx2yDeJ94C5Ao1OUs3fnw6AHlE-OquqX5BLeLyT8kdTI7Cg6SeeaqZXen0uEbU8a0KKJ6PRYtov9DsbA1ZV_agjgOEPYNaVLfZ7OZGIigDwq-6Y&ats=1444634171766&rm=1505ae44cea11a77&zw&sz=w1345-h514" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying IMG_7798.JPG" border="0" height="400" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae44cea11a77&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9I-5fdwOHMPx2yDeJ94C5Ao1OUs3fnw6AHlE-OquqX5BLeLyT8kdTI7Cg6SeeaqZXen0uEbU8a0KKJ6PRYtov9DsbA1ZV_agjgOEPYNaVLfZ7OZGIigDwq-6Y&ats=1444634171766&rm=1505ae44cea11a77&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="299" /></a></div>
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Here is a selfie Jackson took of himself.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7447.JPG" height="400" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505aeef14dd59f9&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8-uz9msDb7eFAXekgvEoyV7JD6PYx66_M6UL8CuRyGRfNOqF1v77GPmqUVB3VFVWipf9eTV6BhT6BLdVqvtuKK5dt7mASB75vej0vtin4sUaWYUAcdEiwQI7M&ats=1444635171375&rm=1505aeef14dd59f9&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="299" /></div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-7334389902947634822015-10-11T17:55:00.000-07:002015-10-12T00:35:19.067-07:00Carter at 3 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TrHXD5epYag/VhtaVJSzKkI/AAAAAAAAB0w/h7A9MC5lYBg/s1600/IMG_6540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TrHXD5epYag/VhtaVJSzKkI/AAAAAAAAB0w/h7A9MC5lYBg/s320/IMG_6540.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I finally feel like my life is getting back to order. Carter has been such a sweet baby. He is very easy going and doesn't ever full out cry. He will fuss when he is hungry or tired, but I have only really heard him full on cry a couple times.<br />
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<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae171052ab8a&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8wzNYFfb6eRAMUxHBGSwFrMUGLL6pXRsmhU-X3z4JmjQBKGCrW2dw-Rrf4GMNa6WGsYTjl_v-AMT2jR-lhc852efJcYUAf5g_Mw4pYN8EYEweZ9r_q1aAtA48&ats=1444634172411&rm=1505ae171052ab8a&zw&sz=w1345-h514" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying IMG_7515.JPG" border="0" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae171052ab8a&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8wzNYFfb6eRAMUxHBGSwFrMUGLL6pXRsmhU-X3z4JmjQBKGCrW2dw-Rrf4GMNa6WGsYTjl_v-AMT2jR-lhc852efJcYUAf5g_Mw4pYN8EYEweZ9r_q1aAtA48&ats=1444634172411&rm=1505ae171052ab8a&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /></a></div>
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Cute boy has started to laugh, and it is so stinkin cute. He also loves his jungle bouncer chair. He knows to kick his legs to make the chair bounce, so he is in his chair bouncing up and down like crazy. Carter is a social butterfly. He would much rather look at people than look at toys (opposite of Jackson). He is starting to become more aware of his surroundings lately. He discovered the cat yesterday, and it was so funny. He had a confused look on his face and was probably thinking, "What are you!?" He also has started playing with some toys. I'm wondering if his teeth are moving because he has been drooling like crazy and gnawing on everything.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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Carter loves to grab my hair and stick it in his mouth. When I take it away from him, he will immediately do it again, stinker pants.<br />
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<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae2c491cc6ca&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_mIJtmZU1M3mvpVZ1C0voAYltKJaypS23_K72oWcqKESzbSAZRWzaBPxTnsCE27smozVEjsvKo6tn1cp20SzbEyBRD6nppH3NQ1VYqYFuf8ofbhmn0V7-W-08&ats=1444634171879&rm=1505ae2c491cc6ca&zw&sz=w1345-h514" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying IMG_7641.JPG" border="0" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae2c491cc6ca&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_mIJtmZU1M3mvpVZ1C0voAYltKJaypS23_K72oWcqKESzbSAZRWzaBPxTnsCE27smozVEjsvKo6tn1cp20SzbEyBRD6nppH3NQ1VYqYFuf8ofbhmn0V7-W-08&ats=1444634171879&rm=1505ae2c491cc6ca&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /></a></div>
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What else....OH. Carter is a blow out king and has been for awhile. At least once a day, Carter will have an impressive blowout. He goes through outfits like crazy. We have had to throw out clothes because they are not salvageable. It is pretty amazing actually. He has such a forceful poo, there is no containing it.<br />
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Carter still sleeps in his rock n play, but only because his nursery is too bright and loud in the morning. Once we get curtains up (hopefully this weekend) we will be able to transition him.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7291.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae0d043492c9&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-Y48TCHEgP_XwFL0F-3X5uAvEsnfu9tajI5IJu77gR92rJX9lvNDLwU_xT100bupIFwWe3wPlNd1GY4e2omyO7kqtonpSVz5OkznKJM6u0AGGSIvaq-1KSy-U&ats=1444634172433&rm=1505ae0d043492c9&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /> <img alt="Displaying IMG_7618.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae24981dbe21&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_mZQ-JzbL9dxs1HMSE6u1LdxeIL0NZtIL2Y-M4ly2Xvi1dcTeWRf3SNlSIb9i7unMR5liyORFVkB8r730M3r7HXGei-Cn1FpA9m7f0qNcug_-WNqPFqLh-rX8&ats=1444634171899&rm=1505ae24981dbe21&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /></div>
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Carter is tolerating baths a lot better. He also loves his older brother Jackson. He always has a special smile for him. Carter hates car rides in his car seat, and loves his pacifier.<br />
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Carter is wearing 6 month clothes and is in size 2 diapers (although, we will size up to size 3 soon).<br />
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Nicknames for Carter: Carter Car, Car Car, Cartman, Carter Sauce<br />
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Love this little boy!<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7703.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae3154c5d45c&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ_JFrBySOwkTL1KWjclR9jKKHCq_PgiJgYKmORPLmpl8Vpy-QIBSCGogQSOY8odcNGKgf1rifpaFwYhgVGCcKA9hhSj9LniZJZB8JX1vrMpMYn00eMoSdcrfpE&ats=1444634171859&rm=1505ae3154c5d45c&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="320" /></div>
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7709.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505ae35d1362ae9&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-u-_9sMuiPqGEHYcvFLXwEmlcQ03EZr1o9Q17ThfnY25UEq2IWd6ECXTLH8VDZSKiyfARt1QL3lQZbLV17B8MC6nJizjpDo2ZmrpfNnUtFxfVTYWANSlV2Kpg&ats=1444634171792&rm=1505ae35d1362ae9&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="320" /></div>
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Jackson on the left. Carter on the right, See any similarities?</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-13996270829917639642015-10-11T17:47:00.001-07:002015-10-12T00:42:16.013-07:00Carter at 2 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlnCSdIHfss/VhtYJrlbhbI/AAAAAAAAB0c/MWZNhD6BaX0/s1600/IMG_6526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LlnCSdIHfss/VhtYJrlbhbI/AAAAAAAAB0c/MWZNhD6BaX0/s320/IMG_6526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Carter is starting to smile. It is the cutest thing. He will smile so big, his eyes will disappear, and his mouth takes over his face. He has what I lovingly call his "creepy old man smile". It's pretty funny.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_6652.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505adf84171abf8&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ8W0v73T50bVquPTkeE2RFWArpiO0jrJLbuQcVdAfo09a5BkwAb4hNyyFQnQu-V6LlymrdFz8-8hGKygwCiEYwQTykIcOhnOZQ3Tm1uh1ug6WnnSdCanyHeEWc&ats=1444634172453&rm=1505adf84171abf8&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /></div>
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He is a sweet little baby. He is a good napper and was recently diagnosed with reflux. He is on medicine for it, and it has helped a lot.<br />
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<img alt="Displaying IMG_7058.JPG" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=014704679b&view=fimg&th=1505adda9bf6e58c&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-4sCbT7v6tFzma0fiPYjRRf98Mw5bL6U9pO225M_l--RxbC9CAcJvZhINUwigZ6mYvY6dBwVHpe7qu6hMX6oMX9G6Jlj_nf7VfCJReCj_MDBKSUpbi1dvwr9c&ats=1444634094263&rm=1505adda9bf6e58c&zw&sz=w1345-h514" width="239" /></div>
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Carter was blessed on August 23rd, the same day as his cousin Marie. We were planning on using the same blessing outfit that Jackson wore, but when we pulled it out the day before the blessing, it was stained. Shauna and I had to run around town looking for a new outfit last minute. It was an adventure! We ended up finding a cute little romper for him. Thanks Shauna!<br />
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Both grandparents, and even Aunt Lisa, got to be here for the blessing. Carter is a very blessed little boy having so many people that love him.<br />
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The blessing was beautiful, and Carter looked so handsome for it. Special times for our family!<br />
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<img height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11219429_10102166914971999_2549301596039011363_n.jpg?oh=c068dc2cdbac8b276effb7e1dbf9f502&oe=56C97F59" width="320" /> <img height="320" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11949378_10102166914612719_3561374061162527639_n.jpg?oh=cf7aa00960772c62e890475b731f1621&oe=56958E41" width="320" /></div>
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Cute Carter wakes up around 7-7:30 while Jackson is still sleeping, and that is our special alone time together. He will talk my ear off if I let him, and I think it is so cute. He then goes to sleep for a couple hours after that.<br />
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Poor boy had to get his 2 month shots. He was cranky a few hours after, but after a nice, long nap, he was good as new. The doctor was trying to get Carter to smile for her, but he was very seriously talking to her. No smile, just a serious conversation. The doctor laughed and said it is usually harder to get babies to talk and easier to get them to smile. Carter was being the opposite.<br />
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Carter's 2 month stats:<br />
Weight: 14.11 lbs (94th percentile)<br />
Length: 24.21 in (89th percentile)<br />
Head Circumference: (47th percentile) -- Didn't inherit the Tedjamulia big head!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-29398751131737740452015-10-11T17:39:00.001-07:002015-10-11T23:38:51.939-07:00Carter at 1 Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3jz2TjYqfRM/VhtVDL6lj5I/AAAAAAAABzg/fBF-UN90pE0/s1600/IMG_6411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3jz2TjYqfRM/VhtVDL6lj5I/AAAAAAAABzg/fBF-UN90pE0/s320/IMG_6411.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Carter is a little sweetheart. He is still an easy baby (although I wish he would sleep longer stretches at night). I forgot to mention that before Carter was born, I had hoped we would have another little boy with dimples just like Jackson and Daddy. Jackson has the biggest dimples, and I hoped Carter inherited them as well. Well, I noticed Jackson's dimples from the second they placed him on my chest at the hospital. So when I first saw Carter, I was slightly disappointed that he didn't have any. Fast forward 2 weeks, and I finally got a glimpse of his cute dimple. He only has one on his right cheek, like his daddy. Cute boy.<br />
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Carter at 1 month is starting to become more aware of the world. He is staying awake longer stretches at a time. I had to give up all dairy because it upset Carter's tummy. Oh well. I would rather have a happy baby than drink milk.<br />
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Ryan and I joke that baby Carter is an easier baby than Jackson was...and is STILL easier than Jackson is. Jackson likes to push our buttons sometimes, but we still love him.<br />
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Ryan has been so nice and lets me sleep some stretches at night. Poor guy must be tired at work. During the day, I will put on a show for Jackson when Carter is asleep and nap as well, so it hasn't been too bad. Love our 2 boys!<br />
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Carter's 2 week stats:</div>
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Weight: 9.81 lbs (80th percentile)</div>
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Height: 21.16 in (68th percentile)</div>
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Carter's 1 month stat:</div>
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Weight: 12.35 lbs (95th percentile)</div>
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<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-68623578639343770242015-10-11T17:33:00.000-07:002015-10-11T23:35:26.420-07:00Newborn Carter<div style="text-align: center;">
Carter is an easy baby. (Knock on wood)</div>
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He already knew his days and nights the moment we brought him home. Actually, he just thought all day was sleep time. He would wake up every hour or two to eat, but would go right back to sleep. He, unfortunately, had jaundice, like Jackson did, so we had to put him on lights and go back to the pediatrician everyday for a week to check his levels. Poor little heels.<br />
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Jackson had a bit of a hard time transitioning from only child to oldest sibling. He would always say he had to go potty when I fed Carter. Every. Time. He has since gotten over that. Jackson has become a daddy's boy since baby has been born. He is also a sweet older brother. For the first month of Carter's life, he would call him "Baby Brother Carter". He was very proud of his little brother and would ask how he "got big".<br />
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My mom stuck around for two weeks after the baby was born and helped a ton! She cleaned, did dishes, grocery shopped, and cooked. We sure missed her after she left.<br />
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Ryan only got to take one day off from work to help out. Since he was a new employee, he didn't get paternity leave. Sad. Luckily, we had the baby on a 3 day weekend, so that helped.<br />
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Carter actually fit in his newborn clothes for a couple weeks. Oh! When we brought Carter home, he had the biggest blow out--all down his legs and up his back. It was so bad, I said forget it to the wipes and stuck him in the sink and washed him down. What a welcome home present!<br />
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It always takes a couple months to adjust to a new baby. Carter was such a sweet newborn, and we are so happy he's in our family!<br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-26130794136368138362015-10-11T17:26:00.001-07:002015-10-11T23:27:39.748-07:00Carter Michael StephensSo I found a doctor that would take me. He is an OB/GYN at the hospital next to our house. His office is actually on the same floor as Labor and Delivery, so the first time I went there (with Jackson), I could hear a lady screaming in pain. It got me super pumped....<br />
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The first appointment with the new doc, I was 36 weeks pregnant. I was hoping he would agree to induce me early, since Jackson was 10 days early and almost 10 pounds. He was really nice and we went ahead and scheduled the induction for a week before the baby's due date.<br />
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My mom flew out two weeks later, and helped me a ton. I was big, but not nearly as uncomfortable as I was with Jackson at this point. I didn't really start feeling miserable until I was 38.5 weeks along. It was hot though. Summer in Utah...sometimes it would be over 100 degrees outside, and if I went out for even a little bit, it would completely wipe me out.<br />
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We did an ultrasound to see how big the baby was. The doctor predicted he would be around 7-8 lbs, so A LOT smaller than Jacks. *Phew* The doctor said I could still go ahead and get induced.<br />
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A couple days before the induction date, the doctor checked me, and I was only dilated to a centimeter and 70% effaced. He encouraged me to push back my induction date a couple days to make sure my body was ready for labor. I agreed. I really wasn't that uncomfortable, and I do like my sleep.<br />
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So, when I was 39.5 weeks pregnant, I was 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. I got the thumbs up to have the baby the next day.<br />
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On July 3rd, 4 days early, I was induced.<br />
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I always heard that the second baby is usually easier to have, and this was true in my case. I would have to say the hardest part was the IV. The nurses had trouble sticking my vein. It took 3 nurses and 5 pokes for them to finally get it. I was super grumpy afterwards, not to mention nauseous. The first nurse was giving me a play by play. "I got the needle in. I'm fishing for a vein. Your vein keeps rolling! Sorry, I have to move the needle around in your hand..." I get queasy because of that and made Ryan get me a cold, wet paper towel to put on my head. They finally got it in. After the nurses left, Ryan checked out the nourishment room and was super excited about all the free coke he could have. I was still grumpy and did not appreciate his energy. Haha, poor Ryan.<br />
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Then the anesthesiologist came in and it took 3 pokes to get the epidural in. That one was my fault. I kept accidentally squirming away. I finally had to sit up and lean forward in Indian style, and that was much better.<br />
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Initially, I wasn't sure if the epidural was working because I could still move around pretty easily, and had feeling my legs (I later found out I was wrong. I couldn't feel a single contraction. Just the way I like it). My doctor had the day off that day because it was the day before 4th of July. He had no appointments, but he was in his office working on paperwork.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">He came in, broke my water, and said he would be waiting for the phone call.</span><br />
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I tried to relax and rest. An hour or so passed, and I was still feeling queasy, so the nurse gave me zofran to help my nausea--it worked wonders. I told Ryan we should probably rest while we could. I turned on my side and tried to fall asleep. 20 minutes later, the nurse came scurrying in. She told us that based on the baby's heart rate, it looked like I was getting close to pushing. What?! They checked me not too long ago and I was on a 4. I thought it was going to take a lot longer.<br />
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She checked me, and sure enough, I was at a 9. I was stunned. What about my nap? She got everything ready for baby to come, and checked again, and I was a 10. Game time. The doctor came, and 20 minutes later, baby was here. (It took 3 1/2 hours of pushing for Jackson to come out, so this was way better). I had to get an episiotomy again. Bummer. But I can't complain because from start to finish, it only took four hours for baby to come out. Not too shabby. I kinda picture that since Jackson was so big last time, he made room in the birth canal for all his future siblings. All Carter had to do was slide down the birth canal. Jackson's birth was pretty traumatizing for me, so this was 100 times better.<br />
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Carter tried so hard to open his eyes and look around when he was placed on my chest.<br />
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He was such a chill baby, not to mention he had a ton of hair! We couldn't decide between the name Carter and Bryce in the hospital, so he was unnamed for a couple of days. He was also bigger than we originally thought. 8 lb 10 oz. I was amazed. I thought he was going to be in the 7 lb club for sure.<br />
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The post-partum yuckies were bad. Worse than labor. My uterus contracting was so painful. The next day was the 4th of July, and we had a really good view of the fireworks. My mom even made the comment that we should come back every year and watch it from this hospital since the view was so good, haha.<br />
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We came home 2 days after Carter was born, and it was history from there.<br />
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Introducing Carter Michael Stephens</div>
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Born Friday, July 3, 2015 at 12:01 pm</div>
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8 lbs 10 oz, 21 inches long</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-50076992595995102432015-10-11T17:04:00.002-07:002015-10-12T00:39:01.868-07:00I'm Pregnant! And We Moved!I'm pregnant! Well, I was....3 months ago. I haven't updated this blog for awhile obviously.<br />
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Ryan and I found out we were pregnant last Halloween! Can't believe it's already been a year! This pregnancy was very different than my pregnancy with Jackson. I was less nauseous, had no leg cramps (Hallelujah!), and did not feel as connected to the baby (people tell me it's because I already had one kid).<br />
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I was blessed to have a fairly easy pregnancy. I remember with Jackson, I swore right and left that he was going to be an only child because pregnancy was so difficult. Then again, I was horribly sick the first few months and then big as a barn in my last trimester and still had to work full time. Jackson WAS 9 lb 11 oz.<br />
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I knew this one was a boy before we had the ultrasound too. Or maybe it was just a lucky guess. After we found out this baby was a HE, we went and celebrated with smoothies. Yummy.<br />
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When I was about 6 months pregnant, Ryan found out he got a job in SLC, UT. When I found out, I cried and cried...like I couldn't stop crying for hours. I was so sad. It's good he got a job, but I was pregnant and 1. I had hormones and 2. I was counting on my mom to help me figure out being a mom of two. When we had Jackson, we lived in Provo, and I felt so alone and isolated. Those were hard months, and I didn't want a repeat of that. Ryan accepted the job, and I prayed that everything woul work out.<br />
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Soon after, Ryan graduated from law school. Smarty pants....<br />
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And then I had to move when I was 7 and a half months pregnant. Not the most ideal situation, but it had to be done. I wore myself out moving and was slightly terrified that I was going to have a baby on the airplane (hey, it happens!). I had a slight de ja vu moment when Ryan, Lily, and his dad drove across country, while Jackson and I flew. Didn't we just do this 3 years ago?<br />
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We finally got all moved and settled in. It took us awhile to adjust to our new home. We were pretty spoiled in Georgia. Jackson was very emotional for awhile, but he is much better now. He still talks about how much he misses Georgia though. Luckily, he has some nice cousins here in Utah to play with, and we manage to stay busy.<br />
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Next up on the blog...Carter's birth story.Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-84338903597632179332015-03-26T21:02:00.001-07:002015-03-26T21:12:09.920-07:003 Year Old JacksonJackson turned 3 back in November. He is a sweet little boy, but can be a handful at times. I realized he never really went through the rebellious stage. He never climbed out of his crib or took off his clothes. He never wrote on the walls or did anything that he knew was naughty. We were pretty lucky from that point of view. However, he has a little attitude sometimes, especially when he is tired or hungry (more like hangry). He likes to be defiant and say no to us. It makes me want to rip out my hair sometimes. But then, 2 minutes later he can be this sweet little boy again, so it's quite confusing. We love our little boy so much!<br />
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This is him blowing out the candles on his 3rd birthday. He actually made play doh cakes and pretend candles for weeks before his birthday to practice blowing out his candles.<br />
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<strong>Things you should know about 3 year old Jackson:</strong><br />
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--Jackson loves to mother people. He will ask me if I'm okay or rub my back and give me hugs and kisses. The other day he was playing with his cousin, Kyan, and Kyan was feeling sad because his mom left to go to the store. Jackson said, "It's okay. Kyan's mommy will be back. Want to go upstairs? Yeah? No? Downstairs?" He was trying to comfort his poor cousin. He also would bring him toys to play with since Kyan had a hurt leg and couldn't do it by himself.<br />
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--He is pretty good at expressing his feelings. "I'm feeling sad..." or "I'm happy today!" I think he got this from preschool. He is a pretty sensitive kid and will cry when you say no to him. This is hard when his friends don't want to do what he wants to. He doesn't quite understand why they (or we sometimes) say no.<br />
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--He loves Mickey Mouse clubhouse, cars, trains, and toy reviews on Youtube. It's a real thing. Look up Disney Collector. She is one of his favorites. It's basically adults playing with kid toys. Whenever he watches one, he will turn to me and say, "Mom, I want that for my birthday."<br />
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Jackson insisted on sleeping with all of Grandma's Mickey Mouse stuffed animal in this tiny crib. He actually slept with them all night long. I was impressed.</div>
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Jackson loves riding this train whenever we go to the mall.</div>
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--Jackson will go to preschool by himself, but still hates primary. He will go to the class portion (not by himself), but hates singing and sharing time. I think part of the reason is because I am playing the piano and can't sit by him. He also wants people to stop singing. It's pretty funny and aggravating at the same time.<br />
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Jackson drew this picture after school one day and I was really impressed. It is a dinosaur with a long tail and clouds.</div>
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--He has a love/hate relationship with baths. He will refuse to take them some days. I think it's because he hates when water gets in his eyes when we get the soap out of his hair.<br />
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--Sleeps on a "queeng" size bed on the floor. It is a queen and king mattress topper stacked on top of each other. We are ghetto like that.<br />
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--Loves to sing and play play doh and paint. He also likes to cut with his scissors.<br />
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--Terrorizes the cat. He thinks it's funny to chase her and throw toys at her. He thinks he is playing with her. Poor guy needs a brother to play with (I'm working on it).<br />
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--Loves Chick-Fil-A!! He calls all fast food with chicken and fries Chick-Fil-A. <br />
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Jackson asked me to take a picture of this icecream cone and French fy at Chick-Fil-A. He also posed with his face this way on purpose. Goofy boy.</div>
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--He loves to play the old school Nintendo console at my parent's house. He especially loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (he has a TMNT shirt that he refuses to take off), Rescue Rangers, and Mega Man (which is so hard for us to play! That game is impossible to beat!) Occasionally he will let us play Mario, which is Ryan and my favorite.<br />
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--He understands the concept of money or "moneys" as he calls it. He loves playing Kindle games, but whenever he wants to buy a new game, he asks if it cost too much "moneys". <br />
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Playing Kindle after a haircut</div>
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--He says the funniest things sometimes. Jackson is a smart kid, and we love him so much.<br />
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I love this little boy to pieces!! He is so sweet (most of the time) and fun to be with. He is going to be a great older brother!<br />
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Side note: Jackson is pretty good at using my phone. He knows how to take selfies, and here are some that I found on my phone. Sometimes his sequence of selfies make me laugh so hard I cry.<br />
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After about 30 of these pictures, this was then followed by 3 second video clips of him clapping and making funny noises. This kid cracks me up.</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-53797742138472531612015-02-27T12:09:00.004-08:002015-02-27T12:22:45.221-08:00Orlando AdventuresRyan has a goal to go to at least one BYU game a year. This year, he was an overachiever and went to not one, but TWO. He used his birthday money to buy the tickets--Happy Birthday to him! <br />
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Ryan convinced me that we should go to the Orlando game by bribing me with Harry Potter World and Disney World. How could a girl say no? Plus, this would be Ryan's early graduation present to ourselves. <br />
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I am so glad we went. We made a lot of good memories and had a great time!<br />
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<strong>Airport:</strong> The Orlando airport is really quite fun. They have Mickey Mouse character statues and pictures of Harry Potter all over. They even had a fun Harry Potter store where they sell t-shirts and wands. <br />
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Jackson was instantly amazed at this Goofy that was there. <br />
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He then promptly fell asleep afterwards in his stroller while we were getting our rental car. Orlando has about a billion tolls. All the major freeways take credit card, but we passed a smaller toll that only took cash. Unfortunately, we were like 3 pennies short. Ryan had to go to the car behind us and beg for money. Whoopsies. I am going to go ahead and assume that this was not the first time that's happened...<br />
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<strong>BYU Game:</strong> So we drove to the BYU game...UCF is one of the largest campuses in the United States, and unfortunately, we parked on the wrong side of campus. We had asked one of the parking people where to park, and she was like, this is probably the best spot you can get, so we believed her. We probably shouldn't have especially since we were her enemy (not cheering for UCF). We had to walk 40 minutes to get to the stadium (and we weren't allowed to bring the stroller, so poor Ryan had to carry Jackson the entire way). Some of the UCF students were kind of taunting us and saying mean things about BYU. After a little bit, Jackson turned to us and said, "People nice!" I guess he's not used to strangers "talking" to us. It was funny.<br />
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We eventually found our seats, and started to lose really bad. We thought it was going to be a blow out for sure. Somehow we caught up, and it was a really exciting game.<br />
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Jackson liked it for a little bit (although he thought it was pretty loud and would cover his ears!). <br />
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Then in the fourth quarter, all he wanted to do was to walk along the top of the stadium. We would walk until the end of the BYU section and then turn around. <br />
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The game went into overtime because of a tie. It was really late, and we had woken up early. Jackson kept asking to go to bed, poor kid. So Ryan stayed in our seats, and I walked down with Jackson where it was quieter and tried to see if he would fall asleep. (He didn't.) BYU ended up losing, but at least it wasn't a blow out. It was fun (and humid!). <br />
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When we got back to our hotel, Jackson fell asleep pretty fast, but then this loud noise went off that sounded like a doorbell at 2 am. We called the front desk, and they kept asking if it was the fire alarm. I said no....The receptionist was skeptical and almost sent someone up, but I said, "It sounded like a doorbell." That's when the light bulb went off. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "We just installed those! Probably someone is going around doorbell ditching. I'll send security up to make sure they stop." Why they need a doorbell for a one room hotel room...I'm not sure...<br />
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<strong>Universal: </strong>Universal was amazing. It was super hot the day we went. We got discount park hopper passes from a friend of a friend, so we were able to see both parks. <br />
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We mainly went for the Harry Potter World, so we walked straight there. It was in the very far corner of the park. On the way there, we passed Simpson land and decided to try out a ride. Jackson wanted to go on it until it was our turn, then he started to freak out. I made him go, and when it started, he had so much fun....and that is where his love for rides started.<br />
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Harry Potter World was amazing! I loved it so much!<br />
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Jackson was actually terrified of that dragon on top of the roof. It would randomly open it's mouth and fire would come out. He hated walking on the main streets of Diagon Alley and would beg to hide in a building somewhere.</div>
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The frozen butterbeer was delicious and the Leaky Cauldron was yummy. <br />
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Jackson ate like a ravished animal--he was so hungry, the poor boy. Ryan and I took turns going on one of the rides. Ryan said it was the funnest ride he's ever been on. It stopped midride for me, and I got to stare into a dementor's face for about 5 minutes. The lady next to me didn't speak English, but it sounded like she was praying. Poor lady.<br />
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The Hogwarts Express was pretty cool. Jackson was happy to be on a "choo choo". I guess when Universal made the train, they thought it was just going to be a way of transportation from one park to the other and were really surprised that guests viewed it as a ride. They had to do some quick thinking on how they could make it more ride-ish. I thought it was fun. I would say it was more of an experience than a ride. <br />
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After Harry Potter World, we went to Seuss Landing. Jackson really liked it, and we got to go on a lot of kiddie rides with him. <br />
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When we were done with Universal, we went to our Disney World hotel, and Jackson was in love. He cooed over the Mickey Mouse soap and bedspread and phone....<br />
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<strong>Disney: </strong>To this day, Jackson will not stop talking about Disney World. He asks to go back on a daily basis. He knows that we can't because it is "too much moneys", but requests that we "get more pennies." He now asks us if we can go for his birthday (doubtful). He also still watches our free Disney planning DVD we got.<br />
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When we entered the park, we arrived right on time for this Mickey and friends performance. Minnie came out first and then the others came behind her. Jackson was so amazed his friends were real. I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up a little. It really was quite magical. During the performance, Donald was grumpy, so Minnie gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jackson talked about that for days.<br />
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Jackson loved all the rides and was really good at waiting in line. He loved the Mickey Mouse characters, but only from afar. He freaked out if they tried to touch him, or they got to close. He loved Minnie though. He said she was nice.<br />
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One of the days we went to a character eat and greet, and poor Jackson didn't know whether to be really happy or scared. He refused to eat his food and wanted to go hunt down the characters, but he couldn't get too close! <br />
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He eventually figured out that he could take pictures of them with our camera. They would pose for him, and they wouldn't get too close that way.<br />
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Jackson's favorite rides were It's a Small World (which we got stuck on for a little bit) and the Winnie the Pooh ride. He loved them so much that he would watch Youtube videos of them when we got home. Jackson also got this newfound obsession with Winnie the Pooh (which is why he had a Pooh birthday party). Jackson was afraid of the fireworks (but right now as I write this, he says that he likes fireworks and that he's not scared of them anymore.), but he loved the light parade. We also made sure he got some good naps in (which I think is key to going to Disney with kids). <br />
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He wore this Goofy hat pretty much the entire time.<br />
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Jackson loved the atmosphere and the characters. He really loved the rides. He kept asking to go on some rides that he was too short for, and we would have to tell him that it was scary because there were fireworks on them! Heh. Parents. He actually is pretty tall for his age and could go on a lot of rides that most kids his age wouldn't be able to go on. Lucky guy.<br />
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We were pretty exhausted when we went to the airport to fly home. Jackson kept look at his Mickey Mouse books and all the pictures on the phone.<br />
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Some people were skeptical of us going to Disney with an almost 3 year old, but we are so glad we went. Even though he won't always remember it, we will! Someday we'll have to go back. Too bad it costs an arm and a leg!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-77391229398053862592015-02-04T19:58:00.004-08:002015-02-04T20:03:27.440-08:00The Last 3 MonthsWell, time to dust of this 'ol blog here. It's intimidating writing again after a 3 month hiatus. Here is what happened in a nutshell.<br />
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<b>October:</b> We went to the BYU vs UCF football game in Orlando! It was a blast. Ryan really wanted to go and made an agreement with me that we could go to Harry Potter World and Disneyworld too. Of course I said yes! Ryan loved the football game (even though we lost), I loved Harry Potter World, and Jackson loved Disney...so much in fact that he asks on a daily basis to go back, and I kinda want to indulge him. Oh, if only I had a few thousand dollars lying around....Halloween was pretty chill. We stayed in and carved pumpkins and made pizza. I also happened to lock the keys in the car earlier that day, so we had to go pick it up. We almost got hit by a wrong way driver on the freeway, and then on the way home it rained so hard I could hardly see. It was pretty much torture. But as you can see, we are alive and well. Oh, and we found out we were <b>pregnant</b> on Halloween!<br />
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<b>November: </b>We took a road trip to Nowheresville, TN, I mean Murfreesboro, TN to go to the Middle Tennessee vs BYU football game. We won this time! GO TEAM. We saw a lot of Georgia friends there, and it was freezing. During that trip, I had to go to the ER--my first time as a patient there. Wahoo. On the way back, we made a pitstop at the Chattanooga aquarium (or as Jackson likes to call it, the "water zoo").<b> Jackson turned 3</b>! He had a Winnie the Pooh birthday party. He is getting so big and sweet. Love that little boy! Thanksgiving I was sick as I was well into my first trimester. My mom was very gracious, and made Thanksgiving dinner pretty much by herself.<br />
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<b>December: </b>Ryan studied a ton this month, and I mean a ton. I was sick, and our house was dirty, and Jackson spent a lot of time on the computer and Kindle. Whoops. Then 3 of my siblings came for Christmas, and it was a party and a half at my parents house. 21 people under one roof! It was eventful. 3 urgent care visits, 2 ER visits, and 1 visit from the fire department (turns out my parents heater was bad, so we lived for a couple weeks with space heaters. Brrr). Jackson had a blast playing with cousins. Ryan and I got really sick on Christmas Eve (c'mon! I was sick on Christmas last year! There should be a rule about not getting sick 2 Christmas' in a row). We played a lot, and Ryan applied for a bunch of jobs.<br />
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<b>January: </b>Much to Jackson's dismay, all of his cousins left. Ryan started his last semester of law school, and I feel like a human again. I just got released from YW's, and am now the primary pianist. I'm actually pretty happy about this! I was starting to get worn out from YW's and with primary, I don't have to do much preparation. *Phew*. Unfortunately, Jackson is not a fan of Sunbeams. He misses his toys. He also started preschool back up and as of right now, there are 2 other little girls, so instead of 5 kids like last semester, we are down to 3. Jackson prefers the smaller group.<br />
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Well, that's what we've been up to. I really want to blog more in depth about a couple of things, so I have made myself a checklist, and will hopefully get around to blogging more. I'm sure you are all dying to know: <br />
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A little more about our Orlando trip<br />
A little about 3 year old Jackson<br />
A little about the baby growing in my belly<br />
and what I think about the newest Hunger Games Movie. (Just kidding. But I did love it)<br />
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Until then, hope you have a great day, week, and month! (Depending on when I write again...)Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-66348814961987608552014-10-31T20:59:00.000-07:002014-10-31T21:04:21.139-07:00This is HalloweenDoes anyone know that song? The one that goes, "This is Halloween, this is Halloween" (That's the only part I know because I've only heard it once at our ward trunk or treat party). Well, it's stuck in my head. I bet you can imagine how one sentence repeated over and over again can get annoying fast. <br />
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Anyways....<br />
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!<br />
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I am happy to be alive. It was a very interesting night. And I heard reports of there being slushy snow that melted when it hit the ground (but snow none the less!).<br />
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Wowzah. What is happening in this world?<br />
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Here are pics from last week's trunk or treat! No one really knew who I was. I did get a Mrs. Incredible, which is pretty cool, but no. I was Batman's good lookin' (haha) sidekick, Robin. Ryan thought it was funny that the flier said no cross dressing and then there is me...pretending to be a guy. Whoopsies.<br />
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I do have a lot to update on...like the BYU game we went to and DISNEY WORLD!!!! But until then, you can go to <a href="http://www.tedjamulia.com/">www.tedjamulia.com</a> to see the pictures. :)</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-16969226839865482262014-09-28T21:18:00.001-07:002014-09-28T21:22:20.039-07:00Prayers and PreschoolLately, Jackson's been all about saying his prayers by himself. I must admit, it's pretty cute some of the things he says. For instance, tonight Jackson was saying his bedtime prayer, and this is what he said, " Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for bubbles, nursery, cow and animals." <br />
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Yesterday, after my parents babysat Jackson, all he wanted to say was, "Thank you for Grandma and Grandpa...." He wouldn't say anything else, so I tried to prompt him, by saying, "Thank thee for..." and he finished with, "Grandma and Grandpa" a second time. Well, alright then. Guess he had fun while we were gone. :)<br />
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In other news, Jackson has started going to preschool. He loves it! There are 5 kids total in preschool, and they are all from his nursery class at church. Us moms all take turns teaching each week. My turn is coming up soon. Wish me luck!<br />
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On the drive home from school, I always ask Jackson what he did. It's interesting to hear what he says. Sometimes he will actually talk about the lesson, and other times, he will tell me what his favorite toy he played with was. He is learning a lot, and is always proud to show Ryan his school folder when Ryan comes home from school. Jackson's folder is red...which is conveniently his new favorite color. <br />
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All in all, I am pleasantly surprised with how much Jackson likes school. I thought for sure we would be preschool drop outs!<br />
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I have a picture of Jackson's first day of school, but I'll have to post it another time. My camera is in Jackson's room, and he's sleeping. Until then, adieu, and see ya next time!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-25917232518500120112014-08-27T20:28:00.002-07:002014-08-27T20:28:24.251-07:00Sharing is CaringWhenever Jackson sees me on my computer, it's hard to get anything done. He usually tries to steal it from me so he can watch a show or play games. Well, tonight was no different. I was using my computer to look up something, and Jackson came over and said, "Jackson computer!" I looked at him, raised one eyebrow (Yes, I'm talented), and said quizzically, "Jackson's computer?" <br />
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Jackson then looked at me sheepishly and said, "Mama's computer" in which I told him that was correct.<br />
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He then thought for a second and said, "Share, Mama! Share!"<br />
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There is no winning when it comes to a two year old... <br />
(But at least I know Jackson understands what sharing means!)Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-11943761983419093732014-07-01T20:29:00.003-07:002014-07-01T20:29:52.066-07:00Who are the Stephens?If you find yourself asking that question, you should probably watch this video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L48lOtPr5wE?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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(I actually made this video for our upcoming family reunion, and Ryan requested it be put on the blog. Huzzah!)Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-92230622145297911102014-06-15T22:19:00.002-07:002014-06-15T22:21:45.260-07:00Comfort FoodRyan eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at least once a day. It is his staple, go-to meal.<br />
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A couple weeks ago, I made a meal after church. He looked at me and said a little hesitantly, "Is it okay if I still eat one pb&j? I'll still eat some of your food."<br />
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I was kind of expecting this, so I told him I wouldn't be offended.<br />
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"It's my comfort food, y'know?" he replied.<br />
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I had to laugh at the irony because this is what I was serving.<br />
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Roast and cooked carrots. <br />
Comfort food at it's finest.</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-67420793941667027152014-05-27T21:28:00.001-07:002014-05-29T13:54:06.531-07:00SpotsSometimes during the day, I mentally start writing a blog in my head. I always plan on actually typing it out, but I never do. At least there is some effort, right?<br />
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Jackson is quite the busy bee. He is very curious about the world around him, and he probably asks me, "What's this?" ten times a day. They are usually simple things, like carpet, a hem of a blanket, a zipper, electrical outlet, etc. One time I put a shirt on him, and he said, "What's this?" pointing at the cute little pocket on his shirt. It's fun to see the wheels in his head turning. Sometimes I will see him studying things trying to see how they work. Can you say engineer in the making?<br />
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Yesterday, I had just picked up my dry cleaning, and I asked Jackson what he wanted to do. "Do you want to go see books and legos? Or should we go to the store and play toys?"<br />
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He thought for a second and said, "ZOO! Tiger! Rawr!" This kid loves the zoo. He asks to go all the time, but we can only go on Saturday when Ryan can come with us.<br />
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Speaking of zoos...<br />
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Last week, Jackson came down with the chicken pox. It was a rough week for everyone. Luckily it was Ryan's one week off, so we teamed up to help Jackson. I don't know if Jackson would consider it helping. He HATED taking his medicine! We would have to hold him down and force him to swallow. In his defense, he is usually not that difficult, but he had sores all over the inside of his mouth, tongue, and throat. Poor guy. He didn't eat or drink anything for two days straight, except for the milk and pedialyte we forced him to have. On the fourth day, we got a Smoothie King, and his eyes lit up, and he drank the whole thing. This was a huge relief. You should have seen Ryan and my silly, happy grin as we watched Jackson scarf the smoothie. *Phew*<br />
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We definitely learned patience that week.<br />
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*Warning: The pictures you are about to see will pull at your heartstrings and make you feel sad for this little boy*<br />
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<strong>Day 1</strong></div>
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Spots. Why are there spots?</div>
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<strong>Day 2</strong> </div>
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Finally asleep after a rough night. Poor guy had blisters in his mouth and down his throat.</div>
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Swollen lips, fever, and crazy cool hair</div>
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We could've played "Connect-the-Spots"</div>
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"Fix it," he said.</div>
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<strong>Day 3</strong></div>
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Grandpa brought Mr. Fu to help Jackson feel better. He also brought pudding, popsicles, and yogurt, but only Ryan and I ate it.</div>
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<strong>Day 4</strong></div>
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Drank a smoothie FINALLY and zonked out. </div>
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That blessed smoothie</div>
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<strong>Day 5</strong></div>
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This pretty much summed up our day...and week.</div>
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The only place that made him happy was Grandma and Grandpa's house. Guess where we went that weekend?<br />
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Just in case you were wondering, this is Jackson on <strong>Day 8</strong>. So much better. We couldn't find his shoes, so he got to wear his Holland shoes. This is the classic smile we would get since it hurt too bad to smile for real. <br />
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I wish I could say he is back to his regular 'ol self, but he actually has a bad cold/fever right now. This poor kid can't catch a break! </div>
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At least he is building up his immune system!</div>
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And Jackson has this book.</div>
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I think that animal can relate to Jackson.</div>
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And we did end up taking him to the zoo.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN7TAY7Z1PM/U4Vl2cVG7rI/AAAAAAAABiY/1yMrLGwWUx4/s1600/panda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN7TAY7Z1PM/U4Vl2cVG7rI/AAAAAAAABiY/1yMrLGwWUx4/s1600/panda.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-77073281399620599572014-04-27T22:03:00.000-07:002014-04-27T22:03:42.864-07:00Easter Egg Hunt with a Twist!Jackson had a blast on Easter. <br />
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He loved finding the Easter eggs and getting presents. What kid doesn't? For Easter, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house and ate a delicious meal of ham, potatoes, veggies, and more. It was scrumptious! We then had an Easter egg hunt and hid all of Jackson's eggs with Mickey stuffed animals. He thought it was great fun!<br />
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He was too lazy to hold his basket, so I'm the one trailing behind him.</div>
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The proud parents</div>
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My parents had a great idea to put tiny glow sticks in some of the eggs. We had a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt, and it was really cool!</div>
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Jackson was so excited and was literally running from egg to egg, chucking them into his basket. When he got all the eggs, he looked around and said, "More? More eggs?" He had me hide them 3 times.</div>
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For dessert, I made vanilla bean buttermilk cupcakes and Oreo cupcakes. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but they were really good. I wish I had thought to take a picture of them. Thank you, Pinterest!</div>
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It was really fun to watch Jackson get into egg hunting this year. Of course, Easter isn't just about the eggs and chocolate. I appreciate all that Christ has done for me. He has given me hope that I too may live again. #Becauseofhim I can live with my family forever.</div>
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If you have time, watch this cool video.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_S3TI4bYerU" width="560"></iframe><br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-64551575009883837782014-04-08T11:25:00.000-07:002014-04-08T11:26:14.192-07:00Confessions of a Recovering ChocoholicFALSE!<br />
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Ha, just kidding. I'm not really a recovering chocoholic, but that would be a cool story.<br />
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TRUTH!<br />
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Due to my fun stomach problems, I was forced to give up chocolate. In October, we made yummy, yummy s'mores with ooey gooey, sweet, delectable, delicious, drool-worthy chocolate.<br />
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Why is it in the bathtub you ask? Because it was Kid's Day. That's why. </div>
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I paid for the s'mores indulgence for about a week. I was in bed swearing I would never eat chocolate again. And I haven't. I admit to eating an occasional nibble here and there (probably only 3 times) from Jackson's chocolatey treats, but overall, I have held firm.<br />
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I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, MY BIRTHDAY without chocolate.(RIP my beloved Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Oh how I miss thee.)<br />
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But by far, the hardest holiday to not eat chocolate is EASTER. CURSE YOU CADBURY FOR HAVING SUCH DELICIOUS <a href="http://ryanandjuliestephens.blogspot.com/2010/04/true-easter-egg-hunt.html">CHOCOLATE EGGS</a>.<br />
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Jackson was snacking on one today, and I'm pretty sure I was watching him with drool trickling down my chin.<br />
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Can. Not. Wait. For Chocolate. Season. To. Be. Over.<br />
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The End.<br />
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On a side note: Is it sad that I have referenced these delectable eggs every year since this blog has been born? Probably.<br />
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I hope you all have a Happy Easter!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-35050480380030313002014-03-30T20:03:00.002-07:002014-04-03T13:52:40.316-07:00What a Week.Warning: This post is just of me complaining. That is it. <br />
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My oh my. I just had a doozy of a week. It ranges from not getting $40 worth of groceries I paid for ($30 of which was frozen burritos. Don't judge. <a href="http://www.pjsorganics.com/">They're</a> really good!) and not being able to change my middle name on my driver's license because my signature wasn't legible (what???), to being the only leader in the YW presidency for the next couple months, among other things. Poor Ryan has to deal with me, his stressed out wife, on a daily basis.<br />
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I was <em>not</em> a happy camper when dinner was half way done and I discovered I didn't have the rest of the ingredients because Target apparently lost not 1 but 2 of my bags. I was too preoccupied with the whole frozen burrito fiasco to notice the other items missing. I actually went BACK to Target literally 5 minutes after I called to get my frozen burritos. A lady there said she had it for me at the Customer Service desk. When I got there, they had mysteriously disappeared and the lady had gone home. IN 5 MINUTES! The poor guy that replaced her had no idea what I was talking about, and I was almost in tears thinking $30 was down the drain. Luckily he refunded my money. I know someone out there is snacking on my burritos. <br />
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But on the bright side, Jackson's been exceptionally good today. Smart kid.<br />
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Update: Do you know what happens when you complain about your week? You have a worse one! I can now add stomach flu and cold to this list. Blah! My poor child hasn't left the house in days. To get through, I just keep telling myself that if this is our biggest problems in life right now, things aren't bad at all. There are worse things in life to be dealing with!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-77936264151963507132014-03-16T17:33:00.002-07:002014-03-16T17:33:31.839-07:00Short Stories, Part IIJackson found my old drivers license from when I was 16. He held it up and exclaimed, "Mama!" and cooed over it for awhile. Later, Ryan found one of his old school IDs from high school and said, "I bet Jackson won't recognize me." In the picture, Ryan's hair was longer and curly and he definitely looked younger. Jackson took the ID and studied it for awhile. Finally, with uncertainty, he said, "Mama?" in which Ryan responded, "That was probably the best thing you could have said."<br />
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My parents, Jackson, and I were at Walmart the other day. We bought Jackson letters and numbers to go in the bathtub. Jackson was too excited to wait until home to open the package up and tore it open in the shopping cart. He played with them a little bit until we got to the car. We started loading the bags, when frantically Jackson started yelling, "WAIT! Wait, wait wait!" and started shoving the letters into the package as fast as he could. I think he was afraid we were going to leave them in the cart!<br />
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Jackson pretty much knows all his letters. He identifies letters all the time on buildings, buses, walls, you name it. One day, I brought him inside from the parking garage and he exclaimed, "5!" Sure enough there was a 5 on the wall because we were on the fifth floor. I never really taught him his numbers and was curious how much he knew. We stopped outside our apartment--#5110.<br />
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Me: What number is this?<br />
Jackson: 5!<br />
Me: What number is this?<br />
Jackson: 1!<br />
Me: What number is this?<br />
Jackson: 10!<br />
Me: What! You know the number 10!?<br />
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This little boy is smarter than I give him credit for!<br />
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We showed Jackson a picture of himself when he was a baby. "Baby!" Jackson said. We told him it was baby JACKSON. He thought it was so funny. He held the picture with a proud look on his face.<br />
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Jackson was in his high chair playing with Playdough. He likes to make little Playdough balls. Sometimes to get my attention, he'll throw some on the ground. This time was no difference. "Oh no!" Jackson moaned. "Balls! Oh no!" <br />
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I asked him, "Jackson, did you do that on purpose?" <br />
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"On purpose." Jackson repeated.<br />
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"I knew it!"<br />
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Jackson just grinned.<br />
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"You have no idea what you just said, do you Jackson?"<br />
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Love my little boy!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-70460017805862824262014-02-27T21:40:00.001-08:002014-02-27T21:40:28.051-08:00Short StoriesJackson is at a really fun age right now. He is talking a lot better and is so curious about everything. He says such cute things. I need to start writing them down or I forget them. I already feel like there's so much I have forgotten, and it makes me sad. So here's to being better about blogging!<br />
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Lately Jackson has been obsessed with letters. He loves the Leap Frog Letter Factory show. He watched it one day in the car about a month ago. It must have sparked his interest because one day he came running out of his closet holding up some letters that used to hang on his wall. "A! Mama, A!" I was impressed. I had tried to teach him the letter A a couple months before, and he wasn't too interested. He kept insisting the A was a D. Now he is a sponge and begs to watch the Letter Factory every day. <br />
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My dad bought him this Letter Factory toy, and he loves playing with it and learning his letters. He will watch the show and find the matching letter and hold it up. He also enjoys stealing my book from me. "Mama's book," he'll say and then he will find all the letters he knows in it.<br />
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Sometimes he will find non-letter objects and bring them to me. He found a Frisbee with a hole in it and said, "O!" Or even black tape. "O!" he exclaims proudly. He does get some letters confused, like A and V, M and W, and S and Z. When I try to tell him it's actually a different letter, he looks at me like I'm crazy. Overall, he does pretty well.<br />
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One weekend, we went to the zoo with Jackson and the tiger there was really active. It kept pacing back and forth by the glass. Jackson thought it was pretty amazing and kept waving HIS tiger in front of the glass to show the real tiger he had a tiger too. It was pretty cute. We stayed there for a good portion of our zoo visit.<br />
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When Jackson wakes up, he looks for Ryan in two different places--in the office and in bed. When he can't find Ryan, he asks me where Dada is. I always tell him, he's at school! When Ryan comes home, Jackson gets really excited and runs and gives Ryan a big hug. It is pretty cute. Today, Jackson and I were running errands, and Ryan got home before us. Jackson didn't really pay Ryan that much attention when we got home, so Ryan requested his daily hug. Jackson quickly said no and tried to run away. Ryan picked him up and started to hug him, and Jackson started screaming (and laughing), "No! Dada, STOP IT!" Yes, that is his new phrase that we all love *cough, cough*<br />
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Speaking of which, Jackson also has learned to scream, "No!" over and over again. We also love this...not. We have been trying to teach him how to say, "No thank you" instead. Wish us luck. He is really good about saying please now, so maybe there is hope.<br />
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Jackson has this new found love for babies. He loves to look on Instagram with me and watch all the baby videos. He will sometimes request them, "Babies, please?" Whenever he watches them, he gets this almost goofy smile on his face. I'm pretty sure he thinks babies are adorable.<br />
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He has 2 small tiger stuff animals and 1 bigger one. He calls the 2 small tigers the babies and the bigger one the mommy. He then kisses them. Sometimes he will feed them "Babas" and put them to bed.<br />
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Whenever Jackson wants us to go somewhere or to follow him, he will grab out hand and drag us along. I'm pretty sure he thinks he is the boss in this family. If we don't follow him, he gives us a small smile and says, "No, no," very sweetly and then pulls harder. Sometimes he will even go behind us and push us until he gets his way.<br />
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Two things that Jackson hates are (1) Baths. I think this stemmed from him having his hair washed and getting water in his eyes. I have to literally force him in the tub. Once he's in there and playing with his bath toys, he is happy as can be and doesn't want to come out. Go figure. (2) Bed time. He doesn't want to go to bed ever. He has become quite the expert at prolonging bedtime. He's learned to ask for a smoothie right before bed. This is Ryan and my weakness because they are healthy and so good for him. Jackson also learned to run up to Ryan and snuggle with him. This is the only time he will snuggle, and so it's hard for Ryan to send him to bed. Jackson has also been known to hide from his bedtime diaper change, request multiple high fives, kisses, and "ugga muggas" in his crib to prevent us from leaving, and when all else fails, will cry just for those few extra minutes he doesn't have to go to bed. This makes bed time quite the task.<br />
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Jackson has a hard time with prayers. When we say it's prayer time, he starts whining and complaining pretty loudly. We realized it's because whenever we say a prayer, we make him do something he doesn't want to do--sit down and eat or go to bed. This makes it embarrassing at church when they say it's prayer time at nursery, and he is the only one yelling in defiance.<br />
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Today, Jackson's cousin, Christian, came over to play while his siblings went to the temple. Jackson was pretty excited. They played really well together. Jackson has what we like to call a totem pole. Whoever is at the top is Jackson's favorite, and he will only let that person do things for him. I'm usually at the top. Grandma trumps me a lot of the time. Well Christian trumped both of us tonight. Jackson kept trying to get Christian to take him out of his crib. He wouldn't let anyone else do it. Unfortunetly, Christian is 9 and not old big enough. After awhile, Jackson finally let me do it, but it took some encouraging. <br />
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When Christan left, Jackson waved and said, "Bye, Christan!" <br />
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Jackson was playing with his toy drill today. He was drilling a toy screw into the platform thing. He was concentrating so hard. When he actually did it, he threw his hands up in the air and screamed, "I DID IT!" It was pretty cute. He then stuck the drill in his mouth and turned it on, just to see what would happen. He quickly pulled it out and laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.<br />
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"I did it!" (Sorry it's blurry! Cell phone pic.)</div>
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Now that Jackson is talking more, he wants to make sure he is understood. He will repeat things over and over until I repeat it back to him showing him I understand. The problem is that sometimes I can't understand what he is trying to say. The other day he was saying something like, "Dist! Dist! Dist" I had no idea what he was saying, and he was very persistent. Finally I pretended like I knew what he was talking about, "Oh! Dist!" and he then nodded his head in approval and walked away.<br />
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Jackson loves his elephant backpack. I think he sees Ryan with his backpack and wants to copy him. He insists on putting his "pack pack" on and walking to the car, except he only walks a couple steps before he dramatically plops on the ground and can't walk anymore. I guess those "pack packs" are heavy things!<br />
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Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-26966878693453964002014-02-13T16:52:00.003-08:002014-02-13T16:56:52.705-08:00Meet Buzz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One night, about a week or so ago, Jackson was really excited about something. He kept pointing and trying to get Ryan's attention. At first, Ryan thought Jackson was excited about a book, but when he picked it up, Jackson said, "No! THAT!"<br />
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There on a ground was a ladybug.<br />
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We have a ladybug problem sometimes, so we usually just kill them. We thought Jackson was upset about it, so Ryan killed it and threw it in the trashcan. Wrong move. Jackson was devastated. His poor bottom lip was sticking out, quivering. He had huge crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks. Poor guy, we felt really bad. <br />
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Ryan took the ladybug carcass out of the trash and let Jackson see it. <br />
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Jackson endearingly named the bug "Buzz". I think he was trying to say bug, but it sounded more like "Buzz". "Buzz!" he would say proudly, pointing to his new pet. "Mama, Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" He was so excited, he grabbed the paper towel and ran towards me. <br />
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I hate bugs. Hate them. This was my worst nightmare. I scrambled away and yelped, "No! No, no, no, no!" <br />
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Jackson was completely offended. With one last effort to show me how cool Buzz was, he chucked the dead bug at me. <br />
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Yuck.<br />
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We finally threw the bug away after Jackson went to bed. "G'night, Buzz!" he exclaimed lovingly.<br />
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The next morning, Jackson was asking about Buzz. "Buzz? Buzz?"<br />
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Eventually, we found another one, and Ryan put it in a jar. It is now Jackson's pet. He proudly carries the jar around. This one's name is Buzz too. We keep collecting Buzzes and now there are 3 in there (although I think one may be dead). We looked up and saw that ladybugs eat aphids and sometimes leaves, but we are feeding our Buzz apple peels. He is still alive, so he must be okay. Maybe he is snacking on the dead Buzz.<br />
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Jackson loves his new pet so much, he even posed with it and said "Cheese!" for me.<br />
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The best thing about Buzz is that if he dies, there are always more Buzzes, and they look exactly the same!Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-61380085283219100282014-01-28T17:14:00.002-08:002014-01-31T11:15:04.890-08:00January in a NutshellTime to dust off this ol blog. I couldn't let January pass me by without updating my blog at least once. <br />
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Let's rewind a bit:<br />
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Christmas was magical. We were in Washington, and Jackson was at such a fun age. He participated in some of the festive activities this year, and it makes me even more excited for next year when he can participate even more. Ryan's parents worked really hard to make everything perfect. We were definitely spoiled.<br />
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Christmas was extra long for us this year. We got back to Georgia and had another Christmas celebration with my family. Both of my sisters and their families were in town. Jackson loved having so many kids around. He was a little overwhelmed at first, but warmed up pretty quickly. <br />
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Most recently, we have been sick with a flu. Ryan was so so sick. We were blessed that he got sick on a 3 day weekend, so he didn't miss as much school. The doctor prescribed him Tamiflu, which is supposed to reduce the amount of time you are sick, but it actually made him even more sick. He stopped taking it after a day because he was getting better anyways. Jackson, who was the only that got the flu shot, also ended up getting sick. I wasn't nearly as bad, but am still battling the body aches and overall yucky feeling. <br />
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Yesterday I woke up from a nap and felt worse than I did before the nap. I was so bummed out because I thought I was getting better. I was sick all night and was wondering how I was going to make it through today with Ryan being at school and Jackson being extra needy. We were blessed yet again when it snowed and Ryan's school got cancelled.<br />
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Ummm yes, you heard that right...it snowed in Georgia!!! This happens once every couple years and when it happens, the whole city shuts down. Jackson LOVES the snow. He has been walking around the house saying, "Snow! Snow! Snow!" He begged to go outside on the back porch and was sooo happy when we took him "sledding". <br />
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Traffic has been crazy with everyone trying to go home and the snow still piling down. We have heard sirens all day long and hope that everyone makes it home safely. <br />
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Anyways, that is our life right now. Hopefully February brings warmer weather and healthier days. Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961492242889625359.post-87753407699271289242013-12-22T23:15:00.001-08:002013-12-22T23:15:22.928-08:002013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;"><strong>RYAN</strong></span></div>
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Currently in his second year of law school</div>
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Interned at the child advocacy center this past summer</div>
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Drove over 8 hours and braved a torrential downpour to attend a BYU football game in Virginia</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><strong>JULIE</strong></span><br />Currently serving with young women ages 12-18 at church</div>
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Trying to learn how to be a mom to a two year old</div>
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Made an appearance on the jumbotron at the Oregon vs BYU game (check that off the bucketlist!).</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><strong>JACKSON</strong></span></div>
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Currently perfecting the terrible twos</div>
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Learned some of his numbers, animals, and Mickey Mouse character names</div>
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Enjoys singing, drinking smoothies, and running around</div>
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<br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">AS A FAMILY, WE...</span></strong></div>
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Have gone to the zoo 5+ times</div>
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Had the opportunity to see all of our siblings and parents this year</div>
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Excited to see what 2014 brings.</div>
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<strong>We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!</strong></div>
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Love, the Stephens</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16923485338992815132noreply@blogger.com0