tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59652049873789921292024-02-21T01:21:07.422-05:00Raising Our Family And Trying To Remember It AllAmberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-1123142878911916402018-12-24T13:31:00.000-05:002018-12-24T13:31:11.784-05:00July 2018July was fairly quiet for the family but some big changes happened for me..<br />
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We started the month with our 4th of July traditions. Todd's dad spent time in the hospital right before the 4th so decided to just watch the fireworks in Mooresville from the shopping center across the street. The traffic was much easier to navigate afterwards so it was much quicker to get home.</div>
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July 4th was pretty traditional. Spent time at the pool, grilled out at home, and then watched fireworks in the neighborhood. It was pretty low key but perfect for us this year.</div>
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The kids' dentist hosted a fun afternoon at one of the trampoline parks nearby and both kids had a blast. </div>
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We also went to a different trampoline park closer to home with some friends and went out for dinner. </div>
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We finally went to visit the Pelican's snowballs shop near our house and the kids were so excited. It was a good reminder that simple treats are sometimes the best.</div>
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The biggest news of this month was my transition back to full-time work. The therapist I worked with left the program to go back to school so I made the leap and took over our program for him. Here was my Facebook post from that day. Its been a tough transition because trying to work full time and do mommy stuff is quite a challenge. But, the increase in income has been helpful in making some other things easier. </div>
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So, the month was definitely an interesting one for us. It was quite a transition for us but exciting at the same time.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-78195120091421430712018-12-24T12:48:00.004-05:002018-12-24T12:48:48.404-05:00June 2018June is always a bittersweet month because it means the kids have finished another year of school. Just when I think I'm ok with them being in that grade, they get ready to move up.<br />
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Their last day of uniforms for the school year.</div>
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Mason's Kindergarten graduation was on the last day of school and both kids were excited we let them skip the rest of the day and wear no uniform. I"ll admit I was a bit teary at this ceremony because not only was it our last Kindergarten graduation, it made me realize it was our last graduation until the big one in high school. Wahhhhh. However, Mason was all smiles for the day and excited to be finished with school for the summer.<br />
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Mason's Kindergarten class</div>
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Mason and his Kindergarten teacher. Mason and I will always have a special place for her.</div>
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Mason and his "special friend." I was so not ready for this relationship but they are so cute together.</div>
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Mason and his best buddy. These 2 were inseparable, despite the official "special friend" shown above. Kindergarten relationships are tricky things to understand.</div>
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To celebrate the last day of school, we made our first trip to the pool for the summer. Before then, the water had been way to cold for me to go but the day school ended, it was perfect weather.<br />
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Aubrey got a chance to go to one of the coolest parties ever after school ended. Her friend held her party at a go-kart track in Charlotte and the kids all had a blast. However, we realized my child does not like to drive fast and is super cautious. Let me remind her of that when she turns 16.<br />
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For Father's Day, we went to Todd's parents' place on the lake and put Todd's kayak to use. We let Aubrey test it out by herself and I see us needing to get another one in the future for the kids.<br />
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The rest of June was spent getting into our summer routine. The kids spent the summer week days with both sets of grandparents and everyone seemed to enjoy that routine.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-48121116672525109042018-12-24T12:33:00.001-05:002018-12-24T12:33:30.601-05:00May 2018May is always a fun month. The end of school activities start take over and keep us busy, but in a good way.<br />
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The first end of year activity was Mason's Cub Scouts ceremony. He completed his Lion rank and was set to move on to Tigers. This ceremony involved Todd and myself and it was fun to watch Mason's excitement to move on and Todd's pride in his den.<br />
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Aubrey and the rest of the 3rd graders went on a field trip the Charlotte Knights game. Aubrey is not the biggest baseball fan but she enjoyed the chance to get out of the classroom and spend time with her friends.<br />
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Mason had an end-of-year writing show at school to show off his best writing work from Kindergarten. The teachers made it a cute little show and Mason was so proud of himself.<br />
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Aubrey and I spent some mommy-daughter time one Mother's Day and had mani-pedis done. They put Aubrey in an adult pedicure chair and she was way to short to reach but seemed to enjoy herself nonetheless.<br />
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Our other exciting event for May was Mrs. Rhonda's dance recital. For the first time ever, Aubrey and I both got to dance in this recital. I danced my last recital when Aubrey was 4 months old and was pretty sure it was the last one. But, Aubrey's competition dance coach decided to bring the adult class back and I jumped at the chance to dance again. It was a lot of fun to share the recital with Aubrey.<br />
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I graduated from high school with these amazing ladies and it was so fun to be dancing with them again over 20 years later. </div>
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So May was a lot of fun and got us ready for the summer months ahead.</div>
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-29509377470018878902018-12-23T23:04:00.000-05:002018-12-23T23:09:58.249-05:00April 2018April is always one of my favorite months. The weather starts to warm up and we can finally get out of the house. Winters are not that bad in NC, but I am so glad to send the kids outside when we can.<br />
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We got our new mattress in March and in April, we got everything together to make our new headboard. I originally wanted to make a headboard from an old door. However, people want way too much money for old doors, so we scrapped that idea and decided to build one. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and found a plan Todd and I liked. We picked out the supplies and I let Todd and his dad do their thing. 2 weekends later I had this amazing headboard that we both love.<br />
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Final result. Hopefully new nightstands and dressers will follow soon.</div>
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Another project we completed this month was getting some color in the playroom. This is the first room that people see when they walk in the house so it felt good to get the color up. The kids picked out this color and I was pretty excited to see it once it was up.</div>
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However, the joy of a new headboard and paint was quickly overshadowed by having to replace our washer and dryer. We bought the washer and dryer with the house so we were not thrilled with having to buy a new set so soon. And then, we had 3 different deliveries from Lowe's because the first dryer delivered was bent. Then they sent us a loaner dryer but didn't tell anyone it was a loaner. Finally, after the 3rd delivery, we had a matching set and all was well again.<br />
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Aubrey and I at the laundromat because laundry for 4 people adds up quickly.<br />
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We finally got some family pictures in April. We have so many pictures of the kids but not enough of the family as a whole so I was glad to get these done. Pictures curtesy of my trusty camera and tripod/remote trigger. </div>
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Easter fell in April this year and the weather was perfect. The kids were excited for their Easter baskets and for their annual egg hunt at their grandparents' house.<br />
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While the kids were on on Spring Break, Todd and I took a day off from work to hang out with them. We decided to go to Carolina Raptor Center near our house and it was a lot of fun. The kids didn't remember going a few years ago but this they remember. The enjoyed seeing all the birds and asked a lot of questions about them.<br />
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Mason's 3rd ball season started in April. We decided to let him play tball one more year so he is really ready for coach pitch next year. Todd coached again this year and it was a lot of fun to see the progress in both of them.<br />
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April is always such a fun month after months of cold weather. It was nice to be back outside. We also got a lot of projects done and that is always a good feeling. </div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-88756838771890646712018-12-23T22:39:00.000-05:002018-12-23T22:39:01.121-05:00March 2018Once the quiet of February ends, we pick back up with craziness in March.<br />
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Mason got some sort of virus in March so we had a day at home together. You know he's sick when he sleeps in his car seat.<br />
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Luckily, all was well in time for the Scout's pinewood derby car race. Mason, Todd, and Todd's dad worked for months on his car and he was so excited to finally race it. I think he shocked quite a few people by finishing 4th overall and 1st in the Lions den with his car.<br />
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<a href="https://aspearce922.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-XvsJZnM/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-XvsJZnM/0/2c7098fa/M/IMG_1221-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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His car was the red car, the furthest from the camera in this heat.</div>
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Aubrey's dance team started their competition season in March. The kids had some great dances this year and brought home some big trophies this season.<br />
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<a href="https://aspearce922.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-b2RHNMt/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-b2RHNMt/0/5be8bf4c/M/IMG_1162-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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After months and months of negotiations between Todd and myself, I finally got the go ahead to order a new bed for our room. Our mattress was forever and a day old and it was past time for a new one. We finally made a decision on the mattress and ordered our amazing new king bed online. I was so excited that we finally had a bed big enough for all 4 humans and dogs to snuggle up in and watch movies.<br />
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<a href="https://aspearce922.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-BrWkMLQ/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/March-2018/i-BrWkMLQ/0/6e3c681e/M/IMG_1244-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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All in all, March went by pretty fast. That always seems to happen when dance season kicks in. Every weekend something is going on and we have no free time. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.</div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-78063838154114297342018-12-23T22:16:00.000-05:002018-12-23T22:16:06.700-05:00February 2018As always, February was a welcome relief from the craziness of the past few months.<br />
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We decided to let the kids stay up for the Super Bowl this year and this is exactly what happened. They were much more interested in playing than watching. Oh, well.<br />
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Aubrey had her first competition dance show in February for the Destiny Lives on Foundation. We weren't allowed to take pictures so I have no photo proof of the event. However, I do have proof that I let Aubrey start working on her on dance make-up. It was stressful to let go of the make-up brushes so we just started with blush and lipstick for now. She was in heaven. I was a nervous wreck.<br />
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The kids school held their winter singing concert in February and both kids were so excited to perform. The Kindergarten and 1st graders performed Hats and the 2nd/3rd graders performed a musical about kindness and singing.<br />
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<a href="https://aspearce922.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/February-2018/i-4nTbmg7/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/n-k6Shj2/February-2018/i-4nTbmg7/0/b72137ef/M/IMG_3853-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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That's Mason wearing his Braves' uniform.</div>
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Aubrey auditioned for a lead singing role and was given one. She was so excited. Such a difference from the past years where she had no desire to sing in front of people.</div>
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The kids' school had spirit week at the end of February and Aubrey was so excited to share this event with Mason. As usual, the favorite day of the week was pajamas day. They loved being out of uniform for the entire week but pajama day was the best.</div>
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So, that was February. A quiet month that is always welcomed. </div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-68639930799295212562018-12-23T21:58:00.001-05:002018-12-23T23:06:56.249-05:00January 2018So, I guess the new trend for me is updating the blog every 6 months. And, trying to play catch up. I'm only a year behind at this point, but oh well. Better late than never.<br />
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As usual, January was pretty crazy for us. Luckily, before the craziness and super cold weather began, we got some great weather so Mason could find enjoy his one of his Christmas presents.<br />
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After months of harassment from Aubrey, we finally got some color on her walls. If I heard complaints about bare white walls one more time, I might have locked her in her room forever. I was surprised to see she chose a color very similar to her last bedroom but went along with it because its what she chose. She was very happy with the end result.<br />
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Thankfully, Mason wrapped up winter soccer season right before his birthday. We had 1 nice game followed by weeks of cold and crappy weather. It was brutal and I think we were all happy it was over.<br />
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We also got some color on Mason's walls before his birthday. He picked out a great shade of blue for his room and I loved how it looked.</div>
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Once the holidays are over, we begin birthday season. Mason's birthday came first and he was so excited. It seems that 6 feels so much older than 5. I guess being officially in school makes it seem so much older. We celebrated his birthday at home on the big day before his big party.<br />
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His birthday present was an air hockey table.</div>
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His sweet teacher sent me this picture from his classroom celebration.<br />
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Right after Mason's birthday, we saw about 4" of snow on the ground, which is pretty exciting in the Charlotte area. Todd went to work anyway but I stayed home with the kids and we had a great time sledding and playing in the snow. Our new neighborhood has a great sledding hill so the kids had a blast.<br />
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Once the snow melted it took a few days for the schools to open back up, so I let the kids make slime in my kitchen. Not the smartest idea, but they seemed to enjoy this mess so I guess it was worth it.<br />
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Luckily, the snow melted before Mason's birthday party, which we hosted at home. Mason chose an art party theme this year so we had painting, coloring, and paint brush people-making. We somehow fit about 15 kids and a dozen parents in our house and it was a blast. The kids seemed to have a good time and that's all that matters.<br />
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Between the 2 birthdays, we celebrated both kids' birthdays at Jason's Deli with the grandparents, Todd's sister, and Todd's cousin. The grandparents spoiled both kids and they loved it.<br />
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Once the kids finally went back to school, I went to each lunch with them for their birthdays. I'm enjoying these last few years of actually being cool enough to been seen in public with my children at school because I know they are coming to an end.<br />
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Next, was Aubrey's birthday. I can't believe it was time to celebrate this girl's 9th birthday. Her last birthday of single digits was hard for me. I enjoy watching her growing up, but knowing we'll be in double digits next year is a hard pill to swallow. Sigh.....<br />
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Aubrey decided for her birthday this year she wanted a sleepover for her closest friends so that's what we had. It was a lot of fun but exhausting for all of us. The girls had a great time, especially the birthday girl and that's what matters.<br />
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Right after her birthday, Aubrey got sick and missed her first true sick day since being in school. Thankfully, I could stay home with her and it was a 24-hour virus so she was on the mend pretty quickly afterwards.<br />
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<a href="https://aspearce922.smugmug.com/AubreyandMason/2018/January-2018/n-Lpz8PL/i-mHpStNv/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-mHpStNv/0/88b1e15f/M/i-mHpStNv-M.jpg" /></a><br />
Grape Gatorade mouth </div>
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So, that was January. Always a tiring month but so much fun to watch the kids celebrate with their friends.<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-25605863531869433732018-06-19T19:49:00.000-04:002018-06-19T19:49:04.639-04:00December 2017Oh, December. Always such a crazy month and this December was no exception. Mason started winter soccer and in very appropriate winter fashion, we had snow. Now, usually North Carolina does not get snow in December, so we were not prepared for this high drama event. But, it was just a dusting (unlike the 8 inches I got stuck in while in Asheville for yoga training). The soccer game went on as planned but no one was too thrilled about it.<br />
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So, I talked about being in Asheville when it snowed. I started my yoga teacher certification process in March of this year and I wrapped up my training in December. If someone would have told me in January I would be a yoga teacher in December I would have laughed. But, in February a training opportunity came through my email to learn some basic yoga for mental health. We had been looking for a yoga teacher for my program at work so I thought it would be fun to go and learn more about. Well, it was love at first asana for me. After I finished that first class, I signed up to do the yoga teacher training program in Asheville and never looked back. The style of yoga I am trained to teach is specifically geared for mental health and substance abuse so I can integrate it with my patients at work. We spent one weekend a month for about 9 months in training, with most of that training being in Asheville. It was an amazing but tough journey to complete this training and all the hard work led up to graduation weekend in December. Which did not include snow in the plan. But, Mother Nature showed us who was in charge by giving us 8 inches of snow in Asheville that weekend. Somehow, we made it through, despite losing power, getting stuck in our AirBnB, and driving the treacherous back roads.</div>
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My car underneath all that snow</div>
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My lovely yoga teacher training cohort<br />
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Mason and Todd participated in their first Denver Christmas parade this year with the Scouts. I wasn't sure how Mason would handle the length of the parade, but he managed to make it through and said he enjoyed it. The theme was the 12 days of Christmas and the Lions den were the lordly lions leaping.</div>
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Mason also got to visit the Huntersville Fire Department with the Scouts. Todd arranged a visit for the den so they could learn more about fire safety. But, the highlight for Mason was getting to take a picture with the Huntersville "cone weed." Yes, a cone and weed got decorated along the side of the road and all of Huntersville fell in love. Until it got pulled up by the state transportation department, which caused serious drama. But, luckily, the town got their beloved cone weed back and it was placed at one of the fire stations for everyone to enjoy. </div>
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We were invited to a Christmas party by our realtor and were told that Santa would be visiting, so we had to attend. The kids enjoyed getting to see Santa and decorated some cookies while they were at it. </div>
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After the Christmas party, we took the kids to a Christmas tree farm in Sparta, NC. We have always purchased a real Christmas tree but this year decided we wanted to cut our own at a fair. It was a lot of fun to go to the farm, but we really waited too late in the season so finding one in the size we wanted was a challenge. But, we finally found the perfect tree and were so excited to get it home and decorate. </div>
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No Christmas feels complete without a trip to the McAdenville Christmas lights. We walked the main portion of the town again this year and despite it being super cold, it was such a fun night.</div>
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Todd and the kids made the trip to Raleigh to visit Todd's family for Christmas. Once they got home on Christmas Eve, we did our favorite Christmas traditions of decorating a gingerbread house and baking cookies. We also also went to church for Christmas Eve service. It was Mason's first experience in the sanctuary and he seemed to enjoy the service. We ended the night with opening presents from each other and reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.</div>
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Christmas morning and day were just as fun and magical as they could be. We opened Santa presents, went to Todd's parents for breakfast and presents, and then hosted all of the family for Christmas dinner. I love the chance for us all to get together and spend time as a family. </div>
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We ended the month by celebrating New Year's Eve and my mom's birthday. We were those crazy people grilling outside in December but we wanted my mom's birthday dinner to be awesome and nothing is better than grilled steaks. After dinner, we spent the rest of New Year's Eve at our friends' house in the neighborhood. It was Mason's first time being awake for New Year's and I wasn't sure he would make it. But, they enjoyed playing with the other kids at the party and Todd and I got to meet more neighbors, so win win for all. </div>
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Woah, just typing that all out makes me tired. It was such a crazy busy month but fun to experience all the traditions and events that we look forward to all year. </div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-21460053029635886802018-06-19T19:11:00.002-04:002018-06-19T19:11:34.493-04:00November 2017November was a pretty quiet month for us. Most of the month was spent running between work, school, dance, soccer, and scouts. We did host our first Thanksgiving in the new house, but in truly shocking news, I did not take one picture of the event. But, we enjoyed hosting in our new space and were so glad to have the extra room this year.<br />
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Mason wrapped up fall soccer this month. We really enjoyed working with his coach this season so we decided Mason would play winter soccer with him as well. Check back for the January post to see how well that went.<br />
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The annual Mount Holly Christmas parade was the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. It ended up being 75 degrees outside that day, which was perfect, but very unusual for a Christmas parade.<br />
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The night after the parade, Mason announced that he had his first loose tooth. It almost took an act of Congress to get him to let us pull it but he finally caved when we told him either I pulled it or the dentist would pull it the next day at his appointment. He was quite excited to see that the Tooth Fairy visited the next morning and was proud to show off his new gap.<br />
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So, those were the highlights of November. It seemed pretty calm but thankfully it was the calm before the storm of the holidays, which in retrospect, was a very good thing.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-72310914344441875762018-06-19T19:00:00.001-04:002018-06-19T19:00:23.735-04:00October 2017Todd was so excited about Mason starting Kindergarten because it meant he was finally old enough for Scouts. Todd went all the way through Scouts and finished his Eagle rank so it was never a question that Mason would at least start the Scout journey. Kindergartners start as Lions but not all packs have a Lions den. We were excited to find out Todd's friend Joey's son would also be doing Lions and we found a pack that had the Lions that was in the middle of our houses so both kids could be together. In their first meeting, Todd volunteered to be a den leader for the Lions, which meant he was involved in all the den and pack doings. This was fine by me because I could not take one more activity on with all of the other running around I have to do. They jumped right into activities by having a camp out and then the fall popcorn sale.<br />
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We made our annual trip to the Hodge's farm to pick out pumpkins again this year. It has been so fun to compare pictures of the kids over the years that we have been there. Sure, we pay more by buying our pumpkins there versus the grocery store, but its just a fun place to visit and we are glad to support a local farm.<br />
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Aubrey's dance team encouraged the little girls and their big sister to dress up together in pairs. While it took some coordinating amongst the parents to make this work, the end result was so cute.<br />
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For the kids' school book parade, Aubrey decided to dress up as Hermione from Harry Potter and Mason was Pete the Cat. I thought for sure we'd have to pick another costume for each of them for Halloween, but I got lucky when they decided to wear those same costumes for trick-o-treating. I joined them this year by recycling my old cat costume. Trick-o-treating was so much fun in our new neighborhood because it was so big the kids got a ton on candy. And, quite a few houses gave the parents of the trick-o-treaters adult beverages to enjoy while we walked and that was really awesome.<br />
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-49942739930158353472018-06-19T18:12:00.001-04:002018-06-19T18:12:12.949-04:00September 2017Before the full-on business of the school year got started, the kids and I got to relax and have a little fun over Labor Day weekend. The biggest milestone was Aubrey finally got the hang of riding her bike with no training wheels. We had been working forever on it, but she just wasn't trusting herself to do it. Something finally made it click and she was off.<br />
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We also spent an afternoon hiking at Latta Plantation and everyone seemed to enjoy their time.<br />
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Mason started his next season of soccer at Strikers. We've discovered he doesn't seem to like soccer as much as t-ball but soccer is still a sport so he's happy to participate.</div>
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After 1 particular soccer game, we finally got to experience the Duck Donuts in our area. Well worth every single calorie.</div>
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Both kids got to enjoy the fun run at school this year. While it was just another run for Aubrey, Mason was so excited to get to participate this year. He went with me last year to watch and was not thrilled about being on the sidelines. This year seemed even more impressive with all of the fun activities for the kids and they both seemed to have a blast.</div>
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The cheerleaders at the kids' school held a football cheer camp for the girls this year and surprisingly, Aubrey decided to participate. She didn't have the best experience cheering for football a few years ago so I wasn't sure she would go for this. But, I guess the fact that her friends were also cheering made a big difference. The girls put on a show at the football team's halftime and it was really fun to watch. It was also the first time we've been to a school football game.</div>
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The last big highlight of the month was that Todd and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this month. It is still amazing to me that its been 10 whole years. It seems to have gone so fast but seriously still seems like yesterday. In honor of our anniversary, we took a quick trip to Savannah, GA. It was so much fun exploring the city and of course, eating the good food. We went to an awesome dueling piano bar, walked a good portion of the historic district, ate ice cream at Leopold's, drank some yummy beer, and then wrapped up our night by eating at Lady and Son's restaurant. Another place that was worth every single of the 10000+ calories we consumed. It was too quick of a trip but we have plans to go back and see more.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-14847162264865267862017-12-27T21:37:00.001-05:002017-12-27T21:37:23.518-05:00August 2017After finally getting settled into the new house, August started the month of making the house our own. While we love the floorpan of the house, there are many cosmetic things we aren't so fond of but they weren't deal breakers. The easiest thing to tackle first was the paint. We spent 2 solid weekends this month painting the worst of the color offenders.<br />
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The first to go was the dining room. It was an awful pea green color that you saw first thing upon coming in the house and it drove me crazy. We had decided on a dark blue color and then my friend convinced me to lighten it up a bit. However, the blue we ended up with is pretty close to Carolina blue and Todd being a NC State fan, was not thrilled once it dried. But, it makes the room look so much brighter and fresher and will be toned down with our furniture and curtains so Todd will live with it for now.</div>
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The next offender was the orange sitting room off our bedroom. The color was just too jarring for a bedroom area. It would have been an easy job, except for the fact the prior owners painted the ceiling orange too. We painted it the same light blue color as the dining room and it felt so much better right off the bat.</div>
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We painted our bedroom the next weekend in the same color as the sitting room. I know I took pictures of the room after but they seem to have disappeared. It was a goldish yellow before we painted it so the blue was much more soothing and relaxing to be in afterwards.</div>
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We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday at her place on the lake and the kids had a lot of fun. It was an 80's themed party and the kids weren't down with the 80's style of dress. So, we just went with bathing suits and that seemed to work just fine.</div>
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Since my sister-in-law likes to celebrate her birthday the whole month, we also went to an afterwork type of party with live music and drinks with her and her friends. The kids were not so thrilled because they were bored but the adults had a great time enjoying the music.</div>
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With the impending arrival of Kindergarten and the need to get in and out of a seat quickly, we went ahead and moved Mason to a booster seat before school started. I was not super thrilled with the decision but I knew it was necessary for the car pool line. Mason on the other hand was lovin it. </div>
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Before we knew it, it was time to go back to school. Aubrey was ready to go back to school and see her friends. She hates living so far from most of them and she always looks forward to being with them again.</div>
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Mason ended up with a later start date due to staggered entry so I got to enjoy him at home a few more days. I was dreading his first day because I knew it would be another one of those bittersweet signs my baby was growing up. Mason however, had zero reservations and was ready to go to school with his big sister. We did all the preparation the night before and he was ready to go that morning. I was glad to get to walk in with him that first morning and before I knew it, he was shoving me out the door. I only had a few tears as I walked to my car and headed to work so I was proud of myself. Mason loves school and his teacher so I think his transition to elementary school was a success. </div>
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Aubrey wrote Mason a very sweet note before he started school. </div>
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And just for giggles, here are pictures of the kids the day Aubrey started Kindergarten and the day Mason started. I can't believe how much they have both grown since then.<br />
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As much as I hate the return to school because it means early mornings and car pool lines, it was nice to get back into a routine and have some structure back in the picture.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-60003181221172970762017-12-27T20:58:00.002-05:002017-12-27T20:58:31.001-05:00July 2017After the absolute madness of moving and traveling to Disney World in the span of 2 weeks, July was a much quieter and relaxed month. We spent a good bit of time unpacking boxes and settling in but had a lot more downtime than we had the past 3 months.<br />
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We took a trip to Lake Lookout for Gma's birthday.<br />
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We celebrated July 4th in the neighborhood. We spent a good chunk of the day in the pool, then invited some friends that live in the neighborhood over for dinner. When it got dark, we realized some neighbors spent a lot of cash on fireworks and launched them in the green space of the neighborhood that is within sight of our house. So, we walked to watch fireworks and it was so much fun. </div>
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We spent lots of time in our new neighborhood's pool this month. The kids went to the pool with he nanny about 4 days after we closed and afterwards it was a daily request to go swimming. Both kids made a lot of progress with their swimming due to having such frequent access to a pool and I am grateful for that. The pool was one of the deciding factors in picking this neighborhood and well worth the price of our HOA fees.<br />
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Mason participated in our church's youth soccer camp and he said he had a lot of fun.<br />
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After being in the house about a month, we let Aubrey have the first sleepover here. It was craziness having 3 8-year olds in the house but they had a lot of fun and that is what mattered.<br />
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It was nice to enjoy our summer in the new house and new neighborhood. After so much busyness, just being able to sit still and soak everything in was such a blessing to us.</div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-1678722415459640772017-12-27T20:41:00.001-05:002018-12-23T23:43:48.994-05:00Such a bittersweet post to writeMany people knew that Todd and I were really unhappy with our housing situation for a long time. We bought our first house together in Huntersville in February 2007, months before the market tanked. Housing prices were really high then and so we struggled to find what we wanted in our price range and only had about 45 days to find one because we sold the house in Mooresville and had to be out. We did find a house, but were never really thrilled with the neighborhood because it had almost no amenities and was really a starter neighborhood. But, again, prices in Huntersville were high and we had such a tight time frame to work with, so we took what was available, even it was never our favorite. We made a deal that we would stay in the house for 5 years and then move on.<br />
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Weeellllll, no one really predicted the housing market tanking. And it hit our neighborhood hard, making many of the houses rentals over the years. When our 5 year goal came up in 2012, we weren't willing to sale because the value hadn't recovered and we weren't willing to lose money on the house. So many rentals in the neighborhood also made things dicy because renters have no incentive to do upgrades to the houses and don't care about the values of the homes. So, we held out, waiting for things to improve. The desire to move never left, especially as we watched neighborhood conditions start to deteriorate over the years. Finally, towards the end of 2016, the values in our neighborhood had recovered well enough for us to start discussing selling. We had made quite a few upgrades to the house over the years and knew we were finally in a good place and could make a good profit instead of losing money. On April 12th, we felt financially ready and took the leap to call a realtor friend I met through Aubrey's school. We started the mad dash of getting the final touches on the house to get it on the market towards the end of April.</div>
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We also started to tour a few houses that we wanted to buy in the mean time. Houses at this time were being snapped up within days of going on the market and we wanted to get a jump on the search. I was pretty upset because again we were facing limited choices in our price and size range and I wondered if we would have to settle for something we didn't really want again. We did find a house that we loved in a neighborhood we wanted to be in and we placed an offer on April 24th, even before we officially listed our house. However, the seller's realtor encouraged the sellers not to take the offer because our house wasn't listed yet, and houses were going so fast in Huntersville. I was disappointed but understood and hoped for the best once our house went on the market. </div>
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Wednesday, April 26th this sign went in the front yard.</div>
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And it was game on quickly. We had so many showings that weekend and got our first offer on Saturday, the 29th. We were excited at first, but then mad when we realized the offer was for 10k less than our asking price. The market at this time gave them no room for that offer so we started negotiations. That went back and forth Saturday afternoon and overnight into Sunday, the 30th while we went out on our own search for a new houses. We were within about 2k of our lowest acceptable price and the potential buyers backed out Sunday morning. Oh, I was crushed. But, our realtor came back very quickly and said another offer was pending so we held on. We had a dance completion to go to that day so we packed up and went to the competiton all while biting our nails and anticipating a phone call. I was sitting on the floor of an auditorium getting Aubrey ready to dance when Todd texted to tell me we had a new full price offer on the house but they didn't want to close until the end of June. Deal breaker. There was no way we could wait that long to close. Most sellers were wanting closing to be in 45-60ish days. That would put us at almost 75 days. So, the battle began again before settling on Monday afternoon, the 1st at a slightly lower offer but closing on June 15. We also got the buyers to agree to let us stay in the old house until the 17th so we had plenty of time to move and settle the new house since they weren't moving in until August.<br />
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Side story. We sold our last house in Mooresville to a lady from California. She wrote a check for our house and it blew our minds because we couldn't imagine having that kind of cash in the bank. So, we laughed when we realized our new buyers were from California. However, they were first time buyers so no major check writing this time. The shocking part of this transaction is that they bought our house sight unseen. They made an offer on a house they had never even stepped foot in. They based their offer on the fantastic drone video our realtor had made for us. Their realtor came in to see the house during the inspection and one of the buyers came sometime later in May. But, his wife never saw the house until the day they moved in. I would have serious issues with that myself, but I guess when you are buying a house clear across the country, you do the best you can.</div>
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Back to the main story. Once we had our signed offer on the old house, we had to find our new house quickly. By complete luck, the house we placed an offer on the week before was still on the market. At 8:00 that Monday night we placed our offer on the the house and by 10:00 pm we had reached a deal with the sellers to close on our new house on June 15. Our realtor deserved so much for all the work she did for us that day. We can never thank her enough.</div>
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Then, reality set in. OMG, we were MOVING. Finally, after 10 years of not being happy with our housing situation, we were finally packing up to move. The months of May and June were a bit of blur, between the normal family life I blogged about already and packing 10 years worth of stuff. There were lots of bittersweet moments that filled those days. Like Aubrey's final last day of school picture in front of the house. Last days on the swing set (we left it for the buyers).Tears from the kids about leaving the only house they had ever known. Planning for new bathrooms and kitchen and a bonus room. And the never ending stream of boxes and packing tape.<br />
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There was was plenty of drama along the way with both houses between setting up the mortgage (realizing Todd's social security number somehow got linked to another guy that lives in Maryland), getting our house to appraise, and then negotiating repairs to the old and new houses.<br />
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The closing for the old house got bumped up to June 12th so the transaction would have time to clear and hit the bank in time for us to close on the the new house on the 15th. It was strange to walk into the bank and sign our house over. It was very unceremonius but still felt sad to sign our name to those papers. Everything cleared on the 14th and we got notice the transaction was done. We were officially renters for 4 days and so thankful we had that time to get ready to move.<br />
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Before we knew it, it was June 15th. We came to the new house for our final walk through that morning and it was high drama. We realized the upstairs AC wasn't working, the sellers didn't put up a mirror they were supposed to put up, they took all the curtains with them, and they didn't leave a mattress they promised us. I had to leave quickly for an appointment and left Todd and the realtor to settle the drama. Our realtor started threatening to not close (meaning we had no house to stay in after the 17th) and luckily that motivated the seller's realtor to push the sellers to into action. Finally, at 2:30 pm, we signed what seemed like a 100 documents and were handed the keys to our new house. We started moving a few things that night including the beds because we had to get the dogs out of the old house per the contract which meant sleeping in the new house. The next day was a blur of boxes and sweat and 500 trips up and down stairs. But, it was so amazing to celebrate this milestone in our lives and enjoy the fruit of our hard work.<br />
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Picture of our new house from the MLS</div>
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On Saturday, the 17th, I went back to the old house for the final cleaning and walk through. We had to be out of the house by 4:00 pm and I had about 5 hours to clean it. Of course the vacuum cleaner decided to die so I had to make a mad dash to Target for a new one, which cut my time down to about 4 hours. I started panicking about being able to finish on time when an angel in the form of my mother came over to bring food and help me clean. We cleaned like fools and at 3:40 an agent from the buyer's realtor's office comes over for his walk through. We were just wrapping up when he came in. We had to rush and get the final things packed in the car before we had to lock up. I packed up the car and shut the front door and the tears hit. I was really surprised by the tears and posted this on Facebook. 2 months and 5 days after calling our realtor, we closed the chapter on this part of our lives and it just seemed so unreal to me then.<br />
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10 years of praying and hoping led us to the house that we hope to be in for at least the next 20 years. It still shocks me sometimes when I drive into our new neighborhood and realize its ours now. I have messed up a few times and driven to the old house on auto pilot. But, we have enjoyed living here so far and are so excited to make all new memories here.<br />
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-7746370115402456952017-12-27T17:40:00.001-05:002017-12-27T17:40:29.847-05:00June 2017This is going to be a short post because I'm saving up most of June's activities for a big post about a big change in our lives. But, I can't skip the whole month because there were a few things that happened that deserve a separate post.<br />
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Aubrey's last day of school was in June and it seemed to sneak up on us so fast. I think all of her 2nd grade year just went by so fast because so much was going on. She had a great year and for once was actually ready to move on to the next grade level.<br />
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Once the kids were out of school, our nanny introduced them to the joys of a hammock and they were in love.<br />
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Todd and I had a much, much needed date night in June and went to do a wine and paint night. It was so much fun to do one with him. </div>
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I think in my May post, I mistakenly said Aubrey wrapped up her dance season. Technically, the studio wrapped up the season, but the competition team kept on moving in preparation for their big summer performance in June...at DISNEY. Yes, we made our 2nd trip of the year to Disney World. Yes, Disney World, in June. The weather was miserably hot but the girls danced their heart out at Disney Springs so it made the trip entirely worth it. Plus, we invited my mom to tag along so she could watch the kids enjoy another Disney trip and she had a great time as well.<br />
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So, more about June coming up next....Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-37930676748903507922017-12-27T17:13:00.002-05:002017-12-27T17:14:51.972-05:00May 2017As usual for our family, May was pretty crazy. There is always so much going on as schools and extra curricular activities begin to wind down for the year.<br />
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Mason's t-ball team wrapped their season at the beginning of the month. Mason's ball skills improved so much this year, but Coach Todd seems to think he'll need one more season of tball before moving up to coach pitch baseball. So, we'll be back again next year.<br />
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Aubrey's dance team wrapped up their season with their final competition and dance recital. I'll be honest, though. After watching 4 dance competitions this year, the recital was a little anticlimactic for me. I will never get tired of watching Aubrey dance, but sitting through another 4 hour dress rehearsal and recital was just not as much fun as competitions. But, Aubrey was excited to get her 5th year of dance trophy so that made it a little more exciting.<br />
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The biggest tug at my heartstrings moment of the month was watching our little guy graduate from preschool. We have had someone at Assurance Preschool for the past 5 years so realizing that we were moving past the preschool phase was so bittersweet. He was so excited and so ready for Kindergarten but it still caused a few tears to pass this momma's eyes to see him walk that stage.<br />
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We celebrated Memorial Day weekend by taking our last trip to the HFFA pool. The kids love this pool and I was sad to give up our membership, but better things were on the horizon that made it a little less sad.<br />
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We had our first lake visits in May and it was so beautiful. Sometimes I wish we lived on the water but then I remember how expensive it is and how I'm not super fond of creatures that live around the lake, so I stick to living on dry land instead.<br />
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So, May kept us pretty busy and even more busyness kept us going in June....</div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-18692830142382991862017-10-19T12:33:00.002-04:002017-10-19T12:33:42.572-04:00April 2017April was the start to lots and lots of craziness in our life that deserves its own whole post so this month's post will be a bit skimpy because we were so focused on that craziness.<br />
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Before the craziness started, we got to spend lots of time at the baseball field because Mason started his 2nd season of t-ball. Todd sort of ended up being the default head coach, which meant he got to pick the team name. So, of course he had to go with our favorite Braves. Unfortunately, I missed the first game because I had training for work (again, a whole other post. Different than the crazy post I listed above. Lots of craziness I tell you) but there were lots of people to cheer him on and I received lots of pics. I did get to go to most of the other games but missing that first one still hurt this momma's heart.<br />
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We enjoyed a beautiful Easter day at home and church before going to my in-law's house for dinner. The kids were super excited about their Easter baskets but also balanced that with tons of questions about the meaning of Easter. It was a hard discussion to have with a 5-year old about Jesus dying and coming back but he seemed to be ok with that simple of an explanation. </div>
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Aubrey went 3D with their letter this year and it was so cute.</div>
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Turning a holiday into a math lesson by counting his eggs. </div>
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The only other child-related even this month was taking Aubrey to the American Girl store at South Park for a party. She was so excited that we finally bought some bangs for her doll Abby. </div>
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So, 2 more posts will come later that will connect back to this month but I've got to get prepared to write them. Because, serious changes started this month and I can't wait to share.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-34891894006968457062017-10-19T11:59:00.001-04:002017-10-19T12:02:53.442-04:00March 2017March started busy season back up for us. We spent quite a few dance this month in an auditorium with loud music and sequins.....aka dance competitions and shows. I competed dance from ages 9-15 so I knew they would be early mornings and late nights so I was mentally prepared for the long days. But, it was so much more fun as an adult to be there. As a kid, I was always nervous and stressed about performing well so I never really watched the other dances. I really enjoyed watching the other teams dance this time and getting to relax while someone else stressed about their dances. Oddly enough, I wasn't really nervous for Aubrey because I knew their teams would do well. She competed 2 dances with her team and then 1 large production number with the whole troupe. Their teacher is an amazing choreographer and has such a talent with dance and works so hard to make these girls good. And it shows. They racked up so many awards with the various dances and it was so fun to see.<br />
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In a cruel twist in weather, after having a nice February, March returned to cold and yuck, including another snow. This one was much smaller than January's, but enough for the kids to gear up and go outside to play.<br />
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-43303900905502328792017-10-19T11:43:00.001-04:002017-10-19T11:59:40.289-04:00February 2017After the craziness of the holidays and January birthdays, we always look forward to the more quiet February. We enjoyed some beautiful weather which is always a nice treat considering its such a blah month. We even got brave and bought kites because it was so nice and windy enough for them. The kids really enjoyed it, until Todd got one stuck in the tree.<br />
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The medical system I work for is a sponsor of the local professional hockey team the Checkers and they offered us discounted tickets to a game, so we took the kids. Aubrey was in heaven because she had decided that hockey was her favorite sport, despite never attending any prior games. But, Mason loves all sports equally so he was just as happy. Aubrey and I missed the first goal because we were going to the restroom but we got to meet their mascot Chubby on the way, so it made up for it.<br />
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Aubrey's school always has spirit week in February and she loves the chance to dress in clothes other than her uniform for a week. We found the perfect items to make an 80's outfit for decades day and it was perfect.<br />
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Todd and I took a trip to Charleston to visit an old coworker of mine so the kids got to spend a weekend with their Aunty Lacey and they were thrilled. I didn't take one picture of the whole weekend but it was so nice to get away for a weekend without the kids.<br />
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We had to leave Charleston super early to get home and get Aubrey ready for her first dance competition showcase. She started the team this year and while I was excited for her, I was also a little nervous. Aubrey was one of the 2 youngest on the team and I was wondering how she would fit in and dance compared to the older girls. I should have known not to worry because they used her littleness to their advantage and used her in all the lifts, which made her feel super special. It made this momma's heart drop a beat watching her go up in the air but she loved it, which made it all better.<br />
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So, that was our quiet February. Quiet and calm after the storm.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-6776685410551701912017-08-15T17:32:00.000-04:002017-08-15T17:32:20.194-04:00January 2017As usual, January was full of birthday fun. But, before we could start the celebrations, we got to enjoy some beautiful North Carolina snow. For NC, we actually got a decent amount so the kids (big and small) got to enjoy some nice sledding and snow ball fights in our neighborhood.<br />
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Thankfully, the snow was gone by the time we needed to leave for our Mason's 5th birthday celebration in Orlando. As much as I was dreading my baby boy turning 5, having that milestone birthday in Disney World seemed to make it a bit easier. We decided to stay on the Disney property this time and stayed at All Star Sports and Mason loved it. After having a fabulous character breakfast at Chef Mickey's we spent Mason's actual birthday in Hollywood Studios and Mason got to experience almost all of the Star Wars attractions. The next day, we visited Animal Kingdom, which was a treat for all of us because even Todd and I had never been there. Our last day of the trip was spent at Magic Kingdom and by the end of the day, we were all exhausted so we probably didn't get as much excitement about that day as we should have. </div>
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With Mickey at Chef Mickey's</div>
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Watching the Storm Trooper parade through Hollywood Studios.</div>
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He chose a funnel cake for his birthday cake and it was bigger than his head.</div>
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Yep, 38 years old and no shame in taking a picture with my favorite guy Goofy.</div>
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The kids (with squinty sun faces) in front of the Tree of Life</div>
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Meeting Donald Duck at Animal Kingdom.</div>
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Obligatory Cinderella's Castle picture at the Magic Kingdom.</div>
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After the exhaustion of traveling to Florida, we decided to have a super low key birthday for Aubrey. She had dance on her birthday so we brought cupcakes for her friends to enjoy during class. Afterwards, she got her presents from us and enjoyed some cupcakes at home. Later that weekend, we invited her BFF over for a sleepover, which was one one of the most requested events in our house. The girls had a blast and made Aubrey's birthday celebration a blast.</div>
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As usual, I was happy when January was over. Traveling and 2 birthdays made it an exhausting month so I was ready to get back to some sense of normalcy.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-15086001439470783732017-08-15T16:54:00.001-04:002017-08-15T16:54:32.388-04:00December 2016We have lots of catching up to do. There has been lots of life going on since I last added to my blog so I just need to jump in and type away.<br />
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December as usual was such a busy month. I love the holiday season but there always seems like so much to do and it goes so quickly.<br />
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We started off with our Christmas/family pictures. I love getting these pictures every year because I get to see the real difference in the kids over the years and it is amazing.<br />
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Aubrey was in her first Christmas show at school and it was....interesting. I think the music teacher had some really high expectations for these 2nd and 3rd graders because this musical was really, really long. But, I have to be proud of Aubrey. Miss I Don't Like To Be In Front Of An Audience auditioned for a role and was given the opportunity for a speaking part. She did a great job. The play was really cute, but just a big dragged out and hard to understand at times.<br />
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We made our second journey to Christmas in Davidson and the kids seemed to really enjoy it again. It was pretty cold that night but something about celebrating Christmas just seems to make you forget how cold it is. </div>
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Todd and I riding the trolly to the festivities.</div>
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Our next holiday celebration was watching Mason's last preschool Christmas show. Oh, the waterworks that ensued when I realized it was our last preschool Christmas show. This was the 5th time we've watched those cuties sing Christmas songs and it never gets old. </div>
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The kids enjoyed wearing their Christmas jammies to church for Jesus' birthday party. Something about wearing pjs out in public just makes any event better. And add in a birthday party and it just was over the top.</div>
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Todd and the kids did the annual trip to Raleigh to visit his family while I went to work. Once they got home, I took the kids off Todd's hands and they built their first gingerbread train. The loved building it, but I had to watch them really closely to make sure they didn't eat all of the decorations.</div>
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The kids are really getting into writing the letter to Santa. It is so cute to watch them come up with the "perfect" letter and to watch Mason practice his writing.</div>
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Christmas Day was such a fun day. We actually had to wake the kids up to go open presents because we were so excited. After seeing Santa's loot, we did our traditional breakfast at Todd's parents. The kids spent Christmas Day playing with their toys before my parents and sister came over for dinner. Even though there was nothing different about our Christmas, I love the traditions and that the kids anticipate them. </div>
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We spent New Year's Eve with my parents celebrating my mom's birthday. We did some shopping and then Todd grilled some yummy steaks, which was so much better than going out to fight the crowds. After my parents went home, Mason and Todd ended up crashing well before midnight so Aubrey and I brought in the New Year watching the ball drop on tv. It is fun that she is getting so excited about these traditions and I can't wait to see how they develop as she gets older.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-14230384972588396542017-02-18T22:37:00.000-05:002017-02-18T22:37:58.067-05:00November 2016November was a great month, but super busy. We started off the month by attending an awards ceremony for the Gaston County Recycled Art contest. We found out Aubrey won 3rd place with her bottle top jewelry and we were so excited for her. She told us that the kids pick on her because her art is not good so it was some sweet news for her to hear that she won a prize for her art. She got to miss the day from school to attend the ceremony at the Gaston County Library and was tickled with that. She was given a certificate and a gift card to Hobby Lobby, which just made her day.<br />
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Mason wrapped up his first season of team soccer and was so excited to get another trophy. I think soccer replaced t-ball as his favorite sport and he showed a lot of promise on the field.<br />
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The kids were pretty excited to go vote with me this year. The precinct volunteer told the kids to make sure I only watched my machine and followed all the instructions and the kids took their job very seriously. They were excited to show of their stickers afterwards and made sure to tell me they told their friends they "voted." I am glad I can include them in on the voting process and hope they are excited to vote when they are old enough.<br />
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Aubrey got to attend her first dance convention this year. I was a little nervous about the whole deal because I knew she was going to be in over her head and I was afraid she would get frustrated. While I was right that the classes were really hard for her, she managed to keep a positive attitude and try so hard to keep with the older girls. I was very proud of her and can't wait to watch as she grows in dance over the next year.<br />
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Per tradition, we hosted Thanksgiving at our house again and it was perfect. The weather was awesome and the food was fantastic. I love all things about Thanksgiving and this one was perfect.<br />
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We picked out our Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was a really great tree. The kids loved decorating the house later that afternoon and enjoyed their hot chocolate tradition that comes along with it.<br />
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We ended the month with the Mount Holly Christmas parade. Aubrey was so nervous to dance in the parade for the first time because she has always ridden in the truck with the dance studio. But, she did a great job and enjoyed seeing her friends along the route. Mason enjoyed sitting on the sidelines with my parents and catching the candy thrown at him.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-7671976296423737282017-02-18T21:57:00.000-05:002017-02-18T21:57:06.586-05:00October 2016October has always been one of my favorite months. The weather is usually perfect, its my birthday month, and we have Halloween candy. Perfection. This October was no different.<br />
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We made a big step for Aubrey by forcing her to take the training wheels off her bike and that was a big fat fail. Poor girl just has no frustration tolerance so the multiple falls that come along with learning to ride a bike just made her give up. We realized she probably needed a new bigger bike after the fact so we gave up forcing the issue until that happened.<br />
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We did our annual trip to Hodges Farm for our pumpkins. This is our 9th trip there and its amazing how much the farm and the fall activities have grown there since our first visit when Aubrey was a baby. We checked out the animals, climbed on the hay, ate ice cream, and of course picked out our pumpkins.<br />
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Todd and the kids went to Atlanta for his cousin's wedding and I stayed behind to do school work. It was nice to have a quiet weekend to get work done but I was happier once everyone was home safe.<br />
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The kids both dressed up for school for Halloween, or excuse me "Book Character Day" for Aubrey. Mason decided he wanted to be a shark for school which was perfect because I could use the shark costume we already had in the house. Aubrey decided to be Fancy Nancy again so we reused an old dance costume that worked perfectly.<br />
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For Halloween this year, the kids decided that we were going to do a family Star Wars theme. Aubrey reused Mason's Darth Vader costume, Mason was a Storm Trooper, and Todd re-used Luke Skywalker for the 3rd time (we get our money's worth out of costumes if you can't tell). I was supposed to be Princess Leia, however I waited way too late to get my costume so I ended up being Rey from the latest movies. It was still fun to dress up and the kids had a great time trick-or-treating.<br />
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So while the month was busy, it was the perfect October for us and I cannot complain one bit about it.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-27055161867139057922016-12-31T10:25:00.001-05:002016-12-31T10:25:51.925-05:00Catching upWell, as evidenced by the lack of posts over the past 4 months, this fall kicked my butt. I knew I was taking on an overload with working, starting a business, going to school, and taking care of the family. But, I didn't realize just how dead I would be by December. We somehow made it work as a family, but it is not something I ever hope to go through again. I am finished with school for the time being and we've settled into a work/family/small business routine so life should be a little less chaotic. I spent the month of December decompressing and doing all of the holiday activities and just enjoying life for a while. I actually have a little free time on my hands now so the goal is to get caught up on all of my pictures and my blog. I fully realize there is no one pressuring me to blog, but after looking through old posts a few weeks ago, I know there is so much about the last 4 months I will forget if I don't get it written down and out of my head. I am thankful I have written down all of these memories over the years so I have something to go back and show my kids and grandkids. So, there will be lots of catching up on my blog the next few days as I get thoughts out of my head and pictures off my camera.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5965204987378992129.post-79268255234876941482016-12-01T22:50:00.000-05:002017-02-18T22:51:30.319-05:00September 2016September started the 4 months of craziness. Mason started his last year of preschool and I was a sad mess. It really seemed like Aubrey was just starting preschool so sending my baby off for his last year just seemed surreal. He was so excited for school, especially because his friend Tyler was in his class this year. Pre-K has been an adjustment for all of us, though. This year he has actual homework and getting him to do it is sometimes a challenge. The homework is optional, but he gets a prize for doing it. He is much more concerned with getting the prize than actually doing the homework so it makes for some stressful nights. I am trying to not burn him out from homework at the age of 4, but want him to start Kindergarten in a good place so it is a balance of managing that right now.<br />
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Comparison of first day of 2-year old preschool vs first day of pre-k. Be still my heart. </div>
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I fully jumped into the LuLaRoe world in September by having my launch party. It was pretty stressful to put it all together, but it turned out to be a great time. I had more fun selling things than I really thought I would and was so excited to see the numbers at the end of the night.<br />
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ECU and NC State played each other in football this year and unfortunately, Todd and I were not able to make the trip to Greenville to watch it like we have the last 2 games. So, we decked ourselves out in our finest gear, made the kids chose sides, and watched ECU win at home on the couch.<br />
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Aubrey's school had their annual fun run to raise money for the school and Mason and I were able to watch. She enjoyed running laps as fast as she could around the school and Mason entertained himself with the football equipment while she ran.<br />
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Aubrey surprised us all by requesting a "big" haircut. I was a little nervous about her cutting it short because we have to put it in a bun for dance. But, she was so excited to get it cut and really enjoyed the after so I just rolled with it.<br />
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The rest of September was a blur of school, dance, soccer, LLR, and craziness. But, that's the real world and our reality for the next 4 months.</div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07290741451293217348noreply@blogger.com0